MSI GT80 Titan: A Beastly Notebook with a Cherry MX Keyboard
by Jarred Walton on October 31, 2014 1:27 PM EST
Yesterday MSI announced their latest notebook addition, the GT80 Titan. I'm a bit unsure what to think of the notebook, but it's obviously unique in that it offers a SteelSeries keyboard with Cherry MX Brown switches. It also has a tweaked keyboard/palm rest area, somewhat reminiscent of the Acer R7 in that the keyboard is at the front…only now you have to throw in shades of Razer's Switchblade touchpad/UI as there's apparently a configurable touchpad/screen on the right of the keyboard.
I get the idea of doing a notebook with a mechanical keyboard, though obviously that will result in a thicker chassis. I'm not so sure about shifting the keyboard forward and turning the 10-key into a touchpad and getting rid of the palm rest. For actual gaming, most users will still use a dedicated mouse, but I for one like having a place to rest my palms when gaming (or just staring at the screen trying to think of what to type next), and with a notebook that will likely be a couple inches thick that's a bit of a problem.
As far as the remaining specifications go, MSI is not officially announcing the supported CPUs or GPUs, and the GT80 Titan isn't actually available for purchase yet. My bet is the GT80 Titan will support at least the GTX 980M, and given it's an 18-inch chassis it could very well include support for SLI 980M. Given the name, it's also possible the GT80 will support desktop components (e.g. GTX Titan GPUs), but that's less likely; a desktop CPU on the other hand is certainly a possibility. Hopefully the screen and other elements can keep pace with the high-end mechanical keyboard. You can follow MSI from the GT80 Titan's page to receive updates if you're interested in hearing more.
Source: MSI PR
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Impulses - Friday, October 31, 2014 - link
They're pretty interchangeable IMO, the brown click is very slight (at least on my Rosewill board, got reds on a Corsair)... I hardly notice it when typing furiously and i doubt I'd notice at all while gaming. Blues are another story and would definitely impact quick taps.Samus - Friday, October 31, 2014 - link
I use red switches but changed out WSAD + LSHIFT for browns. I don't even notice while typing, but the actuation is definitely better for FPS gaming. The switches were like $1.60/ea on eBay and I just needed 5 of them.The end result is I have 5 backup red switches incase any act up over time (often the spacebar switch wears faster than any other.)
It's also a good idea to grease up the alignment/riser bars on larger keys to prevent squeaks. I just recently did this after reading a review of a cheap mech keyboard here on AT...it's a sweet trick. I used lithium grease.
grave00 - Friday, October 31, 2014 - link
I prefer the reds for fps. I dont want tactile feedback when pressing and holding to move etc. Lighter than black is superior to me. Blue for work.MrSpadge - Saturday, November 1, 2014 - link
Nothing prevents "press and hold" with browns.Notmyusualid - Saturday, November 1, 2014 - link
Some of us don't care about that.My M18x R2 ~5.4kg. Power adapter 1.8kg.
It travels with me across the globe...
bryanlarsen - Friday, October 31, 2014 - link
Is this the first laptop with a keyboard better than the one on the Tandy Model 100?Notmyusualid - Saturday, November 1, 2014 - link
Hilarious.Cygni - Friday, October 31, 2014 - link
WhyPeopleRightfullyMakeFunofNerds.jpgMondozai - Friday, October 31, 2014 - link
People have been making fun of nerds for ages and nerds are only controlling a larger and larger share of the world economy.People like you, who are desperate to fit in, are kind of funny, in a sad way :)
testarlol - Friday, October 31, 2014 - link
Even more sad (and strange) that he sits reading through the news on Anandtech with that sentiment in the back of his head. Lmao.