MSI has revealed two new notebooks as part of its GT60 range. One of them is aimed squarely at gamers and provides "mind melting graphics," this is the MSI GT60 2OD-261US. Also MSI introduced a notebook workstation aimed and optimised for creative types; this is called the GT60 2OKWS-278US. Both these laptops share many of the same technologies including that headlining 3K display.
MSI GT60 gaming laptop GT60 2OD-261US, $2,199 (£1,350)
This gaming laptop is said to offer superb graphical immersion thanks to its 15.6-inch 3K display. The display is an anti-reflective panel with a 16:9 ratio. MSI has chosen to propel pixels at this screen using the Nvidia GeForce GTX 780M graphics chip. Providing the processing grunt is a 4th generation Intel Core i7-4700MQ processor (2.4 GHz - 3.4 GHz with Turbo Boost).
MSI rounds off this "gaming powerhouse" with a few gaming niceties such as its Killer Doubleshot wireless, a SteelSeries full-colour backlit keyboard and Dynaudio premium speakers with a subwoofer. The GT60 2OD-261US comes as standard with 16GB of DDR3L RAM, a storage combination of 128GB SSD + 1TB HDD (7200RPM), a Blu-ray reader, a 9 cell battery and both USB 2 & USB 3 ports. This 45mm thick gaming laptop weighs in at 3.5Kg.
MSI GT60 workstation laptop GT60 2OKWS-278US, $2,799 (£1,715)
As mentioned in the intro this workstation shares a lot of the same specs as its gaming sibling, so let's concentrate on the differences. The GPU in this laptop is an Nvidia Quadro K3100M which is tailor made for mobile workstations to "supercharge and mobilize modern workflows". As such the GT60 2OKWS-278US is certified and optimised for Adobe Creative Suite 6, AutoDesk and SolidWorks usage.
The only other hardware difference is with the USB ports on offer, this workstation includes one less USB 2 port but still has 3x USB 3 ports, like its gaming counterpart. On the software front, this workstation comes with Windows 7 Pro installed but the gaming machine uses Windows 8.
Another feature of note with regard to this pair of laptops is that they can both simultaneously support up to three external displays as well as their built in 3K panel. This could be useful for both gaming and workstation purposes.
MSI informs us that these laptops alongside other gaming notebooks, workstations and all-in-ones will be on display at the CES 2014 show next month.
