MSI CX620 review – English
Romanian version here.
CPU – Intel Core i5 430M
RAM – 2x2GB DDR3
HDD – Western Digital 500GB
15.6″ WXGA display, integrated Intel HD Graphics, discrete 1GB ATI HD5470 graphics.
Misc: Wireless draft-n, 1.3mpx webcam, card reader etc.
The package also contained a 6-cell battery, 65W charger, certificates, driver CD, English manual, Romanian manual, Hindu manual etc.
It has a minimalistic look, the build quality is over average. The battery has a support peg on itself so the laptop is quite unstable if it’s removed. The lid is a fingerprint magnet, it also flexes ~0.2cms [~0.08 in] if pressed around the msi logo.
The CPU is based on the Nehalem architecture, being an Intel i5 430M, created using the new 32nm procedure, its frequency stays between 2.26 and 2.5 GHz. It also, if needed, underclocks itself to save battery. It has a DDR3-1066 memory controller and integrated Intel HD Graphics. Both are made using the 45nm procedure. [Give me a better word than 'procedure' and I'll use it]
We can also find two Kreton 2GB DDR3-1066 modules and a 500GB 5400rpm Western Digital HDD.
The WEI result is a 5.8, the HDD dragging it back.

It can seamlessly run HD movies, photo/movie editing applications. It can also run most games on medium-to-high details.
It has a 1366×768 15.6″ LED display. Visibility angles are good, no dead pixels here.
The keyboard is a chiclet keyboard and it’s ‘just another beauty’, it also has a numeric keypad.
The touchpad works fine using the W7 driver, nothing special about it. Above the display we can see a 1.3mpx webcam, good in high luminosity conditions but under average when we can’t get enough light, settings can be tempered with to give a better image.
The mic is situated in the right of the webcam.
The wireless works fine, having a full signal bar anywhere in the apartament [using a Cisco EPC2425 router].
The notebook has 3 USB 2.0 ports, one being an USB/eSata combo, it also has a VGA, an hdmi, a 3.5mm line-in and a 3.5mm line-out port. It also has an ethernet port and 34mm Expresscard slot. The charger plug is on its back.
The sound is delivered using two speakers, both situated in the front of the laptop. The frequency response is under average, one time somebody asked me if I listened to radio [he didn't notice the laptop in front of me]. Decent if you don’t have other speakers or headphones. The sound delivered through the 3.5mm port is strong and crisp.
Cooling-wise, when the integrated Intel graphics are on, the CPU stays around 30°C [86°F]. When the ATI discrete graphics are on, the CPU reaches just under 50°C [122°F]. The graphics card also reaches 70°C [158°F] yet the coolers do their job. The left part of the keyboard tends to heat up during high-cpu/gpu load, as the heatsink is just under it. Do not put your ethernet cable [or chocolate for that matter, I did it, not a pretty sight] in front of the exhaust, it gets extremely hot, the ethernet cable will dilate during high load. No performance drops were noticed during high-temps.
The battery’s lifetime is just under 3 hours in everyday office/wireless browsing using style.
The CD [and msi's website] includes w7 drivers [they also work on w7 x64], no errors during installation.
It’s a good notebook for its price, yet the speakers, webcam, glossy plastic and [sometimes] the warm-to-hot keyboard are drawbacks.





