The only explanation I can guess at for why the MSI GX660 looks the way it does is that someone made a bet with an MSI engineer, challenging him to design the most horrendously ugly computer possible.
This engineer has succeeded admirably. Not since the original Dell Inspiron XPS has a computer this fugly been unleashed upon America.
It is a throwback to an era that has never actually existed except in the minds of ’70s sci-fi enthusiasts, with harsh angles, weird textures, and a combination of automotive inspirations and goofy octagonal designs attempting to live together.
It’s like someone saw a Battlestar Galactica highlight reel and just didn’t get it. Even the Windows desktop wallpaper is hideous.
And MSI, known for its dirt-cheap yet capable machines, wants to convince you to fork over $1,750 for this monstrosity.
Pushing past the design aesthetic, here’s what MSI is giving you for your investment: a high-res, 1920 x 1080-pixel, 15.6-inch LCD; a 1.73-GHz Core i7 Q740 CPU; two 320-GB hard drives in a RAID 0 configuration; 6 GB of RAM; and an ATI Radeon HD 5870 graphics card. Hey, looks pretty good.
Designed as a gaming laptop (complete with arrows on the WASD keys), the GX660 is powerful, but hardly a record-setter. Benchmarks were on target for a high-end machine, but we’ve gotten better numbers on both general apps and games out of a ThinkPad.
Props to MSI for at least putting a real battery in the system. With 1 hour, 51 minutes of battery life, the MSI is genuinely portable in ways that few gaming rigs are. Its mere 7.6-pound weight is positively gossamer for this category, too.
We also liked the MSI’s touch-sensitive control panel along the top of the base. These seem to be all the rage, but most barely work. The MSI’s icons are actually easy to comprehend, and they perform as expected.
We were less thrilled with the much-touted Dynaudio speaker setup, which puts very visible, oversized speakers on both corners of the base. They’re nothing to write home about. In fact, it would have been nice if they’d been even louder, so as to drown out the jet-engine–class fan that’s installed to cool the dang thing.
WIRED Quite affordable for a gaming notebook — it’s just too bad the performance isn’t top-notch, too. Dual USB 3.0 ports. Light and long-lived, considering the category.
TIRED So ugly you’ll keep it in a paper bag. Weak keyboard, with boneheaded numeric keypad layout." Wired.com
I think the review of its looks are a little harsh, maybe the picture makes it look much better than it is, and in real life it could obviously look quite tacky rather than classy. The specs are tip top though, which is always a good thing.
Comments? :)
It's not that bad looking
ReplyDeleteDue to the display resolution, I would not recommend this for gaming. But as a desktop-like notebook, this thing is badass.
ReplyDeletelooks great==> supportin!
ReplyDeleteidk i am a huge pc gamer and have spend way to much dough on my desktop but... gaming laptop never appealed to me and honestly dont really make sense
ReplyDeletei understand the people who want to game anywhere but when i game i like to put on my headphones and set up my mic and talk to my bros, something i wont be doing in a public place
and the price for a gaming laptop is insane i could build and much rather build a desktop
and you can always upgrade desktops unlike laptops
idk if its your cup of tea go for it
for me they all look like shit
i agree with rake, who really wants to go out and game out in public.
ReplyDeletei wouldn't want to be caught playing WoW at the mall
I rather like it, actually...I'm so fucking sick of blue LED's.
ReplyDeleteThe hardware is obviously there, but the design is just pathetic and awkward...what a waste.
ReplyDeletelaptops arent meant for gaming haha
ReplyDeleteI would be too embarrassed to bring it outside of my home.
ReplyDeleteOrange is so tacky
ReplyDeleteThats a sexy laptop right there
ReplyDeleteWow fast looks like a devil laptop.
ReplyDeletedunno about that orange
ReplyDeleteSo horrid. D:
ReplyDeleteugh.. is that orange trim?
ReplyDeletewhy do all PCs look the same?!
ReplyDeleteLots of lights = awesome. Didn't you know? ;P
ReplyDeleteusing a notebook for gaming is a bad idea
ReplyDeletelooks nice... but i guess not.
ReplyDeleteorange...
ReplyDeletegaming laptops don't exist!
ReplyDeleteit's not THAT bad, tbh. also, gaming laptops don't exist, as HoNBlogger already stated. desktops ftw!
ReplyDeleteVery cool! You should check out my blog about easy ways to earn money on the internet.
ReplyDeleteSounds like It would fit in with my motley pile of computers
ReplyDeleteill skip on this laptop
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't look THAT bad, but ya, I'd rather build a kickass gaming rig for my house and have a cheaper laptop for portability.
ReplyDeleteNever been a big fan of MSI gear....dunno why, just haven't.
ReplyDeleteOrange is nice, hehe.
ReplyDeleteyou've got some good insight in this post :)
ReplyDeletenice post
ReplyDeleteBetter go for desktops imo. Though I could imagine people preferring mobility.
ReplyDeleteThis is great thanks, and keep up the good work.
ReplyDeleteCheers
it looks good
ReplyDeletesupporting you
take care.
this is ugly... i dont like alienwares this or thinkpads... ick id rather spend my money on a macbook then this heap of ugliness and i ahte macs... gaming desktop>gaming laptop in every catergory except portability... but rly who needs to play crysis on the go?
ReplyDeleteolder msi laptops looked very neutral
ReplyDeleteI quite like the look of it.
ReplyDeleteI've never been a fan of the lights around a laptop, mine has them, and it makes it look a bit tackey
ReplyDeleteMaybe if the orange was a different colour.
ReplyDeleteI personally think it looks good, but its certainly not worth that much.
ReplyDeleteIt looks OK but i wouldn't pay that much for it.
ReplyDeleteGaming on a laptop, no thanks.
ReplyDeleteGreat read though!!
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThat is one sweet peace of portable gaming.
ReplyDeletejesus thats an expensive laptop.
ReplyDeletenice review though/
looks good would get a vaio though
ReplyDeleteLove this!
ReplyDeleteGaming laptops are good for people who are stuck somewhere all day, like a job that is 80% downtime and you work alone. I'm sure there are plenty of scenarios. That said, I play WoW on a $599 Best Buy special and it's worked just fine for 9 months with graphics turned way up. Not sure about newer games though.
ReplyDeleteI now have to go and seek this thing out just to appreciate how ugly it is.
ReplyDeleteDoes the fact that it's ugly and therefore makes me want to get it make me a strange person?
Well designed for aesthetics, though.
ReplyDeleteAm I the only one who thinks gaming laptops are a silly idea? I mean, it's great to be able to be able to lug around such a powerful machine but in terms of cost it's much more affordable to just build a gaming desktop than buy a gaming laptop. Plus, a desktop you can upgrade more easily!
ReplyDeleteAmazing!
ReplyDeleteI lol'd so hard at this:
ReplyDelete"Not since the original Dell Inspiron XPS has a computer this fugly been unleashed upon America."
But I would rather go for power than looks.
okay I just bought this laptop from amazon for 1400 dollars and let me tell you guys what this laptop is kick ass! You guys are saying it looks ugly but thats cuz u guys havent seen it in person. Its amazing, I bought this b/c unlike most ppl that wrote in this form I work from 7am to 7pm 6 days a week, and before you even start to say iam some guy that works at a comp store I dont. I work for a sporting goods company and yea sometimes we are slow so a good portable gaming laptop like this is wonderful! Thumbs up msi. But even after work I cant go home to get on a desktop comp cuz I play on a adult baseball team. So thats another reason this laptop is good for me. As for saying the fan is on and extremly loud, that jus shows ur more of an idoit than you look. YOU CAN TURN IT ON AND OFF WHNEVER YOU WANT! So dont let that get in the way of you wanting to buy this laptop, believe me this beats most asus laptops that are this size by tenfold!! If your looking for a gaming laptop I highly suggest this one. Ps the led lights are pretty sick, not ugly its unique and believe me everyone that has seen my laptop has had no negative sayings on it cuz they like it so much some of my friends have even offered to pay me to buy mine than and there.
ReplyDelete