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Gigabyte P55K v5 Notebook Review

GTX 965M gaming. Not content with a GTX 960M and is the GTX 970M a bit too much? Then the GTX 965M may be your best bet.

Our third look at the Gigabyte P55 series brings us to the P55K v5. The model brings a number of important hardware updates compared to the P55W v4 as covered in our P55W v5 review, but is otherwise nearly identical to the P55W v5 with differences in the display panel and the GPU. The P55K v5 sports the less common GTX 965M, so its performance should hopefully satisfy gamers on a tighter budget.

We recommend checking out our previous review on the P55W v5 as the P55K v5 shares the same chassis, features, connectivity options, input devices, and most other physical qualities. We'll instead focus on the performance of the P55K v5 and how the GTX 965M compares to the GTX 960M and GTX 970M.

Gigabyte P55K v5 (P55 Series)
Processor
Intel Core i7-6700HQ 4 x 2.6 - 3.5 GHz (Intel Core i7)
Graphics adapter
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M - 2048 MB VRAM, Core: 924 MHz, Memory: 5010 MHz, GDDR5, 359
Memory
32 GB 
, DDR4-2132 SDRAM, 1066.1 MHz (PC4-17000)
Display
15.60 inch 16:9, 1920 x 1080 pixel 141 PPI, Name: AU Optronics B156HAN01.2, ID: AUO12ED, glossy: no
Mainboard
Intel HM170 (Skylake PCH-H)
Storage
SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122, 1024 GB 
Soundcard
Intel Skylake PCH-H High Definition Audio Controller
Connections
3 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, 1 USB 3.1 Gen2, 1 VGA, 1 HDMI, 1 Kensington Lock, Audio Connections: Köpfhörer, Mikrofon, Card Reader: SD-Cardreader
Networking
Realtek RTL8168/8111 Gigabit-LAN (10/100/1000MBit/s), Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8260 (a/b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/ac = Wi-Fi 5/), Bluetooth 4.1 + LE
Optical drive
MATSHITADVD-RAM UJ8G2
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 34 x 380 x 269 ( = 1.34 x 14.96 x 10.59 in)
Battery
63 Wh Lithium-Ion
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 10 Home 64 Bit
Camera
Webcam: HD-Webcam
Additional features
Keyboard: chiclet, Keyboard Light: yes, 24 Months Warranty
Weight
2.645 kg ( = 93.3 oz / 5.83 pounds), Power Supply: 665 g ( = 23.46 oz / 1.47 pounds)
Price
1399 Euro
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

 

Case

The easiest way to distinguish between a P55 v4 model and a P55 v5 model is the presence of a USB Type-C port on the left edge of the notebook. The chassis is otherwise the same including the glow-in-the-dark orange accents along the left- and right-hand edges. For future revisions, we would like to see improvements on the outer lid and center of the keyboard where its surfaces can more easily warp.

384.5 mm / 15.1 inch 257 mm / 10.1 inch 35 mm / 1.378 inch 2.7 kg5.9 lbs380 mm / 15 inch 269 mm / 10.6 inch 34 mm / 1.339 inch 2.6 kg5.83 lbs385 mm / 15.2 inch 268 mm / 10.6 inch 29 mm / 1.142 inch 2.5 kg5.6 lbs390 mm / 15.4 inch 262.8 mm / 10.3 inch 23.9 mm / 0.941 inch 2.3 kg5.07 lbs390 mm / 15.4 inch 266 mm / 10.5 inch 20 mm / 0.787 inch 2 kg4.41 lbs357 mm / 14.1 inch 235 mm / 9.25 inch 17 mm / 0.669 inch 2 kg4.33 lbs297 mm / 11.7 inch 210 mm / 8.27 inch 1 mm / 0.03937 inch 5.7 g0.01257 lbs

Connectivity

Aside from the HDMI 2.0 and USB Type-C Gen. 2 ports, the Gigabyte system is one of the few notebooks with legacy VGA as well. This may or may not make up for the lack of Thunderbolt 3 and DisplayPort options depending on the needs of the user. Another minor complaint is the positioning of the SD card reader as it can be difficult to access without first lifting up the notebook for a better angle.

Front: SD reader
Front: SD reader
Right: 3.5 mm earphones, 3.5 mm microphone, 2x USB 3.0, Optical drive, AC adapter
Right: 3.5 mm earphones, 3.5 mm microphone, 2x USB 3.0, Optical drive, AC adapter
Rear: No connectivity
Rear: No connectivity
Left: Kensington Lock, VGA, Gigabit Ethernet, HDMI, USB Type-C Gen. 2, 1x USB 3.0
Left: Kensington Lock, VGA, Gigabit Ethernet, HDMI, USB Type-C Gen. 2, 1x USB 3.0

Communication

WLAN is provided by an Intel Wireless-AC 8260 M.2 2230 module with dual-band (2x2) capabilities and both integrated Bluetooth and WiDi. The WLAN card is an upgrade from the Intel 7265 on the P55 v4, but is otherwise the same as on the P55W v5. There are no WWAN or GPS options available for the gaming notebook.

Maintenance

Serviceability is relatively simple as all that is required is a Philips screwdriver to remove the bottom panel. Users are granted direct access to core components including the 6-cell battery, optical drive, WLAN card, and others. Both the CPU and GPU are soldered and non-removable unlike on a number of larger gaming systems like the GT72 or Eurocom DLX7.

Warranty

Gigabyte provides a global 24-month warranty as standard across its lineup of gaming notebooks compared to just 12 months in the U.S. for many other brands. Additionally, any aftermarket or additional components installed by CUKUSA are automatically covered by the online retailer for a total of three years with free diagnostic support.

Input Devices

Keyboard

The Chiclet keyboard is notable for providing a long travel of 2.2 mm compared to about 1.5 mm on most notebooks. The individual keys are much taller than usual and feel much closer to a desktop keyboard as a result. When combined with the firm feedback, the general typing experience is one of the best for a notebook outside of perhaps the integrated mechanical keys of the gargantuan MSI GT80.

Touchpad

No changes have been made to the touchpad either, which is a shame as it doesn't impress nearly as much as the keyboard. Available surface area for cursor control is smaller than it appears since the bottom portion is reserved for mouse clicks only. Additionally, the mouse clicks themselves are uncomfortable to use since the input force required is comparatively higher than on other notebooks.

Display

The 1080p matte screen utilizes a different AU Optronics B156HAN01.2 panel compared to the LG Philips LP156WF4-SPH1 panel as found on our P55W v5 test unit. While the AUO panel is indeed more accurate in terms of color reproduction, its contrast and backlight brightness are oddly less uniform on our P55K v5 test unit. This is still a high-end IPS panel nonetheless and the exact same panel can also be found on a number of other performance notebooks including 15.6-inch Clevo barebones and the Acer Aspire V5-573G.

Uneven backlight bleeding is present around the edges and is most noticeable near the bottom right corner. Users may notice the effect when watching movies with black borders or during dimly lit scenes.

Slight backlight bleeding on all edges
Slight backlight bleeding on all edges
Subpixel array (141 PPI)
Subpixel array (141 PPI)
283
cd/m²
301.9
cd/m²
264.9
cd/m²
265.5
cd/m²
274.9
cd/m²
219.2
cd/m²
258.7
cd/m²
245.8
cd/m²
217.2
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
Name: AU Optronics B156HAN01.2, ID: AUO12ED tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 301.9 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 259 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 72 %
Center on Battery: 274.9 cd/m²
Contrast: 749:1 (Black: 0.367 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 3.39 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 4.21 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
90.9% sRGB (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
59.2% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
91% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
65.9% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.18
Gigabyte P55K v5
15.60, 1920x1080
Dell XPS 15 9550 i7 FHD
15.60, 1920x1080
MSI GS60-6QE4K16H21
15.60, 3840x2160
Asus GL552JX-CN154H
15.60, 1920x1080
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro BE VN7-592G-79DV
15.60, 3840x2160
Display
6%
-16%
5%
21%
Display P3 Coverage
65.9
68.5
4%
53.1
-19%
67.8
3%
86.2
31%
sRGB Coverage
91
97.2
7%
80
-12%
97.5
7%
100
10%
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage
70.4
54.8
70
99.5
Response Times
-72%
2%
-9%
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% *
37.2 ?(16, 21.2)
64 ?(27, 37)
-72%
40 ?(12, 28)
-8%
49 ?(24, 25)
-32%
Response Time Black / White *
29.2 ?(12, 17.2)
50 ?(12, 38)
-71%
26 ?(8, 18)
11%
25 ?(7, 18)
14%
PWM Frequency
1316 ?(20)
1000 ?(10)
Screen
2%
-33%
10%
27%
Brightness middle
274.9
371.5
35%
212
-23%
326
19%
303
10%
Brightness
259
356
37%
197
-24%
317
22%
291
12%
Brightness Distribution
72
92
28%
78
8%
91
26%
83
15%
Black Level *
0.367
0.252
31%
0.49
-34%
0.31
16%
0.22
40%
Contrast
749
1474
97%
433
-42%
1052
40%
1377
84%
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
3.39
5.55
-64%
7.8
-130%
4.14
-22%
3.47
-2%
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. *
5.76
10.95
-90%
6.79
-18%
Greyscale dE 2000 *
4.21
7.1
-69%
5.23
-24%
5.46
-30%
1.17
72%
Gamma
2.18 101%
2.1 105%
3.05 72%
2.44 90%
2.35 94%
CCT
6069 107%
6693 97%
7574 86%
6658 98%
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998)
59.2
63.4
7%
50
-16%
64
8%
86
45%
Color Space (Percent of sRGB)
90.9
97.9
8%
80
-12%
97
7%
100
10%
Total Average (Program / Settings)
-21% / -8%
-16% / -25%
8% / 9%
13% / 21%

* ... smaller is better

Color coverage is measured to be 59.2 percent and 90.9 percent of the AdobeRGB and sRGB standards, respectively. This is compared to our P55W v5 test unit and its sRGB coverage of just 73 percent. Color precision means less to gamers compared to other factors like response times, but professional digital artists will appreciate the wider gamut available from this particular AU Optronics panel. Most gaming notebooks do not aim for full sRGB coverage.

vs. AdobeRGB
vs. AdobeRGB
vs. sRGB
vs. sRGB
vs. MSI GS60 6QE
vs. MSI GS60 6QE
vs. Dell XPS 15 9550 FHD
vs. Dell XPS 15 9550 FHD

Grayscale and color reproduction are both very good across the board and become even better after a quick calibration. Colors are more accurate than the LG Philips panel used for our P55W v5 test unit, but accuracy still decreases with increasing saturation levels due to the panel's 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
29.2 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 12 ms rise
↘ 17.2 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. » 75 % 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
37.2 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 16 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. » 48 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is similar to 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 18110 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured.

Outdoor usability is limited as the backlight is not strong enough to overcome ambient lighting. Though glare isn't an issue with the matte panel, texts and images are easily washed out even on an overcast day. The wide IPS viewing angles do little to alleviate the problem and the notebook is largely an indoors-only solution with just the occasional use outdoors when necessary.

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

Performance

Turbo Boost up to 3.5 GHz
Turbo Boost up to 3.5 GHz

Moving from a P55 v4 to a P55 v5 will net a couple of hardware benefits including Skylake options, DDR4, and USB Type-C amongst others. When comparing the P55K v5 to the P55W v5, however, changes are minimal with the core difference being the soldered GTX 965M GPU instead of the more powerful GTX 970M. The two systems otherwise carry the same i7-6700HQ CPU with two DDR4 SODIMM slots for a total of up to 32 GB of RAM.

Nvidia Optimus is supported for graphics switching to the integrated HD Graphics 530.

Processor

CPU performance is handily above the older Haswell i7-4700HQ in both single-core and multi-core processes while being not all that different from the Broadwell i7-5700HQ according to CineBench benchmarks. While still very fast for a mobile CPU, a proper desktop CPU like the Skylake i7-6700K is roughly 30 percent faster than the i7-6700HQ at over twice the rated TDP (45 W vs. 91 W).

See our dedicated CPU page on the Core i7-6700HQ for more benchmarks and comparisons.

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)
Gigabyte P55K v5
GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
139 Points
Eurocom Sky DLX7
GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop), 6700K, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
177 Points +27%
Aorus X7 Pro v5
GeForce GTX 970M SLI, 6820HK, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512 m.2 PCI-e
150 Points +8%
MSI PX60 QD-034US
GeForce GTX 950M, 5700HQ, HGST Travelstar 7K1000 HTS721010A9E630
144 Points +4%
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50
GeForce GTX 860M, 4700HQ, Western Digital WD10S21X SSHD 1TB + 8GB SSD-Cache
125 Points -10%
CPU Multi 64Bit (sort by value)
Gigabyte P55K v5
GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
680 Points
Eurocom Sky DLX7
GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop), 6700K, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
878 Points +29%
Aorus X7 Pro v5
GeForce GTX 970M SLI, 6820HK, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512 m.2 PCI-e
701 Points +3%
MSI PX60 QD-034US
GeForce GTX 950M, 5700HQ, HGST Travelstar 7K1000 HTS721010A9E630
723 Points +6%
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50
GeForce GTX 860M, 4700HQ, Western Digital WD10S21X SSHD 1TB + 8GB SSD-Cache
490 Points -28%
Cinebench R11.5
CPU Single 64Bit (sort by value)
Gigabyte P55K v5
GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
1.56 Points
Eurocom Sky DLX7
GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop), 6700K, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
1.97 Points +26%
Aorus X7 Pro v5
GeForce GTX 970M SLI, 6820HK, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512 m.2 PCI-e
1.73 Points +11%
MSI PX60 QD-034US
GeForce GTX 950M, 5700HQ, HGST Travelstar 7K1000 HTS721010A9E630
1.67 Points +7%
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50
GeForce GTX 860M, 4700HQ, Western Digital WD10S21X SSHD 1TB + 8GB SSD-Cache
1.46 Points -6%
CPU Multi 64Bit (sort by value)
Gigabyte P55K v5
GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
7.48 Points
Eurocom Sky DLX7
GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop), 6700K, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
9.7 Points +30%
Aorus X7 Pro v5
GeForce GTX 970M SLI, 6820HK, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512 m.2 PCI-e
7.7 Points +3%
MSI PX60 QD-034US
GeForce GTX 950M, 5700HQ, HGST Travelstar 7K1000 HTS721010A9E630
7.86 Points +5%
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50
GeForce GTX 860M, 4700HQ, Western Digital WD10S21X SSHD 1TB + 8GB SSD-Cache
5.29 Points -29%
Cinebench R10
Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit (sort by value)
Gigabyte P55K v5
GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
20493 Points
Eurocom Sky DLX7
GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop), 6700K, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
26040 Points +27%
Aorus X7 Pro v5
GeForce GTX 970M SLI, 6820HK, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512 m.2 PCI-e
21046 Points +3%
MSI PX60 QD-034US
GeForce GTX 950M, 5700HQ, HGST Travelstar 7K1000 HTS721010A9E630
21568 Points +5%
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50
GeForce GTX 860M, 4700HQ, Western Digital WD10S21X SSHD 1TB + 8GB SSD-Cache
14329 Points -30%
Rendering Single 32Bit (sort by value)
Gigabyte P55K v5
GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
5301 Points
Eurocom Sky DLX7
GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop), 6700K, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
6604 Points +25%
Aorus X7 Pro v5
GeForce GTX 970M SLI, 6820HK, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512 m.2 PCI-e
5653 Points +7%
MSI PX60 QD-034US
GeForce GTX 950M, 5700HQ, HGST Travelstar 7K1000 HTS721010A9E630
5539 Points +4%
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50
GeForce GTX 860M, 4700HQ, Western Digital WD10S21X SSHD 1TB + 8GB SSD-Cache
4999 Points -6%
wPrime 2.10 - 1024m (sort by value)
Gigabyte P55K v5
GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
229.9 s *
Eurocom Sky DLX7
GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop), 6700K, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
178 s * +23%
MSI PX60 QD-034US
GeForce GTX 950M, 5700HQ, HGST Travelstar 7K1000 HTS721010A9E630
205.8 s * +10%
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50
GeForce GTX 860M, 4700HQ, Western Digital WD10S21X SSHD 1TB + 8GB SSD-Cache
323 s * -40%
Super Pi Mod 1.5 XS 32M - 32M (sort by value)
Gigabyte P55K v5
GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
589 s *
Eurocom Sky DLX7
GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop), 6700K, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
463.8 s * +21%
MSI PX60 QD-034US
GeForce GTX 950M, 5700HQ, HGST Travelstar 7K1000 HTS721010A9E630
570 s * +3%
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50
GeForce GTX 860M, 4700HQ, Western Digital WD10S21X SSHD 1TB + 8GB SSD-Cache
569 s * +3%

* ... smaller is better

Cinebench R10 Shading 32Bit
6840
Cinebench R10 Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit
20493
Cinebench R10 Rendering Single 32Bit
5301
Cinebench R11.5 OpenGL 64Bit
49 fps
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Multi 64Bit
7.48 Points
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Single 64Bit
1.56 Points
Cinebench R15 Ref. Match 64Bit
99.6 %
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64Bit
51 fps
Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64Bit
680 Points
Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64Bit
139 Points
Help

System Performance

PCMark 8 ranks our system in the same ballpark as other gaming systems like the Asus GL552 and Acer Aspire V15 Nitro. We experienced no notable software or hardware glitches during our time with the Gigabyte test unit. 

PCMark 8 Home Accelerated
PCMark 8 Home Accelerated
PCMark 8 Work Accelerated
PCMark 8 Work Accelerated
PCMark 8 Creative Accelerated
PCMark 8 Creative Accelerated
PCMark 8
Home Score Accelerated v2 (sort by value)
Gigabyte P55K v5
GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
3845 Points
Asus GL552VW-DH74
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung SSD 850 EVO M.2 500GB
3855 Points 0%
Dell XPS 15 9550 i7 FHD
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung PM951 NVMe 512 GB
3753 Points -2%
MSI GS60-6QE4K16H21
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Hynix HFS256G3MND
3134 Points -18%
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro BE VN7-592G-79DV
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Lite-On CV1-8B512 M.2 512 GB
3154 Points -18%
Work Score Accelerated v2 (sort by value)
Gigabyte P55K v5
GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
4964 Points
Asus GL552VW-DH74
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung SSD 850 EVO M.2 500GB
4916 Points -1%
Dell XPS 15 9550 i7 FHD
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung PM951 NVMe 512 GB
4696 Points -5%
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro BE VN7-592G-79DV
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Lite-On CV1-8B512 M.2 512 GB
3964 Points -20%
Creative Score Accelerated v2 (sort by value)
Gigabyte P55K v5
GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
4621 Points
Asus GL552VW-DH74
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung SSD 850 EVO M.2 500GB
4843 Points +5%
Dell XPS 15 9550 i7 FHD
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung PM951 NVMe 512 GB
4659 Points +1%
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro BE VN7-592G-79DV
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Lite-On CV1-8B512 M.2 512 GB
4449 Points -4%
PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2
3845 points
PCMark 8 Creative Score Accelerated v2
4621 points
PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2
4964 points
Help

Storage Devices

Two storage bays are available via a single 2.5-inch SATA III bay and a single M.2 2280 slot. There is no RAID compatibility between them and the optical drive is not designed to be quickly swapped for use as a third storage bay. Our test unit comes equipped with a primary SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122 M.2 SSD and a secondary 2 TB Samsung Spinpoint ST2000LM003 HDD.

Unlike our P55W v5 unit, the M.2 SSD in our P55K v5 is not an NVMe drive. Thus, transfer rates and performance pale in comparison to systems like the XPS 15 9550 and Asus UX501. Meanwhile, performance from the mechanical drive is very good for a 5400 RPM HDD with an average transfer rate of 93 MB/s according to HD Tune. The system accepts both 7 mm and 9.5 mm thick SATA III drives.

AS SSD (Primary SSD)
AS SSD (Primary SSD)
CDM (Primary SSD)
CDM (Primary SSD)
CDM (Secondary HDD)
CDM (Secondary HDD)
HD Tune (Secondary HDD)
HD Tune (Secondary HDD)
PCMark 8 Storage
PCMark 8 Storage
 
Gigabyte P55K v5
GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
Gigabyte P55W v5
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV128 NVMe
Dell XPS 15 9550 i7 FHD
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung PM951 NVMe 512 GB
MSI GS60-6QE4K16H21
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Hynix HFS256G3MND
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro BE VN7-592G-79DV
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Lite-On CV1-8B512 M.2 512 GB
AS SSD
100%
133%
12%
14%
Copy Game MB/s
377.5
463.7
23%
805
113%
346.1
-8%
Copy Program MB/s
178.2
278.4
56%
325.3
83%
276.5
55%
Copy ISO MB/s
354.5
558
57%
1127
218%
457.1
29%
Score Total
868
2201
154%
2410
178%
998
15%
859
-1%
Score Write
311
342
10%
675
117%
352
13%
354
14%
Score Read
366
1265
246%
1180
222%
425
16%
333
-9%
Access Time Write *
0.085
0.033
61%
0.035
59%
0.112
-32%
0.053
38%
Access Time Read *
0.087
0.066
24%
0.038
56%
0.089
-2%
0.071
18%
4K-64 Write
227.9
175.5
-23%
513
125%
232.2
2%
243.8
7%
4K-64 Read
294.6
1045
255%
990
236%
344.7
17%
259.4
-12%
4K Write
46.73
112.7
141%
105.4
126%
80.9
73%
67.9
45%
4K Read
25.09
45.15
80%
31.86
27%
28.77
15%
21.75
-13%
Seq Write
360.4
536
49%
570
58%
389.3
8%
424.8
18%
Seq Read
467.6
1739
272%
1579
238%
516
10%
514
10%

* ... smaller is better

SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
Transfer Rate Minimum: 57.8 MB/s
Transfer Rate Maximum: 123.4 MB/s
Transfer Rate Average: 93.3 MB/s
Access Time: 15.1 ms
Burst Rate: 214.4 MB/s
CPU Usage: 3.3 %

GPU Performance

The GTX 965M is on the fence line between a mainstream dedicated GPU and an enthusiast GPU. Thus, the Nvidia solution caters well to gamers who want a high-end gaming notebook but who aren't exactly willing to pay for a GTX 970M or GTX 980M setup. The GTX 965M is also more cost efficient for smooth 1080p30 gameplay at High or Very High settings since the GTX 970M or GTX 980M are more appropriate for systems with higher native resolution displays.

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 Combined (sort by value)
Gigabyte P55K v5
GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
6712 Points
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700K, Samsung SSD 850 EVO 1TB
10625 Points +58%
Gigabyte P55W v5
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV128 NVMe
6759 Points +1%
Asus GL552VW-DH74
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung SSD 850 EVO M.2 500GB
5808 Points -13%
Asus N752VX-GC131T
GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ, Lite-On CV1-8B256
3682 Points -45%
1280x720 Performance GPU (sort by value)
Gigabyte P55K v5
GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
7128 Points
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700K, Samsung SSD 850 EVO 1TB
12967 Points +82%
Gigabyte P55W v5
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV128 NVMe
9910 Points +39%
Asus GL552VW-DH74
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung SSD 850 EVO M.2 500GB
5779 Points -19%
Asus N752VX-GC131T
GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ, Lite-On CV1-8B256
4457 Points -37%
1280x720 Performance (sort by value)
Gigabyte P55K v5
GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
7269 Points
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700K, Samsung SSD 850 EVO 1TB
12364 Points +70%
Gigabyte P55W v5
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV128 NVMe
8932 Points +23%
Asus GL552VW-DH74
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung SSD 850 EVO M.2 500GB
6110 Points -16%
Asus N752VX-GC131T
GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ, Lite-On CV1-8B256
4596 Points -37%
3DMark
Fire Strike Extreme Combined (sort by value)
Gigabyte P55K v5
GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
1037 Points
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700K, Samsung SSD 850 EVO 1TB
2047 Points +97%
Asus GL552VW-DH74
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung SSD 850 EVO M.2 500GB
960 Points -7%
Asus N752VX-GC131T
GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ, Lite-On CV1-8B256
605 Points -42%
Fire Strike Extreme Graphics (sort by value)
Gigabyte P55K v5
GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
2507 Points
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700K, Samsung SSD 850 EVO 1TB
4673 Points +86%
Asus GL552VW-DH74
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung SSD 850 EVO M.2 500GB
2178 Points -13%
Asus N752VX-GC131T
GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ, Lite-On CV1-8B256
1520 Points -39%
1920x1080 Fire Strike Combined (sort by value)
Gigabyte P55K v5
GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
1858 Points
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700K, Samsung SSD 850 EVO 1TB
3748 Points +102%
Gigabyte P55W v5
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV128 NVMe
2774 Points +49%
Asus GL552VW-DH74
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung SSD 850 EVO M.2 500GB
1791 Points -4%
Asus N752VX-GC131T
GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ, Lite-On CV1-8B256
1033 Points -44%
1920x1080 Fire Strike Graphics (sort by value)
Gigabyte P55K v5
GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
5323 Points
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700K, Samsung SSD 850 EVO 1TB
9963 Points +87%
Gigabyte P55W v5
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV128 NVMe
7450 Points +40%
Asus GL552VW-DH74
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung SSD 850 EVO M.2 500GB
4645 Points -13%
Asus N752VX-GC131T
GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ, Lite-On CV1-8B256
3174 Points -40%
Fire Strike Extreme Score (sort by value)
Gigabyte P55K v5
GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
2433 Points
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700K, Samsung SSD 850 EVO 1TB
4522 Points +86%
Asus GL552VW-DH74
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung SSD 850 EVO M.2 500GB
2156 Points -11%
Asus N752VX-GC131T
GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ, Lite-On CV1-8B256
1482 Points -39%
1920x1080 Fire Strike Score (sort by value)
Gigabyte P55K v5
GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
4760 Points
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700K, Samsung SSD 850 EVO 1TB
8793 Points +85%
Gigabyte P55W v5
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV128 NVMe
6565 Points +38%
Asus GL552VW-DH74
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung SSD 850 EVO M.2 500GB
4299 Points -10%
Asus N752VX-GC131T
GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ, Lite-On CV1-8B256
2866 Points -40%
3DMark 11 Performance
7269 points
3DMark Ice Storm Standard Score
83531 points
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score
18013 points
3DMark Fire Strike Score
4760 points
3DMark Fire Strike Extreme Score
2433 points
Help

Gaming Performance

Frame rate performance sits comfortably in between the GTX 960M and GTX 970M. In almost all tested cases, however, the GTX 965M lies just a step closer to the GTX 960M than the GTX 970M. Thus, jumping from a system with the GTX 965M to the GTX 970M will net users a larger boost in gaming performance than jumping from a system with the GTX 960M to the GTX 965M.

See our dedicated GPU page on the GTX 965M Nvidia GeForce GTX 965M 2016 Refresh (N16E-GR) Reviewfor more benchmarks and comparisons.

Sleeping Dogs
1366x768 High Preset AA:High
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700K, Samsung SSD 850 EVO 1TB
176.6 fps +67%
Aorus X3 Plus v5
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
123.5 fps +17%
Gigabyte P55K v5
GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
105.8 fps
Lenovo Ideapad Y700 15ISK 80NV
GeForce GTX 960M, 6300HQ
87.4 fps -17%
MSI PX60 QD-034US
GeForce GTX 950M, 5700HQ, HGST Travelstar 7K1000 HTS721010A9E630
77.8 fps -26%
1920x1080 Extreme Preset AA:Extreme
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700K, Samsung SSD 850 EVO 1TB
59.7 fps +81%
Aorus X3 Plus v5
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
45 fps +37%
Gigabyte P55K v5
GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
32.9 fps
Lenovo Ideapad Y700 15ISK 80NV
GeForce GTX 960M, 6300HQ
23.5 fps -29%
MSI PX60 QD-034US
GeForce GTX 950M, 5700HQ, HGST Travelstar 7K1000 HTS721010A9E630
18.6 fps -43%
BioShock Infinite
1366x768 High Preset
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700K, Samsung SSD 850 EVO 1TB
205.5 fps +55%
Aorus X3 Plus v5
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
146.8 fps +11%
Gigabyte P55K v5
GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
132.2 fps
Lenovo Ideapad Y700 15ISK 80NV
GeForce GTX 960M, 6300HQ
112.2 fps -15%
MSI PX60 QD-034US
GeForce GTX 950M, 5700HQ, HGST Travelstar 7K1000 HTS721010A9E630
106.7 fps -19%
1920x1080 Ultra Preset, DX11 (DDOF)
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700K, Samsung SSD 850 EVO 1TB
92.4 fps +76%
Aorus X3 Plus v5
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
71.8 fps +37%
Gigabyte P55K v5
GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
52.4 fps
Lenovo Ideapad Y700 15ISK 80NV
GeForce GTX 960M, 6300HQ
42.8 fps -18%
MSI PX60 QD-034US
GeForce GTX 950M, 5700HQ, HGST Travelstar 7K1000 HTS721010A9E630
39.6 fps -24%
Metro: Last Light
1366x768 High (DX11) AF:16x
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700K, Samsung SSD 850 EVO 1TB
125.8 fps +70%
Aorus X3 Plus v5
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
93.8 fps +27%
Gigabyte P55K v5
GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
74 fps
Lenovo Ideapad Y700 15ISK 80NV
GeForce GTX 960M, 6300HQ
56.5 fps -24%
MSI PX60 QD-034US
GeForce GTX 950M, 5700HQ, HGST Travelstar 7K1000 HTS721010A9E630
51.1 fps -31%
1920x1080 Very High (DX11) AF:16x
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700K, Samsung SSD 850 EVO 1TB
70.6 fps +80%
Aorus X3 Plus v5
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
53.6 fps +37%
Gigabyte P55K v5
GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
39.2 fps
Lenovo Ideapad Y700 15ISK 80NV
GeForce GTX 960M, 6300HQ
30.6 fps -22%
MSI PX60 QD-034US
GeForce GTX 950M, 5700HQ, HGST Travelstar 7K1000 HTS721010A9E630
25.8 fps -34%
Thief
1366x768 High Preset AA:FXAA & Low SS AF:4x
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700K, Samsung SSD 850 EVO 1TB
114.7 fps +73%
Aorus X3 Plus v5
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
73 fps +10%
Gigabyte P55K v5
GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
66.2 fps
Lenovo Ideapad Y700 15ISK 80NV
GeForce GTX 960M, 6300HQ
50.5 fps -24%
MSI PX60 QD-034US
GeForce GTX 950M, 5700HQ, HGST Travelstar 7K1000 HTS721010A9E630
46.3 fps -30%
1920x1080 Very High Preset AA:FXAA & High SS AF:8x
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700K, Samsung SSD 850 EVO 1TB
65.4 fps +88%
Aorus X3 Plus v5
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
46.5 fps +34%
Gigabyte P55K v5
GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
34.8 fps
Lenovo Ideapad Y700 15ISK 80NV
GeForce GTX 960M, 6300HQ
27.9 fps -20%
MSI PX60 QD-034US
GeForce GTX 950M, 5700HQ, HGST Travelstar 7K1000 HTS721010A9E630
23 fps -34%
Batman: Arkham Knight
1920x1080 High / On (Interactive Smoke & Paper Debris Off) AA:SM AF:8x
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700K, Samsung SSD 850 EVO 1TB
76 fps +95%
Aorus X3 Plus v5
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
59 fps +51%
Gigabyte P55K v5
GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
39 fps
Lenovo Ideapad Y700 15ISK 80NV
GeForce GTX 960M, 6300HQ
29 fps -26%
1920x1080 High / On AA:SM AF:16x
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700K, Samsung SSD 850 EVO 1TB
52 fps +117%
Lenovo Ideapad Y700 15ISK 80NV
GeForce GTX 960M, 6300HQ
27 fps +13%
Gigabyte P55K v5
GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
24 fps
Metal Gear Solid V
1920x1080 High / On
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700K, Samsung SSD 850 EVO 1TB
60 fps 0%
Gigabyte P55K v5
GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
60 fps
Aorus X3 Plus v5
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
59.9 fps 0%
Lenovo Ideapad Y700 15ISK 80NV
GeForce GTX 960M, 6300HQ
55.9 fps -7%
MSI PX60 QD-034US
GeForce GTX 950M, 5700HQ, HGST Travelstar 7K1000 HTS721010A9E630
49.9 fps -17%
1920x1080 Extra High / On
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700K, Samsung SSD 850 EVO 1TB
60 fps +27%
Aorus X3 Plus v5
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
59.1 fps +25%
Gigabyte P55K v5
GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
47.1 fps
Lenovo Ideapad Y700 15ISK 80NV
GeForce GTX 960M, 6300HQ
38 fps -19%
MSI PX60 QD-034US
GeForce GTX 950M, 5700HQ, HGST Travelstar 7K1000 HTS721010A9E630
32.8 fps -30%
Fallout 4
1920x1080 High Preset AA:T AF:16x
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700K, Samsung SSD 850 EVO 1TB
73.8 fps +88%
Aorus X3 Plus v5
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
52.9 fps +35%
Gigabyte P55K v5
GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
39.3 fps
Lenovo Ideapad Y700 15ISK 80NV
GeForce GTX 960M, 6300HQ
33.1 fps -16%
1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:T AF:16x
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700K, Samsung SSD 850 EVO 1TB
59.7 fps +94%
Aorus X3 Plus v5
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
42.4 fps +38%
Gigabyte P55K v5
GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
30.7 fps
Lenovo Ideapad Y700 15ISK 80NV
GeForce GTX 960M, 6300HQ
25.5 fps -17%
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 +65%
Gigabyte P55K v5
GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
36.6 fps
1920x1080 Very High Preset AA:FX AF:16x
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700K, Samsung SSD 850 EVO 1TB
51.6 fps +82%
Gigabyte P55K v5
GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
28.3 fps
low med. high ultra
Sleeping Dogs (2012) 150.1 105.8 32.9
BioShock Infinite (2013) 148.1 132.2 52.4
Metro: Last Light (2013) 115.6 74 39.2
Thief (2014) 75.9 66.2 34.8
Batman: Arkham Knight (2015) 75 39 24
Metal Gear Solid V (2015) 60 60 47.1
Fallout 4 (2015) 60.2 39.3 30.7
Rise of the Tomb Raider (2016) 60.8 36.6 28.3

Stress Test

The Gigabyte system performs very well when under stress. Nonetheless, the CPU levels off at a core temperature very close to an uncomfortable 100 C, which is a common trait amongst Gigabyte and Aorus systems in order to squeeze out as much processor performance as possible. Running both Prime95 and FurMark simultaneously will throttle the CPU just slightly while the GPU remains above its base clock rate of 924 MHz.

Running Unigine Heaven will put the GPU at a stable Boost clock rate of 1253 MHz and the CPU anywhere between 2.4 to 3.5 GHz as needed. Core temperatures stabilize in the much lower 70 C range. Unlike the majority of notebooks, the system fan will pulsate more frequently under Unigine Heaven load and is much more sensitive to onscreen content, so system noise will not be constant when gaming.

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

3.0 -- ~97 --

FurMark Stress

-- 949 -- ~76

Prime95 + FurMark Stress

2.3 - 2.5 949 ~97 ~81

Unigine Heaven Stress

2.4+ 1253 ~64 ~70

Emissions

System Noise

Fan characteristics are unlike the P55 v4 since the cooling system remains unchanged. In other words, the fan never idles and is essentially always audible even on the Power Saver profile. Fan noise is generally louder than the XPS 15 9550 and softer than the super-thin and more powerful MSI GS60 during low loads. Running Unigine Heaven will bump fan noise to the low 40 dB(A) range, which is common for a gaming notebook. Unfortunately, the fan here may occasionally pulsate to an even louder 43 dB(A) for brief moments when gaming as mentioned in the previous section.

Single 60 mm fan with three heat pipes
Single 60 mm fan with three heat pipes
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)
Gigabyte P55K v5
GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
Dell XPS 15 9550 i7 FHD
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung PM951 NVMe 512 GB
MSI GS60-6QE4K16H21
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Hynix HFS256G3MND
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro BE VN7-592G-79DV
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Lite-On CV1-8B512 M.2 512 GB
Gigabyte P35X v5
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV256HDGL m.2 PCI-e
Noise
9%
-6%
-3%
-3%
off / environment *
29
31.3
-8%
Idle Minimum *
32
29.2
9%
35
-9%
31.2
2%
32.2
-1%
Idle Average *
33
29.3
11%
36
-9%
31.2
5%
32.3
2%
Idle Maximum *
33
29.5
11%
37
-12%
36.2
-10%
32.6
1%
Load Average *
41
36.5
11%
40
2%
45.3
-10%
44.4
-8%
Load Maximum *
50
47.7
5%
50
-0%
47.3
5%
54.6
-9%

* ... smaller is better

Noise Level

Idle
32 / 33 / 33 dB(A)
DVD
37 / dB(A)
Load
41 / 50 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: 29 dB(A)

Temperature

Surface temperatures are flat on both sides when the system is idling. When under heavy loads, the left half of the notebook becomes much warmer than the right due to the positioning of the heat pipes and fan over the CPU and GPU. This means that the QWERTY keys are generally always warmer than the NumPad and that the delta will only increase when gaming or running benchmarks.

Maximum load (Top)
Maximum load (Top)
Maximum load (Bottom)
Maximum load (Bottom)
Max. Load
 52.6 °C
127 F
44.6 °C
112 F
30 °C
86 F
 
 42.6 °C
109 F
41.8 °C
107 F
29.2 °C
85 F
 
 41.2 °C
106 F
44.6 °C
112 F
30 °C
86 F
 
Maximum: 52.6 °C = 127 F
Average: 39.6 °C = 103 F
31 °C
88 F
34.4 °C
94 F
40.2 °C
104 F
29.6 °C
85 F
47 °C
117 F
50.2 °C
122 F
32 °C
90 F
39.8 °C
104 F
50 °C
122 F
Maximum: 50.2 °C = 122 F
Average: 39.4 °C = 103 F
Power Supply (max.)  52 °C = 126 F | Room Temperature 22 °C = 72 F | Fluke 62 Mini IR Thermometer
(-) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 39.6 °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 52.6 °C / 127 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 50.2 °C / 122 F, compared to the average of 43.2 °C / 110 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 21.7 °C / 71 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 44.6 °C / 112.3 F.
(-) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 28.9 °C / 84 F (-15.7 °C / -28.3 F).

Speakers

The 2 W stereo speakers haven't changed since the last P55 v4 revision. Our microphone measurements show that lower frequencies are not well reproduced due to the system's weak bass. Unlike thicker multimedia and gaming notebooks, the P55 series does not incorporate a dedicated subwoofer for a better balance. In other words, sound quality is still better than most Ultrabooks and a step below larger gaming systems.

Energy Management

Power Consumption

The P55K v5 is not unlike the P55W v5 in power demands. In particular, the P55K draws slightly less power than the P55W when under stress. Other systems with the less powerful GTX 960M draw even less power under similar conditions.

Gigabyte P55K v5
GeForce GTX 965M, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SN8U1T001122
Gigabyte P55W v5
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV128 NVMe
Dell XPS 15-9550 i7
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung PM951 NVMe 512 GB
MSI GS60 6QE-046XPL
GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256G8NU
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro BE VN7-592G-79DV
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Lite-On CV1-8B512 M.2 512 GB
Power Consumption
-2%
-26%
-45%
1%
Idle Minimum *
10.1
9
11%
12.5
-24%
12.8
-27%
8.9
12%
Idle Average *
13.3
13
2%
19.6
-47%
19.1
-44%
13.9
-5%
Idle Maximum *
15.4
17
-10%
22.8
-48%
23.6
-53%
15.6
-1%
Load Average *
75.8
81
-7%
102
-35%
147.9
-95%
89
-17%
Load Maximum *
144
152
-6%
107
26%
155.9
-8%
118
18%

* ... smaller is better

Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0.28 / 1.17 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 10.1 / 13.3 / 15.4 Watt
Load midlight 75.8 / 144 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

Users can expect just under 5 hours of constant WLAN use at a brightness setting of 150 nits. Runtimes are overall shorter than our P55W v5 test unit and about average for a high-end gaming machine. The larger battery capacity of the XPS 15 9550 gives it much longer runtimes than our Gigabyte and most other gaming notebooks of the same size class.

Charging from near empty to 100 percent will take roughly 2 to 2.5 hours.

Maximum runtime (Reader's Test)
Maximum runtime (Reader's Test)
Minimum runtime (Classic Test)
Minimum runtime (Classic Test)
WLAN runtime
WLAN runtime
Gigabyte P55K v5
61 Wh
Gigabyte P55W v5
61 Wh
Dell XPS 15 9550 i7 FHD
84 Wh
MSI GS60-6QE4K16H21
47 Wh
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro BE VN7-592G-79DV
52 Wh
Battery Runtime
19%
71%
-43%
-8%
Reader / Idle
502
604
20%
979
95%
213
-58%
530
6%
WiFi v1.3
295
348
18%
544
84%
157
-47%
218
-26%
Load
79
93
18%
106
34%
61
-23%
75
-5%
Battery Runtime
Idle (without WLAN, min brightness)
8h 22min
WiFi Websurfing
4h 55min
Load (maximum brightness)
1h 19min

Pros

+ slightly more accurate colors; wider gamut coverage
+ comfortable keyboard; long key travel
+ great 1080p gaming performance
+ lower starting price

Cons

- no native Thunderbolt 3 support
- system fan is always active
- no RAID compatibility

Verdict

In review: Gigabyte P55K v5. Test model courtesy of CUKUSA.com
In review: Gigabyte P55K v5. Test model courtesy of CUKUSA.com

The Gigabyte P55K v5 is defined by its GTX 965M GPU and lower starting prices compared to its P55W v5 counterpart. Users can expect about a 25 percent decrease in FPS performance when moving from the GTX 970M to the GTX 965M while potentially saving hundreds of dollars. Overall horsepower will still be good enough for 1080p gameplay on High to Ultra settings at a smooth 30 FPS with a few exceptions. If this is more than acceptable, then the P55K is an easier recommendation.

Aside from the performance hit, we were hoping to see reduced fan noise, longer runtimes, and lower core temperatures than its more powerful P55W v5 sibling. This is unfortunately not the case as we were unable to reproduce any consistent results to prove that the less powerful P55K is any quieter or cooler under similar conditions. The display panel, however, is measurably more accurate than the one on our P55W test unit, so digital artists may want to cherry pick specific SKUs for the higher sRGB coverage as well.

The GTX 965M in the P55K v5 lies comfortably between the GTX 960M and GTX 970M, though the system overall does not necessarily run any quieter, cooler, or longer than its more powerful P55W v5 SKU.

Gigabyte P55K v5 - 04/29/2016 v5.1(old)
Allen Ngo

Chassis
84 / 98 → 86%
Keyboard
87%
Pointing Device
81%
Connectivity
53 / 81 → 66%
Weight
59 / 10-66 → 88%
Battery
81%
Display
87%
Games Performance
87%
Application Performance
89%
Temperature
87 / 95 → 91%
Noise
75 / 90 → 83%
Audio
77%
Camera
61 / 85 → 71%
Average
77%
83%
Gaming - Weighted Average

Pricecompare

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Allen Ngo, 2016-04-19 (Update: 2020-06- 8)