This June, NVIDIA introduced its new GPUs for portable gaming laptops, the GeForce GTX 580M and GTX 570M. MSI is one of the first notebook manufacturers to implement the second of these powerful GPUs in its recently launched G-series laptops - the 17.3-inch MSI GT780DXR and the 15.6-inch MSI GT683DXR.
The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570M GPU boasts 336 CUDA cores at 1150MHz frequency and GDDR5 memory on a 192-bit bus running at 1500MHz, which results in a memory bandwidth of 72GB/sec and Texture Fill Rate of 32.2 billion/sec. That places it second in order of fastest graphics cards from NVIDIA, right after the GTX 580M, which features a memory bandwidth of 96GB/sec and and Texture Fill Rate of 39.7 billion/sec. While the GTX 570M supports NVIDIA's Optimus GPU switching system, both new gaming laptops from MSI do not support the technology.
Housed in an aluminum enclosure, the MSI GT780DXR offers a 17.3-inch Full HD non-reflection display, and is powered via an Intel Core i7-2630QM CPU and either 16GB (4x4GB), or 12GB (3x4GB) of DDR3 memory.
The GT780DXR is also equipped with a 1.5TB HDD in Raid 0 (750GBx2), optional Blu-ray burner, two USB 3.0 ports, 720p HD webcam and a colorful, programmable backlit gaming keyboard from SteelSeries. Featuring a 9-cell battery, the laptop weighs in at 8.6 pounds (3.9 kg) and measures 16.85 x 11.34 x 2.17 inches (42.8 x 28.8 x 5.5 cm).
The second arrival in MSI's G-Series family is the MSI GT683DXR, offering a 15.6-inch Full HD glossy display. Apart from a smaller, glossy screen, the main difference compared to the GT780DXR is a smaller capacity HDD at 1TB (500GBx2) and a non-backlit chiclet keyboard. It's also slightly less bulky, weighing 7.7 pounds (3.49 kg) and measuring 14.97 x 10.24 x 1.77 in (38 x 26 x 4.5 cm).
MSI's duo both feature the Turbo Drive Engine (TDE) function which provides a 3-5 percent boost in graphics performance, and MSI Cooler Boost Technology which controls the cooling of the laptop. Dynaudio speakers with THX Surround Sound and built-in sub-woofer are also on board.
According to the product pages, the GT780DXR is priced at US$1,999 for the top-spec version, or US$1,799.99 for the model with no Blu-ray burner and 12GB of DDR3 (instead of 16GB). The MSI GT683DXR is priced at US$1,849.99 and US$1,699.99 respectively.
