MSI Computers have shifted to Gaming market and gotten more and more attention in recent years.
Couple years ago, I found out that expanding MSI product line not only enhance various products but also elevate MSI repute in users mind.
Recently, MSI has published a high end 18” Gaming Laptop featuring mechanical backlit Keyboard which catches eyes .
The original 17” GT70 has been replaced by whole new GT72 since last quarter, 2014.



Today’s major character is new GT72, which separate into two editions due to market segmentation.
Featuring nVIDIA GTX 970M along with 256GB SSD: GT72 2QD Dominator
Featuring nVIDIA GTX 980M along with 512GB SSD: GT72 2QE Dominator Pro
There are several editions of GT72 2QE Dominator Pro:
GT72 2QE Dominator Pro using 512GB SSD; luxurious edition does not serve headset, mouse, backpack and more accessories.
Today’s major character uses highest level limited edition of GT72, CPU uses much higher class than Intel Core i7-4710HQ.


First of all, look up top of GT72, made by Mg-Li metal.
With brush metal and aesthetics lines inspired by matte black racing cars .Of course, MSI logo and Dragon Gaming badge are indispensable.
Compare to GT70, GT72 is much slim and light; dimensions the system is (WxDxH) 428 X 294 X 48mm and weighs 3.78KG.


GT72 goes with 17.3″ screen .The exclusive backpack size is much larger than 14-15.6”s’.
The appearances of backpack are: design with black, Dragon Gaming badge on front and two red line on broadside.


Picture of backpack back side, there are many specifics design for more protected and so does the inside of backpack.
It might seem a little heavy when carry it; however as long as being adjusted, you will feel better protection.


Packaging and Bundle:
Bundles with usual documentation – manual, two-year warranty and drivers software disc ;
Delta Electronics 230w model ,power code , MSI gaming mouse pad, keyboard projector skin ,
SteelSeries KINZU V2 gaming mouse , SteelSeries SIBERIA V2 headset.


Underneath of GT72 is a lot different than GT70, which laminar casing with huge area of red ventilation outlets.
The battery of GT72 has been switched into irremovable and featuring 9-Cell, 87Wh Lithium-ion battery.
Using a 2.1 sub system based around, and bottom right of red block is where the XBS bass place.


B-side goes with a FHD (1920?1080) non-glare display and it is an 17.3″ screen with LED backlight technology which comforts your eyes while using in a long time.
The webcam at the top of the screen is capable of 1080p at 30FPS and array mics on two sides with digital mic support.


C-side is a place where usually be touched by hands.
The above red-spot area of C-side is speakers – collaboration with Dynaudio(there would be details on following review).
The trackpad and tray is made by plastic while other place is made by metals with texture, it great artistic temperament.


The new design on left side is shot-cut function button.
From top to down : Power Button , GPU manual switch Button , Cooler Boost Button , Gamercaster Live Streaming , and SteelSeries Engine .
GPU manual switch Button: Users could manually switch from the describe GPU to the I-GP on processor.
Cooler Boost Button: Cooler Boost 3 is used to manually kick up the fan speed to provide more cooling and performance potential.
There are three modes can be easily switched to "Sport" (maximum power) – fan noise above 50dBA, "Comfort" (limited GPU clock),
or "Green" (limited CPU & GPU power) – fan noise below 45dBA via FN + F7.

CPU Cooler height limitation is 9.5cm. However, 11.3cmJ-POWER JP-1366-S is still fittable.
After measuring, you can use 13cm cooling fan. High end top-down blowing fan is also installable.
If your budget is enough, water cooling is also a good option.


The spec is supporting 29cm high end VGA. 30cm VGA is also fittable. However, it’s EOL version, so I don’t use it as reference.


I saw 250D information since it’s just launched. I was very interested.
After using, I do see its strengths. High texture and simple style is very impressive.
I think the chassis can use for many years. It’s worth you buying a better quality chassis.
After all, chassis is the appearance of your PC. The outlook and texture should fit your style.



CORSAIR Obsidian Series emphasize texture, cooling and scalability. The Mini-ITX version is no exception.
Even though, the dimension is bigger than the other Mini-ITX case, it still has many advantages.
If you are looking for high performance ITX system, 250D is a right choice.
Besides simplicity style, outstanding scalability and great texture, the cooling and silent design is also very good.
The price is key loses for 250D, but the design and materials are much better than most competitors.
If CORSAIR can launch a lighter ITX version in lower price, it also can expand the market to most ITX Case users.

It will also post in my blog WIND3C, Any comments are welcome.

It’s 2.5” and 7mm thick. Sequential Read / Write can reach 550/520 MB/s.
Random Read / Write max is 100K / 90K IOPS. It’s tested by CrystalDiskMark.
Official performance almost makes SanDisk Extreme PRO as the best SATA3 SSD performance.
[IMG]http://www.twcarpc.com/photo/wwm/2014/C250D/C250D21.jpg[/IMG]

Power Supply is Antec NeoECO Classic450W.
It’s passed 80PLUS BRONZE certified. Single route +12V is34A and max output is 408W.
[IMG]http://www.twcarpc.com/photo/wwm/2014/C250D/C250D22.jpg[/IMG]

The cooling fan is 12cm dual ball bearing silent fan.
100% Japanese made caps for better durability and official 3 years warranty. The C/P is good.
Considering the inner cabling, modularized power supply or low watt models are recommended.
[IMG]http://www.twcarpc.com/photo/wwm/2014/C250D/C250D23.jpg[/IMG]

System Configuration
CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K
MB: GIGABYTE Z97N-Gaming 5
DRAM: AVEXIR AVD3U16000904G-2CIR
VGA: Intel HD Graphics 4600
SSD: SanDisk Extreme PRO 240GB
POWER: Antec Neo ECO Classic 450W
Cooler: J-POWER JP-1366-S
OS: Windows 8.1 64bit

Intel Core i5-4690K OC to 4.5GHz 1.26V
CINEBENCH R15
CPU => 681 cb
CPU(Single Core) => 176 cb
[IMG]http://www.twcarpc.com/photo/wwm/2014/C250D/C250D24.png[/IMG]

FRYRENDER
Running Time => 5m 49s
Fritz Chess Benchmark => 29.58/14326
[IMG]http://www.twcarpc.com/photo/wwm/2014/C250D/C250D25.png[/IMG]

Just using entry CPU cooler also can OC 4690K to 4.5GHz. As ITX platform, the performance is really good.
I also installed 12cm and 14cm system fan. 250D is also improving CPU cooling.

AS SSD Benchmark - 1163
Seq Read - 524.44 MB/s Write - 490.30 MB/s.
4K - 64Thrd Read - 372.84 MB/s Write - 281.49 MB/s
ATTO DISK Benchmark over 64KB, the max Read is 559.2 Mb/s and max Write is 523.7 MB/s.


GIGABYTE old chipset board SATA3 SSD performance is lower than the others.
This time, Z97N-Gaming 5 breaks my experience.
The benchmark is better than MB. It’s really impressive.
BTW, SanDisk Extreme PRO is top performance SATA3 SSD in the current market.

Enable XMP mode, DDR3 1600 CL9 9-9-24 2T
ADIA64 Memory Read - 22979 MB/s
Sandra Memory Bandwidth - 18445 MB/s
MaXXMEM Memory-Copy - 20520 MB/s


OC to DDR3 2400 CL11 14-14-36 2T
ADIA64 Memory Read - 33329 MB/s
Sandra Memory Bandwidth - 26356 MB/s
MaXXMEM Memory-Copy - 27321 MB/s


AVEXIR DDR3 1600 OC capability is very good.
DDR3 2600 can run stably, but the voltage must set as 1.6~1.65V.
I don’t know if they will change IC in the future. It may impact the OC range.
The reason I don’t use higher clock in this test is Haswell-EMemory Controller character.
DDR3 2400 bandwidth is higher than DDR3 2600~2800 under some settings.
If you require more DRAM bandwidth, you also can try to OC your DDR3 133~1600.

New version Sound Blaster X-Fi MB3 audio software
The interface has changed a lot. Some design changes to lateral mode.
It provides saving, import and export functions for users to load own preferred setting.


Finally, I would like to share complete system.
Due to it’s bigger dimension Mini-ITX Case and well design, it’s easy to assembly.

Beside front panel, you can install one 12cm or 14cm fan.
It’s using CORSAIR AF140L silent fan and dust filter.


Back left side can install two 2.5” SSD or HDD. Mostly like it will be SSD.
There are also 2 bays for 3.5”. Most users install 3.5” HDD.
250DMini-ITX scalability is very high. Even you need 3 storages, it’s still enough.


Bottom
Right side is Power Supply fan rear hole. It also equips with dust filter.
Four solid rubber mat can make 250D more stable and anti-shock.


Accessories are multi-languages installation guide, three kinds of screws and tie-wrap.
The screws are only for MB and PSU. Other hardware can all install without it.


After this, I will also share the other parts in this review.
The Mini-ITX MB is GIGABYTE Z97N-Gaming 5.
G1 series changed the new symbol this year. It’s more recognizable. The color also changes to black and red.


It bundles Intelwifi module, supports Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac.
It also supports Bluetooth 4.0, 3.0+HS and 2.1+EDR. The applications are very wide.
LAN chip is Qualcomm Atheros Killer E2201. It’s very common in Gaming networking design.


Audio is the key feature. The chip is Realtek ALC1150.
Yellow caps are JapaneNichicon audio caps. It places in between left and right channels PCB.
It integrates amplifier which can reach 600Ω load to support high end headset. It also supports Sound Blaster X-Fi MB3 software.


DRAM is AVEXIRDDR3 1600. This brand just launched several high frequency DDR3 products.
Currently, DDR3 1333 and 1600 price gap is small. I recommend DDR3 1600 for better C/P.


AVEXIR Core heat sinks have many color editions. It’s red in the pictue.
The capacity is 4GBX2, dual channel. The clock is DDR3 1600. Main CL is CL9. Voltage is 1.5V.


SSD is SanDisk Extreme PRO. It’s 10 years official warranty.
240GB for system drive is more than enough. Nowadays, it’s popular to use HHD as data drive.

In the past couple year, ITX market became more and more popular. Many MB makers launched related products.
Some of my friends choose ITX due to space concern.
For small room or preferring small PC, ITX is the best option for you.

The ITX Case I share today is CORSAIR high texture Obsidian Series.
Obsidian Series majority is ATX full-tower chassis. It’s simple, texture and scalability.
Recently, it also has Micro ATX350D and Mini ITX250D.
For who requires high performance and small size, these two are just perfect.

Let’s look at CORSAIR Obsidian Series 250D box first.
It’s thicker carton with detail features. Corrugated paper with less painting is more environment saving.


From here, CORSAIR Obsidian Series 250D will be named as 250D.
The size is 351x 277 x 290mm, and weight is 4.42 kg.
The major material is steel and aluminum front panel. There are some parts using plastic.


Front panel has one 5.25” for DVD or BD-ROM.
Right side has 2 front USB3.0 and headset, mic jacks. The 5 white round dots on both sides can open bottom panel.
Left side has Power and HDD/SSD LED. Bottom round button is Reset.
The light LED is light white. It won’t impact your vision at dark site during the night.


Front panel is black anodized brushed aluminum fascia and a brushed aluminum fascia with the company logo imprinted on it.
It’s not anti-fingerprint, but still acceptable.
If the white CORSAIR logo is nameplate, the texture will be better.


Top panel is partial transparent window design. Users can see through it.
No matter water cooling, air cooling, MB orRAM, if it’s Luminous, the visual effect is better.


Left side
It has large openings with integrated fan filters. It enhances air flow, also lower dust.


Right side
It also has large openings with integrated fan filters.


Back Side
Top can add two 8csm fans. Right side can install high end VGA panel.
Center is Mini-ITX MB IO panel. Lower-left is 2.5” and 3.5” storage trays.
Lower-right is Power Supply. It supports max 18cm high watt ATX PSU.


Uninstall 3 side panels
Left side can install two 12cm fans. It bundles with one CORSAIR AF120L silent fan.
If you are using CORSAIR water cooling system, you can install H55, H60 or H100i for better air flow.


Inner top side
Front is 5.25” bay. It’s convenient but also makes ITX Case bigger.
Back is for Mini-ITX MB. Below is Power Supply. Front is for PSU cables.

Iometer
5 minutes - 100% Write / 100% Random 4KB
Total I/Os per Second => 86380.81


5minutes - 100% Write / 100% Random 4KB
Total I/Os per Second => 86356.60


5minutes - 100% Read / 100% Random 4KB
Total I/Os per Second => 96403.27


5minutes - 100% Read / 100% Random 4KB
Total I/Os per Second => 97599.02


You can see the Random Read / Write 4KB in IOMETER 2008 are really high.
The key is after 20 mins repeating test, there is no decline as SanForce controller.
Marvell 88SS9187 controller performance wont decline. Its standard technology for current high end SSD.

Comparing to former Extreme II, Extreme PRO performance doesnt improve much.
However, using same Marvell Controller and own latest NAND Flash, official specs show power consumption is 30% lower.
In such low power consumption, the Extreme PRO performance is really outstanding.

Second part is NoteBook test. I use DELL New!Alienware 17.
As high end Gaming Notebook in the market, the performance and hardward specs are all top level.


AlienFX lighting is DELL New!Alienware body surrounding many LEDs.
The shell is coating aluminumand soft touch rubberized finish. Its magnesium-alloy frame for better quality, texture and durability.
Its 17.3 antiglare FHD monitor. The speaker is the best I have ever used in Notebook.
It supports one mSATA and two 2.5 SATA3. I change to Sandisk Extreme PRO SSD.


Sandisk Extreme PRO 480GB SSD install at SATA3 port as system drive.
OS installs Windows7 Ultimate 64bit, all drivers and Intel Smart Response Technology.
AS SSD Benchmark - 1095
Seq Read - 512.79 MB/s Write - 485.38 MB/s
4K - 64Thrd Read - 362.11 MB/s Write - 283.22 MB/s


ATTO DISK Benchmark over 128KB can reach max Read 560.5 Mb/s and Write 526.3 MB/s
CrystalDiskMark
Seq Read - 547.8 MB/s Write - 512.5 MB/s


Comparing to Desktop PC numbers, most benchmark in Notebook is similar.
It means even Sandisk Extreme PRO SSD set as system drive, the performance is still good.
Of course, DELL New!Alienware SATA3 optimization is high, also enhance Extreme PRO scores.

BootRacer
Boot Result => 14.142 seconds


In BootRacer, it needs only 14.142 seconds. The speed is really fast.
Of course, if you only install drivers without any software, the booting time will be less than 12 seconds.
However, I think this kind of test is no reference value. Complete installation is more close to reality using environment.
If I change to Windows 8.1, the booting time will be faster. But its not popular yet.
After consideration, I still use Windows 7 as OS.

Recently many Z97 MB supports M.2(N.G.F.F.) spec up to 1000MB/s bandwidth.
Some high end M.2 SSD can reach more than 700 MB/s bandwidth. Most is 500MB/s.
Also, MB only support one M.2 SSD, the price and RAID application still far away to be mainstream.
SATA is main specs for years. If you want to upgrade your system performance, SATA3 SSD is first choice.
Now, SSD is also divided into parity and high performance.



SanDisk Extreme PRO strength in SSD market is Random4K Read/Write can reach 100K/90K IOPS.
SequentialRead/Write can be up to 550/515~520 MB/s. Its almost the best SSD specs in the market now.
SanDisk performance tuning is outstanding to make 240/480/960GB have same performance.
Extreme PRO provides 10 years conditional warranty. Its also the longest in the market.
After service cost is high, of course it impacts the product price segment.
As cost/performance, SAMSUNG 840PRO should be the opposing force, next is Intel 730 Series.
If you want to pick high end SATA3 SSD, for max performance and warranty, Extreme PRO is a good option.
Its windwithme review test about SanDisk latest Extreme PRO SSD.

It will also post in my blog WIND3C, Any comments are welcome.

64K - Write - Average 443.9 MB/s Access Time 0.026ms
8MB - Write - Average 490.1 MB/s Access Time 0.036ms


64K - Write - Average 429.7 MB/s Access Time 0.027ms
8MB - Write - Average 486.9 MB/s Access Time 0.038ms


SanDisk Extreme PRO is excellent in HD Tune Pro Write.
The seeking time is around 0.026~0.038ms. The key is writing curve starting above 400 MB/s.
I used to test some high end SSD. The 64K Writetransmission speed is significant upand down, or average speed below 200 MB/s.
SanDisk Extreme PRO is close to 430 MB/s during test.

File Benchmark
Sequential 4KB randon Read - 97383 IOPS / Write - 86810 IOPS
ATTO DISK Benchmark over 128KB starts to reach max Read 560.5 Mb/s and Write 526.3 MB/s


Sequential 4KB randon Read - 97403 IOPS / Write - 85818 IOPS
ATTO DISK Benchmark over 64KB starts to reach max Read523.7 Mb/sand Write 526.3 MB/s


ATTO DISK Benchmark over 64K starts to reach max Read /Write 500 MB/s.
The 0.5~2K data transfer rate is even better. It leads Intel 730 Series 480GB a lot.

CrystalDiskMark
Seq Read - 547.8 MB/s Write - 514.3 MB/s
<All 0xFF, 0Fill> Read - 550.9 MB/s Write - 516.8 MB/s
<All 0x00, 1Fill> Read - 548.0 MB/s Write - 514.3 MB/s


Seq Read - 548.3 MB/s Write - 515.4 MB/s
<All 0xFF, 0Fill> Read - 548.0 MB/s Write - 514.9MB/s
<All 0x00, 1Fill> Read - 548.8 MB/s Write - 515.2 MB/s


CrystalDiskMark random test and 2 sequential mode speed are the same.
This is one of the main advantage of Marvell Controller. Seq performance is close to official specs.
4K QD32 Write and Read are top level of current SATA3 SSD.

AS SSD Benchmark - 1118
Seq Read - 526.51 MB/s Write - 494.30 MB/s
4K - 64Thrd Read - 357.62 MB/s Write - 247.29 MB/s


AS SSD Benchmark - 1175
Seq Read - 525.94 MB/s Write - 492.08 MB/s
4K - 64Thrd Read - 367.33 MB/s Write - 292.44 MB/s



Current top level SATA3 SSD can reach more than 1100 in AS SSD Benchmark.
4K-64Thrd Read can reach 357~367MB/s. This is new key factor for SSD performance.
Compression Benchmark is also consisntent.
Seq Read is 525MB/s and Seq Write is 494MB/s.

PCMark Vantage - HDD Score : 78950
SSD Benchmark TOTAL => 5127.39


PCMark Vantage - HDD Score : 78162
SSD Benchmark TOTAL => 5093.71


Its a pity that PCMark Vantage HDD doesnt reach 81000, which official claim.
The performance gap is around 2.6~3.5%. Its still acceptable. I also upgrade G1.Sniper Z97 BIOS to F6.
F6 is marked improving SSD performance. In the past, GIGABYTE MBSSD performance is lower.
It might be MB tuning issue. I hope GIGABYTE can enhance BIOS to complete the SSD performance.

Users’ impression of SanDisk mostly is memory card brand. Actually, they have been working for high speed SSD for long time.
The main product line is Extreme series. Two years ago, I have test the first generation SanDisk Extreme 240GB.
Last year, they unveil Extreme II and this year is Extreme PRO during Computex.
It’s the product this review. SanDisk Extreme PRO has 3 capacities.
There are 240, 480 and 960GB. This review will test 240 and 480GB.



As SSD using experience, SandForce240GB performance is higher than 480GB a little.
Recently, more products use Marvell controller. Some 480GB performance is higher than 240GB official spec.
The key difference of Extreme PRO and other SSD is it has the same performance for 3 capacities.

First of all, let’s check the appearance of SanDisk Extreme PRO SSD.
It’s same design pattern with own memory card. Black as main tone with red linear .


240GB product code is SDSSDXPS-240G-G25.
It’s 2.5”. The height is 7mm. Sequential Read / Write up to 550/520 MB/s.
Random Read / Write up to 100K / 90K IOPS. The numbers are based on CrystalDiskMark.
Official specs make SanDisk Extreme PRO as best SATA3 SSD performance in current market.


480GB product code is SDSSDXPS-480G-G25
Sequential Read / Write up to 550/515 MB/s
Random Read / Write up to 100K / 90K IOPS. Tested by CrystalDiskMark.
480GB and 240GB main difference is Sequential Write from 520 MB/s to 515 MB/s.
Durability is Terabyte Written>80 TBW for 3 models.
Extreme PRO provides 10 years conditional warranty. Internet shows 10 years warranty for remarked regions.


I would like to remind you, the warranty will be void if SSD warranty sticker broken. Please don’t try it.
SanDisk Extreme PRO series uses Marvell 88SS9187 controller.
It is self-owned SanDisk latest 1Ynm, eX2 ABL MLC, oggle Flash.
NAND Flash IC is very special. Currently, Marvell 88SS9187 mostly build with Toshiba NAND Flash.
DRAM Cache in 240GB is 512MB and 480/960GB is 1GB.
The detail performance will show you in following result.

First platform is Intel DeskTop, using GIGABYTE latest G1.Sniper Z97.
It builds in Qualcomm Atheros Killer E2201 LAN controller and Creative Sound Core 3D audio processor.
As G1.Sniper Z97 design and components, the C/P is quite good in Gaming MB market.


GIGABYTE G1 series has big change since Z97/H97 chipset. The design moves to popular black and red.
Logo changes to robot eye which is better than the past. Audio is the key feature.
It owns AMP-UP Audio technology and market only swappable OP-AMP chip design.


Intel Z97 is Intel latest mid-high end chipset. It’s popular in the market now.
Usually, Intel chipset IOtransmission is better. Since Z87, it supports 6 native SATA3 ports.
I believe it’s good for SATA3 SSD and RAID performance.

System Configuration
CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K
MB: GIGABYTE G1.Sniper Z97
DRAM: CORSAIR DOMINATOR-GT DDR3 2800 4GX2
VGA: SAPPHIRE Raden HD 6970 CrossFire
HD: SanDisk Extreme PRO 240-480GB
POWER: ANTEC TRUEPOWER Classic 850W
Cooler: XIGMATEK HDT-S1283
OS: Windows7 Ultimate 64bit


System setting
Intel Core i5-4690K OC 4.5GHz
CORSAIR DOMINATOR-GT enable XMP as DDR3 2800.


Single SanDisk Extreme PRO 240GB or 480GB at SATA3 port
Non-OS drive without data installs in Intel Z97 platform.
Each software has two pictures. The above one is 240GB and below one is 480GB.
HD Tune Pro 5.50
Black Size is the special one. The default is 64K on the left and 8MB on the right.
64K - Read - Average 436.7 MB/s Access Time 0.036ms
8MB - Read - Average 527.4 MB/s Access Time 0.036ms


64K - Read - Average 473.8 MB/s Access Time 0.024ms
8MB - Read - Average 528.7 MB/s Access Time 0.036ms

Ford


Thanks
This is also in my blog. WIND3C, any comments are welcome.

ASUS ROG Desktop G20


GRYPHON Z97 ARMOR EDITION


Sandisk Extreme PRO SSD


Thermaltake
Level10 Case


DIY Water Cooling


DK DeskTop PC


BungBungame Wolf
MTK MT6592 1.7GHz 8Cores / 2GB RAM / 16GB ROM
5 FHD OGS IPS / Sony Exmor RS 1300W


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