This is a guide to running Linux with the MSI GX720 laptop. It is not complete yet, so if you run linux on this laptop, please help us out.
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These are the specifications for my customized model; your details may vary.
| Name | MSI GX720 |
| Processor | Intel Core 2 Duo Q9000 quad core |
| Screen | 17” WXGA+ |
| Graphics | NVIDIA Geforce GT 9600M |
| Sound | Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) HD Audio Controller |
| RAM | 4GB DDR2 |
| HDD | 500GB - 7200rpm Seagate Drive |
| Optical Drive | DVD Super Multi |
| Network | Raeltek RTL8111/8168B PCI Express Gigabit Ethernet controller Intel 5300 a/b/g/n wifi |
| Device | Compatibility | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Processor | Tested | Intel Q9000 Core2 Quad-core works |
| Screen | Tested | Works |
| HDD | Tested | Seagate Drive works out of the box |
| Optical Drive | Tested | Works out of the box. |
| Graphics | Tested | Works well with nVidia drivers that need to be downloaded and installed. |
| Sound | Tested | Full support not yet available. Partial support available through ALSA; I can get three of the four ports working properly along with the front speakers, but only sporadic control of the subwoofers. |
| Ethernet | Tested | Works out of the box. |
| Wireless | Tested | Requires firmware download; drivers included in the kernel. |
| Bluetooth | Not Tested | |
| Modem | Not Tested | |
| USB | Tested | Works out of the box, no problems. |
| Card Reader | Not Tested | |
| Webcam | Tested | Works with video4linux2 and cheese (out of the box for most distributions) |
For audio, I was able to get the chipset working reasonably well by setting the contents of /etc/modprobe.d/alsabase.conf to:
options snd-hda-intel model=targa-dig
options snd slots=snd-hda-intel
# u1Nb.u_BNWJ+LvyF:82801I (ICH9 Family) HD Audio Controller
alias snd-card-0 snd-hda-intel
and then restarting ALSA (or rebooting the computer).
I was also able to get bluetooth to work after installing standard packages in arch linux. I forget if the drivers were included with the kernel.
Everything except sound seems to work after some tinkering. Wired networking works out of the box, so getting the details correct was not hard. Overall, support is good.
Discussion
Card reader also works out of the box.