MSI Megabook S271 MS-1058 Ultraportable Laptop

MSI Megabook S271 MS-1058 Ultraportable Laptop

Published August 25, 2008 at 01:15:58 PM, by Blair Mathis

Overview

The MSI S271, a pre-configured version of the MSI MS-1058 ultraportable notebook, is one of the first to use AMD's new dual-core Turion 64 X2 processor. Featuring a 12" aluminum-magnesium alloy chassis with a WXGA LCD, the S271 is equipped with the AMD Turion 64 X2 TL-50. The TL-50 is the lowest-grade Turion 64 X2 processor running at 1.6GHz with only 2x256KB L2 cache. Despite the low end CPU, the S271 performs most tasks with ease, with the exception of 3D intensive tasks due to its ATI Xpress 200M integrated graphics card.

The MSI S271 also comes with an 80GB 5400RPM hard drive, an MSI 802.11b/g + Bluetooth module and 1x512MB DDR2 667. All this is compacted into a notebook weighing less than 4.5lbs! With the look of a Sony at a fraction of the cost, will the MSI S271 perform up to expectations? Find out in the review!

Portability
Judging from its specifications, the MSI S271 is clearly a very portable laptop. Measuring 11.93" x 8.86" x 1.18", our 8-cell equipped version weighs less than 4.5lbs. The notebook is roughly the size of a small hardcover textbook. The 8-cell battery pack protrudes from the rear about 0.5 inches and makes it a bit more cumbersome, but most people won't mind.

MSI S271 on top, Apple MacBook Pro 15.4" on bottom

Case and Design
Aside from a new paint job, a larger 8-cell battery protruding from the back, and an updated MSI logo on the back, the S271 looks exactly the same as its predecessor, the S270. However that's not necessarily a bad thing: the MSI S270 had an excellent design. The S271's shiny black paint job is especially chic. The case is built with an aluminum-magnesium alloy to ensure ruggedness in those daily travels. Unfortunately, the retail S271 only comes in white and orange/black.

There are seven LEDs on the outside of the notebook near the touchpad: Num Lock, Caps Lock, Scroll Lock, HDD activity, Power, Battery, and WiFi/Bluetooth. The LEDs glow bright blue when activated.

Keyboard
Although the MSI S271 is based off a 12" form factor, the keyboard is still large enough to type comfortably. The key sizes have been optimized for user comfort while still managing to squeeze in 86 keys. The standard letters and number keys are full size, while the other keys have been reduced in size. Key travel distance is also very satisfactory. The result is a keyboard with an extremely low learning curve. Typists who prefer larger keys will feel right at home with the MSI S271's keyboard.

Enlarge Image

The MSI S271 comes with the bare essential function keys, covering volume control, screen brightness, display selection, stand by, Num Lock, Scroll Lock, and the numeric keypad.

Touchpad
The MSI S271's touchpad is ample in size and smooth to the touch. The touchpad detected all inputs correctly and was very easy to use. The two buttons under the touchpad, for left and right clicking, are also large in size and easy to use.

Connectivity Options
The S271 has all the essential ports except for DVI and S-Video; an impressive feat considering the form factor.

Front

The front of the machine contains an IEEE 1394 (FireWire), microphone, and headphone port.

Rear

The backside here is home only to the 8-cell battery.

Left Side

The left side has from left to right: DVD+/-RW drive, USB 2.0, ExpressCard, and SD card reader.

Right Side

The right side features two more USB 2.0 ports, modem, Gigabit LAN, exhaust, VGA, and power jack.

Heat and Noise
The MSI S271 uses the Turion X2 TL-50, which runs at 1.6GHz with 256KB of L2 cache per core. This particular model has a TDP (Thermal Design Power) of 31W, which is the same as Intel's Core Duo. Unfortunately the notebook has a rather weak cooling solution due to its small size and the CPU runs rather warm almost of the time. Unfortuately, I am currently unable to give exact temperatures since Turion X2 is not yet supported in programs such as RM Clock and Mobile Meter.

Under normal usage, the fans are either off or running very softly. When performing intensive tasks, fan speed starts climbing. In such circumstances, the S271 becomes too hot to remain on your lap. The right wrist rest becomes rather hot as well. Therefore, be sure to put the laptop on a flat surface when performing intensive tasks. I would also recommend replacing the stock thermal paste with Arctic Silver 5 or another high quality thermal paste in order to lower the CPU temperature.

Upgrading and Expansion
Upgrading components is rather difficult with the MSI S271. In order to access the components, the user must completely dismantle the notebook. Luckily the process of dismantling the notebook is relatively easy: just remove every screw on the backside and slide off the wrist rest piece. It took me only half an hour to completely dismantle the notebook. You will have dismantle the laptop to upgrade the hard drive, Wi-Fi card, RAM, and CPU.

Features

Technical Specifications
The MSI S271 is configured with AMD's low end dual-core processor, the Turion X2 TL-50. The TL-50 only runs at 1.6GHz with a mere 256KB L2 cache per core. In comparison, the other Turion X2 processors have 512KB L2 cache per core and Intel's Core Duo processors have a 2MB shared L2 cache. The TL-50 has a TDP (Thermal Design Power, or maximum thermal output) of 31W - same as that of Intel Core Duo processors - and is built on a special 90nm mobile process. AMD has further revised its mobile process, resulting in even more power savings compared to that of its single-core Turion 64 line. However, don't expect another easy battery life win for AMD. Intel has an ace up its sleeve: the 65nm manufacturing process. By producing smaller transistors, Intel can shrink the CPU's die size while reducing power consumption and heat output. AMD will be not be switching to their own 65nm process 2H 2006.

Instead of using the new ATI Xpress 1100 series chipsets (RS485) like the AMD Turion X2 reference platform, the MSI S271 uses the older ATI Xpress 200M (RS482). However, this isn't much of a loss, since the only visible benefit of RS485 is a higher clock speed. As proven in countless benchmarks, the ATI integrated graphics solutions are currently vastly superior in performance to Intel's.

Although the Turion 64 X2 platform supports dual-channel DDR2-667 RAM, the MSI S271 is only equipped with a single 512MB DDR2-667 module operating in single-channel mode. Therefore memory bandwidth will be cut in half, reducing performance in memory-intensive situations.

The MSI S271 comes with an 80GB 5400RPM 8MB PATA cache hard drive, Therefore, expect hard drive performance to be nothing out of the ordinary. Hard drive noise is barely detectable unless you put your ear next to the laptop.

Surprisingly, the MSI S271 comes with an integrated Azalia HD sound card, improving sound quality drastically. The two speakers located under the LCD provide surprisingly good sound quality, aside from the obvious lack of base. There is no background white noise when using headphones.

Display
Simply put, the MSI S271's 12" screen is excellent. The resolution goes up to WXGA (1280x800), providing sharp images and lots of desktop real estate. The LCD is equipped with a glossy finish to improve contrast and brightness is excellent as well. Some people may find WXGA to be too high for a 12" screen, in which case I would recommend increasing the Dots per Inch (DPI) setting in Windows to around 100. Personally, I feel WXGA is the perfect resolution for 12" LCD screens.

Optical Drive
The MSI S271 comes with a Super Multi Drive, which supports CD-RW and Dual Layer DVD+/-RW. This is a fairly standard device, although in a slim 9.5mm format. The vendor is HL-DT-ST, an OEM that produces drives for companies like LG. Noise levels are normal.

The supported read and write capabilities are as follows:

• Read: 24X CD-ROM/CD-R, 24X CD-RW, 8X DVD-ROM, 8X DVD+/-R, 4X DVD+/-RW
• Write: 24X CD-R, 4-16X CD-RW, 8X DVD+/-R, 4X DVD+/-RW, 2.4X DL DVD+RW

Wi-Fi
The S271 comes with the MSI MS-6855B BT+WLAN miniPCI card for Bluetooth and 802.11b/g internet access. Wireless performance was satisfactory and worked properly with no issues. The MSI wireless utility essentially just repackaged the default wireless settings in a different environment.

Battery
The rated capacity and voltage of the 8-cell lithium ion battery is 4400 mAh and 14.4V, respectively. The 8-cell sticks out about a half inch from the back of the machine, adding a bit to its size. The battery juts out at an angle in an attempt to prop up the notebook to increase airflow. Despite this, the machine is still quite small and easy to carry around by hand, although carrying it in a backpack is slightly harder due to the angle. Unfortunately, the 8-cell battery is your only option for the MSI S271. You don't have the choice to get a smaller battery to cut down on the machine's size.

AC Adapter
The MSI S271's AC adapter is just a standard 90W model, medium in size. The adapter requires a 3-prong grounded wall socket for added safety. The cords are definitely long enough, with the AC cord being roughly 75' and the DC being roughly 70' long.

Setup Method

The MSI S271 was set to run at full performance by setting the power scheme set to 'Home/Office Desk' with the AC plugged in, meaning that the CPU will not underclock while running the tests. For the battery performance test, the power scheme was set to 'Portable/Laptop'. This activates AMD's PowerNow! technology, which lowers CPU speed when not needed, thus increasing battery life. Screen brightness and audio were both set to 50% and Wi-Fi were turned on. Each test was repeated 3 times to ensure accuracy. Before each test was run, the laptop was rebooted and its hard drive defragmented.

Bapco SYSmark2004SE is popular benchmark suite consists of two different performance scenarios and generates an overall score by taking the geometric mean of the individual scores.

• Internet Content Creation: In this scenario, the content creator creates a product related website targeting a broadband and narrowband audience. The user first renders a 3D model to a bitmap, while preparing web pages using a web site publishing tool. The user opens a video editing package, creates a movie from several raw input movie cuts and sound cuts and starts exporting it. While waiting on this operation, the user imports the rendered image into an image-processing package; modifies it and saves the results. Back in the 3D modeling software, the user modifies a 3D model and exports it to a vector-graphics format. Once the movie is assembled, the user edits it and creates special effects using one of the modified images as input. The user extracts content from an archive. Meanwhile, he uses an animation creation tool to open the exported 3D vector graphics file. He modifies it by including other pictures and optimizes it for faster animation. The final movie with the special effects is then compressed in a format that can be broadcast over broadband Internet. The web site is given the final touches and the system is scanned for viruses.
• Office Productivity: In this scenario, the office productivity user creates a marketing presentation and supporting documents for a new product. The user receives email containing a collection of documents in a compressed file. The user reviews his email and updates his calendar while a virus checking software scans the system. The corporate web site is viewed and the user begins creating the collateral documents. The user also accesses a database and runs some queries. A collection of documents are compressed. The queries' results are imported into a spreadsheet and used to generate graphical charts. The user then transcribes a document.. The user edits and adds elements to a slide show template. Finally, the user looks at the results of his work (both the slide show and the portable document) in an Internet browser.

Bapco MobileMark 2005 is the latest version of the premier notebook battery life and performance under battery life metric based on real world applications.

• Office Productivity: The workloads in this category model a mobile professional at a fictitious automobile company. The worker creates documents using Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint, accesses email, and creates graphics and animation with Photoshop and Flash to include in a multimedia presentation. An Internet browser is used to view presentations. The user also invokes file compression and virus detection in the background.
• DVD Playback: The DVD playback 2005 workload is based on a 1 hours 55 minute movie that BAPCo has created from content provided by BMW