MSI Intros New Gaming Laptop And Dock For Discrete GPU

[exfileme]

MSI is launching a new super-thin gaming laptop and a GameDock for adding discrete graphics.

MSI Intros New Gaming Laptop And Dock For Discrete GPU : Read more

 

[soldier44]

Ty for finally moving away from 1080p displays in gaming laptops.

 

[TheMentalist]

Ty for finally moving away from 1080p displays in gaming laptops.

Why? 1080p is more than enough, especially on screens smaller than 21". This thing is freaking 13 inches. Even 720p would be enough.

Going with lower resolutions reduces battery consumption and improves performance in games.

 

[TechyInAZ]

nice, I've always loved dockable laptops, only bummer about that is their isn't enough of them.

 

[pierrerock]

This box is a little bit too big for my taste.

 

[SirKnobsworth]

Discrete graphics over USB? Forgive me for being a little skeptical...

 

[DarkSable]

This box is a little bit too big for my taste.

I agree. So we buy one and GUT IT. :3

Sir Knobsworth has a fair point that even on USB 3.0 though, that's going to be a bottleneck for discrete graphics that can power 1440p.



As for the whole resolution issue...
I'm on soldier 44's side simply because so so so many small laptops still have ridiculously tiny screen resolutions. 1080p? Fine. 1440p? Ideal. 4K seems kind of silly as of yet.

@ The Mentalist:
No. Just no. When was the last time you used a 720p laptop? I have a netbook with that resolution, and it's freaking miserable. It breaks things.

If a 5" phone brags about a 1080p screen, then a 14" laptop can have one, when that's the industry standard and resolutions too far below it break all sorts of various programs' UI.

Yes, ridiculous resolutions like what are on the Razor Blade are nothing but battery drainers, but 1440p would be wonderful to have as a new 'standard option' on laptops.

 

[DarkSable]

Discrete graphics over USB? Forgive me for being a little skeptical...

Also, while I agree with you, I just re-read the article, and it doesn't say anywhere that it actually is connecting through USB, just that it has them on the hub.

It could well be using thunderbolt or displayport... or even one of the funky slot/card options.

 

[Merry_Blind]

Ty for finally moving away from 1080p displays in gaming laptops.

Why? 1080p is more than enough, especially on screens smaller than 21". This thing is freaking 13 inches. Even 720p would be enough.

Going with lower resolutions reduces battery consumption and improves performance in games.

Yes! I completely agree.

 

[ferooxidan]

a very nice way to rob your consumer money. make a 13.3" laptop with no discrete gpu then add a external gpu dock w/o the gpu in it and sold separately. the point of gaming laptop is the prowess to game (almost) anywhere, but with no discrete gpu it's just your average laptop and if you argue that gaming dock expand consumer choice of having a discrete desktop gpu, at that size the dock is not portable at all, plus it will also require to be plugged. might as well make a sff gaming rig with protable fhd monitor or a real gaming laptop. at 13.3" alienware already did it, clevo already done it too rebranded by eurocom, xenom, etc etc. this laptop is not a choice at all, even macbook air is better (in terms of similar spec).

 

[Merry_Blind]

This box is a little bit too big for my taste.

I agree. So we buy one and GUT IT. :3

Sir Knobsworth has a fair point that even on USB 3.0 though, that's going to be a bottleneck for discrete graphics that can power 1440p.



As for the whole resolution issue...
I'm on soldier 44's side simply because so so so many small laptops still have ridiculously tiny screen resolutions. 1080p? Fine. 1440p? Ideal. 4K seems kind of silly as of yet.

@ The Mentalist:
No. Just no. When was the last time you used a 720p laptop? I have a netbook with that resolution, and it's freaking miserable. It breaks things.

If a 5" phone brags about a 1080p screen, then a 14" laptop can have one, when that's the industry standard and resolutions too far below it break all sorts of various programs' UI.

Yes, ridiculous resolutions like what are on the Razor Blade are nothing but battery drainers, but 1440p would be wonderful to have as a new 'standard option' on laptops.

1080p is plentiful for laptops. I'd say for 13.3 inch and less laptops, 1366x768 is ideal, 17 inch laptops should be 1080p, and in between, so 14 inch, 15 inch, etc. 900p would be perfect.

 

[DarkSable]

1080p is plentiful for laptops. I'd say for 13.3 inch and less laptops, 1366x768 is ideal, 17 inch laptops should be 1080p, and in between, so 14 inch, 15 inch, etc. 900p would be perfect.

Oh, I agree that 1080p is enough for laptops. That doesn't mean that 1440p isn't a wonderful thing on gaming laptops that can handle it, though... if only because then it would mean you wouldn't have to resize things to get used to switching between your laptop and gaming computer. (I know, first world problems, right? I wish I had that one.)

I do still completely disagree that 1366x768 is a decent option, regardless of screen size. Period. It's not a matter of pixel density, it's a matter of the fact that in a whole bunch of programs, a resolution that low breaks programs, and they get UI elements overlapping or simply taking up 3/4 of the usable space. It's time we stop listening to cable companies and abandon "HD" screens as the old, obsolete things that they were and accept that 1080p is the standard among media consumers and 900p tends to be standard among office, business, and school computers.

 

[thequn]

Discrete graphics over USB? Forgive me for being a little skeptical...

Also, while I agree with you, I just re-read the article, and it doesn't say anywhere that it actually is connecting through USB, just that it has them on the hub.

It could well be using thunderbolt or displayport... or even one of the funky slot/card options.

is a 16x pcie slot on the bottom o the lap top that desk looking think is the gpu station is docked to fallow the link to msi website and it explainses it a bit.

 

[CaptainTom]

a very nice way to rob your consumer money. make a 13.3" laptop with no discrete gpu then add a external gpu dock w/o the gpu in it and sold separately. the point of gaming laptop is the prowess to game (almost) anywhere, but with no discrete gpu it's just your average laptop and if you argue that gaming dock expand consumer choice of having a discrete desktop gpu, at that size the dock is not portable at all, plus it will also require to be plugged. might as well make a sff gaming rig with protable fhd monitor or a real gaming laptop. at 13.3" alienware already did it, clevo already done it too rebranded by eurocom, xenom, etc etc. this laptop is not a choice at all, even macbook air is better (in terms of similar spec).

Except that this is for the people that want to have portability when they are on the go, and a strong desktop when they are home. This way they don't need both since mobile ram and i7's are more than strong enough to power high end discrete graphics cards...

 

[CaptainTom]

a very nice way to rob your consumer money. make a 13.3" laptop with no discrete gpu then add a external gpu dock w/o the gpu in it and sold separately. the point of gaming laptop is the prowess to game (almost) anywhere, but with no discrete gpu it's just your average laptop and if you argue that gaming dock expand consumer choice of having a discrete desktop gpu, at that size the dock is not portable at all, plus it will also require to be plugged. might as well make a sff gaming rig with protable fhd monitor or a real gaming laptop. at 13.3" alienware already did it, clevo already done it too rebranded by eurocom, xenom, etc etc. this laptop is not a choice at all, even macbook air is better (in terms of similar spec).

Except that this is for the people that want to have portability when they are on the go, and a strong desktop when they are home. This way they don't need both since mobile ram and i7's are more than strong enough to power high end discrete graphics cards...

 

[sewalk]

Discrete graphics over USB? Forgive me for being a little skeptical...

Also, while I agree with you, I just re-read the article, and it doesn't say anywhere that it actually is connecting through USB, just that it has them on the hub.

It could well be using thunderbolt or displayport... or even one of the funky slot/card options.

"Presumably, the main connection between the dock and laptop will be through USB 3.0."

You might try reading a little more carefully. I also agree that the 5 Gbit max theoretical rate of USB 3.0 just doesn't seem likely to be adequate. My guess is that for any kind of discrete gaming graphics to be workable, 20Gbit (PCIe 1.0 x8) is pretty much the minimum bandwidth required.

 

[warmon6]

a very nice way to rob your consumer money. make a 13.3" laptop with no discrete gpu then add a external gpu dock w/o the gpu in it and sold separately. the point of gaming laptop is the prowess to game (almost) anywhere

I wouldn't really say that you can use gaming laptops to game "almost everywhere"......

Between short battery life of these types of laptops while gaming (*most* gaming laptops dont last beyond 2 hours while playing games on battery) and the heat that builds up pretty quick in the majority of them..... most people i know stay near the power outlet and typically have them on a laptop-stand or desk to keep the heat off them.

but with no discrete gpu it's just your average laptop and if you argue that gaming dock expand consumer choice of having a discrete desktop gpu, at that size the dock is not portable at all, plus it will also require to be plugged. might as well make a sff gaming rig with protable fhd monitor or a real gaming laptop. at 13.3" alienware already did it, clevo already done it too rebranded by eurocom, xenom, etc etc. this laptop is not a choice at all, even macbook air is better (in terms of similar spec).

Which as my point above, a gaming laptop will need to be plugged in anyways for any long duration gaming (even alienware and Razer new 13/14in laptops that you mention struggle to do 2 hours of gaming on battery). so that's not much of an issue there of being "portable".

As for a SFF system, that would technically be less portable than this system as you would need to carry 7 or more items minimal to a new location:

* system,
* monitor
* keyboard
* mouse (although any serious gamer would still use a mouse on any computer),
* video cord
* power cords
* some sound system (headphones or speakers)

While this you would have to carry 4 to 5 things minimal:

*system (keyboard, speaker, and monitor is built into the laptop)
*dock
*mouse
*power cord(s) (could possibly charge from dock if they design it to do such).

Maybe im not seeing what your seeing but that's how im viewing it.

Also, I dont care for gaming laptops in general. I'd Rather have a gaming/High performance desktop for those tasks and a high battery life laptop that I can use for light/moderate productivity, web surfing, and/or email....

Although instead of thinking inside the box, Thinking outside of it, I can see the benefit of having a single system that could do all that.....

Small tight living space such as a college dorm or apartment where space is a premium and/or having multiple devices isn't idle for the user needs.

Say for college, have a long lasting laptop for your classes (which I could see 4 to 6 or more hours of battery life from this system) and a relatively high performing gaming computer at the end of the day.

And I can think of more scenarios that this system would do well in.

It's all about application and user needs for a product.

 

[warmon6]

Discrete graphics over USB? Forgive me for being a little skeptical...

Also, while I agree with you, I just re-read the article, and it doesn't say anywhere that it actually is connecting through USB, just that it has them on the hub.

It could well be using thunderbolt or displayport... or even one of the funky slot/card options.

"Presumably, the main connection between the dock and laptop will be through USB 3.0."

You might try reading a little more carefully. I also agree that the 5 Gbit max theoretical rate of USB 3.0 just doesn't seem likely to be adequate. My guess is that for any kind of discrete gaming graphics to be workable, 20Gbit (PCIe 1.0 x8) is pretty much the minimum bandwidth required.

Although that's a "guess" from the author...... Which the msi page tom's links to doesn't reference to anything about how the dock will connect.

Well it sort of does but doesn't...

There is a specific GamingDock designed for GS30 Shadow and the overall graphics performance will be shifted to a higher level while GS30 Shadow is docking on it.

Users can choose any desktop graphics card, which is stronger and more powerful, then easily insert into it to unleash the most stunning visual effect and deliver the most exciting gaming experience to gamers by full bandwidth of PCI-e x16.

Only way to fill both requirements of being specifically design for so that it isn't being used on anything else and being able to use the PCI-e bandwidth...... It has to be some proprietary connector that there not talking about.

Thunderbolt and USB cant fill those requirements as those could be used on any system and usb doesn't have enough bandwidth to support (nor the protocol) such high demands....


So that's the only thing I can conclude from that.

 

[lp231]

Lenovo does a much better job with their discrete GPU for their laptops. It's a Ultrabay GPU, so it doen't defeat the purpose of being mobile as that's what laptops are made for to be portable.

 

[Menigmand]

I'm not sure I understand the point of this product. I would like a gaming laptop because it takes up less space in the living room, and can be packed up easily and put away when I have guests and need the dinnertable.

But if I buy this combo of laptop and docking station, there will still be a huge box sitting on my dinnertable. So if I need a big box anyway, why not just buy a stationary computer?

 

[byza]

If you can have a monitor, KB and mouse plugged into the dock so all you need to do is connect the laptop it seems pretty good to me. As warmon6 also said, I prefer a high end desktop and long battery life laptop, but for people who can't afford both, this might cover both their needs. The dock is clearly designed to keep any GPU cool, not really for portability, so it the laptop probably targets work on the go and gaming at home.

 

[Blazer1985]

"Lenovo does a much better job with their discrete GPU for their laptops. It's a Ultrabay GPU, so it doen't defeat the purpose of being mobile as that's what laptops are made for to be portable."
Except for the fact that ultrabay compatible Lenovos are not that thin and that with an ultrabay you just add another 750m reaching almost a 770m, far behind a serious desktop gpu.
Every solution has their tradeoffs

 

[Augray37]

Forgive me if someone has already mentioned this, but i am guessing that the large size of the dock is necessary in order to accomodate the potential (although probably uncommon) use of top tier/enormous cards, as well as the power source to drive them. They have to go somewhere. Adding what appear to be speakers to it only furthers the "size problem," and although I see that feature as rather silly given the dock's purpose, at the same time I can't help but kind of like the idea of this as a "personal entertainment geekpod" type device :1

 

[Jaroslav Jandek]

Finally! External docks with dedicated GPU is what I've been waiting for since ultrabooks were introduced...

 

[atoms83]

I have a surface pro 3 i5 model.. I wonder if this dock would work. it would make doing CAD work on the surface a lot better.