Gigabyte P35W v5 review

Nvidia's GeForce GTX 970M has 1,280 stream processors, a 924MHz core clock and a 993MHz boost peak. It's also the beefier version of the GPU, with six gigabytes of memory.

That's good on paper, but we're less convinced by the 4K screen. That looks good on the spec sheet, but the GTX 970M isn't card for such a high output. Games will run slowly or need their graphics settings dialled back.

Spec sheet

Here is the spec sheet of the Gigabyte P35W v5 provided to TechRadar:

• CPU: 2.6GHz Intel Core i7-6700HQ processor (Quad-core, 6MB cache)
• Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX 970M (6GB GDDR5 RAM)
• RAM: 16GB DDR4 (2,133MHz)
• Storage: 128GB Samsung SM951 SSD, 1TB hard disk
• Connectivity: Gigabit Ethernet, Dual-band 802.11ac WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0
• Operating system: Windows 10 64-bit
• Ports: 3 x USB 3, 1 x USB 3.1 Type-C, SD card slot, HDMI, D-SUB, mini-DisplayPort, 2 x audio
• Size: 15.1in x 10.6in x 0.82in (W x D x H; 385 x 270 x 21mm)
• Weight: 5.3 pounds (2.4kg)
• Warranty: 2yr RTB

Looking at the specs on offer, other machines offer better balance of graphics and display quality. The Acer Predator 15 has a 1080p screen and a GTX 980M GPU – so it'll handle anything at that resolution. The aforementioned Aorus X5S v5 also has a GTX 980M, which is better suited for its 4K panel.

Elsewhere it's business as usual: a meaty quad-core i7-6700HQ processor, 16GB of fast DDR4 memory and a 128GB SSD alongside a 1TB hard disk for storing plenty of games.

Benchmarks

Here's how the Gigabyte P35W v5 performed in our suite of benchmark tests:

• 3DMark: Cloud Gate: 18,568; Sky Diver: 18,046; Fire Strike: 6,585
• Cinebench R15: CPU: 655cb; Graphics: 93.05fps
• PCMark 8 (Home Test): 3,329
• PCMark 8 Battery Life: 2hrs 29mins (screen 100%, high perf)
• GeekBench: 3,745 (single-core); 13,485 (multi-core)
• Metro: Last Light: 56fps (1080p, Very High); 34fps (1440p, Very High); 19fps (4K, Very High); 22fps (4K, High); 34fps (4K, Medium)
• Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor: 54fps (1080p, Ultra); 38fps (1440p, Ultra); 21fps (4K, Ultra); 23fps (4K, Very High); 25fps (4K, High); 29fps (4K, Medium); 39fps (4K, Low)
• Bioshock Infinite: 71fps (1080p, Ultra); 43fps (1440p, Ultra)
• GTA V: 58fps (1080p, Ultra); 38fps (1440p, Ultra); 19fps (4K, Ultra); 24fps (4K, V. High); 33fps (4K, High)

The GTX 970M is a capable mobile GPU that didn't have problems at 1080p or 1440p. Its best result at Full HD came in Bioshock, where it averaged 71fps – and its poorest score, in Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor, was still 54fps. At 1440p it ran every test game beyond 30fps.

It was a different story at 4K. The Gigabyte's best score in my 4K benchmark came in Middle Earth, but it only managed a sluggish 21fps.

I only achieved playable framerates by toning graphics settings to medium levels – and that's a compromised way to play. It'll only get worse as more demanding games emerge.

Other laptops are better-equipped. The Gigabyte managed a score of 6,585 in the high-end 3D Mark Fire Strike test, but the Aorus X5S v5 and Acer Predator 15 scored 8,172 and 8,277 respectively.

The Core i7-6700HQ is a capable mobile CPU. In benchmarks it's competitive: its PC Mark 8 score of 3,329 is barely behind the Acer, and its Geekbench multi-core result of 13,485 is better than both rivals.

Gigabyte's machine lasted just under two and a half hours in our standard PC Mark 8 battery test, and that translated to just over an hour in a gaming benchmark. In short: don't leave the mains.

The Gigabyte returned mixed results in thermal tests, too. With both CPU and GPU stressed the components peaked at 97°C and 87°C – the former is almost dangerous. A bit of heat made its way to the keyboard, while the underside became very hot and the fan was irritatingly loud.

Gaming tests without the CPU stressed saw the noise and temperatures drop to more comfortable levels, but I'd still recommend a headset.

There's a lot to like about the SSD, which stomped through sequential read and write at 1,854MB/s and 1,234MB/s – far quicker than any SATA SSD.

The 4K screen is overkill considering the hardware inside the P35W v5 – and its benchmarks results are inconsistent, too.

The average Delta E of 1.71 bodes well for accurate colors, and the Gigabyte's panel displays 89.9% of the sRGB color gamut – a reasonable result. But the 7,264K color temperature means those colors will look cold. There's also a slight blue hue to the screen if it's viewed from an off-center angle.

The contrast level of 1,107:1 is decent, but it's hardly a barnstormer. That's because of the 0.26cd/m2 black level – a reasonable result, but not one that's going to churn out particularly inky tones.