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MSI PX60 Prestige Notebook Review

For playing games on the job. If you want a business notebook that's more about games than actual work, then look no further.

The Prestige series is one of MSI's newer families as the manufacturer expands its gaming-centric notebooks to the business world. We had a close look at the PE60 earlier this year and came out impressed by its display and set of features. The PX60 utilizes the same color scheme, but in a thinner and lighter package. In essence, this is a rebranded GS60 in a classier coat of paint and we recommend checking out our existing GS60 reviews for more information on chassis and hardware.

MSI advertises the PX60 as a notebook for the business elites and professionals, so we will review the model as such. Can this really stand up against other popular business notebooks like the ThinkPad T series or Dell Latitude?

MSI GS60 4K review

MSI GS60 3K review

MSI PX60 QD-034US (PX60 Series)
Processor
Intel Core i7-5700HQ 4 x 2.7 - 3.5 GHz (Intel Core i7)
Graphics adapter
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M - 2048 MB VRAM, Core: 915 MHz, Memory: 5010 MHz, 345.05, Optimus
Memory
16 GB 
, DDR3L
Display
15.60 inch 16:9, 1920 x 1080 pixel 141 PPI, IPS, ID: SDC324C, Name: Samsung 156HL01-102, glossy: no
Mainboard
Intel HM87 (Lynx Point)
Storage
HGST Travelstar 7K1000 HTS721010A9E630, 1000 GB 
, 7200 rpm
Soundcard
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 headphones, 3.5 mm microphone, Card Reader: SD reader
Networking
Qualcomm Killer e2200 PCI-E Gigabit Ethernet Controller (10/100/1000MBit/s), Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7260 (a/b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/ac = Wi-Fi 5/), Bluetooth 4.1
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 19.8 x 389.9 x 265.9 ( = 0.78 x 15.35 x 10.47 in)
Battery
52 Wh Lithium-Polymer, 6-cell
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 8.1 64 Bit
Camera
Webcam: 30fps@1080p
Additional features
Speakers: Dynaudio, x4, Keyboard: Chiclet, Keyboard Light: yes, Quick Start guide, Warranty card, Hotkey guide, Norton Internet Security, Nahimic, System Control Manager, MSI True Color, Ultimate Performance
Weight
1.905 kg ( = 67.2 oz / 4.2 pounds), Power Supply: 635 g ( = 22.4 oz / 1.4 pounds)
Price
1000 Euro
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

 

Case

Already have a GS60 and want the PX60 instead? Get some Silver spray paint and you're golden. The chassis is almost identical down to port placement and front status LEDs. The only major design differences are the removal of the Gaming G Series seal and the symmetrical ridges on the outer lid of the GS60. These changes are completely cosmetic, so case quality and dimensions remain the same including the ~160-degree hinges.

The PX60 is a business notebook, however, so users will be weighing it against the ThinkPad T550 or Latitude E5550. While the smooth brushed aluminum surfaces of the PX60 are attractive, build quality is nowhere near that of the classic business notebooks from either Lenovo or Dell. Both the lid and base are more susceptible to depressions and twists. In fact, our review unit in particular shows an unintentional gap at the top right corner of the display between the outer lid and inner bezel, so its workmanship could use improvement as well.

As for size and weight, the MSI unsurprisingly comes out ahead of other popular 15-inch business notebooks by more than just a few millimeters or grams. The XPS 15 is a hair thinner and just slightly heavier, though this is more of a notebook for multimedia use. Note that the bezel of the PX60 is very thick, so the notebook has a very big footprint. It's clear that MSI is so far prioritizing style and weight for its Prestige series.

385 mm / 15.2 inch 268 mm / 10.6 inch 28.5 mm / 1.122 inch 2.5 kg5.51 lbs382 mm / 15 inch 257 mm / 10.1 inch 31 mm / 1.22 inch 3.1 kg6.79 lbs389.9 mm / 15.4 inch 265.9 mm / 10.5 inch 19.8 mm / 0.78 inch 1.9 kg4.2 lbs384 mm / 15.1 inch 255 mm / 10 inch 23 mm / 0.906 inch 2.4 kg5.33 lbs380 mm / 15 inch 265 mm / 10.4 inch 26 mm / 1.024 inch 2.3 kg5.07 lbs377 mm / 14.8 inch 255 mm / 10 inch 23.6 mm / 0.929 inch 2.1 kg4.72 lbs372 mm / 14.6 inch 253 mm / 9.96 inch 18 mm / 0.709 inch 2.1 kg4.63 lbs358.9 mm / 14.1 inch 247.1 mm / 9.73 inch 18 mm / 0.709 inch 2 kg4.5 lbs297 mm / 11.7 inch 210 mm / 8.27 inch 1 mm / 0.03937 inch 5.7 g0.01257 lbs

Connectivity

The available ports do not exactly cater to business users. Users will have no VGA, no ExpressCard reader, and no dedicated docking port. The Mini DisplayPort and Gigabit RJ-45 are definitely handy, but we would have liked to see a Thunderbolt port for more connectivity options.

Front: No connectivity
Front: No connectivity
Right: USB 3.0, SD reader, HDMI 1.4, Mini DisplayPort, Gigabit Ethernet
Right: USB 3.0, SD reader, HDMI 1.4, Mini DisplayPort, Gigabit Ethernet
Rear: No connectivity
Rear: No connectivity
Kensington Lock, AC adapter, 2x USB 3.0, 3.5 mm headphones, 3.5 mm microphone
Kensington Lock, AC adapter, 2x USB 3.0, 3.5 mm headphones, 3.5 mm microphone

Communication

WLAN is provided by an Intel dual-band Wireless-AC 7260 half-mini PCIe module with integrated Bluetooth and WiDi support. This is a common 2x2 WLAN card for transfer rates of up to 867 Mbps via both the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands. We experienced no signal quality issues unique to the notebook or WLAN module. There are no options for WWAN/UMTS or GPS or even a fingerprint reader as commonly found on many business notebooks.

Maintenance

Removing the maintenance panel is a simple procedure as the internals are identical to the GS60. The warranty seal must be broken, however, and this may make it difficult to return the notebook to a retailer.

Accessories

Included accessories are unfortunately just a Quick Start guide and warranty card. There are no dedicated accessories outside of the usual protective cases.

Warranty

Manufacturer warranty lasts for 12 months. Specific internal components such as the LCD, CPU, and motherboard are covered for 24 months.

Identical internals to the GS60
Identical internals to the GS60

Input Devices

Keyboard

The backlit Chiclet keyboard (34.5 x 10.5 cm) provides four levels of white light instead of RGB colors of its GS60 twin. The space between keys is quite large since the keys themselves are small. Travel is shallow with a very quiet pressure point that's fit for conferences and classes. Feedback is softer than on most business notebooks as a result, so it may take some time for users to become accustomed to the feel. Otherwise, this is the same keyboard as found on its existing gamer variant.

The included Shortcut Manager and System Control software allows for easy customization of shortcuts and quick system settings, respectively. Both are a bit too basic, however, and could have benefited from more features such as key recording or fan control.

Touchpad

The 10.5 x 7 cm surface is slightly rough to the touch with smooth gliding properties and no cursor jitters. Its Elan software recognizes up to three-finger gestures without issues as well. The touchpad here is quite large for a business notebook since it uses integrated mouse keys, so users will lose out on dedicated mouse keys and a TrackPoint that are staples on dedicated business machines.

Furthermore, the integrated mouse keys are not very comfortable to use. Clicks require a hefty amount of force, travel is shallow, and the feedback could have been more firm. While the extra surface area makes gestures easier, simple actions like highlighting and dragging are more difficult on the PX60.

No dedicated mouse keys or TrackPoint
No dedicated mouse keys or TrackPoint
Shortcut and Hotkey manager
Shortcut and Hotkey manager
System Control includes a less-than-useful Eject button
System Control includes a less-than-useful Eject button

Display

The 1080p IPS panel on the PX60 is much more down to earth compared to the 3K and 4K/UHD panels on existing GS60 configurations. This isn't to say that quality has suffered as the matte panel on our PX60 can easily rival any panel on competing business notebooks. There are almost no color grains when displaying a white picture and backlight bleeding is minimal around edges and corners. A quick search for its Samsung 156HL01-102 panel ID shows that many Asus and other MSI notebooks carry the same display such as the Asus N551, MSI WS60, and Asus GL552. Brightness and contrast are about average for a business notebook.

302.9
cd/m²
311.6
cd/m²
292.6
cd/m²
275.7
cd/m²
300.9
cd/m²
267.7
cd/m²
270.9
cd/m²
275.6
cd/m²
267.4
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
tested with X-Rite i1Pro Basic 2
Maximum: 311.6 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 285 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 86 %
Center on Battery: 300.9 cd/m²
Contrast: 698:1 (Black: 0.431 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 1.79 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 2.19 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
97.8% sRGB (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
63.1% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
69.2% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
97.7% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
67% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.29
MSI PX60 QD-034USLenovo ThinkPad T550Lenovo ThinkPad W550s 20E2-000PGEHP ZBook 15 G2HP Envy 15-ae020ngDell XPS 15 (9530-0538)Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05
Display
-20%
-9%
1%
-41%
-3%
-8%
Display P3 Coverage
67
53.2
-21%
62.3
-7%
68.5
2%
39.3
-41%
64.9
-3%
61.4
-8%
sRGB Coverage
97.7
79.9
-18%
86.5
-11%
97.3
0%
58.7
-40%
96.1
-2%
90.8
-7%
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage
69.2
54.8
-21%
62.6
-10%
70.7
2%
40.64
-41%
66.9
-3%
62.9
-9%
Screen
-112%
-17%
-37%
-135%
4%
8%
Brightness middle
300.9
297
-1%
360
20%
309
3%
240
-20%
349
16%
341
13%
Brightness
285
287
1%
323
13%
289
1%
226
-21%
365
28%
315
11%
Brightness Distribution
86
83
-3%
81
-6%
84
-2%
88
2%
87
1%
82
-5%
Black Level *
0.431
0.9
-109%
0.54
-25%
0.47
-9%
0.48
-11%
0.282
35%
0.34
21%
Contrast
698
330
-53%
667
-4%
657
-6%
500
-28%
1238
77%
1003
44%
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
1.79
8.74
-388%
3.45
-93%
3.82
-113%
12.14
-578%
2.65
-48%
2.07
-16%
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. *
3.96
3.27
17%
Greyscale dE 2000 *
2.19
9.31
-325%
2.98
-36%
5.94
-171%
12.74
-482%
3.77
-72%
1.9
13%
Gamma
2.29 96%
2.42 91%
2.06 107%
2.16 102%
2.49 88%
2.41 91%
2.62 84%
CCT
6724 97%
10649 61%
6338 103%
6996 93%
15295 42%
6786 96%
6514 100%
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998)
63.1
50.8
-19%
56
-11%
63.8
1%
38
-40%
61.02
-3%
58
-8%
Color Space (Percent of sRGB)
97.8
86.3
-12%
59
-40%
96.1
-2%
91
-7%
Total Average (Program / Settings)
-66% / -87%
-13% / -15%
-18% / -27%
-88% / -112%
1% / 2%
0% / 5%

* ... smaller is better

Where the PX60 truly shines is in its color space coverage. At just over 97 percent and 63 percent of sRGB and AdobeRGG standards, respectively, the MSI outperforms competing models and rivals workstation-class notebooks such as the HP ZBook 15. This is compared to 60 percent and <50 percent of sRGB and AdobeRGB, respectively, for most mainstream IPS panels for Ultrabooks. Colors are noticeably deeper and should satisfy graphic artists who prioritize sRGB-accurate displays.

The MSI True Color software makes a return on the PX60 with pre-defined color profiles for movies, games, designers, and more. Users can manually adjust gamma, contrast, and individual RGB colors, though there is unfortunately no slider for manual Color Temperature adjustment. Different color modes can be paired with user-defined programs.

vs. AdobeRGB
vs. AdobeRGB
vs. sRGB
vs. sRGB
vs. ThinkPad W550s
vs. ThinkPad W550s
vs. HP ZBook 15
vs. HP ZBook 15

Additional color analyses with an X-Rite spectrophotometer reveal very accurate colors and grayscale without any calibration needed. In fact, this is one of the most accurate displays we've had out-of-the-box. Performing a quick calibration will make colors and grayscale even more accurate  as our measurements below show. Color temperature becomes a tad warmer while gamma is closer to the 2.2 ideal for sRGB.

Grayscale pre-calibration
Grayscale pre-calibration
Saturation Sweeps pre-calibration
Saturation Sweeps pre-calibration
ColorChecker pre-calibration
ColorChecker pre-calibration
Grayscale post calibration
Grayscale post calibration
Saturation Sweeps post calibration
Saturation Sweeps post calibration
ColorChecker post calibration
ColorChecker post calibration

Outdoor usability is difficult unless if working under shade. The backlight is simply not powerful enough to overcome a washed out screen when working directly under the sun. Maximum brightness does not drop if running on batteries, but users may need to disable the Battery Saving feature through the Intel HD Graphics Control Panel first.

Viewing angles are excellent as expected from an IPS panel. Colors do not shift dramatically unless if viewing from extreme or atypical angles.

Outdoors under direct sunlight
Outdoors under direct sunlight
Outdoors under shade
Outdoors under shade

Performance

Turbo Boost up to 3.5 GHz
Turbo Boost up to 3.5 GHz

The current PX60 is only available with either a Core i7-5700HQ or i5-4210H CPU. Our test model uses the more powerful Broadwell CPU while the GTX 950M is the only GPU option for now. The Broadwell core includes Turbo Boost up to 3.5 GHz for all four cores, but will otherwise run at just 800 MHz when on the Power Saver profile. Likewise, the Nvidia GPU can power down to just 135 MHz and 202 MHz for its core and memory, respectively, when idling.

RAM is provided by two Kingston PC3-12800 SODIMM slots for a total of 16 GB. Note that while the slots are accessible, the notebook requires further disassembly since most of its core motherboard components lie beneath the keyboard.

Processor

CPU performance is very good as the i7-5700HQ is not a ULV processor as found on the ThinkPad T450s or HP EliteBook 850. Raw performance is similar to the i7-4940MX, which is one of the fastest mobile Haswell cores available for notebooks. Broadwell in general performs very well in multi-core tasks compared to Haswell due partly to its steadier Turbo Boost performance. The ULV i7-5600U and 5500U don't stand a chance for this reason, either. The desktop i7-4790K is still around 20 percent faster according to CineBench.

More benchmarks and comparison on the i7-5700HQ can be found on our dedicated CPU page here.

CineBench R10 64-bit
CineBench R10 64-bit
CineBench R11.5 64-bit
CineBench R11.5 64-bit
CineBench R15 64-bit
CineBench R15 64-bit
Cinebench R10 Shading 64Bit
3698 Points
Cinebench R10 Rendering Multiple CPUs 64Bit
27838 Points
Cinebench R10 Rendering Single CPUs 64Bit
7155 Points
Cinebench R10 Shading 32Bit
3483
Cinebench R10 Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit
21568
Cinebench R10 Rendering Single 32Bit
5539
Cinebench R11.5 OpenGL 64Bit
65.8 fps
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Multi 64Bit
7.86 Points
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Single 64Bit
1.67 Points
Cinebench R15 Ref. Match 64Bit
99.6 %
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64Bit
90.5 fps
Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64Bit
723 Points
Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64Bit
144 Points
Help
Cinebench R15
CPU Single 64Bit (sort by value)
MSI PX60 QD-034US
144 Points
Eurocom P5 Pro Extreme
171 Points +19%
Eurocom X8
157 Points +9%
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50
125 Points -13%
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS03F00
130 Points -10%
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
122 Points -15%
CPU Multi 64Bit (sort by value)
MSI PX60 QD-034US
723 Points
Eurocom P5 Pro Extreme
873 Points +21%
Eurocom X8
708 Points -2%
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50
490 Points -32%
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS03F00
302 Points -58%
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
303 Points -58%
Cinebench R11.5
CPU Single 64Bit (sort by value)
MSI PX60 QD-034US
1.67 Points
Eurocom P5 Pro Extreme
2.07 Points +24%
Eurocom X8
1.77 Points +6%
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50
1.46 Points -13%
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS03F00
1.51 Points -10%
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
1.41 Points -16%
CPU Multi 64Bit (sort by value)
MSI PX60 QD-034US
7.86 Points
Eurocom P5 Pro Extreme
9.4 Points +20%
Eurocom X8
7.64 Points -3%
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50
5.29 Points -33%
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS03F00
3.31 Points -58%
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
3.25 Points -59%
Cinebench R10
Rendering Single CPUs 64Bit (sort by value)
MSI PX60 QD-034US
7155 Points
Eurocom P5 Pro Extreme
8911 Points +25%
Eurocom X8
7696 Points +8%
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50
6493 Points -9%
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS03F00
6487 Points -9%
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
6187 Points -14%
Rendering Multiple CPUs 64Bit (sort by value)
MSI PX60 QD-034US
27838 Points
Eurocom P5 Pro Extreme
33974 Points +22%
Eurocom X8
26547 Points -5%
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50
18887 Points -32%
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS03F00
13756 Points -51%
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
13267 Points -52%
Super Pi Mod 1.5 XS 32M - 32M (sort by value)
MSI PX60 QD-034US
570 s *
Eurocom P5 Pro Extreme
437 s * +23%
Eurocom X8
491.5 s * +14%
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50
569 s * -0%
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS03F00
617 s * -8%
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
674 s * -18%
wPrime 2.10 - 1024m (sort by value)
MSI PX60 QD-034US
205.8 s *
Eurocom P5 Pro Extreme
174.8 s * +15%
Eurocom X8
218.6 s * -6%
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50
323 s * -57%
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS03F00
525 s * -155%
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
538 s * -161%

Legend

 
MSI PX60 QD-034US Intel Core i7-5700HQ, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M, HGST Travelstar 7K1000 HTS721010A9E630
 
Eurocom P5 Pro Extreme Intel Core i7-4790K, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M, 2x Micron M600 MTFDDAV128MBF (RAID 0)
 
Eurocom X8 Intel Core i7-4940MX, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M SLI, Samsung SSD 840 EVO 120GB mSATA
 
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50 Intel Core i7-4700HQ, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 860M, Western Digital WD10S21X SSHD 1TB + 8GB SSD-Cache
 
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS03F00 Intel Core i7-5600U, Intel HD Graphics 5500, Intel SSD Pro 2500 Series SSDSC2BF360A5L
 
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA Intel Core i7-5500U, AMD Radeon R7 M260X, Samsung SSD PM851 256 GB MZ7TE256HMHP

* ... smaller is better

System Performance

PCMark scores are about average due to our primary mechanical drive. Our SSD-powered GS60, for example, was able to score 5794 points on PCMark 7 compared to just 4012 points with our PX60. We should also note that PCMark 8 Creative would constantly crash despite running on the latest version at the time of testing (v2.5.419), so its final score is not included here. Our system shipped with Windows 8.1 and is, of course, immediately upgradeable to Windows 10 for now.

Subjectively, system responsiveness is not as fast as SSD-based systems. Boot-up and Installations are slower and programs launch with noticeable delays. All this should feel familiar to users who are accustomed to PCs with mechanical drives.

PCMark 7
PCMark 7
PCMark 8 Home Accelerated
PCMark 8 Home Accelerated
PCMark 8 Work Accelerated
PCMark 8 Work Accelerated
PCMark 7 Score
4012 points
PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2
3691 points
PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2
4669 points
Help

Storage Devices

Two storage bays are available: 1x 2.5-inch SATA III bay and 1x M.2 2280 (PCIe x4 interface) underneath the motherboard. RAID is not supported with the PX60 compared to the GS60. The original gaming variant also has a second M.2 slot that is now removed on the PX60. It's one of the few differences between the otherwise similar models.

The 2.5-inch bay is more accessible and our test model includes a sole 1 TB 7200 RPM Hitachi Travelstar HTS721010A9E630 HDD. Average transfer rate according to HD Tune is above average at 113.4 Mb/s. More inexpensive 5400 RPM drives typically show transfer rates below 90 MB/s on the same benchmark. We recommend installing a primary SSD for much faster speeds and using the HDD as a secondary instead.

HD Tune
HD Tune
CrystalDiskMark
CrystalDiskMark
PCMark 8 Storage
PCMark 8 Storage
HGST Travelstar 7K1000 HTS721010A9E630
Transfer Rate Minimum: 52 MB/s
Transfer Rate Maximum: 150.7 MB/s
Transfer Rate Average: 113.4 MB/s
Access Time: 16 ms
Burst Rate: 248.3 MB/s
CPU Usage: 1.2 %

GPU Performance

The GTX 950M is more than enough for basic office needs. MSI "Matrix Display" is still supported for up to two 4K displays at 60 Hz. Playing games at such resolutions is not recommended on the 950M, so this feature is more useful for artists and designers.

Synthetic GPU benchmarks place our PX60 about 20 to 30 percent lower than the GTX 960M in our Eurocom Shark 4 and 30 to 40 percent higher than the Radeon R9 M370X in the 15-inch Apple MacBook Pro Retina. The GTX 970M can more than twice as fast as the GTX 950M according to 3DMark.

More benchmarks and comparison on the GTX 950M can be found on our dedicated GPU page here.

3DMark 11
3DMark 11
Ice Storm Extreme
Ice Storm Extreme
Cloud Gate
Cloud Gate
Fire Strike
Fire Strike
3DMark 06 Standard Score
23657 points
3DMark 11 Performance
4575 points
3DMark Ice Storm Standard Score
85899 points
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score
16086 points
3DMark Fire Strike Score
3342 points
3DMark Fire Strike Extreme Score
1649 points
Help
3DMark 11
1280x720 Performance Combined (sort by value)
MSI PX60 QD-034US
4566 Points
Eurocom P7 Pro
10105 Points +121%
Gigabyte P55 V4
5836 Points +28%
Eurocom Shark 4
5525 Points +21%
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05
3674 Points -20%
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS1UT00
1876 Points -59%
1280x720 Performance Physics (sort by value)
MSI PX60 QD-034US
8207 Points
Eurocom P7 Pro
10077 Points +23%
Gigabyte P55 V4
6464 Points -21%
Eurocom Shark 4
7504 Points -9%
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05
8487 Points +3%
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS1UT00
3523 Points -57%
1280x720 Performance GPU (sort by value)
MSI PX60 QD-034US
4205 Points
Eurocom P7 Pro
12562 Points +199%
Gigabyte P55 V4
10053 Points +139%
Eurocom Shark 4
5440 Points +29%
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05
3593 Points -15%
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS1UT00
2313 Points -45%
1280x720 Performance (sort by value)
MSI PX60 QD-034US
4575 Points
Eurocom P7 Pro
11836 Points +159%
Gigabyte P55 V4
8699 Points +90%
Eurocom Shark 4
5683 Points +24%
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05
3942 Points -14%
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS1UT00
2380 Points -48%
3DMark
Fire Strike Extreme Combined (sort by value)
MSI PX60 QD-034US
761 Points
Eurocom P7 Pro
1982 Points +160%
Gigabyte P55 V4
1535 Points +102%
Eurocom Shark 4
907 Points +19%
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05
493 Points -35%
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS1UT00
235 Points -69%
Fire Strike Extreme Physics (sort by value)
MSI PX60 QD-034US
10499 Points
Eurocom P7 Pro
11899 Points +13%
Gigabyte P55 V4
10758 Points +2%
Eurocom Shark 4
9002 Points -14%
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05
8340 Points -21%
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS1UT00
4233 Points -60%
Fire Strike Extreme Graphics (sort by value)
MSI PX60 QD-034US
1628 Points
Eurocom P7 Pro
4412 Points +171%
Gigabyte P55 V4
3544 Points +118%
Eurocom Shark 4
2065 Points +27%
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05
1150 Points -29%
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS1UT00
330 Points -80%
Fire Strike Extreme Score (sort by value)
MSI PX60 QD-034US
1649 Points
Eurocom P7 Pro
4290 Points +160%
Gigabyte P55 V4
3439 Points +109%
Eurocom Shark 4
2040 Points +24%
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05
1145 Points -31%
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS1UT00
365 Points -78%
1920x1080 Fire Strike Combined (sort by value)
MSI PX60 QD-034US
1422 Points
Eurocom P7 Pro
3639 Points +156%
Gigabyte P55 V4
2775 Points +95%
Eurocom Shark 4
1688 Points +19%
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05
924 Points -35%
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS1UT00
489 Points -66%
1920x1080 Fire Strike Physics (sort by value)
MSI PX60 QD-034US
10347 Points
Eurocom P7 Pro
11862 Points +15%
Gigabyte P55 V4
10760 Points +4%
Eurocom Shark 4
9011 Points -13%
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05
8666 Points -16%
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS1UT00
4237 Points -59%
1920x1080 Fire Strike Graphics (sort by value)
MSI PX60 QD-034US
3499 Points
Eurocom P7 Pro
9700 Points +177%
Gigabyte P55 V4
7634 Points +118%
Eurocom Shark 4
4432 Points +27%
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05
2501 Points -29%
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS1UT00
1627 Points -54%
1920x1080 Fire Strike Score (sort by value)
MSI PX60 QD-034US
3342 Points
Eurocom P7 Pro
8514 Points +155%
Gigabyte P55 V4
6746 Points +102%
Eurocom Shark 4
4079 Points +22%
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05
2350 Points -30%
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS1UT00
1426 Points -57%
1280x720 Cloud Gate Standard Physics (sort by value)
MSI PX60 QD-034US
7362 Points
Eurocom P7 Pro
8602 Points +17%
Gigabyte P55 V4
7301 Points -1%
Eurocom Shark 4
6150 Points -16%
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05
5510 Points -25%
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS1UT00
2859 Points -61%
1280x720 Cloud Gate Standard Graphics (sort by value)
MSI PX60 QD-034US
24321 Points
Eurocom P7 Pro
67742 Points +179%
Gigabyte P55 V4
44135 Points +81%
Eurocom Shark 4
31379 Points +29%
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05
15500 Points -36%
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS1UT00
9120 Points -63%
1280x720 Cloud Gate Standard Score (sort by value)
MSI PX60 QD-034US
16086 Points
Eurocom P7 Pro
26798 Points +67%
Gigabyte P55 V4
20807 Points +29%
Eurocom Shark 4
16414 Points +2%
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05
11048 Points -31%
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS1UT00
6134 Points -62%
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Physics (sort by value)
MSI PX60 QD-034US
56249 Points
Eurocom P7 Pro
58293 Points +4%
Gigabyte P55 V4
59537 Points +6%
Eurocom Shark 4
46937 Points -17%
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05
53710 Points -5%
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS1UT00
36691 Points -35%
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Graphics Score (sort by value)
MSI PX60 QD-034US
204769 Points
Eurocom P7 Pro
337762 Points +65%
Gigabyte P55 V4
282456 Points +38%
Eurocom Shark 4
244093 Points +19%
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05
188948 Points -8%
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS1UT00
120224 Points -41%
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Score (sort by value)
MSI PX60 QD-034US
129048 Points
Eurocom P7 Pro
163535 Points +27%
Gigabyte P55 V4
154175 Points +19%
Eurocom Shark 4
126248 Points -2%
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05
121156 Points -6%
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS1UT00
79833 Points -38%
1920x1080 Ice Storm Extreme Physics (sort by value)
MSI PX60 QD-034US
46942 Points
Eurocom P7 Pro
58400 Points +24%
Gigabyte P55 V4
53022 Points +13%
Eurocom Shark 4
44007 Points -6%
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05
46505 Points -1%
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS1UT00
33006 Points -30%
1920x1080 Ice Storm Extreme Graphics (sort by value)
MSI PX60 QD-034US
86732 Points
Eurocom P7 Pro
280576 Points +223%
Gigabyte P55 V4
67706 Points -22%
Eurocom Shark 4
111094 Points +28%
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05
95708 Points +10%
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS1UT00
43434 Points -50%
1920x1080 Ice Storm Extreme Score (sort by value)
MSI PX60 QD-034US
72984 Points
Eurocom P7 Pro
152039 Points +108%
Gigabyte P55 V4
63780 Points -13%
Eurocom Shark 4
82982 Points +14%
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05
77489 Points +6%
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS1UT00
40584 Points -44%
1280x720 Ice Storm Standard Physics (sort by value)
MSI PX60 QD-034US
48685 Points
Eurocom P7 Pro
57711 Points +19%
Gigabyte P55 V4
52823 Points +8%
Eurocom Shark 4
38206 Points -22%
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05
43477 Points -11%
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS1UT00
32714 Points -33%
1280x720 Ice Storm Standard Graphics (sort by value)
MSI PX60 QD-034US
109901 Points
Eurocom P7 Pro
331040 Points +201%
Gigabyte P55 V4
68332 Points -38%
Eurocom Shark 4
130341 Points +19%
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05
137091 Points +25%
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS1UT00
46225 Points -58%
1280x720 Ice Storm Standard Score (sort by value)
MSI PX60 QD-034US
85899 Points
Eurocom P7 Pro
161287 Points +88%
Gigabyte P55 V4
64146 Points -25%
Eurocom Shark 4
84865 Points -1%
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05
92723 Points +8%
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS1UT00
42339 Points -51%
LuxMark v2.0 64Bit
Room GPUs-only (sort by value)
MSI PX60 QD-034US
705 Samples/s
Eurocom P7 Pro
1209 Samples/s +71%
Gigabyte P55 V4
1247 Samples/s +77%
Eurocom Shark 4
879 Samples/s +25%
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05
379 Samples/s -46%
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS1UT00
431 Samples/s -39%
Sala GPUs-only (sort by value)
MSI PX60 QD-034US
1233 Samples/s
Eurocom P7 Pro
2258 Samples/s +83%
Gigabyte P55 V4
2421 Samples/s +96%
Eurocom Shark 4
1254 Samples/s +2%
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05
659 Samples/s -47%
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS1UT00
878 Samples/s -29%
ComputeMark v2.1
1024x600 Normal, QJuliaRayTrace (sort by value)
MSI PX60 QD-034US
755 Points
Eurocom P7 Pro
2022 Points +168%
Gigabyte P55 V4
1580 Points +109%
Eurocom Shark 4
937 Points +24%
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05
581 Points -23%
1024x600 Normal, Mandel Scalar (sort by value)
MSI PX60 QD-034US
740 Points
Eurocom P7 Pro
1370 Points +85%
Gigabyte P55 V4
1095 Points +48%
Eurocom Shark 4
806 Points +9%
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05
676 Points -9%
1024x600 Normal, Mandel Vector (sort by value)
MSI PX60 QD-034US
554 Points
Eurocom P7 Pro
1535 Points +177%
Gigabyte P55 V4
1248 Points +125%
Eurocom Shark 4
752 Points +36%
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05
413 Points -25%
1024x600 Normal, Fluid 2DTexArr (sort by value)
MSI PX60 QD-034US
324 Points
Eurocom P7 Pro
762 Points +135%
Gigabyte P55 V4
589 Points +82%
Eurocom Shark 4
374 Points +15%
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05
252 Points -22%
1024x600 Normal, Fluid 3DTex (sort by value)
MSI PX60 QD-034US
374 Points
Eurocom P7 Pro
789 Points +111%
Gigabyte P55 V4
601 Points +61%
Eurocom Shark 4
396 Points +6%
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05
305 Points -18%
1024x600 Normal, Score (sort by value)
MSI PX60 QD-034US
2746 Points
Eurocom P7 Pro
6478 Points +136%
Gigabyte P55 V4
5114 Points +86%
Eurocom Shark 4
3265 Points +19%
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05
2226 Points -19%
SPECviewperf 12
1900x1060 Solidworks (sw-03) (sort by value)
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05
38.02 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS1UT00
14.65 fps
1900x1060 Siemens NX (snx-02) (sort by value)
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05
10.24 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS1UT00
1.81 fps
1900x1060 Showcase (showcase-01) (sort by value)
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05
15.31 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS1UT00
6.05 fps
1900x1060 Medical (medical-01) (sort by value)
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05
7.5 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS1UT00
5.72 fps
1900x1060 Maya (maya-04) (sort by value)
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05
25.1 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS1UT00
2.09 fps
1900x1060 Energy (energy-01) (sort by value)
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05
0.37 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS1UT00
0.08 fps
1900x1060 Creo (creo-01) (sort by value)
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05
20.07 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS1UT00
6.68 fps
1900x1060 Catia (catia-04) (sort by value)
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05
23.89 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS1UT00
9.71 fps

Legend

 
MSI PX60 QD-034US Intel Core i7-5700HQ, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M, HGST Travelstar 7K1000 HTS721010A9E630
 
Eurocom P7 Pro Intel Core i7-5775C, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M, Samsung SSD SM951 512 GB MZHPV512HDGL
 
Gigabyte P55 V4 Intel Core i7-5700HQ, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M, Lite-On LMT-128L9M
 
Eurocom Shark 4 Intel Core i7-4720HQ, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M, Samsung SSD 850 EVO m.2 120GB
 
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05 Intel Core i7-4870HQ, AMD Radeon R9 M370X, Apple SSD SM0512G
 
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS1UT00 Intel Core i5-5200U, NVIDIA GeForce 940M, Samsung SSD PM871 MZ7LN256HCHP

Gaming Performance

The gaming performance of the GTX 950M has already been well-documented, so we benchmarked a few games on the PX60 to see if performance is where we expect it to be based on the average 950M in our database. Fortunately for the MSI, frame rates for the tested games are above the average.

Batman: Arkham Knight still runs with major issues on the GTX 950M despite being available for months, so frame rate tallies are not provided here.

low med. high ultra
Sleeping Dogs (2012) 147.3 77.8 18.6
Tomb Raider (2013) 135 96.5 43.2
BioShock Infinite (2013) 119.1 106.7 39.6
Metro: Last Light (2013) 85.9 51.1 25.8
Thief (2014) 53.7 46.3 23
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor (2014) 68.7 36.2 27.1
F1 2014 (2014) 114 101 80
Metal Gear Solid V (2015) 59.9 49.9 32.8

Stress Test

We stress the notebook with Prime95 and FurMark to test for any stability or throttling issues with final results provided in the table below. Considering that base clock speeds for the CPU and GPU are 2.7 GHz and 915 MHz, respectively, both cores are able to maintain respective Boost benefits when under certain loads. The CPU in particular holds up very well even when under unrealistic Prime95 and FurMark stress conditions while the GPU experiences throttling down to 666 MHz.

Unigine Heaven stress is more representative of gaming loads. Under these conditions, the CPU and GPU plateau at much lower temperatures in the mid 50 C range while operating at Boost speeds. This is impressive but unsurprising at the same time since this chassis was originally designed to house the much more demanding GTX 970M GPU.

Running on battery power will not cause a dip in GPU performance as would normally happen to most notebooks. CPU Turbo Boost, however, occurs less frequently in an attempt to save more power. 3DMark 11 on batteries returns Physics and GPU scores of 6785 points and 4165 points, respectively, compared to 8207 points and 4205 points when on mains.

Prime95 stress
Prime95 stress
FurMark stress
FurMark stress
Full stress
Full stress
Unigine Heaven stress
Unigine Heaven stress
Stable CPU Clock (GHz) Stable GPU Clock (MHz) Maximum CPU Temperature (C) Maximum GPU Temperature (C)
Prime95 Stress 3.4 - 3.5 -- 85 - 90 --
FurMark Stress -- 666 - 692 -- 60
Prime95 + FurMark Stress 3.2 - 3.3 666 - 692 85 - 90 65
Unigine Heaven Stress 3.5 927.9 50 - 55 56
Battery Power 0.8 - 3.5 927.9 45 - 50 50

Emissions

System Noise

MSI boasts its Cooler Boost 3 technology consisting of four heat pipes and two system fans for the CPU and GPU. This kind of setup is common for thin and light gaming notebooks such as those from Aorus.

System noise, however, is quite loud even when idling on the desktop. At 34.8 dB(A) at its lowest, the fans are always audible no matter the onscreen workload. Idling on High Performance mode will bump fan noise to at least 37 dB(A). In comparison, many business notebooks can be silent or near silent in the very low 30 dB(A) range when word processing, such as the ThinkPad T550 or even the MacBook Pro 15 Retina. The lack of manual fan controls do not help the MSI, either.

When gaming, fan noise will hover in the 41 dB(A) range up to 49 dB(A) at worst. Both fans speed up and down gradually and slowly instead of the stepwise manner on many other notebooks.

Noise Level

Idle
34.8 / 37.2 / 37.4 dB(A)
Load
41.8 / 49.4 dB(A)
  red to green bar
 
 
30 dB
silent
40 dB(A)
audible
50 dB(A)
loud
 
min: dark, med: mid, max: light   BK Precision 732A (15 cm distance)

Temperature

Hot spots can already be felt when sitting on desktop and with no demanding applications running. The top quadrants are fortunately more uniform than the bottom, so uncomfortable surface temperatures are not an issue when typing.

Running on maximum load for extended periods can induce surface temperatures of over 56 C on the bottom rear of the notebook. This area is right between the CPU and GPU and is naturally the warmest spot as the heat pipes are concentrated here as well. Note that these readings were taken after half an hour of running both FurMark and Prime95, so users should never experience surfaces this warm when gaming or browsing. In general, the PX60 runs warmer than most business notebooks due to its more powerful GPU and thinner profile. The ThinkPad T550 and MacBook Pro 15, for example, reach just 40 C and 43 C at their respective maximums.

Max. Load
 32.4 °C
90 F
37.6 °C
100 F
34.6 °C
94 F
 
 32 °C
90 F
35.6 °C
96 F
34.8 °C
95 F
 
 27.2 °C
81 F
29 °C
84 F
32.8 °C
91 F
 
Maximum: 37.6 °C = 100 F
Average: 32.9 °C = 91 F
47 °C
117 F
56.6 °C
134 F
52.2 °C
126 F
38.2 °C
101 F
50 °C
122 F
33 °C
91 F
34.6 °C
94 F
32.4 °C
90 F
28.8 °C
84 F
Maximum: 56.6 °C = 134 F
Average: 41.4 °C = 107 F
Power Supply (max.)  56.2 °C = 133 F | Room Temperature 21.5 °C = 71 F | Fluke 62 Mini IR Thermometer
(±) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 32.9 °C / 91 F, compared to the average of 29.5 °C / 85 F for the devices in the class Office.
(+) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 37.6 °C / 100 F, compared to the average of 34.2 °C / 94 F, ranging from 21.2 to 62.5 °C for the class Office.
(-) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 56.6 °C / 134 F, compared to the average of 36.7 °C / 98 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 26.4 °C / 80 F, compared to the device average of 29.5 °C / 85 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are reaching skin temperature as a maximum (32.8 °C / 91 F) and are therefore not hot.
(-) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 27.7 °C / 81.9 F (-5.1 °C / -9.1 F).

Speakers

Sound quality is the same as on the GS60. The four Dynaudio speakers are loud and balanced with no noticeable static at higher volume. It'll be tough to find better speakers on a business notebook. There is still room for improvement as maximum volume could have been louder.

The Nahimic audio software provides plenty of features and options as it is made for gaming purposes to both reduce noise and optimize voice clarity.

Battery Life

Runtimes are very poor on the PX60. At best, users can get a bit less than 3.5 hours of runtime from just sitting idle on the desktop while on Power Saver mode with integrated graphics enabled and at the minimum brightness level. More realistic browsing conditions will net users around 2.5 hours of runtime. These numbers are extremely low compared to the competition. To make matters worse, the battery is non-removable.

Minimum runtime (Classic Test)
Minimum runtime (Classic Test)
Maximum runtime (Reader's Test)
Maximum runtime (Reader's Test)
WLAN runtime
WLAN runtime
Battery Runtime
Idle (without WLAN, min brightness)
3h 12min
WiFi Websurfing
2h 26min
Load (maximum brightness)
0h 58min
MSI PX60 QD-034US
52 Wh
Lenovo ThinkPad T550
44 Wh plus 23 Wh
Lenovo ThinkPad W550s 20E2-000PGE
44 Wh plus 72 Wh
Eurocom Shark 4
62 Wh
HP ZBook 15 G2
83 Wh
HP Envy 15-ae020ng
55.5 Wh
Dell XPS 15 (9530-0538)
88 Wh
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05
99.5 Wh
Battery Runtime
382%
505%
70%
58%
186%
115%
239%
Reader / Idle
192
1264
558%
1728
800%
311
62%
370
93%
753
292%
1039
441%
WiFi v1.3
146
715
390%
215
47%
278
90%
308
111%
314
115%
432
196%
Load
58
177
205%
247
326%
116
100%
53
-9%
148
155%
105
81%
WiFi
677
237

Pros

+ excellent matte 1080p panel
+ sRGB coverage of up to 97 percent
+ thin and attractive design
+ up to 2x 4K external monitor support
+ great performance from CPU and GPU; No throttling issues
+ relatively low core temperatures
+ good sound quality

Cons

- high fan noise
- very poor battery life
- unimpressive build quality
- no TrackPoint or dedicated mouse keys
- no SIM, fingerprint or ExpressCard reader
- higher surface temperatures
- motherboard components (SODIMM, M.2) are more difficult to access

Verdict

In review: MSI PX60-034US.
In review: MSI PX60-034US.

MSI specializes in gaming gear and notebooks. Thus, it's natural for the new business-centric Prestige series to have lots of influences from the successful gaming G series. The PX60, however, is not the way to go about it. What the manufacturer has essentially done is slap a new name on the GS60, market it to professional business users, and then call it a day.

This is a gaming notebook in a bad business disguise.

Longevity and quality are no match against proper business machines like the Latitude E or ThinkPad T series. Business users won't like the large size (length x width), constant fan noise, limited connectivity options, and short battery life. The audio, while good, also means little to a business user. If the thin profile is attractive, then the MacBook Pro 15 is the overall better option.

The few redeeming qualities of the PX60 are its excellent performance and display. There is no throttling while gaming and the GPU is more powerful than most popular business notebooks, which may come in handy for users who need the extra graphics horsepower for work. Colors and grayscale are already very accurate without any calibration.

MSI will need to put in more effort if it wishes to break into the business sector. Rather than looking at its G series for inspiration, the manufacturer may do better by taking queues from the ZBook or ThinkPad families to improve its waxing Prestige lineup.

MSI PX60 QD-034US - 03/31/2016 v5(old)
Allen Ngo

Chassis
82 / 98 → 84%
Keyboard
75%
Pointing Device
84%
Connectivity
54 / 80 → 67%
Weight
64 / 20-67 → 94%
Battery
66%
Display
90%
Games Performance
81 / 68 → 100%
Application Performance
73 / 92 → 80%
Temperature
88%
Noise
64%
Audio
82%
Camera
69 / 85 → 81%
Average
75%
79%
Office - Weighted Average

Pricecompare

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Allen Ngo, 2015-09-26 (Update: 2020-06- 8)