Schenker XMG Core 15 (Tongfang GK5CP6V) Laptop Review: Budget Gamer

The competitors of the XMG Core 15 include other 15-inch gaming notebooks based on the GTX 1660-Ti such as the Razer Blade 15, the Asus Zephyrus M GU502GU, the Aorus 15-SA, the Lenovo Legion Y540-15, and the Acer Predator Helios 300 PH315. These notebooks are also listed in our charts as comparison devices.

The case of the Core 15 has changed a lot since our test in 2017. Following the current trend, Schenker has implemented a slim-bezel design, which also ensures significantly smaller dimensions, and instead of 38.6 x 26.2 cm (15.2 x 10.3 in), the footprint is now only 36.0 x 24.4 cm (14.2 x 9.6 in). The weight was also reduced, and barely 2 kg (~4.4 lb) are noticeably more comfortable to lug around than 2.6 kg (~5.7 lb).

In terms of quality, the case makes a decent impression. The workmanship as well as the stability offer no reason for complaints. Like in most other laptops, only the display lid could have been slightly more robust and resistant to warping. The fact that most of the case is made from plastic is no negative mark in our opinion, particularly since the look and feel of most of the surfaces (around the keys, cover) remind us of sandblasted aluminum.

Apropos looks: as with almost all Schenker laptops, the design of the Core 15 is fairly subdued and without frills. The hinges could still need some improvements by the manufacturer: even though the lid can be opened with one hand, the base unit then also moves quite a bit. By the way, the Core 15 is based on the GK5CP6V Barebone from Tongfang.

Connections

Those users who do not need Thunderbolt 3 or the latest USB technology should be happy with the connection equipment. In contrast to some other gaming laptops from the thin-and-light category, the 15-incher offers a card reader and a RJ45 port. Those are accompanied by an opening for a Kensington Lock, two audio connections, one USB 2.0 port, and the USB 3.0 ports (1x Type C + 2x Type A). External displays can be connected to the HDMI 2.0 port and/or the two Mini DisplayPorts. 

The placement of the connections leaves some mixed feelings. Since the ports on the side are placed fairly close toward the front, you can run into some space problems and cable collisions when using a mouse.

You should not expect a fast SD card reader in the Core 15. Between 20 and 30 MB/s are very meager and only correspond to the USB 2.0 level. Theoretically, our Toshiba reference card should be able to reach up to 260 MB/s.

On the other hand, the WLAN is not slow at all. In ideal conditions, the wireless module of our test configuration (Intel Wireless-AC 9560) is able to crack the 1000-Mbit mark when sending as well as receiving data. Note: Due to our recently changed test setup (ax router instead of ac-router), the results from the competitors are not really comparable. 

Not only does Schenker include a 420-gram (~14.8 oz), light, 180-Watt power supply (120 Watt @GTX 1650) with the notebook, but also a mouse pad, screws for the 2.5-inch slot, and a USB stick with software and drivers. Additional accessories such as bags are available on the home page.

The maintenance options are typical for a notebook of this price class. After you have removed 11 Phillips screws from the bottom, you can remove the whole case bottom. As you can see in the pictures, you then get access to all the components inside, including the RAM slots, storage drive slots, battery, and WLAN module. The cooling system consists of two fans and several heat pipes that run across the CPU and GPU. The latter are soldered-in and therefore cannot be replaced.

The basic warranty includes pickup-and-return service and covers 24 months. At an additional cost, the warranty can be expanded to three years. A longer time period for quick-repair is also offered. 

The Touchpad or more accurately, ClickPad, delivers an acceptable performance. At 10.6 x 7.4 cm (~4.2 x 2.9 in) it is sized sufficiently large for a 15-inch device. The surface, which appears slightly rubberized, offers relatively good sliding characteristics. Of course, there is also multi-touch support. Two-finger gestures such as zooming and scrolling worked flawlessly in our test. The accuracy of the mouse replacement turned out to be mediocre. Despite a clear feedback, left and right clicks on the lower edge are not always accepted reliably and produce a loud clattering noise.

As expected, an IPS panel with 144 Hz is used as the display. The measured values are not particularly spectacular, but this is not meant as a negative. As long as you stay indoors, an average brightness of barely 300 cd/m² is okay. Only if you stay outdoors, the brightness should be higher. 

Depending on the configuration, the Core 15 positions itself in the upper mid-range (GTX 1650) or the lower high-end (GTX 1660 Ti). In combination with a PCIe/NVMe SSD and at least 16 GB of RAM, the Core i7-9750H should offer sufficient performance reserves also for the coming years.

The basic clock speed of the Core i7-9750H is 2.6 GHz, and Turbo Boost (=dynamic overclocking) allows speeds of up to 4.5 GHz. However, during Balanced mode, the Core 15 only uses the CPU Turbo to a limited extent. While we were able to measure good speeds of 4.0 to 4.3 GHz in the single-core tests, 3.1 to 3.7 GHz in the multi-core scenarios was a bit meager.

With this clock speed behavior, the Core 15 positioned second to last in our comparison field during the Cinebench loop. Only the Razer Blade 15 uses its Turbo even less. In computer games, the limited Turbo hardly has any effect due to the GPU-heavy load. If needed, you can also change the power profile in the Control Center to Enthusiast or Overboost, which potentially promises more performance (naturally to the detriment of the noise levels).

Although the operating system could boot a little faster for our tastes, the Core 15 scores with a high system performance. This is mainly due to the fast Solid-State Drive, which ensures quick installations, load times, and program starts, among other benefits.

Our test unit was driven by a 500-GB SSD from Samsung. As confirmed by our benchmarks, the 970 Evo Plus NVMe model is easily able to compete with the models from Intel and WDC. Whether during reading or writing, the M.2 drive always delivers a first-rate performance. Thanks to the three slots for storage drives (1x 2.5 inch, 2x M.2), there generally is sufficient space for expansion and a high total storage capacity.

The graphics card comes from Nvidia's Turing generation. Those who also want to play newer games at a (very) high detail level should choose the GeForce GTX 1660 Ti. While the GTX 1650 should also not be underestimated, during computing-intensive games such as "Control," it only offers sufficient performance for medium settings. Some of the coming games should make the situation more difficult. On the other hand, with the GTX 1660 Ti you should be well armed for the future – aside from ray tracing. The DirectX-12 model offers 1536 Shaders and 6 GB of GDDR6 video storage connected via 192-bit.

Like the Intel processor, the Nvidia GPU also has automatic overclocking abilities. Under load, the core climbs from its standard 1455 MHz up to 1920 MHz. According to our measurements, you can expect around 1600 MHz during everyday gaming, which is still a good result. It is also good that the clock speed and GPU performance remain constant over longer time periods as well. The 60-minute test with "The Witcher 3" (1920x1080, Ultra) showed very even frame rates over time.

The benchmark tests also did not show any bad surprises. In 3DMark 13 as well as 3DMark 11, the Core 15 placed in the middle of the field of comparison devices.

As already mentioned, the GTX 1660 Ti is fast enough to bring all the current games at maximum settings to the Full-HD screen. With the exception of "Red Dead Redemption 2," all the games we tested ran at more than 40 FPS.

In many games, the GTX 1660 Ti also handles 2560x1440 pixels well. Only in the 4K range (3840x2160 pixels) will it quickly hit its limits.

The verdict on the noise development turns out to be a mixed bag. The Core 15 mostly remains comfortably quiet (31 to 33 dB) or even completely silent during idle operation, only rarely revving up (for example during smaller tasks such as Windows updates). Under load, on the other hand, the fans rev up forcefully.

A noise level of 48 to 51 dB is very noticeable and annoying to many users, so that using headphones might be recommended. However, the same goes for almost all the competitors, and only the Lenovo Legion Y540 remains fairly quiet during 3D operation.

On the surfaces of the case we were able to measure up to 48 °C (118 °F) on top and 59 °C (138 °F) on the bottom during full load operation, which is also a middling result. On the other hand, the whole case remains pleasantly cool without exceeding the 30 °C (86 °F) mark during idle operation.

The speakers of the XMG Core 15 should be considered more as a stopgap solution. As typical for notebooks, the 2.0 system built into the front area lacks bass, and at 76 dB, the maximum volume is not very high. More than 70% of all the gaming laptops we have tested scored better in our audio analysis.

During idle operation, the graphics switching ensures fairly low power needs. Between 9 and 18 watts is lower than the values of the competitors (some of which make do without Optimus) and could also come from a multimedia notebook. Under load, the consumption is also mostly lower than that of the competitors, even though the differences are significantly smaller here.

Despite the moderate power consumption, the Core 15 does not achieve a good battery life. With a capacity of 46 Wh, the battery is rather small. For comparison, the competitors offer between 57 and 76 Wh. In our opinion, the 2.5-inch slot, which takes up a lot of space in the case, should have been replaced by a larger battery instead. 

Barely 3.5 hours of surfing the Internet at medium display brightness are also unlikely to get anyone excited. Under perfect conditions (no load, minimum brightness), the 15-incher can last up to 6 hours. But be careful: the 3D performance drops by almost 90% in battery operation!