MSI GT640X - Gaming Laptop Review

Page 2 - Packaging, overview

MSI GT640X comes in cardboard bearing the Manufacturer logo along with information about its contents, well packed and protected for transporting – something we are used to, especially with MSI. Upon opening the said box inside we find smaller, much more shiny one containing the laptop itself:

Besides the smaller box, the set includes an interesting backpack for the laptop, one that in fact is very similarly designed. It has plenty of space, it's comfortable and offers ample protection, but that's about all we care to say, instead of thousand words - take a look at few photos:

Time to look at the rest of the items completing the set. Naturally - a power adapter and battery. The inevitable books, leaflets and warranty card… A disk with additional software and a free, good (if a bit aging) game – Tomb Raider Underworld:

Very pleasant surprise for us was finding a MSI Star Mouse in the set. We've already reviewed it , so we won't say more:

Now for the laptop itself. Right away the massive amount of brushed aluminum in the construction becomes evident, that no doubt gives the machine very classy appearance. Using aluminum further strengthens the construction while protecting the laptop from being easily scratched, an occurrence very common for any of the glossy plastics that are widely used nowadays in most products. Unfortunately greasy fingerprints and common dirt do still stick on it, however - they stick out by far less:

Quick loot at the bottom reveals the battery compartment and the plastic bottom cover that is provided with multitude of openings for cooling:

Now to open the laptop. Right away is noticed the glossy screen. This is no doubt a standard feature in this class of machines, yet it does not change the fact that such type of display is much more difficult to use in daylight or even with bright lights indoor:

Taking a look from the side we see that the body of the display is quite thin. Despite being aluminum it easily bends in the middle and if gripped firmly while you open the the cover you will notice distortions in the picture. On the other hand as you can clearly see, the body is quite compact and the overall dimensions of the laptop are only 360х260х26mm (length х width х thickness):

Connectivity

In our hand we hold a 15,4” laptop, therefore expecting miracles would be unjustified, especially considering the compact chassis, still MSI managed to supply GT640X with more than adequate array. The back besides the battery bay provides access to HDMI and D-Sub 15connectors, power jack and connector for external wireless antenna:

The front has well hidden IR receiver and three LED indicators for system activities. As in most modern laptops - there is no lock to keep the laptop cover closed – this functionality is provided by the hinges:

The left side hosts Kensington lock, RJ11 modem, DVD R/W, USB and audio jacks:

And on the right home have found the PCI-Express slot, 4in1 card reader, Firewire, USB 2.0, eSATA/USB 2.0 combo port and RJ45 gigabit LAN.