Schenker XMG A707 (Clevo N871EK1) Laptop Review

The device's pricing starts at 999 Euros (~$1175). Our configuration with a Core i7-8750H, GeForce GTX 1050 Ti, SSD-HDD combo (256 GB + 1 TB) and Windows 10 Home 64 Bit currently costs over 1400 Euros (~$1640). Some quite similar configurations are available at lower prices in popular online stores (see our price comparison at the end of this review).

The XMG A707's competition consists of other 17-inch gaming laptops with Coffee Lake CPUs and Pascal GPUs that cost less than 1500 Euros (~$1750), including the Acer Predator Helios 300 and the Asus ROG Strix GL703GE.

The Clevo N871EK1 Barebone houses the Schenker laptop's components. With the exception of the modernized USB ports (now 2x 3.1 Gen2), this case is identical to its predecessor model, the N870HK1, which we reviewed in 2017. As a result, we will not cover the case, connectivity or input devices at length in this article. Please see our review of the Nexoc G739 for more information on these subjects.

Those who want to be able to view the screen from any angle should select the 60 Hz panel. Thanks to its IPS technology, the image remains stable even at relatively oblique angles. The 120 Hz TN display lacks this viewing angle stability. A disadvantage of the IPS screen is its mediocre reaction time. While Schenker advertises the 120 Hz option as having a reaction time of 3 ms, we measured the 60 Hz display's reaction time at 23 ms (black to white) and 39 ms (gray to gray). Fortunately, we did not see any striation (streaking).

The panel's brightness distribution proves to be another minor drawback. Like many other laptops, our test device exhibits halation along the edges of the screen. Fortunately, here the halation is contained to a very narrow area and the effect is fairly subtle.

After the Coffee Lake upgrade, the Barebone manufacturer Clevo has made some changes to the Control Center, i.e. the laptop's central security and tuning software. The center controls the keyboard backlighting, among other things. Importantly, the fan control can be set manually. We used the Auto fan setting in our tests.

Unfortunately, the new Control Center currently has a serious bug that is affecting not only the XMG A707, but also the XMG A517, the Key 15, and all the other Clevo Barebones with this software. If the user does not kill the program via the task manager, the GPU throttles when running some 3D applications and games (“The Witcher 3” is a prominent case). According to Schenker, the problem should be solved soon through a BIOS update. We will probably re-test when possible. Until that point, each device affected loses 1% in our ratings.

At this point, gaming performance hardly benefits from more than four cores and is almost always limited by the GPU. As a result, the Core i7-8750H will only be worth the investment for a small number of buyers - especially given that the XMG A707's cooling system is pushed to its limits by the hexa-core processor.

The latter was very clearly visible in our Cinebench loop test. Starting with the second cycle, the performance fell by around 10%. This is because the CPU cannot maintain its theoretical maximum multi-core turbo speed of 3.9 GHz. To be fair, we have observed a similar phenomenon in our tests of numerous Coffee Lake devices.

With its SSD, the XMG A707's system performance can be described as excellent. In both PCMark 8 and PCMark 10, the 17-inch laptop performs in no way inferior to the competition—quite the opposite, in fact. Without its solid state drive, the Windows OS would run significantly slower when launching or installing programs, loading content or booting. As a result, we strongly recommend upgrading from the base configuration here.

The former truly impressed us with its excellent read and write speeds. No wonder, given that the 970 EVO is one of the newest and most powerful PCIe/NVMe models in M.2 format. The relatively small 128 GB SSDs at work in the Acer Predator Helios 300 (Hynix) and the Asus ROG Strix GL703GE (Kingston) cannot hold a candle to our test device's SSD, even if we put the difference in capacity aside. The HDD's performance is unspectacular and typical of a 2.5-inch 5400 RPM drive.

As mentioned at the outset, buyers have to choose between a GeForce GTX 1050 and a GTX 1050 Ti. Unlike the hexa-core CPU, which will only be advantageous to a small number of users in specific circumstances, the GPU upgrade is certainly worth considering. Despite the fact that the amount of VRAM is identical (4 GB GDDR5), the GTX 1050 Ti is noticeably faster in almost every game and 3D application.

Need an example? In the 3DMark 13 Fire Strike Test, the stronger GPU came in 30% ahead (+25% @3DMark 11).

To determine whether the XMG A707 can maintain its performance over a longer period, as usual, we ran the RPG game “The Witcher 3” (FHD/Ultra) for around 60 minutes. The result: The GeForce GTX 1050 Ti achieves very consistent frame rates. Like the Intel CPU, the Nvidia GPU overclocks automatically. In 3D-mode, the chip surpasses its base clock speed by a substantial margin. Instead of 1493 MHz, in “The Witcher 3” we recorded a speed of 1700 MHz.

The GeForce GTX 1050 Ti is usually fast enough to play current games in the laptop's native Full HD resolution at high settings; occasionally it is even possible to play at maximum details. Only games with extremely high performance demands, ex. “The Division” or “Watch Dogs 2”, come to an average frame rate of under 40 FPS.

With a GTX 1050, users would have to make many more sacrifices in terms of resolution and/or quality settings. Those who would identify themselves as passionate gamers, on the other hand, will not be happy with either of the available GPUs. Core gaming starts with the GeForce GTX 1060 (Max-Q). Anything less does not have enough performance power to handle future generations of games and higher resolutions.

Under load, the XMG A707 performs reasonably well: 42-46 dB(A) is neither quiet nor especially loud. The other competitors equipped with a GTX 1050 Ti - the Acer Helios 300 and the Asus GL703GE - are often louder in 3D-mode.

As usual, the components get substantially hotter. After 60 minutes in the stress test with FurMark and Prime95, the mildly throttling GeForce GTX 1050 Ti heats to 88°C (190.4°F) – rather a high temperature. The Core i7-8750H, which throttles to around 1.6 GHz, reaches an average temperature of just 70°C (158°F).

Because the XMG A707 supports Nvidia's Optimus graphics switching, the 17-inch laptop needs very little power in idle mode. 11-20 watts places our test device right in between the Helios 300 (6-13 watts) and the Asus GL703GE (13-25 watts). A maximum of 136 watts under load indicates that laptop's 150-watt power supply provides enough energy in any circumstance (120 watts @GTX1050).

Although the battery only provides 62 Wh, the system scores points for its surprisingly long battery life. Over 2 hours in 3D-mode (Battery Eater Classic Test at maximum brightness) is just as respectable as around 12 hours in idle mode (Battery Eater Reader's Test at minimum brightness). If the user sets the brightness to around 150 cd/m² and surfs the internet via WLAN, one charge provides 6-6.5 hours of battery life. Compared to the competition, only the Acer Helios 300 can keep up with this run time. The Helios 300's weaker battery (48 Wh) is counterbalanced by its more feeble CPU.