MSI CX61 2PC-499US 15.6-Inch Laptop

So to start with, this computer is amazing, its not the top of the line gaming computer but I needed this for 3 specific things, school work, moderate gaming, and general multitasking web browsing. I am in college. In short this computer can achieve all of these no problem. I will make a much larger description below, but as a disclaimer this is a entry level gaming laptop. Doesn't sport the newest or greatest graphics card, but if your a die hard PC gamer, and enjoy high to ultra setting Crysis3, Battlefield 4, or titanfall type games at 60fps, this laptop cannot do that! You will have to pay for a much better laptop, but games AFTER 2012 to CURRENT YEAR will run mostly smooth 50-60fps on MEDIUM SETTINGS. Games made BEFORE 2012 will run high settings 50-60 fps with 1 or 2 exceptions.So to start offGames: if you plan to play games such as TF2, League of Legends, or Warcraft. I play all three, and can have my settings on high 60 fps no problem, Dual Monitor? NO PROBLEM!, if you listen to music off youtube while playing WoW, TF2, or LoL. you may want to switch to medium settings for these games, or you may see your fps drop some from 60 to bout 45-50 fps. Still playable, but if your a 60fps kinda guy this can be crucial. As far as other games likeSkyrim- no issues, high settings/60fps (drops to bout 55 with big landscapes and large area fights)GTAV- the best you can get is probably medium settings steady 50fps (its a very large open world game with alot of detail, so reasonable)Rust- High settings 50-60fpsthese are just some places to gauge where the computer stands, but always look to see in steam, or online to check if your computer specs meet the minimum requirements, or if you want the recommended/high requirements, that this computers specs is within those parameters.For school work, I use photoshop,CS6 I edit quite a bit, have a nikon shooting RAW at 24MP,and fill up a 64gb card in a week, So I'm constantly using Bridge to import photos. Imports in a fast amount of time, honestly there is a second slot to add RAM, and I dont think I will ever need it. It handles all my online programs no problem, I have office (bought myself, doesn't come with it) and runs office fast and smooth.Finally, Multitasking: This computer when I'm not in class, I hook via HDMI to a large screen tv, and dual screen. I can run Netflix at 1080p HD on my tv while simultaneously having multiple windows open for classwork, youtube, office, Photoshop, and even sometimes just because I can, Youtube and Netflix running both 1080p separate screens for ignorance, and there is no sign of slowing.ADDED FEATURES: it has a full keyboard with separate number pad. the trackpad, though has small raised bumps, isn't a big deal for me, I just increase the sensitivity, but as a gamer trackpads just dont do it for me. I have multiple wireless mouses. Battery life is great, though I try to have it plugged in at all times, so not entirely tested. I did when I first bought this item use without the chord and got a solid 6.5hrs of youtubing before I need to plug it in.CONS- Yes there are some, though they may not personally affect you. First, was the optical drive, seemed very flimsy, more then usual. I have no real use for the Optical Drive, everything is downloadable now, but I opened it and found it very fragile to touch and took a little extra pressure to close, odd for being a new computer.When you set the computer up, it doesn't mention how to activate the built in webcam. You have to press FN + F6 to turn it on. I spent a good hour searching different sites thinking I had a broken model. Maybe ignorance, but nonetheless why is that even a feature. And finally, though this is a PRO and a CON. this computer is silent most of the time only really becomes audible for me when playing GTAV on medium settings,the fan works hard, and it gets audible (but not loud). but the real nuisance is that when I close the Laptop and it goes into hibernate. the illuminated blue LED's located under the trackpad make a small faint beep, very very very faint beep as it dims in and out. I sleep with this right on my desk, usually open. Its been a mild inconvenience once or twice The one thing I dont use to much because I import via usb cable to my camera, is the SD card slot is located under the laptop, in this odd fashion its slightly curved to the contour of the brim of the bottom half of the laptop. You essentially push your finger under the laptop to release the card, bit of a annoyance, but again I dont use the port all that much. and the final thing, though not sure if a PRO or CON feels like both, is the weight, it is very light, the finish kinda looks like metal, but is just brushed plastic. Which I do not mind, but my concern being it feels a little dainty, I dont recommend dropping this, even once, taking the best care you can, I'm unsure it would survive a first drop. So this is just me nitpicking, some of the things, though not even real cons in most people wheel house, its just nice to cover the bases for all.All in all this device is perfect, fits all my moderate gamer needs League, GTAV, Skyrim. multitasking is a art, netflix and homework combo, and school work and photoshop has never been easier with easy fast imports, uploads r 2 fast 2 furious, and full keyboard helps me blaze through business calculus with the number keypad. Recommend to anyone with similar gaming needs, and a full schedule, where the laptop is your best friend.

This computer works great. I installed gta 4 and put it on high settings and there's next to no drops of fps anywhere. It ran very smooth the entire time I was playing.I'm sure some of you want to know how it works with minecraft. With fancy graphics it runs around 50 to 65 fps assuming you don't have any heavy visual mods. But you can get even better fps by making the laptop launch minecraft using the nvideo graphics card instead of the intergrated one. Right minecraft and go "run with graphics processor" then choose the nvideo one. With that minecraft runs around 100 fps on fancy graphics.The laptop lid is easily smudged it seems but its no big deal to me.The one flaw in the laptop? Windows 8.1I really tried to like it but I couldn't. Still like the laptop though.

I purchased this computer for myself for gaming, general use, and managing my small (online) business.Overall, the computer itself runs beautifully. It can easily handle the demands of my MMORPGs with a fantastic 80-90 fps and latency 120ms and under despite being on a Pacific server living on the east coast. I am happy to see that this computer has a CD drive, most gaming computers have done away with them but I still find I missed it a lot in my last computer. I love that there is dedicated RAM to the video card and an i7 in a computer this inexpensive is a real treat.The keyboard has a great feel, the load times are very fast, and it's one heck of a computer for the price, however, there are some cons that make the actual use of this computer frustrating and downright aggravating which caused the loss of two stars because no computer, no matter how powerful, can be enjoyed properly if the actual use of it is hampered by various, even insignificant, factors.1. I really dislike the number pad, especially with it squished up against the main keyboard. I'm constantly accidentally hitting incorrect keys and loosing my place on the keyboard making using hotkeys difficult. I've hoped to get used to this over the past couple weeks of having the computer and have not yet grown accustomed.2. Despite having a widescreen, the number keys do not line up well or even close with the standard hotkey UI in games. I've been playing WoW for almost a decade and this computer is the 5th I've used to play it on. The past 4 have all been a little different, but not so much so that I couldn't just pick up and play. This computer is significantly different and is causing a lot of trouble for me.3. The keyboard is not backlit. This is not generally a huge problem for me personally as I am an accomplished typist, however, when adding in the problems listed in numbers 1 and 2, not having a backlit keyboard makes getting lost on the board very easy and not quickly resolvable when playing in dim lighting or in the dark as I often do. A gaming laptop such as this usually has a backlit keyboard standard, it's disappointing that this one does not have this.4. The touchpad is not exceptionally responsive even outside the sensitivity settings. I do not like how it is textured and while unresponsive to moving the cursor accurately around the screen, it is oversensitive to clicking. I've had trouble with it clicking unintentionally when I only wanted to hover over a button.5. The actually "right" and "left" click button is one solid bar that is HARD to press down. I've never experienced a computer that has such a stiff button. In fact, my first knuckle actually bends backwards when trying to click. This is the most aggravating issue this computer has, in my opinion. I am in the vast minority being someone who games with the touchpad, but even surfing the internet is difficult with this button this stiff. This really needs to be fixed because it makes me actively avoid using this computer in favor of my smartphone.6. I knew the resolution would leave much to be desired, that's the main downfall in terms of the specs of this computer, but I didn't realize just how poor the resolution would be considering I'm someone who can barely tell the difference between standard and high definition when watching TV. The colors seem quite washed out on the LED screen which is unfortunate.Overall, if you're in the same situation I was in (low budget, high computer demands) this is a decent computer to consider purchasing. I'm still hoping that I get used to this computer over the coming few weeks so I can truly enjoy it. At this point, however, it's been the roughest adjustment to a new machine I've had yet, and I made the switch to a Mac in the past! For the price, this computer's specs really top anything else out there, but there are definitely improvements that could be made to make it more enjoyable and easy to use. Especially the touchpad as a whole.