The Clevo P870DM2 / Mythlogic Phobos 8716 Laptop Review: DTR With GTX 1080
by Brett Howse on October 27, 2016 2:00 PM ESTFinal Words
What else is there to say about this notebook? If you are after a desktop replacement, the market shrinks considerably, and very few companies offer desktop class processors in notebooks these days. Clevo is one of them, and they have shoehorned a full 91-Watt overclockable processor into this notebook. On CPU bound tasks, it is very likely that there is no other high volume notebook that is faster than this one. The performance is very impressive.
On the GPU side, there are plenty of options here too, but all of them based on the new Pascal architecture from NVIDIA. With just a 1920x1080 panel to push, even the GTX 1070 is going to have very good performance, but the GTX 1080 is such a big step up in the notebook market that it’s almost difficult to believe. It is basically twice as fast as the outgoing GTX 980M in real-world gaming tests. The GTX 980M was no slouch, but with NVIDIA moving to the full desktop class GPUs in notebooks this year, the jump in performance is as big as any seen in recent years. For those that really want the best of the best, Mythlogic offers this laptop with SLI GTX 1080 (or 1070), and choices of a 1920x1080 IPS 120 Hz display, 2560x1440 120 Hz G-Sync display, and 3840x2160 60 Hz G-Sync as well. The lower resolution display does have the advantage of being a 120 Hz display though, and the GTX 1080 can pretty easily drive most games at or above that refresh rate. The 2560x1440 seems like a great sweet spot for the non SLI models though, especially with G-Sync.
There are a lot of configurations available, which is typical of these types of systems, and it’s nice to be able to pick and choose your components a bit more than the larger OEMs allow. There is room for multiple M.2 SSDs, multiple 2.5-inch SSDs, and four SO-DIMM slots for memory. All of the components can be accessed through the bottom, or by removing the keyboard.
The chassis is far from the best around, with it being a large, thick, machine, made entirely of black plastic. The styling is ok though, with no crazy artwork or anything, and honestly for a notebook that is going to live its life on a desk, it is going to be absolutely fine.
What isn’t as fine is the keyboard. MSI has a fully mechanical keyboard in the GT83VR Titan, Razer has low profile mechanical switches in the new Razer Blade Pro, and Alienware has really worked hard at improving their keyboard as well with this generation. The Clevo keyboard feels like it is from about a decade ago, with very little travel despite the notebook being almost two inches thick. The keys themselves have very little bevel to them, and all of the keys are packed in so tight that it is very easy to lose where you are and hit the wrong key by mistake. If you are going to use this as a true desktop replacement, I suppose an external keyboard is an option, but it really shouldn’t need to be this way. The trackpad is just average, but here it’s difficult to be too critical since almost everyone that purchases a laptop like this is going to use it with a mouse.
At the end of the day, I am not the target market for this device. I have a desktop, and I haven’t moved houses in over a decade, but you can certainly see the appeal of having all the performance of a desktop in something you can move around a lot easier. Maybe you travel for work, or maybe you go to school, but being able to pick up a full desktop with the display attached and put it in a big is going to be a nice perk. And, even with all of these powerful components inside, the pricing is very reasonable. It’s hard to say something that starts at $2250 is inexpensive, but for what you get it is not. The base model still has a GTX 1070 and a desktop class 65-Watt CPU, and a 120 Hz display. You can tack on a lot of options to really drive up the price, but even this review unit with a GTX 1080, 32 GB of memory, and a Core i7-6700K still comes in under $3000. For that money, you won’t be able to find another laptop with this much performance available.
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ZeDestructor - Saturday, October 29, 2016 - link
You should give it a go in current versions of VMware.. I hear decent things about it...chezfromage - Thursday, October 27, 2016 - link
As it turns out, I fit into this machine's target market (I'm paralyzed from a spinal cord injury, so I need a laptop, but I also do programming and rendering, so I need an overpowered monstrosity), and I just got the Sager version of this laptop (NP9873) a few weeks ago. First of all, I chose some higher-end specs than the reviewed device: 4K display; dual 1080s; a 512 GB 950 Pro primary SSD (plus another SSD and two HDDs); and the Intel 8260 wireless option. It has the same 6700k. The machine truly is a monster - with the dual 1080s, everything I've thrown at it so far runs 60+ fps set to 4K and ultra settings, albeit sometimes dropping down to FXAA on extremely demanding games (huge difference vs. MSAA on XCOM 2, for example). That low-ish number for Civ 6 as cited in the article has been fixed with an NVidia driver update, btw.Regarding stuff mentioned in the article and other comments, yes, the included control center and overclocking software is Clevo-developed and is the same on my Sager. It works well and lets you tweak values on the fly... Not that you really want to that much. Adjusting the core multipliers even just to 4.4ghz makes the fans kick in at full blast, which is insanely loud. Also, yes, the dual power adapter requirement is inconvenient but mildly hilarious; don't pretend this machine is particularly portable, although it's much easier than carting around a desktop with the same specs, which I think is the point.
Elsewhere, yup, the keyboard's a bummer, but the touchpad is surprisingly good! I can't physically perform most gestures (SCI hand paralysis), but one- and finger functions work flawlessly, and while the L/R buttons aren't the best, at least they're there.
Anyway, that's my experience with the dual-GPU option, if anyone was wondering. Any questions? Did I forget anything?
Edit: The 512GB 950 Pro is indeed way faster than the 256GB model - even with AES encryption via Veracrypt, it still benches at 2600r/1600w.
kmmatney - Thursday, October 27, 2016 - link
I've been using a 17" laptop for the last 10 years, and am a big fan of the DTR, but this is ridiculous. This should be a new category called GRR (Gaming Rig Replacement). I've had no trouble toting my laptops around, but mine are more in the 7-8 pound range. The Dell Alienware systems are good mix of gaming and portability IMO, but even a $500 Dell Inspiron can be a DTR these days,tagi123 - Friday, October 28, 2016 - link
It sure is ugly - as are all these 1080 laptops..s.yu - Tuesday, November 1, 2016 - link
I would love a review of the Blade Pro from Anandtech.Laststop311 - Thursday, November 3, 2016 - link
Such a narrow niche for a product like this. I mean really. speccing this thing out nice you are going to hit 3500-4000. You can simply get an awesome performing 20-25 poundish mid atx desktop and spend 2500 dollars and have a much easier time upgrading it and cleaning it and throw the remaining 1500 into a very very nice ultrabook with 10+ battery hours and all the performance ud ever need for on the go lap use. At least I think the majority of people would rather spend their money that way.Laststop311 - Thursday, November 3, 2016 - link
I can't be a hater tho I actually did use to own an alienware m18xr2 fully specced out with the gtx 880m sli. But this was when i went to a lot of LAN gaming parties and I still had to lug around my 22" high refresh gaming monitor and mechanical keyboard and mouse along with it.That's when I realized why am I bothering trying to be portable with a DTR. Nowadays you can build mini-itx systems that weigh only a bit more than this system with internal power supplies and much easier maintenance for much less money. Infact the ncase m1 mini-itx case only weighs 6 pounds before you add components. a Mini itx mobo can be had for 1.25 pounds an m2 ssd + 2.5" ssd barely adds any weight. a decent air cooler and fan in under a pound. You could easily build a mini-itx ncase m1 build for LESS weight than this laptop not counting the monitor keyboard and mouse you would have to lug around but if you were going somewhere that already had monitors you could actually carry less weight building a full fledged mini itx pc that will be way easier to clean and upgrade and way cheaper.
Laststop311 - Thursday, November 3, 2016 - link
oh did i mention the cooling will be quieter and better on the itx system as wellspeculatrix - Sunday, November 6, 2016 - link
It seem to have HUGE fans.It occurs to me that they should make the fans blow downwards, and then you can ride it like a hoverboard.
bennyg - Tuesday, November 15, 2016 - link
It's the Dodge Ram of laptops. Impractical. Thirsty. Expensive. Hideous. But ohmahgerd the powah. The catch 22 is that while it's built for overclocking it has so much power compared to normal laptops it is completely unnecessary! Maybe in 3 years time when it's superceded that will become useful. Unlike a Ram, which would have fallen to pieces by then. The amazing thing is that with desktop class components it still gets 2 hours life away from the wall plug!