Review MSI MS-16GA Barebone Notebook

The case's quality is one of the Fire DTX's weakest points. The 15 incher not only looks quite cheap, but is also extremely susceptible to attracting fingerprints due to the high-gloss plastic. The display's black frame is one of the areas susceptible to fingerprints. The lid, wrist rest and keyboard areas are silver-gray and do lose their sheen pretty quickly.

Our test device's workmanship was also unsatisfactory. A few material transitions (particularly the display) were relatively uneven. We had the feeling that we were dealing with a low-priced EUR 400 (~$500) device. Its 17 inch brother, also based on an MSI barebone (MS-1756 rather than MS-16GA), does not score much better in the build quality stakes. The notebook also had issues with keyboard clatter.

Then again, the 15 incher makes a rather good impression in terms of looks. On one hand, the surface's light and dark coloring present a nice contrast. On the other, a fine line pattern can be seen when looking closer. Design, dimensions (383mm x 250mm x 38mm) and weight (~2.6 kg or 5.73 lb) are nothing extraordinary.

We would say that the case's stability is inconspicuous. Although the lid can be twisted easily, like in most devices, the base unit proves to be quite pressure resistant. The fan grill, the battery as well as the drive area could have some added stiffness. The two hinges are pulled so tight that both hands are needed for opening the laptop.

Despite the listed flaws, only few buyers will deem the overall quality to be unsatisfactory. Clevo's W150ER barebone that also features the GeForce GT 650M (see Schenker XMG A502), is a higher quality alternative.

Software

Deviltech earns high praise for the clean Windows installation. The reseller has avoided installing bloatware in the system. Not every user will appreciate the so-called S-Bar that boots alongside the operating system in default settings and is mandatory for a few extra functions.

Scope of Delivery

The accessories included in the box are sparse. You get a 540 g (~1.2 lb) 120W power supply, a 300 g (~0.7 lb) battery and a DVD for important tools and drivers.

Warranty

The standard warranty period is 24 months and an additional EUR 150 (~$190) is needed to increase the service period to 36 months.

Processor

As expected, an Intel dual-core or quad-core is optioned as the processor. Ivy Bridge replaces the successful Sandy Bridge line and is manufactured using the 22nm process.

While the dual-cores can process four threads at the same time thanks to Hyper Threading, the quad-core manage eight threads simultaneously. The price for the enhanced multi-core power is higher power consumption (45W rather than 35W TDP). All Core i5 and Core i7 models are capable of automatically overclocking using the Turbo Boost feature.

Compared with the prior generation, the integrated graphics card takes a biggest leap forward. The HD Graphics 4000 performs about 40% faster on average than the old HD Graphics 3000. Nvidia's well-known Optimus technology enables the Fire DTX to dynamically switch between the integrated and the dedicated graphics unit. Consequently, the 15 incher saves a lot of power under normal usage conditions.

Our test device received the cheapest of the new quad-core models, the Core i7-3610QM. 1.4 billion Transistors and 6MB of L3 cache prove that cheap does not mean slow.

Graphics Card

Nvidia's new GPU architecture, Kepler (GK107 chip) has succeeded in a large number of design wins in the notebook sector. This card falls between the GeForce GT 640M  and the high-end GeForce GTX 660M version. The GTX 680M will soon be the direct competitor to the current leader, the Radeon HD 7970M.

The Fire DTX's moderate price and the relatively slim build naturally don’t allow the addition of high performance GPUs like the GTX680M. Despite the fairly narrow memory bus (128 bit), the GeForce GT 650M is a good choice for slightly more demanding casual gamers. With a base clock of 745 MHz, DirectX 11.1 support, and 384 CUDA cores, the performance comes closer to the GTX660M.

Like Intel's Core-i range, Kepler also features automatic overclocking. The GPU booster works perfectly in the Deviltech notebook. The GT 650M always clocked to the maximum 835 MHz during full load (according to GPU-Z). The 2048 MB GDDR5 video memory stays constant at 1000 MHz.

The process shrink from 40nm to 28nm has led to higher energy-efficiency. Although the GT 650M easily outperforms the old GT 555M, the power consumption is on a par. The PhysX technology (GPU based physics acceleration) and the integrated audio controller (surround sound through HDMI) will likely be familiar to everyone.

Mass Storage

If you have enough financial resources, you should definitely configure the laptop with a modern solid state drive. In contrast to a conventional HDD, SSDs score with faster boot, load and transfer times. Responses to commands in the OS are quick with no delays and the user experience is vastly better compared to laptops with mechanical HDDs.

Deviltech fit our test device with a 120 GB SATA III model. The 9.3mm slim and 77g OCZ Agility 3 (MLC flash) is touted to have a transfer rate of around 500 MB/s on the manufacturer's homepage. The OCZ Agility 3 comes with the Sandforce SF-2281 controller that has been documented to have several issues concerning its operation. The systems with the SF controller are plagued with the infamous BYOD, random restarts and performance glitches. Subsequent firmware updates have minimized the occurrence of these problems. But until all issues are solved, this controller is going to face a lot of flak.

In fact, the Agility 3 managed just 196 MB/s (sequential read) and 114 MB/s (sequential write) in the AS SSD benchmark. Other SATA III SSDs manage 2.5 times these speeds. The access speed was around 0.3 - 0.4 milliseconds. The SSD at least performed decently with small files.

Overall, we would recommend Deviltech switching to another brand of SSD. The Samsung830 currently holds the title for its great performance, fair price and high reliability (Schenker XMG P702).

Gaming Performance

We have already tested the GeForce GT 650M's gaming performance in Alienware's M14x R2, One's M73-2O and Schenker's XMG A502. The power is basically enough for high details and 2x or 4x anti-aliasing, but not always for the native 1920 x 1080 resolution. Thanks to the good interpolating capability, the picture still looks fairly focused in 1600 x 900 pixels.

While the more expensive GeForce GTX 660M takes a lead of nearly 18%, the GT 640M lags behind by about 25% (in ultra-settings). Casual gamers should be satisfied with the Kepler model in any case. Ardent gamers will have to turn to the upper range.

Temperature

The temperature readings are a mixed bag. We will start with idling where the chassis stays pleasantly cool. Our thermometer recorded about 28°C after two hours of idling which is good. But, you do have uncomfortable levels of heat being generated at full load. After an hour of operation at load, the readings averaged 43°C (top) and 39°C (bottom). Particularly in the WASD area, which is important for gamers, temperatures reached a maximum of 50°C.

It also gets hot inside the laptop. The Core i7 temporarily throttles to 1.2 GHz when Furmark and Prime run simultaneously. The CPU clock fluctuated between 1.5 and 2.0 GHz when we controlled the temperature after half an hour (CPU: ~97ºC, GPU: ~90°C). It was only 1.5 - 1.6 GHz 30 minutes later. However there is no need for fear since this problem should not turn up under normal conditions. All benchmarks were completed faultlessly.

Battery Runtime

The laptop could have been a portable solution for most people if not for the battery. A 49Wh battery is rather small and limits the Fire DTX's time away from the mains. But we cannot call the battery life bad. Not every notebook manages over four hours in idle (minimum brightness).

Almost three hours can be squeezed out of the battery when the brightness is set to about 2/3^rd and we surf the Internet using wifi. A DVD can be played for nearly 2.5 hours at maximum brightness. The battery life drops considerably as soon as the discrete GPU is enabled. BatteryEater's Classic test determined a runtime of just around an hour.

We quote "Two souls alas! are dwelling in my breast" by Faust in the eponymous tragedy,  that the testing of Deviltech's Fire DTX was. The 15 inch laptop, dwelling somewhere between a multimedia system and a gaming notebook, has its strengths and weaknesses.

In particular, the great non-glare screen has to be highlighted positively. The high contrast, the good viewing angles and the screen's matte surface ensure unmarred media entertainment. However, this is only true when the user connects headphones or external speakers. The built-in sound system is just suitable when on the move.

On the other hand, the manufacturer has done an almost perfect job inside. First, the innards are easy to maintain. Only few devices offer such simple cleaning and upgrade possibilities. Second, the components are perfectly aligned. The array of an Ivy Bridge CPU, Kepler GPU and solid state drive equips the user for almost any situation. However, it is too bad that the graphics card and processor get relatively hot.

Talking about hot, the silver-gray chassis is not exactly cool. As common for gaming notebooks, you have to live with a loud and hot system when running GPU and CPU intensive applications.

The case disappointed us the most. The MS-16GA barebone features an extremely cheap plastic case which shows poor workmanship and sensitive high-gloss paint. You could expect more for a price of over EUR 700 (~$880). The spongy response of the very rough touchpad is another drawback. The port selection (2 x USB 3.0) and battery life (2 - 3 hours in routine use) are rather unspectacular.

In summary, price-conscious casual gamers can risk taking a look. There are hardly any faster laptops for under EUR 1000 (~$1250) to be found. By the way, MSI sells an OEM version called the GE60.