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Hands-on: MSI WS60 2OJ 4K Edition workstation notebook

By Salehuddin Bin Husin - 9 Dec 2015

Hands-on with the MSI WS60 2OJ 4K Edition workstation notebook

 MSI bills the WS60 as the best laptop for CAD & 3D modelling, even going so far as putting the tag on the machine's default background.

When you think MSI, the first thing that comes to mind will probably be their line of gaming notebooks. We've reviewed a variety of MSI notebooks in the past, ranging from their GT72 and GT72S Dominator Pro machines to their over the top, ultra hardcore GT80 Titan SLI gaming notebook. MSI has built up a solid reputation of creating premium gaming notebooks that it's surprising to most people that the company also has a line of workstation notebooks.

Workstation notebooks are a special class of notebook designed mainly for intensive 3D and computer-aided design workloads. Be it designing using AutoCAD, Maya or Cinema 4D, workstations excel in design specializations and come with 'purpose-designed' GPUs with specially certified drivers (more on this later).

Back to MSI and right now, the company has two different lines of workstations; the WT and WS series. Just like the  GT and GS variants on their regular notebooks, the WT series ape the look of MSI's gaming line of notebooks (GT) while the WS line focuses more on being sleek lightweight (like the GS series). For this hands-on, we'll be looking at the WS60 2OJ 4K Edition, MSI's latest mobile workstation in the WS range.

The MSI WS60 20J 4K Edition is a 15.6-inch machine with a 4K resolution (3,840 x 2,160 pixels) display, an Intel Core i7-4720HQ (2.6GHz, 6MB L3 cache) processor, an NVIDIA GeForce Quadro K2100M (2GB VRAM) mobile GPU, 16GB DDR3 RAM and 256GB SSD storage in RAID 0 and a 1TB HDD. Its connectivity options include Bluetooth 4.0, Intel 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Gigabit LAN while audio duties are handled by Creative Sound Blaster Cinema 2, with speakers by Dynaudio.

As we mentioned earlier, MSI's WS series of workstations are specially made for mobility. That's why the MSI WS60 2OJ 4K Edition is only 19.9mm thin, which is seriously slim for a 15-inch class machine. Made of magnesium lithium alloy, the machine is one of MSI's lightest workstations to date, tipping the scales at just 1.9kg. This means it is lighter than other thin 15-inch notebooks like the Gigabyte P35X and ASUS ZenBook Pro UX501, which are both 2.3kg. It's even more impressive when compared to MSI's WT60 2OJ, a workstation machine in the WT range with comparable specs, but weighs 3.5kg!

The WS60 might look plain, but it is lightweight, mobile and powerful.

The key ingredient that help classify the MSI WS60 2OJ 4K Edition as a workstation machine is the choice of GPU used. This system is running a NVIDIA Quadro K2100M (2GB VRAM) mobile GPU, which is based on the older Kepler architecture.  The GPU is built on the GK106 core, which was first seen on the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660. Its specifications are comparable to the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750M, like the one seen in the Lenovo Ideapad Y510p, which means it'll run older games adequately on medium to high settings but it will certainly struggle with newer titles like Shadow of Mordor or Grand Theft Auto 5.

That said, the Quadro K2100M wasn't designed to be a gaming GPU, but rather to serve the needs of the workstation market. Like there Quadro class workstation graphics engines, the NVIDIA Quadro K2100M GPU has been strenuously tested and comes with specially certified drivers that are optimized for performance and stability on popular design programs like AutoCAD and MAYA. These special drivers make all the difference as it means that the Quadro K2100M GPU can run compatible design applications far quicker than a simliar class GeForce GPU or its AMD equivalent.

What's also impressive about the MSI WS60 2OJ 4K Edition is that it also comes with a 4K screen, which is a huge boon to those in the visual design industry, especially if they need to view or edit large designs or 4K content. On top of that, users can also opt to output to additional monitors with MSI's Matrix multi-monitor technology. Utilizing the HDMI and Thunderbolt connectors, the MSI WS60 2OJ 4K Edition can output to three other monitors at once, allowing users to multi-task effortlessly while working on the workstation.

On the right side of the machine are the SD card reader, USB 3.0, HDMI, Thunderbolt 2 and Ethernet ports.

The left side plays host to another two more USB 3.0 ports, as well as the machine's audio and power jacks.

The MSI WS60 2OJ 4K Edition comes with a wide array of ports. It has HDMI and Thunderbolt 2 support, both of which can be used together as mentioned earlier to output up to three monitors simultaneously. It also has three USB 3.0 ports though sadly there are no USB 3.1 or Type-C or Thunderbolt 3 ports. It also has an SD card reader to access external flash storage options used commonly by digital cameras. What's impressive though is that the machine also has an Ethernet jack, yet manages to be so thin.

The WS60 might be light on frills, but it still retains some influences from MSI's gaming notebook, like a power button that changes color.

The SteelSeries keyboard on the MSI WS60 is one of the better keyboards you can use on a mobile notebook.

Despite it being a workstation, the MSI WS60 2OJ 4K Edition still benefits from MSI's heritage in creating gaming notebooks as the machine also has MSI's Shortcut Manager program pre-installed. Similar to programs that allow you to create macro keys found on gaming notebooks, the Shortcut Manager allows you to bind up to 8 different commands to a profile. Users can create multiple profiles, each customized individually to allow complete accessibility.

On top of that, the keyboard is also worth noting, as it's from SteelSeries, makers of premium gamer gear. The SteelSeries keyboard on the MSI WS60 2OJ 4K Edition is similar to that found in MSI's gaming notebooks, like the MSI GT72S Dominator Pro. It has features commonly found on premium gaming keyboards, like anti-ghosting (which ensures all key presses are recognized, even if multiple keys are hit simultaneously). From our usage experience, it has decent key travel, making it stand out from other, normally shallow notebook keyboards.

We've tested seamless trackpads that are set flush into the chassis before, but the one on the MSI WS60 is definitely one of the more responsive ones.

Finally, rounding out the machine's capabilities are its Dynaudio speakers and Creative's Sound Blaster Cinema 2 audio suite. This isn't the first time we've seen the pairing on an MSI machine. The manufacturer has used the combination before on their older gaming notebooks, though newer incarnations have switched to Nahimic audio software. The combination may not be cutting edge, but they still do the job remarkably well. We found the sound comparable to that of older MSI gaming notebooks like the MSI GT80, which is impressive seeing as how the machine isn't exactly catered for multimedia.

From our time with the machine, we found that MSI has clearly thought things through with the MSI WS60 2OJ 4K Edition workstation notebook. Not only does it take lessons MSI learnt from their gaming notebooks like the inclusion of a SteelSeries keyboard, the Shortcut Manager program and the audio subsystem, it also doesn't slight its primary audience; those interested in a beefy, yet lightweight portable workstation. The NVIDIA Quadro K2100M GPU in the machine ensures that popular design programs work fluently on the machine, while the 4K display means that the machine can be used for graphics editing duties as well as 3D design. Its S$4,399 price might be a bit steep, but workstation notebooks generally cost more than regular gaming counterparts because of their specialization and for the fact that Quadro-class GPUs are expensive to begin with. In that regard, the MSI WS60 2OJ 4K Edition is not surprising for its expected price point.

If you're looking for a workstation that is a step above other generic machines, the MSI WS60 2OJ 4K Edition seems like a decent choice. The machine is already out now and you can purchase it through regular notebook specaility stores.

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