Review Clevo P570WM Barebones Notebook

The XMG U702 is based on the latest P570WM barebone from Clevo, at least theoretically, because the 17-inch chassis is not completely new. If you looked for a strong desktop replacement a few months or year ago, you may have come across the precursor.

The X7200 barebone (Schenker XMG U700) and the P570WM are almost like two peas in a pod. At first glance, Clevo has only updated the interfaces and replaced the old chiclet keyboard with a backlit model. However, bigger modifications are found under the hood (more about that later).

Otherwise, the P570WM has adopted the familiar assets and drawbacks. As mentioned in the intro, the high-end machine is not only extremely bulky, it is also extremely heavy. Even the large P370EM barebone, which also features a dual GPU system (and Schenker lists as XMG P722 PRO), looks fragile in a direct comparison. Besides the height (54 vs. 73 mm), the weight (4.3 vs. 6.0 kg) is much lower.

In terms of looks, Clevo based the desktop replacement on the 17-inch P170EM (Schenker XMG P702 PRO). The lid and wrist rest of both laptops are coated with a thin metal plate. Clevo speaks of an alloy. Although the chassis developer fits a few barebones with a matte display bezel (e.g. Schenker's XMG A722), the P570WM sports a glossy frame that easily scratches and magically attracts dust and fingerprints. We do not understand why Clevo sticks to this obvious drawback despite the criticism.

Apart from that, the P570WM makes a quite good impression. Although the casing quality does not quite achieve the level of Alienware products (M14x R2, M17x R4, etc.), the workmanship is very satisfactory. The laptop's black surfaces mostly have flush transitions.

The buyer should not have high expectations on design. Due to the immense size and the basic shape, the high-end machine makes a pretty bulky and unhandy impression. Just the touch-sensitive plastic stripe (only responds sporadically) and the many light elements provide a degree of individuality.

Unsurprisingly, the huge base unit comes with high stability. The majority of the casing does not yield even under higher pressure. A small exception is the lid that can be warped quite obviously with two hands. However, this fact is hardly noticed in practical use. It is great that the base unit does not lift when opened due to the above-average weight. Basically, the casing absolutely justifies the purchase price.

Speaking about justice, two gigantic 300 watt PSUs are included for the P570WM in order to provide the desktop CPU and both GeForce graphics cards with power. Both weigh 1.6 kilograms and have a size of roughly 21 x 11 x 5 centimeters. The dual-GPU contender, Alienware's M18x R2 (mobile CPU) is satisfied with a single 330 watt model. Schenker's XMG P722 PRO also runs with a single power supply unit.

Software

Annoying bloatware is not installed on the XMG U702. As expected, Schenker delivers a clean operating system void of superfluous ballast. Overclockers and hardware pros are exactly right in Intel's "Extreme Tuning Utility". The convenient tool includes many settings and information (see picture).

Accessories

Two 300 watt PSUs, a 530 gram heavy lithium ion battery, a driver DVD and a cleaning cloth were all the accessories included for the test device. However, we believe that Clevo will at least also add a manual in the final version.

Warranty

The basic warranty period is 24 months including pick-up & return service. The warranty period can be extended to 36 - 48 months for an additional 100 Euros (~$129) and 200 Euros (~$258).

Processor

The P570WM barebone is powered by a desktop CPU (X79 motherboard) in order to ensure a high as possible performance. Although the name might indicate it, the Core i7-3960X top model does not come from the latest Ivy Bridge generation built in a 22 nm structure width. It is a member of the Sandy Bridge E range that was introduced in late 2011 and which is still manufactured in a 32 nm process.

Most CPUs can only dream of the Core i7-3960X's specs. A 15 MB L3 cache and 2.27 billion transistors are just as gigantic as six cores and 12 parallel threads (Hyper Threading technology). The well-known Turbo Boost function is also on the feature list. The default clock is increased from 3.3 GHz to a maximum of 3.9 GHz providing that the cooling allows it.

For comparison: the fast 3.0 - 3.9 GHz Core i7-3940XM (currently Intel's strongest laptop processor) has to be satisfied with an eight MB L3 cache, 1.4 billion transistors, four cores and eight parallel threads. A decisive advantage of the mobile CPU is its much lower power consumption. While the laptop CPU is specified with a TDP of 55 watts, Intel states a more than twice as high 130 watts for the Core i7-3960X. The processor is not called "Extreme Edition" for nothing. The word "extreme" also applies to the price: Intel charges just under 1000 Euros (~$1300) for it.

The hexa-core will only make sense to the fewest users. We would recommend one of the less powerful models. By the way, the E range does not sport an on-board graphics.

Clevo and Schenker do not make any compromises when it comes to the graphics acceleration either. Buyers who have the financial means can purchase the XMG U702 with a wickedly expensive SLI combo, consisting of two GTX 680M cards.

The GeForce GTX 680M is Nvidia's premium model after the recently announced GTX 680MX and, like all Kepler GPUs (GTX 660M, GTX 670MX, GTX 675MX etc.), is manufactured in a cutting-edge 28-nm process.

The DirectX 11.1 capable high-end model contains 1344 Shader units, 3.54 billion transistors and a 4096 MB and fast 1800 MHz GDDR5 video memory (256 bit interface). The core clocks with 720 MHz.

It is too bad that the GTX 680M does not feature the GPU boost technology (Nvidia's answer to Intel's Turbo Boost). The biggest drawback of the premium GPU is its high power consumption. A TDP of 100 watts is quite a lot in the laptop field. Moreover, it should not be kept secret that the peer Radeon HD 7970M is much cheaper, particularly as a dual-GPU array.

Note: the standardly installed Nvidia 306.68 driver was updated to the latest Beta ForceWare 310.54 for the benchmarks.

We really cannot complain about a lack of storage. Schenker installs two 500 GB SSDs and a 1000 GB HDD in the test device. A very promising Samsung 840 MZ-7TD500, which is the heir to the popular 830 range, was used as the solid state drive in order to meet the high-end claim.

The benchmark results indicate that Samsung has done an almost perfect job with the new generation. For example, the AS SSD benchmark recorded a sequential read and write speed of just below 520 and 300 MB/s (primary drive). Not every SSD accomplishes that. The 512 GB version of OCZ's Octane remains below 500 MB/s, but its write rate is a good one-third faster (~400 MB/s).

The access time of the seven millimeter slim SATA III model also proves to be excellent with 0.07 ms (read) and 0.05 ms (write). The OCZ rivals achieve an equally good 0.06 and 0.09 ms.

The used HDD is a SATA II Seagate Momentus ST1000LM024 drive with a height of 9.5 millimeters. Despite its rather low speed of 5400 rpm, it provides a relatively good performance. The HDD's sequential read and write speed of just below 114 MB/s defeats Toshiba's MQ01ABD100 terabyte rival by about 10% (~104 MB/s @ Nexoc M507II).

Gaming Performance

To make it short: an SLI array comprised of two GTX 680M GPUs can render every up-to-date game smoothly in maximum details alongside quality enhancements. Even demanding games, such as Medal of Honor: Warfighter, will usually run with a high, two-digit if not three-digit frame rate. A single GTX 680M is surpassed by approximately 40% (see chart).

Since Nvidia provides a good driver support and new SLI profiles are updated automatically, the common dual-GPU issues are kept within limits. Nevertheless, we did notice a few irregularities during the gaming benchmarks:

• Although the frame rate was actually high enough, some games seemed to stutter (e.g. FIFA 13).
• Need for Speed: Most Wanted was rendered slower than on a single GPU when high details and 1920x1080 pixels were used.

We found the temperatures more appealing. While the bottom reached just below 32 °C during idle mode, we measured an acceptable rate of approximately 30 °C on the top.

The temperatures increase extremely during computing-intensive tasks. The XMG U702 presented an average of 45 °C on the top and 42 °C on the bottom in the 60 minute stress test. We even measured over 50 °C in some areas. Fortunately, the laptop does not get quite as hot in gaming use.

The components had a really hard time during full load. CPUID HWMonitor recorded approx. 90 °C from the Core i7-3960X. The primary GPU reached approx. 83 °C and the secondary GPU approx. 64 °C. Both SSDs worried us a bit. A maximum temperature of 59 °C is quite high.

Those hoping for a full sound matching such a huge laptop will be disappointed. We were particularly surprised about the low volume. Depending on the audio and video source, we had to sit right in front of the laptop to reasonably enjoy the media.

That is too bad, because the basic requirements are actually perfect: Clevo touts the laptop with an X-Fi certified sound chip and THX technology. Their positive qualities are subjectively audible (higher range and dynamics). The Sound Blaster Console (right picture) is also a nice gimmick due to the many settings.

Nevertheless, all the features do not change anything about the fact that the sound is only average in total. The high-end machine does not stand a chance against MSI's GT70. The P370EM barebone scores better in this category. Note: although the P570WM features a 5.1 system, the speakers default setting was 2.0. However, since the sound sooner deteriorates when 5.1 is enabled, you should stick to 2.0.

We almost feel sorry for the small 78 Wh battery. It takes hours to recharge it only to torture it with hungry components shortly afterwards. The system shut down just short of 20 minutes when the laptop was faced with maximum brightness and high load. That is a new low record. Approximately 70 minutes in idle use (minimum brightness) is also very meek.

Malicious tongues could now say that the battery only serves the casing's stability and as a power backup. But honestly, who needs a battery for this behemoth? All measurements were performed using SLI (temperature, consumption, runtime, etc.).

There are not many options for enthusiastic gamers who are looking for a laptop sporting two graphics cards even in 2012. Apart from Alienware's M18x R2, there are only few devices. The barebone manufacturer Clevo has identified this market niche and offers two exciting 17-inch candidates with the P570WM (Schenker XMG U702) and P370EM (Schenker XMG P722).

We would recommend the latter laptop to Clevo fans after the tests. Compared with the P570WM, the P370EM is not only slimmer and lighter, but also scores with a longer battery runtime and a better sound. Other advantages are found in the power consumption, power supply and noise development.

Most users will hardly or not at all benefit from the XMG U702's unique selling point, namely the high-performance desktop CPU. It is mainly the graphics card that limits gaming performance. As to connectivity, input devices, screen quality and maintenance options, both laptops are on an equally good level.

Whether such a wickedly expensive acquisition is at all worthwhile is a personal decision. A conventional gaming PC is still a lot more affordable.