MSI GS30 Shadow

Hi guys today I will be going over the GS30 Shadow from MSI. The GS30 Shadow is part ultra-thin, ultra-portable 13.3” laptop that measures just 20mm at its thickest point and weighs 2.6 pounds, the laptop features a quad-core Intel Core i7 – 4870HQ processor, integrated Intel Iris Pro 5200 graphics, 16GB DDR3 memory and 2x 256GB M.2 SSDs in a RAID 0 array.

The laptop as you can imagine boots up instantly and the feel and speed of the laptop feels amazing to work on, the laptop also features Bluetooth 4.0 and Gigabit Ethernet Connectivity, as well as an SD Card Reader, USB 3.0 inputs, HDMI output and an a four-cell battery.

The laptop is great for simply carrying around in a bag and light enough that it is easy to take to and from work, its screen although at 13.3” give off crisp and clear images and text that are easy to read due mainly to the IPS panel and Full-HD 1920 x 1080 resolution.

However this little laptop does come with one feature which sets it apart from the rest of the other laptops out there, this is found on the laptop rear edge, where you can find a PCIe x16 interface which connects to the second part of the GS30 Shadows arsenal, the gaming dock.

The GamingDock is what turns the little 13.3” laptop into a powerhouse which is just as powerful as a modern gaming desktop rig.

The GamingDock may not look as aesthetically pleasing however this 365mm x 209mm x 198mm dock comes with features that more than make up for its looks, once the laptop connects to the GamingDock through the PCIe x16 express and locks in place through the use of a side handle which locks and unlocks the laptop, all display is re-routed to the monitor connected to the Gaming dock and if opened up we can see the true power of the GamingDock which includes a 450W FSP 80 Plus Bronze power supply, a 3.5in drive-mount that can be used to expand the laptops storage, 2.1 speakers, four USB 3.0 ports, Killer Gigabit Ethernet and a full-size PCLe interface

outfitted with a GeForce GTX 980.

One key point to remember is that once the laptop is connected to the dock it can’t be used and must be switched off before locking into the GamingDock.

The GS30 Shadow basically means I can take a light 13.3” notebook to work, do what I need to do then come home connect the laptop to the GamingDock and game the night away, one issue I noticed when using the GS30 is that once connected the laptop does tend to heat up and in doing so produce a lot of noise through the cooling fans, however this isn’t really an issue for me as I simply put on my headphone and don’t hear the noise, but if I ever choose to disconnect the laptop and sit on the sofa while browsing the web it does heat up my legs.

Either way the GS30 Shadow is a future proof docking station due to the fact you are able to upgrade the graphic card and storage, whenever a better version becomes available, there are tweaks needed but I feel that it’s the sort of bold step that will fuse both the portability of a laptop and the raw power of a gaming rig in one. Hopefully they will continue to work towards improving the design and flaws of the GS30 but for now I am really happy with what I have as it fulfils both my work life and gaming life.