ASUS, MSI and Prostar/Clevo 17.3” Gaming Computers
The gaming and high-performance laptop market is home to many fine flagship models in the 15.6 and 17.3 inch categories. Of the 17.3 inch gaming laptops on the market perhaps no other three define the category as well as the GT70 series from MSI, the ROG G750 series from ASUS and the P170SM-A series from Clevo. In this article we will overview each system and examine these frontrunners of the 17.3” market.
Ever since ASUS introduced the Republic of Gamers (ROG) series laptops in 2006 aimed at delivering high-powered hardware to serious gamers, the product line has been a mainstay of the computer gaming market.
The latest offerings include a line of G750s equipped with the 800 series graphics cards from NVIDIA. For our comparison, we selected the G750JZ-XS72 which comes equipped with the NVIDIA GeForce 880m and the i7-4700HQ processor from Intel. While the graphics card and the processor are non-upgradeable (they’re soldered to the motherboard) the ASUS design includes features that have been winning customers over for years.
One such feature is the thermal design, which ASUS has done well with over the course of their foray into the gaming computer market. The G750JZ-XS72, like many of its contemporary ROG series computers, has excellent cooling properties and the units have garnered a reputation among fans for running at high-performance paces, for long periods of time, with minimal temperature-related discomfort or performance issues.
Also making the Asus G750s unique is that, while ASUS opted for HDMI support but not Display Port, they did make room for a Thunderbolt port, adding an unprecedented level of adaptability and user convenience to the model.
The ASUS chassis design features an attractive matte-and-brushed-black look that takes a few cues from a sleek stealth fighter, and in the best way possible. Not excessively “gamer” looking, nor bland and boring by any stretch of the imagination, the ROGs have carved out a niche (and it’s a big niche) of followers who have given their stamp of approval to the angular and streamlined aesthetics of the high-performance notebook.
The G750JZ-XS72 design incorporates storage space arrangements for either two hard drives or solid state drives (HDD or SSD) or one HDD with two, smaller mSATA drives. This powerful ASUS unit has a setback, however, in that the mSATA drives for the unit are specially designed for the unit and thus do not allow for any upgrades.
While the ASUS G750 is dimensionally a little thicker than the P170SM-A and (despite it being a very sturdy machine), it still weighs in at the expected 9.7 pounds that puts it in the same range as its ProStar and MSI counterparts, both of which are 8.6 pounds respectively.
Not to be left out of the conversation, the introduction of MSI GT70 series gaming laptop marked a concerted push on the part of Micro Star International (MSI) to produce a flagship line of 17” gaming computers as well. The years since the creation of the GT70 gaming series has seen this notebook line, too, gain a loyal fan base.
This year saw the introduction of the Dominator line of 17 inch GT70 laptops, which are tiered with several different graphics card options. MSI GT70 Dominator-895 comes equipped with the 870m GeForce card from NVIDIA and the Intel i7 4810MQ processor. While this MSI has great hardware for its starting price of $1399, the GT70 series is not as renowned for the cooling prowess that the ASUS ROG system boasts.
An area where the MSI outshines the ASUS G750s and ProStar P170SM-A is in the speakers department, as MSI opted for speakers by Dynaudio which offer greater and clarity a bit above that of the average notebook computer.
The keyboard is also an area that MSI chose to focus on, long having touted their Steel Series keyboards as being some of the best on the gaming and professional notebook market. This has proved to be true, with many notebook enthusiasts preferring the Steel Series keys to the average competitor. While this may give MSI GT70 Dominator-895 an advantage over the ASUS G750s, the ProStar P170SM-A in fact finds itself evenly matched as the company responsible for the design and distribution of the Steel Series is the same one that provides the keyboards for ProStar’s “P” gaming series. “Steel Series” is the brand name which MSI owns the rights to but, hardware wise, they are the spitting image of the keyboards provided in the P170SM-A (the only other difference being slightly tweaked keyboard firmware that each company provides).
The GT70 Dominator0895 offers the option for either two standard HDD or SSD drives or the option to remove one drive and install up to three mSATAs in its place (a total of one standard drive plus up to three mSATA drives). Thius puts it at a bit of a disadvantage as compared to the Prostar/Clevo P170SM-A models but another small bonus from MSI is the built-in LAN (not wireless) from the Bigfoot Killer series, a highly desirable brand, which gives the MSI a little boost in terms of its local area network capabilities.
Finally we arrive at the P170SM-A, the latest ProStar notebook in the 17” gaming category from Clevo. The “-A” designation signifies the latest models are capable of equipping the 800 series of graphics units from NVIDIA and the ProStar P170SM-A comes, like the ASUS G750JM-DS71, equipped standard with the GeForce 860m. The unit is a little different than the ASUS and MSI when it comes to the central processing unit (CPU) as well, starting with the i7 4710MQ from Intel standard.
Also, unlike the MSI and ASUS models, Prostar/Clevo P170SM-A can be equipped with a wide variety of upgrades for both the CPU and graphics card. In this area, the P170SM-A starts to hit its stride by offering a balance of features that make it very versatile.
In addition to having four CPU and six graphics card options, the unit is slightly thinner (height-wise) than the ASUS and slimmer than its MSI brethren. Also, while it does not have a thunderbolt port or the higher-resolution webcam, it offers a specialized array of connectivity that gives it incredible adaptability.
While it has the four USB 3.0 (and a single 2.0) ports that the ASUS offers (the MSI only offers three USB 3.0 ports), one of them is an eSATA combo port, giving the user a high data transfer rate advantage when necessary. Also, the P170SM-A offers 1394 Fire Wire connectivity, 4 headphone jacks (including S/PDIF out) as well as the option of using both HDMI 1.4 and Mini Display Port 1.2. The 170SM-A also includes a fingerprint reader.
These are unique features as compared to the ASUS which lacks the availability of a Mini Display Port (which is beneficial because HDMI and Mini Display Port can carry audio as well as visual data) and Fire Wire port. In addition, the ASUS unit provides only two audio jacks.
The MSI Dominator 895, while it does offer Mini Display Port in addition to HDMI 1.4, opts to include an extra, older, USB 2.0 port (total of two) and one less of the newer USB 3.0 ports. The MSI, too, lacks Fire Wire and Thunderbolt transfer capabilities.
In terms of wireless connectivity, all three computers differ from one another. In the case of the P170SM-A, the computer has a standard optimized wireless and Bluetooth B/G/N card whereas the DS71 offers ASUS’s AC 802.11 card and MSI offers the Bigfoot Killer N 1202.
The hard drive configurations for the ProStar P170SM-A also set it apart, with an available two mSATA drives in combination with up to two standard hard drives or solid state drives. This affords the P170SM-A a bit of an upper hand in terms of storage memory flexibility and upgrade capacity.
Each one of these units represents a cornerstone of the 17.3” gaming laptop market, each with unique checks and balances that ensures ProStar/Clevo, ASUS and MSI will all be competing and defining the portable gaming and workstation market for years to come.
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