MSI's new GT60 2PC Dominator outperforms the company's previous-gen GT60 2OC thanks to a new CPU, new GPU, and triple-monitor Surround technology. We compare both configurations, add up the differences, and gauge the effect of Nvidia's Battery Boost.
Value is defined by being the best at a given price, and MSI is constantly pushing its value message into motherboard, graphics card and even complete notebook markets. We all like a good value story, and a value saga is certain to get even more of our attention. You see, today’s GT60 2PC started its life as the previous generation GT60 2OC, and look at how far it’s come.

OK, maybe looking isn’t enough. The skinny on this one is that MSI took its $1400 mid-sized gaming notebook and upgraded the CPU from Intel’s Core i7-4700MQ to the current Core i7-4800MQ, and from Nvidia’s GeForce GTX 770M to its newer GeForce GTX 870M, without increasing the price. Its competitors occasionally make similar moves, so that’s par for the course. What really makes this notebook special is that buyers get MSI’s Dominator upgrade without the extra cost you would have paid previously. And that means that when you finally get the GT60 2PC Dominator home, you can connect three external monitors using Nvidia's Surround technology for a more desktop-like experience.

Other new features are part of the GeForce driver package, including Nvidia's Battery Boost frequency-based FPS limiter, ShadowPlay game video capature, a Twitch streaming port for ShadowPlay, and GameStream mode to allow your notebook’s more powerful hardware to serve an Nvidia Shield handheld console. While most of these features could also improve the previous GeForce GTX 770M, Battery Boost is available only with current hardware.
| MSI "Dominator-424" GT60-2PC-424US Component List | |
|---|---|
| Platform | MS-16F4: Intel FCPGA946, HM87 Express, MXM-3 Discrete Graphics |
| CPU | Core i7-4800MQ (Haswell), 2.7 - 3.7 GHz, 6 MB shared L3 cache, 47 W TDP |
| RAM | Kingston MSI16D3LS1KBG/8G (1 x 8 GB) DDR3-1600 SO-DIMM, CL11 |
| Graphics | Nvidia GeForce GTX 870M: 941-967 MHz, 3 GB GDDR5-5000 |
| Display | 15.6" FHD 16:9 anti-glare LED backlight LCD, 1920X1080 |
| Webcam | Bison NB Pro 720p webcam |
| Audio | Realtek ALC892 with Creative Sound Blaster Cinema |
| Security | Kensington Security Slot |
| Storage | |
| Hard Drive | HGST Travelstar 7K1000 HTS721010A9E630: 1 TB, SATA 6Gb/s, 32 MB cache |
| Optical Drive | HLDS 8x slim internal DVD Burner model GT90N |
| Media Drive | RTS5227 SD/SDHC/SDXC flash media interface |
| Networking | |
| Wireless LAN | Killer Wireless-N 1202 300 Mb/s (2x2) a/b/g/n Wi-Fi/Bluetooth Combo |
| Wireless PAN | Integrated Bluetooth 4.0 Transceiver on Wireless Combo Card |
| Gigabit Network | Killer E2200 10/100/1000 Mb/s Ethernet |
| IEEE-1394 | None |
| Telephony | None |
| Peripheral Interfaces | |
| USB | 1 x USB 2.0, 3 x USB 3.0 |
| Expansion Card | Not Available |
| HDD | 1x eSATA / USB 3.0 combo port |
| Audio | Headphone, Microphone, Digital Out, Analog In |
| Video | 2 x Mini DisplayPort, HDMI, DVI-I |
| Power & Weight | |
| AC Adapter | 180 W Power Brick, 100-240 V AC to 19.5 V DC |
| Battery | 11.1 V, 7800 mAh (87 Wh) Single |
| Weight | Notebook 6.9 lbs, AC Adapter 1.9 lbs, Total 8.8 pounds |
| Software | |
| Operating System | Microsoft Windows 8.1, OEM |
| Service | |
| Warranty | Two years labor, Two years parts |
| Price | $1400 |
MSI offers its GT60 2PC Dominator in various flavors for different markets. Called the “Dominator-424” by some of MSI’s resellers, the GT60-2PC-424US we're testing includes a capacious 1 TB hard drive, but no SSD. And it only comes with one 8 GB memory module.
- MSI’s New Standard Bearer?
- Around the GT60 2PC Dominator
- Deeper Into The GT60 2PC Dominator
- GT60 2PC Dominator Software
- Comparing MSI's GT60 Using Tom's Hardware's Benchmarks
- Results: 3DMark And PCMark
- Results: SiSoftware Sandra
- Results: Battlefield 4
- Results: Arma 3
- Results: Far Cry 3
- Results: Grid 2
- Results: Audio And Video Encoding
- Results: Adobe Creative Suite
- Results: Productivity
- Results: File Compression
- Power, Battery Life, And Efficiency
- MSI GT60: Faster, Better Value, But Not Quite Perfect
Once burned, twice shy MSI.
The fan in this laptop is awesome. MSI is the only company I know of that puts a 12 volt fan in their laptop. This single fan can move about 25cfm of air (source; http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gt70-dragon-edition-2-core-i7-4930mx-laptop,3545-5.html)
which may be more air flow than the Asus G750 can supply, who knows.
The CPU in this laptop is socketed and fully supports all the way up to a 4940MX Extreme CPU 3.1/4GHZ and supports overclocking via Intel XTU.
The CPU in the G750 cannot be upgraded so it is just a gaming laptop whereas this can be a workstation laptop.
The screen can tilt back significantly more than the G750 (both the GT60 and GT70 MSI laptops) and weighs less with the same computing hardware.
The 180w AC adapter limitation and the NOS crutch can be annoying if you are fully taxing the extreme CPU and the GPU for long periods of time, it may dip into the battery. Once the battery goes down to 30%, it'll stop sucking from the battery and throttle.
Luckily I don't think NOS ever really activates unless you have an extreme CPU in it and everything fully taxed and may be quite hard to activate since this model isn't the -2PE model with the 880m.
The new MSI GT72 has a 220w AC adapter so I guess they've figured that they need more power headroom).
Once burned, twice shy MSI.
The only issues I've seen are bad paste jobs from the factory. If it's done right the cooling systems work fine, from my research. What other cooling issues does it have? Thanks
I LOL'd at this. Well-said Crashman. I don't know how anyone that has ever used a laptop even for light gaming (I'm referring to something as simple as League Of Legends) could say something like "a laptop must be silent and cool or its pointless". The fact is: performance = heat = adequate cooling = noise. The amount of each of these is dependent on the other...as well as the build (obviously), but the confined space in MOBILE COMPUTERS (aka notebooks/laptops) will always be a challenge until technology can convert the effects of energy used into cold, instead of heat.
I LOL'd at this. Well-said Crashman. I don't know how anyone that has ever used a laptop even for light gaming (I'm referring to something as simple as League Of Legends) could say something like "a laptop must be silent and cool or its pointless". The fact is: performance = heat = adequate cooling = noise. The amount of each of these is dependent on the other...as well as the build (obviously), but the confined space in MOBILE COMPUTERS (aka notebooks/laptops) will always be a challenge until technology can convert the effects of energy used into cold, instead of heat.
BTW, I came up with 40-50db at full load. Your mileage may vary.
I don't know, I just feel like they gave the design job to a freshman intern.
it's been 3months since i last gamed on it, and i don't miss it. My desktop tower keeps my big cpu & video card super quiet compared to that laptop. all i can say is its been a slice but now i'm looking to get rid of it. i'll miss the backlit keyboard its really usefull in the dark but i'll make due.
Going back to desktop for gaming and using a cheapo lappy for work makes more sense and is much quieter, that's kind of a biggie since i'm on it more than 12hrs a day.
cheers and thanks for a good article,
Smitty
It's always good to see new stuff like "battery-boost" but sadly it screams, "We need new battery tech!"
Or, maybe 18-cell batteries.
Like many MSI notebooks, this one will only be good if you get it rebranded by a manufacturer who allows upgrades or equips it properly.