MSI GT683R

When we reviewed the MSI GT660R last year, we gave it high marks for its overall performance, edgy design, and killer sound system, but we lamented its loud fans, short battery life, and relatively low-resolution display. This year’s model, the $1,499 GT683R, also delivers stellar performance and uses the same slick chassis as its predecessor. More important, though, it improves upon some (but not all) of the GT660R's shortcomings, and it features cutting-edge components, including Nvidia’s new GeForce GTX 560M mobile graphics chip and one of Intel's top-value Sandy Bridge CPUs.

It’s not without its flaws; the fans are still loud (when the Cooler Boost option is enabled), and the GPU Turbo Boost feature doesn’t do much to enhance performance. But considering the loadout on this machine and the price that it comes in at, this is a very nice alternative to the investment-grade performance laptops that practically require a mortgage for most of us to buy.

Design

The GT683R uses the same attractive chassis as the GT660R. The glossy black lid sports beveled edges and a backlit MSI logo in its center. Thin strips illuminated by amber LEDs adorn the top and sides of the lid, as well as the edges of the wrist rest, and the two forward-facing grilles on the base also glow amber. The lighting effects look sharp without being too gaudy, and they can be disabled by pressing a button at the top of the keyboard.

The GT683R is fairly heavy for its screen size. At 7.7 pounds, it outweighs the $1,634 Eurocom Racer we tested (it was 6.8 pounds), as well as the $1,049 Digital Storm xm15 (at 5.7 pounds). Both of those are also 15-inch gaming notebooks.

I/O ports are plentiful. The left edge of the chassis is home to two USB 3.0 ports, a USB 2.0 port, and a seven-format card reader that supports a host of flash-card formats: SD, SDHC, SDXC, xD-PictureCard, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro, and MultiMediaCard. On the right edge are four audio connections (including headphone, microphone, and S/PDIF jacks), a secondary USB 2.0 port, and a multiformat DVD burner. The lack of a Blu-ray drive is disappointing—and somewhat puzzling, considering that last year’s model came with one. (At the time of this writing, MSI did not offer a Blu-ray option for this model, but the company says it plans to add one in the near future.)

Around back, you’ll find even more ports. VGA and HDMI video outputs live there, as well as an Ethernet port and an eSATA/USB combo port for connecting to external storage devices.

Features

One of our gripes with the GT660R had to do with its 1,366x768 display, and we’re happy to report that MSI took our complaint to heart. This time, the company outfitted the GT683R with a 15.6-inch panel that has a 1,920x1,080 resolution. The new, higher resolution is capable of full HD (1080p) playback. Granted, the screen is slightly smaller (the GT660R had a 16-inch panel), but that’s a trade-off that we’ll gladly accept. The screen delivered deep, rich colors while displaying our 1080p test clip, The Magic of Flight, and the DVD movie Gulliver’s Travels looked great even though it was not in high definition. Gameplay was spectacular, too; Assassin’s Creed II played flawlessly and was free of motion artifacts, as was one of our standard test games, Far Cry 2. The screen’s glossy coating is a bit reflective, but viewing angles are nice and wide.

The Chiclet-style keyboard is firm and roomy, and it has a dedicated number pad. The W, A,S, and D keys, which are used as directional motion keys for many games, are marked with red highlights on the keytops, making them easy to spot. Similarly, the up, down, right, and left arrow keys contain red arrows, as do the 4, 8, 6, and 2 keys on the number pad.

Also at the top of the deck are two round speaker grilles with red trim. The speakers work in tandem with a subwoofer built into the base and are driven by Dynaudio’s Premium Sound Technology, which uses optimal speaker placement and digital audio processing to deliver a rich listening experience with well-defined bass tones and crisp midtones and high tones. The audio also gets help from Creative’s THX TruStudio Pro software, which offers a very good simulated surround-sound effect. TruStudio also has several audio enhancements you can toggle, such as Dialog Plus (enhances vocals in movies), Smart Volume (automatically adjusts volume levels when needed for a more balanced sound), and Crystalizer (punches up movie and music audio).

A 2-megapixel Webcam embedded in the display’s upper bezel lets you capture video at 720p, as well as still photos. You turn the camera on and off using the key combination Fn+F6, but oddly, MSI does not supply a Webcam application with the GT683R.

One thing you won't be lacking, though, is storage space. MSI outfitted the machine with two fast (7,200rpm) 500GB hard drives in a RAID 0 configuration. Together, they provide lots of room for photos, movies, and of course, games. Net connectivity is also soup-to-nuts: In addition to wired Gigabit Ethernet, the GT683R is equipped with a Bluetooth radio and 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi.

Conclusion

MSI backs the GT683R with a better-than-industry-standard two-year warranty, which includes toll-free support by phone on weekdays between the hours of 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. (ET). Its Web site offers an online troubleshooting guide to help you diagnose and resolve BIOS and memory issues, configure RAID drives, interpret diagnostic codes, and more.

In addition to the 64-bit version of Windows 7 Home Premium and the THX TruStudio Pro software, the GT683R comes with Magix Photo Manager, an easy-to-use program for photo editing and organizing, as well as a handful of trial programs (among them, video-editing software from Magix Video, Norton Online Backup, and Norton Internet Security). MSI’s Easy Viewer photo-viewing app and a comprehensive online user guide are also preloaded. Clutterware isn't laid on heavily here, thankfully.

Solid performance, an edgy look, and a rocking audio system are what gamers crave, and the MSI GT683R delivers on all fronts. Three-plus hours of battery life is just icing on the cake. Granted, this notebook is heavier than most 15-inchers, and the Cooler Boost option may distract those around you, but those are issues that most hard-core gamers are willing to live with in exchange for  a bit more graphics muscle. If the lack of a Blu-ray drive is a deal breaker, MSI will add one as an option in the near future, but it has not nailed down pricing at the time of this review.

If you’re looking for the absolute fastest 15-inch gaming rig around, the Eurocom Racer we tested is still your best bet, but it’ll cost you a bit more ($1,634, in our test configuration), and it's not much to look at, style-wise. However, if you want it all—looks, power, and game-worthy sound—then the MSI GT683R is for you.