Review Clevo P370SM-A (Schenker XMG P724) Barebones Notebook

Dual-core or quad-core, this is the question. However, the decision should not be too hard in the case of the XMG P724. Considering the current and the long-term performance, we would recommend a quad-core model from the i7-series. 

Schenker equipped our review unit with the, to some, attractively priced Core i7-4810MQ to avoid performance limitations for the SLI combination. It has a clock of 2.8-3.8 GHz during 3D applications; six MB L3 cache is similar to the less expensive siblings, the Core i7-4702MQ (TDP of 37 Watts) and Core i7-4700MQ (TDP of 47 Watts).

One of the most important features of Intel processors is Hyperthreading. Due to four additional virtual cores, the quad-core can actually execute up to eight threads simultaneously. The current Haswell generation is manufactured in a 22 nm process.

Even though the GeForce GTX 880M is still based on the Kepler architecture and not on the latest Maxwell architecture, the Nvidia chip is currently still the fastest notebook GPU. Similar to its predecessor, the GTX 780M, the high-end chip can use 1,536 CUDA cores and a 256-bit memory interface. The reason for the performance improvement is primarily the higher clocks. Nvidia raised the core clock from 823 to 954 MHz (up to 993 MHz via GPU Boost), but doubling the video memory (8 vs. 4 GB GDDR5) is unnecessary in our opinion. 

To meet the premium demand, the manufacturer also offers its top version with two graphics cards. Nvidia’s dual-GPU technology competes with AMD’s counterpart CrossFire. It is also well known that both solutions have certain drawbacks. The additional heat requires a very powerful cooling solution, which often results in a very loud and big notebook. The battery runtimes are also limited due to the high power consumption. 

Then there is also the issue with micro-stutters in low fps situations. The dual GPU solution is not very often in this critical area, but the game does not feel as smooth compared to a single GPU as soon as the frame rate drops below 40 fps. The cost-benefit factor, more precisely the additional performance per Euro, is – depending on the title – also limited.

If you choose such a dual-GPU solution, we would recommend an Nvidia setup because of the driver situation. AMD does not only support fewer titles, but the risk of bugs (for example graphic errors) is also bigger.

Current systems heavily benefit from a Solid-State Drive. Windows feels much more responsive with the fast flash memory compared to a conventional hard drive. 

Samsung’s SSD 840 EVO is especially fast, in this case the 500 GB version. AS SSD determines excellent results for the mSATA drive, despite the small dimensions. A sequential read performance of 504 MB/s is just as respectable as 484 MB/s for sequential writing. Especially the latter is usually not reached by many SSDs. Access times and the performance with small files do not cause any criticism, either.

Sufficient storage for our review unit is provided by the HGST Travelstar 5K1500 with a capacity of 1.5 TB. Transfer rates (read/write) of around 110 MB/s (CrystalDiskMark) are not the fastest we have ever seen, but the 2.5-inch drive only runs at 5,400 revolutions per minute.

The XMG P724 is one of the few notebooks that is actually powerful enough for smooth frame rates with maximum details, 1920x1080 pixels and high anti-aliasing settings in almost every title. Our ultra-setting resulted in more than 50 fps in 15 of 16 games. Only the very CPU demanding and not very well optimized X-Plane 10 showed dropped frames. 

The impact of the second GTX 880M differs from game to game. While the performance was not improved at all in F1 2013, we could almost see twice the performance in Far Cry 3, Tomb Raider and Battlefield 4. Otherwise, we determined a performance advantage between 10% (Dota 2) and 60% (Thief, Call of Duty: Ghosts, GRID 2, BioShock: Infinite & Crysis 3). The SLI system is almost 40% ahead of a single GTX 880M on average. Is a performance advantage of 40% really worth an additional charge of 650 Euros (~$899)? That can be discussed.

The temperatures leave a mixed impression. A positive aspect is the reasonably cool chassis surfaces that stay comfortable even under maximum load. Up to 43 °C (109.4 °F) indicate a moderate temperature development of the case. It is especially cool during idle; we just measured 25-31 °C (77-87.8 °F) after an idle period of two hours.

The hardware on the other hand gets much hotter. Both GPUs climbed to around 90 °C (194 °F) under maximum load – despite a core throttling of almost 50%. Around 95 °C (203 °F) for the CPU is also quite a lot, although the notebook is usually not stressed that much during gaming.

Even though the case manufacturer said they improved the sound system, the result still pretty much reminds us of the P370SM barebones. The sound quality is above average for a notebook, but it cannot quite reach the quality of the MSI GT70, which sounds much better.

The Onkyo speakers tend to distort with higher volumes. Overall, the sound could be a bit more precise, especially since the Sound Blaster software does add some background noise to audio contents. You should, however, keep the feature activated.

The notebook cannot really benefit from the heavy 8-cell battery (450 grams; ~1 pound). The Battery Eater Reader's test only determined a little more than 2.5 hours (0% brightness, maximum energy-saving), and the Classic test (100% brightness, minimum energy-saving) around 1.5 hours.

Note: All benchmarks were performed with activated SLI. 

Perfect gaming fun or overpriced hardware? Opinions about desktop replacements like the XMG P724 differ quite a lot. Objectively, we can say that Schenker offers an unbelievably powerful and well-equipped high-end package.

The 17-inch notebook does not have an IPS panel, but the Full HD matte display still gets a good rating. Besides the picture quality, we also like the sound. The chassis on the other hand has advantages and drawbacks. The P370SM-A barebones from Clevo is very big and heavy, but also offers many ports, cool surfaces and an illuminated keyboard in return. Maintainability and upgradability are even on a reference-level. Only the glossy touchpad does not really fit into the overall package.

There is not much left to say about the performance. Nvidia's GeForce GTX 880M (SLI) is the fastest hardware until the launch of the Maxwell counterpart. However, the dual-GPU solution has a negative impact on the mobility, the power consumption and the noise development. Whether at idle or running 3D applications, the fans are always audible. GPU throttling under maximum load and stripes on the display (depending on the background) are not perfect, either.

However, there are not many alternatives for ambitious gamers who do not want to make any compromises.