Question 1

Is this laptop (specifically the lid, around the MSI logo) plastic or brushed aluminum?

Accepted Answer

Debbie,

The border around the screen, as you look at it, is plastic.  The back side of the screen, including the light up logo, is brushed aluminum.  I hope this helps.

Tony

Question 2

hello, i wanna know if anyone has had serious heat problems with this model, to the point of having an emergency shutdown?

Accepted Answer

We purchased this laptop for my son... He has stated that the system runs extremely hot and has turned the fans on high to circumvent an overheat issue.  His is convinced that there would be an issue had he not turned the fans up.  IT DRIVES EVERYONE NUTS TO HEAR HIS LAPTOP WHINE ALL THE TIME...

Steve

Question 3

How is the quality of the screen? Are colors rich and accurate? I'm looking to replace my XPS 15 L502X that has the excellent FHD B+RGLED screen. Also, how is the quality of the audio and touchpad? I've seen concerns about the screen and touchpad in particular.

Accepted Answer

The screen, in my opinion isn't the best. It's better than the lenovo y50, with its terrible tn panel. The colors are a little washed out. So, in answer to your question, no the colors are not better than your xps. For the touch pad, its pretty terrible. It rattles when you try to tap and click it. The audio isn't bad though. It sounds a little better than normal laptop speakers.

Question 4

can you change the color of the backlit keyboard?

Accepted Answer

Yes. You can actually change three sections of it independently, or if you push a button it goes into a "shuffle" mode.

I do not recommend shuffle mode. I got lost in the pretty colors during my breakfast and I don't remember most of Saturday.

Question 5

Anyone find it necessary to use a cooling fan with this? If so, can you recommend one?

Accepted Answer

It gets hot when playing intense games, but the stock fan on it is excellent and has cooled it fine thus far. There is also a button on the keyboard to turn the fan up to max which comes in handy

Question 6

Is there room for a second hard drive bay? I want to have an SSD and an HDD

Accepted Answer

There is only one  2.5" bay, which is taken up by the 1tb HDD. However there is also one msata bay for an msata SSD

Question 7

What RAM would be suggested to added to this to make it 16 GIG Ram? Could I get a link for the RAM for it?

Accepted Answer

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231705 The link above is for the G.Skill Ripjaws series laptop RAM in a 16GB bundle. I haven't upgraded the RAM on my laptop yet, but I have G.Skill in my desktop and it works perfectly. This is also a personal preference and after much research on different brands.

Question 8

Would like to be able to hook up an external monitor as well.  Anyone had any experience adding additional monitors (gaming on one, chrome on the other one) type thing?  The overview refers to a  MSI exclusive Matrix multi-monitor display - but there is only one HDMI and a VGA port (No DVI).  Any help would be appreciated

Accepted Answer

No DVI, dual monitor works (using VGA), I use it while playing games like League of Legends at max settings. I have had frame rate issues sometimes while the dual screen is on, but I'm not sure if it is because of the dual screen.

Question 9

How well does this laptop run Skyrim and other high-performance games compared to other laptops running such games?

Accepted Answer

I haven't tried skyrim on it yet, but I have tried games like LoL, WoW, and Diablo 3. I have to say I was actually very surprised at how well it handled these games. LoL I got 60 fps and the same with Diablo 3. WoW would run the same but drop to 35 to 40 fps in VERY populated areas. Based on these I'd say it should run Skyrim very well. I wouldn't be surprised if you got 60 fps all the time.

Question 10

Does it come with 1-8GB DDR3L memory stick or 2-4GB sticks? If only 1-8GB, Any recommendations for the second memory stick?

Accepted Answer

My son is a serious gamer and has found the 8GB to be more than adequate.  He purchased it for college but we all know it spends more time gaming than writing papers...  8GB is fine.

Questions & Answers