MSI GT627

Purchasing an affordable gaming notebook is a daunting task; trying to spend less than $1,500 on a system is tempting, but you don’t want to be saddled with a dud that can’t handle the newest games. Previously, MSI attempted to satisfy gamers on a budget with its GX630, but this $800 system couldn’t hold up under the rigors of Far Cry 2. The GT627, the successor to the GX630, may cost $350 more, but it pairs a superior Nvidia 9800M GS graphics chip with an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, delivering smooth-enough performance for the latest titles. We’re not fans of the cramped keyboard, but the GT627 will win many over with its sheer muscle at a low price.

Design

Nothing screams “gamer rig” more than neon coloring, and the fire red accents around the GT627’s black body deliver that message loud and clear. The 14.1 x 10.2 x 1.1 inch, 5.8-pound unit feels solid, thanks to the anodized brushed aluminum on the lid and around the keyboard. But the palm rest did exhibit a bit of flex, which raises concern about this system’s long-term durability.

The Achilles’ heel of the GT627 is a sardine can of a keyboard that sacrifices functionality to fit a full numeric keypad, which is great for adding in-game macros, but the Ctrl, Shift, and Enter keys are all the size of Chiclets, and are tough to locate without looking down. The keyboard also exhibited a bit too much flex. At least the WSAD keys are highlighted in red, a nice touch for newbie gamers who are just getting the gist of keyboard movement.

The touchpad is fairly large and smooth enough for easy navigation, but it’s too close to the space bar. Your left palm will likely hit it and bounce the cursor around while you’re typing. It’s awfully frustrating. While they offer good tactile feedback, the touchpad buttons, which are built into the chassis below the mousepad, feel a bit stiff, which can get annoying in games where frequent clicking is required (to shoot a weapon or move around the screen).

Above the keyboard and below the display are buttons for media controls, the Turbo and Eco CPU clock settings and quick-launch buttons for the webcam, Bluetooth settings, Wi-Fi settings, and a user-defined application. It will take the love only a true gamer can deliver to appreciate the gaudy grille surrounding these control buttons.

Display

While the resolution of the GT627’s 15.4-inch screen is just 1280 x 800—a reasonable concession for the price—the display was very bright, and colors popped. Straight-on gaming was fine, but the screen’s glossiness led to some reflections when we gamed with the lights on. While the bright colors remain intact while viewing at 180-degree angles, the glare from office lights was much more intrusive than when we looked straight at the display; glare is also much more noticeable in darker scenes, specifically inside the first safe house in Far Cry 2. 

Webcam, Audio, and Ports

We used the 2-megapixel camera for video chatting in Google Talk; callers noted that the extra 0.7 MP was a vast improvement over the typical 1.3-MP webcams in most computers. They noted that images were very smooth and clear, and you can adjust the camera’s brightness in the included CrazyTalk Suite software settings. However, video quality in Skype and Google Talk was even better.

The speakers produced clear, crisp sound, but bass was lacking and audio on the tinnier side while playing a Jason Mraz track. The lack of bass was even more pronounced while playing games; when we blew up cars in Far Cry 2, explosions sounded tinny. Thankfully, the GT627 offers 7.1 surround sound audio output, so you can hook up a full set of surround-sound speakers for a much richer audio experience.

The GT627 has an HDMI port on its back, making it easy to run a cable out to your HDTV or large LCD monitor. There’s also one eSATA port and two USB 2.0 ports, one on each side of the unit. On gaming laptops, we generally expect more USB jacks for added accessories like a full keyboard, mouse, or gamepad; however, the eSATA port doubles as a USB connection. To the right of the keyboard is an ExpressCard slot and a 4-in-1 card reader for SD, MMC, MS, and MS Pro memory cards. Last, you get a Gigabit Ethernet jack and a FireWire port.