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iBuyPower Battalion 101 W670SJQ Notebook Review

Battalion power. Aside from the MSI-based Valkyrie series, the iBuyPower Battalion series is a less expensive alternative based on Clevo barebones. We take this $1000 gamer for a spin to see if it is worth the entry-level price.

Aside from their more well-known Valkyrie series of notebooks, reseller iBuyPower offers a more down-to-earth lineup of Battalion models geared at the more budget-conscious gamers. These models are based on the popular Clevo barebones that are common amongst other resellers including Eurocom, XMG, and Digital Storm in the United States.

For this review, we take a quick look at the 17.3-inch Battalion 101 W670SJQ based on none other than the Clevo W670SJQ barebones. The model may not have the stylish looks or extremely high-end specs of its Valkyrie siblings, but it costs hundreds less while being perfectly capable of playing the same intensive PC titles at Full HD resolution.

Since we have already taken a close look at the Clevo W670SJQ chassis, we refer to our previous review on the Nexoc M731 for more details on the case, connectivity, inputs, and the overall construction quality as these features are similar to our Battalion model on hand. Instead, let's jump right to the hardware and benchmarks that power the iBuyPower. How does the Battalion fare against the bigger names like tje Asus ROG, Alienware, and MSI G Series?

Display

A display resolution of 1080p is the standard for a 17.3-inch gaming notebook and, at this size, we certainly would not have wanted anything less. The TN screen is subjectively crisp and bright with deep colors. Unfortunately, the screen suffers from the same grainy qualities that it shares with the Asus G75VW, another 17.3-inch gamer with the same Chi Mei N173HGE TN panel. This does not affect day-to-day use or visibility, but it can be tough to ignore especially for users who are accustomed to the crisper images provided by glossy screens.

The measured average brightness of about 320 nits is more than sufficient for indoor use. Maximum brightness does not artificially drop if running on batteries and the matte display assures that indoor glare will not interfere when gaming. Contrast, however, could have been higher at only around 400:1. This is compared to the Nexoc M731 and MSI GT70, both of which have measured contrast ratios twice that of the Battalion. Nonetheless, we found the black levels to be more than adequate for gaming and move playback.

329.8
cd/m²
324.3
cd/m²
332.7
cd/m²
309.1
cd/m²
327.3
cd/m²
291.1
cd/m²
324.8
cd/m²
338.9
cd/m²
310.1
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
tested with X-Rite i1Basic Pro 2
Maximum: 338.9 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 320.9 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 86 %
Center on Battery: 327.3 cd/m²
Contrast: 402:1 (Black: 0.814 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 4.67 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 5.22 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
55.06% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
62.7% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
85.4% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
62.5% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.19

Color reproduction is approximately 75 percent and 55 percent of the sRGB and AdobeRGB standards, respectively. This is significantly better than budget panels where 60 percent of sRGB is the norm and similar to other gaming notebooks like the Alienware 17 and GT70. Despite this, these notebooks are no workstations and are not intended for professional graphics work as demonstrated by the low AdobeRGB coverage. A high color gamut is not crucial to the target audience in this respect.

Battalion 101 vs. sRGB
Battalion 101 vs. sRGB
Battalion 101 vs. AdobeRGB
Battalion 101 vs. AdobeRGB
Battalion 101 vs. Alienware 17
Battalion 101 vs. Alienware 17
Battalion 101 vs. MSI GP70
Battalion 101 vs. MSI GP70

Further color analyses with an X-Rite i1Basic Pro 2 spectrophotometer shows highly inaccurate colors and grayscale out-of-the-box. Grays and blacks are too blue and colors become less accurate at lower saturation levels. Luckily, a quick calibration corrects many of these shortcomings by lowering the cool color temperature significantly and improving the RGB balance to admittedly impressive levels. As a result, colors see a large boost in accuracy across all saturation levels.

Grayscale pre-calibration
Grayscale pre-calibration
Saturation pre-calibration
Saturation pre-calibration
ColorChecker pre-calibration
ColorChecker pre-calibration
Grayscale post calibration
Grayscale post calibration
Saturation post calibration
Saturation post calibration
ColorChecker post calibration
ColorChecker post calibration

As expected, outdoor usability is limited by the weight of the unit as gaming notebooks are generally not fit for extended use away from an outlet. Nonetheless, the matte display diffuses glare and reflections for easier viewing while the bright backlight is passable at maximum brightness on brighter days. Direct sunlight should still be avoided as usual or else texts and images will appear washed out.

Maximum brightness is recommended for outdoor use
Maximum brightness is recommended for outdoor use
Matte display heavily reduces glare
Matte display heavily reduces glare
Direct sunlight will still wash out most of the screen
Direct sunlight will still wash out most of the screen
Viewing angles Battalion 101 W670SJQ
Viewing angles Battalion 101 W670SJQ

Viewing angle stability is typical of a TN panel. Colors are more stable if viewing from the sides or above the center, and will degrade quickly if viewing from below the normal. Sharing the display with other viewers should not be a problem due to the large 17.3-inch screen.

Performance

Turbo Boost up to 3.8 GHz for a single core
Turbo Boost up to 3.8 GHz for a single core

The heart of our Battalion W670SJQ is the Core i7-4900MQ, a high-end 2.8 GHz Haswell CPU capable of Turbo Boost up to 3.6 GHz for four active cores. If on Power Saver mode, all cores will underclock to 800 MHz to reduce power consumption. Note that iBuyPower offers additional CPU choices including the slightly slower 2.4 GHz i7-4810MQ and the even faster 2.9 GHz i7-4910MQ. These CPUs are some of the fastest mobile Haswell cores available with marginal performance differences between them in everyday tasks. More information and benchmarks on the equipped i7-4900MQ can be found in our dedicated CPU page here.

Though the manufacturer allows configurable CPUs, all GPU options are fixed. The integrated HD 4600 is standard amongst the high-end Core i7 lineup and the GTX 850M is soldered onto the board. The notebook includes no MXM 3.0 ports for installation of a more powerful GTX 870M/880M or AMD equivalent, so users are stuck with the upper mid-range GTX 850M for Optimus. If idling and in Power Saver mode, the GPU will operate at a low 135/405 MHz core/memory to reduce power consumption. At maximum power, the core operates at a high 1084.5/1001 MHz. More information and benchmarks on the GTX 850M can be found in out dedicated GPU page here.

RAM is provided by a single 8 GB G.Skill RipJaws PC3-12800 SODIMM module out of the two available slots. Users can upgrade up to 16 GB, which should be more than sufficient for gaming and multitasking. Access to the HDD, mSATA, half mini PCI-e, CPU, GPU, SODIMM slots and system fan is quick and easy from the bottom of the unit.

System information Ibuypower Battalion 101 W670SJQ

Processor

Synthetic CPU benchmarks place the Battalion W670SJQ in the same ballpark as other notebooks sporting the same CPU, including the expensive HP ZBook 17 and Dell Precision M4800 mobile workstations. Final scores across the board are very similar to other high-end Haswell cores including the i7-4910MQ and i7-4700MQ. Note that upgrading to an i7-4910MQ is an additional $350, so the return in investment is marginal when dealing with top-of-the-line CPUs. When compared to the more common middle ground i5-3210M of the previous generation, however, the multi-core wPrime benchmark will complete roughly twice as fast with the i7-4900MQ. In general, users can expect performance levels to be slightly above the Ivy Bridge i7-3840QM.

CineBench R10 64-bit
CineBench R10 64-bit
CineBench R11.5 64-bit
CineBench R11.5 64-bit
CineBench R15 64-bit
CineBench R15 64-bit
Cinebench R10 Shading 64Bit
6769 Points
Cinebench R10 Rendering Multiple CPUs 64Bit
24686 Points
Cinebench R10 Rendering Single CPUs 64Bit
7310 Points
Cinebench R10 Shading 32Bit
6768
Cinebench R10 Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit
18993
Cinebench R10 Rendering Single 32Bit
5470
Cinebench R11.5 OpenGL 64Bit
62.2 fps
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Multi 64Bit
6.96 Points
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Single 64Bit
1.67 Points
Cinebench R15 Ref. Match 64Bit
99.6 %
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64Bit
88.8 fps
Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64Bit
641 Points
Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64Bit
145 Points
Help

System Performance

The PCMark 7 score of 3694 points is on par with lower-end systems equipped with SSDs as the benchmark is heavily biased towards SSD-based systems. For example, the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11S and Dell Latitude E5540 score 3694 and 3693 points, respectively, in the same benchmark. Fortunately, PCMark 8 Home places the Battalion in the same ballpark as competitors sporting very similar specifications like the MSI GE70 and Asus N550JK as the benchmark does not take into account storage performance. Nonetheless, we were unable to complete PCMark 8 Work and PCMark 8 Storage due to unexpected errors during the benchmark runs.

Subjectively, system performance is quick for a system with no dedicated SSD. Navigating the graphics-heavy Windows 8 UI feels snappy with little lag or delays. Launching applications still feel a step slower compared to SSD-driven Ultrabooks, however, so there is still room for improvement.

PCMark 7
PCMark 7
PCMark 8 Home Accelerated
PCMark 8 Home Accelerated
PCMark 8 Creative Accelerated
PCMark 8 Creative Accelerated
5
Windows 8 Experience Index
Processor
Calculations per second
8.1
Memory (RAM)
Memory operations per second
8.1
Graphics
Desktop performance for Windows Aero
5
Gaming graphics
3D business and gaming graphics
5.4
Primary hard disk
Disk data transfer rate
5.9
PCMark 7 Score
3694 points
PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2
3267 points
PCMark 8 Creative Score Accelerated v2
3686 points
Help

Stress Test

We stress the notebook to observe any potential throttling or stability issues. With only Prime95 active to stress the CPU, we recorded a maximum CPU temperature of about 80 degrees C with HWiNFO. The i7-4900MQ was able to maintain a frequency of 3.2 GHz, which is 400 MHz less than its rated Turbo Boost for four active cores.

Next, FurMark was used to stress the Nvidia GPU. GPU-Z recorded a temperature of about 70 degrees C and a core/memory clock of 1084.5/1001 MHz. The GPU never dipped below these clock frequencies under the heavy load.

When under full stress from both Prime95 and FurMark simultaneously, both the CPU and GPU of the Battalion were able to maintain 3.1 - 3.2 GHz and 1084.5/1001 MHz frequencies, respectively. CPU temperature rises to 92 degrees C while the GPU can go over 86 degrees C under this extreme state, but we experienced no stability or throttling issues. A quick 3DMark 11 run immediately after the stress test produced a final score of 4597 points, which is a statistically insignificant change from its final score of 4604 points before the stress test.

Running on battery power will not artificially reduce CPU and GPU speeds, so users can enjoy the full power of the notebook even without an outlet nearby. A 3DMark 11 run on battery resulted in a final score of 4407 points.

Prime95 stress
Prime95 stress
FurMark stress
FurMark stress
Maximum stress
Maximum stress

Storage Devices

Our test notebook uses a single 1 TB Hitachi Travelstar HDD, though iBuyPower offers a plethora of SSD and HDD options of different capacities. Note that an mSATA slot is available as well for those who want the benefits of an SSD while keeping the capacity advantage of a mechanical drive. RAID between the SATA III and mSATA drives does not appear to be supported.

With an average transfer rate of 112 Mb/s according to HD Tune, our equipped 7200 RPM Hitachi drive is very fast as most other 7200 RPM drives typically fall in the 90 MB/s range. Even so, this pales compared to a standard SSD. Unless if the Battalion will be used mostly for gaming, we suggest installing an SSD as a primary boot device or secondary storage for applications.

See here for our growing comparison list of HDD and SSD benchmarks.

HD Tune
HD Tune
CrystalDiskMark
CrystalDiskMark
HGST Travelstar 7K1000 HTS721010A9E630
Transfer Rate Minimum: 70.6 MB/s
Transfer Rate Maximum: 145.6 MB/s
Transfer Rate Average: 112 MB/s
Access Time: 15.3 ms
Burst Rate: 252.6 MB/s
CPU Usage: 2 %

Gaming Performance

General performance from the dedicated Maxwell GTX 850M can be good or bad depending on the expectations of the user. The GPU is an odd model in that it is an upper mid-range card, yet it utilizes slow 2 GB DDR3 VRAM tied to a narrow 128-bit memory bus when most cards in its class have much faster GDDR5 VRAM. This is perhaps the biggest difference that separates it from the much faster GTX 860M, 870M and 880M. The GTX 850M makes up this deficit with faster base clock speeds: 876 MHz vs. 657 MHz of the older GTX 760M that it supplants. Despite this, the limited bandwidth takes its toll when running today's titles at very high or Ultra settings.

The games tested below show that the GPU begins to buckle at Ultra settings. Users expecting 1080p60 or even 1080p30 will have to tune down particles and bandwidth-heavy effects like supersampling. Frame rates drop dramatically when moving from High to Ultra in most titles, so we encourage the use of v-sync in first-person shooters for more consistent input latency and to prevent screen tears. Otherwise, a reduction in resolution would be the easiest (and ugliest) solution for smoother gameplay in more demanding games.

3DMark Ice Storm
3DMark Ice Storm
3DMark Cloud Gate
3DMark Cloud Gate
3DMark Fire Strike HD
3DMark Fire Strike HD
3DMark 06 Standard Score
21644 points
3DMark 11 Performance
4604 points
3DMark Ice Storm Standard Score
90517 points
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score
13699 points
3DMark Fire Strike Score
2853 points
3DMark Fire Strike Extreme Score
1456 points
Help
low med. high ultra
Sleeping Dogs (2012) 62 16
Guild Wars 2 (2012) 55 25
Crysis 3 (2013) 38 14
Tomb Raider (2013) 67 31
StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm (2013) 96 35
BioShock Infinite (2013) 82 30
Metro: Last Light (2013) 42 20
Battlefield 4 (2013) 58 19

Emissions

System Noise

A single 60 mm fan cools both the CPU and GPU
A single 60 mm fan cools both the CPU and GPU

Like many other Clevo barebones, the system uses a single fan to cool both the CPU and GPU as opposed to a dual fan solution a la the Aorus X7, Asus ROG or Alienware 17. Of course, these latter 17.3-inch notebooks also sport much faster GPUs, so a single fan setup for the Battalion is sufficient for the task. Idling, word processing, or web surfing will result in an almost silent fan.

Nonetheless, the system fan will kick into high gear very abruptly if under medium or higher loads. This is especially true if the notebook is under the High Performance or Balanced profile where the fan will jump from 30 dB(A) to 40 dB(A) for a few seconds, only to drop back to 30 dB(A). It's not frequent enough to be considered a pulsing phenomenon, but it is definitely noticeable during everyday use. Sustained higher loads will bump fan noise even louder to a recorded 53.1 dB(A). We recommend working with the Power Saver profile if only non-demanding tasks are necessary.

Noise Level

Idle
30.2 / 30.6 / 35.1 dB(A)
DVD
41.1 / 43.2 dB(A)
Load
48.7 / 53.1 dB(A)
  red to green bar
 
 
30 dB
silent
40 dB(A)
audible
50 dB(A)
loud
 
min: dark, med: mid, max: light   BK Precision 732A (15 cm distance)

Temperature

The idling temperature averages around 33 degrees C on both the keyboard and underside of the notebook. The delta between the hottest quadrant and the coolest quadrant is quite high, however, so a clear temperature difference can be felt by the user during use. In particular, the left side of the keyboard can be much warmer than the right. The unusually high 40 degrees C at the single quadrant underneath the notebook is attributed to the active hard drive at the time of measurement.

Under very high loads for extended periods of time, surface temperatures can be as hot as 52 degrees C. The regions experiencing the largest temperature change are the areas closest to the heat sink on the left side of the notebook. The right side houses the optical drive and is predominantly empty space in comparison, so temperature changes are much more minor. Thus, users may notice their left hands becoming much warmer than their right if gaming for longer sessions.

Max. Load
 52 °C
126 F
43.6 °C
110 F
30.2 °C
86 F
 
 49.4 °C
121 F
45.8 °C
114 F
30 °C
86 F
 
 38.2 °C
101 F
34.2 °C
94 F
31 °C
88 F
 
Maximum: 52 °C = 126 F
Average: 39.4 °C = 103 F
29.6 °C
85 F
34.2 °C
94 F
49.4 °C
121 F
29.4 °C
85 F
35.4 °C
96 F
37.2 °C
99 F
29.6 °C
85 F
32.8 °C
91 F
30.4 °C
87 F
Maximum: 49.4 °C = 121 F
Average: 34.2 °C = 94 F
Power Supply (max.)  59.4 °C = 139 F | Room Temperature 24.8 °C = 77 F | Fluke 62 Mini IR Thermometer
(-) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 39.4 °C / 103 F, compared to the average of 33.8 °C / 93 F for the devices in the class Gaming.
(-) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 52 °C / 126 F, compared to the average of 40.4 °C / 105 F, ranging from 21.2 to 68.8 °C for the class Gaming.
(-) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 49.4 °C / 121 F, compared to the average of 43.2 °C / 110 F
(±) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 33.6 °C / 92 F, compared to the device average of 33.8 °C / 93 F.
(±) The palmrests and touchpad can get very hot to the touch with a maximum of 38.2 °C / 100.8 F.
(-) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 28.9 °C / 84 F (-9.3 °C / -16.8 F).

Battery Life

The removable 62 Whr battery is larger than the Acer Aspire V3 models (48 Whr), but smaller than the heavier hitters like the Alienware 17 (86 Whr), Asus ROG (74 Whr) and MSI GT70 (87 Whr). Nonetheless, battery runtimes according to Battery Eater are respectable for a gaming notebook.

Idling at minimum brightness with no wireless radios active will result in a runtime of about 6 hours, while a runtime of one hour and 45 minutes was recorded when running the Battery Eater Classic Test at maximum brightness. Our more realistic WLAN test, which runs a looping browser script to simulate typical browsing conditions at a screen brightness of 150 nits, returned a runtime of 4 hours before automatic shutdown. This is just slightly longer than its competitors, likely due to the less demanding hardware of the Battalion compared to the hulking Alienware and ROG models.

Minimum runtime (Classic Test)
Minimum runtime (Classic Test)
Maximum runtime (Reader's Test)
Maximum runtime (Reader's Test)
WLAN runtime
WLAN runtime
Battery Runtime
Idle (without WLAN, min brightness)
6h 10min
WiFi Surfing
4h 01min
Load (maximum brightness)
1h 45min

Verdict

iBuyPower Battalion 101 W670SJQ
iBuyPower Battalion 101 W670SJQ

At $1089, the Battalion 101 W670SJQ is the lowest price model in the 17-inch Battalion series. Despite this, the notebook is completely capable of playing demanding titles of 2014 at 1080p30 on high settings. Unfortunately, it's a bit of a bummer that the GPU is fixed and cannot be upgraded. The GTX 850M will definitely show its age overtime, if not already - The recently released Asus Zenbook UX32 Ultrabook utilizes a GeForce 840M that delivers respectable performance as well on lower or medium settings in a much thinner chassis.

The Battalion is very good as a primary entry gaming notebook, but we fear that the fixed GTX 850M will become quickly outclassed in the next year or two, which gives this gaming model very short legs for the investment. This is where the premier iBuyPower Valkyrie models come in as they have MXM 3.0b slots for more end-user flexibility than the Battalion W670SJQ, not to mention much more powerful graphics and more stable chassis as well.

Users preferring a long lasting gaming notebook may want to save up a couple hundred more for the Valkyrie series where even the lowest configuration will offer much more value than the Battalion 101 W670SJQ down the line. This GPU-bound Battalion is a tougher sell to mobile gamers wanting a longer term solution.

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In Review: iBuyPower Battalion 101 W670SJQ
In Review: iBuyPower Battalion 101 W670SJQ

Specifications

Ibuypower Battalion 101 W670SJQ (Battalion 101 Series)
Processor
Intel Core i7-4900MQ 4 x 2.8 - 3.8 GHz (Intel Core i7)
Graphics adapter
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 850M - 2048 MB VRAM, Core: 902 MHz, Memory: 1001 MHz, DDR3 VRAM, 337.88, Optimus
Memory
8 GB 
, single-channel 11-11-11-28
Display
17.30 inch 16:9, 1920 x 1080 pixel, TN LED, Manufacturer: HC9GK_173HGE, ID: CMO1720, glossy: no
Mainboard
Intel HM86 (Lynx Point)
Storage
HGST Travelstar 7K1000 HTS721010A9E630, 1000 GB 
, 7200 rpm
Soundcard
Intel Lynx Point PCH - High Definition Audio Controller
Connections
1 USB 2.0, 3 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, 1 VGA, 1 HDMI, 1 Kensington Lock, 1 eSata, Audio Connections: 1x 3.5 mm headphone, 1x 3.5 mm mic, Card Reader: 9-in-1
Networking
Realtek RTL8168/8111 Gigabit-LAN (10/100/1000MBit/s), Realtek RTL8723BE Wireless LAN 802.11n PCI-E NIC (b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/), Bluetooth 4.0 + HSC
Optical drive
TSSTcorp CDDVDW SN-208FB
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 36 x 413 x 273 ( = 1.42 x 16.26 x 10.75 in)
Battery
62 Wh Lithium-Ion, 5600 mAh
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 8.1 64 Bit
Camera
Webcam: 2 MP
Additional features
Speakers: 3D Premium Surround Sound, Keyboard: Chiclet, 2x drivers and utilities CD, User's manual, Quick Start Guide, Windows reinstallation DVD, Media Suite 9 DVD, 12 Months Warranty
Weight
3.13 kg ( = 110.41 oz / 6.9 pounds), Power Supply: 567 g ( = 20 oz / 1.25 pounds)
Price
0 Euro

 

iBuyPower Battalion based on the Clevo W670SJQ barebones
iBuyPower Battalion based on the Clevo W670SJQ barebones
Test model equipped with high-end Core i7-4900MQ Haswell CPU
Test model equipped with high-end Core i7-4900MQ Haswell CPU
Chassis is mostly thick plastic all around
Chassis is mostly thick plastic all around
Corners and edges feel rigid with a rough texture
Corners and edges feel rigid with a rough texture
In contrast, the outer lid is a smooth glossy sheen
In contrast, the outer lid is a smooth glossy sheen
At 3.13 kg, the Battalion isn't too heavy for a 17.3-inch gaming notebook
At 3.13 kg, the Battalion isn't too heavy for a 17.3-inch gaming notebook
Plastic palm rests and backlit Chiclet keyboard with Numpad
Plastic palm rests and backlit Chiclet keyboard with Numpad
Plastic inner display bezel with matte screen
Plastic inner display bezel with matte screen
The shiny surfaces attract dust and fingerprints quite easily
The shiny surfaces attract dust and fingerprints quite easily
Plastic underside with maintenance hatch
Plastic underside with maintenance hatch
Tapered front reveals SD card reader and speaker grilles
Tapered front reveals SD card reader and speaker grilles
The HDD, mSATA, half mini PCI-e, 2x SODIMM, fan, CPU, and GPU are all easily accessible
The HDD, mSATA, half mini PCI-e, 2x SODIMM, fan, CPU, and GPU are all easily accessible
The CPU and GPU have their own individual heat pipe
The CPU and GPU have their own individual heat pipe
While the CPU can be easily removed, the GPU is fixed as it is not an MXM 3.0B card
While the CPU can be easily removed, the GPU is fixed as it is not an MXM 3.0B card
Power adapter (15 x 7 x 2.5 cm) supplies 19.5 V of power
Power adapter (15 x 7 x 2.5 cm) supplies 19.5 V of power
Our Battalion includes 2x driver discs, a Windows reinstallation disc, Media Suite 8, warranty card, and a handy Quick Start guide
Our Battalion includes 2x driver discs, a Windows reinstallation disc, Media Suite 8, warranty card, and a handy Quick Start guide

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Links

  • Manufacturer's information

Compare Prices

Pros

+Fast CPU performance
+Bright 1080p matte screen
+Respectable battery life
+Easy access to HDD, mSATA, half mini PCI-e, 2x SODIMM, CPU, heat sink, and system fan
+Performance and screen brightness do not drop if running on batteries
+Optical drive, VGA-out, HDMI-out, and eSATA
 

Cons

-Overly plastic and glossy case
-Loud system fan at medium or higher loads
-Surface temperatures can be get quite warm
-GPU cannot be upgraded
-No DisplayPort
-Port layout could have been better

Shortcut

What we like

Screen improves dramatically after calibration. Fast CPU and relatively light for a big 17.3-inch gamer. 

What we'd like to see

Plastic and glossy case does not reflect its $1000 price tag well. An upgradeable GPU would give the Battalion much longer legs.

What surprises us

Surface temperatures can get quite warm despite having a thick case and only a middle-class GPU.

The competition

Acer Aspire V3 772G

Asus G75VW/ N550JK

MSI GE70GT70

Schenker M504XMG A504

Rating

Ibuypower Battalion 101 W670SJQ - 06/12/2014 v4(old)
Allen Ngo

Chassis
68 / 98 → 69%
Keyboard
75%
Pointing Device
64%
Connectivity
65 / 81 → 80%
Weight
56 / 10-66 → 82%
Battery
80%
Display
80%
Games Performance
91%
Application Performance
89%
Temperature
74 / 95 → 78%
Noise
68 / 90 → 76%
Audio
50%
Average
72%
78%
Gaming - Weighted Average
Allen Ngo, 2014-06-14 (Update: 2014-06-14)