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The MSI GS60 6QE (Ghost Pro 4K) is an attractive looking laptop, like all the MSI laptops we have reviewed this year. The company name and ‘Dragon Shield' logo are centralised close to the top of the lid.
Connectivity is excellent, and the laptop even includes a USB 3.1 Type C port – for futureproofing. The only downside is that there is no traditional USB 2 or 3 port on the right side of the machine, so if you want to use a cabled mouse, you have to trail the cable around the back of the laptop from the left side. Alternatively you could buy an adapter for the USB Type C port.
We have only seen a USB 3.1 Type C port on the Google Chromebook Pixel and Macbook systems so far – it is positive to see MSI adopting this connector.
Connectors on left and right sides:
- USB3.0 Port x 2
- USB 3.1 Type-C x 1
- HDMI Port(s): 1(v1.4b), Support 4Kx2K Output
- Mini Display port(s): 1, Support FHD 120HZ, 4K 60Hz
- LAN Port(s): 1
- Microphone Jack(s): 1
- Headphone Jack(s): 1
- Card Reader: SD (XC/HC)
No ports on the back of the chassis – just plenty of cooling vents.
MSI ship the laptop with a protective cloth between keyboard and screen – this stops any possible marks which could be caused by very rough international shipping.
The Steelseries branded Keyboard is quite enjoyable to use, with each of the keys offering tactile feedback. I wouldn't class it as the greatest laptop keyboard I have used, but it is certainly well above average.
The keyboard lights up in a multicolour scheme when the driver loads during boot. Steelseries software is supplied which allows the end user to change settings.
A large trackpad is positioned slightly off center and it has a slightly glossy finish which works well under the finger. Tracking is smooth and for use on public transport or in confined spaces, its perfectly fine.
Onboard audio is supplied by ‘DynAudio', a highly respected company who are actually very well known in high end audio circles. The company make speakers that cost up to £50,000.
While you pick your jaws up from the floor, I will say that I was a little disappointed with the audio quality from the onboard speakers fitted inside the GS60 6QE. There is little bass and the volume level didn't go quite as loud as I hoped. A good pair of headphones or speakers would be needed to get the most from this system.
The screen doesn't quite open to a full 180 degrees – it is closer to 150 degrees.
The hinge mechanism is something that many people overlook, but we are pleased to report that there is no movement from the panel at all when typing on the keyboard.
A 30fps 1080p webcam takes pride of place centrally, above the panel.
The 4K PLS Wide View Angle is the star of the show. Text is pin sharp, colour clarity is first rate, and viewing angles are fantastic. I would have liked another 1 or 2 brightness levels if I was being pedantic but I find it difficult to fault this panel. Thanks to Windows 10 default options scaling is applied to make using the operating system less tricky. A native 3840×2160 resolution would prove difficult to use on a 15.6 inch panel.
The GS60 6QE is a compact, slim design so space saving measures are important. The 4150mAh battery takes up quite a lot of the physical width of the chassis although it is thin. There are two cooling fans and heatsinks visible at each corner at the rear. The motherboard is actually reversed from view when the rear panel is open, so we can see mounting retainers – not the CPU or GPU itself.
What about the yellow issues of the previous Ghost Pros?
Is this the same 4k panel as used in the earlier 2015 model?
If so it’s a total no go.
How does this compare with the Dell XPS 15? That’s now available with a 960M.
I’m thinking a 960M isn’t bad, as eGPUs should now finally be an option – and you’ll even be able to get mobile ones. So e.g. upcoming 990M is a portable package. Or obviously full blown deskptop graphics in a larger unit.
Different panel http://www.kitguru.net/laptops/jon-martindale/msi-gs60-ghost-pro-confirmed-60hz-at-4k/
Thanks, yellow issue still seems to exist though. Kitguru haven’t even reported on that? Mustard yellow’s have been a major issue with the 4k panel. Seems they only fixed the refresh rate. Any details on the FHD screen?
How is the battery life on this notebook now?
Tell me some figures with wifi on, 50% brightness and backlit keyboard off also running on eco mode.
Just for school work.
Thanks
Didnt see any issues with our sample, hence no mention of the issue.
Thanks for the review! But i got one question. Is the HMDI Port 1.4b or 2.0? The review says 1.4b but both Skylake and Maxwell are capable of HDMI 2.0
I have a problem, if I game with the power cable in the wifi looses connection, however if I game on battery it stays connected, any ideas? If tried changing power management settings etc
Can anyone who bought from OCuk actually confirm the monitor is 60 Hz? I’ve read the KitGuru article where MSI said all there 4K monitors are 60 Hz but the people at OCuk seem to think they’re still at 48 Hz. Would love to know for sure
Can someone confirm the size and type of M.2 SSD drive onboard? I would consider swapping that out with an adapter to use a larger mSATA if possible.
Yes, I know performance might not be as good but 128/256Gb is far too small.
Why can’t it come with the 2TB Samsung M9T laptop drive? If the laptop supports a regular 9.5mm thick drive, it can work. But MSI and Asus never offers this drive in their laptops from the factory.
Page 18, temps; Why not run software that will cause more power consumption and thus test the cooling system harder? For instance running Seti@home on the CPU cores and on the GPU at the same time, so full utilization on all CPU cores and mostly fully utilized GPU all at the same time. This way you can see if the cooling system really can take care of the heat and not cause throttling. Then try it in a slightly warmer room, like 27 celsius with the same scenario. The heat expels out the back of the laptop, not the sides?
I wonder if the GS40 Skylake laptop’s cooling system can move as much heat as this GS60.
The screen is matte and not reflective?
Thanks
-because a 2Tb SSD would DOUBLE the cost of the machine, that’s why. Who will buy a gaming laptop that costs $4000?? The few people who desperately want a 2Tb SSD for storage are perfectly capable of replacing it with an aftermarket drive.
A Samsung M9T 2TB HARD DRIVE. Mechanical hard drive. Costs maybe $40 more than a 1TB hard drive for a laptop. This could be in the laptop along with the m.2 SSD.
Yes the 4K screen is 60Hz, I just got the MSi GS60 6QE-054US model a few days ago, and let me just say “It is Glourious!”, and way beyond my expectations, build quality is excellent, and the entire body of the Laptop top and bottom is made from magnesium (one reason why its so light and pricy). In Cinebench render multi cpu test it runs only 12% slower than my stock i7 4770K. Ghost=7.22 4770K=8.2. Very impressive machine, I recomend every one to check it out in the store if you get the chance. Happy Gaming! I’m off to Tomb Raider land =)
don’t get it. you compared the battery life from the gs60 with the gs40 which has a 8060mAh battery. and you said, that the gs60 can reach a bettery life of almost 6hours. with the same hareware inside, the battery life of the gs 40 should be much better than the gs60 ones! but all other reviews werde sad about the gs60 battery life and get only 4,5h hours from the gs40. so whom should i believe?
I’m considering buying this laptop from the Microsoft Store as a “signature edition”, no bloatware. Is there any essential software I would be missing from MSI?
I’ve seen some conflicting reports on battery life. How has the battery held up over the past two months? Any changes?
Great review – this is my first time on kitguru and I will be coming back often!
Kitguru’s GS40 preview mentioned that they received a “halfway house laptop” which I interpreted as a pre-production laptop.
The GS40 they were sent had:
1) a higher clocked cpu
2) a not yet finalized cooling system
3) a configuration that won’t be available (16gb ram with 128gb ssd)
4) a larger battery that may not make it to retail sale (see quote)
“One difference we observed is that GS60 has a 4150mAh/47.31Wh battery while the smaller GS40 has an 8060mAh/61.25Wh battery. That goes against all expectation and it will be interesting to see whether the larger battery makes it to retail sale.”
That being said, I have also read the lower battery life claims on other sites. Some people believe it is due to old drivers. Hopefully that is the case and we can stick to kitguru’s numbers.
Hey thanks for the reply! MSI really need to be clearer with their marketing, two major UK retailers didn’t have any idea when I asked. I ended up putting it off and bought a broadwell Gigabyte P35W during black friday that I’m really happy with. Glad you’re enjoying the gs60! 🙂
Please, would you tell me the adobe RGB gamut? Thanks!