Schenker XMG P507 (Clevo P651HS-G) Notebook Review

The case of the 15-inch model will vary depending on the graphics card. While the chassis of the GTX 1060 model is 2.5 cm (~1 in) high, the GTX 1070 version measures 2.9 cm (~1.1 in), which is still pretty slim for a gaming device. The weight is also decent at 2.9 kg (~6.4 lb); other 15-inch devices such as the Acer Predator 15 are much heavier. Therefore, we have  selected only such competitors that weigh less than 3.0 kg (~6.6 lb). The list includes the previous models from 2016, the MSI notebooks GT62VR and GS63VR as well as the Asus GL502VS.

The quality of the XMG P507 leaves a good impression. Except for the plastic bottom panel of the GTX 1070 edition, most of the case is made of metal. It is elegant and nice to touch, but the dark color scheme is susceptible to dirt (fingerprints, etc.).

The stability is also pretty good thanks to a metal inlay. Apart from the not so rigid lid, even strong pressure is not a big problem for the XMG P507. The good build quality supports the positive impression. All the gaps and transitions on our test model were even. Once again, we have to criticize the lid construction, which creates a lot of clouding/backlight bleeding independent of the display model (there seems to be too much or uneven pressure).

Otherwise, there is not much to criticize. We like the pretty simple design. It has dispensed with the red elements and is therefore a nice contrast to other systems, where the target audience is between 10 to16 years.

At a first glance, you cannot see many differences when you compare the XMG P507 with the previous model. The changes are pretty small, and the best example is the new port layout. Barebones manufacturer Clevo has relocated the USB 3.1 Type-C port from the right to the left side of the chassis, and the same applies to the USB 3.0 port at the back. On the other hand, the HDMI 2.0 port (4K @60Hz) and one of the two Mini-DisplayPorts have been moved to the rear, which is also a welcome change.

Nothing has changed in terms of the three audio ports (headphones, microphone, line-out), the SIM-card slot (optional UMTS/LTE module), the card reader, the Gigabit Ethernet module, and the slot for a Kensington Lock. Unfortunately, the XMG P507 does not support Thunderbolt 3, which should be standard for a gaming notebook in 2017, especially since  the GPU is soldered and external solutions will become more interesting in a couple of years.

The integrated card reader supports the standards MMC, RSMMC, SD, miniSD, SDHC as well as SDXC and manages average transfer rates. Around 88 MB/s for sequential reads and 78 MB/s for the transfer of .jpg pictures are on par with the Asus GL502VS. The MSI GT62VR (140 to 190 MB/s) is much faster, while the MSI GS63VR (26 to 28 MB/s) is at the bottom of the ranking.

Wireless communications are handled by an Intel product. The Wireless-AC8265 manages pretty good results in the XMG P507. Our standardized WLAN test (one meter/~3ft between the laptop and the router) determined between 513 and 674 Mbps. This is not surprising since Intel advertises a maximum of 867 Mbps (5 GHz support) on its homepage. It is also possible to use the RJ45 jack when you do not want to rely on a wireless connection during online gaming. The corresponding network controller is provided by Realtek.

The security aspect is not completely ignored either. As well as a fingerprint scanner, which sits between the mouse buttons, the XMG P507 is also equipped with a TPM 2.0 chip.

Schenker ships the device with a cleaning cloth, a drivers DVD, a multi-language manual as well as an XMG sticker. There are also four small screws for a secondary HDD. The size and the output of the PSU will depend on the graphics card (200 watts @GTX 1060, 230 watts @GTX 1070). Great: You will get a recovery DVD when you order an operating system.

Once you have loosened 14 screws (two of them secure the keyboard), you can lift the entire bottom panel. However, you will have to use some force as the panel is secured very tightly. We recommend starting at the indentation of the Ethernet jack. Once this is done, you can access all the components (similar to the previous model). This includes the screwed battery, storage and memory, the wireless module or the cooling system, which consist of three fans and six heat pipes. Both the CPU and GPU are soldered, so you cannot upgrade them. By the way: The keyboard has to be removed when you want to access RAM slots #3 and #4.

The basic warranty is 24 months. 36 months are possible via an upgrade, as well as the optional system check-up and an extension of the quick repair.

Please see our Guarantees, Return Policies & Warranties FAQ for country-specific information.

The 120 Hz display with the designation AUO B156HTN05.2 (AUO52D) leaves mixed impressions. Positive aspects include the high luminance (365 nits on average at the highest level) as well as quick response times. 12 ms black-to-white and 24 ms grey-to-grey are very good for a notebook. IPS panels often need twice as much, which could be an issue for core gamers (potential tearing with fast movements).

One thing you cannot change is the limited viewing angle stability, and trained eyes will immediately see the difference compared to an IPS panel. Overall, we are rather disappointed by the picture quality of the TN panel – 120 Hz and good outdoor capabilities or not.

Schenker Technologies has sent us a pretty well-equipped test model. 16 GB DDR4 RAM and a 500 GB PCIe x4 NVMe-SSD increase the base price. The most expensive upgrade, however, is the jump from the GTX 1060 to the GTX 1070, which will set you back by almost 400 Euros (~$430). A CPU upgrade does not make much sense from a gaming perspective, where the GPU is usually the limiting factor.

Intel has increased the clocks slightly to improve the performance. The Core i7-770HQ now runs at 2.8 to 3.8 GHz under load instead of 2.6 to 3.5 GHz. The XMG P507 utilizes the Turbo range very well. We can see between 3.4 and 3.8 GHz for the Kaby Lake chip in the CPU and GPU benchmarks (depending on the number of active cores).

Thanks to the high clocks, the XMG P507 can beat Skylake notebooks with the Core i7-6700HQ by around 10% (see Cinebench R15 and R11.5). The system can switch automatically between Nvidia GPU and the iGPU of the processor (HD Graphics 630) when the Optimus technology is active. We activated the switchable graphics for our measurements.

The system performance is on the expected level for a high-end device. We determine a PCMark 7 score of 6390 points, which secures a top spot in our comparison group. A Home score of 4320 points in PCMark 8 is also decent, even though the MSI GT62VR and the Asus GL502VS are slightly faster in this case.

The great scores in the system tests are mainly a result of the fast solid-state drive. Schenker has equipped our test model with the 500 GB version of the Samsung 960 EVO, which supports all the features you would expect from a modern SSD. There is no limitation at 500 MB/s (SATA-III), so PCIe-drives manage very high transfer rates.

Let us have a look at the AS SSD benchmark. Around 2600 MB/s for sequential read and almost 1700 MB/s for sequential write operations are impressive results that show what is possible today. However, you can also get a less expensive SSD if you do not use special applications or transfer large amounts of data all the time. The Windows experience is dominated by small files, where SATA and PCIe models are very similar in practice.

You should also configure an additional HDD or SSHD like the tested Seagate FireCuda (1 TB, 5400 RPM) to avoid storage problems. The XMG P507 can accommodate up to two M.2 drives (only 1x M.2 with PCIe) as well as two 2.5-inch drives.

Our GPU benchmarks do not reveal any surprises. The test model of the XMG P507 is usually on par with the GTX 1070 rivals MSI GT62VR and Asus GL502VS. GTX 1060 laptops fall behind by around 30% on average. The clock behavior of the Pascal chip was also inconspicuous. The core clock of the GTX 1070 levelled off at an impressive 1700 MHz in the Unigine Heaven 4.0 benchmark (Nvidia advertises 1480 to 1695 MHz under load). We even saw up to 1900 MHz in the GPU-Z Render test.

We performed the gaming benchmarks with the preloaded GPU driver ForceWare 376.20. The XMG P507 reaches smooth frame rates in the native resolution in all six tested games thanks to the enormous performance, including visual highlights like the recently released “Watch Dogs 2”.

Fan control is often one of the biggest problems on Clevo Barebones. The sample chassis P651HS-G does not leave a very good impression either. While other notebooks create a steady noise while idling, there can be occasional pulsating on the XMG P507 without any apparent reason (especially with the High Performance power plan). At least, the problem  can be fixed via manual fan control. Normally, you can hardly hear the 15-inch system while idling; 33 to 34 dB(A) is on par with the competition.

Higher workloads will result in an audible fan noise. 46 dB(A) on average with 3DMark 06 and 52 dB(A) under maximum load are not good news for noise-sensitive users. The 3D load situation is more relaxed when you crank up the volume or use a headset. Our measurement device usually indicated a few dB(A) less for the rivals, so there are better alternatives for sensitive users.

The sound quality is neither really good nor bad. Mids and high tones are pretty authentic, but the XMG P507 lacks bass due to the missing subwoofer. However, we can repeat this criticism for the majority of rivals (like the similarly slim Asus GL502VS). You should not be too demanding in terms of notebook sound quality, so the result is still satisfying. External speakers or headphone are obviously the better choice. An emergency solution is the tuning via SoundBlaster X-Fi MB5 software, which offers multiple profiles, an equalizer, and other features.

Our test model did reveal one interesting bug: It took about 1 to 2 seconds before we heard the first audio contents when there was no sound output for a while.

Frequency Comparison (Checkboxes select/deselectable!)

The switchable graphics technology ensures a pretty efficient idle operation. 14 to 24 watts for the XMG P507 are significantly lower compared to many other gaming notebooks. The GT62VR consumes 20 to 32 watts, for example. The load consumption on the other hand is typical for a GTX 1070 notebook. Up to 201 watts show that the provided 230-watt power adapter is sufficient.

The moderate idle consumption does not really result in great runtimes since the battery capacity is not very generous at 60 Wh, although the competition also tend towards smaller batteries. 3 hours and 15 minutes in the WLAN test and 3 hours and 33 minutes in the HD video test (luminance at around 150 nits each) are not great results by any means. The runtimes should be even shorter when G-Sync is active.