Aorus X7 Pro Notebook Review

Processor

The choice of the processor surprised us the most. Despite the fact that the X7 Pro does not feature graphics switching, Aorus installs a quad-core model based on the Iris Pro Graphics 5200. The latter might be considerably stronger than the HD Graphics 4600 from the "standard" Haswell chips, but what good is the extra effort when the Iris Pro 5200 cannot be utilized?

In the writer's opinion, Aorus should have saved its money and installed a standard quad-core instead. Especially since the Core i7-4870HQ cannot retrieve its full power. The premium-line model more follows the Core i7-4710HQ with its 6 MB of L3 cache, TDP of 47 watts, and a base clock of 2.5 GHz.

The X7's biggest leap is in graphics power. Unlike the v2 that was still powered by the GTX 860M SLI, a dual-GPU array of two GTX 970M chips takes care of pending calculations.

The GTX 970M's enormous performance boost is not only due to the bigger shader count (1280 vs. 1152 CUDA cores) and the higher core clock (924 - 1038 vs. 797 - 915 MHz), but it is primarily owed to the architecture. Nvidia's new premium-line product is now based on Maxwell rather than Kepler, which is not lastly noticed in waste heat and power consumption. Although the GTX 860M also exists in a Maxwell version, it is reserved for single-GPU laptops.

Almost no drawbacks connected to the fact that Aorus only uses 3 GB of GDDR5 VRAM with the GTX 970M (MSI installs the 6 GB model in the GT72). Only Shadow of Mordor craves for more than 3 GB at the moment - at least in the Ultra level. But disregarding the memory capacity, the interface is 192-bit in each case.

The sense or nonsense of a RAID array is a fabulous reason for debate. On the one hand, RAID laptops stand out with excellent rates in the sequential tests. Up to 805 MB/s in read and a maximum of 860 MB/s in write (AS SSD benchmark) are otherwise only achieved by an M.2 model connected via PCI3 (Schenker XMG P505). Solid state drives with a SATA III interface stop at about 500 MB/s.

But on the other hand, this advantage is barely noticed in Windows routine (boot times, load times, installations, etc.) because the performance in compact files is more important here. That is exactly where RAID systems are not inevitably faster. Consequently, a "conventional" solid state drive would have been just as sufficient for the X7 Pro. The laptop can be equipped with three mSATA SSDs and a 2.5-inch model when desired.

The temperature development is also unsurprisingly high. The laptop already heats up strongly during undemanding tasks because the fans are usually inactive in idle mode. Just below 40 °C after 120 minutes of idling is pretty high and almost corresponds to 100% of the former model. Users who like it cooler in Windows routine are better off with the competition (~28 °C @ MSI GS70; ~31 °C @ Schenker XMG P505).

Every thin gaming laptop gets hot under load. With a maximum of 61 °C, the Aorus X7 Pro is even a bit cooler than MSI's GS70 where we measured up to 63 °C in the fans' area. The XMG P505 finished the stress test (one hour of Furmark & Prime95) with a maximum of 76 °C. However, the wrist rest of Schenker's laptop is more pleasant.

The components also heat up considerably. Like in the X7 v2, the graphics chips climb to almost 90 °C. It looks quite the same when the processor is under full load. Despite the strong throttling, the Core i7-4870HQ reached about 90 °C.

The battery life is hardly worth mentioning. Even under ideal circumstances (low load, maximum energy saving, 0% screen brightness), the 73 Wh battery is drained after only three hours. 1.5 hours of 3D operation using a brightness of 100% is anything but lush. Considerably longer runtimes would be possible with graphics switching. Over five hours of gaming is no longer a wishful dream - at least not in idle mode.

"Uncompromising" - that could summarize the X7 Pro in one word. To stand out from the competition, Aorus installs two premium-range chips in a high-quality, yet not particularly well-built 17-inch casing that can only deal with the enormous cooling requirement to a certain degree.

The slim build naturally looks quite good, but what good is that when the fans speed up to such an extent in gaming operation? Beyond 50 dB(A) is certainly not for users with a nervous disposition. Aorus also carries things to extremes in the other categories. Besides the battery life, it is primarily the temperature development that disappoints. The power consumption is also extreme. The unnecessary shortcomings, such as the sensitive touchpad or the power supply's tight capacity, add to that.

The brute power is, of course, on the pro side. No single-GPU laptop is currently a challenger for the X7 Pro. Three mSATA slots and a 2.5-centimeter thin aluminum chassis is not seen every day either. The bundle is rounded off by an illuminated keyboard (macro-hub) and nifty software.

Although the basic idea is quite interesting, we would wish for a thicker casing for the successor. The cooling seems a bit overloaded in the present design.