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DogHouse Systems Mobius SS (Clevo P770DM) Notebook Review

Top Dog performance. We check out DogHouse Systems performance gaming notebook in the highly competitive 17-inch DTR space. This Clevo-based system brings everything we've come to expect from the barebones manufacturer.

DogHouse Systems is a Texas-based custom reseller and builder of desktops and laptops catered to high performance users. Its current Mobius series of laptops consists of the lower-end VS lineup up to the ES, TL, and flagship SS lineup all based on Clevo barebones.

Our particular model today is the high-end Mobius SS based on the Clevo P770DM barebones. This is essentially the same chassis as our previously reviewed Clevo P770ZM but with a USB Type-C port thrown in for good measure with other minor adjustments. Thus, we recommend checking out our page on the P770ZM for more information and details on case quality, input devices, and other hardware features.

DogHouse Systems Mobius SS
Processor
Intel Core i7-6700K 4 x 4 - 4.2 GHz, Skylake
Graphics adapter
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M - 8 GB VRAM, Core: 1038 MHz, Memory: 5010 MHz, 361.91
Memory
16 GB 
, 1063.3 MHz, Dual-Channel, 15-15-15-36
Display
17.30 inch 16:9, 1920 x 1080 pixel, IPS, Name: LG Philips LP173WF4-SPD1, ID: LGD046C, glossy: no
Mainboard
Intel Z170 (Skylake PCH-H)
Storage
Samsung SSD 850 EVO 1TB, 1024 GB 
Soundcard
Intel Skylake PCH-H High Definition Audio Controller
Connections
4 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, 1 USB 3.1 Gen2, 1 Thunderbolt, 1 HDMI, 2 DisplayPort, 1 Kensington Lock, 1 eSata, Audio Connections: 1x 3.5 mm SPDIF, headphone, microphone, line-in, Card Reader: 6-in-1 Card Reader (MMC/RSMMC/SD/Mini-SD/SDHC/SDXC)
Networking
Qualcomm/Atheros e2400 PCI-E Gigabit Ethernet Controller (10/100/1000MBit/s), Killer Wireless-n/a/ac 1535 Wireless Network Adapter (b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/ac = Wi-Fi 5/), Bluetooth 4.0
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 38.1 x 419.1 x 281.9 ( = 1.5 x 16.5 x 11.1 in)
Battery
82 Wh Lithium-Ion, 8-cell
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 10 Home 64 Bit
Camera
Webcam: 2 MP
Additional features
Speakers: 2 Watt stereo + subwoofer, Keyboard: Beveled, Keyboard Light: yes, Mouse pad, USB drive, Quick Start guide, Windows 10 installation disc, t-shirt, cleaning cloth, drive screws, pads, Sound Blaster X-Fi MB5, BioExcess, Flexikey, Control Center, , 12 Months Warranty
Weight
3.848 kg ( = 135.73 oz / 8.48 pounds), Power Supply: 1.034 kg ( = 36.47 oz / 2.28 pounds)
Price
3500 USD
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

 

Case

The size of the Mobius SS is on the small side for a 17.3-inch powerhouse. Competing gaming systems like the MSI GT72S, Acer Predator 17, and Asus G752 are all larger than the Mobius SS in length, width, and height. The Alienware 17 R3 is noticeably thinner, but still carries a larger footprint. Our Mobius configuration is not significantly lighter than the competition either, so this is a dense build from the bottom up.

428 mm / 16.9 inch 294 mm / 11.6 inch 48 mm / 1.89 inch 3.8 kg8.38 lbs426.7 mm / 16.8 inch 332.7 mm / 13.1 inch 42.9 mm / 1.689 inch 4.1 kg8.97 lbs430 mm / 16.9 inch 292 mm / 11.5 inch 34 mm / 1.339 inch 3.7 kg8.18 lbs423 mm / 16.7 inch 322 mm / 12.7 inch 40 mm / 1.575 inch 4.1 kg9.04 lbs418 mm / 16.5 inch 295 mm / 11.6 inch 39.9 mm / 1.571 inch 4.3 kg9.5 lbs419.1 mm / 16.5 inch 281.9 mm / 11.1 inch 38.1 mm / 1.5 inch 3.8 kg8.48 lbs416 mm / 16.4 inch 275.5 mm / 10.8 inch 34.2 mm / 1.346 inch 3.6 kg7.94 lbs297 mm / 11.7 inch 210 mm / 8.27 inch 1 mm / 0.03937 inch 5.7 g0.01257 lbs

Connectivity

Available ports include all those found on the P770ZM less one USB 3.0 Type-A port in favor of the more future-proof and versatile USB 3.1 Type-C Gen. 2 port with Thunderbolt 3 compatibility. This puts the Mobius SS in the same ballpark as other high-end systems like the MSI GT72S, though with fewer USB 3.0 Type-A ports from six down to four.

Front: No connectivity
Front: No connectivity
Right: USB 3.0, 4x 3.5 mm headphone, microphone, SPDIF, Line-in, Kensington Lock
Right: USB 3.0, 4x 3.5 mm headphone, microphone, SPDIF, Line-in, Kensington Lock
Rear: HDMI 2.0, 2x DisplayPort 1.2, Power adapter
Rear: HDMI 2.0, 2x DisplayPort 1.2, Power adapter
Left: Gigabit Ethernet, 2x USB 3.0, 1x USB 3.1 Type-C Gen. 2, 6-in-1 SD reader, USB 3.0/eSATA combo
Left: Gigabit Ethernet, 2x USB 3.0, 1x USB 3.1 Type-C Gen. 2, 6-in-1 SD reader, USB 3.0/eSATA combo

Communication

WLAN is provided by a dual-band Killer Wireless-n/a/ac 1535 Wireless Network module capable of transfer rates of up to 867 Mbps. We experienced no connectivity or dropout issues during our time with the test unit.

Maintenance

The bottom two panels can be easily removed with a Philips screwdriver. In classic Clevo style, most components are accessible from the bottom without any hassles aside from the M.2 WLAN card and last two DDR4 SODIMM slots behind the keyboard.

Accessories

Included extras are a mouse pad, screen wipe, USB flash drive, Windows 10 disc, tote bag, extra screws, and a Quick Start Guide. We would have liked to see a carrying case or perhaps an adapter or two similar to what's included with Asus ZenBooks or HP Spectre notebooks.

Warranty

The standard one-year limited warranty applies to all new purchases of DogHouse notebooks. This can be extended to three years for $195, though certain manufacturers and resellers like Gigabyte and iBuyPower tend to offer two-year limited warranty as standard instead.

Input Devices

Keyboard & TouchPad

The keys and touchpad are the standard Clevo fare and are essentially the same in design and feel across 17-inch Clevo barebones. Thus, there's nothing new about them that we have not covered in our previous reviews of Clevo and Schenker notebooks. In short, the keys offer firm feedback and travel and are quiet with a soft clatter, but offer little else in terms of dedicated Macro keys or auxiliary keys as found on Alienware and MSI counterparts. The smooth touchpad works without any major issues but could be a bit larger especially for multi-finger inputs.

The useful FlexiKey and Control Center software from the Clevo P770ZM have made their way to the P770DM in full form.

Display

The native 1080p display uses the same LP173WF4-SPD1 panel as found on the Clevo P770ZM and a number of other gaming notebooks from Asus and MSI. Thus, quality and color reproduction are both very close to that of our Clevo P770ZM measurements. We can notice no abnormalities on the screen including color grains that are normally more apparent on matte panels. Display brightness and contrast are also on par with the displays found on competing high-end gaming models.

Backlight bleeding occurs just slightly on the bottom left and top right corners as shown below. It is essentially unnoticeable during everyday use and is not significant enough to be a distraction when gaming or during movie playback.

Slight backlight bleeding on bottom and top corners
Slight backlight bleeding on bottom and top corners
Subpixel array
Subpixel array
328.5
cd/m²
326.6
cd/m²
340
cd/m²
337.8
cd/m²
355
cd/m²
329.9
cd/m²
315.2
cd/m²
323.1
cd/m²
299.4
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
tested with X-Rite i1Pro Basic 2
Maximum: 355 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 328.4 cd/m² Minimum: 16.3 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 84 %
Center on Battery: 355 cd/m²
Contrast: 700:1 (Black: 0.507 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 5.01 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 5.44 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
86.8% sRGB (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
57% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
63.5% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
86.8% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
67.8% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.09
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS
17.30, 1920x1080
Asus G752VY-RH71
17.30, 1920x1080
Alienware 17 R3 (A17-9935)
17.30, 1920x1080
Eurocom Sky DLX7
17.30, 3840x2160
Lenovo ThinkPad P70
17.30, 3840x2160
Acer Predator 17 G9-791-75PV
17.30, 1920x1080
Display
-2%
-2%
33%
28%
-2%
Display P3 Coverage
67.8
67.2
-1%
66.9
-1%
86.3
27%
90.8
34%
66.7
-2%
sRGB Coverage
86.8
85.2
-2%
83.9
-3%
99.9
15%
100
15%
84.7
-2%
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage
63.5
62.3
-2%
61.4
-3%
99.5
57%
85.4
34%
62
-2%
Response Times
-5%
18%
-7%
-5%
18%
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% *
38.8 ?(17.6, 21.2)
42.8 ?(16.4, 26.4)
-10%
33 ?(13, 20)
15%
45
-16%
44 ?(17.2, 26.8)
-13%
37 ?(14, 23)
5%
Response Time Black / White *
28.8 ?(5.2, 23.6)
28.4 ?(4.4, 24)
1%
23 ?(5, 18)
20%
28
3%
27.6 ?(4.8, 22.8)
4%
20 ?(4, 16)
31%
PWM Frequency
228 ?(95)
Screen
13%
5%
16%
13%
7%
Brightness middle
355
346.8
-2%
360
1%
324.1
-9%
365
3%
337
-5%
Brightness
328
330
1%
336
2%
314
-4%
341
4%
303
-8%
Brightness Distribution
84
91
8%
90
7%
81
-4%
85
1%
85
1%
Black Level *
0.507
0.393
22%
0.44
13%
0.4
21%
0.4
21%
0.26
49%
Contrast
700
882
26%
818
17%
810
16%
913
30%
1296
85%
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
5.01
3.72
26%
4.76
5%
4.57
9%
3.8
24%
5.92
-18%
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. *
8.67
8.45
3%
10.8
-25%
Greyscale dE 2000 *
5.44
2.93
46%
3.69
32%
2.81
48%
6.09
-12%
7.55
-39%
Gamma
2.09 105%
2.23 99%
2.24 98%
2.43 91%
2.3 96%
2.42 91%
CCT
6826 95%
6525 100%
6091 107%
6313 103%
6332 103%
7270 89%
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998)
57
56
-2%
55
-4%
88
54%
76.01
33%
56
-2%
Color Space (Percent of sRGB)
86.8
85.2
-2%
84
-3%
100
15%
99.97
15%
85
-2%
Total Average (Program / Settings)
2% / 7%
7% / 5%
14% / 17%
12% / 14%
8% / 7%

* ... smaller is better

Color coverage is measured to be 57 percent and 86.8 percent of AdobeRGB and sRGB standards, respectively. This is compared to most mainstream TN or IPS panels where sRGB coverage is typically in the mid 60 percent range. Other Clevo barebones like the P775DM may carry panel options that cover sRGB in its entirety. For gaming purposes, however, color accuracy is usually not a priority.

vs. sRGB
vs. sRGB
vs. AdobeRGB
vs. AdobeRGB
vs. Eurocom Sky DLX7
vs. Eurocom Sky DLX7
vs. Lenovo ThinkPad P70
vs. Lenovo ThinkPad P70

Further analyses with an X-Rite spectrophotometer reveal adequate color and grayscale accuracy out-of-the-box. A quick calibration, however, will noticeably improve grayscale and colors across the board. Colors still become less accurate at higher saturation levels due to imperfect sRGB coverage.

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

Display Response Times

Display response times show how fast the screen is able to change from one color to the next. Slow response times can lead to afterimages and can cause moving objects to appear blurry (ghosting). Gamers of fast-paced 3D titles should pay special attention to fast response times.
       Response Time Black to White
28.8 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 5.2 ms rise
↘ 23.6 ms fall
The screen shows relatively slow response rates in our tests and may be too slow for gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 72 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (21.6 ms).
       Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey
38.8 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 17.6 ms rise
↘ 21.2 ms fall
The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.2 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 53 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (33.9 ms).

Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)

To dim the screen, some notebooks will simply cycle the backlight on and off in rapid succession - a method called Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) . This cycling frequency should ideally be undetectable to the human eye. If said frequency is too low, users with sensitive eyes may experience strain or headaches or even notice the flickering altogether.
Screen flickering / PWM not detected

In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 18100 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured.

Outdoor visibility is acceptable under shade while direct sunlight will wash out onscreen content. The matte IPS panel and far-reaching hinges (~150 degrees) offer wide viewing angles to reduce glare as needed. Too steep of a viewing angle can cause purple or blue hues.

Wide IPS viewing angles
Wide IPS viewing angles
Outdoors under shade
Outdoors under shade

Performance

Turbo Boost up to 4.2 GHz for single-threaded processes
Turbo Boost up to 4.2 GHz for single-threaded processes

Clevo barebones are some of the first notebooks to incorporate a standard LGA 1151 for desktop CPUs. Our base clock rate of 4 GHz is already faster than the clock rates of Intel processors designed for notebooks from the ground up. TDP is almost twice as demanding from 47 W on a typical high-end Skylake CPU like the Core i7-6700HQ to 91 W for our Core i7-6700K.

The integrated HD Graphics 530 is disabled (i.e., no Optimus) in order to take full advantage of the capabilities of the GTX 980M.

Processor

Raw CPU performance is almost identical to that of the Core i7-4790K Haswell processor in multi-threaded benchmarks and roughly 20 percent ahead of the more common i7-6700HQ. It's worth noting that the i7-4790K is slightly faster in single-threaded processes due to its higher Turbo Boost for a single active core. The longer-running Super Pi benchmark better exemplifies this advantage.

CineBench R10 32-bit
CineBench R10 32-bit
CineBench R11.5 64-bit
CineBench R11.5 64-bit
CineBench R15
CineBench R15
Cinebench R15
CPU Single 64Bit (sort by value)
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700K, Samsung SSD 850 EVO 1TB
166 Points
Eurocom P5 Pro Extreme
GeForce GTX 980M, 4790K, 2x Micron M600 MTFDDAV128MBF (RAID 0)
171 Points +3%
MSI GE62 2QC-468XPL
GeForce GTX 960M, 5700HQ, Samsung SSD PM851 256 GB MZNTE256HMHP
144 Points -13%
Eurocom X8
GeForce GTX 980M SLI, 4940MX, Samsung SSD 840 EVO 120GB mSATA
157 Points -5%
Asus G752VY-GC110T
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700HQ, Plextor PX-G256M6e
148 Points -11%
Eurocom Shark 4
GeForce GTX 960M, 4720HQ, Samsung SSD 850 EVO m.2 120GB
136 Points -18%
CPU Multi 64Bit (sort by value)
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700K, Samsung SSD 850 EVO 1TB
865 Points
Eurocom P5 Pro Extreme
GeForce GTX 980M, 4790K, 2x Micron M600 MTFDDAV128MBF (RAID 0)
873 Points +1%
MSI GE62 2QC-468XPL
GeForce GTX 960M, 5700HQ, Samsung SSD PM851 256 GB MZNTE256HMHP
719 Points -17%
Eurocom X8
GeForce GTX 980M SLI, 4940MX, Samsung SSD 840 EVO 120GB mSATA
708 Points -18%
Asus G752VY-GC110T
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700HQ, Plextor PX-G256M6e
683 Points -21%
Eurocom Shark 4
GeForce GTX 960M, 4720HQ, Samsung SSD 850 EVO m.2 120GB
596 Points -31%
Cinebench R11.5
CPU Single 64Bit (sort by value)
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700K, Samsung SSD 850 EVO 1TB
1.91 Points
Eurocom P5 Pro Extreme
GeForce GTX 980M, 4790K, 2x Micron M600 MTFDDAV128MBF (RAID 0)
2.07 Points +8%
MSI GE62 2QC-468XPL
GeForce GTX 960M, 5700HQ, Samsung SSD PM851 256 GB MZNTE256HMHP
1.68 Points -12%
Eurocom X8
GeForce GTX 980M SLI, 4940MX, Samsung SSD 840 EVO 120GB mSATA
1.77 Points -7%
Asus G752VY-GC110T
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700HQ, Plextor PX-G256M6e
1.58 Points -17%
Eurocom Shark 4
GeForce GTX 960M, 4720HQ, Samsung SSD 850 EVO m.2 120GB
1.59 Points -17%
CPU Multi 64Bit (sort by value)
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700K, Samsung SSD 850 EVO 1TB
9.56 Points
Eurocom P5 Pro Extreme
GeForce GTX 980M, 4790K, 2x Micron M600 MTFDDAV128MBF (RAID 0)
9.4 Points -2%
MSI GE62 2QC-468XPL
GeForce GTX 960M, 5700HQ, Samsung SSD PM851 256 GB MZNTE256HMHP
7.96 Points -17%
Eurocom X8
GeForce GTX 980M SLI, 4940MX, Samsung SSD 840 EVO 120GB mSATA
7.64 Points -20%
Asus G752VY-GC110T
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700HQ, Plextor PX-G256M6e
7.46 Points -22%
Eurocom Shark 4
GeForce GTX 960M, 4720HQ, Samsung SSD 850 EVO m.2 120GB
6.45 Points -33%
Cinebench R10
Rendering Single 32Bit (sort by value)
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700K, Samsung SSD 850 EVO 1TB
6487 Points
Eurocom P5 Pro Extreme
GeForce GTX 980M, 4790K, 2x Micron M600 MTFDDAV128MBF (RAID 0)
6756 Points +4%
MSI GE62 2QC-468XPL
GeForce GTX 960M, 5700HQ, Samsung SSD PM851 256 GB MZNTE256HMHP
5567 Points -14%
Eurocom X8
GeForce GTX 980M SLI, 4940MX, Samsung SSD 840 EVO 120GB mSATA
5853 Points -10%
Asus G752VY-GC110T
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700HQ, Plextor PX-G256M6e
5141 Points -21%
Eurocom Shark 4
GeForce GTX 960M, 4720HQ, Samsung SSD 850 EVO m.2 120GB
5224 Points -19%
Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit (sort by value)
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700K, Samsung SSD 850 EVO 1TB
26150 Points
Eurocom P5 Pro Extreme
GeForce GTX 980M, 4790K, 2x Micron M600 MTFDDAV128MBF (RAID 0)
25835 Points -1%
MSI GE62 2QC-468XPL
GeForce GTX 960M, 5700HQ, Samsung SSD PM851 256 GB MZNTE256HMHP
21681 Points -17%
Eurocom X8
GeForce GTX 980M SLI, 4940MX, Samsung SSD 840 EVO 120GB mSATA
21022 Points -20%
Asus G752VY-GC110T
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700HQ, Plextor PX-G256M6e
20088 Points -23%
Eurocom Shark 4
GeForce GTX 960M, 4720HQ, Samsung SSD 850 EVO m.2 120GB
18041 Points -31%
wPrime 2.10 - 1024m (sort by value)
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700K, Samsung SSD 850 EVO 1TB
178.5 s *
Eurocom P5 Pro Extreme
GeForce GTX 980M, 4790K, 2x Micron M600 MTFDDAV128MBF (RAID 0)
174.8 s * +2%
MSI GE62 2QC-468XPL
GeForce GTX 960M, 5700HQ, Samsung SSD PM851 256 GB MZNTE256HMHP
206.3 s * -16%
Eurocom X8
GeForce GTX 980M SLI, 4940MX, Samsung SSD 840 EVO 120GB mSATA
218.6 s * -22%
Asus G752VY-GC110T
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700HQ, Plextor PX-G256M6e
230.9 s * -29%
Eurocom Shark 4
GeForce GTX 960M, 4720HQ, Samsung SSD 850 EVO m.2 120GB
247 s * -38%
Super Pi Mod 1.5 XS 32M - 32M (sort by value)
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700K, Samsung SSD 850 EVO 1TB
498.3 s *
Eurocom P5 Pro Extreme
GeForce GTX 980M, 4790K, 2x Micron M600 MTFDDAV128MBF (RAID 0)
437 s * +12%
MSI GE62 2QC-468XPL
GeForce GTX 960M, 5700HQ, Samsung SSD PM851 256 GB MZNTE256HMHP
574 s * -15%
Eurocom X8
GeForce GTX 980M SLI, 4940MX, Samsung SSD 840 EVO 120GB mSATA
491.5 s * +1%
Asus G752VY-GC110T
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700HQ, Plextor PX-G256M6e
550 s * -10%
Eurocom Shark 4
GeForce GTX 960M, 4720HQ, Samsung SSD 850 EVO m.2 120GB
545 s * -9%

* ... smaller is better

Cinebench R10 Shading 32Bit
6803
Cinebench R10 Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit
26150
Cinebench R10 Rendering Single 32Bit
6487
Cinebench R11.5 OpenGL 64Bit
82.4 fps
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Multi 64Bit
9.56 Points
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Single 64Bit
1.91 Points
Cinebench R15 Ref. Match 64Bit
99.6 %
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64Bit
142.3 fps
Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64Bit
865 Points
Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64Bit
166 Points
Help

System Performance

PCMark 7 ranks our Mobius SS system ahead of its closest competitors. The numbers do appear to be inflated, however, as our Eurocom Sky DLX7 configuration is objectively more powerful than the Mobius SS configuration in GPU and SSD power. The more demanding 4K UHD resolution of our Eurocom model may be partly responsible for the lower final numbers. PCMark 8 shows our Mobius SS system to be equal to the Asus G752VY if not just very slightly ahead.

We experienced no hardware or software related issues during our time with the DogHouse notebook.

PCMark 7
PCMark 7
PCMark 8 Home Accelerated
PCMark 8 Home Accelerated
PCMark 8 Creative Accelerated
PCMark 8 Creative Accelerated
PCMark 8 Work Accelerated
PCMark 8 Work Accelerated
PCMark 7 - Score (sort by value)
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700K, Samsung SSD 850 EVO 1TB
7576 Points
Eurocom Sky DLX7
GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop), 6700K, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
6881 Points -9%
Asus G752VY-RH71
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700HQ, Samsung SSD 950 Pro 512GB m.2 NVMe
6362 Points -16%
Acer Predator 17 G9-791-75PV
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Lite-On CV1-8B256
5991 Points -21%
Alienware 17 R3 (A17-9935)
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700HQ, Samsung PM951 NVMe 512 GB
5938 Points -22%
Lenovo ThinkPad P70
Quadro M3000M, 6820HQ, Samsung SSD PM871 MZNLN512HCJH
5003 Points -34%
PCMark 8
Home Score Accelerated v2 (sort by value)
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700K, Samsung SSD 850 EVO 1TB
5260 Points
Eurocom Sky DLX7
GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop), 6700K, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
4578 Points -13%
Asus G752VY-RH71
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700HQ, Samsung SSD 950 Pro 512GB m.2 NVMe
5026 Points -4%
Acer Predator 17 G9-791-75PV
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Lite-On CV1-8B256
3880 Points -26%
Lenovo ThinkPad P70
Quadro M3000M, 6820HQ, Samsung SSD PM871 MZNLN512HCJH
3345 Points -36%
Work Score Accelerated v2 (sort by value)
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700K, Samsung SSD 850 EVO 1TB
5633 Points
Eurocom Sky DLX7
GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop), 6700K, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
4639 Points -18%
Asus G752VY-RH71
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700HQ, Samsung SSD 950 Pro 512GB m.2 NVMe
5535 Points -2%
Lenovo ThinkPad P70
Quadro M3000M, 6820HQ, Samsung SSD PM871 MZNLN512HCJH
4411 Points -22%
Creative Score Accelerated v2 (sort by value)
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700K, Samsung SSD 850 EVO 1TB
7212 Points
Eurocom Sky DLX7
GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop), 6700K, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
7517 Points +4%
Asus G752VY-RH71
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700HQ, Samsung SSD 950 Pro 512GB m.2 NVMe
7127 Points -1%
Acer Predator 17 G9-791-75PV
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Lite-On CV1-8B256
4810 Points -33%
PCMark 7 Score
7576 points
PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2
5260 points
PCMark 8 Creative Score Accelerated v2
7212 points
PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2
5633 points
Help

Storage Devices

Available storage slots include one M.2 2280 bay and two 2.5-inch bays for a total of three internal drives. This is one fewer than on the Clevo P770ZM and without NVMe support as well, so the P770DM is behind systems like the GT72S or Alienware 17 R3 is this regard.

Despite the lack of NVMe, the 1 TB 2.5-inch Samsung EVO 850 SSD delivers read and write speeds near the limit of the SATA III interface at roughly 500 MB/s. This handily outperforms The Samsung PM871 and Lite-On CV1 in our ThinkPad P70 and Acer Predator 17 test units, respectively. Systems with NVMe drives are still twice as fast in raw transfer rates at the very least than any standard SATA III-based SSD.

See our growing table of SSDs and HDDs for more benchmarks and comparisons.

AS SSD
AS SSD
CDM
CDM
PCMark 8 Storage
PCMark 8 Storage
Samsung SSD 850 EVO 1TB
Transfer Rate Minimum: 381.4 MB/s
Transfer Rate Maximum: 450.2 MB/s
Transfer Rate Average: 446 MB/s
Access Time: 0 ms
Burst Rate: 176 MB/s
CPU Usage: 1.7 %
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700K, Samsung SSD 850 EVO 1TB
Asus G752VY-GC110T
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700HQ, Plextor PX-G256M6e
Alienware 17 R2
GeForce GTX 980M, 4980HQ, Lite-On IT L8T-256L9G
Eurocom Sky DLX7
GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop), 6700K, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
Lenovo ThinkPad P70
Quadro M3000M, 6820HQ, Samsung SSD PM871 MZNLN512HCJH
Acer Predator 17 G9-791-75PV
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Lite-On CV1-8B256
AS SSD
-215%
-31%
126%
-23%
-80%
Copy Game MB/s
396.1
1181
198%
355.4
-10%
265.4
-33%
Copy Program MB/s
305.6
559
83%
246.2
-19%
170.1
-44%
Copy ISO MB/s
446.7
1539
245%
389
-13%
339.2
-24%
Score Total
1136
602
-47%
1007
-11%
2681
136%
1012
-11%
769
-32%
Score Write
451
169
-63%
362
-20%
644
43%
384
-15%
285
-37%
Score Read
443
291
-34%
423
-5%
1538
247%
412
-7%
322
-27%
Access Time Write *
0.03
0.238
-693%
0.061
-103%
0.026
13%
0.056
-87%
0.188
-527%
Access Time Read *
0.041
0.568
-1285%
0.078
-90%
0.03
27%
0.069
-68%
0.111
-171%
4K-64 Write
294.1
103.5
-65%
259.2
-12%
354
20%
255.5
-13%
218.5
-26%
4K-64 Read
349.8
218.4
-38%
345.3
-1%
1113
218%
341.7
-2%
259
-26%
4K Write
107.8
16.12
-85%
59.9
-44%
142.5
32%
82.7
-23%
33.45
-69%
4K Read
41.84
8.18
-80%
29.14
-30%
48.55
16%
22.61
-46%
15.09
-64%
Seq Write
492.5
492.7
0%
424.2
-14%
1476
200%
458.1
-7%
332.9
-32%
Seq Read
516
643
25%
481.8
-7%
1962
280%
477.8
-7%
483.6
-6%

* ... smaller is better

GPU Performance

Raw graphics performance is about 30 percent ahead of the GTX 970M while the GTX 980 is 30 percent ahead of the GTX 980M according to 3DMark benchmarks. SLI systems still come out ahead of a single GTX 980M.

3DMark 11
3DMark 11
Ice Storm Extreme
Ice Storm Extreme
Cloud Gate
Cloud Gate
Fire Strike
Fire Strike
Fire Strike Extreme
Fire Strike Extreme
Fire Strike Ultra
Fire Strike Ultra
3DMark 11
1280x720 Performance (sort by value)
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700K, Samsung SSD 850 EVO 1TB
12364 Points
Eurocom X8
GeForce GTX 980M SLI, 4940MX, Samsung SSD 840 EVO 120GB mSATA
16276 Points +32%
MSI GT80 Titan SLI
GeForce GTX 970M SLI, 5700HQ, 4x Micron M600 MTFDDAV512MBF M.2 (RAID 0)
15300 Points +24%
Eurocom Sky DLX7
GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop), 6700K, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
15273 Points +24%
Asus G752VT
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Samsung PM951 NVMe MZVLV128
9656 Points -22%
MSI GE72 965M Ti
GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ
7896 Points -36%
Asus GL752VW-T4168T
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Micron M600 MTFDDAV256MBF mSATA
5327 Points -57%
1280x720 Performance Physics (sort by value)
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700K, Samsung SSD 850 EVO 1TB
11011 Points
Eurocom X8
GeForce GTX 980M SLI, 4940MX, Samsung SSD 840 EVO 120GB mSATA
9402 Points -15%
MSI GT80 Titan SLI
GeForce GTX 970M SLI, 5700HQ, 4x Micron M600 MTFDDAV512MBF M.2 (RAID 0)
8841 Points -20%
Eurocom Sky DLX7
GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop), 6700K, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
11761 Points +7%
Asus G752VT
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Samsung PM951 NVMe MZVLV128
8665 Points -21%
MSI GE72 965M Ti
GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ
6890 Points -37%
Asus GL752VW-T4168T
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Micron M600 MTFDDAV256MBF mSATA
6891 Points -37%
1280x720 Performance GPU (sort by value)
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700K, Samsung SSD 850 EVO 1TB
12967 Points
Eurocom X8
GeForce GTX 980M SLI, 4940MX, Samsung SSD 840 EVO 120GB mSATA
22072 Points +70%
MSI GT80 Titan SLI
GeForce GTX 970M SLI, 5700HQ, 4x Micron M600 MTFDDAV512MBF M.2 (RAID 0)
20447 Points +58%
Eurocom Sky DLX7
GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop), 6700K, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
17109 Points +32%
Asus G752VT
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Samsung PM951 NVMe MZVLV128
10113 Points -22%
MSI GE72 965M Ti
GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ
8391 Points -35%
Asus GL752VW-T4168T
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Micron M600 MTFDDAV256MBF mSATA
5114 Points -61%
1280x720 Performance Combined (sort by value)
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700K, Samsung SSD 850 EVO 1TB
10625 Points
Eurocom X8
GeForce GTX 980M SLI, 4940MX, Samsung SSD 840 EVO 120GB mSATA
8693 Points -18%
MSI GT80 Titan SLI
GeForce GTX 970M SLI, 5700HQ, 4x Micron M600 MTFDDAV512MBF M.2 (RAID 0)
8539 Points -20%
Eurocom Sky DLX7
GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop), 6700K, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
11260 Points +6%
Asus G752VT
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Samsung PM951 NVMe MZVLV128
8272 Points -22%
MSI GE72 965M Ti
GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ
6459 Points -39%
Asus GL752VW-T4168T
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Micron M600 MTFDDAV256MBF mSATA
5189 Points -51%
3DMark
3840x2160 Fire Strike Ultra Combined (sort by value)
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700K, Samsung SSD 850 EVO 1TB
1179 Points
Eurocom Sky DLX7
GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop), 6700K, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
1565 Points +33%
3840x2160 Fire Strike Ultra Graphics (sort by value)
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700K, Samsung SSD 850 EVO 1TB
2297 Points
Eurocom Sky DLX7
GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop), 6700K, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
3046 Points +33%
3840x2160 Fire Strike Ultra Score (sort by value)
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700K, Samsung SSD 850 EVO 1TB
2363 Points
Eurocom Sky DLX7
GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop), 6700K, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
3107 Points +31%
Fire Strike Extreme Combined (sort by value)
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700K, Samsung SSD 850 EVO 1TB
2047 Points
MSI GT80 Titan SLI
GeForce GTX 970M SLI, 5700HQ, 4x Micron M600 MTFDDAV512MBF M.2 (RAID 0)
2510 Points +23%
Eurocom Sky DLX7
GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop), 6700K, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
2693 Points +32%
Asus G752VT
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Samsung PM951 NVMe MZVLV128
1519 Points -26%
MSI GE72 965M Ti
GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ
1158 Points -43%
Fire Strike Extreme Graphics (sort by value)
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700K, Samsung SSD 850 EVO 1TB
4673 Points
Eurocom X8
GeForce GTX 980M SLI, 4940MX, Samsung SSD 840 EVO 120GB mSATA
8542 Points +83%
MSI GT80 Titan SLI
GeForce GTX 970M SLI, 5700HQ, 4x Micron M600 MTFDDAV512MBF M.2 (RAID 0)
7088 Points +52%
Eurocom Sky DLX7
GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop), 6700K, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
6109 Points +31%
Asus G752VT
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Samsung PM951 NVMe MZVLV128
3531 Points -24%
MSI GE72 965M Ti
GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ
2901 Points -38%
Fire Strike Extreme Score (sort by value)
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700K, Samsung SSD 850 EVO 1TB
4522 Points
Eurocom X8
GeForce GTX 980M SLI, 4940MX, Samsung SSD 840 EVO 120GB mSATA
7393 Points +63%
MSI GT80 Titan SLI
GeForce GTX 970M SLI, 5700HQ, 4x Micron M600 MTFDDAV512MBF M.2 (RAID 0)
6299 Points +39%
Eurocom Sky DLX7
GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop), 6700K, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
5829 Points +29%
Asus G752VT
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Samsung PM951 NVMe MZVLV128
3394 Points -25%
MSI GE72 965M Ti
GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ
2773 Points -39%
1920x1080 Fire Strike Combined (sort by value)
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700K, Samsung SSD 850 EVO 1TB
3748 Points
MSI GT80 Titan SLI
GeForce GTX 970M SLI, 5700HQ, 4x Micron M600 MTFDDAV512MBF M.2 (RAID 0)
3953 Points +5%
Eurocom Sky DLX7
GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop), 6700K, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
5008 Points +34%
Asus G752VT
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Samsung PM951 NVMe MZVLV128
2789 Points -26%
MSI GE72 965M Ti
GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ
2040 Points -46%
Asus GL752VW-T4168T
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Micron M600 MTFDDAV256MBF mSATA
1621 Points -57%
1920x1080 Fire Strike Graphics (sort by value)
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700K, Samsung SSD 850 EVO 1TB
9963 Points
Eurocom X8
GeForce GTX 980M SLI, 4940MX, Samsung SSD 840 EVO 120GB mSATA
18400 Points +85%
MSI GT80 Titan SLI
GeForce GTX 970M SLI, 5700HQ, 4x Micron M600 MTFDDAV512MBF M.2 (RAID 0)
15354 Points +54%
Eurocom Sky DLX7
GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop), 6700K, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
12977 Points +30%
Asus G752VT
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Samsung PM951 NVMe MZVLV128
7546 Points -24%
MSI GE72 965M Ti
GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ
6160 Points -38%
Asus GL752VW-T4168T
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Micron M600 MTFDDAV256MBF mSATA
4211 Points -58%
3DMark 11 Performance
12364 points
3DMark Ice Storm Standard Score
151863 points
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score
27362 points
3DMark Fire Strike Score
8793 points
3DMark Fire Strike Extreme Score
4522 points
Help

Gaming Performance

The GTX 980M is able to play most (if not all) of today's titles on maximum settings assuming a 1080p display resolution. Most titles average 60 FPS except for the most demanding of games such as Arkham Knight or Rise of the Tomb Raider. Higher native resolutions are possible via external monitors so long as users are willing to reduce graphical settings along the way.

See our dedicated GTX 980M GPU page for more benchmarks and comparisons.

Fallout 4
Fallout 4
Rise of the Tomb Raider
Rise of the Tomb Raider
Batman: Arkham Knight
Batman: Arkham Knight
Fallout 4
1920x1080 High Preset AA:T AF:16x
SCHENKER XMG U716
GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop), 6700, Samsung SM951 MZHPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
96.6 fps +31%
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700K, Samsung SSD 850 EVO 1TB
73.8 fps
Aorus X3 Plus v5
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
52.9 fps -28%
MSI GE72 965M Ti
GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ
43.1 (35min - 52max) fps -42%
Dell XPS 15 9550 i7 FHD
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung PM951 NVMe 512 GB
31 fps -58%
1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:T AF:16x
SCHENKER XMG U716
GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop), 6700, Samsung SM951 MZHPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
78 fps +31%
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700K, Samsung SSD 850 EVO 1TB
59.7 fps
Aorus X3 Plus v5
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
42.4 fps -29%
MSI GE72 965M Ti
GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ
35.2 (28min - 45max) fps -41%
Dell XPS 15 9550 i7 FHD
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung PM951 NVMe 512 GB
24.2 fps -59%
Sleeping Dogs
1366x768 High Preset AA:High
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700K, Samsung SSD 850 EVO 1TB
176.6 fps
Aorus X3 Plus v5
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
123.5 fps -30%
Dell XPS 15 9550 i7 FHD
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung PM951 NVMe 512 GB
89.2 fps -49%
1920x1080 Extreme Preset AA:Extreme
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700K, Samsung SSD 850 EVO 1TB
59.7 fps
Aorus X3 Plus v5
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
45 fps -25%
Dell XPS 15 9550 i7 FHD
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung PM951 NVMe 512 GB
23.4 fps -61%
BioShock Infinite
1366x768 High Preset
SCHENKER XMG U716
GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop), 6700, Samsung SM951 MZHPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
226.7 fps +10%
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700K, Samsung SSD 850 EVO 1TB
205.5 fps
Aorus X3 Plus v5
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
146.8 fps -29%
MSI GE72 965M Ti
GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ
127 fps -38%
Dell XPS 15 9550 i7 FHD
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung PM951 NVMe 512 GB
106.9 fps -48%
1920x1080 Ultra Preset, DX11 (DDOF)
SCHENKER XMG U716
GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop), 6700, Samsung SM951 MZHPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
121.4 fps +31%
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700K, Samsung SSD 850 EVO 1TB
92.4 fps
Aorus X3 Plus v5
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
71.8 fps -22%
MSI GE72 965M Ti
GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ
55 (9min - 95max) fps -40%
Dell XPS 15 9550 i7 FHD
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung PM951 NVMe 512 GB
44.1 fps -52%
Metro: Last Light
1366x768 High (DX11) AF:16x
SCHENKER XMG U716
GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop), 6700, Samsung SM951 MZHPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
143.7 fps +14%
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700K, Samsung SSD 850 EVO 1TB
125.8 fps
Aorus X3 Plus v5
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
93.8 fps -25%
MSI GE72 965M Ti
GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ
76 fps -40%
Dell XPS 15 9550 i7 FHD
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung PM951 NVMe 512 GB
55.7 fps -56%
1920x1080 Very High (DX11) AF:16x
SCHENKER XMG U716
GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop), 6700, Samsung SM951 MZHPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
92.3 fps +31%
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700K, Samsung SSD 850 EVO 1TB
70.6 fps
Aorus X3 Plus v5
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
53.6 fps -24%
MSI GE72 965M Ti
GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ
42 (7min - 95max) fps -41%
Dell XPS 15 9550 i7 FHD
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung PM951 NVMe 512 GB
30.9 fps -56%
Rise of the Tomb Raider
1920x1080 High Preset AA:FX AF:4x
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700K, Samsung SSD 850 EVO 1TB
60.4 fps
MSI GE72 965M Ti
GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ
37.7 (35min - 41max) fps -38%
Dell XPS 15 9550 i7 FHD
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung PM951 NVMe 512 GB
23.8 fps -61%
1920x1080 Very High Preset AA:FX AF:16x
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700K, Samsung SSD 850 EVO 1TB
51.6 fps
MSI GE72 965M Ti
GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ
30.4 (26min - 33max) fps -41%
Dell XPS 15 9550 i7 FHD
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung PM951 NVMe 512 GB
21.2 fps -59%
Thief
1366x768 High Preset AA:FXAA & Low SS AF:4x
SCHENKER XMG U716
GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop), 6700, Samsung SM951 MZHPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
116.8 fps +2%
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700K, Samsung SSD 850 EVO 1TB
114.7 fps
Aorus X3 Plus v5
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
73 fps -36%
MSI GE72 965M Ti
GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ
62.5 fps -46%
Dell XPS 15 9550 i7 FHD
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung PM951 NVMe 512 GB
51.2 fps -55%
1920x1080 Very High Preset AA:FXAA & High SS AF:8x
SCHENKER XMG U716
GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop), 6700, Samsung SM951 MZHPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
84.8 fps +30%
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700K, Samsung SSD 850 EVO 1TB
65.4 fps
Aorus X3 Plus v5
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
46.5 fps -29%
MSI GE72 965M Ti
GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ
37.5 (28min - 52max) fps -43%
Dell XPS 15 9550 i7 FHD
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung PM951 NVMe 512 GB
26.6 fps -59%
Metal Gear Solid V
1920x1080 High / On
SCHENKER XMG U716
GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop), 6700, Samsung SM951 MZHPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
60 fps 0%
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700K, Samsung SSD 850 EVO 1TB
60 fps
Aorus X3 Plus v5
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
59.9 fps 0%
MSI GE72 965M Ti
GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ
59.9 (59min - 60max) fps 0%
Dell XPS 15 9550 i7 FHD
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung PM951 NVMe 512 GB
55 fps -8%
1920x1080 Extra High / On
SCHENKER XMG U716
GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop), 6700, Samsung SM951 MZHPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
60 fps 0%
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700K, Samsung SSD 850 EVO 1TB
60 fps
Aorus X3 Plus v5
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
59.1 fps -1%
MSI GE72 965M Ti
GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ
49.6 fps -17%
Dell XPS 15 9550 i7 FHD
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung PM951 NVMe 512 GB
37.5 fps -37%
low med. high ultra
Sleeping Dogs (2012) 176.6 59.7
BioShock Infinite (2013) 205.5 92.4
Metro: Last Light (2013) 125.8 70.6
Thief (2014) 114.7 65.4
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor (2014) 92.5 71.5
Batman: Arkham Knight (2015) 76 52
Metal Gear Solid V (2015) 60 60
Fallout 4 (2015) 73.8 59.7
Rise of the Tomb Raider (2016) 60.4 51.6

Stress Test

The DogHouse notebook performs very well when under extreme stress. The CPU is able to maintain its base clock rate of 4.0 GHz under Prime95 stress and even when under both Prime95 and FurMark stress. Its average CPU temperature, however, settles at nearly 100 C under such conditions despite the notebook's large cooling system, which is much higher than other large 17-inch gaming notebooks with mobile CPUs. Meanwhile, the GPU settles at a much more comfortable ceiling of about 75 C under extreme conditions.

Unigine Heaven is much more representative of gaming loads. The CPU remains above its base clock rate while the GPU benefits from a stable GPU Boost. Core temperatures for both processors peak at about 70 C under these conditions.

Running on battery power will throttle both the CPU and GPU. A 3DMark 11 run on batteries returns Graphics and Physics scores of 6801 points and 7173 points, respectively, compared to 12967 points and 11011 points when on mains.

Prime95 stress
Prime95 stress
FurMark stress
FurMark stress
Prime95+FurMark stress
Prime95+FurMark stress
Unigine Heaven stress
Unigine Heaven stress

CPU Clock (GHz) GPU Clock (MHz) Average CPU Temperature (C) Average GPU Temperature (C)

Prime95 Stress

4.0 -- ~77 --

FurMark Stress

-- 861 -- ~69

Prime95 + FurMark Stress

3.9 - 4.0 899 - 962 ~98 ~74

Unigine Heaven Stress

4.0+ 1126 ~69 ~69

Emissions

System Noise

Fan noise (Gray: Background, Red: System idle, Blue: Unigine Heaven, Green: Prime95+FurMark)
Fan noise (Gray: Background, Red: System idle, Blue: Unigine Heaven, Green: Prime95+FurMark)

The cooling system consists of two 60 mm fans of different sizes and seven heat pipes in a very dense formation. While the fans are inactive when the notebook is idling, it doesn't take much of a load before they start spinning. They are still relatively silent, however, at just the low 30 dB(A) range during heavy browsing or multi-tasking. Gaming will bump fan noise steadily up to the 43 dB(A) range while maximum load with Prime95 and FurMark will max out the fans at just over 45 dB(A). The manual fan controls offer some control over fan noise until at least a certain temperature is reached before throttling occurs.

The Mobius SS is indeed louder than some of its competitors when gaming due in part to having a more powerful and upgradeable CPU.

DogHouse Systems Mobius SS
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700K, Samsung SSD 850 EVO 1TB
Asus G752VY-RH71
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700HQ, Samsung SSD 950 Pro 512GB m.2 NVMe
Alienware 17 R3 (A17-9935)
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700HQ, Samsung PM951 NVMe 512 GB
Eurocom Sky DLX7
GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop), 6700K, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
Lenovo ThinkPad P70
Quadro M3000M, 6820HQ, Samsung SSD PM871 MZNLN512HCJH
Acer Predator 17 G9-791-75PV
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Lite-On CV1-8B256
Noise
-4%
-3%
-1%
5%
-8%
off / environment *
28.6
30
-5%
30
-5%
Idle Minimum *
28.9
33.4
-16%
31
-7%
31.9
-10%
30
-4%
32
-11%
Idle Average *
30.6
33.5
-9%
32
-5%
32
-5%
30
2%
33
-8%
Idle Maximum *
33
33.5
-2%
33
-0%
34
-3%
30
9%
37
-12%
Load Average *
43.4
40.3
7%
38
12%
39
10%
36.5
16%
44
-1%
Load Maximum *
45.5
45.1
1%
50
-10%
44.5
2%
40.8
10%
49
-8%

* ... smaller is better

Noise Level

Idle
28.9 / 30.6 / 33 dB(A)
Load
43.4 / 45.5 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)   environment noise: 28.6 dB(A)

Temperature

Surface temperatures average about 30 C when idling with hot spots as warm as 36 C on the bottom of the unit. Maximum load for over an hour can cause the bottom rear of the unit to be as warm as 60 C. The palm rests and touchpad remain cool in comparison, though the center area of the keyboard can be warmer than 40 C under extreme conditions. This is warmer than on the Asus G752 and Acer Predator 17 while being cooler than the Alienware 17 R3 on average.

Power Saver (Top)
Power Saver (Top)
Power Saver (Bottom)
Power Saver (Bottom)
Prime95+FurMark (Top)
Prime95+FurMark (Top)
Prime95+FurMark (Bottom)
Prime95+FurMark (Bottom)
Max. Load
 46.9 °C
116 F
38.5 °C
101 F
43.9 °C
111 F
 
 30.3 °C
87 F
41.5 °C
107 F
28.8 °C
84 F
 
 24.9 °C
77 F
24.3 °C
76 F
23.3 °C
74 F
 
Maximum: 46.9 °C = 116 F
Average: 33.6 °C = 92 F
50 °C
122 F
59 °C
138 F
51.7 °C
125 F
28.3 °C
83 F
41 °C
106 F
27.4 °C
81 F
22.4 °C
72 F
22.9 °C
73 F
27.5 °C
82 F
Maximum: 59 °C = 138 F
Average: 36.7 °C = 98 F
Power Supply (max.)  46.8 °C = 116 F | Room Temperature 21 °C = 70 F | FLIR One
(±) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 33.6 °C / 92 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 46.9 °C / 116 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 59 °C / 138 F, compared to the average of 43.2 °C / 110 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 30.1 °C / 86 F, compared to the device average of 33.8 °C / 93 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are cooler than skin temperature with a maximum of 29.2 °C / 84.6 F and are therefore cool to the touch.
(±) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 28.9 °C / 84 F (-0.3 °C / -0.6 F).

Speakers

Audio quality from the 2.1 internal Onkyo speakers is good with acceptable bass and no static or noticeable distortions at higher volume settings. Its reproduction of lower frequency sounds is better than on smaller notebooks like the XPS 13 and is much more consistent into the higher frequencies as well. Maximum volume is sufficiently loud for a small room with SPDIF/Line-in options as needed.

Dedicated subwoofer
Dedicated subwoofer
(Green: Background, Gray: White noise, Pink: Pink noise)
(Green: Background, Gray: White noise, Pink: Pink noise)

Energy Management

Power Consumption

Power draw is higher than many of its competitors as expected by quite the margin due largely to its desktop Skylake processor (again). Systems like the Schenker XMG U726 demand even more power as they utilize both a desktop CPU and a GTX 980.

It's worth noting that the power adapter itself is rated for 230 W while our Maximum Load measurement when running both Prime95 and FurMark was calculated to be just over 240 W.

DogHouse Systems Mobius SS
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700K, Samsung SSD 850 EVO 1TB
Asus G752VY-GC110T
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700HQ, Plextor PX-G256M6e
Alienware 17 R3 (A17-9935)
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700HQ, Samsung PM951 NVMe 512 GB
SCHENKER XMG U726
GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop), 6700, Samsung SM951 MZHPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
Lenovo ThinkPad P70
Quadro M3000M, 6820HQ, Samsung SSD PM871 MZNLN512HCJH
Acer Predator 17 G9-791-75PV
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Lite-On CV1-8B256
Power Consumption
26%
36%
-31%
42%
42%
Idle Minimum *
27.7
14.9
46%
12
57%
36
-30%
12.1
56%
11
60%
Idle Average *
31.5
21.1
33%
18
43%
45
-43%
19.7
37%
17
46%
Idle Maximum *
31.6
29.4
7%
26
18%
53
-68%
20.5
35%
22
30%
Load Average *
160.2
134.5
16%
95
41%
139
13%
94.3
41%
96
40%
Load Maximum *
242.4
174
28%
188
22%
306
-26%
139.6
42%
164
32%

* ... smaller is better

Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0.33 / 1.3 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 27.7 / 31.5 / 31.6 Watt
Load midlight 160.2 / 242.4 Watt
 color bar
Key: min: dark, med: mid, max: light        Metrahit Energy
Currently we use the Metrahit Energy, a professional single phase power quality and energy measurement digital multimeter, for our measurements. Find out more about it here. All of our test methods can be found here.

Battery Life

Runtimes from the removable 82 Wh battery pack are exactly what we were expecting given the sheer size and power demands of the notebook. We were able to squeeze out just over 3 hours of constant WLAN use on the Balanced profile, which isn't bad considering that there is no Optimus option. The more power-hungry Eurocom Sky DLX7 clocks in just under 2.5 hours under the same conditions while other high-end 17-inch notebooks with Optimus can last for hours longer.

Minimum runtime (Classic Test)
Minimum runtime (Classic Test)
Maximum runtime (Reader's Test)
Maximum runtime (Reader's Test)
WLAN runtime
WLAN runtime
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS
82 Wh
Asus G752VY-RH71
67 Wh
Alienware 17 R3 (A17-9935)
92 Wh
Eurocom Sky DLX7
82 Wh
Lenovo ThinkPad P70
96 Wh
Acer Predator 17 G9-791-75PV
90 Wh
Battery Runtime
23%
115%
-28%
48%
93%
Reader / Idle
248
368
48%
758
206%
157
-37%
464
87%
702
183%
WiFi v1.3
182
241
32%
444
144%
140
-23%
361
98%
358
97%
Load
111
100
-10%
105
-5%
83
-25%
64
-42%
109
-2%
Battery Runtime
Idle (without WLAN, min brightness)
4h 08min
WiFi Websurfing
3h 02min
Load (maximum brightness)
1h 51min

Pros

+ rigid chassis; easy accessibility
+ 2x 2.5-inch SATA III bays, 1x M.2 2280 slot
+ removable battery
+ comfortable backlit keyboard
+ removable CPU (LGA 1151) and GPU (MXM 3.0b)
+ USB 3.1 Type-C Gen. 2 with Thunderbolt 3

Cons

- weak ventilation grilles
- no dedicated Macro keys
- no optical drive
- touchpad could be bigger
- slight backlight bleeding
- no NVMe SSD
- high fan noise under load
- no CPU overclocking options

Verdict

In review: DogHouse Systems Mobius SS. Test model provided by DogHouse Systems.
In review: DogHouse Systems Mobius SS. Test model provided by DogHouse Systems.

The draw of a Clevo system has always been the accessibility, ease of troubleshooting, and end-user upgradeability options. The Mobius SS doesn't disappoint in this regard and Clevo's trump card against competitors lies in the standard LGA 1151 socket for compatibility with a range of desktop processors. If this option is particularly important, then the Mobius SS or equivalent Clevo barebone would be a reasonable purchase.

Outside of the i7-6700K CPU, however, an MSI GT72S or Asus G752 with the same GTX 980M GPU can potentially come cheaper than the Mobius SS while running quieter as well. The GT72S in particular offers easy accessibility options, NVMe SSDs, and longer battery life compared to the DogHouse system.

What the Mobius SS offers is excellent in terms of performance and quality, though the desktop CPU comes at a cost in terms of noise, heat, and runtimes while offering very little improvement in gaming performance over high-end mobile processors as found on the GT72S or G752 series of notebooks.

DogHouse Systems Mobius SS - 03/10/2016 v5(old)
Allen Ngo

Chassis
78 / 98 → 80%
Keyboard
85%
Pointing Device
85%
Connectivity
80 / 81 → 99%
Weight
51 / 10-66 → 73%
Battery
69%
Display
84%
Games Performance
0%
Application Performance
0%
Temperature
86 / 95 → 91%
Noise
82 / 90 → 91%
Audio
80%
Average
78%
86%
Gaming - Weighted Average

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > Reviews > DogHouse Systems Mobius SS (Clevo P770DM) Notebook Review
Allen Ngo, 2016-03-10 (Update: 2020-06- 8)