At this year’s CES, MSI unveiled a fresh line of laptops and desktops aimed to take the PC gaming world by storm.
Whether you’re looking for a lighter solution to get your fragging fix, a brawny beast that will tackle all the latest titles on its own, or even a new, innovative way to plug a desktop card into your mobile notebook, MSI has your gaming desires covered.
GT80 Titan SLI
The GT80 Titan SLI combines two of gamer’s favorite features; mechanical keyboards and SLI graphics setups, into one monster of a machine.
Featuring a dual NVIDIA GTX 980M GPU setup in SLI, a whopping 24GB of DDR3 RAM, and an Intel Core i7-4990HQ processor, this computer will any title at the system’s maximum resolution of 1080p without breaking a sweat. The GPUs aren’t soldered on, either, so they can be upgraded in the future. With that said, it’s not clear how easy it’ll be to perform the upgrade at home.
The laptop will also come with a built in mechanical keyboard that offers the fastest response times and most precise strikes unlike anything else on the market today. The keyboard is at the front of the chassis, rather than near the rear, which MSI says offers an experience more akin to a desktop system.
GS30 Shadow + Gaming Dock
MSI’s GS3o Shadow gaming laptop carries an impressive roster of hardcore hardware that’s sure to satiate any gamer’s need for the best configuration out there, and it will also come with the option to tack on their new Gaming Dock system for an extra fee.
Unlike Alienware’s similar Gaming Amplifier, the Gaming Dock is capable of supporting the newest PCIe technology with full PCIe 3.0 x16 bandwidth. This trounces the Amplifier, which at the time of writing can only pump out graphics PCIe x4 speed.
Two USB 3.0, one HDMI 2.0, an RJ45 ethernet jack, audio/microphone out, and a 3-in-1 card reader will take care of connectivity, but things really get interesting once you see what’s included on the external box. The dock itself includes its own speaker in case you don’t want to sport headphones, an additional four USB 3.0 ports, audio in, another ethernet port, and microphone in. This means you’ll never be left wanting for ports, and will always have access to as many peripherals as your heart desires.
MSI says the Shadow will retail for $1,899, and be available for purchase sometime later this year.
GE62 Apache
The GE series of gaming notebooks will round out the low end of the pricing spectrum for MSI, but still comes locked and loaded with enough hardware to keep you gaming long into the future without worrying about looking around for a replacement.
The GE62 will have an i7-4720HQ processor, and use a GTX 965M (or 970M, depending your preferred build) to power its 15.6” 1080p IPS display. 16GB of RAM will handle multitasking in dozens of windows at a time, and a 256GB SSD (upgradable to up to one terabyte) will store your files without a hitch.
Though there haven’t been any hard numbers released just yet, MSI tells us this will be a gaming solution that runs on the cheaper end of things, allowing anyone with a couple extra bucks to get their portable gaming fix at a not-so gargantuan price.
AG240 All-in-One 4K Gaming PC
While all-in-one computers have been around for over half a decade in just about every form you can imagine, all-in-one 4K solutions (and especially those catered toward the gaming set), are a brand new take on older tech that is set to break the barrier between enthusiasts and the rest of the masses in 2015.
The AG420 4K gaming PC is an impossibly thin all-in-one that features a 23.6” 3840 x 2160 screen, a Nvidia 900M graphics card, and a 5th-gen Intel Core i7, all jam packed into a chassis that’s not more than one inch deep. The unit is touchscreen capable, but also works perfectly with a keyboard and mouse whenever you need some versatility to spare.
Expect the AG420 to hit stores in March, though we don’t have any specific pricing just yet.
AP16 Flex All-in-One PC
Last is MSI’s AP16 all-in-one which, while not as technically beefy as the AG420, still offers capable hardware mixed with a stylish and sleek package.
This all-in-one PC will come standard with a kickstand for use at your desk or at the office, but will also has the ability to be flipped (or “flexed) into tablet mode, for attaching to a wall or carrying with you to the next business meeting.
This opens up a range of possibilities for everything from using it as an extra monitor for another PC, or just as a streaming media center that can be placed anywhere that’s compatible with a VESA mount in your home.
The AP16 Flex will also be available in March, and MSI says we can expect to drop anywhere between $400 to $500 once it goes on sale.
