THE TEST:

We’ll start with 3DMark06:



In 3DMark06, the MSI EX600 scores a mere 1.051 points, which definitely isn’t a good result in regard to gaming. To compare, my laptop scores 1.331 points, which mainly boils down to the processor.

Next up is PCMark05:



Here, the EX600 scores 3551, whilst my own laptop scores 4306 points. Once again, the processor appears to do quite a difference.

Finally, a “clean” test program, HD Tune, will be used in order to test the harddisk. First, the MSI EX600 with a 120GB 5400RPM harddisk, and second, my own laptop with a 200GB 5400RPM installed.

To much surprise, the 120GB harddisk of the MSI is quite superior. The only thing in which it loses out is with CPU usage, where it uses slightly more than the 200GB harddisk.

As can be seen, the MSI falls a little behind in the tests where the graphics card and processor is put to test. The significant difference is the small Intel C2D 1.5GHz processor of the MSI, which failed to compete with the 2.0GHz and 4MB cache of my own laptop. Even though gaming may not be its main function, one could have expected a better performance. So, if one is searching for a machine that can pull of newer games in a decent quality, one might want to look somewhere else.

Since the MS EX600 is branded as an entertainment laptop, one would expect a long-lived battery, particularly when used for showing movies. In the test, I used the program Batteryeater, which stresses both CPU and GFX.

I arrived at the following conclusion: Under full load, the battery lasts 123 minutes, whilst it under no load lasts 161 minutes. This is a quite acceptable result, and one can watch most movies without having to change the battery or having to look for another power source.

Also, I’ve tested the power consumption. The machine was set to high performance in power management, and the screen at its maximum in background lighting, and, the accompanying mouse was connected. I arrived at the following:

CONCLUSION:
There must remain no doubt that the MSI EX600 has its perks. Comfort and quality are things that are not taking into much consideration when purchasing a PC, but they must not be taken for granted, and it is in this context that the MSI EX600 must been seen, if one is considering to buy such a laptop.
Speaking purely of performance, the MSI EX600 falls behind.  This also leads on to the discussion, whether this is in fact an entertainment laptop, when it falls this much behind in regard to gaming. In fact, there is not much difference from a so-called Office PC to this MSI EX600, other than the graphics card is dedicated rather than onboard, as well as the various media keys.

Though, the MSI EX600 is recommendable if one would like some colors in the office or in the classroom, since it performs quite satisfactory as an Office PC.

The MSI EX600 is, as of this writing, priced at around 6,000 DKK.