I got it less than 24 hours ago so I'm still getting a feel for it. Here are my thoughts:
Overall, I'd say it rocks pretty hard! I played Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing for PC at native (1600x900) resolution with all settings cranked and it didn"t even break a sweat. As for Dolphin, I played Super Smash Bros. Melee at 1x native with four players and it played great. I put DSP on a separate thread and everything was smooth, although I did notice some minor slowdown but just barely enough to notice. I also played the intro to Xenoblade chronicles and I forget the exact settings I used, but after a bit of trial and error I could play through the whole intro with no skipping or stuttering.
I played Mario Sports Mix at 2x native and it looks gorgeous. SSX Tricky played at 1x native with LLE and it was smooth as silk.
I read many complaints about the LCD but I think it's fine. The blacks aren't quite as deep and rich as my MacBook Air (I have a 13" Haswell Air) but it's plenty bright enough. You just have to set Windows for "performance" instead of "balance" and that seems to really cranks up the brightness. Also, I had a bunch of students (I teach in Taiwan) behind me watching me play, and none of them complained about not being able to see. I think two or three people could easily sit around this machine and play a game together.
The machine I have is 'stock' right now. No SSD and only 1 stick of RAM. I didn't even reinstall Windows or anything (although I removed all the Norton bloatware). Sure it boots up more slowly than my MacBook Air but I can't say that it's any more sluggish than the Air during regular use. But I think it's easy to throw an SSD and an extra stick of RAM in there later if I want to speed things up a bit.
If I have any major complaints, one is that the Home key is right next to the Backspace, which means that I often hit the Home key instead of the Backspace key which is really annoying! But I guess I'll grow used to the keyboard over time. The trackpad is also pretty ass, but they gave me a pretty nice MSI gaming mouse with the computer. They also gave me an MSI mousepad, and a VERY nice MSI backpack to lug the machine around in (makes the extra weight more manageable).
I have big plans for this machine. Instead of futzing around behind my TV with switch boxes, no more hunting around for controllers and memory cards, no more hunting through drawers to find the right disk. Now it doesn't matter if it's PC, Gamecube, Wii, PSP, PS2, Dreamcast, Saturn, PS1, N64, SNES, Genesis, Arcade or whatever, I'll be playing it on one machine, with one set of controllers, that I can carry around with me anywhere. I'm thinking Mario Kart tournaments at Starbucks![Big Grin]( "Big Grin")
![Big Grin]( "Big Grin")
![Big Grin]( "Big Grin")
Sure some games will be glitchy and some won't work at all, but I think I can put together a blockbuster library of classic titles that could entertain me for days, if not months or years. This is like a dream come true for me.
I'm very glad that I posted and asked questions here. You guys pointed me in the right direction. Especially admin89. Props to you guys for your help and advice!
PS if anyone has any questions about the GE40 please ask me, I'll answer as best I can!
Overall, I'd say it rocks pretty hard! I played Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing for PC at native (1600x900) resolution with all settings cranked and it didn"t even break a sweat. As for Dolphin, I played Super Smash Bros. Melee at 1x native with four players and it played great. I put DSP on a separate thread and everything was smooth, although I did notice some minor slowdown but just barely enough to notice. I also played the intro to Xenoblade chronicles and I forget the exact settings I used, but after a bit of trial and error I could play through the whole intro with no skipping or stuttering.
I played Mario Sports Mix at 2x native and it looks gorgeous. SSX Tricky played at 1x native with LLE and it was smooth as silk.
I read many complaints about the LCD but I think it's fine. The blacks aren't quite as deep and rich as my MacBook Air (I have a 13" Haswell Air) but it's plenty bright enough. You just have to set Windows for "performance" instead of "balance" and that seems to really cranks up the brightness. Also, I had a bunch of students (I teach in Taiwan) behind me watching me play, and none of them complained about not being able to see. I think two or three people could easily sit around this machine and play a game together.
The machine I have is 'stock' right now. No SSD and only 1 stick of RAM. I didn't even reinstall Windows or anything (although I removed all the Norton bloatware). Sure it boots up more slowly than my MacBook Air but I can't say that it's any more sluggish than the Air during regular use. But I think it's easy to throw an SSD and an extra stick of RAM in there later if I want to speed things up a bit.
If I have any major complaints, one is that the Home key is right next to the Backspace, which means that I often hit the Home key instead of the Backspace key which is really annoying! But I guess I'll grow used to the keyboard over time. The trackpad is also pretty ass, but they gave me a pretty nice MSI gaming mouse with the computer. They also gave me an MSI mousepad, and a VERY nice MSI backpack to lug the machine around in (makes the extra weight more manageable).
I have big plans for this machine. Instead of futzing around behind my TV with switch boxes, no more hunting around for controllers and memory cards, no more hunting through drawers to find the right disk. Now it doesn't matter if it's PC, Gamecube, Wii, PSP, PS2, Dreamcast, Saturn, PS1, N64, SNES, Genesis, Arcade or whatever, I'll be playing it on one machine, with one set of controllers, that I can carry around with me anywhere. I'm thinking Mario Kart tournaments at Starbucks
Sure some games will be glitchy and some won't work at all, but I think I can put together a blockbuster library of classic titles that could entertain me for days, if not months or years. This is like a dream come true for me.
I'm very glad that I posted and asked questions here. You guys pointed me in the right direction. Especially admin89. Props to you guys for your help and advice!
PS if anyone has any questions about the GE40 please ask me, I'll answer as best I can!