Review One K73-3N (Clevo P170SM) Notebook

One uses the P170SM barebone chassis from Clevo. One of the key differences to the 17-inch siblings P177SM and P370EM is the fact that the lid and palm rest do not feature a rubberized finish, but are covered with a thin sheet of aluminum instead. The brushed finish looks pretty upscale - but we question Clevo's decision to stick with the highly reflective and extremely delicate glossy borders of the predecessor P170EM.  At least the display bezel is now matte instead of glossy.

Physically and visually - partly because of the very square design - the notebook is a behemoth: the size of 412 x 276 x 53 millimeters makes it one of the largest systems currently available. The large thickness has its advantages, as the notebook is quite sturdy. The base unit is able to resist even strong pressure, although the lid could be a little more resilient.

Because of the substantial weight of 3.7 kilograms (with SSD), transporting the notebook is not a joyful experience. As a desktop replacement, the K73-3N is of course better suited for permanent desk duty. The build quality is more than adequate and most transitions are flawless.

The design of the P170SM is a matter of taste - it's certainly not state-of-the-art, nor is it playful. The quality of the barebone system falls short of 17-inch competitors like the Alienware M17x R4 or the Asus G75. Overall, the notebook is nonetheless a sturdy and understated high-end platform.

Users interested in keeping their notebook clean will have to break out a cleaning cloth frequently: the dark surface areas prove to be a magnet for dust particles and fingerprints. Which barebone - P170SM or P177SM - ends up being the better choice depends on the preferences of the user, as the systems are more or less evenly matched.

Clevo experts will recognize the keyboard, as it looks to be a carry-over from the predecessor P170EM. They keyboard is not completely identical though - the FN key is now located next to the right ALT key instead of the left one and the > < | - key also moved. The German version of the keyboard also has to make do with an Enter key that doesn't span two rows, but sits in a single row instead. Touch typists will need some time to get used to the layout.

After some practice, we were able to use the keyboard without issues. Clevo appears to have reduced the stiffness of the keys, which is something we criticized in our previous review. The keyboard now feels a little softer, although the feedback is still well defined and precise. We liked the click-point, feedback, and the sound the keys produce. Fortunately, we also didn't encounter the issues with key inputs not being recognized occasionally, which is something that marred the typing experience with the first generation of the backlit keyboard. 

Speaking of backlit: the included software (see screenshot) allows the user to assign different colors to three sections. A late-night gaming session in a dimly-lit room is certainly possible.

Since AMD's processors and APUs are mostly found in entry and mid-level products, Intel's new Haswell generation doesn't really face competition in the upper performance echelon. Especially the quad-core CPUs offer excellent performance and should provide adequate power for years to come.

Our review model is equipped with the 2.7-3.7 GHz Core i7-4800MQ, which features a 6 MB L3 cache. Although the Core i7-4900MQ is a bit faster (2.8-3.8GHz) and features a larger cache (8 MB), the price premium is only partially justified.

Intel claims a TDP of 47 watts. This means that the new Haswell quad-core processors consume slightly more power than the Ivy Bridge models, which have a TDP of 45 watts.

The manufacturing process hasn't changed. Intel sticks with the 22 nm process according to their Tick-Tock strategy: Haswell "only" offers a new micro-architecture. The GPU should see the most significant jump in performance - Intel claims that the HD Graphics 4600 is significantly faster than the HD Graphics 4000.  

Potential customers are probably more interested in the K73-3N's switchable graphics. Not surprisingly, Clevo uses Nvidia's Optimus technology, which automatically uses either Intel's integrated graphics or the Nvidia GPU. The goal is an attempt to conserve power.

The specs of the GeForce GTX 770M are similar to the GeForce GTX 670MX, which is also part of the Kepler generation and is manufactured using the same 28 nm process. Both support DirectX 11, utilize 960 shader cores, have a memory bus width of 192-bit, and have 3072 MB of GDDR5 video RAM.

The main advantage of the GeForce GTX 770M is the higher clock speeds. The increase of 35% for the core (811 instead of 600 MHz) and an increase of 43% for the RAM (2004 instead of 1400 MHz) result in a significant increase in performance.

Even the previously third-ranked Nvidia GPU - the GeForce GTX 675MX - is clocked slightly slower (600/1800 MHz). In some benchmark tests the GTX 770M almost performs as well as the GeForce GTX 680M (720/1800 MHz).

The GeForce GTX 770M doesn't stand a chance against the high-end GeForce GTX 780M. This Kepler GPU contains 60% more shader cores (1536), 33% more RAM (4096 MB), and a wider 256-bit interface. Compared to the GeForce GTX 765M, the 770M does well, since the 765M only comes with 768 CUDA cores and 2048 MB GDDR5 RAM (128-bit interface).

Unfortunately, our review notebook came with an older GPU driver (ForceWare 311.27). Only a few games - for example BioShock Infinite - will reveal this as an issue. Official drivers from Nvidia were not available before the launch.

Our very large folder with various benchmark tests easily fits onto the 500 GB Solid State Drive. The 7 millimeter Samsung SSD 840 MZ-7TD500 is capable of outstanding performance due to its large size.

The sequential read and write speeds of 515 MB/sec and 322 MB/sec (AS SSD Benchmark) are very impressive. Access times are also very quick (0.1 read, 0.03 write) and don't lag behind the SATA III competition.

As we would expect from an SSD-equipped system, OS operations are exceedingly quick - it doesn't matter if the task is an installation, data transfer, or a program execution.

Some of our readers might ask why the SSD 840 is so much less expensive than the SSD 840 Pro. The answer: for the Pro-series, Samsung utilizes the longer-lasting and faster MLC flash instead of the less expensive TLC flash. During normal use, the differences are not that significant.

After testing about 30 games, we can conclude that the GeForce GTX 770M is an ideal GPU for core gamers. As long as the most demanding games are not run with all options on high and anti-aliasing enabled, even the native resolution doesn't pose much of a problem.

Taking the benchmark results into consideration, the premium over the GeForce GTX 765M seems definitely justified. 35% more performance can mean the difference between a satisfying frame rate and a stutter-prone gaming experience.

While the GeForce GTX 765M has issues with BioShock Infinite, Assassin's Creed III, Risen 2, Alan Wake, and Battlefield 3 if maximum details are selected, the GeForce GTX 770M consistently manages above 30 fps. Only a very few games like Sleeping Dogs, Hitman: Absolution, Far Cry 3 or Crysis 3 force the user to accept compromises as far as the picture quality is concerned.

Those who prefer to keep all settings at their maximum should probably opt for the GeForce GTX 780M. This high-end graphics card can net an additional performance of 40%. The previous front runners Radeon HD 7970M and GeForce GTX 680M are also faster - but only by about 10%.

It doesn't matter if the notebook is sitting idle or if it is subjected to very high loads: the temperatures are always well controlled. Even after our stress test (Furmark and Prime in parallel for at least one hour), the system stayed very cool at 31 °C. The palm rest never topped 26 °C - even under extreme conditions. Long work and gaming sessions with the notebook won't cause any heat-related problems.

The temperatures of the individual components are also no reason for concern: the tool CPUID recorded a maximum temperature of 84 °C for the CPU and 75 °C for the graphics card - by no means critical. While the GeForce GTX 770M operates at the highest possible frequency even when subjected to heavy load, the Core i7-4800MQ doesn't exceed its base frequency of 2.7 GHz. Overall, Clevo does a good job here.

The P170SM barebone includes a 2.1 sound system from Onkyo, which consists of two speakers above the keyboard and a subwoofer on the bottom. With the Sound Blaster X-Fi MB3 technology active, the sound is quite acceptable - although still not a real Hi-fi experience. 

The useful software allows the user to tailor the sound to their liking (SBX Pro Studio in particular). The maximum volume is also quite high and sufficient even for larger rooms. Unfortunately, the speakers are less precise when the volume increases and the highs get tinny. Overall sound quality is decent. The older P170EM barebone didn't sound quite as good - it was lacking the Sound Blaster technology.

Users who play games a lot, watch movies, or listen to music are still better off with headphones or an external speaker system. The reference system as far as sound is concerned - at least for gaming - is still the MSI GT70.

The 8-cell battery (77 Wh, 5200 mAh) powers the review system about as long as the P150SM barebone: between 1.5 and 4.5 hours. While surfing the internet or when watching DVDs, the notebook lasts about 3-3.5 hours. Gaming notebooks without switchable graphics don't last nearly as long - case in point: Toshiba Qosmio X870-119.

Note: while on battery, the performance of the GeForce GTX 770M decreases by 25%.

Visually, the P170SM barebone is a rather subtle update of the older P170EM. Except for the matte display bezel, the updated port selection, and the relocated FN key, even closer examination doesn't reveal any additional differences. 

First impressions can be deceiving: Clevo updated the hardware significantly. Haswell has replaced Ivy Bridge and the GeForce 600 had to make room for a GeForce 700. The new mSATA slot is also a nice addition (previously only 1x mSATA).

Otherwise, the P170SM barebone exhibits the same strengths and weaknesses as the predecessor. We like the high contrast ratio of the display, the well-controlled temperatures, the plethora of ports, and the easy access to the internal components. It's rare to see a system that is so easy to configure, maintain, and upgrade. The performance is also absolutely top notch.

Where there's light, there are also shadows: the notebook is huge and heavy even when compared to other 17-inch systems. The extremely high noise level during 3D performance and the obstinate touchpad also influence the score negatively. Nothing changes the fact that this high-end gaming notebook simply outperforms most of its competition.