iBuyPower Battalion M1771 (MSI GS70) Gaming Notebook Review
by Dustin Sklavos on December 30, 2013 2:45 PM ESTWhile synthetics are good for a reality check, the iBuyPower Battalion M1771's reason for being is gaming. The GeForce GTX 765M is capable of producing performance that's at least, in synthetics, not too far removed from last generation's second best, the GTX 675MX.
Since this is a higher end gaming system I'm omitting the Value benchmarks, but you can still find them in Bench for comparison's sake.
Performance is basically where it should be, but it's interesting to see where bottlenecks shift depending on the game. The GTX 765M's primary weakness is its 128-bit memory bus; even with 4GHz GDDR5, the GPU is still somewhat starved for memory bandwidth. So while the 765M can produce a stellar performance in synthetics against the GTX 675MX and GTX 580M, once that memory bandwidth limitation kicks in it starts to tumble.
Probably owing to differences in drivers, performance jumps around the map a bit. For some reason, performance in StarCraft II takes a bath, but everything else is about where it should be. 1080p with AA (or in the case of Tomb Raider, TressFX) is a bit too much for the limited memory bandwidth of the 765M, but if you're willing to kill the AA it should edge performance up into playable territory. That excludes Metro: Last Light, which beats up on the GTX 765M in general.
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Mil0 - Tuesday, December 31, 2013 - link
As far as I'm aware the GE40 with 1080p screen comes with a decent panel, should be the same as the p34g (which was great according to the preview here). At least, this is what I based my purchase decision on. (the p34g isn't available in the Netherlands yet, also they seem to have a bending issue, not sure if thats fixed yet).Connoisseur - Wednesday, January 1, 2014 - link
The ge40 is about 30% thicker than the blade. If they can make a laptop that's thinner than the blade pro I'd think they could make one closer to the thickness of a blade but with a better screen.Mayuyu - Tuesday, December 31, 2013 - link
Why does this and the Razer Blade cost so much. I look at the Y410p and it offers a i7-4700MQ, 1600*900 display, 8GB RAM, 2GB Nvidia 755m, and a 1TB Hard Drive for $769Where is all that extra money going to?
Meaker10 - Tuesday, December 31, 2013 - link
Screen, chasis, graphics, ssd, heatsink.Mil0 - Tuesday, December 31, 2013 - link
The 765 is a substantially faster chip, thus both more expensive and requiring better cooling. Also Msi seems to charge more for the 17", the ge40 is basically the same but quite a bit cheaper.Sancus - Tuesday, December 31, 2013 - link
I think calling this a competitor to the Razer Blade is a surprisingly inaccurate, questionable statement coming from Anandtech -- How many people looking for a thin, light 14" gaming laptop are going to even CONSIDER 17", 6lb machines, let alone actually purchase one?This machine would be FAR better if it was 14" with a 1600x900 screen(which is also nicely within the performance envelope of the 765M -- 1080p is not). The razer blade is good machine because it is weight and (almost) battery life competitive with a 15" Macbook Pro, with superior gaming performance.
The GS70 is inferior in terms of weight, portability, and battery life. It's not even in the same class as the Razer Blade, let alone competitive, in any key metric for a "thin, light" machine except price...
TheinsanegamerN - Tuesday, December 31, 2013 - link
you know, there is a 14 inch 1600x900 laptop from msi. the GE40. its got the 760m, but they are the same chip, the 760m is just clocked slower.Mil0 - Tuesday, December 31, 2013 - link
If you're considering the ge40, do yourself a favour and get the 1080p screen. Though 900p fits the 760m better, the difference in screen is supposed to be dramatic.Mil0 - Tuesday, December 31, 2013 - link
He's calling it a competitor to the blade *PRO*, which is also 17". Both are thin and for the screensize light. Whether that's thin, light & portable enough is subjective, of course. I've considered it, but it was just outside of my budget.jigglywiggly - Tuesday, December 31, 2013 - link
you have to send it back? don't reviewers normally keep the hardware they are sent?