MSI GX630 Review

Are you in the market for a budget gaming laptop? A few years ago, an inexpensive notebook for gaming would’ve run you at least $1,500. Even a year ago an entry-level gaming notebook with decent graphics started between $1,000-$1,200. But MSI’s GX630 sells for just $799.99 and features solid gaming specs, including GeForce 9600M graphics with 512MB of graphics RAM, and 4GB of DDR2 system memory. With the media’s fascination with netbooks that often sell for $500 or more, MSI’s not only offering a fully capable notebook system, it’s also considerably more powerful than a netbook for just a little bit more money. And weighing in at 6lbs with battery, it’s pretty svelte too.

For the gamer on the go looking to save a little money, the GX630 looks like a winner. But is it too good to be true? Has MSI cut too many corners to get the price below $900? That’s what we’re here today to find out.

Specifications

MSI GX630 Specs
CPU	AMD Athlon X2 QL-62 2.0GHz Dual-Core Processor
Chipset	NVIDIA MCP77
System Memory	4GB DDR2-667 (2x2GB)
Graphics	NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT 512MB
Display	15.4" WXGA 1280x800 TFT LCD
Storage	250GB 5400 RPM Western Digital Scorpio HDD
Audio	Realtek ALC888
USB 2.0 Ports	2
IEEE-1394	1
Video Outputs	1xVGA, 1xHDMI
Audio Ports	1xMic-in, 1xLine-in, 1xHeadphone
eSATA/USB Port	1
Card Reader	4-in-1 Card Reader (SD/MMC/MS/MS Pro)
Card Slot	PCI Express Card X 1
Networking	10/100/1000 Mbps Gigabit Ethernet 56k modem Built-in 802.11b/g/n WLAN Card and Bluetooth
Battery	6-cell Li-ion standard, 9-cell optional
Webcam	2.0MPixel
Dimensions	14.1\\"(L) x 10.24 \\"(W) x 1.07\\"~1.22\\"(H)
Weight	5.95 lbs
Warranty	1-year

Notes

One of the keys to the GX630’s low price point is their choice of CPU: MSI uses AMD’s Athlon X2 QL-62 CPU. The QL-62 is a dual-core CPU with 512KB of L2 cache per core (1MB total), 1.8GHz HyperTransport (3.6GHz effective), and 25W TDP. While the QL-62 isn’t as powerful as AMD’s latest Turion X2 Ultra processors, it is based on the exact same Griffin core. The key difference is the Turion X2 Ultra CPUs sport higher clock speeds (2.1GHz and up) and also feature a larger 2MB L2 cache (1MB of L2 cache per core).

Because of these differences, the Turion X2 Ultras are more powerful, but they also consume more power, with TDPs ranging between 32-35W depending on the model number. The QL-62 is actually a pretty popular solution among system manufacturers. HP for instance uses it in a number of low-cost notebooks ranging in price from $450-$600.

Of course, as any gamer that’s well versed in hardware should know by now, it’s the GPU plays the most vital role in actual gaming performance rather than the CPU – pair the latest quad-core mobile processor with a GeForce 8400M and see how far that gets you in Crysis – so we don’t fault MSI for skimping a bit on the CPU in order to pair the QL-62 with GeForce 9600M graphics. And besides, with the GX630’s Turbo Mode, you can always OC the processor to run at 2.3GHz for those cases when you need a little more CPU performance.