Bootskii

Haven't actually tried anything yet, but I'll give it a shot.

After automatically updating (without warning, but that's on me) to Windows 10 Anniversary, I can't open MSI True color. The weird thing is that it's still working because I'm stuck on the anti-blue setting, which is super annoying for gaming. I'm sure MSI is working on a driver, but does anyone know how to fix it now?

If the current laptop is still under warranty, it still runs smoothly, AND it's not void if you upgrade, then I'd upgrade.

I bought an Envy in 2012. Its motherboard blew out about a year an a half ago. I hated it anyway. The BluRay drive never worked, even after I sent it off for "repair." I know cost to performance is awesome, but it's not worth the virtually non-existent reliability.

It makes a single little "pop" or "crack" once every 15-60 minutes or so, the same sound your finger makes when you shock your sister after rubbing your socks on the carpet. It seems to only be when it's plugged into my laptop. I just went ahead and called MSI anyway, because I don't want to risk it, and because I thought the warranty would cover it, but they have my power supply on a different warranty. Sneaky fuckers. But after I learned my technician's unique dialect of broken English, we sorted it out. I'm paying $100 for a new power brick, and then I'll send back my faulty one for a full refund (minus shipping).

My power brick makes a clicking/popping sound when it's plugged in. My laptop is working fine though (for now). I checked to see if my outlet was hot, but it's fine. Laptop is an MSI GT72. Do I have to RMA this som-bitch again?? I'm really hoping they'll just send me a new one without my having to send it back first.

Actually expecting much worse. I hear 8 core and I think i7 or Xeon, and wondered how much money they expected parents to throw away next December.

So Microsoft mentioned in that over-the-top (kind of Hooli-ish) commercial for Scorpio that it will have an 8 core CPU. I remember Linus (or somebody) saying that game devs are still having trouble utilizing quad cores. Is this marketing or "future-proofing?" Or something else entirely?

Only if there's a specific feature you want. Skylake would have been mostly pointless if not for DDR4 compatibility, Thunderbolt 3 (don't quote me on that), lower power draw, and tons of other not-so-sexy improvements. If you're just gaming, save your money. If you use professional software, most of them are more compatible with more "mature" hardware anyway. Last I checked, Avid Media Composer is still recommending Haswell CPUs.

Yeah, it's hard to find a laptop less than 17" with quiet fans. Not too much of an issue with me personally. Thanks for your input!

Thank you I'm looking at a 15 myself. What would be your biggest complaint?

OK, so, if Cost:Performance is the same as everyone else's (if anything, it's actually a little cheaper), then we're left with the annoying hype (which doesn't matter in the end), and mixed results with customer service. What about build quality and longevity? I know it's crap for their desktops (apparently they cheap out on motherboards), but we're dealing with laptops. Who has personal experience with owning one for a long-ass time?

First of all, I know why their desktops suck, but I'm interested in the laptops. And please don't tell me to just build a desktop. I know they're more powerful, but I need mobility. I hear people complain about Alienware laptops all the time, but the only real reason I've heard so far is that they're overpriced. After less than 10 minutes of research, I find the cost:performance ratio pretty much the same as any other gaming laptop, and sometimes less expensive. Customer reviews are above average. I've owned a Dell before (not an Alienware) and the customer service is better than HP's, and especially better than MSI's (I've owned 3 laptops, one from each respectively mentioned brand), and that 2009 laptop is still alive and kicking. So if the build quality reflects any other Dell, then it's nothing to worry about. My dad's video production company has 2 Dells that are almost 20 years old and refuse to die, and they still have my 2009 machine running smoothly. So, what am I missing? Do they have bad longevity? That's one aspect I'm having a hard time finding.

Did you hear a pop/crack/zap when it shut off? My HP Envy dv6 did a similar thing. It was plugged in and I was just dorking around on Facebook. Turns out it was part of the motherboard that fried, and I had to replace my system or pay $300 to replace the motherboard (warranty expired). I think it was heat, because the ventilation on that thing was crap. But I'm a little surprised to hear that happening to a gaming pc. I also used to leave it plugged in until I took it somewhere, so it could have been overcharged. I only plug my new rig in when I'm gaming, and I try to never leave it plugged in if it has a full charge and I'm not using it. Also, check your outlets, make sure they're not putting out too much electricity. Older buildings are more likely to have this problem. My power supply used to make a funny zappy noise when it was plugged in and fully charged, which I ignored. Anyway, I feel your pain

They're a great company, and it's superb when handling the footage. I know a tower would be better, but I need the mobility. That's why I didn't build a tower, as much as I wanted (and still want) to.

I bought my MSI GT72S Dominator Pro G-220 in October 2015. Overall it's fantastic. There are plenty of reviews that sing MSI's praises for this product, but this is about the BS I've encountered in the last 7 months: Backlight bleed. Black screens look terrible. During my un-boxing, it almost killed my excitement. Almost. *Cracking it open voids the warranty. I want a SATA SSD for storage for editing high-res video, but, as you'll see below, the warranty is a must. On day 3 of a video shoot, it couldn't access the SSD, the drive with my OS. It booted straight to the BIOS, where essentially told me there was no SSD, and only recognized my HDD for storage. I closed it and left it unplugged. 15 hours later, it was fine, so I guess it was just overcharged since we left it plugged in all night. Still, that's something I shouldn't have to deal with, especially with that kind of price tag. We ended up using my brother's 2012 Dell Inspiron to transfer RED footage (4.6K resolution), a truly horrendous experience. Anyway, that was the first and last time that ever happened, but it still pisses me off, especially since I'd only had the thing for about a month and a half. Just a couple of weeks ago, 3 keys on the SteelSeries keyboard stopped working: Space bar, F, and G (I don't know when exactly they stopped working beause I mostly use an external keyboard). Without a keyboard, this is just an overpriced Desktop. I reported this online and almost immediately got an email from MSI with an RMA package and info. Nice quick response, but I still had to pay $40 (US) to ship it, even though it's still under warranty! I'm supposed to get it back just barely in time for summer classes, but there's a chance I won't get it back until over a week into classes. The latter is worst-case scenario and unlikely, but this is still way too close for comfort, especially for a Software Development student. No real question here, just reporting. Let me know if you've also had bad luck with MSI. *added 4:55pm 5/21/16

I would never go back to college without a laptop because portability is a must. If you think your laptop will last until you graduate, then build a Desktop. But if you don't think that laptop will last (my last HP laptop was a 2012 and just died one day in 2015; kudos for keeping yours alive) I'd get a new one with some kind of external graphics solution. That way, you can take your projects with you without keeping track of a million thumb drives, and you're not confined to the library or your apartment/dorm when you do those stupid annoying group projects. I'm actually going back to school this summer for software development, and I still occasionally edit video, so I'm planning downgrade to an Alienware 15 with a Graphics Amp. For me, portability is a necessary expense. I also don't recommend 17" laptops because I have one now and I hate carrying it around (I was lucky to even find a big enough backpack, and it still barely fits). I can't wait to build my first desktop, but it's just not practical yet.

I've had my $2800 (including tax & fees) MSI gt72s blah blah acronyms since October 2015, and the Steel Series keyboard is already failing (but externals work fine). The Space Bar, F key, and G key no longer work, and more may follow. I don't even use it very often, I plug in a mechanical. Warranty will cover it, and lasts until January 2018. But if I send it off, I probably won't have a computer when I start school again in June. Kind of a big deal since I'm going for Software Development. I'm thinking about selling it to my dad's company (not sure for how much yet) and downgrading to an Alienware 15 with the money, costing around $2000 (including tax), but I don't know what a fair price would be. Silver lining: it would be a little nicer to carry around a 15" rather than this 17" behemoth. Oh, and the graphics amp seems cool. The big issue here is not having a computer for school, and MSI says 10-25 business days, excluding shipping (Good God!). Has anyone else had experience with MSI costumer service? Or a similar issue with a similar laptop? And if I sell, how much would be fair ($2599 msrp)? Here are the options I'm considering: Option 1: Downgrade, basically lose money, but have a working computer soon enough. Option 2: Repair it under warranty, risk starting software development classes without a computer, and risk future issues. Option 3: Buy a stupid flexy keyboard and take it to class, keep buying a stupid new one when the stupid thing breaks because it's stupid, and still risk future issues if there's something seriously wrong. Option 4: ... Haven't thought of one yet, but I'm sure more exist.