Final thoughts, rating, awards, where2buy
MSI's X-Slim X600 laptop is
aimed at folk who don't mind paying a premium for a product that's not
just a run-of-the-mill model. Priced at £799 for the review
sample, the X600's fairly standard in some respects, shipping with a
15.6in screen that has a native resolution of 1,366x768, presented in a
16:9 aspect ratio. A 500GB mechanical drive provides plenty of storage,
and the usual wireless protocols - 802.11a/g/n WiFi and Bluetooth v2.0
- are present.
The wow factor of the machine rests with the form factor, at less than
one-inch-thick across the entirely of the chassis. Made possible by the
use of a low-power CULV chip from Intel, the 2.1kg laptop has a
striking profile, reminiscent of Apple's MacBook Air. Unlike the Air,
the X600 fits in full-sized ports and, impressively, a discrete Radeon
HD 4330 512MB graphics card that chews through gaming benchmarks.
Indeed, the laptop's overall performance credentials are solid in every
respect. MSI keeps the bases covered by bundling an external,
USB-powered optical drive.
Battery life is good for a 15.6in model, too, coming in at 3.5 hours on
our video-playback test, and the package is rounded off with a
reasonable software bundle and warranty.
The same £799 outlay will buy you laptops that focus on
better performance (Core 2 Duo), a fuller multimedia feature-set
(Blu-ray drive, higher-resolution screen), or increased battery life
(Acer Timeline), but very few 15.6in models can compete with the X600's
sheer range of desirable qualities.
Want a big-screen, lightweight, thin, and powerful notebook with decent
battery life? MSI's X-Slim X600 makes a compelling case for
£799.
HEXUS Rating
We consider any product score above '50%' as a safe buy. The higher the score, the higher the recommendation from HEXUS to buy. Simple, straightforward buying advice.
The rating is given in relation
to the category the component(s) competes in, therefore the laptop is
evaluated with respect to our 'high-end' criteria.
MSI X-Slim X600 laptop
MSI X-Slim X600 laptop
HEXUS Where2Buy
HEXUS Right2Reply
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