Review: MSI GS60 2PC Ghost

Conclusion

For anyone who has become accustomed to the thin-and-light portability of an Ultrabook, gaming laptops are now very much back in contention.

Mobile systems armed with quad-core CPUs and dedicated graphics have shed the excess bulk and, courtesy of increasingly-efficient processors and other modern-day technologies, are now being delivered in Ultrabook-esque packages that are slim, relatively light and suitably powerful.

With the GS60 Ghost, MSI has managed to cram the performance level of much larger machines into a 15.6in chassis that measures less than 20mm thick and weighs no more than 2kg. That's an impressive feat for a system that has no trouble playing demanding games on a fantastic 1080p IPS display, yet while the system's thin-light-and-powerful credentials are clear to see, there are a few areas in which it falls short of mobile gaming perfection.

For the target enthusiast audience, single-channel memory, non-user-upgradeable components, sub-four-hour battery life and the lack of a cutting-edge Maxwell GPU will detract from the overall package. Neither of these should be considered a deal breaker - this remains a very enjoyable machine - but put the imperfections together and you start to wonder: is it worth holding out to see what the upgraded GS60 Ghost Pro has to offer?

The Good

Excellent 15.6in, full-HD IPS display
Thin and relatively light for a gaming laptop
Quad-core Intel Haswell processor
GTX 860M adept at playing 1080p games
Backlit keyboard with programmable macros
Fast M.2 system drive

The Bad

Middling battery life
Fan noise can be bothersome
User upgrades will void warranty

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MSI GS60 2PC Ghost

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The MSI GS60 2PC-005UK gaming laptop is available to purchase from Scan Computers*.

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