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Schenker XMG Ultra 15 (i7-9700K, RTX 2070) Clevo P751TM1-G Laptop Review

Maintainable high-end performer. Schenker's XMG Ultra 15 features powerful hardware capable of running all current games smoothly. In addition, it comes with extensive upgrade and maintenance options - including the possibility to swap both the CPU and GPU.

Schenker’s current XMG Ultra 15 looks just like its predecessor, which came as no surprise given that it is still based on the exact same Clevo PM751TM1 barebone as before. However, the internal hardware has undergone serious modernization efforts, and in addition to Nvidia’s latest Turing GPU we also find Intel’s Coffee Lake-S processors. It should be noted that the latter is a desktop-class CPU and not its mobile counterpart. As before, the CPU and GPU are swappable and can be upgraded retroactively. Our review unit was equipped with a Core i7-9700K and a GeForce RTX 2070.

The amount of directly comparable competitors with swappable CPU and GPU is pretty limited. The Eurocom Tornado F5 Killer Edition comes to mind. Other competitors with 15-inch displays include the Alienware 15 R4, the Gigabyte Aero 15-X9, the Acer Predator Triton 500, and the Razer Blade 15. The last three feature Turing GPUs as well.

SCHENKER XMG Ultra 15 Turing
Processor
Intel Core i7-9700K 8 x 3.6 - 4.9 GHz, Coffee Lake-R, socketed
Graphics adapter
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile - 8 GB VRAM, Core: 1215 MHz, Memory: 1750 MHz, 256-bit GDDR6, ForceWare 419.17, no Optimus
Memory
32 GB 
, SO-DIMM DDR4-2666, dual-channel, four slots total (two used)
Display
15.60 inch 16:9, 1920 x 1080 pixel 141 PPI, AU Optronics B156HAN07.0 (AUO70ED), IPS, 144 Hz, G-Sync, glossy: no
Mainboard
Intel Z370 (Kaby Lake)
Storage
Samsung SSD 970 EVO Plus 1TB, 1024 GB 
, 2 M.2 slots (RAID 0/1 capable), 2 SATA III bays (RAID 0/1 capable)
Soundcard
Realtek ALC898 @ Intel Kaby Point PCH - High Definition Audio Controller
Connections
1 USB 2.0, 3 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, 2 USB 3.1 Gen2, 1 Thunderbolt, 1 HDMI, 3 DisplayPort, 1 Kensington Lock, Audio Connections: line-in, line-out, microphone-in, 2-in-1 audio out (headphones + optical S/PDIF), Card Reader: SD, SDHC, SDXC, Mini SD, MMC, RSMMC, 1 Fingerprint Reader, TPM 2.0
Networking
Killer E2500 Gigabit Ethernet Controller (10/100/1000MBit/s), Killer Wireless-AC 1550 Wireless Network Adapter (a/b/g/h/n = Wi-Fi 4/ac = Wi-Fi 5/), Bluetooth 5
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 38 x 386 x 262 ( = 1.5 x 15.2 x 10.31 in)
Battery
82 Wh, 5400 mAh Lithium-Ion, removeable, 14.8 V
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 10 Home 64 Bit
Camera
Webcam: FHD
Primary Camera: 2.1 MPix
Additional features
Speakers: 2.1, Keyboard: Chiclet, 3-zone RGB, Keyboard Light: yes, 330 W power supply, recovery DVD, driver DVD, 16 GB thumb drive, manual, keychain, one year Bullguard Internet security, Control Center, 36 Months Warranty
Weight
3.52 kg ( = 124.16 oz / 7.76 pounds), Power Supply: 1.246 kg ( = 43.95 oz / 2.75 pounds)
Price
3248 Euro
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

 

Case

This latest Schenker XMG Ultra 15 model is still based on the same Clevo PM751TM1 barebone as its predecessors. The entire chassis is made of matte-black plastic with a soft-touch rubber surface on the display lid and the top of the base unit. At 3.52 kg (7.76 lbs) the device turned out to be quite hefty - most of its competitors are both lighter and smaller. The reason, however, is very simple: The XMG Ultra 15 features a desktop-class CPU and a powerful high-end GPU, and therefore it requires a massive high-performance cooling system to keep its components in check. In addition, both the CPU and GPU are swappable and not soldered onto the motherboard.

Overall build quality was good. The gaps all around the case were consistent and we found no protruding edges anywhere on the device. Rigidity, on the other hand, was not quite as great. Despite its bulk and heft, the base unit turned out to be somewhat twistable, and the display lid even more so. However, we should note that overall rigidity has been improved over the XMG Ultra 15’s predecessor. The latter suffered from massive screen artifacts that lasted for several seconds when we attempted to twist and warp the lid. The new model only showed minor short-term color distortions. Applying pressure to the back resulted in ripple effects in a few chosen locations. The hinges were quite firm yet perfectly adjusted and fine-tuned to allow for one-handed opening of the lid.

Size Comparison

390 mm / 15.4 inch 266 mm / 10.5 inch 39.8 mm / 1.567 inch 3.1 kg6.72 lbs386 mm / 15.2 inch 262 mm / 10.3 inch 38 mm / 1.496 inch 3.5 kg7.76 lbs389 mm / 15.3 inch 305 mm / 12 inch 25 mm / 0.984 inch 3.5 kg7.75 lbs359 mm / 14.1 inch 255 mm / 10 inch 18 mm / 0.709 inch 2.1 kg4.73 lbs356 mm / 14 inch 250 mm / 9.84 inch 18.9 mm / 0.744 inch 2.1 kg4.67 lbs355 mm / 14 inch 235 mm / 9.25 inch 17.8 mm / 0.701 inch 2.1 kg4.63 lbs297 mm / 11.7 inch 210 mm / 8.27 inch 1 mm / 0.03937 inch 5.7 g0.01257 lbs

Connectivity

If there is one thing aplenty it is connectivity. The XMG Ultra 15 features a total of four USB-A ports (3x USB 3.1 Gen 1, 1x USB 2.0), one Thunderbolt 3 port carrying a DisplayPort signal, one USB-C 3.1 Gen 2 port, one HDMI 2.0 port, and two DisplayPort 1.4 ports. In other words: The 15.6-inch notebook comes with a total of four video-out ports.

Rights side: line-in, microphone-in, line-out, 2-in-1 audio (headphones + optical S/PDIF), USB 2.0 Type-A, USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A, cable lock
Rights side: line-in, microphone-in, line-out, 2-in-1 audio (headphones + optical S/PDIF), USB 2.0 Type-A, USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A, cable lock
Left side: Gigabit Ethernet, Thunderbolt 3, USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C, 2x USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A, card reader
Left side: Gigabit Ethernet, Thunderbolt 3, USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C, 2x USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A, card reader
Rear: HDMI 2.0, 2x Mini DisplayPort 1.4, power
Rear: HDMI 2.0, 2x Mini DisplayPort 1.4, power

SD Card Reader

The built-in 6-in-1 card reader is one of the fastest we’ve ever seen. When benchmarked with our 64 GB Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC UHS-II reference card it managed a maximum transfer speed of 212 MB/s while transferring large blocks of data and around 193 MB/s when copying 250 JPEG files at roughly 5 MB each. The competition performed similarly.

SD Card Reader
average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs)
Gigabyte Aero 15-X9
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
200 MB/s +4%
SCHENKER XMG Ultra 15 Turing
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
193 MB/s
SCHENKER XMG Ultra 15
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
185 MB/s -4%
Average of class Gaming
  (19 - 202, n=104, last 2 years)
98.2 MB/s -49%
maximum AS SSD Seq Read Test (1GB)
Gigabyte Aero 15-X9
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
242 MB/s +14%
SCHENKER XMG Ultra 15 Turing
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
212 MB/s
SCHENKER XMG Ultra 15
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
207 MB/s -2%
Average of class Gaming
  (26 - 269, n=95, last 2 years)
122.3 MB/s -42%

Communication

The Killer Wi-Fi module features an Intel Wireless-AC 9260 chip with support for 802.11a/b/g/h/n and ac. When benchmarked under optimal conditions (no other Wi-Fi devices nearby, short distance between notebook and server PC) data transfer speeds were more than decent. Wired communications are handled by a Killer E2500 Gigabit Ethernet controller, which worked flawlessly.

Networking
iperf3 transmit AX12
Average of class Gaming
  (865 - 1412, n=12, last 2 years)
1078 MBit/s +65%
Alienware 15 R4
Killer Wireless-AC 1550 Wireless Network Adapter
692 MBit/s +6%
Acer Predator Triton 500
Killer Wireless-AC 1550i Wireless Network Adapter (9560NGW)
683 MBit/s +4%
Gigabyte Aero 15-X9
Killer Wireless-AC 1550i Wireless Network Adapter (9560NGW)
680 MBit/s +4%
Razer Blade 15 RTX 2070 Max-Q
Intel Wireless-AC 9560
655 MBit/s 0%
SCHENKER XMG Ultra 15 Turing
Killer Wireless-AC 1550 Wireless Network Adapter
654 MBit/s
SCHENKER XMG Ultra 15
Intel Wireless-AC 9260
641 MBit/s -2%
iperf3 receive AX12
Average of class Gaming
  (708 - 1700, n=12, last 2 years)
1310 MBit/s +89%
SCHENKER XMG Ultra 15 Turing
Killer Wireless-AC 1550 Wireless Network Adapter
693 MBit/s
Alienware 15 R4
Killer Wireless-AC 1550 Wireless Network Adapter
690 MBit/s 0%
SCHENKER XMG Ultra 15
Intel Wireless-AC 9260
686 MBit/s -1%
Razer Blade 15 RTX 2070 Max-Q
Intel Wireless-AC 9560
684 MBit/s -1%
Gigabyte Aero 15-X9
Killer Wireless-AC 1550i Wireless Network Adapter (9560NGW)
678 MBit/s -2%
Acer Predator Triton 500
Killer Wireless-AC 1550i Wireless Network Adapter (9560NGW)
671 MBit/s -3%

Camera

The 2.1 MP camera features a native resolution of 1920x1080 and produced decent results.

Accessories

Schenker includes various accessories with its 15.6-inch XMG Ultra 15. In addition to a thick multi-language manual the manufacturer also includes a recovery DVD, a driver DVD, a 16 GB thumb drive containing the drivers and the manual as PDF, a key chain, a sticker, mounting frames for 2.5-inch hard disk drives, and a one-year license for Bullguard Internet Security for up to three computers.

Maintenance

Maintaining and upgrading the notebook turned out to be a piece of cake. There are two large maintenance openings at the bottom giving you access to the two SATA III bays as well as the two M.2 slots (one used), and two of the four RAM slots. The other two slots are hidden behind the removable keyboard. As mentioned before both the CPU and GPU are socketed and therefore swappable. However, we advise you to contact the manufacturer beforehand to make sure your hardware of choice is supported.

Warranty

By default, Schenker sells its devices with a three-year pickup and return warranty. You can save some money by opting for a 24-month warranty instead.

Input Devices

Keyboard

Unlike most other modern notebooks the XMG Ultra 15 does not have a chiclet keyboard. Instead, it features a regular keyboard with large 18 x 18 mm concave keycaps with medium travel, a well-defined accentuation point, and a very pleasant and agreeable level of resistance. The keyboard did not flex while typing, and it comes with a multi-level RGB backlight and a numpad. All things considered, the XMG Ultra 15 features a well-made and decent gaming keyboard usable for everyday tasks.

Touchpad

The multitouch-capable touchpad measured 10.7 x 6.2 cm and was therefore large enough for comfortable gesture input. Its surface was very smooth and precise. At the bottom edge we find two dedicated mouse buttons with medium travel and a well-defined accentuation point.

Input devices
Input devices

Display

Screen bleeding
Screen bleeding

The matte 15.6-inch display runs at a native resolution of 1920x1080. While its contrast ratio was very good (1.547:1), its brightness of just 264 nits was definitely too low for a device at this price point. We would have expected at least 300 nits. It also suffered from noticeable halations all around the edges that were even visible on non-black backgrounds. On a more positive note, we failed to detect any hints of PWM.

The 144 Hz panel supports Nvidia’s G-Sync technology which dynamically synchronizes the frame rates of the GPU and display in order to produce a smoother image when gaming.

265
cd/m²
281
cd/m²
275
cd/m²
251
cd/m²
263
cd/m²
256
cd/m²
261
cd/m²
258
cd/m²
269
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
AU Optronics B156HAN07.0 (AUO70ED) tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 281 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 264.3 cd/m² Minimum: 12 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 89 %
Center on Battery: 263 cd/m²
Contrast: 1547:1 (Black: 0.17 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 4.45 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5, calibrated: 1.93
ΔE Greyscale 4.77 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
93% sRGB (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
60% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
67.1% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
92.6% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
66.1% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.52
SCHENKER XMG Ultra 15 Turing
AU Optronics B156HAN07.0 (AUO70ED), IPS, 1920x1080
SCHENKER XMG Ultra 15
AU Optronics B156HTN05.2 (AUO52ED), TN, 1920x1080
Alienware 15 R4
LG Philips LP156WF6 (LGD0540), IPS, 1920x1080
Gigabyte Aero 15-X9
LGD05C0, IPS, 1920x1080
Razer Blade 15 RTX 2070 Max-Q
LG Philips LGD05C0, IPS, 1920x1080
Acer Predator Triton 500
AU Optronics B156HAN08.2 (AUO82ED), IPS, 1920x1080
Display
-1%
-5%
-2%
0%
-2%
Display P3 Coverage
66.1
66.8
1%
65.7
-1%
63.5
-4%
65.3
-1%
64.2
-3%
sRGB Coverage
92.6
90.7
-2%
86.4
-7%
93.1
1%
94.9
2%
92.6
0%
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage
67.1
66.3
-1%
63.1
-6%
64.5
-4%
66.3
-1%
65.7
-2%
Response Times
-1%
-101%
1%
7%
34%
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% *
17.6 ?(9.2, 8.4)
24.2 ?(13.4, 10.8)
-38%
37.6 ?(18.8, 18.8)
-114%
16.4 ?(8.8, 7.6)
7%
16.8 ?(9.2, 7.6)
5%
8 ?(4, 4)
55%
Response Time Black / White *
12.8 ?(7.6, 5.2)
8 ?(5.6, 2.4)
37%
24 ?(13.2, 10.8)
-88%
13.6 ?(8.4, 5.2)
-6%
11.6 ?(7.2, 4.4)
9%
11.2 ?(6, 5.2)
12%
PWM Frequency
20830 ?(99)
Screen
-47%
-14%
8%
-0%
-8%
Brightness middle
263
363
38%
292
11%
250
-5%
314.7
20%
304
16%
Brightness
264
365
38%
278
5%
235
-11%
312
18%
299
13%
Brightness Distribution
89
74
-17%
88
-1%
85
-4%
90
1%
89
0%
Black Level *
0.17
0.58
-241%
0.29
-71%
0.29
-71%
0.38
-124%
0.27
-59%
Contrast
1547
626
-60%
1007
-35%
862
-44%
828
-46%
1126
-27%
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
4.45
8.7
-96%
4.9
-10%
1.46
67%
2.56
42%
4.66
-5%
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. *
8.33
12.91
-55%
10.08
-21%
2.47
70%
4.89
41%
9.65
-16%
Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated *
1.93
2.36
-22%
2.27
-18%
1.71
11%
1.72
11%
Greyscale dE 2000 *
4.77
9.26
-94%
4.89
-3%
1.27
73%
3.4
29%
5.53
-16%
Gamma
2.52 87%
2.16 102%
2.36 93%
2.4 92%
2.3 96%
2.5 88%
CCT
7767 84%
9390 69%
7598 86%
6749 96%
6435 101%
8028 81%
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998)
60
59
-2%
56
-7%
60
0%
60.7
1%
60
0%
Color Space (Percent of sRGB)
93
91
-2%
86
-8%
93
0%
94.6
2%
93
0%
Total Average (Program / Settings)
-16% / -32%
-40% / -23%
2% / 5%
2% / 1%
8% / -1%

* ... smaller is better

Color accuracy was fairly decent out of the box already, and a DeltaE 2000 deviation of 4.45 for colors was fairly close to the ideal of less than 3. The blue tint was very minor and basically non-existent. We were able to improve upon accuracy through calibration and managed to reduce the DeltaE for colors to 1.93 and simultaneously improve grayscale balance. Color-space coverage was determined to be a very decent 93% sRGB and 60% Adobe RGB.

As usual you can find the ICC profile for download in the box above. Make sure that your unit features the exact same display as ours (make & model), otherwise you might end up decreasing instead of increasing color accuracy. Many manufacturers source more than just one display manufacturer for a particular notebook model.

CalMAN: grayscale
CalMAN: grayscale
CalMAN: saturation
CalMAN: saturation
CalMAN: ColorChecker
CalMAN: ColorChecker
CalMAN: grayscale (calibrated)
CalMAN: grayscale (calibrated)
CalMAN: saturation (calibrated)
CalMAN: saturation (calibrated)
CalMAN: ColorChecker (calibrated)
CalMAN: ColorChecker (calibrated)
XMG Ultra 15 vs. sRGB (93%)
XMG Ultra 15 vs. sRGB (93%)
Subpixel array
Subpixel array
XMG Ultra 15 vs. AdobeRGB (60%)
XMG Ultra 15 vs. AdobeRGB (60%)

Display Response Times

Display response times show how fast the screen is able to change from one color to the next. Slow response times can lead to afterimages and can cause moving objects to appear blurry (ghosting). Gamers of fast-paced 3D titles should pay special attention to fast response times.
       Response Time Black to White
12.8 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 7.6 ms rise
↘ 5.2 ms fall
The screen shows good response rates in our tests, but may be too slow for competitive gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 28 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (21.6 ms).
       Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey
17.6 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 9.2 ms rise
↘ 8.4 ms fall
The screen shows good response rates in our tests, but may be too slow for competitive gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.2 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 26 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (33.9 ms).

Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)

To dim the screen, some notebooks will simply cycle the backlight on and off in rapid succession - a method called Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) . This cycling frequency should ideally be undetectable to the human eye. If said frequency is too low, users with sensitive eyes may experience strain or headaches or even notice the flickering altogether.
Screen flickering / PWM not detected

In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 18100 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured.

Thanks to the IPS panel the display remained readable even at odd and acute angles. It was bright enough for indoor usage; however, we ran into noticeable trouble outdoors, particularly in bright sunshine.

XMG Ultra 15 outdoors (in direct sunlight)
XMG Ultra 15 outdoors (in direct sunlight)
XMG Ultra 15 outdoors (sun behind the device)
XMG Ultra 15 outdoors (sun behind the device)
Viewing angles
Viewing angles

Performance

Schenker’s XMG Ultra 15 is a 15.6-inch high-end gaming notebook. The device can be freely and individually configured, and it even offers an optional LTE modem. Not only was it capable of running all current games very smoothly, but it also had no trouble whatsoever with everyday applications thanks to its powerful hardware. It starts at around 2,100 Euros (~$2,378), but our particular review unit clocked in at around 3,200 Euros (~$3,624). Expect to pay more than 4,000 Euros (~$4,530) with all the configuration boxes ticked.

CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
GPU-Z
HWInfo
LatencyMon
Intel XTU
 

Test Conditions

The preinstalled Control Center software allows for fan management and energy profile adjustments as well as CPU, GPU, and RAM overclocking. For the purpose of our benchmarks, we set the fan profile to “Auto” and disabled overclocking.

Processor

Intel’s Core i7-9700K Coffee-Lake octa-core CPU is not a mobile processor, it is a desktop-class CPU with a TDP of 95 W. It is not soldered onto the motherboard either but is socketed, and it can therefore be replaced if so desired. It runs at a base clock speed of 3.6 GHz and is capable of turbo-boosting up to 4.6 GHz (six to eight cores), 4.7 GHz (four cores), 4.8 GHz (two cores), or 4.9 GHz (one core) dynamically and on demand. Hyper-Threading, which would effectively double the amount of cores, is not supported. The CPU can be easily overclocked thanks to its open multiplicator.

In our Cinebench multithread test the CPU ran at 4.6 GHz. In the single-thread test, it oscillated between 4.6 and 4.9 GHz. On battery, it clocked down to just 2.5-2.9 GHz (multithread) and 2.5-4.9 GHz (single-thread), respectively.

Single-core rendering
Single-core rendering
Multi-core rendering
Multi-core rendering
GPU load
GPU load

We run Cinebench R15’s multithread test in a loop for at least 30 minutes in order to determine whether or not a CPU is capable of maintaining its turbo boost over long periods of sustained load. In case of the XMG Ultra 15 we noticed a slight dip between the first and second run, after which the scores stabilized at a very high level. Throughout the test, the CPU ran very close to its maximum turbo-boost speed.

075150225300375450525600675750825900975105011251200127513501425Tooltip
SCHENKER XMG Ultra 15 Turing Intel Core i7-9700K, Intel Core i7-9700K: Ø1449 (1441.6-1465.07)
SCHENKER XMG Ultra 15 Intel Core i5-8600K, Intel Core i5-8600K: Ø988 (976.37-994.09)
Alienware 15 R4 Intel Core i9-8950HK, Intel Core i9-8950HK: Ø1064 (1038.8-1083)
Gigabyte Aero 15-X9 Intel Core i7-8750H, Intel Core i7-8750H: Ø1095 (1087.31-1156.25)
Acer Predator Triton 500 Intel Core i7-8750H, Intel Core i7-8750H: Ø980 (961.82-1019.05)
Razer Blade 15 RTX 2070 Max-Q Intel Core i7-8750H, Intel Core i7-8750H: Ø922 (913.2-999)
CPU clock speeds while running our CB15 loop
CPU clock speeds while running our CB15 loop
Cinebench R10 Rendering Single 32Bit
7682
Cinebench R10 Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit
42677
Cinebench R10 Shading 32Bit
14667
Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64Bit
203 Points
Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64Bit
1465 Points
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64Bit
140.9 fps
Cinebench R15 Ref. Match 64Bit
99.6 %
Help
Cinebench R15
CPU Single 64Bit
Average of class Gaming
  (79.2 - 318, n=245, last 2 years)
265 Points +31%
SCHENKER XMG Ultra 15 Turing
Intel Core i7-9700K
203 Points
Alienware 15 R4
Intel Core i9-8950HK
197 Points -3%
SCHENKER XMG Ultra 15
Intel Core i5-8600K
181 Points -11%
Acer Predator Triton 500
Intel Core i7-8750H
176 Points -13%
Razer Blade 15 RTX 2070 Max-Q
Intel Core i7-8750H
174 Points -14%
Gigabyte Aero 15-X9
Intel Core i7-8750H
166 Points -18%
CPU Multi 64Bit
Average of class Gaming
  (400 - 5663, n=247, last 2 years)
2988 Points +104%
SCHENKER XMG Ultra 15 Turing
Intel Core i7-9700K
1465 Points
Gigabyte Aero 15-X9
Intel Core i7-8750H
1156 Points -21%
Alienware 15 R4
Intel Core i9-8950HK
1083 Points -26%
Acer Predator Triton 500
Intel Core i7-8750H
1019 Points -30%
Razer Blade 15 RTX 2070 Max-Q
Intel Core i7-8750H
999 Points -32%
SCHENKER XMG Ultra 15
Intel Core i5-8600K
991 Points -32%
Cinebench R10
Rendering Single 32Bit
Average of class Gaming
  (5847 - 15819, n=24, last 2 years)
9035 Points +18%
SCHENKER XMG Ultra 15 Turing
Intel Core i7-9700K
7682 Points
SCHENKER XMG Ultra 15
Intel Core i5-8600K
6875 Points -11%
Gigabyte Aero 15-X9
Intel Core i7-8750H
6351 Points -17%
Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit
Average of class Gaming
  (35806 - 112749, n=24, last 2 years)
59061 Points +38%
SCHENKER XMG Ultra 15 Turing
Intel Core i7-9700K
42677 Points
Gigabyte Aero 15-X9
Intel Core i7-8750H
33923 Points -21%
SCHENKER XMG Ultra 15
Intel Core i5-8600K
32863 Points -23%
Geekbench 3
32 Bit Multi-Core Score
SCHENKER XMG Ultra 15 Turing
Intel Core i7-9700K
27774 Points
Gigabyte Aero 15-X9
Intel Core i7-8750H
21358 Points -23%
SCHENKER XMG Ultra 15
Intel Core i5-8600K
18970 Points -32%
32 Bit Single-Core Score
SCHENKER XMG Ultra 15 Turing
Intel Core i7-9700K
4825 Points
SCHENKER XMG Ultra 15
Intel Core i5-8600K
4217 Points -13%
Gigabyte Aero 15-X9
Intel Core i7-8750H
3741 Points -22%
Geekbench 4.0
64 Bit Multi-Core Score
Average of class Gaming
  (31808 - 41034, n=3, last 2 years)
36990 Points +40%
SCHENKER XMG Ultra 15 Turing
Intel Core i7-9700K
26471 Points
Gigabyte Aero 15-X9
Intel Core i7-8750H
17795 Points -33%
64 Bit Single-Core Score
Average of class Gaming
  (6453 - 7348, n=3, last 2 years)
6951 Points +21%
SCHENKER XMG Ultra 15 Turing
Intel Core i7-9700K
5744 Points
Gigabyte Aero 15-X9
Intel Core i7-8750H
4692 Points -18%
Geekbench 4.4
64 Bit Multi-Core Score
Average of class Gaming
  (27071 - 71700, n=28, last 2 years)
47975 Points +67%
SCHENKER XMG Ultra 15 Turing
Intel Core i7-9700K
28792 Points
Gigabyte Aero 15-X9
Intel Core i7-8750H
18716 Points -35%
64 Bit Single-Core Score
Average of class Gaming
  (5812 - 8936, n=28, last 2 years)
7514 Points +27%
SCHENKER XMG Ultra 15 Turing
Intel Core i7-9700K
5925 Points
Gigabyte Aero 15-X9
Intel Core i7-8750H
4810 Points -19%
Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total
Gigabyte Aero 15-X9
Intel Core i7-8750H (Edge 44)
1138 ms * -20%
Razer Blade 15 RTX 2070 Max-Q
Intel Core i7-8750H (Edge 44.17763.1.0)
1126 ms * -19%
SCHENKER XMG Ultra 15
Intel Core i5-8600K (Edge 41)
1022 ms * -8%
SCHENKER XMG Ultra 15 Turing
Intel Core i7-9700K (Edge 44)
948 ms *
Average of class Gaming
  (421 - 882, n=217, last 2 years)
526 ms * +45%
Octane V2 - Total Score
Average of class Gaming
  (66558 - 111243, n=51, last 2 years)
90966 Points +117%
SCHENKER XMG Ultra 15 Turing
Intel Core i7-9700K (Edge 44)
41962 Points
Gigabyte Aero 15-X9
Intel Core i7-8750H (Edge 44)
33659 Points -20%
Razer Blade 15 RTX 2070 Max-Q
Intel Core i7-8750H (Edge 44.17763.1.0)
30594 Points -27%
JetStream 1.1 - Total Score
Average of class Gaming
  (356 - 639, n=27, last 2 years)
478 Points +61%
SCHENKER XMG Ultra 15 Turing
Intel Core i7-9700K (Edge 44)
297.2 Points
Razer Blade 15 RTX 2070 Max-Q
Intel Core i7-8750H (Edge 44.17763.1.0)
255.9 Points -14%
SCHENKER XMG Ultra 15
Intel Core i5-8600K (Edge 41)
255.6 Points -14%
Gigabyte Aero 15-X9
Intel Core i7-8750H (Edge 44)
245.4 Points -17%

* ... smaller is better

System Performance

Overall system performance was very smooth, and we did not encounter any problems during everyday use. Considering the device’s hardware it came as no surprise that the 15-inch notebook was more than powerful enough for all common usage scenarios, be that gaming, video-editing, or photo-editing. This was further corroborated by the XMG Ultra 15’s great PCMark benchmark scores.

PCMark 10
PCMark 10
PCMark 7 Score
8114 points
PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2
5485 points
PCMark 8 Creative Score Accelerated v2
6780 points
PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2
6258 points
PCMark 10 Score
6868 points
Help
PCMark 10 - Score
Average of class Gaming
  (4477 - 9852, n=206, last 2 years)
7542 Points +10%
SCHENKER XMG Ultra 15 Turing
GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-9700K, Samsung SSD 970 EVO Plus 1TB
6868 Points
Alienware 15 R4
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i9-8950HK, Toshiba XG5 KXG50ZNV256G
6008 Points -13%
Acer Predator Triton 500
GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-8750H, 2x WDC PC SN720 SDAPNTW-256G-1014 (RAID 0)
5883 Points -14%
SCHENKER XMG Ultra 15
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i5-8600K, Samsung SSD 960 Evo 500GB m.2 NVMe
5779 Points -16%
Razer Blade 15 RTX 2070 Max-Q
GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
5416 Points -21%
Gigabyte Aero 15-X9
GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Intel SSD 760p SSDPEKKW010T8
5353 Points -22%
PCMark 8
Home Score Accelerated v2
Alienware 15 R4
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i9-8950HK, Toshiba XG5 KXG50ZNV256G
5541 Points +1%
SCHENKER XMG Ultra 15
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i5-8600K, Samsung SSD 960 Evo 500GB m.2 NVMe
5512 Points 0%
SCHENKER XMG Ultra 15 Turing
GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-9700K, Samsung SSD 970 EVO Plus 1TB
5485 Points
Average of class Gaming
  (3570 - 6657, n=37, last 2 years)
5218 Points -5%
Gigabyte Aero 15-X9
GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Intel SSD 760p SSDPEKKW010T8
4338 Points -21%
Razer Blade 15 RTX 2070 Max-Q
GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
4150 Points -24%
Work Score Accelerated v2
SCHENKER XMG Ultra 15 Turing
GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-9700K, Samsung SSD 970 EVO Plus 1TB
6258 Points
Average of class Gaming
  (4622 - 7085, n=36, last 2 years)
6071 Points -3%
Gigabyte Aero 15-X9
GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Intel SSD 760p SSDPEKKW010T8
5645 Points -10%
Alienware 15 R4
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i9-8950HK, Toshiba XG5 KXG50ZNV256G
5632 Points -10%
SCHENKER XMG Ultra 15
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i5-8600K, Samsung SSD 960 Evo 500GB m.2 NVMe
5618 Points -10%
Razer Blade 15 RTX 2070 Max-Q
GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
5607 Points -10%

Storage Devices

One of the main reasons for the device’s fast and smooth performance was its SSD, which is an M.2-2280 Samsung 970 Evo Plus - one of the fastest NVMe SSDs currently available. Its high transfer speeds are possible thanks to a PCIe 3.0 x4 connection. SATA III SSDs tend to perform much slower and top out at 600 MB/s.

Out of the box, the 1 TB SSD reported around 891 GB of free storage space available to the user. The rest is used by the recovery partition and the Windows installation.

Possibilities for storage expansion are aplenty. In addition to a second M.2-2280 slot, the XMG Ultra 15 also features two 2.5-inch SATA III bays, and the required mounting frames and screws are included by default. Both storage options, the M.2 slots as well as the SATA III ports, are RAID 0/1 capable.

Samsung SSD 970 EVO Plus 1TB
Sequential Read: 1895 MB/s
Sequential Write: 1773 MB/s
512K Read: 1155 MB/s
512K Write: 1320 MB/s
4K Read: 68.1 MB/s
4K Write: 160 MB/s
4K QD32 Read: 620 MB/s
4K QD32 Write: 522 MB/s
SCHENKER XMG Ultra 15 Turing
Samsung SSD 970 EVO Plus 1TB
SCHENKER XMG Ultra 15
Samsung SSD 960 Evo 500GB m.2 NVMe
Alienware 15 R4
Toshiba XG5 KXG50ZNV256G
Gigabyte Aero 15-X9
Intel SSD 760p SSDPEKKW010T8
Razer Blade 15 RTX 2070 Max-Q
Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
Acer Predator Triton 500
2x WDC PC SN720 SDAPNTW-256G-1014 (RAID 0)
CrystalDiskMark 5.2 / 6
-5%
-27%
-15%
-16%
-2%
Write 4K
129.9
147.7
14%
96.8
-25%
97.1
-25%
93.9
-28%
93.6
-28%
Read 4K
47.15
44.02
-7%
35.73
-24%
53.7
14%
40.56
-14%
38.82
-18%
Write Seq
1840
1641
-11%
362.3
-80%
1526
-17%
1468
-20%
2455
33%
Read Seq
1775
1830
3%
2110
19%
2020
14%
1540
-13%
2107
19%
Write 4K Q32T1
294.5
325.9
11%
318.6
8%
285.6
-3%
293.5
0%
298.7
1%
Read 4K Q32T1
373.6
369.1
-1%
366.7
-2%
321.8
-14%
346
-7%
338.7
-9%
Write Seq Q32T1
3295
1847
-44%
351
-89%
1533
-53%
1941
-41%
2902
-12%
Read Seq Q32T1
3535
3344
-5%
2813
-20%
2351
-33%
3266
-8%
3536
0%

GPU Performance

The XMG Ultra 15 is one of the few remaining notebooks with a swappable GPU. Our review unit was equipped with a GeForce RTX 2070, and alternatives include an RTX 2060 and RTX 2080. All three GPUs are based on Nvidia’s Turing architecture.

The RTX 2070 supports DirectX 12 and runs at up to 1,905 MHz. However, the notebook is not capable of maintaining this high level of performance for long periods of time. On average, the GPU’s clock speed was determined to be around 1,590 MHz. It has access to 8 GB of GDDR6 VRAM, and 3DMark benchmark results were fairly good. Overall, the Ultra 15 performed slightly better than its GTX 1070-equipped predecessor.

The integrated UHD Graphics 630 is disabled by default, and the notebook does not support on-demand graphics-switching (aka Nvidia Optimus). Thus, the RTX 2070 is the only GPU available and visible to the operating system.

Fire Strike Ultra
Fire Strike Ultra
Time Spy
Time Spy
Port Royal
Port Royal
3DMark 06 Standard Score
43781 points
3DMark 11 Performance
22748 points
3DMark Ice Storm Standard Score
227837 points
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score
43983 points
3DMark Fire Strike Score
18616 points
3DMark Time Spy Score
7832 points
Help
3DMark
1920x1080 Fire Strike Graphics
Average of class Gaming
  (781 - 53059, n=248, last 2 years)
29013 Points +40%
SCHENKER XMG Ultra 15 Turing
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile
20759 Points
SCHENKER XMG Ultra 15
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile
18935 Points -9%
Razer Blade 15 RTX 2070 Max-Q
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q
18153 Points -13%
Alienware 15 R4
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile
17675 Points -15%
Gigabyte Aero 15-X9
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q
17598 Points -15%
2560x1440 Time Spy Graphics
Average of class Gaming
  (224 - 22547, n=246, last 2 years)
11809 Points +51%
SCHENKER XMG Ultra 15 Turing
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile
7815 Points
Razer Blade 15 RTX 2070 Max-Q
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q
6728 Points -14%
Gigabyte Aero 15-X9
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q
6562 Points -16%
2560x1440 Port Royal Graphics
Average of class Gaming
  (280 - 14457, n=163, last 2 years)
7581 Points +82%
SCHENKER XMG Ultra 15 Turing
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile
4155 Points
Razer Blade 15 RTX 2070 Max-Q
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q
3679 Points -11%
Gigabyte Aero 15-X9
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q
3557 Points -14%
3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance GPU
Average of class Gaming
  (1029 - 72070, n=244, last 2 years)
39642 Points +47%
Acer Predator Triton 500
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q
28083 Points +4%
SCHENKER XMG Ultra 15 Turing
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile
26975 Points
SCHENKER XMG Ultra 15
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile
24873 Points -8%
Alienware 15 R4
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile
23308 Points -14%
Razer Blade 15 RTX 2070 Max-Q
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q
22723 Points -16%
Gigabyte Aero 15-X9
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q
22089 Points -18%

Gaming Performance

Our review unit was capable of running all current games smoothly at 1920x1080 and maximum details. Higher resolutions are possible on external displays, although some games might require reduced details in that case.

low med. high ultra
BioShock Infinite (2013) 400.7 346 320.9 187.8
The Witcher 3 (2015) 331.2 223.1 128.4 73
Batman: Arkham Knight (2015) 214 202 159 108
Ashes of the Singularity (2016) 112.4 102 98.6
Civilization VI (2016) 224.1 163.6 129.8 121.1
Destiny 2 (2017) 206.1 181.2 169.5 144.5
X-Plane 11.11 (2018) 128.4 114.1 92.5
Far Cry 5 (2018) 147 125 115 109
The Witcher 3 - 1920x1080 Ultra Graphics & Postprocessing (HBAO+)
Average of class Gaming
  (8.61 - 216, n=243, last 2 years)
114.3 fps +57%
Acer Predator Triton 500
GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-8750H
76.5 (63min) fps +5%
SCHENKER XMG Ultra 15 Turing
GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-9700K
73 (60min) fps
Razer Blade 15 RTX 2070 Max-Q
GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-8750H
68.9 fps -6%
SCHENKER XMG Ultra 15
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i5-8600K
65.3 fps -11%
Alienware 15 R4
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i9-8950HK
59.5 fps -18%
Gigabyte Aero 15-X9
GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-8750H
58.3 (48min) fps -20%
BioShock Infinite - 1920x1080 Ultra Preset, DX11 (DDOF)
SCHENKER XMG Ultra 15 Turing
GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-9700K
187.8 fps
Razer Blade 15 RTX 2070 Max-Q
GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-8750H
152.5 fps -19%
Gigabyte Aero 15-X9
GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-8750H
127.7 fps -32%
Far Cry 5 - 1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:T
Average of class Gaming
  (14 - 218, n=133, last 2 years)
124.4 fps +14%
SCHENKER XMG Ultra 15 Turing
GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-9700K
109 fps
Alienware 15 R4
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i9-8950HK
88 fps -19%
Gigabyte Aero 15-X9
GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-8750H
67 fps -39%

In order to determine whether or not a device is capable of maintaining a high level of GPU performance over long periods of time, we start The Witcher 3 in FHD resolution and maximum settings and leave it running for around 60 minutes without moving the avatar. We did not notice any drops in the resulting frame rates.

05101520253035404550556065707580Tooltip
SCHENKER XMG Ultra 15 Turing GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-9700K, Samsung SSD 970 EVO Plus 1TB: Ø74.3 (70-77)
SCHENKER XMG Ultra 15 GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i5-8600K, Samsung SSD 960 Evo 500GB m.2 NVMe: Ø62.6 (59-67)
Alienware 15 R4 GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i9-8950HK, Toshiba XG5 KXG50ZNV256G: Ø59.6 (54-64)
Acer Predator Triton 500 GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-8750H, 2x WDC PC SN720 SDAPNTW-256G-1014 (RAID 0): Ø76.1 (70-81)
Razer Blade 15 RTX 2070 Max-Q GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ: Ø62.2 (57-70)
Gigabyte Aero 15-X9 GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Intel SSD 760p SSDPEKKW010T8: Ø51.3 (44-61)

Emissions

System Noise

When idle, the fans run very slowly, and the resulting level of noise is tolerable. However, all hell breaks loose under load, and the sound pressure level maxes out at 59 dB(A) during our stress test. It was not much better when gaming, as we quickly found out when running The Witcher 3 while enjoying a 57 dB(A) loud wall of fan noise. Gaming without a headset is thus not really enjoyable or recommendable. Truth be told we were surprised by the loud fans given the comparatively low temperatures of just 60 °C for the CPU and 70 °C for the GPU. Other Turing-equipped notebooks are much quieter.

System noise idle
System noise idle
System noise load
System noise load
System noise speaker
System noise speaker

Noise Level

Idle
32 / 33 / 36 dB(A)
Load
55 / 59 dB(A)
  red to green bar
 
 
30 dB
silent
40 dB(A)
audible
50 dB(A)
loud
 
min: dark, med: mid, max: light   Audix TM1, Arta (15 cm distance)   environment noise: 30 dB(A)
SCHENKER XMG Ultra 15 Turing
i7-9700K, GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile
SCHENKER XMG Ultra 15
i5-8600K, GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile
Alienware 15 R4
i9-8950HK, GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile
Acer Predator Triton 500
i7-8750H, GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q
Gigabyte Aero 15-X9
i7-8750H, GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q
Razer Blade 15 RTX 2070 Max-Q
i7-8750H, GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q
Average of class Gaming
 
Noise
3%
-0%
11%
9%
18%
17%
off / environment *
30
30
-0%
29
3%
29
3%
30
-0%
28.8
4%
24.1 ?(19.5 - 29.9, n=192, last 2 years)
20%
Idle Minimum *
32
32
-0%
32
-0%
30
6%
32
-0%
28.8
10%
25.6 ?(21.9 - 41.6, n=193, last 2 years)
20%
Idle Average *
33
33
-0%
33
-0%
32
3%
34
-3%
28.8
13%
27.4 ?(21.9 - 42.1, n=193, last 2 years)
17%
Idle Maximum *
36
35
3%
50
-39%
34
6%
36
-0%
29.4
18%
30.8 ?(21.9 - 47, n=193, last 2 years)
14%
Load Average *
55
46
16%
50
9%
44
20%
42
24%
35.7
35%
43.2 ?(25.2 - 62.9, n=193, last 2 years)
21%
Witcher 3 ultra *
57
54
5%
51
11%
46
19%
44
23%
42.5
25%
Load Maximum *
59
62
-5%
51
14%
47
20%
48
19%
45
24%
53.3 ?(42.1 - 68.2, n=193, last 2 years)
10%

* ... smaller is better

Temperature

Our stress test (Prime95 and FurMark running simultaneously for at least a full hour) was completed differently on battery and on mains. When connected to external power, the CPU ran at between 4 and 4.2 GHz throughout the test, while the GPU clocked at 1,290 MHz. On battery, the CPU ran at a very consistent 2 GHz while the GPU ran at between 1,000 and 1,500 MHz.

By and large, the notebook remained comparatively cool with temperatures of less than 50 °C when running our stress test. It remained even cooler during our The Witcher 3 test, in which we run the game for a full hour in FHD with maximum details. Temperatures were thus fairly low during day to day use.

The Witcher 3
The Witcher 3
Stress test
Stress test
Full load (top)
Full load (top)
Full load (bottom)
Full load (bottom)
Max. Load
 43 °C
109 F
44 °C
111 F
37 °C
99 F
 
 44 °C
111 F
45 °C
113 F
38 °C
100 F
 
 32 °C
90 F
34 °C
93 F
27 °C
81 F
 
Maximum: 45 °C = 113 F
Average: 38.2 °C = 101 F
45 °C
113 F
43 °C
109 F
48 °C
118 F
40 °C
104 F
39 °C
102 F
36 °C
97 F
26 °C
79 F
27 °C
81 F
26 °C
79 F
Maximum: 48 °C = 118 F
Average: 36.7 °C = 98 F
Power Supply (max.)  45 °C = 113 F | Room Temperature 20 °C = 68 F | Voltcraft IR-900
(-) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 38.2 °C / 101 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 °C / 113 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 48 °C / 118 F, compared to the average of 43.2 °C / 110 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 28.7 °C / 84 F, compared to the device average of 33.8 °C / 93 F.
(±) Playing The Witcher 3, the average temperature for the upper side is 32.3 °C / 90 F, compared to the device average of 33.8 °C / 93 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are reaching skin temperature as a maximum (34 °C / 93.2 F) and are therefore not hot.
(-) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 28.9 °C / 84 F (-5.1 °C / -9.2 F).
SCHENKER XMG Ultra 15 Turing
i7-9700K, GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile
SCHENKER XMG Ultra 15
i5-8600K, GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile
Alienware 15 R4
i9-8950HK, GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile
Acer Predator Triton 500
i7-8750H, GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q
Gigabyte Aero 15-X9
i7-8750H, GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q
Razer Blade 15 RTX 2070 Max-Q
i7-8750H, GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q
Average of class Gaming
 
Heat
2%
-30%
-13%
-11%
3%
-5%
Maximum Upper Side *
45
42
7%
53
-18%
49
-9%
56
-24%
49
-9%
46.2 ?(28.2 - 61, n=193, last 2 years)
-3%
Maximum Bottom *
48
50
-4%
68
-42%
58
-21%
66
-38%
49
-2%
49.6 ?(30 - 66.3, n=193, last 2 years)
-3%
Idle Upper Side *
30
29
3%
39
-30%
33
-10%
27
10%
25.4
15%
31.6 ?(21.2 - 43, n=193, last 2 years)
-5%
Idle Bottom *
30
29
3%
39
-30%
33
-10%
27
10%
27.2
9%
32.7 ?(22.6 - 45, n=193, last 2 years)
-9%

* ... smaller is better

Speakers

The speakers were surprisingly voluminous and enjoyable even for long periods of time. However, we would have wished for a better reproduction of bass. As always, headphones and external speakers offer a much better audio experience.

dB(A) 0102030405060708090Deep BassMiddle BassHigh BassLower RangeMidsHigher MidsLower HighsMid HighsUpper HighsSuper Highs2043.544.22538.639.73131.232.24035.237.45028.428.86326.329.18025.830.310026.736.512524.237.416022.750.520025.658.325026.361.731521.763.74002061.550018.859.96301858.980018.261.8100017.964125019.164.7160018.162.9200017.265.5250017.767.4315017.767.6400017.565.5500017.765630017.665.8800017.563.81000017.5611250017.3581600017.349.3SPL30.576.8N1.440.8median 18median 61.8Delta1.54.73839.734.236.729.430.734.833.427.427.225.128.226.83126.936.226.638.324.151.6276027.663.122.762.820.163.318.860.818.560.717.961.518.463.217.362.217.263.717.16717.766.417.565.917.363.617.363.417.464.317.462.217.559.217.453.517.351.530.4761.539.4median 17.7median 62.22.74.641.544.434.337.529.231.333.933.22831.724.73528.131.227.337.624.939.222.745.523.550.324.357.3216219.265.118.568.518.472.217.778.517.880.417.279.7177517.175.517.172.217.370.717.173.717.274.417.271.417.168.417.269.51768.316.961.729.887.11.369.7median 17.3median 69.71.96.7hearing rangehide median Pink NoiseSCHENKER XMG Ultra 15 TuringSCHENKER XMG Ultra 15Alienware 15 R4
Frequency diagram (checkboxes can be checked and unchecked to compare devices)
SCHENKER XMG Ultra 15 Turing audio analysis

(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (77 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(±) | reduced bass - on average 11.1% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (12.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 1.9% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (4.3% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 3.6% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (3.3% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(+) | overall sound is linear (14.5% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 25% of all tested devices in this class were better, 7% similar, 69% worse
» The best had a delta of 6%, average was 18%, worst was 132%
Compared to all devices tested
» 15% of all tested devices were better, 3% similar, 82% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

SCHENKER XMG Ultra 15 audio analysis

(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (76 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(±) | reduced bass - on average 10.7% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (12.1% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 1.5% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (3.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 2.2% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (3.1% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(+) | overall sound is linear (13.3% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 17% of all tested devices in this class were better, 5% similar, 78% worse
» The best had a delta of 6%, average was 18%, worst was 132%
Compared to all devices tested
» 10% of all tested devices were better, 2% similar, 87% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Alienware 15 R4 audio analysis

(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (87 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 21% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (9.8% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | higher mids - on average 6.1% higher than median
(+) | mids are linear (5.8% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 2.2% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (4.3% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (16.6% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 40% of all tested devices in this class were better, 7% similar, 53% worse
» The best had a delta of 6%, average was 18%, worst was 132%
Compared to all devices tested
» 24% of all tested devices were better, 5% similar, 71% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Energy Management

Power Consumption

Given that the XMG Ultra 15 does not support on-demand graphics-switching and is thus limited to the RTX 2070 GPU, the notebook’s idle power consumption of up to 47 W was at a level comparable to some business notebooks’ power consumption under load. During our stress test, the power meter read up to 299 W, which was reduced to around 196 W when gaming (The Witcher 3). The power supply is rated at 330 W.

Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0.4 / 1.1 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 35 / 39 / 47 Watt
Load midlight 117 / 299 Watt
 color bar
Key: min: dark, med: mid, max: light        Metrahit Energy
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.
SCHENKER XMG Ultra 15 Turing
i7-9700K, GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile
SCHENKER XMG Ultra 15
i5-8600K, GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile
Alienware 15 R4
i9-8950HK, GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile
Acer Predator Triton 500
i7-8750H, GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q
Gigabyte Aero 15-X9
i7-8750H, GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q
Razer Blade 15 RTX 2070 Max-Q
i7-8750H, GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q
Average of class Gaming
 
Power Consumption
11%
24%
37%
45%
47%
35%
Idle Minimum *
35
28
20%
23
34%
16
54%
16
54%
10.4
70%
13.8 ?(2 - 64, n=189, last 2 years)
61%
Idle Average *
39
31
21%
26
33%
22
44%
18
54%
14.6
63%
19 ?(6.5 - 67, n=189, last 2 years)
51%
Idle Maximum *
47
38
19%
30
36%
32
32%
23
51%
16.3
65%
26.6 ?(9 - 101.1, n=189, last 2 years)
43%
Load Average *
117
100
15%
111
5%
89
24%
88
25%
88.5
24%
112 ?(32.1 - 202, n=189, last 2 years)
4%
Witcher 3 ultra *
196
206
-5%
182
7%
147
25%
120
39%
155.4
21%
Load Maximum *
299
309
-3%
222
26%
173
42%
167
44%
182.4
39%
250 ?(64.5 - 418, n=188, last 2 years)
16%

* ... smaller is better

Battery Life

In our real life Wi-Fi test, in which we simulate a load typical for browsing the web by loading various websites with the display brightness normalized to 150 nits and the energy plan set to “Balanced”, the XMG Ultra 15 lasted for just 2:37 hours. In our video test it ran out of power even faster and powered off after just 2:34 hours. In this test, we run the Big Buck Bunny short film (H.264-encoding, 1920x1080) in a loop with the energy plan set to “Power saver”, all wireless communications modules disabled, and the display brightness once again set to 150 nits.

Battery Runtime
Idle (without WLAN, min brightness)
3h 14min
WiFi Websurfing (Edge 44)
2h 37min
Big Buck Bunny H.264 1080p
2h 34min
Load (maximum brightness)
1h 23min
SCHENKER XMG Ultra 15 Turing
i7-9700K, GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, 82 Wh
SCHENKER XMG Ultra 15
i5-8600K, GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, 82 Wh
Alienware 15 R4
i9-8950HK, GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, 99 Wh
Acer Predator Triton 500
i7-8750H, GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, 82 Wh
Gigabyte Aero 15-X9
i7-8750H, GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, 94.24 Wh
Razer Blade 15 RTX 2070 Max-Q
i7-8750H, GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, 80 Wh
Average of class Gaming
 
Battery Runtime
25%
52%
31%
143%
135%
118%
Reader / Idle
194
220
13%
370
91%
335
73%
549
183%
682
252%
548 ?(57 - 1290, n=90, last 2 years)
182%
H.264
154
186
21%
364
136%
392 ?(56 - 747, n=97, last 2 years)
155%
WiFi v1.3
157
194
24%
304
94%
190
21%
382
143%
387
146%
364 ?(57 - 745, n=191, last 2 years)
132%
Load
83
119
43%
58
-30%
81
-2%
174
110%
88
6%
85.5 ?(36 - 173, n=153, last 2 years)
3%

Pros

+ matte IPS display
+ 144 Hz panel
+ individually configurable
+ upgradeable & maintainable
+ free M.2 slot
+ two 2.5-inch HDD bays
+ CPU and GPU swappable
+ plenty of performance
+ RGB-backlit keyboard
+ decent speakers
+ LTE-ready
+ Thunderbolt 3
+ G-Sync

Cons

- screen bleeding
- hefty and bulky case
- high power consumption
- too loud under load
- poor battery life

Verdict

Schenker XMG Ultra 15. Review unit courtesy of Schenker.
Schenker XMG Ultra 15. Review unit courtesy of Schenker.

Schenker’s XMG Ultra 15 is a massive hunk. Its enormous size and weight are due to a specialty that can be rarely found in modern notebooks anymore: Socketed and thus swappable CPU and GPU (the latter as MXM module).

Schenker’s latest XMG Ultra 15 iteration is a well-made high-end gaming notebook for those who benefit from upgradeability.

The combination of a Core-i7 9700K octa-core CPU and a GeForce RTX 2070 GPU was more than capable to render all current games smoothly on the matte FHD display in high or even maximum details. The GPU was clearly capable of even higher resolutions.

Thanks to Nvidia G-Sync and a 144 Hz IPS display the result was incredibly smooth. The display featured a great contrast ratio, short response times, and wide viewing angles. Our only gripe was that its maximum brightness was too low. A blazingly fast NVMe SSD ensured a smooth and snappy system performance, and the case had room for another M.2 SSD as well as two 2.5-inch HDDs. The RGB-backlit keyboard was surprisingly good, and connectivity was very decent. In return, battery life was so poor it was barely worth mentioning.

Fan management definitely has room for improvement. Under load, the fans run much faster than necessary to ensure adequate cooling. We suspect that the cooling system was designed and developed for a much more powerful SKU (Core i9-9900K, GeForce RTX 2080).

SCHENKER XMG Ultra 15 Turing - 03/04/2019 v6(old)
Sascha Mölck

Chassis
75 / 98 → 77%
Keyboard
83%
Pointing Device
81%
Connectivity
76 / 81 → 93%
Weight
53 / 10-66 → 77%
Battery
66%
Display
85%
Games Performance
100%
Application Performance
100%
Temperature
89 / 95 → 93%
Noise
55 / 90 → 61%
Audio
80%
Average
78%
87%
Gaming - Weighted Average

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > Reviews > Schenker XMG Ultra 15 (i7-9700K, RTX 2070) Clevo P751TM1-G Laptop Review
Sascha Mölck, 2019-03- 5 (Update: 2019-03- 6)