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This is a recommended slider tablet/ultrabook/laptop and I'm writing this review on this same computer here. Great for portability and nearly has the strength of a traditional tower PC (yes it does have 8 GBs of RAM one of the main reasons I got it for the RAM & it's a slider tablet laptop). I wanted a portable computer that could also be a tablet, but not be weak in specs (like most tablets are unfortunately). This is a hybrid of many different styles in one. It's supposed to be a laptop, but it's also a tablet too (without the weak specs).
The only bad thing about this is the small Solid-Slate-Drive (SSD) size, but you can hook up larger HDDs to it. I use the "Seagate Expansion 3 TB USB 3.0 Desktop External Hard Drive STBV3000100" at home and the "WD My Passport 2TB Portable External USB 3.0 Hard Drive Storage Red (WDBY8L0020BRD-NESN)" on the go (since the WD Passport doesn't need a power source, it gets power from the USB cable). Good red color on the HDD, a softer matte red.
It's a MUST to get a cooling pad for this thing, it gets fairly hot at the vents (only one area). It doesn't run cool at all like the other reviewer said. I know because I got 2 of these and the motherboard fried on the one when I tried to plug in a USB device (that one kept running hot too then died It did work good though before its 'death'). The MSI reps said that was the case when the one wouldn't power on at all. The rep was pretty good and helpful, but that one was beyond any help since it was fried.
Make sure you keep the packing material with any MSI products, you have to have the same box with the same serial #'s on the box to match the laptop and everything for warranty claims.
The fan doesn't make any noise and I can hear like a rabbit so I know. The cooling pad I got for it also hardly makes any noise especially when the laptop is on it.
Definitely get a cooling pad, this is the one I use: the "iHome Netbook Cooling Pad with 2 Built-In Fans, Red (IH-A714CR)"(it works the best for this laptop, highly recommended cooling pad!!!). There is no USB hub with it but a storage area instead.
I got a red wireless mouse to 'match' the cooling pad (which is not a sharp straight red, it's a slight dull off-carmine red); this is the mouse I got: "Bornd Bluetooth 3.0 Optical Wireless Mouse (C170B RED)". (I also have a blue one too for another tablet I have the Lenovo K3 Lynxthese mice work with the Bluetooth in these machines.) This red mouse is a nice sharp bright pretty red, while the blue one is a bit off blue (kinda dull), both work great.
This laptop is slowly replacing my old Windows 7 8 GB RAM 2.70 GHZ tower (which is nearly 4years old, but still works good). Windows 8 has its problems and when it updates itself, it takes a long time: 10-20 minutes depending on the updates. But when there's no needed updates, this laptop turns on in about 4-10 seconds and shuts down just as fast. Get the programs Stardock Start8 and Stardock ModernMix for Windows 8 ($4.99 for ModernMix and I think $8 with Start8) and they'll help you get some Windows 7 back in the frustrating Windows 8 layout so you can function better.
With my 2nd one, I kept it plugged in a lot and that's not a good idea since you need to 'train' the battery right to drain and charge fully. Mine stopped charging at 97% (I had it less than 2 weeks) and the charging light wouldn't turn on, so I used the included "Battery Calibration" feature on this PC to fix that problem. It took about 3-4 hours leaving it alone and it needs to be plugged in for this, but it got fixed and is charging again. I am happy. Do the Battery Calibration every 3 months is what is recommends, but I had to do it sooner. The Battery Calibration can be found in the 'Charms' Windows 8 menu near the far right end.
I recommend this laptop and with my recommendations above, you should have as much fun with it as I do with mine (well, as long as you don't get a defective one like I did2nd one is going good). :) 1 star off for the many different glitchy issues and the motherboard just frying out of the blue. Not completely perfect, but good enough definitely acceptable despite the small problems here and there. Hope this review helps at least one person out. Thank you for reading my review.
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OK I wanted a tablet, but I needed a small laptop when traveling for work. I love this thing!!! It does exactly what I need. I did have to get rid of some free-wear 'gifts.' Its not pre-loaded with too many items I don't want, but there were a few. I gamed on it for hours, the thing does not get too hot nor is the fan too loud. Its light, easy to carry. I do need a better case. The one it came with, well, it leaves much to be desired. Asus gave me a cool backpack with my large republic of gamers laptop. I would have liked a better carry case from MSI.Best Deals for MSI Computer Corp. S20 0M-048US 11.6-Inch Windows 8 Laptop
First of all, the specs here are closer to truth than the 2.2 lb listed elsewhere. I weighed my S20 on the kitchen scale and got 2.58 lb.Anyway, my 11 year old son's school allowed him to take Computer Science and join the Robotics club this semester. He began by taking his mom's Apple MacBook Air MD760LL/A 13.3-Inch Laptop (NEWEST VERSION) to the CS classes, but the robots work only with PCs, so he also had to commandeer my 17 inch monster of a notebook. Eventually I decided to get him his own little PC.
I looked among the 11.6-inch Windows 8 touch-capable ultrabooks, and picked this MSI. It has a cute white exterior, different from run-of-the-mill silver shells his classmates have. The transformer effect further impresses his friends and satisfies the vanity of a kid. The keyboard is spacious for my son and usable for me. The screen is bright and vivid. The retail vendor (not Amazon) gave us a free padded jacket that fits like a glove. The whole thing weights less than 3 lbs and takes up less space in my son's backpack than the bigger ones among his textbook. It runs all his programs and Microsoft Office without any stutter. The battery lasts long enough for the toughest school days. There are two USB slots, so he can use his Logitech V220 Cordless Optical Mouse for Notebooks (Dark Silver) and connect to the Parallax PLX-28336 Programmable Scribbler 2 Robot (with USB adapter and cable) at the same time. I also like the 8GB of RAM, which should be sufficient for the life of the machine; thus I won't have to upgrade it.
Now, the nitpicking: First, the 128GB SSD will not last forever. I have a spare 512GB for it, but a warning sticker covers the screw and threatens revocation of warrantee if the case is opened, so I decide to wait a year before the upgrade. The lack of a built-in pointing device and the intrinsically imprecise nature of touch interface mean that a mouse is needed. Finally, the last generation (Ivy Bridge) Intel i5 is certainly fast enough itself, but its built-in GPU is pathetic to the point of having occasional dropped frames on full 1080p video. This is an issue shared by all ultrabooks, however, and not MSI's fault.
Overall, we like this machine a lot and expect 4-5 years of good service from it.
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