MSI GX740 (GX740-061Uk) review

MSI’s GX740 is a desktop replacement laptop, built with gaming – and little else - in mind. To this end, it's been kitted out with a moderately powerful Intel Core i5 430M processor, 4GB of RAM and, most impressively, a 1GB ATI Radeon HD 5870 graphics processor. Sadly, the emphasis on gaming also means that the GX740 suffers from traditional gaming laptop styling, with a garish black and red colour scheme. At least the lid is a simple black brushed metal affair.

Looks aside, the GX740 is sturdy, well built and not overly heavy. Its keyboard includes a numeric keypad which is slightly cramped, but this leaves plenty of space for the main keyboard. It’s a traditional affair, without the Chiclet-style keys we see on laptops at the moment. This makes it instantly comfortable to type on if you’re used to a standard desktop keyboard. However, we were initially thrown by the tiny Ctrl keys and tended to miss-key when using them.

The touchpad is well placed and unobtrusive - we never brushed it by accident while typing and the buttons embedded into the metal below it are clearly separated and comfortable to use. There's a respectable selection of ports, with three USB ports plus one which can handle either USB or eSATA connections. There's also a mini-FireWire connector and a modem as well as the usual VGA, HDMI and Gigabit Ethernet connectors.