MSI announced the availability of its latest portable gaming laptop. It's well known by now that MSI has been revamping its gaming laptop lineup with some of the most advanced hardware available for mobile computers, such as the dual GTX 980M GPUs and mechanical keyboard that the GT80 Titan includes. The latest reveal, the GS40 Phantom, isn't quite as robust, but it's certainly impressive on paper.
Where the GT80 Titan lacks, the GS40 soars. MSI is calling this new gaming laptop the thinnest in the world at 0.87-inches thick, and even with its low profile, it manages to pack in some impressive specifications. The GS40 Phantom comes equipped with a 6th Generation Intel "Skylake" Core i7-6700HQ CPU operating at 2.6 GHz, 16 GB of DDR4 2133 MHz RAM, and a powerful GTX 970M GPU with 3 GB of dedicated GDDR5 memory. MSI's Cooler Boost 3 heatpipe and dual fan cooler has been installed to keep the hardware chilled.
For storage needs, the GS40 Phantom manages to include two drives: a 128 GB PCI-e Gen3x4 SSD and a 1 TB SATA hard drive. Network communication is handled by Wi-Fi and LAN devices provided by Killer Networks, which enable QoS packet routing through software for the best possible online gaming experience.
MSI's GS40 Phantom doesn't skip on the audio features, either. The company has included Dynaudio speakers with dedicated bass, speaker and headset AMPs. An ESS Sabre Hi-Fi Audio DAC has been included, which MSI said brings out subtle audio details that can be of great benefit in competitive gaming. The GS40 Phantom also includes Nahimic virtual surround sound, which offers 3D and virtual 7.1 audio in high definition.
The built-in 14-inch 1080p display panel on the GS40 Phantom includes True Color technology, which MSI said improves color accuracy. The laptop also has the ability to hook up multiple external displays. There is one HDMI and one mini-Display Port on the laptop, as well as a "Super Port" (which is MSI's name for its USB 3.1 Type-C port). The Super Port can handle up to two daisy-chained 4K displays.
| MSI GS40 Phantom | |
|---|---|
| Processor | Intel Core i7-6700HQ 2.6 GHz (3.5 GHz Turbo Boost) |
| Operating System | Windows 10 |
| Chipset | Intel HM170 |
| Display | 14-inch non-reflective |
| Resolution | 1920 x 1080 (16:9) |
| Graphics Processor | Nvidia GeForce GTX 970M with 3 GB GDDR5 |
| Hard Disk Drive | 128 GB PCIe Gen3x4 SSD + 1 TB SATA 7200 RPM HDD |
| Memory | 16 GB DDR4 2133 MHz |
| LAN | Killer E2400 Game Networking |
| Wi-Fi | Killer N1525 Combo |
| Card Reader | SDXC, SDHC card reader |
| USB | 2x USB 3.0 |
| Webcam | 1080p |
| Speaker | Dynaudio Tech Speakers 4 with Nahimic Sound |
| Battery | 4-cell |
| Keyboard | SteelSeries single color backlit |
| Dimensions (WxDxH) | 13.58 x 9.65 x 0.87 inches |
| Weight | 3.75 lbs |
MSI's GS40 Phantom is available now for a suggested price of $1,599.99.
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