Price as Reviewed: $1,499.00Last year's MSI GT660 afflicted with its quad-core power, fun and customizable lighting effects, and loud speakers. However, that arrangement lacked a abounding HD affectation and amount a appealing penny ($1,849). With the GT680R-008US, MSI has added a 1080p screen, a faster Sandy Bridge Core i7 CPU, and beefier Nvidia Geforce GTX 460M cartoon absolutely able of carrying DirectX 11 eye candy. You additionally get a abounding terabyte of storage. Asking price? Aloof $1,499. So aloof how abundant added anthology are you accepting for the money?
Design
The GT680 has the aforementioned anatomy and architecture as the GT660, which we advised aftermost year. Aesthetically, there's a lot activity on--almost too much. The lid has some blue angles cut forth the edges and a glossy, askew lid complete with a aglow MSI logo. Under the awning there's a mix of matte and bright textures--though the closing dominates--and the piano atramentous of the affectation bezel and top of the accouter fades into a bright slate color, which again turns into a textured bore arrangement on the approach rest.
Two speakers belted in red sit on the larboard and appropriate of the high deck, and amid them is a ascendancy accouter categorical in red and chrome with touch-sensitive LEDs. A ablaze tap activates anniversary function, including enabling or disabling Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or the Windows key and switching amid ability modes. There's alike a programmable adjustment button, admitting we ambition committed media controls were actuality as well. A shield-shaped ability button sits in the center. Admitting we begin this band actual useful, it best up fingerprints.
The 15.6 x 10.5 x 2.2-inch GT680R is carriageable abundant to booty to a LAN party, but its 7.6-pound weight will acceptable accumulate it sitting on your board best of the time. Nevertheless, this anthology is 2 pounds lighter than the 17-inch Alienware M17x.
