Catzilla 1.3 1080p: 7494
3DMark Firestrike: 5503
PCMark 8 Creativity Suit: 5184
Battery test (PCMark8): 97min35sec
if you’re reading this you’re already
familiar with the GTX 680 and how
it performs. By the time you reach
any resolution or setting that is
loading up the frame buffer where
you need even 3GB of memory. The
performance is just not there. There
is not a single scenario we can
imagine where this overly generous
buffer is going to be of use to you.
Yet you’ll have to pay for it which
without question is driving up the
price of the machine.
This is analogous to the much
touted (by MSI of course) Super RAID
2 configuration which is fantastic on
paper, but doesn’t really translate into
real world performance at all. This is
simply a name for three 128GB mSATA
drives in RAID, promising sequential
data rates of up to 1,500MB/s. Speed
is great and we can never have enough
of it, but again. In my storage testing
we found that it wasn’t any faster than
a two drive configuration. Mind you
it still offers blistering performance.
Together with Windows 8.1 there’s
simply no waiting for anything to load.
It’s truly magnificent to use, but I can’t
help but feel yet again, this is overkill
that ends up costing the end user
unnecessarily.
Those two things though are the only
aspects of this machine I have qualms
about. Everything else is geared up
just right and MSI has gone the extra
mile with this unit. Not only do you get
the notebook, but a nice ambidextrous
gaming mouse. It’s a little on the small
side so people with big hands may
opt for a 3rd party mouse, but it does
work well. It’s as sensitive as you’ll
need any mouse to be really even
though it could do with slightly better
weight distribution. It does tend drag
at the sides. Button actuation is a little
shallow as well. I must say though, for
a free mouse it’s very useable and it is
a worthwhile addition to the package.
Another accessory and perhaps a
much valued one is the SteelSeries
Siberia V2 gaming headset. As far as
gaming cans go, these are amongst
the better ones and perhaps could be
considered mid to high end. On their
own you could spend up to $100 on
them, but MSI includes them for free
(in some regions and with the specific
configuration we tested). These
accessories amongst everything else
help to make this easily the most
powerful and most focused gaming
notebook MSI has ever sent my way.
Is it a perfect system, no it’s not
but its close enough to warrant its
price tag. For this kind of power and
configuration, you’re not likely to
find a lighter notebook or one that
can claim to have better battery
power. The GT70 Dominator Pro
really is at the forefront of what is
possible to fit into a notebook. There
is a lot that I didn’t mention here
like the excellent tactile feedback
keyboard and its SteelSeries Engine
software, the Dynaudio speaker
system with a headphone amp and
host of other things. These are
important features and ones that
you will certainly be grateful to
have. It’s more than just the sum
of the components here, but it’s in
how it all comes together to make a
compelling gaming machine that you
can take on the road.
From where I stand, there aren’t any
gaming notebooks that can claim to be
better than the GT70 Dominator Pro.
For all its missed opportunities, it still
provides the most compelling package
I have ever come across for the very
high end gaming notebooks. If your
pockets are deep enough and you’re
looking. I would strongly suggest you
start here.
[ Iron-Synapse ]
Issue 29 | 2014 The OverClocker 45