Skip to main content

MSI unveils Haswell-powered GT70 Dragon Edition 2 Extreme gaming laptop

MSIDragonEdition2ExtremeLaptop
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Enter the Dragon – the MSI GT70 Dragon Edition 2 Extreme, to be exact. MSI introduced its top-of-the-line gaming notebook at Computex today. The outer-shell sports a fiery red color scheme, and the laptop’s cut, beveled edges and modernized looking architecture definitely catch the eye.

Jumping onto the Haswell bandwagon, the GT70 uses Intel’s 4th-gen Core i7 processor. The chip is overclocked to 4.1Ghz (by the company, no need to do it yourself), and MSI managed to keep the voltage requirements low and stabilized, even with the amped-up processing power. No need to worry about overheating problems either, as MSI added Cooler Boost 2 technology to keep the chip from getting too toasty.

This is a configurable machine, so you’ll have access to a variety of different video card and memory options. The Nvidia GTX 780M is one example of the graphical goodness you can choose from. This card is discrete in design and features 4GB of GDDR5 video memory. For increased performance, you’ll have access to three SSDs set in a RAID 0 configuration. All of this is topped off with a built-in headphone amplifier, a 17.3-inch screen-size, and a Steel Series keyboard.

The screen runs a Full HD display with a max resolution of 1920 x 1080 and features anti-glare technology. The notebook also supports what MSI calls “Exclusive Matrix Display for Multiple Devices.” This notebook includes a MiniDisplay Port 1.2 and an HDMI 1.4 port, both of which allow for connection of the latest 4K and 2K Ultra HD displays. The MSI GT70 Dragon Edition 2 Extreme is currently available in limited quantities worldwide, starting at $1,500. Have your wallet ready though, this price point can skyrocket to $3,000 depending on what features and internal hardware you choose. 

Editors' Recommendations

Russ Boswell
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Russ Boswell is an aspiring video game and technology journalist from Colorado. He's been an avid gamer since he was old…
It’s time to stop believing these PC building myths
Hyte's Thicc Q60 all-in-one liquid cooler.

As far as hobbies go, PC hardware is neither the cheapest nor the easiest one to get into. That's precisely why you may often run into various misconceptions and myths.

These myths have been circulating for so long now that many accept them as a universal truth, even though they're anything but. Below, I'll walk you through some PC beliefs that have been debunked over and over, and, yet, are still prevalent.
Liquid cooling is high-maintenance (and scary)

Read more
AMD’s next-gen CPUs are much closer than we thought
AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D held between fingertips.

We already knew that AMD would launch its Zen 5 CPUs this year, but recent motherboard updates hint that a release is imminent. Both MSI and Asus have released updates for their 600-series motherboards that explicitly add support for "next-generation AMD Ryzen processors," setting the stage for AMD's next-gen CPUs.

This saga started a few days ago when hardware leaker 9550pro spotted an MSI BIOS update, which they shared on X (formerly Twitter). Since then, Asus has followed suit with BIOS updates of its own featuring a new AMD Generic Encapsulated Software Architecture (AGESA) -- the firmware responsible for starting the CPU -- that brings support for next-gen CPUs (spotted by VideoCardz).

Read more
AMD Zen 5: Everything we know about AMD’s next-gen CPUs
The AMD Ryzen 5 8600G APU installed in a motherboard.

AMD Zen 5 is the next-generation Ryzen CPU architecture for Team Red and is slated for a launch sometime in 2024. We've been hearing tantalizing rumors for a while now and promises of big leaps in performance. In short, Zen 5 could be very exciting indeed.

We don't have all the details, but what we're hearing is very promising. Here's what we know about Zen 5 so far.
Zen 5 release date and availability
AMD confirmed in January 2024 that it was on track to launch Zen 5 sometime in the "second half of the year." Considering the launch of Zen 4 was in September 2022, we would expect to see Zen 5 desktop processors debut around the same timeframe, possibly with an announcement in the summer at Computex.

Read more