MSI’s GX600 Packs Turbo Power

No, not forced induction powered by exhaust gases - just overclocking at the touch of a button.

The “turbo” button may have disappeared off most computer cases a decade ago, but MSI saw marketing value in that little bit of racy automotive lingo, and they’re bringing it back. The company’s newest gaming laptop, the GX600, comes with a turbo button that gives gamers a boost in power when activated.

MSI calls it Turbo Drive Engine (TDE) technology, and while it sounds like a silly gimmick, the silver button actually overclocks the CPU 20 percent when it’s turned on in AC mode. The company claims it cuts boot times to less than 40 seconds, while most notebooks take over a minute. You’ll have to decide for yourself whether you notice in your next game of Quake 4.

Besides the unusual turbo feature, the GX600 comes packed to the gills with all the latest mobile hardware, including a Intel Core 2 Duo T7300 processor, Nvidia Geforce 8600M GT graphics card and 2GB of DDR2 667 MHz memory. A 15.4-inch monitor delivers WSXGA+ resolution (that’s 1680 x 1050 for those who don’t have these acronyms memorized) and a 250GB hard drive is standard.

The GX600 is available now directly from MSI for $1,499. It comes in both an Extreme Edition and a Performance Edition. The only difference: The Extreme Edition adds flame graphics to the outside.