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MSI GS60 2QE Ghost Pro 4K (2QEUi716SR51G) Notebook Review

Gold piece for gamers? The MSI GS60 is now available with a 4K display and Maxwell GPU, the current update uses the fast GeForce GTX 970M. Our review will show if everything is gold that glitters at the GS60.
In review: MSI GS60-2QE Ghost Pro 4K (2QEUi716SR51G). Test model courtesy of MSI Germany.

For the original German review, see here.

Displays with the 4K resolution are already available, but there is still very little corresponding video content. It is a very similar situation with the high resolutions of gaming notebooks: Mobile graphics cards are currently just not fast enough to handle the high pixel count smoothly in the majority of new games. This was actually a problem of the MSI GS60 2PE Ghost Pro 3K, especially since the powerful hardware was inside a thin chassis, which resulted in very high temperatures. We also didn’t like the glossy display but were happy about the good maintainability of the slim chassis. Is the situation now better? The GeForce GTX 970M already proved that it can be more powerful and at the same time cooler than its predecessor, but this time it has to run a 4K instead of a 3K panel.

Comparison devices are the Acer Aspire V15 Nitro as well as other gaming notebooks: Lenovo IdeaPad Y50-70Schenker XMG P505Gigabyte P35X v3 and One K56-4N. We will obviously use the predecessor MSI GS60 2PE Ghost Pro 3K and other thin high-end notebooks like the Schenker C404 and the Gigabyte P34G v2 for a comparison as well, even though the last two use 14-inch cases.

Case

The gold chassis is exclusive for the GS60.
The gold chassis is exclusive for the GS60.

MSI created an exclusive chassis color for the GS60: The golden case looks very noble and sophisticated, but you can also get a black version if you prefer a more restrained appearance. Compared to the predecessor MSI GS60 2PE there are no visible differences with the construction: The manufacturer still uses aluminum, only the bottom and the display frame are made of plastic. The design is restrained, but there are some colored design elements like the keyboard illumination and the blue status LEDs.

Nothing changed in terms of weight and dimensions, either: Thanks to the lack of an optical drive, the chassis of the GS60 can be very thin and is not even 2 centimeters high (without support feet). No other 15.6-inch gaming notebook in our comparison is thinner; conventional high-end notebooks with this screen size, like the One K56-4N, often surpass 4 centimeters. Only the Schenker C404 is lighter than our review unit.

The display is once again very thin, which looks good, but it also affects the torsion resistance: The display frame is very flexible and there are creaking sounds when you grab it firmly. The stability is much better at the base unit, but the chassis can still be pushed in under medium pressure. You can even trigger a left click when you push down the area left next to the touchpad.

All in all, MSI put the GS60 back into the familiar chassis with a nice design and a decent stability. It impresses with its slim dimensions and the low weight, has a nice design without many frills and it is nice to look at.

Connectivity

Ports

The port layout did not change, either: Because of the large number of fan exhausts at the back and the rear areas of the sides, many ports are located very far at the front and attached cables can sometimes be annoying when you use a mouse. At the right front are numerous blue status LEDs that indicate the Bluetooth status, the battery capacity or hard drive activity, for example.

Rear: fan exhaust
Rear: fan exhaust
Front: status LEDs
Front: status LEDs
Left side: fan exhaust, Kensington lock, AC power, 2x USB 3.0, microphone, headphones
Left side: fan exhaust, Kensington lock, AC power, 2x USB 3.0, microphone, headphones
Right side: USB 3.0, SD-card reader, HDMI 1.4, DisplayPort, LAN, fan exhaust
Right side: USB 3.0, SD-card reader, HDMI 1.4, DisplayPort, LAN, fan exhaust

Communication

Both the Ethernet as well as the WLAN module are from Qualcomm’s Killer-series. According to the manufacturer, they are specifically optimized for gaming. Data packages for games are supposed to be prioritized. There is also a preloaded application where you can assign network priorities to other applications and make adjustments to optimize the network.

The Qualcomm Killer e2200 network card supports Gigabit LAN and is therefore up to date. The Killer Wireless-n/a/ac 1525 wireless adaptor supports fast wireless networks according to the 802.11 ac standard with up to 300 Mbps in combination with a corresponding router.

The WLAN module has two antennas to receive and transmit data. Even with a distance of 10 meters to the router and through three walls, the MSI GS60 2QE still indicated four out of five bars (Windows symbol) and websites opened very quickly. Another two meters and another wall resulted in three out of five bars and the performance was slightly lower.

Accessories

Similar to the bigger brother MSI GS70 2QE, the MSI GS60 2QE is available with an "Elite Pack" that includes a headset from SteelSeries, a gaming mouse, a mouse pad and a sturdy transport bag. MSI also offers several additional accessories.

The GS60 can be maintained by the user to a certain extent.
The GS60 can be maintained by the user to a certain extent.

Maintenance

You have to loosen 15 screws and break the warranty seal before you can access the hardware of the laptop. A damaged warranty sticker shouldn’t be a problem for the warranty according to MSI, at least if the task was performed by a professional. Similar to the predecessor you cannot reach many components immediately (memory, SSD RAID, battery, etc.) when you remove the bottom cover. Only the hard drive is easily accessible, but you still have to carefully remove a connector since the cable is located above the hard drive. It is no problem to clean the fans.

Warranty

MSI grants a warranty of 24 months for its laptops. The manufacturer picks the device up and returns it after it has been repaired. MSI also offers a warranty extension, but it can only be purchased via authorized retailers and we couldn’t find any information about the price on MSI’s website. You will get a 3-month warranty extension for free when you register your device. The German MSI shop also lists some other services: You can, for instance, order a recovery medium for 49 Euros (~$57).

Input Devices

Keyboard

The chiclet keyboard from SteelSeries is already familiar from many other MSI products. We are happy to see it once again because we like the good feedback, yet the stroke is not too firm. We also like the customizable illumination and there are multiple brightness settings. The lettering of the keys is clear and sufficiently large to hit them reliably.

However, it is almost like a tradition that MSI keyboards have a pretty unusual layout: Some rarely used keys like "^" or "#" are very big and other keys like "Return" or the "0" on the numeric keypad are small in return. This can sometimes be confusing when you are used to other inputs with the standard layout.

The layout can be adjusted with macros and it is possible to configure the background illumination with some effects and thousands of colors in multiple zones. All the settings are available in the preloaded application "SteelSeries Engine."

Touchpad

The touchpad is a ClickPad without dedicated buttons, which might be an issue for many gamers. ClickPads are not as precise as touchpads with dedicated buttons since the clicks are triggered with a touch on the corresponding side at the lower half of the touch-sensitive surface. This can, however, result in unwanted movements of the cursor. The switches for these clicks are also very susceptible to pressure, especially in such a thin chassis, even if it was not applied on the pad itself. As a result, we can trigger a left click when we apply pressure on the palm rest of our review unit.

The surface of the ClickPad is clearly separated from the rest of the palm rest, and it is slightly roughened. It provides good gliding capabilities and a light and convenient resistance for the fingers. Multi-touch gestures like zooming or scrolling with multiple fingers are no problem.

Keyboard
Keyboard
ClickPad
ClickPad

Display

The scaling in the 4K resolution is a problem in Origin, for example, especially with fonts.
The scaling in the 4K resolution is a problem in Origin, for example, especially with fonts.

MSI sent us the GS60 2QE in the 4K edition. The display of the review unit has a resolution of 3840x2160 pixels and a glossy surface. You can still get the 3K display, which is glossy as well. The price difference between the two versions is around 100 Euros (~$117). If you don’t need these high resolutions and prefer matte panels, you can also get the GS60 2QE with a Full HD screen. This version, however, is only available with a black case. It is also much cheaper, but it is still hard to get on the Internet at the time of writing.

You will be happy about the sharp picture of the 4K display if you like to watch high-resolution videos. Windows 8 does not really have problems with the scaling of high resolutions anymore, either. However, numerous desktop apps do, and we had graphics issues with the presentation of the fps-counter in Fraps, tiny thumbnails and fonts in Origin and barely readable entries in the hardware analysis tool HWInfo. We already had these problems with the predecessor and there are often no settings for a manual scaling in the applications, so the high resolution can be pretty impractical.

The maximum brightness of the GS60 2QE is significantly lower compared to the display of the GS60 2PE: We can only measure 228 cd/m² on average, but the brightness distribution of 87% is better in return and you can hardly see any deviations in large colored areas.

224
cd/m²
212
cd/m²
241
cd/m²
225
cd/m²
241
cd/m²
244
cd/m²
217
cd/m²
226
cd/m²
222
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
Samsung SDC4852 tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 244 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 228 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 87 %
Center on Battery: 241 cd/m²
Contrast: 536:1 (Black: 0.45 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 3.73 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 3.23 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
47% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
51.6% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
75.2% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
49.93% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.3
MSI GS60 2QE Ghost Pro 4K (2QEUi716SR51G)
GeForce GTX 970M, 4720HQ, 2x Kingston RBU-SNS8100S3256GD (RAID 0)
SCHENKER XMG P505
GeForce GTX 970M, 4870HQ, Samsung SSD XP941 MZHPU256HCGL
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro VN7-591G-75TD
GeForce GTX 860M, 4710HQ, Lite-On IT L8T-256L9G
MSI GS60 - 2PEWi716SR21
GeForce GTX 870M, 4710HQ, 2x Kingston RBU-SNS8100S3128GD (RAID 0)
Gigabyte P35X v3
GeForce GTX 980M, 4710HQ, 2x Lite-On LMT-128L9M (RAID 0)
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50-70 (59424712)
GeForce GTX 860M, 4710HQ, Samsung SSD PM851 512 GB MZ7TE512HMHP
Gigabyte P34G v2
GeForce GTX 860M, 4700HQ, Liteonit LMT-128M6M
SCHENKER C404
GeForce GTX 860M, 4710HQ, Crucial M550 CT128M550SSD3
One K56-4N
Radeon R9 M290X, 4700MQ, Samsung SSD 840 EVO 500GB
Screen
48%
25%
19%
15%
3%
13%
18%
-39%
Brightness middle
241
345
43%
301
25%
323
34%
374
55%
290
20%
270
12%
258
7%
229
-5%
Brightness
228
333
46%
303
33%
310
36%
350
54%
257
13%
265
16%
254
11%
211
-7%
Brightness Distribution
87
86
-1%
87
0%
82
-6%
90
3%
81
-7%
85
-2%
91
5%
79
-9%
Black Level *
0.45
0.21
53%
0.3
33%
0.43
4%
0.45
-0%
0.512
-14%
0.25
44%
0.25
44%
0.38
16%
Contrast
536
1643
207%
1003
87%
751
40%
831
55%
566
6%
1080
101%
1032
93%
603
13%
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
3.73
3.02
19%
3.15
16%
3.25
13%
4.25
-14%
3.72
-0%
4.59
-23%
4.03
-8%
8.58
-130%
Greyscale dE 2000 *
3.23
3.6
-11%
3.94
-22%
3.1
4%
4.9
-52%
3.11
4%
5.36
-66%
4.19
-30%
10
-210%
Gamma
2.3 96%
2.39 92%
2.35 94%
2.16 102%
2.36 93%
2.48 89%
2.69 82%
2.72 81%
2.29 96%
CCT
6610 98%
7317 89%
6855 95%
6054 107%
6294 103%
6959 93%
6859 95%
6838 95%
11104 59%
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998)
47
59
26%
61
30%
59
26%
56
19%
48.16
2%
58
23%
58
23%
58
23%
Color Space (Percent of sRGB)
94.4

* ... smaller is better

Our review unit uses a 4K display from Samsung, but it is worse compared to almost all rivals in terms of contrast ratio and black value. The latter is pretty high with 0.45 cd/m² and the maximum brightness is not very good, either. This results in a pretty average contrast of 536:1, which is clearly beaten by the screens in many comparison devices, so you have to live with pretty pale colors, despite the glossy panel surface.

We use a spectrophotometer and the software CalMAN for a more precise evaluation of the picture. Now we have to praise the Samsung panel: The colors are already pretty accurate without a calibration and we cannot see a blue cast of the panel. A calibration can improve the color accuracy a bit, but the difference will only be visible to the trained eye. The panel is not really suited for professional users anyway because it only covers 67% of the sRGB color space (47% AdobeRGB).

CalMAN Grayscale (not calibrated)
CalMAN Grayscale (not calibrated)
CalMAN Saturation Sweeps (not calibrated)
CalMAN Saturation Sweeps (not calibrated)
CalMAN ColorChecker (not calibrated)
CalMAN ColorChecker (not calibrated)
CalMAN Grayscale (calibrated)
CalMAN Grayscale (calibrated)
CalMAN Saturation Sweeps (calibrated)
CalMAN Saturation Sweeps (calibrated)
CalMAN ColorChecker (calibrated)
CalMAN ColorChecker (calibrated)

The GS60 2QE is worse than its predecessor when you want to use it outdoors and in very bright environments, and the old device was not really good outdoors in the first place because of the glossy display. The successor also suffers from the lower maximum luminance, so it is harder to see the display content on bright days. Reflections are also a problem in the shade or bright rooms.

The integration of an IPS panel is basically a good idea since it provides wide viewing angles in all directions. Because of the glossy surface, however, those extreme viewing angles are only possible in a dark room where there are no reflections on the screen.

Outdoor use
Outdoor use
Viewing angles
Viewing angles

Performance

A gaming notebook obviously requires powerful components and MSI integrates the fastest hardware that is currently available for notebooks: You get an Intel Core i7 processor and the second-fastest mobile graphics card at the moment: The GeForce GTX 970M from Nvidia. 16 GB memory is almost a bit too much since 8 GB is currently sufficient, even for the most demanding titles. Games can be stored on the fast RAID configuration that consists of two 256 GB SSDs. Those components should ensure good performance results as long as there is no throttling.

System information MSI GS60 2QE Ghost Pro 4K (2QEWi716SR51G)

Processor

The processor of the MSI GS60 2QE is a bit faster compared to the predecessor GS60 2PE: The Intel Core i7-4720HQ has four cores and a nominal clock of 2.6 GHz. It can execute up to eight threads simultaneously thanks to Hyper-Threading and raise the clock up to 3.6 GHz for one active core, 3.5 GHz for two cores and 3.4 GHz for four cores via Turbo Boost.

We could always work quickly with all applications during our review and it seems that the processor is a good choice for games as well. If you really want to use the 4K display, you shouldn’t get any problems, either, at least with compressed 4K videos: Our sample movie Big Buck Bunny (.mp4 file) in the 4K resolution runs completely smooth, both in the browser as well as the Windows Media Player. It is also no problem to jump around in the movie without delays. The results of the synthetic processor benchmarks from the Cinebench-series are on the expected level and the notebook is roughly on a level with the rivals that use similarly powerful Core i7 processors.

Cinebench R10 Shading 32Bit
5472
Cinebench R10 Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit
19941
Cinebench R10 Rendering Single 32Bit
5190
Cinebench R10 Shading 64Bit
5476 Points
Cinebench R10 Rendering Multiple CPUs 64Bit
25500 Points
Cinebench R10 Rendering Single CPUs 64Bit
6519 Points
Cinebench R11.5 OpenGL 64Bit
61.5 fps
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Multi 64Bit
7.16 Points
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Single 64Bit
1.56 Points
Cinebench R15 Ref. Match 64Bit
99.6 %
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64Bit
96.6 fps
Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64Bit
653 Points
Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64Bit
108 Points
Help
Cinebench R10
Rendering Single 32Bit (sort by value)
MSI GS60 2QE Ghost Pro 4K (2QEUi716SR51G)
5190 Points
SCHENKER XMG P505
5242 Points +1%
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro VN7-591G-75TD
5058 Points -3%
Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit (sort by value)
MSI GS60 2QE Ghost Pro 4K (2QEUi716SR51G)
19941 Points
SCHENKER XMG P505
20410 Points +2%
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro VN7-591G-75TD
19521 Points -2%
Shading 32Bit (sort by value)
MSI GS60 2QE Ghost Pro 4K (2QEUi716SR51G)
5472 Points
SCHENKER XMG P505
6840 Points +25%
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro VN7-591G-75TD
6078 Points +11%
Cinebench R11.5
CPU Single 64Bit (sort by value)
MSI GS60 2QE Ghost Pro 4K (2QEUi716SR51G)
1.56 Points
SCHENKER XMG P505
1.62 Points +4%
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro VN7-591G-75TD
1.53 Points -2%
MSI GS60 - 2PEWi716SR21
1.5 Points -4%
Gigabyte P35X v3
1.5 Points -4%
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50-70 (59424712)
1.48 Points -5%
Gigabyte P34G v2
1.54 Points -1%
SCHENKER C404
1.52 Points -3%
One K56-4N
1.51 Points -3%
CPU Multi 64Bit (sort by value)
MSI GS60 2QE Ghost Pro 4K (2QEUi716SR51G)
7.16 Points
SCHENKER XMG P505
7.53 Points +5%
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro VN7-591G-75TD
7.1 Points -1%
MSI GS60 - 2PEWi716SR21
7.12 Points -1%
Gigabyte P35X v3
6.76 Points -6%
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50-70 (59424712)
4.59 Points -36%
Gigabyte P34G v2
6.96 Points -3%
SCHENKER C404
6.49 Points -9%
One K56-4N
6.94 Points -3%
OpenGL 64Bit (sort by value)
MSI GS60 2QE Ghost Pro 4K (2QEUi716SR51G)
61.5 fps
SCHENKER XMG P505
68.1 fps +11%
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro VN7-591G-75TD
56.7 fps -8%
MSI GS60 - 2PEWi716SR21
55.5 fps -10%
Gigabyte P35X v3
60.8 fps -1%
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50-70 (59424712)
45.62 fps -26%
Gigabyte P34G v2
54.5 fps -11%
SCHENKER C404
60.1 fps -2%
One K56-4N
85.9 fps +40%
Cinebench R15
CPU Single 64Bit (sort by value)
MSI GS60 2QE Ghost Pro 4K (2QEUi716SR51G)
108 Points
SCHENKER XMG P505
142 Points +31%
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro VN7-591G-75TD
136 Points +26%
MSI GS60 - 2PEWi716SR21
130 Points +20%
Gigabyte P35X v3
134 Points +24%
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50-70 (59424712)
134 Points +24%
One K56-4N
132 Points +22%
CPU Multi 64Bit (sort by value)
MSI GS60 2QE Ghost Pro 4K (2QEUi716SR51G)
653 Points
SCHENKER XMG P505
709 Points +9%
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro VN7-591G-75TD
653 Points 0%
MSI GS60 - 2PEWi716SR21
652 Points 0%
Gigabyte P35X v3
629 Points -4%
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50-70 (59424712)
506 Points -23%
One K56-4N
643 Points -2%
Ref. Match 64Bit (sort by value)
MSI GS60 2QE Ghost Pro 4K (2QEUi716SR51G)
99.6 %
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro VN7-591G-75TD
99.6 % 0%
MSI GS60 - 2PEWi716SR21
99.6 % 0%
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50-70 (59424712)
99.6 % 0%
OpenGL 64Bit (sort by value)
MSI GS60 2QE Ghost Pro 4K (2QEUi716SR51G)
96.6 fps
SCHENKER XMG P505
131.6 fps +36%
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro VN7-591G-75TD
93.3 fps -3%
MSI GS60 - 2PEWi716SR21
91.6 fps -5%
Gigabyte P35X v3
94.8 fps -2%
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50-70 (59424712)
87.3 fps -10%
Sunspider - 1.0 Total Score (sort by value)
MSI GS60 2QE Ghost Pro 4K (2QEUi716SR51G)
82.9 ms *
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro VN7-591G-75TD
96 ms * -16%
MSI GS60 - 2PEWi716SR21
82.8 ms * -0%
Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total (sort by value)
MSI GS60 2QE Ghost Pro 4K (2QEUi716SR51G)
1956 ms *
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro VN7-591G-75TD
2009 ms * -3%
MSI GS60 - 2PEWi716SR21
1935 ms * +1%
Octane V2 - Total Score (sort by value)
MSI GS60 2QE Ghost Pro 4K (2QEUi716SR51G)
16641 Points
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro VN7-591G-75TD
16207 Points -3%
MSI GS60 - 2PEWi716SR21
14810 Points -11%

Legend

 
MSI GS60 2QE Ghost Pro 4K (2QEUi716SR51G) Intel Core i7-4720HQ, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M, 2x Kingston RBU-SNS8100S3256GD (RAID 0)
 
SCHENKER XMG P505 Intel Core i7-4870HQ, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M, Samsung SSD XP941 MZHPU256HCGL
 
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro VN7-591G-75TD Intel Core i7-4710HQ, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 860M, Lite-On IT L8T-256L9G
 
MSI GS60 - 2PEWi716SR21 Intel Core i7-4710HQ, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870M, 2x Kingston RBU-SNS8100S3128GD (RAID 0)
 
Gigabyte P35X v3 Intel Core i7-4710HQ, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M, 2x Lite-On LMT-128L9M (RAID 0)
 
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50-70 (59424712) Intel Core i7-4710HQ, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 860M, Samsung SSD PM851 512 GB MZ7TE512HMHP
 
Gigabyte P34G v2 Intel Core i7-4700HQ, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 860M, Liteonit LMT-128M6M
 
SCHENKER C404 Intel Core i7-4710HQ, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 860M, Crucial M550 CT128M550SSD3
 
One K56-4N Intel Core i7-4700MQ, AMD Radeon R9 M290X, Samsung SSD 840 EVO 500GB

* ... smaller is better

System Performance

The system configuration is well-balanced with the fast processor, the powerful GPU and the generous amount of memory. The SSD RAID should improve the performance even further, but the review unit actually falls slightly behind the rivals, especially in PCMark 8. This is probably a result of the high display resolution, which means higher requirements for the core components.

PCMark 7 Score
5794 points
PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2
3174 points
PCMark 8 Creative Score Accelerated v2
4445 points
PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2
3444 points
Help
PCMark 7 - Score (sort by value)
MSI GS60 2QE Ghost Pro 4K (2QEUi716SR51G)
5794 Points
SCHENKER XMG P505
6332 Points +9%
MSI GS60 - 2PEWi716SR21
6164 Points +6%
Gigabyte P35X v3
6035 Points +4%
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50-70 (59424712)
5238 Points -10%
Gigabyte P34G v2
5400 Points -7%
SCHENKER C404
5981 Points +3%
One K56-4N
6408 Points +11%
PCMark 8
Work Score Accelerated v2 (sort by value)
MSI GS60 2QE Ghost Pro 4K (2QEUi716SR51G)
3444 Points
SCHENKER XMG P505
3659 Points +6%
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro VN7-591G-75TD
4428 Points +29%
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro VN7-591G-75TD
3544 Points +3%
MSI GS60 - 2PEWi716SR21
3701 Points +7%
Gigabyte P35X v3
3851 Points +12%
Gigabyte P34G v2
4233 Points +23%
One K56-4N
4325 Points +26%
Creative Score Accelerated v2 (sort by value)
MSI GS60 2QE Ghost Pro 4K (2QEUi716SR51G)
4445 Points
SCHENKER XMG P505
5084 Points +14%
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro VN7-591G-75TD
4465 Points 0%
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro VN7-591G-75TD
4186 Points -6%
MSI GS60 - 2PEWi716SR21
4817 Points +8%
Gigabyte P35X v3
4760 Points +7%
Gigabyte P34G v2
4079 Points -8%
Home Score Accelerated v2 (sort by value)
MSI GS60 2QE Ghost Pro 4K (2QEUi716SR51G)
3174 Points
SCHENKER XMG P505
3669 Points +16%
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro VN7-591G-75TD
3729 Points +17%
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro VN7-591G-75TD
3086 Points -3%
MSI GS60 - 2PEWi716SR21
3004 Points -5%
Gigabyte P35X v3
3532 Points +11%
Gigabyte P34G v2
3362 Points +6%
SCHENKER C404
3671 Points +16%
One K56-4N
4401 Points +39%

Storage Solution

MSI uses a RAID configuration with two Kingston SSDs that have a capacity of 256 GB each, so the user gets a storage capacity of 512 GB. The RAID mode improves the performance since the files can be distributed on two drives and the same obviously applies for read operations. We still noticed performance issues with the writing performance in the review of the predecessor, but that is no problem anymore, so you really get a very fast storage solution. In addition to the SSDs you also get a 1 TB hard drive with 7,200 revolutions per minute.

2x Kingston RBU-SNS8100S3256GD (RAID 0)
Sequential Read: 889MB/s
Sequential Write: 501MB/s
4K Read: 33MB/s
4K Write: 70MB/s
4K-64 Read: 357MB/s
4K-64 Write: 338MB/s
Access Time Read: 0.08ms
Access Time Write: 0.05ms
Score Read: 479Points
Score Write: 458Points
Score Total: 1157Points

Graphics

The GeForce GTX 970M is one of the fastest single GPUs that is currently available for a notebook. Only the GeForce GTX 980M or an SLI configuration with multiple GPUs is currently even faster. It runs with a base clock of 924 MHz, which can be raised up to 1,038 MHz via Turbo. GPU memory is provided by fast GDDR5 VRAM; the chip in the MSI GS60 2QE can use 3 GB.

Our benchmarks show that the review unit sometimes has a pretty significant advantage over the GPUs from the old generation. Only the Gigabyte P35X v3 with a GeForce GTX 980M is even faster among the rivals.

3DMark 11 Performance
9312 points
3DMark Ice Storm Standard Score
71993 points
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score
20356 points
3DMark Fire Strike Score
6548 points
Help
3DMark 11
1280x720 Performance (sort by value)
MSI GS60 2QE Ghost Pro 4K (2QEUi716SR51G)
9312 Points
SCHENKER XMG P505
9770 Points +5%
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro VN7-591G-75TD
5210 Points -44%
MSI GS60 - 2PEWi716SR21
7089 Points -24%
Gigabyte P35X v3
10789 Points +16%
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50-70 (59424712)
4990 Points -46%
Gigabyte P34G v2
5134 Points -45%
SCHENKER C404
5252 Points -44%
One K56-4N
6859 Points -26%
1280x720 Performance GPU (sort by value)
MSI GS60 2QE Ghost Pro 4K (2QEUi716SR51G)
9839 Points
SCHENKER XMG P505
9907 Points +1%
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro VN7-591G-75TD
4896 Points -50%
MSI GS60 - 2PEWi716SR21
7129 Points -28%
Gigabyte P35X v3
12632 Points +28%
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50-70 (59424712)
4846 Points -51%
Gigabyte P34G v2
4902 Points -50%
SCHENKER C404
5005 Points -49%
One K56-4N
6817 Points -31%
1280x720 Performance Physics (sort by value)
MSI GS60 2QE Ghost Pro 4K (2QEUi716SR51G)
8161 Points
SCHENKER XMG P505
9649 Points +18%
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro VN7-591G-75TD
8053 Points -1%
MSI GS60 - 2PEWi716SR21
7897 Points -3%
Gigabyte P35X v3
7447 Points -9%
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50-70 (59424712)
6038 Points -26%
Gigabyte P34G v2
6732 Points -18%
SCHENKER C404
7099 Points -13%
One K56-4N
7286 Points -11%
1280x720 Performance Combined (sort by value)
MSI GS60 2QE Ghost Pro 4K (2QEUi716SR51G)
7831 Points
SCHENKER XMG P505
9010 Points +15%
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro VN7-591G-75TD
4970 Points -37%
MSI GS60 - 2PEWi716SR21
5934 Points -24%
Gigabyte P35X v3
7596 Points -3%
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50-70 (59424712)
4813 Points -39%
Gigabyte P34G v2
5129 Points -35%
SCHENKER C404
5155 Points -34%
One K56-4N
6589 Points -16%
3DMark
1920x1080 Fire Strike Score (sort by value)
MSI GS60 2QE Ghost Pro 4K (2QEUi716SR51G)
6548 Points
SCHENKER XMG P505
6429 Points -2%
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro VN7-591G-75TD
3733 Points -43%
MSI GS60 - 2PEWi716SR21
4294 Points -34%
Gigabyte P35X v3
8230 Points +26%
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50-70 (59424712)
3455 Points -47%
Gigabyte P34G v2
3790 Points -42%
SCHENKER C404
3752 Points -43%
One K56-4N
4793 Points -27%
1920x1080 Fire Strike Graphics (sort by value)
MSI GS60 2QE Ghost Pro 4K (2QEUi716SR51G)
7436 Points
SCHENKER XMG P505
7268 Points -2%
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro VN7-591G-75TD
3975 Points -47%
MSI GS60 - 2PEWi716SR21
4687 Points -37%
Gigabyte P35X v3
9741 Points +31%
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50-70 (59424712)
3749 Points -50%
Gigabyte P34G v2
4051 Points -46%
SCHENKER C404
4049 Points -46%
One K56-4N
5294 Points -29%
1920x1080 Fire Strike Physics (sort by value)
MSI GS60 2QE Ghost Pro 4K (2QEUi716SR51G)
9455 Points
SCHENKER XMG P505
9687 Points +2%
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro VN7-591G-75TD
9193 Points -3%
MSI GS60 - 2PEWi716SR21
9031 Points -4%
Gigabyte P35X v3
8610 Points -9%
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50-70 (59424712)
6504 Points -31%
Gigabyte P34G v2
8852 Points -6%
SCHENKER C404
7700 Points -19%
One K56-4N
8810 Points -7%
1920x1080 Fire Strike Combined (sort by value)
MSI GS60 2QE Ghost Pro 4K (2QEUi716SR51G)
2780 Points
SCHENKER XMG P505
2714 Points -2%
MSI GS60 - 2PEWi716SR21
1778 Points -36%
Gigabyte P35X v3
3693 Points +33%
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50-70 (59424712)
7.02 Points -100%
SCHENKER C404
1619 Points -42%
One K56-4N
2004 Points -28%
1280x720 Cloud Gate Standard Score (sort by value)
MSI GS60 2QE Ghost Pro 4K (2QEUi716SR51G)
20356 Points
SCHENKER XMG P505
20457 Points 0%
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro VN7-591G-75TD
15550 Points -24%
MSI GS60 - 2PEWi716SR21
16697 Points -18%
Gigabyte P35X v3
20631 Points +1%
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50-70 (59424712)
12435 Points -39%
Gigabyte P34G v2
15963 Points -22%
SCHENKER C404
14671 Points -28%
One K56-4N
17182 Points -16%
1280x720 Cloud Gate Standard Graphics (sort by value)
MSI GS60 2QE Ghost Pro 4K (2QEUi716SR51G)
47621 Points
SCHENKER XMG P505
46670 Points -2%
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro VN7-591G-75TD
26148 Points -45%
MSI GS60 - 2PEWi716SR21
30343 Points -36%
Gigabyte P35X v3
64222 Points +35%
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50-70 (59424712)
23224 Points -51%
Gigabyte P34G v2
28586 Points -40%
SCHENKER C404
29209 Points -39%
One K56-4N
33147 Points -30%
1280x720 Cloud Gate Standard Physics (sort by value)
MSI GS60 2QE Ghost Pro 4K (2QEUi716SR51G)
6777 Points
SCHENKER XMG P505
6898 Points +2%
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro VN7-591G-75TD
6430 Points -5%
MSI GS60 - 2PEWi716SR21
6487 Points -4%
Gigabyte P35X v3
6112 Points -10%
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50-70 (59424712)
4736 Points -30%
Gigabyte P34G v2
6271 Points -7%
SCHENKER C404
5351 Points -21%
One K56-4N
6398 Points -6%
1280x720 Ice Storm Standard Score (sort by value)
MSI GS60 2QE Ghost Pro 4K (2QEUi716SR51G)
71993 Points
SCHENKER XMG P505
71464 Points -1%
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro VN7-591G-75TD
82813 Points +15%
MSI GS60 - 2PEWi716SR21
97464 Points +35%
Gigabyte P35X v3
97897 Points +36%
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50-70 (59424712)
72527 Points +1%
One K56-4N
87614 Points +22%
1280x720 Ice Storm Standard Graphics (sort by value)
MSI GS60 2QE Ghost Pro 4K (2QEUi716SR51G)
87137 Points
SCHENKER XMG P505
86071 Points -1%
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro VN7-591G-75TD
111765 Points +28%
MSI GS60 - 2PEWi716SR21
750165 Points +761%
Gigabyte P35X v3
154445 Points +77%
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50-70 (59424712)
99612 Points +14%
One K56-4N
125311 Points +44%
1280x720 Ice Storm Standard Physics (sort by value)
MSI GS60 2QE Ghost Pro 4K (2QEUi716SR51G)
44765 Points
SCHENKER XMG P505
44834 Points 0%
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro VN7-591G-75TD
43434 Points -3%
MSI GS60 - 2PEWi716SR21
43739 Points -2%
Gigabyte P35X v3
42910 Points -4%
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50-70 (59424712)
37162 Points -17%
One K56-4N
42679 Points -5%

Gaming Performance

Nice, but dropped frames – Dragon Age: Inquisition in 4K.
Nice, but dropped frames – Dragon Age: Inquisition in 4K.

Current games in Full HD are no problem for the MSI GS60 2QE: The frame rate is always above 30 fps, even with ultra-high details. Games would obviously be even more brilliant in the native panel resolution, but this would require a reduction of the details: The GeForce GTX 970M did not manage smooth frame rates with ultra-high settings in any of the tested games and we also think that the difference between Full HD and 4K is pretty small on the 15.6-inch panel. The higher resolution makes more sense for larger external displays that can also be operated with 3840x2160 pixels via Mini DisplayPort. 4K panels can be attached via HDMI as well, but only operated with up to 24 Hz since the port only supports the HDMI 1.4b standard.

Annoying: Similar to the MSI GS70, our review unit had issues with the full-screen mode of Dragon Age: Inquisition, which could neither be solved by the deactivation of the Origin interface nor an update of the GPU driver. Other devices with Nvidia chips didn’t have the same problem. Assassin’s Creed Unity also crashed on the home screen, but the title is not known for its reliability anyway, so we don’t want to blame the review unit.

 

Games in 3840x2160 (ultra-settings)

Dragon Age: Inquisition13 fps
Tomb Raider23 fps
Watch Dogs11 fps
Thief17 fps
low med. high ultra
Tomb Raider (2013) 405 297 187 80
Metro: Last Light (2013) 145 140 97 52
Thief (2014) 68 65 63 46
Wolfenstein: The New Order (2014) 60 60 60 50
Watch Dogs (2014) 106 92 45 36
GRID: Autosport (2014) 320 179 132 79
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor (2014) 170 120 70 45
Alien: Isolation (2014) 222 200 99 70
Far Cry 4 (2014) 95 87 60 51
Dragon Age: Inquisition (2014) 129 86 43 34

Emissions

System Noise

The dual-cooling solution uses two fans: One for the graphics card and one for the processor. This solution ensures a low fan noise because the fans can work individually and adjust their speed according to the current temperatures. The cooling performance is also better because both components have their own fan. This concept worked quite well for the MSI GS60 2PE and the overall system noise was actually quite tolerable (for a thin device in particular). However, the fan control of the review unit is more sensitive compared to the predecessor: The fans often increase their speed without an apparent reason, even with light workloads, and the speed also fluctuates.

Can the MSI GS60 2QE be as quiet as the predecessor when you stress it? Not quite: The device is always slightly more audible than the GS60-2PE, even while idling, but it is quieter during gaming in return and only gets really loud under maximum load: 52 dB(A) is the absolute maximum during our measurements, which is slightly louder than the predecessor.

Noise Level

Idle
32.6 / 34.8 / 38 dB(A)
HDD
34.6 dB(A)
Load
43.4 / 52 dB(A)
  red to green bar
 
 
30 dB
silent
40 dB(A)
audible
50 dB(A)
loud
 
min: dark, med: mid, max: light   Voltcraft sl-320 (15 cm distance)

Temperature

GPU throttling under maximum load.
GPU throttling under maximum load.
No problem: demanding games.
No problem: demanding games.

The temperature development of the predecessor was not really convincing: It reached up to 78 °C at the bottom of the chassis and the graphics card reached more than 90 °C in the stress test. Now we get the GeForce GTX 970M that already showed a better efficiency, which means it is easier to cool than the GTX 870M despite the higher performance.

The case temperatures are actually significantly lower: Up to 65.1 °C is the maximum value at the bottom. This is still a high result, but not as inconvenient as the GS60 2PE. The idle temperatures are pretty similar to the predecessor, which did not get very warm in this scenario.

We use the stress test to monitor the two core components for a longer period with the tools FurMark and Prime95 (maximum load) and observe the clocks. Even though this test is pretty impractical, it is still a good comparison for the cooling solutions of different systems. The graphics card does not surpass 90 °C under maximum load, which should protect the hardware against a shortened life span. However, the clock, and therefore the performance, is reduced with 848 MHz. The processor cannot utilize its Turbo Boost, either, and levels off at 2.7 GHz.

The situation is much better in "normal" 3D scenarios: Both components can maintain their maximum Turbo clocks in Dragon Age: Inquisition even after a longer session with 3840x2160 pixels and ultra-high details.

Max. Load
 48 °C
118 F
47.8 °C
118 F
41.2 °C
106 F
 
 42.8 °C
109 F
44.3 °C
112 F
42.1 °C
108 F
 
 36.7 °C
98 F
39.7 °C
103 F
39.4 °C
103 F
 
Maximum: 48 °C = 118 F
Average: 42.4 °C = 108 F
56.8 °C
134 F
65.1 °C
149 F
61.3 °C
142 F
53.1 °C
128 F
51.3 °C
124 F
44.2 °C
112 F
40.1 °C
104 F
39.4 °C
103 F
34.2 °C
94 F
Maximum: 65.1 °C = 149 F
Average: 49.5 °C = 121 F
Power Supply (max.)  64.6 °C = 148 F | Room Temperature 24 °C = 75 F | Voltcraft IR-900
(-) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 42.4 °C / 108 F, compared to the average of 33.8 °C / 93 F for the devices in the class Gaming.
(-) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 48 °C / 118 F, compared to the average of 40.4 °C / 105 F, ranging from 21.2 to 68.8 °C for the class Gaming.
(-) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 65.1 °C / 149 F, compared to the average of 43.2 °C / 110 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 28.7 °C / 84 F, compared to the device average of 33.8 °C / 93 F.
(±) The palmrests and touchpad can get very hot to the touch with a maximum of 39.7 °C / 103.5 F.
(-) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 28.9 °C / 84 F (-10.8 °C / -19.5 F).

Speakers

The sound system from Dynaudio was not really changed, which means the sound cannot compete with the MSI GT72, for example, but it is still decent. Bass is powerful thanks to the integrated subwoofer and the overall sound is pretty balanced, even though voices are a bit too present in songs. The result obviously benefits from the Creative Sound Blaster Cinema 2 software that can improve the sound with several settings.

It is a bit curious, but during the speaker test we had the impression that the sound from the speakers of the GS60 was better than the bigger brother, the MSI GS70. The sound of the smaller model was richer in our opinion.

Energy Management

Power Consumption

It is apparent that the GeForce GTX 970M is more efficient than its predecessor GeForce GTX 870M when you look at the power consumption under load: It is lower than the GS60 2PE that we reviewed around 6 months ago, despite the higher performance. The idle consumption, however, is now slightly higher: While the predecessor consumed at least 10.5 Watts, we can measure 15.3 Watts for the GS60 2QE. The idle consumption is pretty similar within the comparison group, only the maximum idle value of 26.2 Watts is a bit higher.

It is still very handy that the power button uses two different colors to indicate which GPU is currently active. You can easily identify applications that use the GTX 970M and therefore increase the power consumption. The power adaptor with a nominal output of 150 Watts does not have much headroom. It can obviously deliver more power, but this will exceed its specifications, which is why we can measure a temperature of up to 64.4 °C under load. The stress test also discharged the battery.

Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0.1 / 0.3 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 15.3 / 20 / 26.2 Watt
Load midlight 102.6 / 162.7 Watt
 color bar
Key: min: dark, med: mid, max: light        Voltcraft VC 940
Currently we use the Metrahit Energy, a professional single phase power quality and energy measurement digital multimeter, for our measurements. Find out more about it here. All of our test methods can be found here.

Battery Runtime

The battery runtimes hardly changed compared to the predecessor, but this is not bad by any means when you consider the higher performance of the graphics chip and the processor. You can still watch a long movie on the MSI GS60 2QE or browse the web for 3:04 hours before the battery is empty. Gaming is possible for around one hour (Dragon Age: Inquisition, medium settings).

Battery Runtime
Idle (without WLAN, min brightness)
4h 36min
WiFi Surfing
3h 04min
Big Buck Bunny H.264 1080p
2h 56min
Gaming
0h 53min
Load (maximum brightness)
0h 36min

Verdict

MSI GS60-2QE Ghost Pro 4K (2QEUi716SR51G)
MSI GS60-2QE Ghost Pro 4K (2QEUi716SR51G)

The MSI GS60 2QE deserves its golden chassis, at least for the most part. The improvements over the predecessor are clearly noticeable, for the temperature development in particular – and the performance was even improved. However, we would waive the 4K screen: The advantages in a 15.6-inch device are very small, but there are big drawbacks because of the glossy surface and the scaling issues. It is good that the GS60 is also available with a matte Full HD display.

The gaming performance is great and is currently only beaten by notebooks with the GeForce GTX 980M GPU. However, the GPU performance is only sufficient for the native display resolution when you reduce the details significantly. We recommend playing in Full HD and with the highest details.

Drawbacks from the predecessor like the strange keyboard layout, the ClickPad and the low stability of the display cover were not improved for the GS60 2QE. However, you get a thin and light notebook that can use its full performance during gaming, a nice chassis and decent speakers.

That the price is 200 Euros (~$235) higher compared to the predecessor is probably a result of Nvidia’s dominant market position that enables extreme prices for the GeForce GPUs. Currently, it might not be a bad idea to wait a bit before you buy a gaming notebook.

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In review: MSI GS60-2QE Ghost Pro 4K (2QEUi716SR51G). Test model courtesy of MSI Germany.
In review: MSI GS60-2QE Ghost Pro 4K (2QEUi716SR51G). Test model courtesy of MSI Germany.

Specifications

MSI GS60 2QE Ghost Pro 4K (2QEUi716SR51G) (GS60 Series)
Processor
Intel Core i7-4720HQ 4 x 2.6 - 3.6 GHz (Intel Core i7)
Graphics adapter
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M - 3 GB VRAM, Core: 924 MHz, Memory: 2500 MHz, GDDR5, ForceWare 344.75, Optimus
Memory
16 GB 
, DDR3L (PC3-12800), 2 slots, both occupied
Display
15.60 inch 16:9, 3840 x 2160 pixel, Samsung SDC4852, IPS, 4K, glossy: yes
Mainboard
Intel HM87 (Lynx Point)
Storage
2x Kingston RBU-SNS8100S3256GD (RAID 0), 512 GB 
, M.2 + HGST HTS721010A9E630, 1000 GB @ 7200 rpm
Soundcard
Realtek ALC892 @ Intel Lynx Point PCH - High Definition Audio Controller
Connections
3 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, 1 HDMI, 1 DisplayPort, 1 Kensington Lock, Audio Connections: 3.5 mm headphone jack, 3.5 mm microphone input (4.0 analog, 7.1 via S/PDIF), Card Reader: SD,SDXC,SDHC
Networking
Qualcomm Killer e2200 PCI-E Gigabit Ethernet Controller (10/100/1000MBit/s), Killer Wireless-n/a/ac 1525 Wireless Network Adapter (a/b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/ac = Wi-Fi 5/), Bluetooth 4.0
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 20 x 390 x 266 ( = 0.79 x 15.35 x 10.47 in)
Battery
52 Wh Lithium-Polymer, 4840 mAh, 6 cells
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 8.1 64 Bit
Camera
Webcam: Full HD (30 fps @ 1080p)
Additional features
Speakers: 4.0 Dynaudio (Sound Blaster Cinema 2), Keyboard: Chiclet by SteelSeries (3 zones), Keyboard Light: yes, Power adaptor: 150 Watts, Backpack, Mouse, Headset, XSplit Gamecaster, Dragon Gaming Center, 24 Months Warranty
Weight
2 kg ( = 70.55 oz / 4.41 pounds), Power Supply: 515 g ( = 18.17 oz / 1.14 pounds)
Price
2300 Euro

 

MSI's GS60 2QE is not a completely new device.
MSI's GS60 2QE is not a completely new device.
It is more of an update to a new GPU generation with small improvements.
It is more of an update to a new GPU generation with small improvements.
However, the case did not change.
However, the case did not change.
Unfortunately, you can still heavily twist the cover, which creates cracking sounds.
Unfortunately, you can still heavily twist the cover, which creates cracking sounds.
Still, the chassis is pretty sophisticated in general.
Still, the chassis is pretty sophisticated in general.
The gold color attracts attention, but it isn't intrusive. There is also a black version of the GS60 if you prefer it.
The gold color attracts attention, but it isn't intrusive. There is also a black version of the GS60 if you prefer it.
The GS60 is a thin gaming notebook without an optical drive.
The GS60 is a thin gaming notebook without an optical drive.
The performance does not suffer thanks to the Intel Core i7 and a GeForce GTX 970M.
The performance does not suffer thanks to the Intel Core i7 and a GeForce GTX 970M.
The cooling works better this time.
The cooling works better this time.
The whole rear is occupied by fan exhausts.
The whole rear is occupied by fan exhausts.
One fan for the CPU and GPU each ensures full performance in games.
One fan for the CPU and GPU each ensures full performance in games.
The keyboard is still provided by SteelSeries and has an unusual layout.
The keyboard is still provided by SteelSeries and has an unusual layout.
A numeric keypad is also available.
A numeric keypad is also available.
The keyboard illumination can be dimmed in multiple steps and the color can be changed.
The keyboard illumination can be dimmed in multiple steps and the color can be changed.
Our review unit uses a 4K display, but we had scaling issues with some applications.
Our review unit uses a 4K display, but we had scaling issues with some applications.
External 4K displays can be attached via DisplayPort and HDMI.
External 4K displays can be attached via DisplayPort and HDMI.
Creative's Sound Blaster Cinema 2 software improves the sound.
Creative's Sound Blaster Cinema 2 software improves the sound.
The sound system is provided by Dynaudio and produces a decent result for its size.
The sound system is provided by Dynaudio and produces a decent result for its size.
15 screws have to be loosened before you get to the components.
15 screws have to be loosened before you get to the components.
You get access to the HDD and the fans.
You get access to the HDD and the fans.
To replace the hard drive, however, you have to remove one connector.
To replace the hard drive, however, you have to remove one connector.
Accessing the memory and SSD-RAID requires further disassembling of the laptop.
Accessing the memory and SSD-RAID requires further disassembling of the laptop.
All things considered, the MSI GS60 2QE is a step in the right direction, but we wouldn't recommend a high-resolution screen.
All things considered, the MSI GS60 2QE is a step in the right direction, but we wouldn't recommend a high-resolution screen.

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Links

Compare Prices

Pros

+Nice and thin chassis
+Sophisticated aluminum
+A lot of performance
+No throttling during gaming
+Decent speakers
+Customizable keyboard illumination
+Very fast SSD-RAID
 

Cons

-Awkward fan controls
-Strange keyboard layout
-Clickpad button can be triggered accidentally
-4K resolution often a problem
-Power adaptor too weak
-Port layout not perfect
-Limited maintainability
-Glossy display

Shortcut

What we like

The enormous performance of the GS60 2QE and the fact that it does not get too hot.

What we'd like to see

We really don't know why MSI still uses strange keyboard layouts that don't bring any advantages for gamers.

What surprises us

The GTX 970M is easier to cool compared to its predecessor, despite the higher performance.

The competition

Acer Aspire V15 Nitro, Lenovo IdeaPad Y50-70, Schenker XMG P505, Gigabyte P35X v3, One K56-4N, MSI GS60 2PE Ghost Pro 3K, Schenker C404, Gigabyte P34G v2.

Rating

MSI GS60 2QE Ghost Pro 4K (2QEUi716SR51G) - 01/09/2015 v4(old)
Florian Wimmer

Chassis
80 / 98 → 82%
Keyboard
79%
Pointing Device
78 / 10-66 → 100%
Connectivity
68%
Weight
63%
Battery
69%
Display
82 / 95 → 86%
Games Performance
96 / 90 → 100%
Application Performance
89%
Temperature
69%
Noise
61%
Audio
77%
Camera
69%
Average
75%
83%
Gaming - Weighted Average
> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > Reviews > Archive of our own reviews > MSI GS60 2QE Ghost Pro 4K (2QEUi716SR51G) Notebook Review
Florian Wimmer, 2015-01-14 (Update: 2018-05-15)