MSI GS30 2M Shadow hands-on, first impressions

With gaming solely in mind, MSI created this rig that they claim would be light enough to bring around and work on, but at the same time play even graphics-heavy games without a hiccup. What we have here are two separate machines that connect together to offer better performance as their users demand it. Meet the MSI GS30 2M Shadow.

The MSI GS30 is a tag team of a notebook and a dock that basically empowers the laptop to have a boost in performance and handle heavy games.

The notebook itself is very light since it lacks other components like those in the graphics department. This alone shaves off a good chunk of weight from the device which makes it really lightweight while on-the-go.

It has a matte finish that looks like something a gamer would want, although it’s a dust- and fingerprint-magnet that might ruin the look of the device in the long run if not taken care of properly.

They keys have decent size in them in addition to being properly spaced out. For the letters, the company used a font style that are typically seen on those futuristic, sci-fi games.

The sides are populated with ports and slots — on the right we have the SD card slot, USB 3.0, HDMI, and Ethernet ports, while the left is where another USB 3.0 port is located together with the headphone and microphone jacks.

The dock looks like a set of speakers because, in fact, it houses a pair of speakers so users also achieve better sound experience on top of faster performance while playing.

At the right side we have the power button, two 3.5mm jacks, and four slots of USB 3.0 at your disposal. It also has a switch/lever that  helps connect the notebook to its dock.

Simply place the notebook on the tray of the dock, carefully flick the lever, and it will safely connect the devices to each other through its PCI-e x16 port.

In addition to its aesthetics, the notebook is installed with a strip of decoration on its edges that shines a white light rather than those red hues seen on common gaming rigs.

Basically, this is how the MSI GS30 notebook and Gamingdock works together and we’ll be using it in the coming days to try out what it can do. Stay tuned for our full review.

MSI GS30 2M Shadow specs:
13.3-inch Full HD display @ 1920 x 1080 resolution
5th-gen Intel Core-i7 4720HQ processor
Intel HD Graphics 4600
16GB DDR3L RAM
256GB SSD (up to 512GB)
True Color Technology
Nahimic Sound Technology w/ 2D sound processing
XSplit Gamecaster
Killer E2200 Game Networking (Gamingdock only)
PCI-e x16 dock connecting port
Wi-Fi 802.1 a/c
Bluetooth 4.0
Windows 8.1 OS
19.88mm thin
1.2kg