How would you change MSI's X-Slim ultraportable line?
By Darren Murph 
posted July 25th 2009 12:23AM
posted July 25th 2009 12:23AM
posted July 25th 2009 12:23AM
powered by gdgt
MSI X340
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I want to see it cut cake on video.
I would rather see this with a Core 2 Duo ULV, but I don't know that it would be wise in terms of battery life and whatnot. I'm just spoiled by dual core.
1)either supply these with XP or at least offer XP as an option instead of CR*P vista
2)aluminium/magnesium case
3)bring the price in line with the the ACER timeline series. These currently sell for $600 or less. Keep in mind that Acer is a more reputed brand than MSI (for those who have heard of MSI that is)
4)offer an SSD option
MSI offers you Windows 7 for $9.99 when you buy a X-Slim.
http://images10.newegg.com/uploadfilesfornewegg/rebate/SH/MSI14MirsMay1Dec3109lc77.pdf
Can they give me the moon on a stick as well?
XP is not an option if you want good hardware, Microsoft enforces restrictions on that.
http://www.fudzilla.com/content/view/11200/38/
"XP is not an option if you want good hardware, Microsoft enforces restrictions on that."
True. However if the EU have already fined Microsoft 500 million euros, then it is also true that they could now fine them another 5 billion euros for "for abusing its dominant market position" plus the utter contempt with which Mircosoft come up with these plans to the detriment of consumers, and the cashpile they are sitting on. Vista is cr*p, and even Microsoft admit this.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/3563697.stm
too much flex in the keyboard. get rid of intel's 4500mhd (this will most likely happen anyway whenever intel decides to release a new graphics chipset).
Install Mac OSX on it.
aw snap!
More Bezel.
I have a silver X340.
And it runs Vista, Win7 and Kubuntu without any problems.
Sure it would be nice to have a Core2Duo, but the Solo is much better then I expected.
What I would change is; make it easier to access the HDD and Memory - I just don't want to unscrew the whole system.
Also the keyboard could be of better quality, but it is not as bad as some people say or I'm just not that picky.
Altogether, I am happy with my purchase.
woah, what are you doing here? someone who actually owns the system talking about it.... amazing!
Definitely should have a 9 cell battery, Blu Ray Drive, 2 Nvidia 280 GPUs, be able to get 10+ hours battery life, while making it an inch thinner and about 6 pounds lighter, have an apple AND a microsoft logo on it, but have it run linux, and make it about 1000 bucks cheaper.
And it should come with a cat. The kind that eats cheeseburgers.
Don't forget a numberpad, bose speakers, a 1TB SSD and a floppy drive.
Looks cool! Hopefully the specs won't be disappointing.
calvin is right also. haha. xD.
What would you expect in a slim laptop? Besides being really slim, portable and lighter than the bulky versions.
This is definitely worth checking out.
hmmm found this interesting for though who say add hdmi to this and change the color
u should go check this link out
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834152113
i would change the image for starters, so you can actually see the product, haha thats gotta be the smallest product showing in an image yet!
get rid of those crappy stickers on the palm rest, ( and i know you can rip them off urself but its a pain in the butt )
they get paid to have those on there, so that they can keep the price of the laptop down. That's one reason apple laptops are so expensive.
I'm surprised there aren't more [or any] comments about the build quality of this thing. I was super stoked about the release of this line when they announced it, even though I never really planned on getting one. Their idea is in the right place, but it wasn't executed so well. From the reviews I've read/seen, it's too flimsy and cheap-feeling. There are some other little design flaws that bug me, like the way some of the ports are lined [looks like cheap silver-colored plastic] and the keyboard's quality/color as well. There's definitely a a market for a good windows-based MBA competitor. I hope these guys improve on this and hopefully put out something that really challenges [or at least meets] the quality/price of the macbook air.
put a CLUV CPU and an ION chipset in it, bigger touchpad, Auminum casing.
No probs if that's 200bucks more expensive, it;s all worth it!
M.
I own a 430 which I picked up here in NYC. The unit is overall great. The screen looks good, the weight of the unit compared to the size of the screen is really good. The only two things I would change would be add a better keyboard -- the one thats there has quite a bit of flex, and me coming from a Vaio, the keyboard was a bit of a letdown. The only other thing would be an additional USB port on the left side of the unit, there are two ports(compared to only one on the Mac Air), but they are both on the right side so it get a bit cramped. But for the price I don't think there is anything out there in the same market segment and price point right now.
I'd X-change it for a mac.
You'd only get 1/4 of mac.
Model X-Slim X340
Price $799
...Yes, you're right. That $3200 macbook is out of most people's reach.
So really, you'd get 1/2 of a computer infected...I mean bejeweled... with Windows Vista for 200 bucks less than a macbook.... although some claim that MSI products are "boutique" products only used by Starbucks sipping-snobs.
Personally, I know that my MSI MS5536170RT MP3 player kills any of those Ipods (what's the "I" for, ...Idiot?)
Also, I forgot that any products with the "X" in the name are XXXtreme and Pwn pretty much anything in the universe!!!!1
If you really want to go that way, then you should compare a competing MSI laptop to the macbook, not something that competes with the macbook air. How 'bout next, we compare the performance of a $400 MSI laptop to that of the $5000 macbook pro!
Ditch windows alltogether, make a Linux option standard. I know you can always just install the distro of your choice yourself, but support for open source by the manufacturer is never bad.
Who still uses a VGA port, come on already. Its 2009 stop the madness.
YES I don't agree my HDTV s a better picture over VGA, whats the problem really ?
True, but at least it HAS a built-in video output, no dongle required :)
got a black X340 - for our use (wife and I), the keyboard is the weakest link. Touchpad could be better. But overall, given the price point, this is a good choice if portability is high on your list - went from a 10.1 inch Asus EEE - this is lighter, much larger screen, runs Vista well enough. If you key in at a 100+ words a minute, you'll hate the keyboard, though - I'm a two finger typist myself!
Seriously, this sucks, I've known about the X-slim awhile and was really hoping for some user feedback (looking at x600 vs sony z790). I feel like engadget has been taken over by the children at imdb or 4chan...
well what could you possibly say in regards to the z790? its twice the price and, naturally, twice as good
I just passed on it and went for another machine. Why? Well there were a few reasons. I understand that as an ultra slim laptop it's going to sacrifice a few features... Optical drive for instance. And as a low cost alternative to the MBA it sacrifices things like the aluminum case a d associate rigidity. But it didn't have to sacrifice efficiency of design. I looked st a tear down and notices that there is nearly an inch of hollow space all around the border...In the slim, tapered part of the case. Not only does this make the machine bigger than necessary, it pushes your hand farther from the center of gravity when picking it up by a corner, increasing chassis bending forces and and the resultant flex. This and other similar choices convinced me that the machine is more of a
knock-off than an honest attempt to make the best machine at the target pricepoint. Then again I'm aesthetically challlenged...I think thinkpads are beautiful
so...what machine did you go for?
I have the black X-340. I bought it because it is a true LAPTOP. By that I mean that I typically have it on my lap as I use it for reading, e-mail and even CAD. So weight (2.9 pounds) is very important. I also bought it because I have MSI Wind. On the Wind I managed to run XP, Ubuntu, Win7 (that is the keeper) and OS X. So for me MSI is a good brand.
On this laptop I am running Win7, legal evaluation version and it runs great. I do not need or want bigger battery since I really need it to be lightweight and cool to the touch. If battery life is important, keep a spare. I also have HP, Sony and older Mac laptops and in the past I had a couple of Dells. They each are good for a different use. I like the Slim for portability, so the idea of adding CD/DVD, bigger battery, bigger disk or even more ports does not appeal to me.
I would change the fan (make it totally quiet under low load) add SSD option (weight and noise reduction) and better graphics (check x-600). Although I have no problem streaming HD Hulu, while connected to 42” plasma via HDMI. I would also like to have full sun readable display like Pixel Qi. I also have OLPC that I use outdoors, in full sun, to read but that is one heavy and slow laptop. The built quality is good, the keyboard is flimsy but not that bad. The touchpad is OK. Offer a non smudge, non glossy case, better keyboard, fan, graphics, full sun display and with the price point as is (800US) this laptop would be hard to beat, even by Apple.
Ion is for Atom this does have an Atom therefore it's called an Nvidia 9400m.
Feel the burn.
The X340 in silver really is the poor man's MBA. Obviously has a much weaker processor but larger HD. I think my biggest gripe and fear would be actually purchasing a machine that runs Vista. Gulp. I reckon I'd have to add Windows 7, if possible, down the road. Also I believe both the X320 & X340 sport 4 cell batteries. I would never want a laptop with anything less than a 6 cell.
One gripe I have is that the X320 is not available in silver. Not a fan of the black model you can find it in. Also I'm giving a serious look at the Lenovo S12. It's $325 less than the X340, slightly heavier (3.5lbs vs. 2.86lbs), smaller HD (160 vs. 320), atom processor vs. intel core 2 solo, and no draft N. But much cheaper and beautiful in white.
First of all stiffer/sturdier keyboard. The one I have right now just does not have a good feel to it.
Increase battery life - copy Apple if you have to and make it non serviceable battery. Optionally add a "clip-on" second battery option for more demanding users/
99% of the laptop users do not ever buy a new battery or run around with 2. Extra space form the plastic savings would help greatly in extending battery runtime.
ATI graphics card = no Linux drivers = stuck with Vista? Thanx but no thanx
It has an Intel X4500MHD
for $580 on newegg? wouldn't change a thing babay!
Mini Displayport != Displayport
Displayport is open licence. Mini displayport is apple proprietary
Except for the fact that you are completely wrong...
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2009/01/13/displayport_1dot2_basics/
Possibly offer an AMD Neo option for possible price savings(not certain if that's true with the lack of laptops offering it). And possibly make the keyboard edge to edge with NO bezel(just like the HP Mini's have).
The keyboard is sub-par. The X320 is underpowered but does the job for most everyday applications.
Plastics are a bit cheap but suffice. Price is about 100-150 too high.