We took Clevo’s P170EM for a spin last week, equipped with a Radeon HD 7970M and a variety of other high-end options. Today we have our follow up where we use the same core hardware but with NVIDIA’s GTX 680M in place of AMD’s top mobile GPU. Now that we have an apples-to-apples comparison between the two fastest mobile GPUs, who can claim the mobile gaming crown? For this second installment, we’ve taken some time to run additional gaming tests, we’ve updated the BIOS and rerun battery life numbers, and we take a detour into discussing drivers and GPU utilization figures. Having spent more time using the P170EM, I’ll also try to reevaluate the overall package in light of the above areas to see if...
The New Razer Blade: Thoroughly Reviewed
Earlier this year, Razer handed me a Blade evaluation unit and told me to go wild. Considering the company had no previous experience with developing PC laptop hardware, I...
59 by Vivek Gowri on 10/3/2012
LG Makes Optimus G Official - Quad Core 1.5 GHz APQ8064 with 4.7-inch In-Cell Touch
We've seen it leaked quite a few times leading up to this official announcement, but today LG did something a bit out of the ordinary by flying us out...
24 by Brian Klug on 9/17/2012.jpg)
Samsung Series 7 NP700Z7C Review
We recently posted our first look at Dell’s new XPS 15, a Windows-focused laptop that took more than a few design elements of the standard MacBook Pro 15. While...
49 by Jarred Walton on 8/16/2012
Acer Aspire V3-571G-9435: The Value Proposition
We’ve had plenty of Acer laptops come in for review over the years (along with visits from their close relatives, Gateway). Rarely do we find such laptops reaching for...
87 by Jarred Walton on 7/4/2012
Computex 2012 Show Floor: Ultrabooks with Discrete GPUs
We’ve already seen one Ultrabook with a discrete GPU—Acer’s TimelineU M3—but that was an “old” Sandy Bridge Ultrabook. At Computex 2012, several more Ultrabooks sporting discrete GPUs have shown...
8 by Jarred Walton on 6/5/2012
The Razer Blade Review
Razer is, first and foremost, a gaming company. From the company slogan (“By gamers, for gamers”), to partnerships with a number of the most popular game development studios, even...
94 by Vivek Gowri & Jarred Walton on 3/15/2012
Alienware X51: The Xbox With Teeth
While Alienware isn't openly inviting comparisons to Microsoft's Xbox 360 with their brand new X51 gaming desktop, it's hard not to see the resemblance, at least in form factor...
59 by Dustin Sklavos on 2/17/2012
Mobile GPU Faceoff: AMD Dynamic Switchable Graphics vs. NVIDIA Optimus Technology
AMD has had switchable graphics technology with their mobile GPUs for a while now, with solutions like the original HP Envy 13 from two years back and Lenovo’s T400...
91 by Jarred Walton on 9/20/2011
Dell XPS 15z: Sincerely Flattering
With the relaunch of their XPS branding, Dell has released quite a few interesting laptops during the past three quarters. Their latest addition to the line is the thin...
76 by Jarred Walton on 9/2/2011
MYTHLOGIC Pollux 1400: Clevo's W150HR Tested
The past year has seen the vast majority of mainstream notebooks with discrete graphics shift to NVIDIA's Optimus, and with the W150HR Clevo makes the move as well. Equipped...
22 by Jarred Walton on 8/23/2011
Toshiba Qosmio X775: Toshiba's Gamer Grows Up
Toshiba's flagship Qosmio line of notebooks have been, for the longest time, big, flashy, red and black beasts. These juggernauts sported 18" screens with high-end graphics and processing power...
26 by Dustin Sklavos on 8/17/2011
MSI Launches Slim 14" X460 and X460DX Notebooks
If there’s one thing I like about computer technology, it’s progress. Late 2010, the best you could get from the 14” sector would have been something like the discontinued...
13 by Jarred Walton on 8/16/2011
Alienware M11x R3: Portable Powerhouse
We've been keeping track of Alienware's M11x series since the very first one landed and have had the privilege of testing each one. The move from Penryn to Arrandale...
55 by Dustin Sklavos on 7/22/2011
Alienware M14x: the Sound and the Fury
Understanding that many users would just as soon want to be able to game on the go without having to lug a ten pound land monster with them, Alienware...
48 by Dustin Sklavos on 7/19/2011
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M: High-End Mobile Graphics with Optimus
Our collective wishes have been granted by the fine folks at NVIDIA: you can now buy a notebook with high-end graphics that supports Optimus and thus is capable of...
10 by Dustin Sklavos on 5/29/2011
Toshiba Satellite M645: The Steady March of Progress
Toshiba has spent the last half a decade carving out an interesting niche as a notebook manufacturer, with many consumer-grade notebooks that are ostensibly budget offerings but often feature...
33 by Dustin Sklavos on 4/29/2011
NVIDIA Synergy to Bring Optimus to Desktops
We first encountered NVIDIA’s Optimus Technology in February of last year. It has done wonders for laptop battery life on midrange systems, where manufacturers no longer need to worry...
34 by Kristian Vättö on 4/27/2011
Dell XPS 15 L502x: Now with Sandy Bridge
One of our favorite mainstream notebooks last year was Dell’s XPS 15—provided you purchased the upgraded 1080p LCD. It managed to hit the market before talk of Sandy Bridge...
76 by Jarred Walton on 4/20/2011
Mobility Sector Updates: Waiting for Sandy Bridge and Market Analysis
The past week shook up the whole computer industry with Intel’s announcement that a potential flaw in their Cougar Point chipset required a respin to fix. In the ensuing...
49 by Jarred Walton & Vivek Gowri on 2/7/2011