We take a look at a high performance mobile gaming setup
Gaming laptops have come a long way in recent years, there's far more to them these days than a simple boost over the clock speed of other laptops. Indeed, many feature CPU, GPU and memory specifications that would make a decent desktop blush with embarrassment.
The Gigabyte P37X, for example, is a powerful 17.2", full HD 1920 x 1080 IPS LCD laptop with 8GB of DDR3L 1600MHz memory (but which could be boosted to 16GB), an Intel HD4600 GPU and an Nvidia GeForce GTX980M with 8GB of GDDR5 memory. There's also a secondary 1TB hard drive alongside a primary pair of 128GB SSDs setup in RAID 0 with Windows 8.1 pre-installed.
The CPU is an impressive Intel i7-4720HQ running at 2.6GHz, and you’ll also find a Blu-ray rewritable drive, 802.11 ac/b/g/n wi-fi, and Bluetooth 4.0. The side positioned ports consist of a pair of USB 2.0 ports, gigabit Ethernet and an SD card reader on the left-hand side; with HDMI, two USB 3.0 ports, VGA and a mini DisplayPort on the righthand side, There's also a frontmounted optical drive.
As far as design goes, the Gigabyte P37X isn’t too bad considering it’s classed as a gaming laptop, which tend to be on the chunky side. The P37X, on the other hand, manages to deliver all this performance in a chassis that measures just 417 x 287 x 22.5mm and weighs just under 3kg.
The backlit, full-size keyboard is large and well-spaced, making it easy to type with and use on a daily basis. Down the left-hand side of the keyboard you’ll find a set of six G-keys for macro setups, and in front there’s a large trackpad with a couple of semi-hidden left and right mouse click buttons. Out of the entire setup, the trackpad, we have to admit, is the probably the worst component. It didn’t feel quite as responsive as we'd have liked and the mouse click buttons were a little poor too.
The screen is simply superb, though. The IPS display is bright, responsive and displays an excellent range of colours as well as deep blacks and non-grainy whites; great for gaming, but it’s also good for films, imaging and video editing. It’s still only 1080p though, which may have some users looking elsewhere, though the DisplayPort or HDMI connections mean you can always hook up a 4K monitor if you’re desperate for extra pixels.
In terms of performance, the Gigabyte P37X didn’t disappoint. With an overall 3DMark11 score of 11022 there’s enough gaming performance for most (if not all) of the current triple-A titles; although it’s a little less than the FutureMark recommended spec for the Oculus Rift.
The Gigabyte P37X is a good performer, looks great, and has an excellent screen. It can get a little noisy when the fans kick in, and the trackpad isn’t the best we’ve ever seen, but it’s well worth looking into if you’re in the market for quality mobile gaming. David Hayward
A great gaming laptop, with a superb IPS display.
Quick Specs
• Nvidia GeForce GTX 980M GDDR5 8GB
• Super slim & light 17” Extreme Gaming Laptop
• Unique Macro Hub for gamers
• Exclusive Supra-cool technology
• Quad-storage with hot swappable bay
• Full HD IPS display with wide viewing angle
• High Speed 802.11ac wi-fi