ASUS ROG G56JR vs MSI GT70 2PE Dominator Pro

ASUS ROG G56JR

VS

MSI GT70 2PE Dominator Pro

Up till now, much emphasis has been placed on consoles and handhelds. In fact, the PC side of gaming has been left unattended. Not so for this PC.com Super One-2-One Showdown as it has set up two very big gaming notebook brands, featuring two very large gamer-type gaming systems, against each other. On one corner, there is the ASUS Republic of Gamer (ROG) G56JR. Its contender is none other than the MSI GT70 2PE Dominator Pro. Only one will prevail!

Design

Let’s begin with the ROG G56. The entire notebook comes in the trademark jet black that ASUS is known for and customary ASUS logo on the lid that is stenciled in red. Opened up, a large 15.6in screen as well as the keyboard red illuminated backlit keyboard show themselves to impress all. Along the sides of this ROG entry are a couple of USB ports, a HDMI port for external monitors, a Blu-ray drive, as well as huge, red accentuated vents for cooling purposes. Next up, the GT70 Dominator Pro.

Much like its rival, this MSI entry comes in black as well but has the MSI logo
emblazoned on the lid. Within, the first thing users will come across is the huge 17.3in screen and multi-hued backlit SteelSeries keyboard. As for the sides, the usual assorted helpings of USBs and ports, expansion drives, and vents are obvious for all to see. The only key difference between the two are the black hues used for the chassis, the silver grills of the speakers found on the MSI GT70 2PE, and the subtle accents that both brands use on their units.

Performance 

The hardware that is located underneath the hood of both gaming notebooks is where things start to deviate. The ASUS ROG G56JR comes with a 2.4GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7 4700 HQ Processor and 12GB of DDR3 RAM (expandable to 16GB). For graphics and storage, it packs an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760M and a 1TB 5400 RPM HDD - both sufficient for all power users.

In comparison, the MSI GT70 2PE sports improved specs as this monster puts together a 2.8GHz Intel Core i7 4810 MQ CPU, which can be overclocked to 3.8GHz, with 16GB RAM (upgradable to 32GB) and an
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 880M. File management has a 128GB SSD and 1TB Hard Drive combo powering it all.

Experience

When it comes to usability, there are some similarities between the MSI GT70 2PE and the ASUS ROG G56JR. First of all, these things are huge. Secondly, they’re heavy. This is a desktop replacement, so one should not be expected to carry these things around like its Ultrabook  counterparts.

Weight and size aside, both are able to perform extremely well when it comes to gaming as they ae capable of delivering extreme graphics performance - perfect for high intensity gaming sessions. However, with its superior hardware, the MSI GT70 2PE obviously edges out the ASUS ROG G56 by a mile. It helps that MSI went the extra mile for gamers as well by pairing with renowned e-Sports hardware and app vendors to improve the overall user experience for gaming.

Winner: MSI GT70 2PE Dominator Pro

While both are great choices if as a gaming notebook, only one can be chosen as the best of the best. Hands down, the title has to go to MSI due to its superior hardware. It helps that MSI has thrown in its lot for gaming, giving its entry that upswing needed to outperform ASUS ROG. This goes to show that, even in gaming, it’s all about the entire package.