So what's the deal here. Well for about 950 euros you are getting a pretty potent package. A powerfull i5 2410M CPU, even if it's labelled as only a dual core wuth huperthreading function. A mainstream dedicated graphics card in the form of Nvidias GTX560M 1.5GDDR5. And a total of six GB of DDR3 ram and an acceptable sized 500GB Hard Drive. Though the specs aren't as impressive as with the GT780, the latter is also over 500 euros more expensive. The chosen components are adequately up to the task of serving as a light game platform. Nice to see MSI implement the beefy cooling into the mainstream gaming laptops too. A real big plus if you ask me.

With the few games we tested the little dual core 2410M took care of us. Providing hours of fun with Mafia II and Dirt 3. If it can handle Battlefield 3 at the native resolution of 1920 x 1080 is a bit asking too much in my book. Many desktop PCs already struggle with this title. Bad Company 2 was perfectly playable at 1366 resolution during hours of online bashing. The Native HD resolution is just asking too much of the humble GTX560M. The users that buy these laptops have to take into consideration that either the resolution has to be lowered to eg our tested 1366 x 768 resolution and/or detail levels have to be lowered too. This to play most of the latest games at an acceptable FPS range. Or option is that they have to cash out and opt straight for eg a GTX570 or even a GTX580 equipped laptops. Sadly this will raise the price drastically and that's not what this MSI GT683R is about. It's more about a balance between what's affordable and what is not.

Similar to the GT780, this GT683 can be had in a wide variety of CPU/RAM choices and storage capacities, eg the version with the 2630QM CPU will set you back at 1200 euros. But if money is not an issue it might be better to go flatout then and opt straight for the GT780 series, with the bigger 17.3" screen, Steelseries keyboard and improved Audio.

So if you are in for a pretty solid gaming laptop in the sub 1000 euro range, don't hesitate to give this little MSI GT683R a spin. Hence why award it for the components and accesoires included a well deserved Value Award

PROS :

• Pretty balanced package
• Decent game performance with the GTX560M GPU
• Good battery life time
• Rucksack and Gaming mouse included
• Competitive price

CONS :

• Only 500GB HDD for storage