MSI GE70 Apache Notebook Review

MSI takes a big step forward in the casing. Although barely any modifications are visible on the base unit, the lid looks considerably higher quality owing to the brushed aluminum. The previous generation had to be satisfied with a glossy finish that was also extremely susceptible to grime and scratches.

The surfaces stay fairly neat (with the exception of dust) when clean and dry fingers are used on the GE70. However, it is too bad that MSI did not switch to a matte finish for the keyboard bed. A lot of dirt accumulates between the keys in the course of time. 

We deem the visual design successful. The laptop's red border adds a certain zing to the otherwise black device. The same is true for the dragon logo on the cover. The GE70's build is neither thick nor extremely slim with a height of 39 millimeters (~1.5 inches). For example, MSI's GT70 has a height of almost six centimeters (~2.4 inches) (27 millimeters @ GS70; ~1.1 in). 3.0 kilograms (~6.6 lbs) is also an acceptable weight for a 17-inch chassis.

Acceptable also describes the stability. The stiffness can compete with the contenders when we bracket out the display, keyboard and touchpad (quite pliable in several areas). Nevertheless, there is still room for improvement.

The hinges are - as typical for most laptops - not ideal. Surface vibrations let the display wobble a good deal. Besides that, both hands are needed for opening the GE70. Overall, the chassis merits just "Satisfactory".

Keyboard

The keyboard makes a mixed impression. Speaking here about the positive, the backlight is a highlight offering three zones and the ability to be disabled.

The wireless adapter, webcam, sound, and touchpad can also be disabled via an FN key combination. The brightness and volume's control positioning seem especially handy to us. Their implementation on the arrow keys is easy to reach. The dedicated number pad is another plus point.

There is room for improvement in the typing behavior because the keyboard tends to yield. Keystrokes make a slightly unclear and spongy impression. Other laptops offer a much "crisper" keyboard. The unusual layout does not make getting used to it easier either. As can be seen on the screenshot below, MSI has relocated several keys, and given the Enter a single-row design.

Processor

The review sample sports a quad-core that clocks with 2.4 - 3.4 GHz. Like its Haswell siblings, the Core i7-4700HQ is built in the 22 nm process, which points to good energy efficiency.

The CPU not only has the clock rate, but also the L3 cache in common with the Core i7-4700MQ. 6 MB are twice as much as most dual-cores have. Owing to the Hyperthreading technology, the i7-4700HQ can simultaneously process up to eight threads.

Another feature is the integrated DirectX 11 chip. Intel's HD Graphics 4600 does not calculate exceedingly fast, but it ensures a moderate power consumption in basic applications (office, video, Internet, etc.). Nvidia's Optimus technology creates the foundation for this. It enables the GeForce GPU only in 3D operation (power button lights up in orange).

To retrieve the maximum from the GeForce GTX 850M, MSI does not use a DDR3 but a GDDR5 version instead. Although the first has a higher core rate (maximum of 1084 rather than 954 MHz), the GDDR5 model calculates faster in total because the narrow 128-bit interface does not have such a negative effect.

Regarding its 640 Unified Shaders and a 2048 MB memory, the GTX 850M is strongly related to the pricier GTX 860M Maxwell unit that overclocks up to 1097 MHz under load. The GeForce 800 generation is built in the 28 nm process.

MSI does not tinker around with the driver. The ForceWare 332.35 is currently installed in countless Nvidia laptops.

A 500 GB HDD spinning at 5400 rpm is no longer state-of-the-art for a gaming laptop - price/performance ratio or not. The operating system responds very sluggishly particularly in multitasking, which is often seen in the boot, load, and installation times. Windows routines would be smoother with a solid-state drive, like installed in some GE70 models.

MSI installs Western Digital's Scorpio Blue WD5000LPVX in the review sample. An average of 80 MB/s in CrystalDiskMark and 75 MB/s in HD Tune is anything but awesome. Larger 5400 rpm HDDs, such as the Toshiba MQ01ABD100 (Asus N56JR, Aorus X7, etc.) frequently surpass the 100 MB limit in sequential read and write processes.

In the writer's opinion, MSI should preferably invest the resources in a small SSD rather than in dozens of additional features that are not truly essential, and primarily serve marketing (Audio Boost, Cooler Boost, Matrix Display, etc.).

The GDDR5 video memory often determines if a game is "still playable" or "too jerky" in the native resolution. While only 5 of 17 games ran smoothly in maximum details and enabled anti-aliasing on the Schenker M504 (>30 fps), MSI's laptop at least still decently rendered 8 games.

The user will only be forced to reduce the graphic options and lower the anti-aliasing level in extremely computing-intensive cases, such as Crysis 3, Far Cry 3 or Metro: Last Light. High details are no problem with no or 2x AA.

The GTX 850M has a lead of almost 20% over its DDR3 counterpart, and lags 10% behind the GTX 860M when all ultra-benchmarks are summed up (chart below Verdict).

The cooling comes close to its limits in 3D operation. Both the GeForce GTX 850M and the Core i7-4700HQ heat up to over 90 °C (194 °F) after 60 minutes of stress testing using the tools FurMark and Prime95 - and that although the GPU strongly throttles to ~600 MHz, and the CPU moderately throttles to ~2.0 GHz. However, throttling only occurred in unrealistic scenarios. The clock rates were normal, even after 30 minutes in Crysis 3 (right screenshot).

Now we look at the chassis that also gets quite hot during load. Up to 48 °C (118.4 °F) in the WASD zone and 44 °C (111.2 °F) in the wrist rest area are not reached by the 17-inch brother. Sensitive gamers should preferably look for an alternative. The upper side of Nexoc's G728II was almost 10 °C (18 °F) cooler in the stress test.

The laptop will unlikely provide much reason for complaint in undemanding tasks. The GE70 performed our idle assessments with an average of 28 °C (82.4 °F).

Every manufacturer tries to cut costs somewhere. MSI opted for the battery that is relatively weak with 49 Wh (4400mAh). The battery runtimes are thus no revelation like the comparison of contending devices confirms.

Nexoc's M731 (62 Wh) and Nexoc's G728II (77 Wh) both surpass two hours of DVD playback using maximum brightness and almost 2.5 hours of Internet browsing in medium brightness. 4.5 hours of idling and one hour of gaming (~50% performance loss) from the MSI Apache are not very exciting either. In other words: The next generation should feature a stronger battery.

The good and the bad are balanced in the GE70-2PCi785. Besides annoying austerity measures like the weak battery and sluggish hard drive, the ClickPad would primarily have to be mentioned on the negative side. MSI should have actually noticed that the technology does not work satisfactorily during development. The Taiwanese gaming expert is however not the only one with this drawback: it shares its fate with other ClickPads.

Beyond that, the user is faced with high temperatures and noise development, but quieter gaming laptops are rare. The interface distribution could also be optimized.

However, profound improvements are visible in the casing. MSI has apparently listened to the feedback and has treated the GE70 to a less sensitive aluminum cover that is superior to the old, glossy plastic. The premium successor looks very stylish in its present form, and almost achieves the design level of the GS70.

Other assets are the moderate size and the tolerable weight. Barely any other 17-inch laptop can be carried around as comfortably (and the power supply is also quite slim). The image and sound quality also justify the purchase price. The high-contrast, non-glare screen is just as compelling as the speaker combo from Dynaudio.

MSI does not make compromises in maintenance options and graphics card either. According to our benchmarks, the GTX 850M massively benefits from the GDDR5 VRAM. The total package is rounded off with a backlit keyboard.