Review Clevo P177SM-A (Schenker XMG P704) Barebones Notebook

Processor

To meet the luxury claim, Schenker installs the second fastest quad-core CPU in our review sample - according to the Configurator. The Core i7-4910MQ might be brand new on paper, but does not differ much from the 4000 models without the 10-suffix in practical use. Its clock of 2.9 - 3.9 GHz is only 100 MHz over the old Core i7-4900MQ that also uses small 22 nm structures (Haswell architecture).

Intel not only tries to justify the high extra charge with the clock rate, but also from the L3 cache. The less expensive models do not receive eight MB. However, a TDP of 47 Watts is quad-core standard. Only the Core i7-4702MQ and Core i7-4940MX step out of line with 37 and 57 Watts. All models have the so-called Hyperthreading technology in common, which simulated virtual cores. Up to eight simultaneous threads are possible depending on the CPU.

The XMG P704 can dynamically switch between the GeForce GPU and the processor-integrated graphics chip (HD Graphics 4600) owing to Nvidia's Optimus technology. That has a positive impact on both the power consumption and battery runtimes.

Instead of switching the entire high-end range to Maxwell technology, Nvidia only offers some models with the fresh architecture (GTX 860M & GTX 850M). The GeForce GTX 880M is therefore not really new, but basically a higher clocked version of the GeForce GTX 780M (954 vs. 823 GHz @ core) with double the video memory. We deem eight GB of GDDR5 VRAM as completely over the top, and expect it is primarily for marketing purposes.

The memory interface is more important, which has been sufficiently sized with 256-bits. The 300 Euros (~$414) less expensive GeForce GTX 870M "only" has 192 bits. The shader unit count also deviates; the GTX 880M can boast with 14% more CUDA cores (1536 vs. 1344). In return, the clock rates are very similar. Speaking of clock rates: The GTX 800M's core can be accelerated up to 993 MHz via GPU boost. All models are built in the 28 nm process.

We did not perform a manual update because the GPU driver of our review configuration was quite up-to-date. The benchmarks below are based on the ForceWare 332.35.

3500 GB of storage in a laptop? What seemed impossible a few years ago is now a reality. The main attraction in our review sample is a large 480 GB mSATA SSD from Micron. Although the Crucial CT480M500SSD3 does not break any records, the solid-state drive offers a good price-performance ration.

With a sequential write rate of 385 MB/s, it places itself right between the 500 GB version of the Samsung 840 EVO (490 MB/s @ Notebookguru Earth V) and the 240 GB version of the Crucial M500 (260 MB/s @ Schenker XMG A504), which both have a 2.5-inch size. A sequential read rate of 482 MB/s, and an access time of 0.05 - 0.11 ms is good, although some contenders accomplish even better rates.

The storage capacity mentioned in the intro results from two 1500 GB HDDs from HGST. The Travelstar 5K1500's fairly low speed (5400 rpm) is not necessarily noticed. Up to 110 MB/s in the read test, and up to 108 MB/s in the write test stand for decent performance (CrystalDiskMark). Buyers who want to can equip the XMG P704 with a maximum of five terabytes.

Like the GeForce GTX 780M, the GTX 880M can render almost all games using maximum details. Only a few exceptions that are either poorly programmed/optimized or have extremely demanding graphics let the DirectX 11 model stutter. Our ultra settings (1920x1080 pixels, maximum details, enabled anti-aliasing) ran with over 40 fps in 11 of 16 games. Only Hitman Absolution, Far Cry 3, Crysis 3, Thief, and X-Plane 10 stuttered in these settings. However, the user will have to tinker with the graphics considerably more often when a weaker GPU is installed.

Overall, the 17-inch laptop exhibits performance that is a threat to a good desktop PC. Nvidia's announced performance gain of 15% compared to the GTX 780 is not a delusion, but roughly corresponds with our measurements that suggest an increase of almost 10%.

However, this result has to be taken with a pinch of salt because different drivers were sometimes used, and the hardware's hunger changed due to updates in some games (e.g. Bioshock Infinite & Dota 2). Nvidia's premium model defeats the "more reasonably" priced Radeon R9 M290X by approximately 25%. The GTX 880M climbs past the Maxwell version of the GTX 860M by over 40%.

It is, however, too bad that the improvements are not as prevailing as in the former generation. The GTX 780M was approximately 30% faster than the GTX 680M's chip a year ago (the GTX 680MX was not found in any standard laptops).

There is much less complaint about the temperatures. Clevo has adjusted the fan so that the graphics card and processor do not exceed 90 °C (194 °F). It is just too bad that the GTX 880M tends to throttle to 810 MHz in extreme situations. The Core i7-4910MQ did not struggle with throttling in the stress test. 

The temperatures on the casing's surfaces seem acceptable to us. An average of 30 °C (86 °F) in idle mode, and 37 °C (98.6 °F) after one hour of full load via the FurMark and Prime95 tools could also be from the XMG A504, although its wrist rest remains cooler (in return, the rates in the vent's are higher). Other Clevo barebones, such as the W230SS, get considerably hotter.

Except for the load test, the battery measurements were performed with the Intel GPU. A maximum of four hours can be achieved using a low screen brightness level owing to the strong 77 Wh 8-cell model.

Almost three hours of Internet browsing via Wi-Fi (50% brightness) are also acceptable for a high-end laptop, though not outstanding. The device should run for roughly 1 - 1.5 hours without the power supply in gaming use.

Buyers who can live with a somewhat unfortunate design and an audible fan can take the XMG P704. The 17 incher passes as a real desktop replacement owing to the many maintenance options, the generous connectivity, and the good sound and image quality.

Except for the slightly unstable touchpad, the input options are also good. Particularly the three-zone adjustable and extremely classy keyboard backlight are a purchase argument. Four hard drive slots, a quad-core processor, and a high-end GPU not only ensure A-1 benchmark rates, but also a good future security.

We see drawbacks primarily in the weight and noise production. It is also upsetting that the GTX 880M lowers its clock during full load (should not happen in gaming routine). Apart from that, the XMG P704 is a very good and individually configurable gaming laptop.

Note: We will shortly review the more restrained P170SM-A barebones sister in the form of the One K73-4N (with GTX 870M).