MSI GT725 review

The MSI GT725 bucks the trend amongst gaming laptops by actually being a laptop, rather than a desktop replacement you’d never dream of lugging out of the house. Find out if the MSI GT725 manages to combine power with portability in our review inside.

Pros
Unlike most of the gaming laptops on review here, it’s actually physically possible to carry the GT725 around with you – MSI’s even provided a reasonable sized backpack that won’t have you laughed at. Despite improved portability, there’s been no compromise in performance thanks to the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4850 graphics card. And when you’re plugged in to the mains, you can even up the Core 2 Duo processor speed with a tap of the turbo button above the keyboard, a nice touch which will keep things cool and quiet when you’re only web browsing.

Cons
It may have the power to belt out top of the line graphics (4 whole gigs of RAM too), but the screen lets the side down: it may be 17 inches but the 1,680×1,050 resolution isn’t sparkling – it’d be nice for a laptop with a Blu-ray drive to have a 1080p screen too. You’ll just have to make do with the HDMI port instead. One other minor gripe: the trackpad mouse buttons feel horribly loose and tacky, but then if you’re gaming you’ll be using a mouse anyway.

In summary then…
When did a Chinese brand become a sign of quality? Yes, the MSI GT725 is another red gaming laptop, but it doesn’t go for crazy. For all the red paint, unnecessary surface buttons and flickering lights, it still manages to look subtle, something you’ll be grateful for when you pull this notebook out on the train. And that’s the beauty of the MSI GT725: you’ll physically be able to pull it out on the train. At 3.25kg, it doesn’t weight much less than other gaming laptops, true, but the relatively slimline size makes this by far the most portable model on test. And yet despite this, it punches out graphics with the best of them. For around £1,125, the MSI GT725 is an absolute bargain.

Speed

Graphics

Build

Features

Value

Overall

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