Aorus X7 Pro v5 Review

[nicklmg]

Amazon: http://geni.us/3hi3

NCIX: http://bit.ly/1GposzM

 

Does the SLI graphics card configuration in Aorus' latest X7 Pro stand up against the recent laptops we've seen with desktop-grade GTX 980s?

 

 

 

[HelplmChoking]

Am I the only one that finds "gaming" laptops kinda useless? They're so damn big they don't function properly as a laptop, but don't have the true power of a full desktop. Why not get a PC + tablet? Ultrabook+pc? Razer Core type solution?

[nicklmg]

3 minutes ago, Rangaman42 said:

Am I the only one that finds "gaming" laptops kinda useless? They're so damn big they don't function properly as a laptop, but don't have the true power of a full desktop. Why not get a PC + tablet? Ultrabook+pc? Razer Core type solution?

Personally I've always thought the X7 Pro was a pretty solid concept when it came to gaming laptops, but I definitely see where you're coming from.

I definitely think the Core and similar ideas are the way of the future.

[HelplmChoking]

1 minute ago, nicklmg said:

Personally I've always thought the X7 Pro was a pretty solid concept when it came to gaming laptops, but I definitely see where you're coming from.

I definitely think the Core and similar ideas are the way of the future.

I agree, it makes more sense to have the whole external GPU thing. However, a normal Razer Blade is probably my preferred balance. Enough power for most games, but still enough battery and low enough weight to work on the go.

[nicklmg]

Just now, Rangaman42 said:

I agree, it makes more sense to have the whole external GPU thing. However, a normal Razer Blade is probably my preferred balance. Enough power for most games, but still enough battery and low enough weight to work on the go.

This is why it still holds the coveted spot of Linus' daily driver  many have challenged it, but none have prevailed yet!

[adams]

(reserved)

[OldFart]

8 hours ago, Rangaman42 said:

Am I the only one that finds "gaming" laptops kinda useless? They're so damn big they don't function properly as a laptop, but don't have the true power of a full desktop. Why not get a PC + tablet? Ultrabook+pc? Razer Core type solution?

For me, the capability of the laptop still has function I cannot obtain via the desktop/tablet combination.

 

[First, I have on pre-order at xotic the Aorus x5s 980m skylake system; configuring it with 2.75TB (2x256GB raid1 os boot, 1x500G m.2 data, 1x2TB 850 SSD data) and 32GB of RAM (upgrading to 64GB by end of year.)]

 

As a programmer, and an information security analyst for a major US financial, I have a fairly significant mobile lab environment; running of 8+ virtual environments at once on an isolated virtual LAN, separate from a core network.  This is for generic programming, security sandbox and security PoC testing.  I want to be able to take this environment with me; and continue to develop and test if I am on the train, at the office, or even bugged out in the wild in my camper caravan.  

 

... and if I have the network and bandwidth to pull up Star Citizen or stand-alone SIM when I need a break, I'd like the capability to do so in a small, efficient form package.

 

My question re the Aorus7 v5 tested is whether the xotic upgrades of IC Diamond paste, and copper heat sinks will/can make ANY significant change to the fan noise of the system; or if this was the form factor tested.  There was a hope for me that with it's lowered power requirements (and thus lowered heat generation,) the skylake and dd4 combo could give a better heat distro environment; but that doesn't necessarily mean lowered fan noise, only lowered fan requirements.  The fans could simply be loud beasts by their quality and construction.

[Scionyde]

12 hours ago, Rangaman42 said:

Am I the only one that finds "gaming" laptops kinda useless? They're so damn big they don't function properly as a laptop, but don't have the true power of a full desktop. Why not get a PC + tablet? Ultrabook+pc? Razer Core type solution?

 

In my mind, they're for people who travel, but like to game whenever they have some downtime at the hotel or whatever. Taking a full gaming PC with you everywhere simply isn't practical, especially if you're going through airports. Gaming laptops aren't for everybody, but they aren't useless. 

[HelplmChoking]

1 minute ago, Scionyde said:

 

In my mind, they're for people who travel, but like to game whenever they have some downtime at the hotel or whatever. Taking a full gaming PC with you everywhere simply isn't practical, especially if you're going through airports. Gaming laptops aren't for everybody, but they aren't useless. 

Hmm yeah I can see where you're coming from. I guess it just seems pointless from where I'm standing, but then we all have different lives right? I'd much rather have power at home, and portability when I'm away. That being said, I don't game a huge amount, and when I'm away from my studio I'm usually on holiday/away for work so there's no time for anything except a bit of mobile gaming on my phone (hence the PC + SP4). But if you can afford only one machine, and you game a lot in various locations I guess it works for you?

[QueenDemetria]

The hardware video encoder seems like a gimmick to me, especially since there is already an encoder built into the GPUs...

[Jsherm101]

On 3/9/2016 at 3:21 PM, Rangaman42 said:

Hmm yeah I can see where you're coming from. I guess it just seems pointless from where I'm standing, but then we all have different lives right? I'd much rather have power at home, and portability when I'm away. That being said, I don't game a huge amount, and when I'm away from my studio I'm usually on holiday/away for work so there's no time for anything except a bit of mobile gaming on my phone (hence the PC + SP4). But if you can afford only one machine, and you game a lot in various locations I guess it works for you?

Exactly. My lifestyle for some time required me to travel 2-3 months at a time to different locations, and my options for gaming boil down to two: Either build a ITX-based kit in a Silverstone case and ship it or go for something like this or the latest SAGER with a 980 and Skylake desktop-class CPU. You pay through the nose, but the hardware is upgradeable and offers the best performance you can get inside a device that gets past airport security and will work in a hotel room, or wherever the world may take you. The value proposition is terrible ($2500+ like this device) but you get what you pay for.

 

On 3/9/2016 at 3:23 PM, QueenDemetria said:

The hardware video encoder seems like a gimmick to me, especially since there is already an encoder built into the GPUs...

Not necessarily. If I understand the encoder it's alike to what AverMedia sells in a USB and HDMI pass-through fashion, where it will grab the images and process them outside the GPU, but possibly use some CPU -- be warned since this is a 6820HK, not a desktop class CPU. It will save some fuel from the GPU though.

http://gamerzone.avermedia.com//game_capture/live_gamer_hd
 

Also some more food for thought. GPU is mobile SLI, which can bring long-term compatibility issues, especially since this device is 3 months out from Pascal and no longer being the latest generation, which is claiming 2 times the performance in the same theoretical wattage, at least that's what the rumors say. I'd take a desktop 980 over a 970 SLI when you consider compatibility for games in the long-term. 

 

Also the CPU really seems like the bottleneck. My current rig is a 980m with an i7 4810MQ, and this doesn't seem much like a much better CPU than my two-year old system. It can overclock and turbo to 3.6 but my 4810 can also turbo to 3.4, and frankly the PSU doesn't leave much power left for overclocking when it needs 200W for the 970M in SLI and 50W for the base CPU clock speed.

 

Seems like unless you need something thin (and not sure why if you're trying to get gaming-level performance) you should just go for something with a little more fuel for the $2500 price point.