Unleaded's MSI MS-1012s and MS-1013 preview

Well, I got my first couple of MSI MS-1012s and MS-1013 in White and I thought I would share my impressions with the forums. I'm afraid I can't put up any pics just yet as the wife has taken the digital with her to Paris (damn her!), however, I've had a lot of laptops come in and out of my hands and I have to say these two laptops are DEAD SECKSI!

Initial Impressions:

Appearance:

Extremely attractive design which I'd say was reminiscent of a 12" powerbook only in white. Both systems offer a "glare type 12" WXGA screen and do sport the "bubble butt" battery (6 cell) that extends out from the rear of the system and will prop up the system from the back.

Build Quality:

Solid, solid, solid. I'm extemely pleased that MSI has used an aluminum alloy construction for everything but the keyboard surface area. Keyboard feel is very nice (more once I actually spend extended time using it) and every facet of this system just somehow exudes quality.

Features:

Both the Pentium M based MS-1012 and Turion Based MS-1012 offer an built-in (in the case of the systems I am reviewing) dual format DVD burner, multiple format card reader, 3 USB ports, a firewire port and a hardware WiFi on off button (all quite logically placed given the form factor). The one glaring difference between the MS-1012 and the MS-1013 is the MS-1012's lack of support for Bluetooth. The MS-1013 offers support for a combo Mini-PCI WiFi/Bluetooth module.

DIY enthusiast advisory: This is NOT one of your easier builds. In order to assemble this laptop it must be almost entirely disassembled to gain access to the CPU socket, SODIMM slots, etc. This is not a build for the faint of heart.

I will put up my running/final review in the Other Brand Reviews section sometime this weekend.

I hope to have these reviews become a relatively regular "segment" and I hope it proves to be useful/informative for the user community.

-Unleaded

Feel free to move it...I merely wanted to make people aware that a full review would be in the appropriate section when the testing/content was completed.

The above was merely the "teaser" with some initial impressions.

Pics when the wife sees fit to come back home with the camera. I'm sure I'll have to clear out the pictures of the Tour d' Eiffel, Arc de Triomph, etc. before I'll be able to do so but I figure beginning of next week. I'll have additional thoughts and pertinent benchies before then, however.

CoffeeShark might have some pics he can post to carry over til I take my own...CoffeShark, you been playing amateur shutterbug with the white MSIs?

This is not intended to be a comparison review as they are not similarly configured. And, no, these are most certainly not gaming machines but rather ultraportables each with integrated graphics (exactly as Lordsavant had referenced).

These reviews will merely be my impressions of the respective machines.

I haven't decided which MS-1013 I will benchmark for these reviews, each has a different config.

1) ML-37, 80GB 5400RPM HD, 1GB DDR 400 (single SODIMM) and MSI's 6855 combo WiFi/Bluetooth Mini-PCI module
2) MT-34, 100GB 5400RPM HD, 2GB DDR 400 (2 x 1GB SODIMMs) and MSI's 6855 combo WiFi/Bluetooth Mini-PCI module

any preferences?

The MS-1012 is configured with a P-M 1.86, 60GB 5400RPM HD, 512MB DDR 333 (single SODIMM) and Intel Pro Wireless 2915

There are a few resellers that offer the MS-1013 in white. Visit http://www.msicomputer.com/NB/whereToBuy.asp for a list of authorized resellers.

I had actually resigned myself to testing the ML-37 based system for the purposes of this review but I would be happy to share with you battery rundown tests of the 1013 configured with the MT-34.

Thanks, smilepak. I'll just put my final review(s) in this thread in that case.

Prolly get it done this weekend.