MSI GS73VR Stealth Pro review – 17-incher with GTX 1060 graphics & 120 Hz screen

147 Comments

  1. Danwat1234

    September 6, 2016 at 12:00 pm

    Would like to have seen temps at Prime95 +Furmark 100% utilization of both. Any throttling, and if there is a coolerboost function for the fans like the big boy models.

    Interesting the air intake is on top, yet there is a huge amount of vents on the bottom of the laptop..

    • Derek Sullivan

      September 6, 2016 at 12:08 pm

      Also, the vents on the bottom help with airflow when you use the laptop with the lid closed. I’m glad they are there. I played a couple games attached with the Razer core with the lid closed and the CPU was able to keep itself cool the whole time. I think the temps were about 2-5C warmer on average, which I can live with.

    • Derek Sullivan

      September 7, 2016 at 1:25 pm

      The post is now updated with Prime95 and Furmark testing.

  2. Danwat1234

    September 6, 2016 at 12:01 pm

    Great to here it can use external desktop graphics! No need for a GT73VR monster, except for the 68020HK overclockable CPU possibly. Maybe wait for Kaby Lake for a clockspeed boost across the board and get that Stealth Pro.

    • Derek Sullivan

      September 6, 2016 at 12:06 pm

      I’ll try and get that done in the next couple days and will add it to the post.

      There is some fan control in the Dragon gaming center which I didn’t go into. It allows you to boost the fan to maximum. I’ll do the Furmark testing with fans at max and see what throttling there is.

      • danwat1234

        September 6, 2016 at 12:19 pm

        Oh wow thank you. Hmm with the lid closed it can still draw in enough air, good. But still the bottom, the fans do not draw air from there at all AFAIK so just has a passive purpose. Yes Furmark +prime95 simultaneous too wit hwinfo to see throttling with the AC adapter plugged into a kill-a-watt meter.;). If you want to take the time thanks.

        I suppose that Razer Core works on all laptops with Thunderbolt 3.

      • danwat1234

        September 6, 2016 at 12:21 pm

        Oh and why not try that with the lid closed on a bed too for the ultimate test ha. Looks promising.

        Not sure if you could overclock the GPU reliably much above the regular turbo speeds?

      • Derek Sullivan

        September 6, 2016 at 12:28 pm

        It’s actually kind of nice having it draw from the top. This was the same with the GS60 and GS70 as well. I like to play on my lap, so it’s good to know that my legs won’t ever block the intakes. It also forces the keyboard down, which to me is a really good thing. It takes getting used to but once you do you learn to appreciate it. After I got rid of my GS60, it’s something I always missed when using the AW 17 and P35X. The only drawback is everything inside is flipped, so upgrading the RAM and M.2 requires a full motherboard disassembly.

        To answer you’re other question, no the Core does not work with all TB3 laptops. I wrote an article about it here: https://www.ultrabookreview.com/10761-razer-core-review/

        In general, MSI laptops work fine. Dell is sort of buggy and Alienware is a big no. HP from what I understand is a no as well but I haven’t physically tried it.

      • danwat1234

        September 6, 2016 at 12:33 pm

        I am typing on my trusty old Asus G50VT laptop, X9100 overclocked to 3.45GHZ all the time. 1 fan, sucks air in from the bottom. vents in multiple places on the bottom, can still suck in enough air from the bottom when on a bed. All the air flow thru the bottom lets the bottom stay cooler than otherwise. Some have modded the bottom to make a hole thru the fake subwoofer so the fan directly gets cooler air, but then the bottom is warmer.
        Keyboard is nice on this old laptop, I see the MSI probably has the best keyboards.
        I sometimes use my mother’s Toshiba thin laptop (about 4.5 pounds), the keyboard travel on that is pathetic with no effort/tactile feedback.

      • Derek Sullivan

        September 6, 2016 at 12:38 pm

        Yeah, there’s a lot more forgiveness on the big laptops in terms of cooling because there are typically large vents and bottom lids that are designed well. Unfortunately with thin and light laptops, the bottom lid is extremely thin, so the more vents they have, the more likely the metal will buckle from just picking it up. So to fix it, they make the vents smaller, but then you run into issues where they overheat and shut off from using them on something like a bed. Luckily, by design, this one doesn’t have that issue.

  3. danwat1234

    September 6, 2016 at 12:25 pm

    Can drive 3 external displays with HDMI, mini, thunderbolt like the big boy GT73?

    • Derek Sullivan

      September 6, 2016 at 12:29 pm

      I don’t have all the adapters to test that but it should be possible. The GPU is designed to do so.

      • Fedor

        September 21, 2016 at 5:22 am

        Kinda late reply, but it can drive up to 5 external displays, 4 of which can be 4k (2 via thunderbolt, 2 via mdp daisy chain, one of which will be 4k@60hz, other-full HD). HDMI and mdp are connected directly to 1060, internal display and TB3-to intel hd. Personally, I was able to connect 4 displays that way (didn’t have tb to 2x mdp, so couldn’t give 5 displays a try).

      • danwat1234

        November 26, 2016 at 10:28 pm

        @Fedor, that is interesting. But the GS73VR main page on the MSI site says, only up to 3 monitors with the laptop screen being 1 of the 3. Or, 3 external with the laptop screen off.
        For the GT73VR, their sites says it offers 1 more. Up to 3 external all the time whether the laptop screen is enabled or not.

        So you can do 2 via Thunderbolt, 2 via mini-DP and 1 via HDMI? And all can be 4K except for 1 of the mini-DP ones at regular full HD?
        And this is with the laptop screen enabled?
        Wow. I'd like this verified..

  4. danwat1234

    September 6, 2016 at 12:37 pm

    I would really like to see MSI put the 6820HK/6820HQ/6920HQ in this Stealth Pro but that won’t happen. CPU performances increase are slow now. I figure a 6820HK overclocked to 4GHZ is about twice the performance in general x86 than my 8 year old X9100 at 3.45GHZ (single core wise).

  5. Paul B.

    September 7, 2016 at 12:19 am

    Can you post your ICC profile for this display?

  6. Chase

    September 8, 2016 at 12:31 am

    Thanks for the review. I have been trying to pic between this and the Asus Strix GL702 1060 model. If you know of any good comparisons, reviews or your own thoughts, it’d be much appreciated. Thanks again.

    • Andrei Girbea

      September 9, 2016 at 2:18 pm

      We have a post on a GL702 version here: https://www.ultrabookreview.com/11360-asus-rog-strix-gl702-review/ . It’s not the same hardware wise, but the other aspects are the same for the 702VM model.

      It’s a bit hard to compare the two, since I tested the GL702 and Derek tested the GS73, so neither of us had contact with both of them. I would probably lean towards the MSI for the better keyboard, TB3 port and what looks like a superior cooling solution.

      • Brett Wolmarans

        September 20, 2016 at 12:24 pm

        I would like to see you guys do a swap, have Derek review the GL702 (1070 version please) and actually, come to think of it, the GL502 1070 version, and have Andrei review the GS73!! I will be refreshing this page constantly every few minutes with iMacro until I see it. But I’m still going to wait until the end of the month to see the first reviews on the AW17 with the pascal

      • Derek Sullivan

        September 20, 2016 at 12:54 pm

        Heh, I’d like to but I doubt I’ll be getting the GL702 anytime soon. Andrei does all the Asus units since he has better access to them than I do. I usually only pick up the units I’m interested in owning for a short time anyways. Honestly, Asus has not appealed to me with their gaming options simply because they are too thick and they insist on neon orange.

        I might try out the AW 17 but it probably won’t be right away. We currently don’t get review units from Dell so I’d have to buy it in order to review it. I’m happy enough with the GS73VR that I don’t think I’ll want to look at anything else for a while. Especially now that I’ve seen the 4k version.

  7. mike

    September 11, 2016 at 11:59 pm

    I got this laptop today and wow the heat is very very very bad, it constantly throttles so my games are always jerky, at first I thought it was the killer wifi card so I disabled it and hooked up the Ethernet cable but after running msi afterburner I can see the clocks constantly dropping 400mhz up and down to keep the temps in check when this happens my game, overwatch lets say will slow down then go back to normal, I also disabled the onboard gpu because I thought it might be switching back to the onboard gpu or something…. I would like to try changing out the cpu and gpu gell with ic diamond compound but msi has a tag on there that if removed to open the laptop voids the warranty… I’ll probably be returning this.

    • Derek Sullivan

      September 12, 2016 at 8:36 am

      If it’s throttling playing Overwatch, something is very very wrong. I couldn’t even get mine to throttle that severely using Furmark. It shouldn’t throttle due to heat at all really… Either something is wrong with the contact with the GPU or one of the fans are bad. I wouldn’t chance repasting and voiding your warranty – you’re better off just exchanging it.

  8. Chris

    September 18, 2016 at 8:01 am

    Some one has disassebled the GS73VR http://www.laptopmain.com/msi-gs73vr-disassembly/

    • Derek Sullivan

      September 18, 2016 at 8:26 am

      Thanks for the link. I’ll be upgrading my M.2 ssd later this week. I plan to add a section explaining how.

      • Fedor

        September 21, 2016 at 5:26 am

        I’ll be very grateful if you post the explanation :) I have gs63vr, which internally looks like almost exactly the same(the mainboard looks like 100% the same, it’s because of this there’s so much empty space in 17 inch version), and I can’t disconnect the battery w/o lifting the motherboard, and I can’t lift the MB even after removing all the screws. Looks like I’m missing something simple.
        Thanks!

      • Fedor

        September 21, 2016 at 8:07 am

        Have you been able to do this successfully? I have gs63vr which internally looks almost the same, and I had some difficulties with removing the motherboard – it was still attached to something at lower left corner. Didn’t you notice anything unusual there while disassembling your laptop? Thanks!

      • Derek Sullivan

        September 21, 2016 at 8:24 am

        I did it last night. I’ll try to have the post updated later today but it’ll probably be tomorrow. I can email you a pic of the screw locations sooner though, if you want. Is the email you used to register your comment a good one? Let me know.

      • Tim K

        September 21, 2016 at 12:59 pm

        If you could send along a pic my way, I’d appreciate it!

      • Fedor

        September 22, 2016 at 8:51 am

        That’s great to hear! Yes, the email I’ve used is valid, though I’m patient enough to wait till you update the post, so don’t bother with it.
        By the way, how did you unplug the battery connector? I’ve tried to do it with tweezers, though didn’t have luck with it and pulling it out via wires doesn’t seem to be a good idea to me.
        Thanks!

      • Derek Sullivan

        September 22, 2016 at 8:54 am

        I just pulled the wires. They are pretty durable. The connector is so stiff that it’s hard to pull it.

  9. Noritaka Sakai

    September 22, 2016 at 3:26 pm

    m.2 sata so I guess I can’t put those m.2 pcie-x4 ones in there can I?

    • Derek Sullivan

      September 22, 2016 at 3:27 pm

      Both are compatible. I just put a PCI-e drive in mine.

      • Noritaka Sakai

        September 22, 2016 at 4:30 pm

        awesome! Just ordered a samsung 950 pro since the plextor 1tb was like $700….
        Thanks for the reply!

      • Noritaka Sakai

        September 23, 2016 at 1:38 am

        Also is there an improved speed putting a pcie drive in there?

      • Derek Sullivan

        September 23, 2016 at 8:22 am

        Technically yes but it’s debatable whether or not anyone can tell the real life difference. Maybe if you do a lot of batch processing.

  10. Clifford Stinson

    September 23, 2016 at 1:38 am

    I’ve read a number of posts about removing bloatware. I’ve been reluctant to do this as I’m not sure what is essential and what is not. Are you able to publish a guide regarding what each piece of software does, which can be removed and what we can expect in lost functionality?

    • Derek Sullivan

      September 23, 2016 at 8:29 am

      In general, look at their support page and see what they have for download. If it’s not there, it’s probably something you can get rid of (Norton for example). Other than that, you can also get rid of the software that MSI provides. If you find you’re missing it, just reinstall from their support page.

      This is why I always start with a clean install. To me it’s easier to install the basics(i.e. Get rid if all the flagged items in device manager) rather than deal with all the fluff the manufacturer is peddling. For this machine, I only installed the core drivers,the audio software and steelseries.

      • QO

        November 29, 2016 at 10:09 pm

        Would the Intel drivers suffice? For example, on the MSI GS73VR support page, they list both Intel and Killer drivers for WLAN and BT.

        For a clean install, can I just install Intel and ignore the Killer drivers?

      • Derek Sullivan

        November 29, 2016 at 10:17 pm

        No, you have to install the drivers for the card you have. They sell a model with Intel, so that's why they have both. If you try to install the wrong drivers, it'll likely fail.

  11. Exotiva

    September 24, 2016 at 6:13 pm

    So I’m looking into getting this laptop to allow me to play games and still be portable.

    I’m not too well-versed in laptops at all. You mentioned that the intake fans are on the top of the keyboard. Does this mean that a cooling pad would not be effective with the laptop?

    • Derek Sullivan

      September 24, 2016 at 6:31 pm

      Correct. They’re practically useless with this design. A tv dinner tray would actually serve the same purpose. I use an iskelter slate and it works pretty good. The laptop just barely overlaps the mouse pad.

      • Exotiva

        September 24, 2016 at 6:37 pm

        Thank you for such a swift reply!

        So for gaming, would you consider the best management to be sufficient as it is?

      • Derek Sullivan

        September 24, 2016 at 6:45 pm

        Yeah, it’s fine as it is. I play directly on my lap a lot actually. I use the pad only to keep my legs from sweating. Repasting and undervolting are pretty much your only options to make things cooler than what you get.

      • Exotiva

        September 24, 2016 at 6:48 pm

        Thank you so much for your insight. I plan to purchase one later today!

  12. Niels Woisin

    September 30, 2016 at 5:07 am

    17″ Ultraportable… that sounds weird ;-)

    Just ordered an Aorus X5 V6 from NewEgg:

    I guess I will soon find out if the GTX 1070 in it can run free or if the laptop turns out to be such an oven, that I have to sell it to the Eskimos, who will use it to cook and keep their ice-block houses warm…

    • Derek Sullivan

      September 30, 2016 at 7:12 am

      Yeah, considering it’s only .9″ thick I can imagine it gets kind of hot. It blows my mind how much they fit in that thing. 3x M.2 and a 2.5 slot along with 4 speakers and a 94Wh battery. Seems like it should weigh more than than 2.5kg. :)

      Did you get the FHD or 3k?

      • Niels Woisin

        October 2, 2016 at 7:19 pm

        Got 3k, cause that was the only choice available – if they had the 120Hz FHD in stock, I would have taken that. but its ok, 60Hz at 3k will look pretty nice.

        And yes, it seems to unlikely to stuff all that into a fairly thin 15.6″ laptop. Even more astonishing was the GTX 980 they had in the camo version of this same laptop – I would expect that to catch fire like a Galaxy note 7 (where people got a special warning over the PA to take out the battery on every flight I got on! …And for god’s sake, please do not try to charge it aboard the plane!)

        Samsung’s gotten on the CIA’s watch list :p

      • Derek Sullivan

        October 2, 2016 at 7:27 pm

        Yeah, with that GPU it should game very well at 3k. I really liked the 3k panel in my old GS60 – you just couldn’t play many games with a 970m. I wonder if it’s the matte version of the same brand. If you don’t mind looking it up, I’d really appreciate it.

        Yeah, the 980 was a little extreme. Gigabyte does that a lot though. Sometimes they do it well but other times they go a little too far. :)

      • Niels Woisin

        October 2, 2016 at 9:19 pm

        No problem, I will look it up when I get it… and I’ll see how hot it gets after playing the Star Citizen alpha for an hour or so…

  13. Devin

    September 30, 2016 at 8:25 am

    GS73VR 6RF-013CN has a LGD0469 panel (LP173WF4-SPF1?)

    It seems MSI uses different panels on different sub-models.

    • Derek Sullivan

      September 30, 2016 at 8:32 am

      Interesting – I’ve been looking for the regular FHD model since it was listed as an option on their product page. Up until now I didn’t think it was available to purchase. Where did you get that one?

      • Devin

        September 30, 2016 at 11:57 pm

        It is in stock in China and the price is 12999 CNY (~1950 USD, tax-included).

      • Niels Woisin

        October 2, 2016 at 7:21 pm

        Could you tell me where in China? What store? Thx :)

  14. brett w

    October 3, 2016 at 6:38 pm

    Are you able to use g-sync when connected to razor core?

    • Derek Sullivan

      October 3, 2016 at 6:41 pm

      I’m not sure. I don’t have a compatible monitor so there’s no way to test it.

      • Brett wolmarans

        October 4, 2016 at 11:34 am

        Well, I suspect that you’ll find even when you plug in the core, you are not given the option for gsync in NVCP. But it would be nice to be wrong about that.

  15. Thinh Le

    October 7, 2016 at 2:46 pm

    Im pretty impress with how you can get the temperature to drop 10-15 degree without damage the performance. Can you be more specific on how you undervolt the CPU ? Do you use any software or any tips you can show me ?
    T4R

    • Derek Sullivan

      October 7, 2016 at 3:24 pm

      Doug has a pretty good explanation here: https://www.ultrabookreview.com/10167-laptop-undervolting-overcloking/

      There are also other ways to do it such as Intel XTU. It's pretty simple to use and there are plenty of tutorials on the internet on how to use both it and Throttlestop. For beginners, Intel XTU is probably a little more user friendly, but if you want it to automatically load on boot, Throttlestop is better. For Throttlestop

      • Thinh Le

        October 17, 2016 at 10:12 am

        Thanks for your instruction, after struggling to decide whether to get the GS73VR and the GT72VR, i finally decided to go with the GS73VR, my laptop will arrive in the weekend . Im definitely gonna try to benchmark it and try to undervoltage it for better battery. Also i want to know if undervoltage can eliminate the coil whine issue?

      • Derek Sullivan

        November 3, 2016 at 9:14 am

        You won't be able to eliminate the coil whine that way but there's a chance it'll help. From what I understand, disabling C states takes care of the coil whine but that of course affects your battery life.

  16. Kapitoxa

    October 26, 2016 at 8:23 am

    Hi, can you pls explain why did you like 17" model more than 15". I need to choose between this 2, but I don't want 120hz TN panel and Full HD IPS for 17" is hard to find (so I have to go 4k for 17" and using windows with scales scary me =))

    • Derek Sullivan

      November 3, 2016 at 9:36 am

      I pretty much bought it because I wanted 17". I also stuck with the 4k because I wanted a full gamut screen. I've owned that screen before, so I knew what I was getting into. I think if the 15" model had a decent FHD screen, I might have thought differently, because that model is so ridiculously thin and portable.

  17. Mario Gajardo

    November 11, 2016 at 10:26 pm

    Hi Derek and thank you very much for all this valuable information about this gaming laptop. I just get this machine and will be soon upgrading the mechanical HD to a 1TB SSD, and 32GB of ram. Im intersted in undervolt this laptop, can you share your Throttlestop settings ? will be of great help , thanks you again

    • Derek Sullivan

      November 14, 2016 at 10:58 am

      I just do a modest -160mV undervolt on the CPU Core and cache. You might be able to go higher but it gets the job done.

      • QO

        December 1, 2016 at 11:07 am

        The laptop switches to integrated graphics using Throttlestop. My settings were -125mV undervolt on CPU core and cache.

        Good temps, but results in 40fps cap in Dota 2.
        Once I restart without Throttlestop I can get around 140fps.

        Would there be any workaround? I appreciate the lower temps and longer battery life that TS gives me. Unfortunately it has to go if I cant utilize the GPU. (In the nVidia control panel, preferred graphics processor has been set to High Performance nVidia processor, and program settings have been setup to run accordingly, so I highly doubt its a nVidia control panel issue)

      • Derek Sullivan

        December 1, 2016 at 1:00 pm

        Are you sure your GPU isn't on? Is the power LED red or orange when you're in DOTA? My GPU works just fine with Throttlestop on. I wonder if perhaps you have a setting checked that is limiting the CPU and that is the reason for the fps cap? It's definitely not an Nvidia issue if you can fix the problem just by turning off TS. What boxes do you have checked in the initial settings window?

      • QO

        December 1, 2016 at 9:07 pm

        I pretty much followed the link in one of your earlier comments to set up TS: https://www.ultrabookreview.com/10167-laptop-undervolting-overcloking/

        The power LED is red when I'm in the game.

        If it doesn't bother you too much, I've uploaded some screens of my TS setup: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/5khmwup5wyrf59x/AAAGJoyZRhLcdDl7tpKNThRoa?dl=0

        I've only fiddled with the settings in FIVR and Options. Perhaps I should turn the "Power Saver" off ?

        Oh and one thing I noticed – the moment I unplug my power adapter, the FPS counter drops and is capped at 30.

      • Derek Sullivan

        December 1, 2016 at 10:32 pm

        Unplugging power always caps your fps at 30. It's a setting by Nvidia. I think you can turn it off but the GPU is throttled anyways, so it really doesn't matter.

        As for your settings, you should have Power saver unchecked for sure. For my performance settigs, the only boxes I have checked are speedstep and C1E. For my power saver profile, I have power saver, disable turbo, BD PROCHOT, Speedstep, C1E and Set Multiplier 14.

        Also, I don't have Nvidia GPU checked in my options window. I'm not even sure what that box is for. Try unchecking that and see if it solves your issue.

      • QO

        December 1, 2016 at 11:59 pm

        Perfect!! Thanks Derek, using your settings solved my problem.
        Btw, my maximum undervolt is -150mV on battery before the thing crashes.

  18. Hemi

    November 23, 2016 at 6:03 am

    would you recommend it for video editing on an Avid media composer ?

    • Derek Sullivan

      November 23, 2016 at 10:00 am

      You might need more ram if you're doing 4k videos, but the rest of the specs of the laptop are more than enough for Avid.

      • Hemi

        November 23, 2016 at 10:07 am

        TNX!

  19. Matthew Chang

    November 28, 2016 at 4:28 am

    What is the ram configuration on this guy? For example, is it just one stick of ram that's 16 GB, or is it 2 sticks of 8 GB ram? And if it is one stick, are there any additional slots where ram can be installed? Thanks!

    • Derek Sullivan

      November 28, 2016 at 8:09 am

      There's only two slots and both are occupied.

  20. Isaac Howard

    December 5, 2016 at 5:56 am

    Hey Derek, awesome review as per usual! I'm about to buy one of these and was wondering if I should opt for the IC diamond paste option for the CPU and GPU in order to help with the high temps? Would this be a waste of time and/or risky in terms of the lifespan of the laptop? Perhaps I could just undervolt the CPU instead as you mentioned. Thanks for the help! Isaac.

    • Derek Sullivan

      December 5, 2016 at 8:16 am

      There have been a few people reporting significantly better temps from repasting with IC diamond. I'd say it's worth it if that's important to you but I'm not convinced it'll affect the longevity of the device. It's pretty difficult to get inside too, so it's really a matter of if you feel like doing all the labor. The stock paste is pretty decent, so it might be more worthwhile to wait a while and see if it's an issue you really need to tackle.

  21. Hemi

    December 8, 2016 at 7:14 am

    Hi Derek
    Thank you for your insights and deep review.
    I've followed your link to the realtek drivers and I have a solution for the headphone auto recognition problem:
    in device manager right click on the realtek device and choose update driver – it works like a charm – it recognizes everything.

    • Derek Sullivan

      December 8, 2016 at 11:28 am

      I just tried it and it reinitiated the subwoofer audio controls and removed the headphone recognition all together. I couldn't even manually get the headphones to work. I ended up rolling back the driver. I'll try again later. When you plug in your headphones, is it switching automatically with no prompt? And you still have the ability to adjust audio settings in Realtek audio manager?

  22. Hemi

    December 8, 2016 at 12:50 pm

    Yes, I have a popup screen telling me to chose which type of audio device I plugged. Now, when I go to the properties of the speakers in the sound CPL it let me choose the levels of the sub and the speakers separately, so I've ended up lowering the speakers volume while keeping the sub's volume at the highest level, resulting in quite a good sound reproduction

    • Derek Sullivan

      December 8, 2016 at 1:02 pm

      Hmm, I still don't have that popup. Do you still have Nahimic installed maybe?

      • Hemi

        December 8, 2016 at 1:05 pm

        No. I've Uninstalled it, I can send you a screen capture of the popup..

      • Derek Sullivan

        December 8, 2016 at 1:21 pm

        Weird. So I tried updating the driver again and now it works but instead of the popup you have, I get the Realtek default pop-up. It's pretty much the same only it's a small white window and gives you the ability to disable the popup and automatically change from now on. I wonder why ours are so different and why it took me three times to get it to work. Either way, it's a welcome improvement because I was starting to get tired of manually changing it. Thanks for the find! I'll update the post.

  23. Kluiv

    December 24, 2016 at 4:01 pm

    Excellent review, by the far the best I've seen so far whilst browsing online. Thank you very much.

  24. Clinton

    January 6, 2017 at 12:40 pm

    Will an external gsync monitor be compatible with this laptop? To confirm, its only the laptop screen that does not provide gsync correct?

    • Derek Sullivan

      January 6, 2017 at 12:57 pm

      Correct. The laptop screen is plugged into the CPU channel and utilizes the GPU through Optimus, therefore gsync is impossible with the laptop screen. The TB3 and HDMI ports are routed to the GPU though and support gsync.

  25. Jon

    January 7, 2017 at 12:54 am

    Love this laptop! Definitely recommend it! Quick question though, are we sure the bottom vents don't suck any air in/blow air out? I'm trying to find a laptop cooler, and they all blow air up into the bottom of a laptop…so therefore are these types of coolers useless in this design? I can't find any laptop cooler pads that pull air away from the laptop base. Does anyone know of any?

    Thanks!

    • Derek Sullivan

      January 7, 2017 at 9:04 am

      I doubt you'll find one. Afaik, MSI is the only one that inverts their motherboard. And since they are so uncommon, plus the fact coolers barely do anything to inverted motherboards, it'll be tough to find a cooler that supports it. You could try buying a cheap cooler and switching the power wires though. Maybe you'll get lucky and it's not polarity protected. I'm not convinced it'll do a whole lot though. Those vents on the bottom are passive and they face the other side of the motherboard. If I get bored this weekend, maybe I'll try turning mine upside down. :) I haven't used my cooler in years since I switched to the GS series – I just use a Slate lapdesk.

      • Jon

        January 7, 2017 at 12:59 pm

        Derek thank you for your swift response! I was thinking of trying to find a cooling pad where I can take the fans out and turn them around, but looks almost impossible, might need to be a DIY project. The graphics card seems to always be between 30-50 or so degrees when doing normal powerpoint/word tasks/surfing (per the dragon center), but I put it on advanced settings or cooler boost before jumping on Steam.

        Thanks!

  26. Adam Moore

    January 8, 2017 at 10:55 pm

    Derek, would you mind uploading a couple captures of your throttlestop config? If I follow your steps for the power save config it seems to not go any higher than 800mhz Also, having some issues with removing the audio drivers and attempting to use the stock ones. Wondering if you had a "guide" of sorts.

    Thanks,

    • Derek Sullivan

      January 9, 2017 at 12:03 am

      That's the whole point of the power save mode. It's supposed to be a low TDP state and the clock speeds need to be at a crawl for that to happen. If you don't want clock speeds that low, just adjust the multiplier. I hardly use that battery mode unless I know for sure I'll be needing to use my laptop for 4 hours straight. I'm not sure about the guide on the drivers. There's not a whole lot I did other than what I already mentioned. I basically just uninstalled the drivers and downloaded and installed the older drivers from the link I provided. Not much else to it. What problems are you running into?

  27. Jonas

    January 19, 2017 at 10:13 am

    Thank you so much for producing this comprehensive review. I purchased the computer based on your review!

    Which bloatware to you think i should get rid of when starting it up? More than Norton?

    I noticed it disconnects internet connection on wifi regularly. Was that something you experienced?

    Other than that, pretty impressed with the first tests!

    • Derek Sullivan

      January 19, 2017 at 10:45 am

      Norton at a minimum, for sure. I also removed Dragon Center and any of the color filters. Also that one that makes it "easier" to do split screen. I forget it's name but it might be merged with the color filter one.

      The Wifi is Killer brand and I've had many random issues with previous versions of the card in other laptops. Most of my issues were resolved in driver settings but it was frustrating to travel with. I didn't have problems with this particular model but that doesn't mean others won't have problems as well. I only tested it for a couple weeks though, so maybe I got lucky. You might want to check the forums for any potential fixes or tips on the matter. I changed mine to Intel 8260 when I did my SSD/Ram upgrade and have had zero issues in the past few months I've had it. I know that's not feasible for everyone to upgrade, but its something I have been doing with my daily drivers since I didn't have too much luck with Killer in the past.

      • Jonas Larsson

        January 24, 2017 at 8:02 am

        What is the name of the software that makes it easier to split the screen? I really don't like it and want it gone!
        I did some more testing and the Wifi problems seems to be only when the killer application is started. The problems dissapeared as soon as i quit it. So I just unistalled it and have no problems since.
        The best thing about this article though is the phrases about undervolting the cpu. I have the new version with 7th gen processor and on load (gaming on ultra settings for 30 mins with a 70fps cap) I had cpu temps between 85 and 95 with 50% usage. Undervolting 150mv made me able to run a full 120fps on ultra with the processor maxing at 85 degrees C. Most of the time below 80. So happy to have that worked out. Feels like I can actually start enjoying the computer now. :P

      • Derek Sullivan

        January 24, 2017 at 12:45 pm

        I can't remember the name of it – it's been so long since I had the stock OS loaded on my machine. I basically just reinstalled Windows and only installed the core drivers and SteelSeries. I don't use any of the other MSI stuff and I have zero issues with my machine.

        I'm glad to hear that Wifi got better for you though. That's good info to know. And yes, undervolting really does make the experience better. I think my GPU even dropped a couple degrees because of the shared heatpipes.

  28. john369

    February 15, 2017 at 9:35 am

    could you post the benchmark of gs73vr+razer (gtx1080)?
    could you make a review of gs63vr with razer core?

    • Derek Sullivan

      February 15, 2017 at 9:45 am

      I didn't go through all the benchmarks again because the first few I did were identical to the Razer blade+ core. It's going to be consistent because they both have tb3 x4 and the same CPU. The GS63vr is also going to be the same. I'd run a couple more again for you but I no longer own a Core.

      • john369

        February 15, 2017 at 10:13 am

        thanks for the answer! good news for me because i'm searching an alternative to xps 9560! some people tested gs63vr with razer core and gtx1080 on msi forum and it also works well.
        did you test other egpu with msi gs73vr? node o devilbox?

      • Derek Sullivan

        February 15, 2017 at 10:34 am

        I haven't tried any of those yet. I might try and get my hands on one soon and will post about it.

      • john369

        February 15, 2017 at 6:06 pm

        Yes I think that a review of node or devilbox is really usefull! These egpu are a great idea for me but there aren't so many infos and benchs.

  29. Cliff

    February 15, 2017 at 6:02 pm

    I have been experiencing a touch-pad issue. About 20% of the time when i boot up I will find issues such as the buttons reversed or the pad not recognising a touch unless it starts in the left portion. (I can swipe from left to the right edge and have the entire movement recognised but touching or swiping from the right goes unrecognised.

    A reboot clears the issue so I don't think it is hardware. My Elan input device is on driver version 15.3.5.2 which it reports as being the latest. Has anyone else experienced this? Can anyone advise what steps I could take to remedy it?

    Thanks
    Cliff

  30. Wilfred

    February 23, 2017 at 12:29 pm

    Hi Derek,

    I've decided to go after the GS73vr but I'm not sure which panel is best for me. As the 4k panel is much too expensive to my liking in the Netherlands I'll have to choose between the 6rf (IPS panel, i7-6700HQ processor) and the 7rf (120hz TN panel, i7-7700HQ processor). There's no store where I can compare both versions so could you advice me which one is best for me? It will be used for some gaming of course but I would like to know which panel is best for watching a movie and surfing (Youtube etc.).
    Thanks for your help!
    Wilfred

    • Derek Sullivan

      February 23, 2017 at 1:17 pm

      Unfortunately I can't comment on the FHD IPS panel – I've never seen it. Devin, in the comments above had one though. Really though, the TN panel is fine for games, movies and surfing.

      • Wilfred

        February 23, 2017 at 7:44 pm

        Just found out that the store is probably wrong about the IPS panel as MSI Europe just refers to IPS Level. I'll take your advice and will buy the 120hz screen.
        Thanks!
        Wilfred

    • Jonas

      February 23, 2017 at 8:36 pm

      If your going to play games on the screen the 120hz display is reeeallty nice! the 1060 easily gives you 120 fps too! I wouldn't buy the ips and 4k is battery draining and you really cant play games in 4k on a 1060-card so you have to downscale. However i got a solid 60fps on 1440 resolution when i tested on my workscreen (overwatch on ultra settings).

      • Jonas

        February 24, 2017 at 3:01 am

        What you should do when you get it:
        Reinstall windows or remove tons of bloatware
        Undervolt the processor. Mine got dangerously warm before that.
        Try to find a case! Its really big and took me 3 tries to find a fitting case! But i really like the laptop! :)

      • Wilfred

        March 2, 2017 at 11:39 am

        Thanks Jonas,

        I got mine yesterday and the 120hz display is great indeed! As I'm a total noob I'm not going to try to reinstall Windows and have to remove the bloatware. I got rid of Norton though there's still popping up some reminder. Ah well, let's play first. Also saving some money for the HTC Vive seems worth it…

      • Elvio

        March 22, 2017 at 11:56 am

        Hi Jonas i have two questions.
        You have the GS73VR with the 1920×1080 resolution display am I right?
        You connected it to a monitor with a bigger resolution (1440). Does it "scaled the image" of the laptop or it "adapted" to that resolution?

        I have the GS73VR with the 1920×1080 display and I would like to connect it to an external display with a bigger resolution 2560 x 1080

      • Jonas

        March 25, 2017 at 5:12 pm

        Yes of course!

  31. Elvio

    March 22, 2017 at 11:28 am

    If I connect a monitor with a bigger resolution (2560 x 1440) the laptop will "scale" the image or it´s going to "adapt" that resolution in the monitor?

    Does anybody knows the maximum resolution of this laptop connected to an external monitor? I´m talking about the 1920×1080 edition.

    Sorry for my bad english. I hope you could understand me.

    • Hemi

      March 25, 2017 at 2:35 pm

      Hello Elvio.
      I have this laptop connected to 2 Dell monitors U2515H which has 2560×1440 resolution. I connect them through the mini DisplayPort in a daisy chain connection. It works perfectly – Don't worry…

  32. Alex

    April 8, 2017 at 4:26 pm

    Hi Derek,

    A wonderful review which helped me purchase MSI gs73vr 4k. After i recieved the laptop in novemeber 2016. I went with a clean windows install but i started facing laptop freeze issue both while playing games and when i wanted to get the laptop screen back after being idle for a period of time. After clean windows 10 install i installed the drivers from MSI support page. Not sure if anyone else faced similar issue.

    Appreciate your help.

    • Derek Sullivan

      April 10, 2017 at 12:04 pm

      Freezing as in locking the whole system up without any chance to recover? Have you tried leaving it for a while to see if a BSOD occurs with an error code? You might want to check the event logs to see if there are any driver crashes at the time of the freezing.

    • Steve

      April 14, 2017 at 2:44 pm

      I don't have a 4k version, but I recently bought the TN panel gs73vr. I noticed it had trouble waking from sleep after the last Windows update with the latest Nvidia drivers installed. The keyboard would light up, and I'm pretty sure the computer was actually on, since I locked myself out of my PIN login for a while from pressing keys. Does this sound similar to what you have?

      Going back to an older Nvidia driver fixed the issue for me (768 or something?) I think either Microsoft or Nvidia screwed up optimus with the latest versions of gpu driver/windows update. It looked like it was rapidly swapping between intel gpu and nvidia gpu without ever deciding which to display.

  33. Dmitrii

    May 4, 2017 at 5:05 am

    Hi, what thunderbolt 3 connector is used in laptop? jhl6240 or 6340?

    • Derek Sullivan

      May 4, 2017 at 8:38 am

      I'm not sure but I can check. How do I find that out?

      • Dmitrii

        May 4, 2017 at 3:24 pm

        At first you should update Thunderbolt 3 drivers from MSI website. Then go to Device manager (Win+R: devmgmt.msc):
        1. In tab View select "Show hidden devices"
        2. Under System Devices ribbon select "PCI-to-PCI Bridge", some ppl have it named "Thunderbolt(TM) Controller"
        3. Right click on it and select Properties.
        Under Details ribbon select property: Device instance path.
        There would appear a value. For example I have on my ASUS gl702vm: PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_15c0, which is DSL6340 controller.

        Here is the list:
        DSL6340 Thunderbolt 3 NHI [Alpine Ridge 2C 2015] 1575 PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_1575
        DSL6340 Thunderbolt 3 Bridge [Alpine Ridge 2C 2015] 1576 PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_1576

        DSL6540 Thunderbolt 3 NHI [Alpine Ridge 4C 2015] 1577 PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_1577
        DSL6540 Thunderbolt 3 Bridge [Alpine Ridge 4C 2015] 1578 PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_1578

        JHL6240 Thunderbolt 3 NHI (Low Power) [Alpine Ridge LP 2016] 15bf PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_15bf
        JHL6240 Thunderbolt 3 Bridge (Low Power) [Alpine Ridge LP 2016] 15c0 PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_15c0

        JHL6540 Thunderbolt 3 NHI (C step) [Alpine Ridge 4C 2016] 15d2 PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_15d2
        JHL6540 Thunderbolt 3 Bridge (C step) [Alpine Ridge 4C 2016] 15d3 PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_15d3

        JHL6340 Thunderbolt 3 NHI (C step) [Alpine Ridge 2C 2016] 15d9 PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_15d9
        JHL6340 Thunderbolt 3 Bridge (C step) [Alpine Ridge 2C 2016] 15da PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_15da

        6340 and 6540 can be used full load with eGPU at max 32 gb/s, while 6240 is crippled and has a half speed with eGPU = 16 gb/s. 6240 controller makes eGPU extension useless.

      • Derek Sullivan

        May 4, 2017 at 4:34 pm

        Ok, I'll check it out. I doubt it's the half speed one, because when I tried the Razer Core with it it ran just as good as with the Razer Blade.

      • Derek Sullivan

        May 4, 2017 at 10:59 pm

        I checked my device manager but there's nothing listed. It could be because I haven't hooked up a TB3 device since I did a fresh install. Unfortunately I don't have a thunderbolt 3 device to test at the moment. Is there another way to tell?

      • Dmitrii

        May 5, 2017 at 12:52 am

        Have you installed drivers?
        Did you check "show hidden devices" in View?

      • Derek Sullivan

        May 5, 2017 at 6:37 am

        Yes. The thunderbolt icon is in the taskbar too.

  34. Bo

    May 19, 2017 at 9:33 pm

    Hi, I'm having trouble choosing between a 120 hz display or a 4K display. Because I heard the 120 hz is not bad for design and is cheaper but 4K display geared towards it more and more expensive.
    I'll be doing mostly graphic design work and a few video editing. I only play mmos only at weekends or when I have free time. And, also should I go also with 32 ram or 16 ram for graphic design?
    I'm not tech savvy so I want to make sure I chose the right choice before buying or overspending what I actually need.

    • Derek Sullivan

      May 19, 2017 at 10:03 pm

      In your case, if go with the 4k be screen and probably 32gb of ram. If you're not tech savvy, replacing the ram is a near impossibility, so better safe than sorry. Graphic design work shouldn't be done on a tn screen. Granted, it's a nice one, but the 4k screen is a lot better in that department.

  35. Josh

    May 22, 2017 at 3:33 pm

    Just wondering how you still feel about this laptop? I'm seriously considering the 4k version, because I've been spoiled by my 4k Samsung KS8000, and plan on watching a lot of Netflix and youtube on my laptop. I also do some 3d modeling, and play games like Doom, and Mass Effect. I know the 120hz screen is better for gaming, but I mostly play single player games, and some older games. My eyes tend to prefer the high resolutions,even at 30fps. I've also seen the 120hz QHD TN screen on an Alienware 17 and honestly I hated the contrast ratio, blacks seemed washed out. Do you think the GS73vr 4k would be a good fit for me?

    Thanks,
    Josh

    • Derek Sullivan

      May 22, 2017 at 4:00 pm

      If you didn't like the AW 17 TN panel, you won't like the Tn panel on this model. It's practically the same in every way except the resolution, which is worse on this model. I personally have the 4k model still and I think it's great. After reviewing and using a Tn panel for a couple weeks on the AW 17, I am happy as can be going back to my GS73VR. The picture is so much nicer. The only think I have to deal with is the occasional scaling issue with legacy apps, but that's not that big of a deal for most people. You might have that issue though if you plan on doing 3d modeling. If you're using SW 2016 or earlier, you might have trouble with the scaling of the buttons.

  36. Flair

    July 7, 2017 at 6:24 am

    I just purchased the GS73 7RE, which from what I can tell is basically a 6RF but with an updated CPU and a 1050TI. My main question is about connecting to an external display. The HDMI port in your review says HDMI 1.4b. However, I thought all Nvidia GPUs in this series were HDMI 2.0b. Or is this a difference between the mobile and desktop variants? I'm interested in hooking up my laptop to a HDR capable monitor/TV, but I believe that HDR can only happen via HDMI 2.0b.

    Many thanks.

  37. Lukas Zieba

    October 9, 2017 at 10:33 am

    This laptop is a good fast gaming machine but it's a flimsy piece of shit in terms of construction, the hinges are weak because the bracket relies in about 3cm if plastic with some absolutely microscopic weak little metal to plastic bolting mine slid off a bed from a height of 30 cm and the screen hinges on the right side broke, and not to mention the fact that the touchpad somehow managed to stick itself under the thin metal casing with click permanently stuck on. It feel about the height the width of a cereal box and now it's completely fucked. Not to mention the fact that the casing around the USB ports deforms and breaks just due to heating and cooling expansion and contraction in the metal. So case wise, it's a piece of crap, they could easily have fixed this problem with a tiny bit more effort, and they'd have an absolutely brilliant product, but they decided to cheap out to save a few grams, and if I want mine fixed I need to ship it to Poland. Don't get me wrong its a fucking good laptop, but they cut some corners where it matters and now i've got a busted device. I want to say a bunch of good stuff about it because of its performance but the build quality just isn't up to scratch, not by a long shot.

    If you're going to be even slightly careless with it it's going to end up on a scrap heap. Apple devices don't have issues like this, and these other manufacturers need to start stepping their game up, because there's no reason for me to ever bother buying something like this again if it's just going to end up buggered. I'm absolutely furious right now, there's no excuse for this kind of cheap design when I paid over $1600 for something.

  38. Guillaume

    August 14, 2018 at 3:29 pm

    I bought this laptop one year ago after reading your review, and I barely never got disappointed about it, so thank you for your work. I'm not a big player and I don't get interested as much as others concerning technical characteristics, but this computer is entirely satisfying for what I want to play. Moreover, it is lightweight (comparatively to other gamer laptops) so I can easily carry it everywhere to work.

    Some notes about defaults or problems I had:
    – as you mention it, the song quality is quite bad.
    – the cover is lightly bent at some places after a unintentionnal pressure was applied, so it is important to protect well the laptop when carrying it.

  39. Leon

    July 22, 2019 at 4:12 pm

    Great review! I am trying to find a gaming laptop that works with my Razer Core X, and this PC seems to meet all my requirements. However, I am not able to find GS73VR available in my country, only GS73 8RE

    I have tried to contact MSI support to find out if GS73 8RE differs from GS73VR with regards to being compatible with external GPUs, but all I get from them is ambiguity. Do you have any idea if all GS73 models are equally compatible with the Razer Core or Core X, or any idea if GS73 8RE specifically support external graphics (eGFX)?

    • Derek Sullivan

      July 22, 2019 at 5:33 pm

      As long as it has a genuine thunderbolt 3 port, it should work. MSI laptops have been known to work well with the Razer core, from what I've seen and tested.

      • Leon

        July 22, 2019 at 10:49 pm

        But what about compatibility with the Core X? According to Razer, any laptop with a thunderbolt 3 port that supports eGFX, is compatible with the Core X. I could not find the corresponding requirements for a laptop to be compatible with the Razer Core (not X). I fear that some laptops might be incompatible with the Core X, even though they are compatible with the Razer Core.

      • Derek Sullivan

        July 22, 2019 at 10:55 pm

        I'm not sure how it would be compatible with the core and not the core x. There's virtually no difference when it comes to the tb3 interface with the laptop. The main difference is the lack of USB ports on the core x which would mean you would have to plug them into your laptop instead.

      • Leon

        July 23, 2019 at 6:32 pm

        Thanks for the help, I just ordered the laptop. After some more digging, I found that many different variants of GS73 have been reported to support eGFX, GS73 8RF in particular, which is identical to GS73 8RE except for the graphics card.

        Indeed, MSI support claimed that the hardware design for all the GS73 variants I have mentioned is "not different". Still, they refuse to guarantee that GS73 8RE is compatible with the Core X, as they haven't officially validated it. I guess they are just careful what they claim, so they cannot get sued xD

      • Derek Sullivan

        July 23, 2019 at 6:33 pm

        They're competitors so they're never gonna endorse each other's products. Good luck with the new laptop though. Let us know how things work out.

  40. Leon

    July 26, 2019 at 3:50 am

    @Derek Sullivan (I would have liked to reply directly to your last comment, but there is no "Reply" button for it.)

    Thanks, it looks like I am going to need some good luck, because this new laptop currently responds even weaker to my Core X than my non-Thunderbolt laptop which I first tried it with.

    When I tried to connect the Core X to the non-Thunderbolt laptop, I would sometimes get a notification on screen which says that SOMETHING has been inserted into the USB-C slot, and that it might be incompatible with the PC's version of USB-C.

    However, when I try to connect the Core X to the new (and Thunderbolt ready) MSI GS73 laptop, I get no notification what so ever, and I am unable to find any sign in the software of my computer that the Core X is connected. I do however, find signs in the hardware that a connection has been made, for both laptops, as the fans start to work in the Core X when it gets connected to either laptop.

    I have no idea what to do, as I have followed the instructions in the booklet for the Core X exactly, and I have updated windows as is recommended by Razer in the supplementary instructions on "Setting up you Razer Core" (https://support.razer.com/gaming-laptops/razer-core-x/)

    I would like to know how you proceeded when you connected your Razer Core to the MSI GS73VR for the first time. Aren't you supposed to get notifications on-screen?

    And by the way, you say that Razer and MSI are competitors, but they are not competitors in the eGPU busyness. If MSI had their own eGPU enclosure on the market, I would definitely have bought that instead.

    • Derek Sullivan

      July 26, 2019 at 4:03 am

      I just plugged it in and it worked. You might need the thunderbolt drivers to be installed. Might also want to check the bios to see if it's disabled maybe?

      • Leon

        July 27, 2019 at 2:22 am

        By thunderbolt drivers, do you mean this: https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/28735/Thunderbolt-3-DCH-Driver-for-Windows-10-for-Intel-NUC

        Also, I have never checked the BIOS for anything, as I barely know what it is. Is the process simple and safe? Because I don't want to accidently break something important in the BIOS.

      • Derek Sullivan

        July 27, 2019 at 2:26 am

        The thunderbolt drivers are on MSIs website. Here for example, although your model may differ

      • Leon

        July 27, 2019 at 4:36 am

        Thanks, I managed to fix the setting in BIOS (which was a pain in the ass to do), but something is definitely wrong with the zip file and/or the instructions for how to download and install the driver for GS73 Stealth 8RE on MSI. The file is only 0.62 MB, and it is missing a folder that is mentioned in the instructions, and that zip files for other laptops have.

        I am so disappointed with MSI's website and customer service. The number of errors is unacceptable. If they don't step up, I am going to file a formal complaint.

  41. Erik Ltz

    January 6, 2020 at 1:18 pm

    After *three years* my GS73VR wouldn't boot – stuck at the MSI logo. Appears there's a safety function that stops the boot process if the CPU fan doesn't spin up – then it just shows MSI and no more. Managed a few more boots by removing backplate and carefully vacuum clean fans (*careful*).

    Then ordered new fans on eBay, complete disassembly, replaced both fans (1 for CPU, 2 for GPU) and up and running again with normal temps and fan sound (also upgraded SSD at same time).

    Life of machine used as daily driver happily extended to even longer…! :-)

  42. Gary Porter

    July 17, 2020 at 11:28 pm

    Hello Derek
    I have the GS73 7RE(Stealth Pro) and I have stupidly broken one the white brackets under the space bar.
    I have tried so hard to find new brackets and a video on how to fix it, but unsuccessfully.
    Can you offer any advice.
    I live in the UK in case you can recomend a local supplier or repairer, as I have never upgraded a laptop before.
    I have tried the local MSI repair centre but they are not responding.

    I also want to upgrade the SSD "C Drive" but I don't know how to transfer the data to a new SSD and to install the new SSD. I'm thinking that I want to buy a Samsung 970 EVO 1 TB PCIe NVMe M.2 (2280) Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) from Amazon.

    I would be eternally grateful for any help or advice.

    • Derek Sullivan

      July 18, 2020 at 12:27 am

      I'll start with the easy question. For SSD replacements, I usually install the new blank SSD and then use a USB adapter to hook up the old SSD via USB. Then I run a SSD cloning software(I use Macrium Reflect) and boot to it. Then you just clone one SSD to the other. Sometimes you have to resize the partitions afterwards, depending on if you're going from a smaller SSD to a larger one. Another method if cloning isn't necessary is to just hook up the SSD via USB after you install Windows and only copy the files you need manually.

      As for the spacebar key. Do you mean the hinge underneath the spacebar key cap? If so, have you looked at replacementlaptopkeys.com?

      • Gary Porter

        July 18, 2020 at 9:01 am

        Thanks for the feedback.
        With regards to the hinges, yes, there is two small white okazt hinges under the space bar each one is made up of two bits. I broke the lug of one by trying to push it back after cleaning under the actual tab.
        I cannot find a video of how the actually fit together and I snapped it when pressing it back. (I placed it wrong) 😢

        With regards to the clonning or data transfer, I have a USB stick which I "burned" as requested by the laptop when I purchased it, would that not work.(i think it's called recovery software)

        Please forgive the possibly stupid questions but I've never done this before.

      • Derek Sullivan

        July 18, 2020 at 3:18 pm

        You should just make your own cloning bootable. There's a lot of how to's on YouTube on how to make a bootable macrium reflect USB. I'd start there.

        As for your spacebar, check out that site I mentioned before. They sell the key, hinge and cup for your model. Just make sure you look at the pictures and pick the correct hinge.

  43. Gary

    July 18, 2020 at 9:31 pm

    Thanks a million. Really helpful info and guidance.
    Regards
    Gary

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