MSI GS30 Shadow

Specifications

Price comparison

Reviews for the MSI GS30 Shadow

60% MSI GS30
Source: Comp Reviews Archive.org version
The MSI GS30 Shadow on paper offers an amazing combination of extremely small size and impressive performance. That performance comes at a very high literal price and with some major caveats. Battery life is very poor and gaming requires using with the Gaming Dock. This makes it a less than perfect choice for the mobile gamer.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 06/01/2015
Rating: Total score: 60%

Foreign Reviews

81% MSI GS30 Shadow
Source: Benchmark.pl PL→EN Archive.org version
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 02/16/2015
Rating: Total score: 81% performance: 100% display: 90% mobility: 90% workmanship: 80% ergonomy: 90% emissions: 60%

MSI GS30 2M Shadow – Стратегическое Оружие Геймера
Source: Notebook-Center.ru RU→EN Archive.org version
Positive: Compact size; powerful gaming dock. Negative: Expensive; poor noisy cooling system.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 06/18/2015

Комплект MSI GS30 Shadow
Source: Ixbt RU→EN Archive.org version
Positive: Compact size and light weight; very good performance; matte display. Negative: Expensive.
Single Review, online available, Very Long, Date: 04/14/2015

Comment

Model: The MSI GS30 Shadow is laptop with GamingDock, which can turn the device into powerful gaming machine. The GamingDock can house any GPU in order to improve the GS30's performance and allows to run most if not all the hottest games in the market now at highest graphic details. The Shadow is designed to be small and light since it doesn't have a discreet graphics card. It has a 13.3 inch matte anti-glare display with a resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels . It runs on the Intel Core i7 processor with a maximum of 16GB of DDR3 RAM.

The GamingDock is the size of a small printer and was designed to hold a full-sized desktop graphics card. It connects to the gaming laptop with a 16-pin PCI Express connector and requires a self-owned GPU to be fitted in, in order to acquire the best performance of this extremely powerful combination. The GamingDock also features a sound system with a 2.1 speaker setup, a 450-watt power supply, and an extra 3.5 inch compartment for an extra hard drive. Additionally, it also has an Ethernet port and four USB 3.0 ports adding on to the laptop's own two USB 3.0 ports.

Intel Iris Pro Graphics 5200:

Integrated graphics (GT3 + eDRAM) as found on certain Haswell CPUs. It is the fastest version in its family.

Modern games should be playable with these graphics cards at low settings and resolutions. Casual gamers may be happy with these cards.

» Further information can be found in our Comparison of Mobile Graphics Cards and the corresponding Benchmark List.

Intel Core i7: The Intel Core i7 for laptops is based on the LG1156 Core i5/i7 CPU for desktops. The base clock speed of the CPUs is relatively low, but because of a huge Turbo mode, the cores can dynamically overclock to up to 3.2 GHz (920XM). Therefore, the CPU can be as fast as high clocked dual-core CPUs (using single threaded applications) but still offer the advantage of 4 cores. Because of the large TDP of 45 W / 55 W, the CPU is only intended for large laptops.  

4870HQ: Haswell-based quad-core processor clocked at 2.5 GHz with Turbo Boost support up to 3.7 GHz. Offers an integrated Iris Pro Graphics 5200 GPU and a dual-channel DDR3 memory controller.» Further information can be found in our Comparison of Mobile Processsors.

13.30":

There are hardly any tablets in this display size range anymore. For subnotebooks, on the other hand, it is the standard format.

The advantage of subnotebooks is that the entire laptop can be small and therefore easily portable. The smaller display also has the advantage of requiring less power, which further improves battery life and thus mobility. The disadvantage is that reading texts is more strenuous on the eyes. High resolutions are more likely to be found in standard laptops.

MSI: Micro-Star International (MSI) was founded in 1986 in Taiwan. MSI is especially known as a manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards for PCs, but also offers computer accessories, complete systems, motherboards, graphics cards, laptops, desktop PCs, monitors and other components. However, the Microstar brand name in Germany belongs to the Medion company. MSI is known for its gaming products and has developed a wide range of gaming laptops and desktop PCs. The company is also active in workstations, servers and industrial automation. MSI has offices in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia.

74.33%: This rating is poor. More than three quarters of the models are rated better. That is rather not a purchase recommendation. Even if verbal ratings in this area do not sound that bad ("sufficient" or "satisfactory"), they are usually euphemisms that disguise a classification as a below-average laptop.

» Further information can be found in our Notebook Purchase Guide.

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