MSI laptops customization

[Zorooss]

Does anyone have any idea if MSI GE70 Apache pro laptop is able to be customized, as there is a difference between specs that in US version and AU version. US version are cheaper and more affordable without SSD, just wondering if its able to put a SSD into the laptop myself ???  

[AnotherTechGuy]

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[Sheldon_King]

Does anyone have any idea if MSI GE70 Apache pro laptop is able to be customized, as there is a difference between specs that in US version and AU version. US version are cheaper and more affordable without SSD, just wondering if its able to put a SSD into the laptop myself ???  

It is somewhat customizable. It has a GTx860m which can be BGA or MXM. If it is BGA, you are stuck with the card you were dealt. If it is MXM, you can replace it with any higher or lower card as long as the cooling is adequate and power supply is available. Chances are you would max out about at a m290 or gtx 870m or Quadro k4000m before you would run into issues (also note you need BIOS support for your upgraded card, but that is not usually an issue with MSI). The RAM is standard 204 Pin DDR3 modules, and it supports up to 8GB per dimm (should be 2 or 4 dimms for 16 or 32GB max). The Processor is standard PGA Haswell and it should support up to the MX versions of the processor, but again heat and power could be an issue.  SSD and HDD wise, you should have a 1TB HDD, and it is standard 2.5" SATA. Anything you throw in will have to fit, but all SSD (SATA) and most 1TB or less HDDs will fit. Screen can also be upgraded if you are careful and have the 1600x900 one, but only to the reference 1080p screen in most cases. 

 

TLDR: CPU, RAM, SSD/HDD, LCD, and possibly GPU can be upgraded. 

 

Also hardware wise both Aus and USA should be about equal, but the charger from AUS will not plug into a standard US wall socket without an adapter.(Might also have an issue going from 220V down to 110V on the single brick if it does not autoswitch, which most do.) 

[Scionyde]

It is somewhat customizable. It has a GTx860m which can be BGA or MXM. If it is BGA, you are stuck with the card you were dealt. If it is MXM, you can replace it with any higher or lower card as long as the cooling is adequate and power supply is available. Chances are you would max out about at a m290 or gtx 870m or Quadro k4000m before you would run into issues (also note you need BIOS support for your upgraded card, but that is not usually an issue with MSI). The RAM is standard 204 Pin DDR3 modules, and it supports up to 8GB per dimm (should be 2 or 4 dimms for 16 or 32GB max). The Processor is standard PGA Haswell and it should support up to the MX versions of the processor, but again heat and power could be an issue.  SSD and HDD wise, you should have a 1TB HDD, and it is standard 2.5" SATA. Anything you throw in will have to fit, but all SSD (SATA) and most 1TB or less HDDs will fit. Screen can also be upgraded if you are careful and have the 1600x900 one, but only to the reference 1080p screen in most cases. 

 

TLDR: CPU, RAM, SSD/HDD, LCD, and possibly GPU can be upgraded. 

 

Also hardware wise both Aus and USA should be about equal, but the charger from AUS will not plug into a standard US wall socket without an adapter.(Might also have an issue going from 220V down to 110V on the single brick if it does not autoswitch, which most do.) 

 

Mostly agree with this, but the GE70 comes with an i7-4700HQ which is not upgradeable. Also, the GE70 comes with the Maxwell 860M which isn't upgradeable either. 

 

EDIT: @Zorooss If you're concerned about upgradeability, the Sager models are usually much more friendly in that regard. Also, I would personally stay away from MSI offerings this time around. Their GT/GE models are still using a single fan design, so they'll be hot, loud, and probably throttle under load.

[Sheldon_King]

Mostly agree with this, but the GE70 comes with an i7-4700HQ which is not upgradeable. Also, the GE70 comes with the Maxwell 860M which isn't upgradeable either. 

 

EDIT: @Zorooss If you're concerned about upgradeability, the Sager models are usually much more friendly in that regard. Also, I would personally stay away from MSI offerings this time around. Their GT/GE models are still using a single fan design, so they'll be hot, loud, and probably throttle under load.

Without having one here to test, I would not know, however it is highly unlikely that the CPU is not socketed in that laptop, and even less likely that it can not be upgraded. 

 

The 860M is in both MXM and BGA, and again, without a full disassembly of one it is IMPOSSIBLE to tell which one is in it.  As for you suggesting Sager for upgrades, I would steer away from them with the exception of the LGA2011 version. Eurocom offers the same chassis with FAR more options for each part. Also, HP and Dell workstations (the Z series 15 and Z Book 17 with the Precision M4*00/M6*00), Alienware, and all the Sager rebuilders (especially Eurocom) are extremely end user upgradable. 

[Scionyde]

Without having one here to test, I would not know, however it is highly unlikely that the CPU is not socketed in that laptop, and even less likely that it can not be upgraded. 

 

The 860M is in both MXM and BGA, and again, without a full disassembly of one it is IMPOSSIBLE to tell which one is in it.  As for you suggesting Sager for upgrades, I would steer away from them with the exception of the LGA2011 version. Eurocom offers the same chassis with FAR more options for each part. Also, HP and Dell workstations (the Z series 15 and Z Book 17 with the Precision M4*00/M6*00), Alienware, and all the Sager rebuilders (especially Eurocom) are extremely end user upgradable. 

 

The i7-4700HQ is soldered to the motherboard, it's the i7-4700MQ that is socketed and upgradeable. As for the 860M, yeah, OP will need to do some research, but to my knowledge, the only MXM versions of it are Kepler, and the GE70 comes with a Maxwell 860M.

[Sheldon_King]

The i7-4700HQ is soldered to the motherboard, it's the i7-4700MQ that is socketed and upgradeable. As for the 860M, yeah, OP will need to do some research, but to my knowledge, the only MXM versions of it are Kepler, and the GE70 comes with a Maxwell 860M.

I will give you the CPU, I did not notice the H opposed to the M. Stupid move by MSI, and a very good reason to not buy that laptop right there. 

 

to the GPU, it is Kepler certainly. We are not talking about a 13 inch wannabe system. It is 17 Inch and equipped with the MXM versioin See also, those that open these up on a daily basis  

 

Specifications

It is easy to understand why Nvidia produces two versions of the GeForce GTX 860M. Smaller notebooks use the soldered GPUs with the Maxwell chip GM107, whereas bulkier gaming cases with MXM slots use the significantly bigger Kepler sibling (GK104 chip), which is also manufactured in a 28 nm process.

http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-Nvidia-GeForce-GTX-860M-Maxwell-vs-Kepler.114908.0.html

[Scionyde]

I will give you the CPU, I did not notice the H opposed to the M. Stupid move by MSI, and a very good reason to not buy that laptop right there. 

 

to the GPU, it is Kepler certainly. We are not talking about a 13 inch wannabe system. It is 17 Inch and equipped with the MXM versioin See also, those that open these up on a daily basis  

 

Yeah, it's a bit of a shame. However, my understanding is that you can only really upgrade your mobile CPU within a generation (aka no putting a Broadwell mobile CPU into your Haswell laptop, or an Ivy Bridge CPU into your Sandy Bridge laptop). I could be wrong, but that's what I've read. If that's the case, then even if it's socketed, upgrade options are already pretty limited.

 

Regarding the 860M, these two sources claim that the 860M in the GE70 is Maxwell:

 

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonevangelho/2014/05/14/notebook-review-msi-ge70-apache-pro-with-nvidia-gtx-860m-graphics/

http://www.pcpro.co.uk/reviews/laptops/388165/msi-ge70-2pe-apache-pro

 

From what I can tell, the versions of the 860M with 2GB VRAM are all Maxwell, while all Kepler versions come with 4. (I've also heard there are 4GB versions of Maxwell, but I'm not too sure). Form factor doesn't necessarily decide whether to put Maxwell or Kepler into the laptop - I know for a fact that the 860M in the 10-pound, 17" Asus G750JM is Maxwell. Therefore, I don't think it's safe to make the assumption that all 13"-14" laptops will have Maxwell, and all 15"-18" laptops will have Kepler.

[StingBull]

I was considering buying this same laptop myself. I read from MSI that they don't support upgrading the GPU in none of their laptops. That doesn't mean you cannot do it but it means you can mess up the laptop while doing it.

[Sheldon_King]

Yeah, it's a bit of a shame. However, my understanding is that you can only really upgrade your mobile CPU within a generation (aka no putting a Broadwell mobile CPU into your Haswell laptop, or an Ivy Bridge CPU into your Sandy Bridge laptop). I could be wrong, but that's what I've read. If that's the case, then even if it's socketed, upgrade options are already pretty limited.

 

Regarding the 860M, these two sources claim that the 860M in the GE70 is Maxwell:

 

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonevangelho/2014/05/14/notebook-review-msi-ge70-apache-pro-with-nvidia-gtx-860m-graphics/

http://www.pcpro.co.uk/reviews/laptops/388165/msi-ge70-2pe-apache-pro

 

From what I can tell, the versions of the 860M with 2GB VRAM are all Maxwell, while all Kepler versions come with 4. (I've also heard there are 4GB versions of Maxwell, but I'm not too sure). Form factor doesn't necessarily decide whether to put Maxwell or Kepler into the laptop - I know for a fact that the 860M in the 10-pound, 17" Asus G750JM is Maxwell. Therefore, I don't think it's safe to make the assumption that all 13"-14" laptops will have Maxwell, and all 15"-18" laptops will have Kepler.

While I can not guarantee my information, that is completely dependent on the vender of the laptop and their BIOS support. For example My Dell Precision M90, Latitude D630 and IBM/Lenovo T61p all accept T9000/X9000 CPUs which are a refresh (2 really) above their release. That said, the Thinkpad (T61p) does need a modded BIOS to get the PWM fan functions right with the 9000 series CPUs (but it does unlock SATA II fully and add the ability to boot from mediabay, so the upgrade should be done either way).

You also have to check the Chipset for your CPU upgrades. If you are running Sandy Bridge for example, you are almost always guaranteed the ability to also run Ivybridge. Same with the 2 generations of LGA1156/PGA988 CPUs. Actually Haswell, Ivy, and Sandy all used PGA988 in laptops as well, so the difference is probably Purely Chipset and electrical differences.

 

My opinion on GPUs would be this: Either MXM or Intel. No upgradability and it is not worth my money.

[Sheldon_King]

I was considering buying this same laptop myself. I read from MSI that they don't support upgrading the GPU in none of their laptops. That doesn't mean you cannot do it but it means you can mess up the laptop while doing it.

It actually has little to do with you messing up the laptop. What MSI is saying is your warranty is void with the upgrade. Sager does the same thing, even though they are some of teh most upgradable laptops aside from Eurocom (whom has much better BIOS support for upgrades).