Due to its size (428 x 288 x 55mm) and calibre the GT70 is a weighty product (just under 4KG) but a very sturdy one also. Opening the lid reveals the screen, keyboard and speakers. The screen used on GT70 is a whopping 17.3" and is anti-glare, offering full HD 1920x1080. Furthermore the screen is also LED backlit. MSI have also integrated a webcam at the top of the screen to increase functionality even more, this webcam is capable of 720p at 30FPS.

The layout of GT70 is tailored towards the gamer and the overall quality is very good indeed.



Upon closer observation the keyboard is branded SteelSeries. SteelSeries are a well-established gaming brand and although the keyboard remains fairly nondescript there is the reassurance that it is robust and has anti-ghosting support, meaning multiple keys can be pressed simultaneously. Gamers have the added bonus of this particular device being backlit and these colours can be modified at will. As you can see from the below picture, this enhances the keyboard somewhat in darkness and exudes vibrancy.

Above the keyboard is another collaboration – Dynaudio. Again, another well-established brand, this time a giant from within the professional audio scene. GT70 uses a 2.1 sub system based around Dynaudio for superior, crystal clear audio fidelity. In between the speakers are a variety of touch buttons providing Turbo (on the fly overclock), 100% fan speed. Additional to these functions there is also WiFi on/off and BluRay functionality and the capability to change the colour of the keyboard. These options are interesting and useful to have at your finger-tips, when GT70 is used for gaming – especially when using a headset, it would be useful to use 100% fan speed to give the system full cooling capabilities. Of course this will result in plenty of noise but with a headset on it may not be much of a hindrance.





The battery for GT70 is secured to the unit with lockable latches. Upon removing we can identify that our notebook uses a rather large 7800mAh 87Wh Lithium-ion battery. MSI claim this can hold up to around 4 hours whilst being loaded with movies, games and other burdensome task, quite impressive indeed.



The touchpad which may not be a device that will be heavily used by the gamer since the dedicated mouse is a given, has a large smooth surface and two large button for left/right mouse clicks. Just below this region are a series of LEDs to signify Bluetooth, WiFi, Battery, Sleep and HDD usage.