MSI CX640

MSI CX640 review

The MSI CX640 may not be the prettiest 15.6-inch laptop around, or the sveltest, but it certainly offers decent performance. Running on an Intel Core i5 processor, it'll set you back around £600. While not exactly ugly, the CX640 isn't the most beautiful laptop we've seen. The MSI logo on the top of the casing is the only feature that identifies the CX640 as a laptop, rather than a massive slab of slate sat on the desk. The shell is made from sturdy plastic, so it doesn't feel as though a light breeze will shatter it into a million tiny fragments. As a 15.6-inch laptop, the CX640 isn't the sort of chap you'd want to pull out on a busy bus, and, at 35mm thick, it's not particularly thin either. Still, weighing 2.4kg, you could probably get away with carrying it in a bag to and from work without causing serious shoulder damage. The port options are pretty standard. The CX640 offers Ethernet, HDMI and VGA outputs, 3.5mm headphone and mic sockets, three USB ports -- one of which doubles as an eSATA port -- and a multi-format card reader. Also included are a 1.3-megapixel webcam and a DVD drive -- there's no Blu-ray player. The keyboard has isolated keys that provide a pretty comfortable typing experience.