Review Deviltech HellMachine Notebook

Processor

To meet demands for high performance, Deviltech equip the HellMachine with a powerful quad-core CPU. Because of its decent price-performance ratio we opted for a Core i7-3630QM.

This high-end CPU contains 1.4 billion transistors and, like all other Ivy Bridge models, it is manufactured using 22 nm lithography. In contrast to the more expensive Core i7-3840QM it only houses 6 instead of 8 MB L3 cache.

Typically Intel, the present processor generation supports a lot of features. In addition to Hyperthreading (simulates virtual cores) the Turbo Boost technology is especially interesting. The base clock is automatically increased by several 100 MHz under load. The Core i7-3630QM supports a maximum of 3.4 GHz. The TDP of 45 Watts exceeds the average of notebooks (dual-core CPUs: maximum of 35 Watts).

Because of SLI compatibility the HD Graphics 4000 cannot be used. We will analyze whether it is worth buying a more powerful CPU model by means of several benchmarks.

Dual GPU solutions like the GeForce GTX 670MX SLI are controversial. They improve the performance: If the GPU driver supports an appropriate profile, the frame rates can sometimes increase by up to 80 to 100 %. 

But, high waste heat and huge energy demands requiring a good cooling system and a big power supply are negative aspects. The HellMachine comes with a 1.6 kg (3.5 pound) 300 Watt power supply. Another problem is micro stuttering. Sometimes time intervals between images are large enough that movements no longer appear to be smooth to the human eye. In extreme scenarios games look smoother on single card systems. Moreover, 3D programs can run even slower in SLI if the application does not specifically support it. This is currently true for Need for Speed: Most Wanted. Fortunately, Nvidia offers a handy update function.

Regardless of the upgrade, we recommend checking whether Nvidia made a completely new version available after some weeks. The beta driver 310.61 used in the benchmarks installs without troubles.

Technically, the GeForce GTX 670MX is based on the modern Kepler architecture, which uses 28 nm lithography. The clock rates of 600 and 1,400 MHz (core/memory) are a little lower than the GTX 670M's (598/1,500 MHz), which, other than its name would suggest, belongs to the older Fermi generation and uses 40 nm lithography.

Due to more shaders (960 vs. 336, not directly comparable) and more transistors (2.54 vs. 1.95 billions) the GTX 670MX is nevertheless faster while the Kepler GPU is, as expected, slower than the GeForce GTX 675M. The Fermi model also scores points because of its wider interface (256 vs. 192 Bit).

However, it is a different story, how a dual GPU solution of two GTX 670MX cards performs. Can the Kepler model in SLI mode maybe even best Nvidia's flagship, the GeForce GTX 680M? Our benchmarks will provide the answer.

The 120 GB model of the brand new Samsung SSD 840 delivers mixed performance. Let's start with the positive aspects: In sequential reading the seven mm flat SATA-III model does not only outperform its SSD 830 predecessor (505 MB/s @ One M73-2N), but also the popular Crucial Real SSD M4 (489 MB/s @ Gigabyte U2442N). 512 MB/s in the AS SSD benchmark suggest a great performance.

It's a pity, that the results in the writing tests are anything but outstanding. In achieving 130 MB/s it is significantly slower than the RealSSD M4 (~200 MB/s) and the SSD 830 (~330 MB/s). But, the access times are rather decent. 0.08 ms in writing can only be bested by a few competitors. Overall, the performance of the Samsung SSD 840 is decent.

Windows appears to run significantly slower with an HDD. You'll soon learn to appreciate the advantages of the SSD technology (shorter boot, load and transfer times).

We ran 25 games on the HellMachine for the GeForce GTX 670MX SLI to leave a lot of footprints in our database. With a few exceptions (e.g. Dirt Showdown) the second graphics card was always active and provided a huge improvement.

Most of the titles ran about twice as fast in SLI mode. Summarizing over all games, a single GTX 670MX is about 66% slower in ultra settings (1920x1080, maximum graphics details). Two GeForce GTX 680Mk are only about 40 % (Schenker XMG U702) to 50 % (Schenker XMG P722) faster than a single one.

Speaking of the GTX 680M: Depending on the game, Nvidia's premium model can be faster or slower than the GTX 670MX SLI. There is no clear winner. As the two are about equally fast and the GTX 680M costs nearly 200 Euros (~$263) more, price-conscious gamers should definitely consider the SLI combo.

Nearly all titles run without stuttering with a second GeForce GTX 670MX in maximum details. Sometimes there are even reserve capacities for high-quality anti-aliasing. You'll find a detailed table at the end of the article.

Considering it is a gaming notebook, the case temperatures are surprisingly low. Even under stress we only measured 30 °C (86 °F) on the keyboard side and 29 °C (84.2 °F) on the bottom side. The Schenker XMG P722 reached 36 °C (96.8 °F) on average. While running office or Internet tasks the 17-incher remains pleasantly cool. Left running idle for two hours, the HellMachine leveled out at a lukewarm 26 °C (78.8 °F).

Inside the case: no rude surprise. The temperature of the Core i7-3630QM increased to nearly 90 °C (194 °F) (CPUID Hardware Monitor) in the stress test, but this is not yet a critical level. At the end of the stress test the Nvidia GPUs reached temperatures of 80 and 60 °C (176 and 140 °F), while the GTX 680M in the Schenker XMG P722 exceeded 90 °C (194 °F).

Although the laptop comes with a powerful 8-cell battery, the battery runtimes cannot convince. Depending on the load and the display brightness, the 17-incher only runs 1.5 - 3.5 hours. The Asus G75VW and Samsung 700G7C deliver equally poor values.

High-end laptops which only contain a single GPU and use Nvidia's Optimus technology can be used significantly longer away from an outlet. The battery life of the MSI GT70 exceeds 5.5 hours under ideal conditions. 

With the 17-inch HellMachine, Deviltech sell an extremely fast desktop replacement. Due to its quad-core CPU (Ivy Bridge) and two gaming graphics cards (Kepler) the notebook outperforms nearly all competitors.

The case is decent too. In addition to the lit keyboard we appreciate its rich connectivity (4x USB 3.0!). The high-end non-glare panel, the decent sound and the rather cool surfaces are further pros.

However, the HellMachine does not really win fame in the system noise, battery life, touchpad and power consumption categories. Because of its high weight (about 4 kg/~8.8 pounds) and big 300 Watt power adapter, the 17-incher is primarily designed for stationary use.

You might be willing to ignore the weaknesses as there are many upgrade and maintenance options. In our opinion 1637 Euros (~$2155) is a reasonable price.