Micro-Star International (MSI) entered the market of netbooks with the launch of its Wind U100 netbook last year. Now, the company has targeted the entry-level gaming laptop market with the launch of its latest GT627. The laptop is not excellent on the design front, but is loaded with impressive hardware specifications and accounts for tremendous power. Priced at $1150, the GT627 rests in a black aluminum case. The artistic touch in the laptop is close to zero barring a red trim around the edges that adds a bit of color to the device. A chrome grille above its keyboard gives it the look of a gaming laptop. You might pass it off as a stylish business notebook. The GT627 is powered by Intel Core2 Duo 2.26-GHz P8400 CPU that is supported by 4GB of RAM. As far as storage option in the unit is concerned, it contains a 320GB hard drive. On the graphics front, Nvidia GeForce 9800M GS graphics with a 1GB of onboard RAM will surely entice the gamer in you. The laptop has a big downside on the battery front. It lasts a mere 2.5 hours on a single round of charge.
The screen of the GT627 offers a native resolution of 1280 by 800 pixels. The glossy 15.4-inch screen accounts for excellent color and crispness. The laptop is full of a number of ports. It houses two USB 2.0 slots, one extra USB slot that doubles up as an eSata port, a four-in-one card reader, and audio input/output jacks. Also present on the laptop is a four-pin FireWire port, an ExpressCard 54 slot, an Ethernet jack, a VGA-out port, and modem. You will also find an antenna jack on its back.
The keyboard of the unit is pretty disappointing and gamer-unfriendly with its nonstandard-size and unusually placed keys. It houses smaller commonly used keys like Backspace, Enter, and right Shift. The touchpad is attractive and user friendly. The laptop also boasts of a 2-megapixel webcam. The laptop’s stereo speakers produce thin and tinny sound. The unit comes pre-installed with the standard Windows Vista Home Premium. Overall, it is an affordable entry level gaming laptop that offers excellent performance and is worth a try.
