MSI GE60 2OE-003US Review

Why is the MSI GE60 part of the top 10 gaming laptops under $1000?

The MSI GE60 is one the best laptops for gaming under 1000 dollars of 2018. Based on sleek and lightweight chassis of only 5.6 pounds, the GE60 carries a lot of muscle for its weight. Coming packed with the Intel Core i7 2.4 GHz processor combined with the excellent NVIDIA GeForce GTX 765M, means it has sufficient power to display hi-end games on the 15.6 inch Full HD screen.

Features

The MSI GE60’s chassis is based on a variety of plastic-based materials allowing the weight of only 5.6 pounds to be achieved. Where the top lid comes in a black plastic casing, it hides the 15.6 inch full HD display with matte finish underneath it. The backlit chiclet keyboards sits equally in a the same glossy back, while the speakers are placed right above it in a long grille with red accents. Although the materials used are arguably not as high-end as the competition at AlienWare or Razer uses, the MSI doesn’t hide its true colours; This is a true gaming laptop. 

Belonging to the lineup of best gaming laptops for under 1000 dollars, the MSI GE60 has the power to back it up. Boasting the 4th generation quad-core Intel i7-4700MQ processor at 2.4 GHz with boost mode up until 3.4 GHz, this is not a lightweight. Combining this force with 8 GB of GGD3 RAM, means it has plenty of multimedia performance for practically all purposes, whether it be photo or video editing, or using complex drawing platforms such as AutoCAD.

Having the dedicated Nvidia GeForce GTX 765M aboard with 2GB of GDDR5 video ram, means it has the second best video card in our comparison. Able to generate 72 frames per second (fps)  on low settings and 25 fps on ultra settings Bioshock infinite at full HD resolution, means it is almost matches the top of the industry. The 25 fps on ultra settings are just under playable standards. Meaning that in most high-end games, such Battlefield 4 and Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag, you will probably want to stick to the medium to high end setting in 1920x1080 resolution. 

Something easily noticeable was the low stamina of the GE60. Not a feature where desirable in a good gaming laptop for 1000 dollars. In our battery test, based on constant internet browsing at a brightness of 50%, the notebook lasted just over 3,5 hours. Far below the category average, which sits at a rough 5,5 hours. 

What games will you be able to play?

The below stated games are all playable on ‘ultra’ settings with a frame rate of at least 30 per second.

The Elder Scrolls Online, Titanfall, Need for Speed: Rivals, Batman: Arkham Origins, F1 2013, Fifa 14, Dota 2, Starcraft II: Heart of the Swarm, Tomb Raider, Dead Space 3, Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, Need for Speed II: Most wanted, Dishonored and many many more.

To Conclude:

The MSI GE60 offers impressive gaming performance in this price range. Coming from the gaming engineers at MSI, this was to be expected. Sadly, the performance also comes with a few drawbacks, amongst which the less than desirable battery life and somewhat cheap looking material usage compared to the premium competitors. That being said, this machine delivers what it promises: A great amount of gaming performance. Therefor without a doubt worthy of your consideration when selecting your gaming laptop for 1000 dollars. 

The Key Facts:

• Processor / CPU: 2.4 GHz Intel Core i7-4700MQ - with boost to 3.2
• Graphics Card / GPU: NVIDIA Geforce GTX765M
• RAM: 8 GB DDR3
• Hard Drive / HD: 750 GB SATA
• Screen Size: 15.6 inches
• Screen Resolution: 1920 x 1080 pixels
• Operating System: Windows 8
• Weight: 5.3 pounds
• Number of USB 2.0 Ports: 2
• Number of USD 3.0 Ports: 2
• Battery: Lithium ion 
• Dimensions: 15.09 x 9.83 x 1.27 inches