Then again, it would be more accurate to say that the chips landed in existing systems

May 22, 2013 06:31 GMT  ·  By

Micro Star International's GX70 notebook is a relatively recent addition to the market of gaming PCs, but it is still something not altogether new, just like the GX60 can easily be considered old news.

Thus, adding AMD's A10-series Richland accelerated processing units (APUs) to their list of supported central units, then advertising them as if they were new inventions, isn't really correct.

Then again, one can argue that the name doesn't matter, that a new configuration can easily translate into a new notebook, even if it shares the same name as a bunch of other configurations.

Thus, MSI has introduced the first AMD Richland A10-5750M powered gaming laptops by expanding the chip list on the GX70 and GX60.

"The GX70 and GX60 deliver the ultimate sensory experience for both professional and amateur gamers," said Andy Tung, vice president of sales for MSI US.

"MSI is committed to the gaming community and we understand that cutting-edge components results in exceptional performance."

The A10-powered GX70 and GX60 won't have the same computing performance as models with Intel Ivy Bridge or Haswell high-end CPUs.

Then again, they don't need to. Game performance is, in great part, determined by the graphics prowess.

Sure, the integrated GPU in the A10 APU isn't all that mighty (although it is up to 40 percent better than previous generations), but it can CrossFire with whatever AMD discrete card is also added.

We also cannot dismiss the increased battery life that will result from the lower TDP (thermal design power) of the AMD accelerated processing unit.

Other than the APU, the GX70 and GX60 laptops have AMD Radeon HD 8970M graphics with Eyefinity 3D technology, a Killer E2200 Game Networking card, full color backlit SteelSeries Gaming Keyboard, and THX speakers with a built-in subwoofer.

As for the 17.3-inch and 15.6-inch screens, they are 1920 x 1080 pixel panels with anti-reflective coating. Everything runs for a few hours on a 9-cell battery.