MSI GE700 review

The keyboard has flat, isolated keys that are a decent size and even with the useful number pad there’s still ample room around the keyboard tray to rest your palms. The keys were responsive, but we quickly became irritated with the half-height Enter key, which we kept missing. The touchpad is rather small and although the buttons beneath it have a ‘see-saw’ design, there isn’t a noticeable dead spot in the middle.

Connectivity is impressive, with four USB ports, a dedicated eSATA port, a multi-format card reader, a DVD re-writer and an ExpressCard/34 slot. The three audio jacks also make it possible to connect a surround sound setup, but there’s also HDMI for digital audio.

Battery life is unlikely to be top priority when buying a desktop replacement laptop, but it’s worth noting that the GE700 lasted only two and a half hours away from the mains. Somewhat making up for this is the inclusion of a USB mouse to make gaming easier and a rucksack – extras we rarely see these days – although the backpack’s design won’t be to everyone’s tastes.

With great 2D and 3D performance, the GE700 is a powerful desktop replacement laptop. Connectivity is impressive and the screen is great, but build quality isn’t quite as impressive as other 17in laptops we’ve seen. The Dell XPS 17 is almost as fast in both games and applications, but has better battery life and build quality and is a lot cheaper.