MSI GE62 2QD Apache Gaming Notebook Review

Introduction

• Manufacturer: MSI
• Model: GE62 2QD Apache (029-UK) Notebook
• Price: £1099 (At the time of review)

Portable gaming is evolving all of the time and one of the many portable platforms moving faster than any other is laptop/notebook capability.  This is due in part to a combination of multiple reasons, one being the advancement of component technology, another is companies making these components run more efficiently which decreases heat/power usage and another huge factor is of course the sheer demand; this forces companies to act and produce something fit for purpose.

Enter the MSI GE62 2QD Apache Gaming notebook from, you guessed it, MSI!  This sub £1100 portable gaming powerhouse features the new NVIDIA GTX 960M graphics card which comes with 2GB of VRAM; perfect for the 15.6″ 1080p screen which is also included.  This is powered by the 4th generation Intel Core i7 4720HQ processor which turbos at 3.6GHz; the stock speeds are 2.6GHz but can be controlled via the intuitive MSI Gaming app which comes featured with the GE62 Apache series.  Add 8GB of 1600MHz DDR3, 1 x 128GB SSD and 1 x 1TB HDD into the mix and you have a pretty potent little gaming notebook.  Of course MSI know this and have impecabbly designed their entire range of Gaming series notebooks from the entry level range all the way to the GT80 Titan SLI; this one will set you back £3000+!

Specifications

• CPU
  The 4th generation Intel® Core™ i7 Processor
• OS
  Windows 8.1
• Chipset
  Intel HM87
• Memory
  DDR3L,up to 1600 MHz, slot *2, max 16GB
• LCD Size
  15.6″ FHD (1920 x 1080) Anti-Glare Display
• Graphics
  GeForce GTX 960M
• Graphics VRAM
  GDDR5 2GB
• Storage
  Up to 768GB Super RAID 2 + 1TB HDD 7200rpm
• Audio
  Sound by Dynaudior
  Support 7.1 channel SPDIF output
  Exclusive Audio Boost technology
  Nahimic sound technology
• Webcam
  HD type (30fps@720p)
• Card Reader
  SD (XC/HC)
• LAN
  Killer Gb LAN
• Wireless LAN
  802.11ac
• Bluetooth
  4.0
• HDMI
  1(v1.4), Support 4Kx2K Output
• USB 2.0 port
  1
• USB 3.0 port
  3
• Mini-DisplayPort
  1, Support FHD 120HZ, 4K 60Hz
• Mic-in/Headphone-out
  1/1
• Keyboard
  Full-color backlight SteelSeries keyboard
• AC Adapter
  150W
• Battery
  6-Cell Li-Ion
• Dimension
  383 x 260 x 27mm
• Weight (KG)
  2.4Kg (w/ Battery)

Video Review

Conclusion

If I had to sum up the MSI GE62 2QD Apache in a short sentence, it would include such words as manificent, blingy, premium and quality.  Ok so that was a sentence too which featured all those words but I guess you get the idea right?  The GE62 2QD combines top of the range components with more budget/mid-range orientated components to give it a price achieveable for most consumers looking to either move into the gaming notebook world, or for those wanting to completely replace their desktop to save space, maybe go travelling with or any other reason imaginable.

So what are my main highlights?  Well first of all, the included SteelSeries keyboard is a nice nifty innovation and you will only find these currently on MSI gaming notebooks which is great for MSI; the SteelSeries Engine 3 software is one of the easiest and most intuitive pieces of peripheral software I have ever used, even Engine 2 was brilliant so a testament to SteelSeries here; sorry MSI!  Although another striking MSI feature aside from the MSI Gaming APP, is the 15.6″ LCD screen which has a maximum resolution of 1080p and looks absolutely fantastic; very rich colours, great viewing angle and very Anti-Glare for those who hate sheen and screen glare from sunlight!  Also included is a free subscription to XSplit Gamecaster which allows gamers to stream their gaming experience to the world; use the webcam to fully immerse yourself, or if you are like me, humiliate yourself even further!

The 6 cell lithium polymer (60Wh) battery does a very good job baring in mind that gaming on the battery will drain any brands laptop quicker than you can say, PLAYAAAH, but when you take into consideration that I used this laptop for 2+ hours without issues by doing a mixture of spreadsheets and web browsing, I felt it did particularly well; you can of course enable power saving mode which ramps the brightness of the screen right down and allows probably an extra 30 minutes or so of use?  I hate using low power mode on anything in all fairness but sometimes needs must!

Overall you do get quite a lot for £1100 but not quite enough in terms of power but if the price were say, £100 lower making it a solid grand, this would certainly peak my attention further as if you watch the video, I adore this thing.  Premium aluminium plate which feels great, good specs enough to play “most” games on decent settings and what’s more, you can take this to a LAN such as iSeries (Insomnia Gaming Festivals) and be able to compete in tournaments whislt knowing that this will power you through it and thus making you epic.  Everyone wants to be epic right?  Yes, well you know what to do!

Huge thanks to MSI for sending the GE62 2QD Apache in for review and I look forward to seeing more in the near future!

You can find the GE62 2QD, on Amazon currently priced at the time of review for £1099. Click me to go to amazon!