MSI GT70 Dominator-895 9S7-1763A2-895 17.3-Inch Laptop with nvidia 870m

I bought this system 3 months ago. I held off on reviewing it until I had used it for a while.I had specific wants when I was looking for a new laptop. It had to be a TRUE Gaming Laptop and not a Craigslist "gaming laptop". I wanted:* An i5 processor or above - check (i7 @ 2.7GHz)* 4GB RAM or above - check (8GB RAM installed)* A full size backlit keyboard with numeric keypad - check (SteelSeries with customizable colors across the spectrum. 4 color profiles you can save and change on the fly!)* A large HDD - check (1 TB 7200RPM HDD partitioned to C: and D:)* Dedicated graphics card - check (nVidia GTX870M with 3GB RAM / there is also an onboard Intel HD 4600)* Large screen - check (17" LCD @ 1920x1080 resolution)* Minimum 3 USB ports with at least 1 USB 3.0 - check (5 USB ports and 3 of them are 3.0)* Windows 7 64-bit - NO (Came with Windows 8.1. More on that later though)* Good battery life - check (EDIT 10/21/2015 - I constantly run 2 instances of Everquest and I do it on battery often to keep the battery fresh. It runs at least 3 hours running both instances and using the WiFi before I get the 10% charge notice. Not bad at all.)My last laptop - a Toshiba Satellite A665-S6094 - was purchased 4 years ago and while it still works great it was time to upgrade if I wanted to play games on one. So when I had the opportunity I looked around for the best deal. I REALLY wanted an Alienware but after comparing the brands and the specs I found that I could have the same PC for a lot less. I am not interested in paying an extra thousand dollars for a name plate.GOOD STUFF:My biggest surprise was Windows 8.1. I hated Windows 8 when it came out so I really wanted Windows 7 on my system. Nothing sold currently had 7 on it so I had to go with 8.1. This is the main reason I waited three months before reviewing the laptop. I wanted to see how bad Windows 8 would ruin my experience. I can honestly say I am happy with the OS. The improvements they made to 8.1 make it completely usable and since I can boot to a "desktop" like Windows 7 and still have the tile screen available I don't have anything bad to say about it. It hasn't locked up once and everything I installed has run just as I'd expect.*** EDIT 9/13/15 - I have completed the upgrade to Windows 10 and this laptop still outperforms anything I have ever used. Upgrade was easy and has changed nothing operationally. All installed games and programs still work 100%.I have been extremely happy with this system for gaming as well. I have run everything on high or ultra settings with no problems. The system gets very warm at times but never overheats. I have run with no hiccups: - Starcraft II - World of Warcraft - Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare - Civilization - Wolfenstein: New Order - XCom Enemy Unknown - Elder Scrolls Skyrim - Tomb RaiderYou can also specify which programs use which graphics card. I assume this is to max your battery life. For example you do not need Microsoft Excel to use the GTX870 gaming card. You can set which programs use which graphics card in the nVidia Control Panel. This is a very nice feature. I have my choice of the GTX870 or the onboard Intel HD 4600.It comes with a DVD writer which I rarely use. It works fine though. I've installed with it and tested a few movies in it. I didn't want to spring for a Blu-Ray player since I don't buy DVDs or Blu-Ray discs anymore but I believe that is an option or available upgrade. (On my last laptop I bought an enclosure that slid into the DVD drive slot and added a 2nd HDD. I may do that again. Here's the item name on Amazon - SANOXY® SATA 2nd HDD caddy for 12.7mm Universal CD/DVD-ROM)The WiFi has been great. I get the same speed tests from the WiFi as I do from a wired ethernet cable. I have used the Dominator to stream to my Apple TV and I haven't experienced any lag or slowdown. I've used it in multiple locations and it connects every time.The USB placement on my old laptop has been a huge source of friction for me for the last 4 years. The Toshiba only had two ports - on the RIGHT side and right at the spot where you would naturally use a mouse. I am overjoyed that three of the USB ports are on the LEFT side of the Dominator (and all 3.0). I can plug in my USB controller, USB external drive and wireless mouse dongle and not constantly hit them with my hand while using the mouse. There are two more on the right on this unit too(both 2.0) but I have yet to use them beyond testing they worked.The touch pad is very responsive. It recognizes multi-touch gestures and if you swipe right to left from the edge it brings up Windows side menu. There's a convenient button right above it that turns it on or off as well. I use that button more than the touch pad itself though because I use a wireless mouse. My only nitpick about the touch pad is that the system should remember I turned it off and leave it off when I reboot.*** EDIT 6/4/15 - Found the setting in the Synaptic options that shuts the pad off when an external mouse is connected. One less nitpick.The quick access panel has a few nice options. The Movie button loads PowerDVD for playback. There's a button you can use to override the fan and make it run at 100% speed and maximizes airflow. I've never had to use it but it is nice to know it is there. The button that looks like a brightness control cycles through the 4 preset keyboard illuminations you define in the SteelSeries engine program. There's an Airplane Mode button which turns off all the wireless functions. The next square button changes displays. The last one - the G - opens the Dragon Gaming Center which gives you a snapshot of what your Dominator is doing at the moment and allows you to change some settings on the fly.NOT SO GOOD STUFF:The built in speakers are good. They sound OK up to maybe 75% volume but after that they distort a bit - especially under heavy bass load. I first noticed it when I loaded World of Warcraft. The theme music is bass-heavy. And, unfortunately, once you have heard it you cannot un-hear it. There is a program loaded called Sound Blaster Cinema that can change the way the audio is played but I haven't found a good setting that makes this go away. Thankfully I don't blast the speakers much unless we're watching a video or movie on the laptop.The laptop is heavy. Granted it is a gaming rig so I expected it to be heavy but for a 17" laptop it seems a little heavier than it needs to be. Considering all the features and cooling installed though it's easily gotten used to.There's no touch screen. I didn't want one personally but keep it in mind if you're looking at laptops. Windows 8 was made for swiping and hand gestures so a touchscreen would have been good for most people. (I'm glad it doesn't have it. Fingerprints on my screen would drive me nuts.)BAD STUFF:I can't honestly say I have run into a BAD thing so far.OVERALL:4 1/2 stars. I knocked a half star off for the speakers. I'd call my experience with it 95% great and 5% tolerable. I love my laptop and with the lower thousand dollar price tag I am ecstatic with the performance I get! Alienware is overrated! In my opinion of course... :)*** EDIT 10/21/2015 - It's been 9 months now since I bought this laptop and it still runs perfectly. I use it daily and most times for hours at a time. I have had no issues. The lid is still tight and stays at any angle I put it in. Keyboard backlighting is still bright and keys works perfectly. Not once have I overheated or had a shut down. LCD is great and sharp. The multicard slot works fine. I've had a few occasions to use it for file transfers.*** EDIT 2/21/2017 - I just wanted to check in one last time and state, again, that this laptop has been fabulous. I have owned it for two years now (original purchase date 2/10/2015) and have had ZERO problems with it. I use it daily and have not had to do anything to it other than boot it up and Windows updates. It has never overheated, it plays everything I throw at it, the HDD still runs like new, the keyboard is as responsive and as bright as ever, the display is still crisp and the wifi has not diminished in any way. If this laptop died tomorrow I would immediately buy this exact same model again but I don't have to worry about that happening at all. Massive A+ rating from me. :)

Was really excited to get this laptop. I got the 2 day shipping and it came the next day I was really impressed. All my excitement left when I couldn't get the thing to turn on more than 2 or 3 seconds. It just keeps shutting off. The one time I do get it running longer than that it cuts off in the middle of a download. I call tech support for MSI and they weren't able to help it just keeps shutting off still. I asked Tiger Direct for a replacement the same day I got it. If it means anything, the one time i did get it running it seemed like a really nice laptop. It feels sturdy and looks great, hopefully this is just a defective one. Will update when I receive feedback.

The clock speed is advertised wrong. While it advertises the 4800MQ at 2.7 GHz processor, it actually has a 4810MQ that clocks at 2.8 GHz and hits 3.8 GHz with no problem. I’ll quickly go over the Pros and Cons for those of you who want a TLDR.Pros:2.8-3.8 GHz x4 is absolutely crazy for a laptop4 Slots for RAMAn extra bay for upgrades3 USB 3.0sThe keyboard looks awesomeThere’s a button on the keyboard to turn the fans on to 100%Screen is very niceCons:8GB of RAM is not enough. I idle at about 57% usage.This thing is a monster. It barely fits in my backpackThe HDD is extremely slowBloatwareThe keyboard driverWi-Fi range is subparTrackpad movement is slow, adjusting the setting makes the mouse to fast The biggest reason I purchased this laptop was because of the processor. I believe this is one of the best laptops for the price with a processor like that. The processor packs a lot of power, but the default hardware in the machine acts as a huge bottle cap, the worst of which is the HDD. This thing is pitifully slow. I feel physical pain using it… While that may or may not be an exaggeration, it is truly absolutely awful. What this device needs is a SSD, and you have an empty bay to install it. Another problem is the 8GB of RAM. After I turn the computer on, it idles at 57%. Thankfully, there are two open slots for RAM up to 1.6 GHz in speed. 16GB of RAM is another investment that needs to be made. Finally, for whatever reason, the Steel Series Engine for the backlit keyboard utilizes 20% of the CPU. The computer generates excessive heat when this engine is running and kicks the fans up an audible notch. When you’re working off of battery life, its best practice to completely exit out of this program. The LEDS will stay on until you restart the laptop, at that point you will need to open the engine again. Overall, I've been very pleased with what I've gotten for the price. There are some things I need to purchase to make it the computer I want, but this is a great starting point.