MSI GS30 Shadow

[popman]

Linking to the video in the OP would be nice.

 

That'd take less clicks to actually get to watching it.

[popman]

The video and audio freezes at 9:02- 9:18ish for me, anyone else have this issue? @nicklmg

I had the same issue.

 

mpv didn't complain about the video, so it's probably an encoding error.

I didn't try anything other than 720p though.

[LinusTheFoamH8ter]

what mouse is he using during this video

[TheSkai]

Lots of weird errors in this video. Do they have a new editor?

[nomadthewolf]

the ad at the start of the vid seemed to have no audio.    

[RZeroX]

I broke youtube somehow hahah

[G2S]

This would be a really good alternative to having a gaming PC and a laptop. A bit expensive, though still priced lower than a high end gaming pc + decent laptop. Nice Review 

[suicidalfranco]

now someone has to make a universal standard solution since intel has no intention to let others use the thunderbolt interface for eGPU purposes 

[Takata]

I see this not as a laptop that can dock to something less portable for increased performance, but as a desktop that can UNdock some of its components to permit mobility.

 

My main criticism is that you need(?) _another_ screen and keyboard to use it in "desktop" mode. It feels a bit inefficient to need to own 2 screens (the one on the laptop, and one desktop screen) and 2 keyboards (the standalone desktop one and the one on the laptop) when the point of this product was to eliminate the need to own one thing for portability, and another thing for immobile high performance. To their credit though, there's only one CPU, one motherboard, one set of main memory, and one (pair in RAID0) boot drive. ...and if you really wanted the immobile mode to feature a desktop-size screen and a desktop-size keyboard, as opposed to laptop-size versions, then I guess this is the direction to go in.

[delanyinspiron6400]

I'm not sure, if I missed it, but does the notebook have to be on top of the unit all the time, or is there a top piece, that you can take off?

 

Because if not, I think this is the weirdest solution I've ever seen and I couldn't imagine any way at all, how this could be comfortable to game on?

 

If that's true, Alienware's solution is wayyyyyyy better! And to those saying, that this is much thinner than the Alienware, I can only reply, that

thinness on its own is bullshit, if the battery life is that bad! 

If I want a light ultrabook, I want to use it "anywhere", hence the need for battery life! Without that, I rather have a thicker, but more capable solution!

[fred]

I would be interested if it used a non-proprietary connection (such as thunderbolt) and could be used by other notebooks. As it stands this is pretty much a waste of money.

I have a couple concerns with this thing:

• Because the GPU housing is proprietary, when you inevitably need to get a new laptop, the GPU enclosure becomes trash (unless MSI makes more models, which isn't much better as you are locked to a brand).
• The notebook has Iris Pro graphics, which means any "high-end" gaming without the cinder block is pretty much not feasible. I am not terribly fussed about this given the GPU enclosure but something dedicated like a 965M for the road would have been a lot better.
• Given the elevated height, an external keyboard is pretty much required while using the GPU brick with any semblance of comfort and ergonomics, which MSI could have avoided by using a cable, and something Alienware was smart enough to do.
• From the little I have seen, the build quality seems sub par for it's price category. I am not going to excuse thing kind of thing because of the "value add" of the GPU enclosure, especially when the standalone model without the GPU igloo is only ~$300 cheaper.

Anyone with $2000 (not including GPU) is much better off buying a laptop with equivalent or better specs and spending the rest on a separate gaming desktop (even a prebuilt).

For example you could get a ~$1300-1500 notebook, plus a ~$500-700 desktop minus GPU, plus whatever GPU you were going to use with the GS30 Shadow:

• The ~$1300-1500 notebook would be about the same or better than the GS30 Shadow without external GPU. 
• The ~$500-700 (not including GPU) desktop would be substantially better than the GS30 Shadow with its dollhouse.
• The two aren't dependant on each other, can be used separately at the same time, and doesn't use proprietary crap.
• Your desktop benefits from the numerous advantages of a desktop motherboard including more expansion slots.

I love the idea of external GPU enclosures, and good ones are on the horizon, but anyone who gets this is probably in for some early adopter woes when thunderbolt ones start hitting the market. If you want the desktop vs. laptop best of both worlds you are still better off getting both and staying away from this frankenstein machine.

 

Rant over.

[Guest]

The circumference of earth is 24,901 miles at the widest point. 24,901/2 is 12450.5

Idk what I'm doing wrong there. 

You're using half of the circumference, when you should be using the diameter.

 

On topic:

• Yay for battery life measurements!
• Booo for the results of those measurements!

Instead of using the external graphics to allow them to make a gaming laptop that's actually a good laptop, MSI used it to make a gaming laptop that's just thin.

[Pesmerga]

I like the idea, but the price is absurd, you could get a whole gaming desktop and a good laptop for that price :I

[Guest]

It feels a bit inefficient to need to own 2 screens (the one on the laptop, and one desktop screen) and 2 keyboards

 

I don't know. Every time I've seen a laptop used with a dock, it has been hooked up to a monitor. I'm always using an external display at home myself.

And that might have something to do with the fact that most laptops with docking ports have at best mediocre screens (mine is a terrible 1366x768 TN panel), but even if you get one of the newer ones with IPS panels, you're still limited by the size of the laptop screen.

I would think that most of the people interested in a dockable gaming laptop want to use it with a big external display and a mechanical keyboard.

[Claryn]

After watching Linus' video on the GS30 Shadow, where he says

 

".. because it promises something that has never been delivered before ... "

 

I got quite frustrated. Do your homework, Linus! There are products like this, products that are, in my opinion, way better. 

 

Imagine being able to bring your own laptop, or MacBook and connect it to a dock. Via a single cable. A dock that is at the size of a proper GPU, like the GTX Titan or the GTX 980. Well, that is not something imaginary. It is a thing, and it is called a ViDock. Oh, and did I mention it starts at 199$?!

 

First of all...

NO, I am not paid by VillageTronic in any way. This is my humble opinion.

 

 

As we know, Thunberbolt 2.0 is capable of transferring 20Gb/s, which translates to ~2,5 GB/s, and ~2GB/s, post encoding.

A PCI Express 3.0 16x slot is capable of ~15GB/s which is, indeed, way more. However, there are people that believe the 2GB/s is enough to have a very pleasant FPS, compared to running PCI Express 3.0 16x.

 

Just look at this chart:

Source

 

This shows that you will loose less than 30% performance if you connect a 680 or a 7970, or a 960 and a r9 280x. 

 

You know do more reading on how PCI Express lanes work here. 

 

If you still don't believe it, check out these results.

 

Now, the ViDock.

The ViDock Nano is a dock that uses a PCI Express-interface, and converts it to TB2.0 with a small adapter. This allows the machine to recognize the signal from the Thunderbolt cable as a regular PCI Express slot. 

 

The ViDock is also WAY, WAY, WAY smaller. It is basically just a house around the GPU, not something that is as large as a desktop-computer.

 

So here is the conclusion:

If you want something that works with any TB-enabled laptop, is way smaller and way cheaper, go for the ViDoc. The GS30 Shadow from MSI is NOT a one of a kind... it is simply a bad try at something that ALREADY exists..

 

Here is a video that shows a nice ViDock setup.

[Snadzies]

That is like the Pug of PC gaming, ugly enough that some find it cute and various things got screwed up in the process of making it..

[drigerm3]

What sort of psu is it? changable? not that its not enough or something

[Godlygamer23]

And why two 128GB SSD's why not just a single 256, I get raid but really was that needed?

Bandwidth perhaps?

[ofr057]

@nicklmg the pre roll add didnt have audio

[fma965]

I like alienware's solution because (at least on the 17, the only one with HDMI input) you can actually game on the laptop's screen and have the dock away from the laptop.  

 

Seriously, laptop makers: 

DIRECT VIDEO INPUT

FUCKING DO IT. 

NOW.

TABLETS TOO. 

Um the Alienware 17 which supports the Amplifier doesn't have a HDMI input.

[Syntaxvgm]

You're using half of the circumference, when you should be using the diameter.

 

On topic:

• Yay for battery life measurements!
• Booo for the results of those measurements!

Instead of using the external graphics to allow them to make a gaming laptop that's actually a good laptop, MSI used it to make a gaming laptop that's just thin.

So you are going to drill through the earth? 

[Syntaxvgm]

Um the Alienware 17 which supports the Amplifier doesn't have a HDMI input.

yes it does. It's the only one on the new series. I had to contact support to get the information. I asked them to put it on the website, but of course they didn't. 

Traditionally, they were separate port, but recently (I think on the last series) it's a combo port

http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/286032-new-alienware-laptop-lineup-the-big-boys-can-now-use-the-gpu-dock/

I believe the reason the 15 no longer has it is due to the high resolution screen option which the 17 doesn't have.

Traditionally the two larger ones had it. Like the 18 and the 17. Their smallest ones never had it because that would make too much sense. 

[Splashzed]

I think it's just too much money, could get such a nice mini itx rig for that price and really the box is bulky.

I guess it's a nice idea but i wouldn't buy it...

Forgot to mention that i hate laptops 

[Daniele M]

cut for space

 

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the vidock also needs the sonnet echo express card dock to convert from the express card exiting the vidock to thunderbolt2, and that is another 150$ at least.

[Guest]

So you are going to drill through the earth? 

No, I just think about distance in terms of... well, distance, not the length of shortest feasible travel route.

Getting to the other side of the world by moving directly towards your destination at ground level isn't a practical way to travel either.