Skip to main content

MSI GS30 Shadow with Gaming Dock review

Meet the 13-inch Intel quad-core ultrabook that transforms into a desktop gaming powerhouse.

Imagine a laptop with the footprint and weight of the MacBook Air, packing a full quad-core Intel Core i7 processor, Iris Pro 5200 graphics, RAID-0 SSDs and a 1080p 13.3-inch PLS display. For many - us included - it sounds like a dream come true: a truly portable form factor combined with processing power that's a substantial leap beyond the standard ultrabook. Now imagine that when you get home, you can place the unit into a bespoke dock that comes complete with Nvidia's GTX 980 graphics card, turning a humble notebook into a thoroughbred gaming powerhouse. It all sounds too good to be true, but that's exactly what MSI's fascinating GS30 Ghost offers.

It seems that MSI is on a mission to integrate a first class PC gaming experience with a mobile form factor. We've already seen the brilliantly insane GT80 Titan SLI - a monstrous 18.4-inch laptop with enough gaming power to take on a Titan X-based desktop PC. This approach is somewhat different, essentially allowing you to decouple the laptop from the high-end GPU, whereupon it becomes a more traditional ultrabook-style offering - albeit with class-leading processing power in a 13.3-inch form factor. The question is whether this curious arrangement actually works.

There's clearly much to commend about the laptop itself. Initial impressions suggest a slightly thicker MacBook Air, and weight-wise they're pretty much like-for-like. Build quality is decent, if not spectacular - a mixture of black metal and plastic, with the usual chiclet-style keyboard. The 1080p screen is bright and vibrant with decent viewing angles (though Windows 8.1's DPI scaling still looks pretty poor, resulting in ugly-looking fontography), while the trackpad is above average, responsive enough to the lightest touch. Audio is a little disappointing though, with little bass and speakers mounted on the bottom of the laptop, meaning that sound reproduction is permanently muffled. Ports selection is decent though: we have an SD card slot, two USB 3.0 ports, an HDMI port and gigabit LAN.

The GS30 uses an Intel Core i7 4870HQ processor - a full Haswell quad-core chip that is architecturally identical to a desktop processor, just running at lower clocks. This is a part with a 47W TDP, as opposed to the 15W dual-core parts found in ultrabooks. This offers up a gargantuan leap in processor power, but it comes at a cost. Dissipating the heat generated by a 47W processor requires a meaty cooling assembly - something that can't really be housed in a thin and light 13.3-inch chassis. The end result is increased heat over an ultrabook, but more annoyingly - loud, high-pitched fans, which seem to kick in even on fairly basic tasks, like installing a Steam game, for instance.

When the processor's under load, the noise can be quite overwhelming - it's not so much the loudness, but the pitch that is the issue. But the question is whether MSI can effectively cool a monster processor like this in such a small chassis. We used Intel's extreme tuning tool for stress-testing, finding that the processor did momentarily hit the max 3.7GHz turbo before rapidly hitting thermal limits, throttling down to its rated 2.8GHz within the minute. And there it stayed - albeit at recorded temperatures of 90 degrees Celsius.

In short, the GS30 Shadow succeeds in accommodating a full Core i7 chip in an ultra-mobile laptop form factor - if you don't mind a somewhat loud laptop. Unfortunately the knock-on effect of this could be a deal-breaker for many: the four-cell battery barely manages 2.5 hours of life on fairly simple tasks. It seems that even in a mostly idle state, the i7 still draws much more power than an ultrabook processor.

However, it is good to see that MSI hasn't skimped on the components. This particular i7 comes with Iris Pro 5200 graphics, the state-of-the-art for the Haswell architecture, combining the best integrated GPU solution Intel has with 128MB of attached eDRAM - the idea being that this ultra-fast RAM makes up for the slow DDR3 system memory. Even without the Gaming Dock, could the GS30 Shadow hand in creditable gaming performance on the go?

We'll reel off our Iris Pro experiences quickly - Crysis 3 runs well at 720p on low settings with medium quality textures and FXAA, handing in performance levels mostly north of 30fps. Tomb Raider was a bit of a revelation, capable of 1080p30 gameplay on its normal preset, while Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes is playable at 720p on PS4 quality levels with frame-rates higher than 30fps (indeed, the 30fps cap produces a pretty decent experience).

Can Intel Iris Pro 5200 graphics hack it with modern games? Here we test out Tomb Raider, Ryse: Son of Rome, Shadow of Mordor, Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes and Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare.Watch on YouTube

Alternative analysis:

Unfortunately, more modern games cause real problems. Ryse's low setting couldn't save the game from 20fps frame-rates at 720p (with only minimal success at even lower resolutions), while Assassin's Creed Unity is akin to a slideshow, and one that crashes very, very quickly. Call of Duty Advanced Warfare again lurks in 20-30fps territory at 720p on the lowest settings, while Shadow of Mordor is just about playable at the same resolution with a mixture of low and medium settings (going lower made no difference) handing in performance starting at the mid-20s and going up.

It used to be the case that if a piece of PC hardware could run Crysis 3 acceptably, it could run almost anything else fairly well, but the arrival of Xbox One and PlayStation 4 has clearly raised the bar. Top-tier integrated graphics solutions - whether from Intel or AMD - can't really be relied upon any more to run AAA titles, but Iris Pro 5200 acquitted itself fairly well on some games, and should have no problems on a vast range of older releases, plus the lion's share of Indies, of course.

Once the GS30 is attached to the Gaming Dock with its supplied MSI Gaming GTX 980, it's a whole different ballgame, of course. Crysis 3 scales up from the humble 720p, low settings experience we saw on integrated graphics all the way up to 1440p - a 4x resolution increase. And that's running at maximum quality levels, with far superior anti-aliasing (SMAA T2x vs FXAA), and still with a massively improved frame-rate to boot. It's difficult to quantify just how much better the GTX 980 is compared to the Iris Pro 5200 - somehow we suspect that saying it's an order of magnitude better would still be a disservice. For what it's worth, 3DMark Firestrike produced a 1,218 score for the Intel tech and a 10,880 result for the GTX 980 - but we still suspect that this is not a true reflection of the 980's true power.

What is clear is that you are getting a full desktop-style experience, and the lower Core i7 clocks don't seem to be that much of an issue - depending on your set-up of course. If you run with frame-rate unlocked at 1080p, you will see that the slower notebook processor produces fewer frames, but there seems to be enough horsepower here in general to get the job done.

The dock not only houses the GPU, but has a number of other interesting elements. Firstly, it uses a full 16x PCI Express interface (compared to the 4x interface used in the very similar expansion chassis used for the new Alienware 13), and also features a bunch of additional USB 3.0 slots, headphone and microphone inputs, plus gigabit LAN. Internally, a 450W power supply is utilised, not only for the GPU, but also for a 3.5-inch SATA hard drive you can install if you want. There are also 5W stereo speakers in there with a subwoofer - though we have to say that audio reproduction sounds a bit lacking in terms of higher frequencies. Another cute feature of the dock is the fact that it also charges the laptop once attached. Overall, it's a highly functional, if somewhat ugly device.

The only major drawback is that the laptop display turns off when the dock is attached, meaning another screen is required. It's something that apparently MSI is looking to address, but unless you can place the dock under (or above) the screen, you'll face the prospect of looking in one direction to see what you're doing, while audio comes from another direction - not the most ideal audio-visual experience.

Overall, enthusiast laptop owners have been intrigued by the prospect of plug-in desktop GPU power (or 'eGPUs') for some time, to the point where homebrew solutions based on the ExpressCard and Thunderbolt ports have been tested for some time. However, the MSI gaming dock solution is the first fully formed solution we've seen that fits the bill, is easy to set up and simply works really well. It's just a shame that it costs so much - for the laptop, dock and GTX 980, you're looking at an eye-watering £2,200. That's just too much. Thankfully, there is a £1,500 SKU, which removes the GTX 980 (you add your own GPU) and pares back the SSDs to a 2x 128GB RAID set-up, but our gut feeling is that this is still going to be just a bit too costly for much of the audience.

Praise be for user-upgradability! The bottom of the GS30 is easily removable and from here you can upgrade RAM and the dual M.2 SSDs.

MSI GS30 Shadow with Gaming Dock - the Digital Foundry verdict

MSI is onto something here - in our opinion it really needs to double-down on the eGPU strategy and to make it a cornerstone of its enthusiast notebook offerings. Firstly, we reckon that the dock expansion slot should be included as standard on all MSI gaming laptops going forward. Secondly, the dock should be sold - without GPU - for a reasonable amount of money, perhaps removing the audio features, which seem surplus to requirements. The expansion ships with an MSI GTX 980 inside, but it's a standard card and any modern GPU should work within it with no problems. In short, we feel that the dock concept has a huge amount of potential, but locking it to one specific laptop with one graphics card limits its opportunities.

As for the GS30 Shadow notebook itself, generally it's an impressive piece of kit. The idea of cramming a 47W quad-core processor into an ultrabook chassis is pretty out there, but generally it works. However, the battery life is too constrictive for a mobile-orientated device and the fans are too loud, too obtrusive - even during some less demanding tasks. We can't help but wonder whether going for a 14-inch form factor - similar to the Razer Blade, for example - might have allowed MSI to include a higher capacity battery, and a larger, quieter heat sink and fan.

Overall, the MSI GS30 doesn't quite feel as though it's the finished article - more a work-in-progress for a pretty compelling concept. Should the price drop to a more reasonable level, there's more than enough here to make the package worthy of consideration, but a tightened up successor and a more open approach to the dock concept could truly revolutionise the enthusiast laptop sector.

Read this next

seductrice.net
universo-virtual.com
buytrendz.net
thisforall.net
benchpressgains.com
qthzb.com
mindhunter9.com
dwjqp1.com
secure-signup.net
ahaayy.com
tressesindia.com
puresybian.com
krpano-chs.com
cre8workshop.com
hdkino.org
peixun021.com
qz786.com
utahperformingartscenter.org
worldqrmconference.com
shangyuwh.com
eejssdfsdfdfjsd.com
playminecraftfreeonline.com
trekvietnamtour.com
your-business-articles.com
essaywritingservice10.com
hindusamaaj.com
joggingvideo.com
wandercoups.com
wormblaster.net
tongchengchuyange0004.com
internetknowing.com
breachurch.com
peachesnginburlesque.com
dataarchitectoo.com
clientfunnelformula.com
30pps.com
cherylroll.com
ks2252.com
prowp.net
webmanicura.com
sofietsshotel.com
facetorch.com
nylawyerreview.com
apapromotions.com
shareparelli.com
goeaglepointe.com
thegreenmanpubphuket.com
karotorossian.com
publicsensor.com
taiwandefence.com
epcsur.com
southstills.com
tvtv98.com
thewellington-hotel.com
bccaipiao.com
colectoresindustrialesgs.com
shenanddcg.com
capriartfilmfestival.com
replicabreitlingsale.com
thaiamarinnewtoncorner.com
gkmcww.com
mbnkbj.com
andrewbrennandesign.com
cod54.com
luobinzhang.com
faithfirst.net
zjyc28.com
tongchengjinyeyouyue0004.com
nhuan6.com
kftz5k.com
oldgardensflowers.com
lightupthefloor.com
bahamamamas-stjohns.com
ly2818.com
905onthebay.com
fonemenu.com
notanothermovie.com
ukrainehighclassescort.com
meincmagazine.com
av-5858.com
yallerdawg.com
donkeythemovie.com
corporatehospitalitygroup.com
boboyy88.com
miteinander-lernen.com
dannayconsulting.com
officialtomsshoesoutletstore.com
forsale-amoxil-amoxicillin.net
generictadalafil-canada.net
guitarlessonseastlondon.com
lesliesrestaurants.com
mattyno9.com
nri-homeloans.com
rtgvisas-qatar.com
salbutamolventolinonline.net
sportsinjuries.info
wedsna.com
rgkntk.com
bkkmarketplace.com
zxqcwx.com
breakupprogram.com
boxcardc.com
unblockyoutubeindonesia.com
fabulousbookmark.com
beat-the.com
guatemala-sailfishing-vacations-charters.com
magie-marketing.com
kingstonliteracy.com
guitaraffinity.com
eurelookinggoodapparel.com
howtolosecheekfat.net
marioncma.org
oliviadavismusic.com
shantelcampbellrealestate.com
shopleborn13.com
topindiafree.com
v-visitors.net
djjky.com
053hh.com
originbluei.com
baucishotel.com
33kkn.com
intrinsiqresearch.com
mariaescort-kiev.com
mymaguk.com
sponsored4u.com
crimsonclass.com
bataillenavale.com
searchtile.com
ze-stribrnych-struh.com
zenithalhype.com
modalpkv.com
bouisset-lafforgue.com
useupload.com
37r.net
autoankauf-muenster.com
bantinbongda.net
bilgius.com
brabustermagazine.com
indigrow.org
miicrosofts.net
mysmiletravel.com
selinasims.com
spellcubesapp.com
usa-faction.com
hypoallergenicdogsnames.com
dailyupdatez.com
foodphotographyreviews.com
cricutcom-setup.com
chprowebdesign.com
katyrealty-kanepa.com
tasramar.com
bilgipinari.org
four-am.com
indiarepublicday.com
inquick-enbooks.com
iracmpi.com
kakaschoenen.com
lsm99flash.com
nana1255.com
ngen-niagara.com
technwzs.com
virtualonlinecasino1345.com
wallpapertop.net
casino-natali.com
iprofit-internet.com
denochemexicana.com
eventhalfkg.com
medcon-taiwan.com
life-himawari.com
myriamshomes.com
nightmarevue.com
healthandfitnesslives.com
androidnews-jp.com
allstarsru.com
bestofthebuckeyestate.com
bestofthefirststate.com
bestwireless7.com
britsmile.com
declarationintermittent.com
findhereall.com
jingyou888.com
lsm99deal.com
lsm99galaxy.com
moozatech.com
nuagh.com
patliyo.com
philomenamagikz.net
rckouba.net
saturnunipessoallda.com
tallahasseefrolics.com
thematurehardcore.net
totalenvironment-inthatquietearth.com
velislavakaymakanova.com
vermontenergetic.com
kakakpintar.com
begorgeouslady.com
1800birks4u.com
2wheelstogo.com
6strip4you.com
bigdata-world.net
emailandco.net
gacapal.com
jharpost.com
krishnaastro.com
lsm99credit.com
mascalzonicampani.com
sitemapxml.org
thecityslums.net
topagh.com
flairnetwebdesign.com
rajasthancarservices.com
bangkaeair.com
beneventocoupon.com
noternet.org
oqtive.com
smilebrightrx.com
decollage-etiquette.com
1millionbestdownloads.com
7658.info
bidbass.com
devlopworldtech.com
digitalmarketingrajkot.com
fluginfo.net
naqlafshk.com
passion-decouverte.com
playsirius.com
spacceleratorintl.com
stikyballs.com
top10way.com
yokidsyogurt.com
zszyhl.com
16firthcrescent.com
abogadolaboralistamd.com
apk2wap.com
aromacremeria.com
banparacard.com
bosmanraws.com
businessproviderblog.com
caltonosa.com
calvaryrevivalchurch.org
chastenedsoulwithabrokenheart.com
cheminotsgardcevennes.com
cooksspot.com
cqxzpt.com
deesywig.com
deltacartoonmaps.com
despixelsetdeshommes.com
duocoracaobrasileiro.com
fareshopbd.com
goodpainspills.com
hemendekor.com
kobisitecdn.com
makaigoods.com
mgs1454.com
piccadillyresidences.com
radiolaondafresca.com
rubendorf.com
searchengineimprov.com
sellmyhrvahome.com
shugahouseessentials.com
sonihullquad.com
subtractkilos.com
valeriekelmansky.com
vipasdigitalmarketing.com
voolivrerj.com
zeelonggroup.com
1015southrockhill.com
10x10b.com
111-online-casinos.com
191cb.com
3665arpentunitd.com
aitesonics.com
bag-shokunin.com
brightotech.com
communication-digitale-services.com
covoakland.org
dariaprimapack.com
freefortniteaccountss.com
gatebizglobal.com
global1entertainmentnews.com
greatytene.com
hiroshiwakita.com
iktodaypk.com
jahatsakong.com
meadowbrookgolfgroup.com
newsbharati.net
platinumstudiosdesign.com
slotxogamesplay.com
strikestaruk.com
trucosdefortnite.com
ufabetrune.com
weddedtowhitmore.com
12940brycecanyonunitb.com
1311dietrichoaks.com
2monarchtraceunit303.com
601legendhill.com
850elaine.com
adieusolasomade.com
andora-ke.com
bestslotxogames.com
cannagomcallen.com
endlesslyhot.com
iestpjva.com
ouqprint.com
pwmaplefest.com
qtylmr.com
rb88betting.com
buscadogues.com
1007macfm.com
born-wild.com
growthinvests.com
promocode-casino.com
proyectogalgoargentina.com
wbthompson-art.com
whitemountainwheels.com
7thavehvl.com
developmethis.com
funkydogbowties.com
travelodgegrandjunction.com
gao-town.com
globalmarketsuite.com
blogshippo.com
hdbka.com
proboards67.com
outletonline-michaelkors.com
kalkis-research.com
thuthuatit.net
buckcash.com
hollistercanada.com
docterror.com
asadart.com
vmayke.org
erwincomputers.com
dirimart.org
okkii.com
loteriasdecehegin.com
mountanalog.com
healingtaobritain.com
ttxmonitor.com
nwordpress.com
11bolabonanza.com