MSI GT725: Quad-core gaming on the cheap

By Rory Reid on 02 April 2009, 12:51pm

MSI's netbook range generates a fair few column inches, but the company is equally at home churning out massive, high-end gaming laptops like the new GT725.

This 17-inch behemoth sports an Intel Core 2 Quad Q9000 CPU clocked at 2GHz, 4GB of RAM and a 500GB hard drive -- in other words, it's fast, can cope with hardcore multitasking, and has enough room to store a healthy collection of movies and music.

It's fairly good for gaming, too. Its ATI Radeon HD 4850 graphics card is part of ATI's 'performance' range, and while it's a couple of rungs below the range-topping HD 4890, it's quick enough to handle hardcore titles such as Crysis. The 17-inch, 1,920x1,200-pixel display, we're pleased to report, doesn't have a glossy coating, so you can use it just anywhere without worrying about glare from the sun.

You also get a Blu-ray drive, HDMI-out, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.0, Ethernet LAN and a 2-megapixel webcam -- all crammed into a chassis, which, unfortunately, isn't very attractive. The red detailing around the keyboard looks cheap, and the touch-sensitive media shortcut keys above it are just a gimmick.

Still, it's a pretty good package for £1,300, so if you need high performance and can't afford a whacking great Alienware, it's worthy of consideration. Watch for a full review shortly.