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Schenker XMG U706 (Clevo P771DM) Notebook Review

No compromises. Desktop CPUs, G-Sync support, NVMe SSDs: Schenker's new 17-inch XMG U706 machine features almost everything that the heart of a gaming enthusiast desires. Will it be enough for our Top Ten Chart?

For the original German review, see here.

What can you do when even the swiftest of mobile processors do not deliver enough power? Easy - you install a normal desktop CPU in the laptop. Schenker proved that this idea not only functions in practice, but also has its appeal with its XMG U705 based on Clevo's P771ZM barebones introduced earlier this year. Now the manufacturer upgrades again: The modern Skylake platform replaces the former Haswell platform in the new XMG U706 (Clevo P771DM). Its 14 nanometer build promises higher performance and improved energy efficiency.

Compared with the also relatively pricey predecessor, Schenker has increased the price of the 17-inch machine noticeably. It now starts at 1849 Euros (~$2074), but already features a Core i5-6600, 8 GB of DDR4-2400 RAM, a matte IPS screen, and a fast GTX 970M in the base configuration. The CPU, storage, graphics card, Wi-Fi module and other components can be upgraded in the online configurator - for a price. Our generously configured review sample with a Core i7-6700K, 16 GB RAM, GeForce GTX 980M and two storage devices (512 GB SSD + 2 TB hard drive) plus operating system even cracks the 3000 Euro mark (~$3366) - an aspect that we will consider in the following comparison with rivals like Asus' G751JYMSI's GT72 or Alienware's 17 R2.

Clevo P771DM
Processor
Intel Core i7-6700K 4 x 4 - 4.2 GHz, Skylake
Graphics adapter
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M - 8 GB VRAM, Core: 1126 MHz, Memory: 5000 MHz, GDDR5, ForceWare 353.50
Memory
16 GB 
, 2x 8 GB DDR4-2400, 2 of 4 Slots filled, max. 64 GB
Display
17.30 inch 16:9, 1920 x 1080 pixel, LG LP173WF4-SPD1, IPS panel, G-Sync, glossy: no
Mainboard
Intel Sunrise Point Z170
Storage
Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e, 512 GB 
, + Seagate/Samsung Spinpoint M9T 2TB (ST2000LM003), 2x M.2 2280 (1 filled, SATA or PCIe x4), 2x 2,5" (1 filled, max. 9.5 millimeters height)
Soundcard
Realtek ALC892 @ Intel Sunrise Point PCH - High Definition Audio Controller
Connections
4 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, 1 USB 3.1 Gen2, 1 Thunderbolt, 1 HDMI, 3 DisplayPort, 1 Kensington Lock, 1 eSata, Audio Connections: 4x 3.5 millimeter jack (headphone, microphone, line-in, optical S/PDIF), Card Reader: SD, 1 Fingerprint Reader, 1x USB 3.1 Type-C (incl. Thunderbolt 3)
Networking
Killer E2400 Gigabit Ethernet Controller (10/100/1000MBit/s), Intel Wireless-N 7265 (b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/), Bluetooth 4.0
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 38.7 x 418 x 282 ( = 1.52 x 16.46 x 11.1 in)
Battery
82 Wh Lithium-Ion, 14,8 V, entnehmbar
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 10 Pro 64 Bit
Camera
Webcam: 2.0 megapixels
Primary Camera: 2 MPix
Additional features
Speakers: stereo (Onkyo), Keyboard: chiclet, Keyboard Light: yes, 24 Months Warranty
Weight
3.9 kg ( = 137.57 oz / 8.6 pounds), Power Supply: 920 g ( = 32.45 oz / 2.03 pounds)
Price
3074 Euro
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

 

Case – A Comparison with the Predecessor

Speedy SD reader: 171 MB/s while copying JPG
Speedy SD reader: 171 MB/s while copying JPG

The bulky, almost 4 kilogram (~8.8 lb) and 3.9 centimeters (~1.5 in) tall Clevo barebones does not look very different from its Haswell counterpart (see One K73-5N review) at first glance. Only the modern USB 3.1 / Thunderbolt 3 port (Type C port) on the casing's left is worth mentioning. However, the five USB 3.0 ports have been axed for that. Otherwise, nothing has changed, which is not at all meant as criticism. Highlights, such as two DisplayPort 1.2s, an HDMI 2.0 socket and optical S/PDIF interface are not found in every device even in this category.

All details concerning casing, the extensive maintenance options and input devices can be found in the review of the One K73-5N.

Front: No interfaces
Front: No interfaces
Left: Gbit-LAN, 2x USB 3.0, 1x USB 3.1 Type C, card reader, eSATA/USB 3.0
Left: Gbit-LAN, 2x USB 3.0, 1x USB 3.1 Type C, card reader, eSATA/USB 3.0
Rear: HDMI 2.0, 2x DisplayPort 1.2, power socket
Rear: HDMI 2.0, 2x DisplayPort 1.2, power socket
Right: USB 3.0, 4x audio, Kensington Lock
Right: USB 3.0, 4x audio, Kensington Lock

Display

While more and more laptops are being offered with a 4K display in the 15.6-inch sector, it seems as if corresponding 17.3-inch screens do not yet exist. Not only Schenker/Clevo, but also all competitors still exclusively install Full HD panels with 1920x1080 pixels. The desktop and pixel density (127 ppi) could be a bit larger for our taste, but we cannot reproof the manufacturer for this since there are no alternatives. However, all three video outs in the XMG U706 support 3840x2160 pixels at 60 Hz, which provides enough options for connecting high-definition, external monitors.

In terms of quality, the LP173WF4-SPD1 IPS screen from LG belongs to the best of its kind - not without reason do Asus and MSI use exactly the same model. The screen's maximum brightness of 287 cd/m² is more than bright enough for indoor use. The LED backlight also illuminates the entire image area very homogeneously, and hardly shows signs of clouding or backlight bleeding. The rich black reproduction leads to an outstanding contrast ratio of 977:1, which is at the upper limit of what can be expected from an IPS based display nowadays. The image still looks very rich and vivid even without a reflective glossy finish.

292
cd/m²
289
cd/m²
296
cd/m²
290
cd/m²
298
cd/m²
287
cd/m²
282
cd/m²
277
cd/m²
271
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
LG LP173WF4-SPD1 tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 298 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 286.9 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 91 %
Center on Battery: 298 cd/m²
Contrast: 977:1 (Black: 0.305 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 4.16 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 3.13 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
84.5% sRGB (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
55.5% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
61.9% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
84.7% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
66.6% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.26
SCHENKER XMG U706
1.920 x 1.080 IPS-Panel
Asus G751JY
1.920 x 1.080 IPS-Panel
MSI GT72-2QE16SR21BW
1.920 x 1.080 IPS-Panel
Alienware 17 R2
1.920 x 1.080 IPS-Panel
Display
-2%
2%
0%
Display P3 Coverage
66.6
65.9
-1%
68.1
2%
66.6
0%
sRGB Coverage
84.7
83.1
-2%
86.7
2%
84.3
0%
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage
61.9
60.8
-2%
63.4
2%
61.6
0%
Screen
-1%
-20%
-1%
Brightness middle
298
329
10%
285
-4%
331
11%
Brightness
287
320
11%
278
-3%
307
7%
Brightness Distribution
91
92
1%
87
-4%
84
-8%
Black Level *
0.305
0.34
-11%
0.45
-48%
0.3
2%
Contrast
977
968
-1%
633
-35%
1103
13%
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
4.16
4.13
1%
5.1
-23%
4.88
-17%
Greyscale dE 2000 *
3.13
3.72
-19%
5.23
-67%
3.63
-16%
Gamma
2.26 97%
2.36 93%
2.32 95%
2.17 101%
CCT
6213 105%
6352 102%
7565 86%
6325 103%
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998)
55.5
55
-1%
57
3%
55
-1%
Color Space (Percent of sRGB)
84.5
83
-2%
87
3%
84.2
0%
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. *
8.01
Total Average (Program / Settings)
-2% / -1%
-9% / -14%
-1% / -1%

* ... smaller is better

AdobeRGB coverage (55.5 percent)
AdobeRGB coverage (55.5 percent)
sRGB coverage (84.5 percent)
sRGB coverage (84.5 percent)

As to color reproduction, the screen might not satisfy the need of professional photographers and image editors, but the extent of the color space (sRGB: 84.5 percent; AdobeRGB: 55.5 percent) and quality of factory calibration is very impressive for a consumer product. Thus, the DeltaE shifts range on a relatively low level ex-factory (grayscale: 3.1; colors: 4.2), and decrease even further with our optimized ICC profile (grayscale: 1.6; colors: 3.1).

ColorChecker (pre-calibration)
ColorChecker (pre-calibration)
Saturation Sweeps (pre-calibration)
Saturation Sweeps (pre-calibration)
Grayscale (pre-calibration)
Grayscale (pre-calibration)
ColorChecker (post-calibration)
ColorChecker (post-calibration)
Saturation Sweeps (post-calibration)
Saturation Sweeps (post-calibration)
Grayscale (post-calibration)
Grayscale (post-calibration)

Even if most owners of an almost 4 kilogram (~8.8 lb) DTR laptop will rarely feel the urge to use it outdoors, the XMG U706 would essentially be suitable for that. Thanks to its bright and judiciously AR-coated screen, content remains highly legible even in sunny conditions.

Outdoors (overcast)

Viewing angles: Schenker XMG U706
Viewing angles: Schenker XMG U706

As typical for IPS, the image quality only worsens insignificantly from a slanted view. The representation only looks increasingly pale after the viewing angle goes beyond 45 degrees because the contrast ratio and color saturation gradually decrease. However, even several viewers can enjoy the content in everyday operation, for example a movie night with friends a few meters away from the laptop. That is often not the case with a simple TN screen.

Performance

4.2 GHz maximum Turbo clock rate
4.2 GHz maximum Turbo clock rate

Disregarding the exorbitantly expensive 6 and 8 core processors of the Haswell E platform, our review sample sports the presently strongest desktop processor on the market with the Core i7-6700K. With a base clock rate of 4.0 GHz (Turbo Boost: 4.2 GHz in single-thread mode), the Skylake-based quad-core even outperforms the swiftest laptop models by several hundred MHz. The price: Despite the modern 14 nanometer build, Intel specifies the chip with an enormous TDP of 91 watts. In addition to the i7-6700K, three other processors in the form of the i5-6600 (3.3-3.9 GHz), i5-6600K (3.5-3.9 GHz) and i7-6700 (3.4-4.0 GHz) can be selected in the online configurator. However, none of the latter support Hyperthreading (i7 line only) or have free multipliers for overclocking (K models only). 

The buyer can opt for either a GeForce GTX 970M (6 GB GDDR5) or, as in our case, the GeForce GTX 980M (8 GB GDDR5) graphics solution. The latter costs a good 370 Euros (~$415) extra. The recently presented, even swifter GeForce GTX 980 - a virtually identical counterpart technically of the similarly named desktop model - is unfortunately not available for the XMG U706, probably because its even higher energy requirement would take its toll on the reserves of the power supply and cooling. Clevo's barebones does not support Nvidia's Optimus technology, i.e. dynamic switching to the processor graphics, either.

A total of four DDR4 slots theoretically allow installing a maximum of up to 64 GB of RAM - we were satisfied with 2x 8 GB of DDR4-2400 for this test. The option of installing different storage devices is also impressive: Two M.2 2280 slots (SATA or PCIe 3.0 x4) and two 2.5-inch slots (9.5 millimeters height) can be fitted with SSDs and/or HDDs, and be operated in pairs in RAID 0/1. One M.2 and one 2.5-inch slot remained empty in the present review sample.

Processor

Cinebench R15 Single: 4.1 GHz
Cinebench R15 Single: 4.1 GHz
Cinebench R15 Single: 4.0 GHz
Cinebench R15 Single: 4.0 GHz

The Core i7-6700K clocked stably at 4.0 GHz even after several runs of Cinebench R15 or other CPU benchmarks (the Turbo of up to 4.2 GHz is only sporadic and only active in single thread applications), and thus it achieved correspondingly high scores. On average, the desktop model has an edge of good 20 percent on a Core i7-5700HQ (Broadwell, 47 watts) or Core i7-6820HK (Skylake, 45 watts). The older i7-4710MQ (Haswell, 47 watts) is even surpassed by approximately 30 percent.

We deem the Core i5-6600K, which Schenker also offers, as only conditionally recommendable. It lags behind by up to 30 percent in multi-threaded software due to its lack of Hyperthreading. Buyers who want to save money should preferably take a Core i7. It is situated between the 6600K and 6700K, and promises to be considerably more future-proof than the i5 thanks to its 8 threads.

Cinebench R15
CPU Single 64Bit (sort by value)
SCHENKER XMG U706
Intel Core i7-6700K
173 Points
Asus G751JY-T7009H
Intel Core i7-4710HQ
136 Points -21%
MSI GT72-2QE16SR21BW
Intel Core i7-5700HQ
145 Points -16%
Alienware 17 R2
Intel Core i7-4980HQ
155 Points -10%
SCHENKER XMG U506
Intel Core i5-6600K
166 Points -4%
Clevo P671RG
Intel Core i7-6820HK
151 Points -13%
Clevo P671RG (OC 4 GHz)
Intel Core i7-6820HK
171 Points -1%
CPU Multi 64Bit (sort by value)
SCHENKER XMG U706
Intel Core i7-6700K
875 Points
Asus G751JY-T7009H
Intel Core i7-4710HQ
661 Points -24%
MSI GT72-2QE16SR21BW
Intel Core i7-5700HQ
723 Points -17%
Alienware 17 R2
Intel Core i7-4980HQ
670 Points -23%
SCHENKER XMG U506
Intel Core i5-6600K
601 Points -31%
Clevo P671RG
Intel Core i7-6820HK
709 Points -19%
Clevo P671RG (OC 4 GHz)
Intel Core i7-6820HK
824 Points -6%
Cinebench R11.5
CPU Single 64Bit (sort by value)
SCHENKER XMG U706
Intel Core i7-6700K
1.97 Points
Asus G751JY-T7009H
Intel Core i7-4710HQ
1.52 Points -23%
MSI GT72-2QE16SR21BW
Intel Core i7-5700HQ
1.62 Points -18%
Alienware 17 R2
Intel Core i7-4980HQ
1.74 Points -12%
SCHENKER XMG U506
Intel Core i5-6600K
1.88 Points -5%
Clevo P671RG
Intel Core i7-6820HK
1.73 Points -12%
Clevo P671RG (OC 4 GHz)
Intel Core i7-6820HK
1.94 Points -2%
CPU Multi 64Bit (sort by value)
SCHENKER XMG U706
Intel Core i7-6700K
9.6 Points
Asus G751JY-T7009H
Intel Core i7-4710HQ
7.22 Points -25%
MSI GT72-2QE16SR21BW
Intel Core i7-5700HQ
7.97 Points -17%
Alienware 17 R2
Intel Core i7-4980HQ
7.28 Points -24%
SCHENKER XMG U506
Intel Core i5-6600K
6.93 Points -28%
Clevo P671RG
Intel Core i7-6820HK
7.78 Points -19%
Clevo P671RG (OC 4 GHz)
Intel Core i7-6820HK
9.22 Points -4%
X264 HD Benchmark 4.0
Pass 1 (sort by value)
SCHENKER XMG U706
Intel Core i7-6700K
210.2 fps
Asus G751JY-T7009H
Intel Core i7-4710HQ
152.8 fps -27%
Clevo P671RG
Intel Core i7-6820HK
168.4 fps -20%
Clevo P671RG (OC 4 GHz)
Intel Core i7-6820HK
204.1 fps -3%
Pass 2 (sort by value)
SCHENKER XMG U706
Intel Core i7-6700K
55.3 fps
Asus G751JY-T7009H
Intel Core i7-4710HQ
40.1 fps -27%
Clevo P671RG
Intel Core i7-6820HK
44.32 fps -20%
Clevo P671RG (OC 4 GHz)
Intel Core i7-6820HK
54.3 fps -2%
Geekbench 3
64 Bit Single-Core Score (sort by value)
SCHENKER XMG U706
Intel Core i7-6700K
4436 Points
Clevo P671RG
Intel Core i7-6820HK
3983 Points -10%
Clevo P671RG (OC 4 GHz)
Intel Core i7-6820HK
4353 Points -2%
64 Bit Multi-Core Score (sort by value)
SCHENKER XMG U706
Intel Core i7-6700K
17214 Points
Clevo P671RG
Intel Core i7-6820HK
14128 Points -18%
Clevo P671RG (OC 4 GHz)
Intel Core i7-6820HK
16750 Points -3%
Cinebench R10 Shading 32Bit
13558
Cinebench R10 Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit
25817
Cinebench R10 Rendering Single 32Bit
6531
Cinebench R10 Shading 64Bit
14010 Points
Cinebench R10 Rendering Multiple CPUs 64Bit
33740 Points
Cinebench R10 Rendering Single CPUs 64Bit
8600 Points
Cinebench R11.5 OpenGL 64Bit
78.6 fps
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Single 64Bit
1.97 Points
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Multi 64Bit
9.6 Points
Cinebench R15 Ref. Match 64Bit
99.6 %
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64Bit
127.6 fps
Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64Bit
173 Points
Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64Bit
875 Points
Help

Storage Devices

AS SSD benchmark
AS SSD benchmark
2.5-inch hard drive
2.5-inch hard drive

We will first look at the M.2 SSD in our review sample. It is the NVMe version of Samsung's SM951. NVMe is quickly replacing the older AHCI standard for the latest SSDs. Among other things, NVMe allows for faster multi-level memory access, more efficient multi-core CPU loads, and lower latency.

No matter whether due to the protocol, the controller or the interface: The SM951 downright disgraces all SSD contenders, and even outshines the RAID 0 array in MSI's GT72. The drive is lightning fast particularly in both sequential read (almost 2.0 GB/s) and write (almost 1.5 GB/s), and does not show weaknesses in small 4K files or the copy test. However, the buyer has to be able - and willing - to afford the surcharge of approximately 150 Euros (~$168) in contrast to a conventional 500 GB SSD like Samsung's Evo.

A 2 TB, 2.5-inch hard drive (Seagate/Samsung Spinpoint M9T) is also installed in the review sample. Its high capacity makes it perfect for storing videos, games and photos. A sequential transfer rate of 98 MB/s and an access time of 14.4 milliseconds is quite impressive for a 5400-rpm HDD, but naturally it is no comparison for the rates of the SSD.

SCHENKER XMG U706
Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
Asus G751JY
Samsung SSD XP941 MZHPU256HCGL
MSI GT72-2QE16SR21BW
2x Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ128G8NU (RAID 0)
Alienware 17 R2
Lite-On IT L8T-256L9G
AS SSD
-48%
-39%
-56%
Seq Read
1963
1138
-42%
1029
-48%
481.8
-75%
Seq Write
1492
740
-50%
884
-41%
424.2
-72%
4K Read
48.99
26
-47%
21.09
-57%
29.14
-41%
4K Write
141.7
70.2
-50%
74
-48%
59.9
-58%
4K-64 Read
1095
407.4
-63%
607
-45%
345.3
-68%
4K-64 Write
327.8
212.8
-35%
350.4
7%
259.2
-21%
Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
Transfer Rate Minimum: 1053 MB/s
Transfer Rate Maximum: 1241 MB/s
Transfer Rate Average: 1234 MB/s
Access Time: 0.1 ms
Burst Rate: 238.6 MB/s
CPU Usage: 3 %

System Performance

A high-end processor, PCIe SSD and plenty of working memory - the XMG U706 easily copes even with the most demanding applications and multitasking scenarios with this configuration. The performance advantage over the weaker competition is reflected most clearly in higher PCMark scores.

PCMark 7 - Score (sort by value)
SCHENKER XMG U706
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700K, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
6582 Points
Asus G751JY-T7009H
GeForce GTX 980M, 4710HQ, Samsung SSD XP941 MZHPU256HCGL
6325 Points -4%
MSI GT72-2QE16SR21BW
GeForce GTX 980M, 5700HQ, 2x Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ128G8NU (RAID 0)
5796 Points -12%
Alienware 17 R2
GeForce GTX 980M, 4980HQ, Lite-On IT L8T-256L9G
6622 Points +1%
SCHENKER XMG U705
GeForce GTX 970M, 4790, Samsung SM951 MZHPV256HDGL m.2 PCI-e
6847 Points +4%
PCMark 8
Home Score Accelerated v2 (sort by value)
SCHENKER XMG U706
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700K, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
5062 Points
Asus G751JY-T7009H
GeForce GTX 980M, 4710HQ, Samsung SSD XP941 MZHPU256HCGL
4854 Points -4%
Alienware 17 R2
GeForce GTX 980M, 4980HQ, Lite-On IT L8T-256L9G
4402 Points -13%
Creative Score Accelerated v2 (sort by value)
SCHENKER XMG U706
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700K, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
6980 Points
Asus G751JY-T7009H
GeForce GTX 980M, 4710HQ, Samsung SSD XP941 MZHPU256HCGL
5439 Points -22%
Work Score Accelerated v2 (sort by value)
SCHENKER XMG U706
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700K, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
5423 Points
Asus G751JY-T7009H
GeForce GTX 980M, 4710HQ, Samsung SSD XP941 MZHPU256HCGL
5041 Points -7%
Alienware 17 R2
GeForce GTX 980M, 4980HQ, Lite-On IT L8T-256L9G
5097 Points -6%
PCMark 7 Score
6582 points
PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2
5062 points
PCMark 8 Creative Score Accelerated v2
6980 points
PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2
5423 points
Help

Graphics Card

GeForce GTX 980M
GeForce GTX 980M

Like the recently introduced GeForce GTX 980 for laptops, the GeForce GTX 980M is also based on the Maxwell GM204 graphics chip. However, its Shader units have been reduced from 2048 to 1536. The clock rates of 1038 MHz (max. 1126 MHz incl. Boost) for the GPU and 1250 MHz for the 8 GB GDDR5 memory are also slightly lower than that of the top model. The bottom line: the GTX 980M lags a good 25 percent behind the GTX 980 while it outruns the GTX 970M by roughly 30 percent.

The 3D performance drops perceptibly in battery mode since both the processor (~2.3 GHz) and graphics card (fluctuating, ~700 MHz) reduce their speeds. In view of the exorbitant power consumption, gaming away from an outlet would only be short-lived fun even when using Nvidia's Battery Boost technology and artificially limiting the frame rates (and thus the hardware load).

GeForce GTX 980M GeForce GTX 970M GeForce GTX 980 (Desktop) GeForce GTX 980 (Notebook)

Process

28 nm 28 nm 28 nm 28 nm

Architecture

Maxwell (GM204) Maxwell (GM204) Maxwell (GM204) Maxwell (GM204)

ALUs

1536 1280 2048 2048

Core rate

1038 MHz + Boost 924 MHz + Boost 1126 MHz + Boost 1126 MHz + Boost

Memory interface

256 Bit (GDDR5) 192 Bit (GDDR5) 256 Bit (GDDR5) 256 Bit (GDDR5)

Storage capacity

4/8 GB 3/6 GB 4 GB 4/8 GB

Storage speed (eff.)

1250 MHz (5000 MHz) 1250 MHz (5000 MHz) 1750 MHz (7000 MHz) 1750 MHz (7000 MHz)

TDP

~100 W (?) ~80 W (?) 165 W <165 W

Compared with other GTX 980M devices, the XMG U706 not only strikes with its generous memory configuration but also with the support for G-Sync and the GPU design in MXM 3.0 format. The graphics card could thus theoretically be upgraded at a later date - providing that Nvidia's next Pascal generation also uses the same plug-in card standard.

3DMark - 1920x1080 Fire Strike Graphics (sort by value)
SCHENKER XMG U706
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M
9881 Points
Asus G751JY
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M
10093 Points +2%
MSI GT72-2QE16SR21BW
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M
9697 Points -2%
Alienware 17 R2
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M
9441 Points -4%
SCHENKER XMG U705
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M
7505 Points -24%
Clevo P870DM (GTX 980)
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop)
13340 Points +35%
3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance GPU (sort by value)
SCHENKER XMG U706
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M
12700 Points
Asus G751JY
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M
13045 Points +3%
MSI GT72-2QE16SR21BW
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M
12869 Points +1%
Alienware 17 R2
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M
11915 Points -6%
SCHENKER XMG U705
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M
10047 Points -21%
Clevo P870DM (GTX 980)
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop)
17292 Points +36%
3DMark 06 Standard Score
36363 points
3DMark Vantage P Result
37728 points
3DMark 11 Performance
12326 points
3DMark Ice Storm Standard Score
160881 points
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score
27998 points
3DMark Fire Strike Score
8741 points
3DMark Fire Strike Extreme Score
4458 points
Help

Gaming Performance

Nvidia G-Sync
Nvidia G-Sync

Even if the GeForce GTX 980M is now only the second fastest mobile graphics solution (providing the extremely energy-guzzling GTX 980 is deemed "mobile"), barely a current game really pushes the high-end GPU to its limits. Consequently, the screen's native resolution of 1920x1080 pixels can always be combined with maximum details and often AA/AF. The system even manages 4K monitors with marginal visual losses - as mentioned - via HDMI 2.0 or DisplayPort 1.2.

Should the frame rates drop into a critical range in single scenes at some point, the U706 has another ace up its sleeve: The video output between graphics card and display is synchronized via G-Sync. That prevents tearing and/or stuttering (when V-Sync is enabled), which still allows a smooth gameplay, even at just over 30 fps.

low med. high ultra4K
Tomb Raider (2013) 626 373.4 247.5 112.2
Metro: Last Light (2013) 164.3 161.8 126.9 69.1
Thief (2014) 136.9 126.7 114.4 64.5
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor (2014) 219.2 156 88.4 70.4
Dirt Rally (2015) 516 218.5 158.1 77.3
World of Warships (2015) 237.1 186.8 159.8 138.6 45.4

Emissions

System Noise

The powerful cooling system, composed of two fans and seven heat pipes, manages to discharge the produced waste heat relatively noiselessly despite the potent (desktop) hardware. The user can take pleasure in a virtually inaudible operating noise when the so-called Silent Mode is enabled via the preloaded Control Center (fan and hard drive inactive). However, the noise level of almost 31 dB(A) is extremely unobtrusive when one of the two fans occasionally run at minimum speed.

The speed gradually increases under load, and our measuring device records approximately 42 dB(A) in typical games. That is not a bad rate considering the available performance, although the somewhat high-frequency characteristic lessens the subjective impression a bit.

SCHENKER XMG U706
Intel Core i7-6700K, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M
Asus G751JY
Intel Core i7-4720HQ, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M
MSI GT72-2QE16SR21BW
Intel Core i7-5700HQ, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M
Alienware 17 R2
Intel Core i7-4980HQ, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M
SCHENKER XMG U705
Intel Core i7-4790, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M
Noise
-1%
-7%
-7%
-5%
Idle Minimum *
29
31.2
-8%
33.2
-14%
29.4
-1%
29.2
-1%
Idle Average *
30.8
33
-7%
33.6
-9%
30.8
-0%
32.6
-6%
Idle Maximum *
30.8
34.2
-11%
34.4
-12%
35
-14%
33.2
-8%
Load Average *
42.1
34.6
18%
39.3
7%
43.4
-3%
44.2
-5%
Load Maximum *
43.5
41.4
5%
46.4
-7%
51.6
-19%
45.4
-4%

* ... smaller is better

Noise Level

Idle
29 / 30.8 / 30.8 dB(A)
HDD
32.1 dB(A)
Load
42.1 / 43.5 dB(A)
  red to green bar
 
 
30 dB
silent
40 dB(A)
audible
50 dB(A)
loud
 
min: dark, med: mid, max: light   Voltcraft SL-451 (15 cm distance)

Temperature

A look at the temperature development proves that the cooling is not only quiet, but also efficient. The chassis gets at most lukewarm in idle mode. Full load causes local hot spots of up to 45 °C (113 °F) primarily in the center and rear areas, and up to 52 °C (125.6 °F) can be reached on the underside. However, the user will not notice much of that since the wrist rest only heats up insignificantly.

The temperatures inside the casing are more disconcerting, particularly the significant heat build-up in the processor during the stress test. In this case, it operates just below the allowable maximum of 100 °C (212 °F) despite minor throttling to 3.3 GHz. We therefore did not make use of the essentially available option of overclocking the i7-6700K even further. The GTX 980M does a better job; it remains just under 80 °C (176 °F) and barely exhibited any clock rate losses.

Stress test
Stress test
Prime95
Prime95
Practical full load
Practical full load
Max. Load
 36.9 °C
98 F
44.5 °C
112 F
37 °C
99 F
 
 34.5 °C
94 F
45.6 °C
114 F
36.1 °C
97 F
 
 26.1 °C
79 F
26.5 °C
80 F
24.9 °C
77 F
 
Maximum: 45.6 °C = 114 F
Average: 34.7 °C = 94 F
33.2 °C
92 F
44.5 °C
112 F
38.2 °C
101 F
32.7 °C
91 F
52.4 °C
126 F
35.5 °C
96 F
24.9 °C
77 F
28.2 °C
83 F
33.6 °C
92 F
Maximum: 52.4 °C = 126 F
Average: 35.9 °C = 97 F
Power Supply (max.)  57.1 °C = 135 F | Room Temperature 22.3 °C = 72 F | Fluke 62 Max
(±) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 34.7 °C / 94 F, compared to the average of 33.8 °C / 93 F for the devices in the class Gaming.
(-) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 45.6 °C / 114 F, compared to the average of 40.4 °C / 105 F, ranging from 21.2 to 68.8 °C for the class Gaming.
(-) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 52.4 °C / 126 F, compared to the average of 43.2 °C / 110 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 28.5 °C / 83 F, compared to the device average of 33.8 °C / 93 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are cooler than skin temperature with a maximum of 26.6 °C / 79.9 F and are therefore cool to the touch.
(+) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 28.9 °C / 84 F (+2.3 °C / 4.1 F).

Speakers

The surprisingly loud and strong, yet slightly muffled-sounding Onkyo speakers have likely been adopted from the predecessor without much modification, just like the casing. Actually, the U706 should also support Creative's software-based X-Fi MB5 sound enhancer. However, it did not function in our case (compatible audio device was not found). We assume that a future driver update will remedy this issue.

External speakers can be connected via the 3.5 millimeter jack (analog/digital or via optical S/PDIF out), HDMI or DisplayPort.

Energy Management

Power Consumption

While Alienware's 17 R2 is satisfied with less than 10 watts under ideal conditions when idle, the power consumption of the XMG U706 is always at least 22 watts or more. The desktop processor and lack of graphics switching takes its toll here. At least a clear progress compared with the Haswell model is evident as it consumed approximately 10 watts more in the same scenario.

Depending on the application, the load consumption climbs to 127 watts (3DMark 06) and up to 262 watts (stress test). However, the latter rate drops to around 223 watts after a short time. That is due to the aforementioned CPU throttling, and ensures that the power supply specified with an output performance of 230 watts can still be deemed sufficient for our high-end configuration.

Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0 / 0.3 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 22 / 28.9 / 29.8 Watt
Load midlight 126.8 / 261.6 Watt
 color bar
Key: min: dark, med: mid, max: light        Extech Power Analyzer 380803
Currently we use the Metrahit Energy, a professional single phase power quality and energy measurement digital multimeter, for our measurements. Find out more about it here. All of our test methods can be found here.

Battery Runtime

Matching the quite exorbitant power consumption, the big 82 Wh battery only supplies the U706 with at most middling runtimes. Much more than four hours are hardly possible even when using minimum screen brightness and the Windows desktop is idling. Determined users can deplete the battery in roughly one hour. The laptop lasts for almost three hours on battery power when only browsing the Internet via Wi-Fi or playing HD videos.

Reader's test
Reader's test
Wi-Fi test
Wi-Fi test
H.264 test
H.264 test
Classic test
Classic test
Battery charging
Battery charging
SCHENKER XMG U706
GeForce GTX 980M, 6700K, Samsung SM951 MZVPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
Asus G751JY
GeForce GTX 980M, 4720HQ, Samsung SSD XP941 MZHPU256HCGL
MSI GT72-2QE16SR21BW
GeForce GTX 980M, 5700HQ, 2x Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ128G8NU (RAID 0)
Alienware 17 R2
GeForce GTX 980M, 4980HQ, Lite-On IT L8T-256L9G
SCHENKER XMG U705
GeForce GTX 970M, 4790, Samsung SM951 MZHPV256HDGL m.2 PCI-e
Battery Runtime
0%
5%
122%
-6%
Reader / Idle
245
210
-14%
225
-8%
729
198%
138
-44%
Load
69
79
14%
81
17%
100
45%
91
32%
Battery Runtime
Idle (without WLAN, min brightness)
4h 05min
WiFi Websurfing
2h 54min
Big Buck Bunny H.264 1080p
2h 41min
Load (maximum brightness)
1h 9min

Pros

+ configurable hardware
+ multiple maintenance and upgrade options
+ generous interface diversity including USB 3.1 (Type C)
+ bright and high-contrast IPS screen
+ decent input devices
+ acceptable temperature and noise development
+ strong speakers
+ very high performance

Cons

- minor throttling in the stress test
- moderate battery life
- heavy and bulky casing
- high price

Verdict

In review: Schenker XMG U706 (Clevo P771DM). Test model courtesy of Schenker Technologies.
In review: Schenker XMG U706 (Clevo P771DM). Test model courtesy of Schenker Technologies.

"The best or nothing" - this motto of one of Germany's major automakers could also have been penned by the marketing strategists from Schenker and Clevo if the barebones were in need of a logo. The uncompromising configuration and performance of a modern DTR laptop is undoubtedly impressive providing that the buyer can (and wants) to pay the demanded purchase price.

Superlatives are found very quickly in our review sample: No matter whether processor, graphics card or storage device - all components come from the ultimate luxury division, and ensure correspondingly strong performance rates. However, the many small details that distinguish the XMG U706 from the competition excite us almost even more: G-Sync support, USB 3.1 Type C, fingerprint scanner, three 4K capable video outs, extensive upgrade options without risking loss of warranty - barely another device from this category offers that, at least not in this combination.

When looking for points of criticism, we are almost limited to the minor CPU throttling during high hardware load and the functional plastic casing that is disappointing, considering the price. The successful overall impression cannot mar that though. Schenker's XMG U706 definitely belongs to one of the currently best 17-inch DTRs on the market with a final rating of 89 percent.

SCHENKER XMG U706 - 02/24/2016 v5(old)
Till Schönborn

Chassis
76 / 98 → 78%
Keyboard
85%
Pointing Device
86%
Connectivity
68 / 81 → 84%
Weight
51 / 10-66 → 73%
Battery
67%
Display
88%
Games Performance
92%
Application Performance
98%
Temperature
86 / 95 → 91%
Noise
84 / 90 → 93%
Audio
82%
Average
80%
86%
Gaming - Weighted Average

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Till Schönborn, 2015-09-30 (Update: 2018-05-15)