MSI CX623-203UK review

Although it only has three USB ports, one of these is a shared eSATA port which lets you attach fast external hard disks. An ExpressCard/34 slot could prove useful if you want USB3 or extra eSATA ports. There’s no Bluetooth, but the network port supports Gigabit Ethernet and there’s 802.11n WiFi.

A four-column numeric keypad sits to the right of the main keyboard, and both take up the entire width of the case. The keys are separated from each other and have a convex surface that provides great tactile feedback to your fingertips, and the action is light and crisp. There’s a bit of flex in the keyboard, but not enough to create any problems.

The large touchpad has a smooth and responsive surface, but the seesaw button beneath it is stiff. It has an unusual scrolling method that requires you to hold your finger at either the top right or bottom right corner depending on whether you want to scroll up or down. This isn’t as intuitive as other touchpad mechanisms, but you’ll get used to it.

The CX623 won’t win any style awards, but at 2.5kg it’s unlikely to be taken out much. Also, unlike some laptops, it has a collect-and-return warranty, which minimises cost and hassle should anything go wrong. With decent performance, a massive hard disk and a great screen, it wins a Budget Buy award.