MSI GT80 Titan: A Beastly Notebook with a Cherry MX Keyboard
by Jarred Walton on October 31, 2014 1:27 PM EST
Yesterday MSI announced their latest notebook addition, the GT80 Titan. I'm a bit unsure what to think of the notebook, but it's obviously unique in that it offers a SteelSeries keyboard with Cherry MX Brown switches. It also has a tweaked keyboard/palm rest area, somewhat reminiscent of the Acer R7 in that the keyboard is at the front…only now you have to throw in shades of Razer's Switchblade touchpad/UI as there's apparently a configurable touchpad/screen on the right of the keyboard.
I get the idea of doing a notebook with a mechanical keyboard, though obviously that will result in a thicker chassis. I'm not so sure about shifting the keyboard forward and turning the 10-key into a touchpad and getting rid of the palm rest. For actual gaming, most users will still use a dedicated mouse, but I for one like having a place to rest my palms when gaming (or just staring at the screen trying to think of what to type next), and with a notebook that will likely be a couple inches thick that's a bit of a problem.
As far as the remaining specifications go, MSI is not officially announcing the supported CPUs or GPUs, and the GT80 Titan isn't actually available for purchase yet. My bet is the GT80 Titan will support at least the GTX 980M, and given it's an 18-inch chassis it could very well include support for SLI 980M. Given the name, it's also possible the GT80 will support desktop components (e.g. GTX Titan GPUs), but that's less likely; a desktop CPU on the other hand is certainly a possibility. Hopefully the screen and other elements can keep pace with the high-end mechanical keyboard. You can follow MSI from the GT80 Titan's page to receive updates if you're interested in hearing more.
Source: MSI PR
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Notmyusualid - Saturday, November 1, 2014 - link
+48 x 10^6Mondozai - Friday, October 31, 2014 - link
I would never buy this laptop, I don't really see the point of a gaming laptop unless it's a dedicated LAN machine really, but I do get the idea of having the keyboard so close. It doesn't make sense only if you don't use gaming laptops(hence I would never buy one) but if you use a dedicated mouse and a keyboard, having the keys very close is just what you need.Think of most mechanical keyboards to your PC. They also have typically little room for your palms to rest(though there are exceptions).
Still, despite Maxwell and Nvidia's battery boost tech, battery life still suck on these PCs. You can't game more than a few hours at best. So if you're using it as your LAN machine, and you need to use the charger, might as well bring your normal PC.
DanNeely - Friday, October 31, 2014 - link
A bulky laptop is still a lot easier to haul around than an mITX desktop and external monitor. If you're just driving it to lan parties, you're right that it's not that big of a deal. OTOH any sort of mass transit is another story; extra bulk on a bus/subway/etc is a pain (especially when they reach the standing room only stage); never mind flying. If you're a gamer and stuck in a job that has you flying all over the place and living out of hotels something like this becomes a lot more attractive.MrSpadge - Saturday, November 1, 2014 - link
I don't think I'd personally buy it either, but I could see this being a nice work machine, where you don't have to go for an external keyboard. On the other hand an external keyboard is obviously cheaper than a huge gaming notebook.Notmyusualid - Saturday, November 1, 2014 - link
Some of us can't own a desktop, as we are on the road most of our lives.These sort of machines, whilst stripping us financially, provide the power to game and keep us happy.
I've tried checking in SFF computers, with a 20.1" screen in a hard case, the comptuer gets loads of stick from the check in lady, and the screens arrive broken.
Been there, done that.
Wolfpup - Friday, October 31, 2014 - link
Sweet! I've wanted Cherry switches in a notebook since I found out about this whole mechanical switch thing! Cherry MX Browns are the ones I use on a daily basis, and I love them. Honestly I have no idea if I'd like a different kind better, but they're not too loud but still have some resistance, so they're pretty great.I do wonder about labels that claim you're voiding the warranty if you break them... On a Maximum PC podcast an MSI exec claimed that wasn't true, but I don't really believe him. I mean when you're dealing with support or something, are they really going to honor it if that's broken (so you can replace the hard drives?)
I'm also pretty in to Alienware at this point after...well, I pretty much always love any Dell systems I buy, and I LOVE that external GPU dock they've done! Pairing that with a future 17 or 18" system sounds perfect!
Notmyusualid - Saturday, November 1, 2014 - link
If you have an M18x or M18, you will have no need for the GPU amplifier. Firstly due to a lack of physical connectivity, and secondly, well, not for any current releases anyway. Two of most any high-end mobile GPU provides a satisfiying experience. Their choice of a proprietary cable leaves many of us here with a bad taste in their mouth, despite it being an otherwise very interesting product. Again, as Bill Hicks said, could all marketing people please kill themselves. :)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDW_Hj2K0wo
Guspaz - Friday, October 31, 2014 - link
I'll wait for a notebook with buckling spring keys :PFunBunny2 - Friday, October 31, 2014 - link
Luddite :)testarlol - Friday, October 31, 2014 - link
Very happy to see decent keyboards making their way back into laptops, but mechanical keyboards would have to be implemented a whole lot better into the end product than MSI have done here for me to be interested.