MSI GX660R: High-End Mobile Gaming with DirectX 11 Support

Shortly after unboxing the GX660R, we put it on our desk and run our usual benchmarking softwares. We have previously tested the MSI GT660, another gaming notebook from MSI. Since it performed wonderfully in our test, so we simply couldn’t wait to see how the GX660R fares in modern games. The GX series is the highest-end gaming notebook from MSI, so it naturally comes equipped with the very best components.

At the heart of MSI’s GX660R is an Intel Core i7 740M (1,73 GHz) processor, coupled with 4GB of DDR3 memory which can be upgraded to 12 GB using three 4GB SO-DIMM modules. Graphics processing is entrusted to an ATI Radeon HD 5870M graphics card with 1GB on-board memory. As we all know, this series of the Radeon graphics card offers DirectX 11 support along with remarkable performance in 3D games.

The most interesting part, however, is the storage system. The “R” designation on the end of the name indicates that the GX660R notebook utilizes RAID storage. Yes, both the 500 GB, 7200 RPM hard disk drives are interconnected in RAID-0 configuration. We don’t see that very often in mobile systems. Its 15-inch screen sports a 1366×768 native resolution, just enough to play most games comfortably. There is a downside though. Quality components mean that the notebook is big and heavy. You wouldn’t want to carry it with you all day long.