MSI VR601 review

Set the MSI and NEC laptops side by side and you'd be forgiven for thinking you were seeing double. While not quite identical - the status lights and Power button have been jiggled a bit - it's clear both laptops are cut from the same cloth.

Visually, the likeness isn't a good thing. With the lid closed, the familiar round MSI logo sits in the centre of a wide expanse of black - attractive isn't the first word that springs to mind. Unhook the twin catches keeping the lid firmly shut, and things don't get much better. The two-tone interior appears decidedly dated - this looks like a budget laptop through and through.

Build quality isn't great either. Grapple with the base and it flexes back and forth, creaking as it goes. The pliant lid is little better, and the light grip required to tilt the display towards our seating position was often enough to transmit ripples across the displayed image. Not very reassuring.

Just like its NEC-branded doppelganger, the MSI's keyboardis bound to be divisive. If doing the accounts and filling Excel spreadsheets is a regular exercise, then the numeric keypad may be a boon. But the rest of the keyboard is cramped as a result, and with a half-height Enter and tiny Shift key to contend with, typing is far from effortless.

Look past the MSI's deficiencies, though, and there are glimmers of hope. The display isn't bad at all; there's a bluish tinge to photos, but skin tones are far more lifelike than the NEC's over-saturated hues, and contrast is noticeably superior.

And despite the keen price, MSI has done a decent job with the VR601's spec. The Intel Core 2 Duo T5200 isn't the fastest - a clock speed of 1.6GHz gives that away - but 0.73 in our benchmarks is good enough for everyday tasks. Storage is generous courtesy of a 250GB hard disk, plus there's Gigabit Ethernet, a 1.3-megapixel webcam and a good selection of ports and connectors spread around the MSI's base.

But despite offering superb value for money, the conspicuous lack of style and compromised keyboard take their toll. The numeric keypad might earn the MSI a few fans, but other laptops here provide a far more convincing balance.

Author: Sasha Muller