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Gigabyte's latest machine is a competent gaming laptop, but the 4K screen is a hindrance: the GTX 970M cannot handle that resolution, which means graphics settings have to be toned down.
Elsewhere, it's a capable if plain machine, with none of the aesthetic extravagance of competitors.
We liked
The GTX 970M does have gaming chops: it'll run anything at 1080p or 1440p. The rest of the components are top-notch: the CPU is fast, there's plenty of memory, and the M.2 SSD is excellent.
The screen offers reasonable quality, the keyboard is decent, and the trackpad isn't bad. The speakers are surprisingly good, and the Gigabyte's body offers decent build quality.
We disliked
The GTX 970M just isn't cut out for 4K – we had to turn games down to medium or low settings to hit playable framerates.
The high-end components prompt a couple of heat and noise issues, and the Gigabyte doesn't quite reach greatness in several key categories. The screen, keyboard and trackpad all have minor issues, and this sturdy laptop looks dull.
Final verdict
The P35W V5 tries to deliver a mobile 4K gaming experience, but its lesser price and components mean it doesn't quite manage.
It's decent in most other departments, but rivals offer more balanced specifications inside better-looking machines – sometimes for far more cash, but sometimes only for £50 (around $66/AUS$87) more. The P35W v5 is a reasonable laptop, but it doesn't do enough to stand out.
