MSI gets a SteelSeries keyboard, builds the GX780 gaming notebook around it

The worst part about buying a fancy new gaming keyboard? It's hard to show the thing off if it never leaves your basement apartment. MSI's newly announced GX780 notebook combines a colorful backlit 102-key SteelSeries-designed keyboard with the (relative) portability of an 8.6 pound gaming laptop. The keyboard features 1,000 different color combinations, five lighting modes, 10 key simultaneous input, and a layout the company calls "The Golden Triangle" -- trademark pending, we're sure. The 17.3 inch notebook has some solid non-keyboard specs as well, including GeForce GT555M graphics, a second gen Intel Core i7 processor, and an impressive maximum 16GB of DDR3. No word on pricing or availability, but hopefully the MSRP isn't as colorful as that keyboard. Full press release after the break.

Born to Play, Born to Win

MSI GX780 NB gives you the edge in battle

MSI introduced its new generation GX780 gaming notebook with Intel's 2nd generation Core™ i7-2630QM quad core processor and nVidia's high end GeForce GT 555M discrete graphics card. The GX780 differs from other gaming machines in that MSI worked with SteelSeries to design a keyboard specifically for the gamer to give you an edge in battle.

Taipei-Are you still messing around with one of those old-style keyboards? In the heat of battle, do you sometimes find that you left the game, because you accidently hit the Windows "Start" key and by the time you get back, your character is already dead? If so, MSI has heard your cry. It got together with leader in professional gaming equipment manufacturing SteelSeries to forge a keyboard for the serious gamer. Not only is the new keyboard much more durable, the Windows key has been moved to the right side of the keyboard where you're less likely to strike it when the adrenaline's pumping. The GX780 also comes with a 30-color LED backlit keyboard with five modes to throttle up your visual experience.

Eric Kuo, associate vice president for global sales, MSI Notebook, notes that the GX780 not only sports Intel's second generation Core™ i7-2630QM quad core CPU and nVidia's DirectX 11-supporting GeForce GT 555M discrete graphics card, it also has four DDR3 slots and accelerated dual hard disk architecture endowing it with impressive computing powers, making it equally suited for the digital content creator as it is for the serious gamer. The GX780 also comes with smart wrap around sound courtesy of Dynaudio and THX TruStudio Pro and a 17.3" full HD high resolution display to guarantee the ultimate multimedia experience.


Serious gamer keyboard
Windows function key relocated: Responding to cries from gamers, MSI got together with gaming equipment manufacturer SteelSeries to create a keyboard for the GX780. Not only is the keyboard more rugged, it has a more solid feel and the Windows function key has been repositioned to the right side to reduce the possibility of accidently striking it when you're hip-pocket deep in ogre blood. Larger Ctrl and Alt keys: Fans of FPS games need to use the Ctrl and Alt keys a lot for such commands as "crouch," "jump," and "pause," but these keys are smaller on most keyboards, making it easier to punch a nearby key by accident when you're going for one of them. With this in mind, the Ctrl and Alt keys were enlarged on the GX780.

Executes 10 commands at once: RTS gamers sometimes need to simultaneously gather resources, build up their areas, develop technologies, and control scouting units as they scour the land for the locations of more resources and the enemy. Due to the large variety of tasks that need to be executed, the player needs to key in one command after another. Many traditional keyboards aren't designed specifically for gamers and don't respond readily to key combinations, adversely impacting your combat capabilities. This doesn't happen on the GX780, because its gaming keyboard allows you to execute 10 commands simultaneously, enabling you to rapidly accomplish several missions concurrently.

Backlighting for the task at hand: The GX780 Key LED Manager lets the user choose from among several keyboard background lighting scenarios, including Normal, Gaming, Wave, Breathing, and Dual Color. Gamers will also appreciate the fact that the frequently used keys W, A, S, D, and Ctrl are all backlit on the GX780, using the latest keyboard backlighting technology. Simply depress the Gaming Mode hotkey at the top of the keyboard to light up the LED backlighting at the bottom left side of the keyboard. The rest of the keyboard remains dark, so you can find the keys you need quickly even in the middle of a white-hot battle.


Dominating the opposition
Intel® 2nd Generation Core™ i7 quad core processor: MSI's GX780 features Intel's most advanced Intel's 2nd Generation Core™ i7-2630QM quad core processor giving each core clock speeds of 2.00GHz. New generation Intel Core™ i7 processors support Intel® Turbo Boost 2.0 which automatically allocates processor resources to boost core clock speeds and overall computer performance. They also support Quick Sync Video to enhance multimedia file computing performance during conversion, synchronization, and compilation.

Top end nVidia GeForce GT 555M discrete graphics card: The GX780 packs nVidia's new generation high-end GeForce GT 555M with 1GB of GDDR5. nVidia's PhysX® offers gamers a true-to-life visual experience. What's more, it supports DirectX 11 to enhance game resolution, so that even lines in far-off buildings are now visible, making games more realistic.

16GB of memory: The new generation top end GX780 gaming laptop features four DDR3 memory slots for up to 16GB of memory. It also comes with RAID-0 dual hard disk architecture which not only doubles hard drive memory capacity, it enhances read-write speeds by some 70%.

TDE technology: The GX780 uses MSI's own Turbo Drive Engine (TDE) technology, so just one touch of the luminescent Turbo hotkey located above the keyboard instantly revs up performance. It also has MSI's own powerful Cooler Boost technology, so again, just one touch of the luminescent hotkey above the keyboard kicks in the powerful cooling function to rapidly reduce system temp to enhance system stability.

Sporty look, superior multimedia
Supercar-inspired exterior: In the creation of the GX780, MSI was inspired by design concepts found in classy high-end automobiles. The elements incorporated into the overall design and every detail of this machine serves to give these high-performance gaming machines a feeling of professionalism and style. The glowing white letters "MSI" in the center of the cover accentuate the aluminum manganese alloy body's brush metal finish, placing this NB in a class all its own. What you get is a chic high tech texture that exudes awesome power and envelope-pushing style.

Top theater sound technology: To enhance sound performance, MSI joined forces with world renowned sound designers at Dynaudio to study the GX780 meticulously. Even speaker locations and sound field design were calculated with precision. The two firms worked side by side to carry out vast amounts of study and countless calculations to determine ideal locations to install speakers to obtain obstruction-free sound transmission. MSI also worked closely with sound design specialists at Creative to incorporate cinema-grade THX TruStudio Pro wrap around sound which reproduces crystal-clear sound regardless of source.

Full HD display: The MSI GX780 sports a 17.3-inch full HD screen and comes with Cinema Pro technology for a crisper picture and richer colors. It also has an HD720p webcam, so you can engage in clear, hiccup-free video conferences with friends and family anywhere in the world.

Latest USB3.0 ports: The GX780 comes with USB3.0 which boasts transfer speeds of 4.8Gbps-10 times faster than USB2.0, so a 25GB HD film transfers in just 70 seconds. It also provides 80% more power for vastly faster charging speeds for external hard drives, flash drives, and other handheld electronic devices.

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