Kobalt G Series

Kobalt G860

Specifications

Pricecompare

Average Score: 80% - good

Reviews

80% Kobalt G860 Laptop
Source: Bit-Tech Archive.org version
We weren't really sure what the new range of mobile Core i7 CPUs would be like. In it's closed position, it might looks like a Liquorice Allsort but the idea of an eight-thread CPU in a laptop sounded even more extravagant, and the clock speed of 1.6GHz had us worried after previous experiences with slow multi-core CPUs. We needn't have worried, though, as Turbo Boost rescued the i7-720QM, typically ramping the frequency up to 2GHz. As a result, the Kobalt G860 stormed through our Media Benchmarks in one of the few gaming chassis that actually deserves the title of 'portable'.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 01/12/2010
Rating: Total score: 80% price: 80% performance: 80% features: 80%

Kobalt G150

Specifications

Pricecompare

Average Score: 90% - very good

Reviews

90% Kobalt G150 review
Source: Techradar Archive.org version
Finally, there's the minor matter of money. The killer here is that GTX 485M graphics is a £381 upgrade option. That's right, nearly £400 for a lower clocked version of a card that goes for £200 in desktop trim. All told, it makes for a system that just breaches the £1,700 barrier. That's a whole hill of money. But if you want the best, you have to pay for it. If you can afford it, we doubt the Kobalt G150 will disappoint you.
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 04/02/2011
Rating: Total score: 90%

90% Kobalt G150 (Clevo P150HM with Geforce GTX485M) Gaming Laptop Review
Source: Kitguru Archive.org version
As you are likely to find with most performance computers, the G150 certainly doesn’t come cheap. The basic model costs £1099 inc. VAT and features an Intel Core-i3 processor and a nVidia GTX460M graphics card. Our test machine, which boasts the quad core i7-2630QM processor and GTX 485M graphics card will set you back in excess of £1700 inc. VAT. Those who can’t afford this and don’t mind sacrificing some graphics performance could always save £320 and opt for the GTX 460M graphics card instead. There are so many different configuration options available with the G150 we would recommend taking a look at Kobalt’s G150 configurator which will let you select from a plethora of different parts to build your perfect machine.
Single Review, online available, Very Long, Date: 03/11/2011
Rating: Total score: 90%

Comment

Kobalt: Kobalt Computers Ltd was incorporated in April 2004 to provide consumers and businesses with computer systems. Nearly into the fifth year of providing cutting edge desktop systems they expanded the range to include custom gaming and CAD (Computer Aided Design) Notebooks.

Modern games should be playable with these graphics cards at low settings and resolutions. Casual gamers may be happy with these cards.

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 280M:

The GeForce GTX 280M is based on the G92b chip with all 128 pipelines and, as a result, shares more similarities to the desktop 9800 GTX+ than the desktop GTX 280. Regardless, the high clock rate makes the GTX 280M considerably faster than the 9800M GTX.

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 485M:

High End graphics card based on a full GF104 chip and significantly faster than the 480M.

» Further information can be found in our Comparison of Mobile Graphics Cards and the corresponding Benchmark List.

Intel Core i7: The Intel Core i7 for laptops is based on the LG1156 Core i5/i7 CPU for desktops. The base clock speed of the CPUs is relatively low, but because of a huge Turbo mode, the cores can dynamically overclock to up to 3.2 GHz (920XM). Therefore, the CPU can be as fast as high clocked dual-core CPUs (using single threaded applications) but still offer the advantage of 4 cores. Because of the large TDP of 45 W / 55 W, the CPU is only intended for large laptops.  

720QM: The Core i7-720QM is the slowes Core i7 Quad Core in 2009 and clocks between 1.6 and 2.8 GHz (due to the Turbo Mode). Therefore, it combines the advantages of a slow quad core CPU with a fast single core one. Compared to the faster Core i7 mobile CPUs, the 720QM only features 6MB L3 Cache.

2630QM: Fast Quad-core processor based on the Sandy Bridge architecture with an integrated graphics card and dual-channel DDR3 memory controller. 

» Further information can be found in our Comparison of Mobile Processsors.

» To find out how fine a display is, see our DPI List.

3.1 kg:

A laptop with this weight is comparatively heavy and less designed for mobility than for use at the desk. Therefore, the devices tend to shine less with battery life than with a large screen and higher performance.

3.4 kg:

86.67%: This is an above-average rating. Nevertheless, it should not be forgotten that about one fifth of all tested models receive a better rating.

» Further information can be found in our Notebook Purchase Guide.

Devices from a different Manufacturer and/or with a different CPU

Devices with Same Screen Size and/or Weight