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Nexoc B519 (Clevo N350DW) Review

35-watt Skylake. The office notebook Nexoc B519 uses an i5 desktop processor from Intel's current Skylake generation. How does it perform compared to the modern mobile chips?

For the original German review, see here.

The Nexoc B519 is a 15-inch office notebook. It can be configured individually and is based on the barebone chassis N350DW from the manufacturer Clevo. The office orientation is supported by the matte FHD panel, the docking port, the fingerprint scanner, TPM 2.0 and the optional SmartCard reader. In this article, we want to have a look at the processor in particular, because you do not get the usual frugal mobile processor, but a desktop i5-6600T CPU from Intel's current Skylake generation. We had not tested this processor until now.

But what are the advantages of the desktop processor and how does it compare against its mobile siblings? Almost all the direct rivals for the 15-inch office notebook are equipped with frugal ULV processors by now, one example would be the Lenovo ThinkPad E560 with the mobile Core i7. The faster processors with a higher TDP are usually reserved for multimedia notebooks or workstations like the Dell XPS 15 with the comparable i5-6300HQ as well as the Dell Inspiron 15 with the popular Core i7-6700HQ.

Nexoc B519 N350DW
Processor
Intel Core i5-6600T 4 x 2.7 - 3.5 GHz, Skylake
Graphics adapter
Memory
16 GB 
, DDR3-1867, Dual-Channel
Display
15.60 inch 16:9, 1920 x 1080 pixel, LG Philips LP156WF6, IPS, glossy: no
Mainboard
Intel H170 (Skylake PCH-H)
Storage
Samsung SM951 MZHPV256HDGL m.2 PCI-e, 256 GB 
, + 1TB HDD Toshiba MQ01ABD100 (5400 rpm), 1146 GB free
Soundcard
Intel Skylake PCH-H High Definition Audio Controller
Connections
1 Express Card 54mm, 1 USB 2.0, 3 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, 1 VGA, 1 HDMI, 1 Kensington Lock, 1 Docking Station Port, Audio Connections: Headphones (SPDIF), Microphone, Card Reader: 6-in-1 (MMC, RSMMC, SD, Mini-SD, SDHC, SDXC), 1 Fingerprint Reader, Brightness Sensor, Sensors: Light sensor, Docking port
Networking
Intel Ethernet Connection I219-V (10/100/1000MBit/s), Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8260 (a/b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/ac = Wi-Fi 5/), Bluetooth 4.2
Optical drive
TSSTcorp CDDVDW SU-208HB
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 32.95 x 382 x 259.5 ( = 1.3 x 15.04 x 10.22 in)
Battery
62 Wh Lithium-Ion, removeable, 6 cells
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 10 Home 64 Bit
Camera
Webcam: 1.0 MP HD
Additional features
Speakers: Stereo (2 Watts), Keyboard: Chiclet with numeric keypad, Keyboard Light: yes, 65-Watt PSU, Quick-start guide, Drivers CD, Microsoft OneNote, 24 Months Warranty
Weight
2.683 kg ( = 94.64 oz / 5.92 pounds), Power Supply: 350 g ( = 12.35 oz / 0.77 pounds)
Price
1200 Euro
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

 

Display

294
cd/m²
303
cd/m²
321
cd/m²
306
cd/m²
332
cd/m²
331
cd/m²
290
cd/m²
292
cd/m²
317
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
LG Philips LP156WF6 tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 332 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 309.6 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 87 %
Center on Battery: 332 cd/m²
Contrast: 1006:1 (Black: 0.33 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 4.65 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 3.5 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
83% sRGB (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
54% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
Gamma: 2.54
Nexoc B519 N350DW
HD Graphics 530, 6600T, Samsung SM951 MZHPV256HDGL m.2 PCI-e
Lenovo ThinkPad E560-20EWS00000
Radeon R7 M370, 6500U, Samsung CM871 MZ7LF192HCGS
Dell XPS 15 2016 9550
GeForce GTX 960M, 6300HQ, WDC WD10SPCX-75KHST0 + LiteON CS1-SP32-11 M.2 2242 32GB
Dell Inspiron 15 7559
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, SK hynix SC300 M.2
Screen
-26%
1%
-26%
Brightness middle
332
257
-23%
399
20%
276
-17%
Brightness
310
234
-25%
394
27%
273
-12%
Brightness Distribution
87
83
-5%
89
2%
85
-2%
Black Level *
0.33
0.27
18%
0.24
27%
0.78
-136%
Contrast
1006
952
-5%
1663
65%
354
-65%
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
4.65
7.16
-54%
5.95
-28%
4.05
13%
Greyscale dE 2000 *
3.5
6.28
-79%
8.41
-140%
4.68
-34%
Gamma
2.54 87%
2.44 90%
2.35 94%
2.55 86%
CCT
6461 101%
6806 96%
7010 93%
6871 95%
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998)
54
36.6
-32%
64
19%
58
7%
Color Space (Percent of sRGB)
83
57.3
-31%
98
18%
90
8%

* ... smaller is better

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 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 7 ms rise
↘ 21 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. » 67 % 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
56 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 18 ms rise
↘ 38 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. » 91 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (34 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 detected 2083 Hz ≤ 70 % brightness setting

The display backlight flickers at 2083 Hz (worst case, e.g., utilizing PWM) Flickering detected at a brightness setting of 70 % and below. There should be no flickering or PWM above this brightness setting.

The frequency of 2083 Hz is quite high, so most users sensitive to PWM should not notice any flickering.

In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 18161 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured.

CalMAN ColorChecker
CalMAN ColorChecker
CalMAN Grayscale
CalMAN Grayscale
CalMAN Saturation Sweeps
CalMAN Saturation Sweeps
Subpixel array
Subpixel array
sRGB coverage: 83 %
sRGB coverage: 83 %
AdobeRGB coverage: 54 %
AdobeRGB coverage: 54 %

Performance

Processor

The Intel Core i5-6600T is a quad-core processor (Skylake) with a nominal clock of 2.7 GHz, which can be raised up to 3.5 GHz via Turbo Boost. It is a desktop chip with a TDP of 35 watts, which - contrary to the mobile ULV processors - does not support Hyperthreading.

The mobile ULV i7 benefits from its high Turbo Boost when you just stress one core and only falls behind the desktop i5 by 8% in Cinebench R15, while the 45-watt i7-6700HQ is 8% faster. Our i5 is sometimes considerably slower than its mobile counterparts are when you stress more cores, because it does not support Hyperthreading. Only the ULV i7 is 24% slower in CB R15 Multi. The nominally slightly slower i5-6300HQ (no Hyperthreading either) is on par and sometimes even a bit faster (+10% CB R15 Multi), but also consumes more power in return due to its TDP of 45 watts.

The differences in the benchmarks are therefore not that big, but the desktop processor has an advantage in the stress test. The clock is between 2.7-3.3 GHz when we only stress the processor (Prime95) and it will stabilize at 2.7 GHz when we also stress the graphics card (FurMark). You can therefore benefit from steady performance without throttling when you often use CPU-demanding applications. The ULV chips in particular are often limited by the low TDP in this scenario.

Cinebench R15
CPU Single 64Bit (sort by value)
Nexoc B519 N350DW
HD Graphics 530, 6600T, Samsung SM951 MZHPV256HDGL m.2 PCI-e
135 Points
Lenovo ThinkPad E560-20EWS00000
Radeon R7 M370, 6500U, Samsung CM871 MZ7LF192HCGS
124 Points -8%
Dell XPS 15 2016 9550
GeForce GTX 960M, 6300HQ, WDC WD10SPCX-75KHST0 + LiteON CS1-SP32-11 M.2 2242 32GB
118 Points -13%
Dell Inspiron 15 7559
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, SK hynix SC300 M.2
146 Points +8%
CPU Multi 64Bit (sort by value)
Nexoc B519 N350DW
HD Graphics 530, 6600T, Samsung SM951 MZHPV256HDGL m.2 PCI-e
418 Points
Lenovo ThinkPad E560-20EWS00000
Radeon R7 M370, 6500U, Samsung CM871 MZ7LF192HCGS
319 Points -24%
Dell XPS 15 2016 9550
GeForce GTX 960M, 6300HQ, WDC WD10SPCX-75KHST0 + LiteON CS1-SP32-11 M.2 2242 32GB
461 Points +10%
Dell Inspiron 15 7559
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, SK hynix SC300 M.2
673 Points +61%
Cinebench R11.5
CPU Single 64Bit (sort by value)
Nexoc B519 N350DW
HD Graphics 530, 6600T, Samsung SM951 MZHPV256HDGL m.2 PCI-e
1.5 Points
Lenovo ThinkPad E560-20EWS00000
Radeon R7 M370, 6500U, Samsung CM871 MZ7LF192HCGS
1.45 Points -3%
Dell XPS 15 2016 9550
GeForce GTX 960M, 6300HQ, WDC WD10SPCX-75KHST0 + LiteON CS1-SP32-11 M.2 2242 32GB
1.47 Points -2%
Dell Inspiron 15 7559
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, SK hynix SC300 M.2
1.55 Points +3%
CPU Multi 64Bit (sort by value)
Nexoc B519 N350DW
HD Graphics 530, 6600T, Samsung SM951 MZHPV256HDGL m.2 PCI-e
5.28 Points
Lenovo ThinkPad E560-20EWS00000
Radeon R7 M370, 6500U, Samsung CM871 MZ7LF192HCGS
3.55 Points -33%
Dell XPS 15 2016 9550
GeForce GTX 960M, 6300HQ, WDC WD10SPCX-75KHST0 + LiteON CS1-SP32-11 M.2 2242 32GB
5.28 Points 0%
Dell Inspiron 15 7559
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, SK hynix SC300 M.2
7.29 Points +38%
Cinebench R10
Rendering Single CPUs 64Bit (sort by value)
Nexoc B519 N350DW
HD Graphics 530, 6600T, Samsung SM951 MZHPV256HDGL m.2 PCI-e
6771 Points
Lenovo ThinkPad E560-20EWS00000
Radeon R7 M370, 6500U, Samsung CM871 MZ7LF192HCGS
6343 Points -6%
Dell XPS 15 2016 9550
GeForce GTX 960M, 6300HQ, WDC WD10SPCX-75KHST0 + LiteON CS1-SP32-11 M.2 2242 32GB
6180 Points -9%
Rendering Multiple CPUs 64Bit (sort by value)
Nexoc B519 N350DW
HD Graphics 530, 6600T, Samsung SM951 MZHPV256HDGL m.2 PCI-e
20716 Points
Lenovo ThinkPad E560-20EWS00000
Radeon R7 M370, 6500U, Samsung CM871 MZ7LF192HCGS
14045 Points -32%
Dell XPS 15 2016 9550
GeForce GTX 960M, 6300HQ, WDC WD10SPCX-75KHST0 + LiteON CS1-SP32-11 M.2 2242 32GB
21034 Points +2%
Cinebench R10 Shading 64Bit
8751 Points
Cinebench R10 Rendering Multiple CPUs 64Bit
20716 Points
Cinebench R10 Rendering Single CPUs 64Bit
6771 Points
Cinebench R10 Shading 32Bit
8953
Cinebench R10 Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit
16473
Cinebench R10 Rendering Single 32Bit
5234
Cinebench R11.5 OpenGL 64Bit
40.43 fps
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Multi 64Bit
5.28 Points
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Single 64Bit
1.5 Points
Cinebench R15 Ref. Match 64Bit
97.9 %
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64Bit
46.32 fps
Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64Bit
418 Points
Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64Bit
135 Points
Help

System Performance

PCMark 8 - Home Score Accelerated v2 (sort by value)
Nexoc B519 N350DW
HD Graphics 530, 6600T, Samsung SM951 MZHPV256HDGL m.2 PCI-e
3824 Points
Lenovo ThinkPad E560-20EWS00000
Radeon R7 M370, 6500U, Samsung CM871 MZ7LF192HCGS
3595 Points -6%
Dell XPS 15 2016 9550
GeForce GTX 960M, 6300HQ, WDC WD10SPCX-75KHST0 + LiteON CS1-SP32-11 M.2 2242 32GB
3575 Points -7%
Dell Inspiron 15 7559
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, SK hynix SC300 M.2
2907 Points -24%
PCMark 7
Score (sort by value)
Nexoc B519 N350DW
HD Graphics 530, 6600T, Samsung SM951 MZHPV256HDGL m.2 PCI-e
6333 Points
Lenovo ThinkPad E560-20EWS00000
Radeon R7 M370, 6500U, Samsung CM871 MZ7LF192HCGS
5102 Points -19%
Dell XPS 15 2016 9550
GeForce GTX 960M, 6300HQ, WDC WD10SPCX-75KHST0 + LiteON CS1-SP32-11 M.2 2242 32GB
5128 Points -19%
Dell Inspiron 15 7559
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, SK hynix SC300 M.2
5636 Points -11%
Productivity (sort by value)
Nexoc B519 N350DW
HD Graphics 530, 6600T, Samsung SM951 MZHPV256HDGL m.2 PCI-e
5379 Points
Lenovo ThinkPad E560-20EWS00000
Radeon R7 M370, 6500U, Samsung CM871 MZ7LF192HCGS
4032 Points -25%
Dell XPS 15 2016 9550
GeForce GTX 960M, 6300HQ, WDC WD10SPCX-75KHST0 + LiteON CS1-SP32-11 M.2 2242 32GB
4389 Points -18%
Dell Inspiron 15 7559
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, SK hynix SC300 M.2
2816 Points -48%
Computation (sort by value)
Nexoc B519 N350DW
HD Graphics 530, 6600T, Samsung SM951 MZHPV256HDGL m.2 PCI-e
18776 Points
Lenovo ThinkPad E560-20EWS00000
Radeon R7 M370, 6500U, Samsung CM871 MZ7LF192HCGS
14037 Points -25%
Dell XPS 15 2016 9550
GeForce GTX 960M, 6300HQ, WDC WD10SPCX-75KHST0 + LiteON CS1-SP32-11 M.2 2242 32GB
15873 Points -15%
Dell Inspiron 15 7559
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, SK hynix SC300 M.2
17872 Points -5%
PCMark 7 Score
6333 points
PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2
3824 points
Help

Storage Devices

Samsung SM951 MZHPV256HDGL m.2 PCI-e
Sequential Read: 1567 MB/s
Sequential Write: 1233 MB/s
512K Read: 1048 MB/s
512K Write: 1213 MB/s
4K Read: 44.59 MB/s
4K Write: 111.3 MB/s
4K QD32 Read: 325.3 MB/s
4K QD32 Write: 278.5 MB/s

GPU Performance

3DMark 06 Standard Score
11668 points
3DMark 11 Performance
1761 points
3DMark Ice Storm Standard Score
77528 points
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score
7652 points
3DMark Fire Strike Score
988 points
Help

Emissions & Energy

System Noise

Noise Level

Idle
32.7 / 33.7 / 33.7 dB(A)
DVD
37.7 / dB(A)
Load
44.9 / 48.9 dB(A)
  red to green bar
 
 
30 dB
silent
40 dB(A)
audible
50 dB(A)
loud
 
min: dark, med: mid, max: light   Audix TM1 Arta (15 cm distance)   environment noise: 31.3 dB(A)

Temperature

Max. Load
 30.6 °C
87 F
38.5 °C
101 F
26.3 °C
79 F
 
 36.4 °C
98 F
45.3 °C
114 F
25.1 °C
77 F
 
 33.6 °C
92 F
38 °C
100 F
26.7 °C
80 F
 
Maximum: 45.3 °C = 114 F
Average: 33.4 °C = 92 F
34.5 °C
94 F
35.5 °C
96 F
32.2 °C
90 F
29 °C
84 F
48.5 °C
119 F
49.4 °C
121 F
22.8 °C
73 F
35.7 °C
96 F
36.3 °C
97 F
Maximum: 49.4 °C = 121 F
Average: 36 °C = 97 F
Power Supply (max.)  61.2 °C = 142 F | Room Temperature 19.2 °C = 67 F | FIRT 550-Pocket
(±) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 33.4 °C / 92 F, compared to the average of 29.5 °C / 85 F for the devices in the class Office.
(-) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 45.3 °C / 114 F, compared to the average of 34.2 °C / 94 F, ranging from 21.2 to 62.5 °C for the class Office.
(-) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 49.4 °C / 121 F, compared to the average of 36.7 °C / 98 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 30.6 °C / 87 F, compared to the device average of 29.5 °C / 85 F.
(±) The palmrests and touchpad can get very hot to the touch with a maximum of 38 °C / 100.4 F.
(-) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 27.7 °C / 81.9 F (-10.3 °C / -18.5 F).
Nexoc B519 N350DW
HD Graphics 530, 6600T, Samsung SM951 MZHPV256HDGL m.2 PCI-e
Lenovo ThinkPad E560-20EWS00000
Radeon R7 M370, 6500U, Samsung CM871 MZ7LF192HCGS
Dell XPS 15 2016 9550
GeForce GTX 960M, 6300HQ, WDC WD10SPCX-75KHST0 + LiteON CS1-SP32-11 M.2 2242 32GB
Dell Inspiron 15 7559
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, SK hynix SC300 M.2
Power Consumption
39%
-8%
-20%
Idle Minimum *
11.9
4.2
65%
9.9
17%
9.4
21%
Idle Average *
15.8
7.5
53%
12.6
20%
14.4
9%
Idle Maximum *
18
8.2
54%
16.8
7%
15
17%
Load Average *
57.6
49.6
14%
70
-22%
102
-77%
Load Maximum *
70.7
65.8
7%
114
-61%
120
-70%

* ... smaller is better

Power Consumption

Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0.5 / 1.2 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 11.9 / 15.8 / 18 Watt
Load midlight 57.6 / 70.7 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.

Verdict

In Review: Nexoc B519 (N350DW). Test model courtesy of Nexoc Germany
In Review: Nexoc B519 (N350DW). Test model courtesy of Nexoc Germany

An office notebook with a powerful desktop processor, is it worth it? The tested Intel Core i5-6600T leaves a good first impression. The performance is steady, even in the stress test, which can be an advantage when you use very CPU-demanding applications. The majority of office notebooks are equipped with frugal ULV chips nowadays, and the performance is often not much worse. They do have significant advantages in terms of power consumption in return and enable thinner cases, so they are often the better choice for office tasks.

The i5-6600T is an interesting option when you often use very CPU-demanding applications. Otherwise, the ULV chips offer the better overall package in respect to performance and emissions.

The Nexoc B519 performs well in many sections, starting with the very good FHD IPS display, the high system performance and the good maintainability. The office orientation is pretty serious as well, because the Clevo N350DW chassis is equipped with a decent keyboard, TPM 2.0, a fingerprint scanner, a docking port and an optional SmartCard reader. The touchpad buttons with their spongy pressure point are a problem though, because you never know if they triggered or not. The biggest issue, however, are the emissions, because both the temperature and the noise development are too high considering the chassis dimensions and the performance.

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Andreas Osthoff, 2016-01- 6 (Update: 2018-05-15)