Gigabyte Announces New 17.3” Gaming Laptops with Intel Skylake Processors
by Anton Shilov on February 24, 2016 2:00 PM EST
GIGABYTE has introduced its new family of desktop replacement gaming notebooks with Intel’s Skylake microprocessors. The new laptops not only feature new CPUs, but also add support for technologies like USB 3.1, M.2, HDMI 2.0 with HDCP 2.2 and some other improvements.
The GIGABYTE P57 laptops are powered by the Intel Core i7-6700HQ (four cores with Hyper-Threading technology, 2.60 GHz default frequency, 3.50 GHz turbo frequency, 6 MB LLC cache, 45 W TDP, dual-channel DDR4/DDR3L memory controller) as well as Intel’s mobile HM170 platform controller hub (PCH). The laptop can be equipped with up to 32 GB of dual-channel DDR4-2133 memory, which should be sufficient for a gaming laptop. GIGABYTE’s P57 notebooks feature 17.3-inch IPS display with matte anti-glare coating and 1920x1080 resolution.
Graphics sub-system is the key piece of technology for any gaming PC. The GIGABYTE P57K is equipped with NVIDIA’s GeForce GTX 965M GPU (1024 stream processors, 64 texture units, 32 raster operations pipelines) with 2 GB GDDR5 onboard. The more powerful GIGABYTE P57W comes with NVIDIA’s GeForce GTX 970M GPU (1280 SPs, 80 TUs, 48 ROPs) and 3 GB of GDDR5 onboard. Both graphics adapters should deliver sufficient performance in games in 1920x1080 resolution. However, it is not completely clear why GIGABYTE decided to cut-down the amount of onboard GPU memory. The P37W DTR notebook from the company features the GeForce GTX 970M with 6 GB of GDDR5, whereas the P37K sports the GeForce GTX 965M with 4 GB of RAM.
Storage sub-system of the GIGABYTE P57 is similar to that of its predecessors: the laptop features a 512 GB integrated M.2 type 2280 SSD (with PCIe 3.0 x4 interface) and comes with a Blu-ray RW/DVD RW ODD that can be swapped with a 2.5” HDD or SSD. GIGABYTE does not reveal which SSD it installs by default, but claims that it has read speed of about 2000 MB/s, which points to a rather powerful model.
The new DTR notebooks also come with a new keyboard that features anti-ghosting with 30-keys rollover support as well as backlighting. Unfortunately, this keyboard does not have programmable keys, which may upset some gamers.
Since GIGABYTE’s P57 are desktop replacement gaming machines, they feature the whole set of wired and wireless communication technologies, including a Gigabit Ethernet port (with traffic management software) as well as Wi-Fi 802.11 ac/b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.1 controllers.
The input/output functionality of GIGABYTE’s P57 is in line with modern laptops. The system features one USB 3.1 type-C port (I am not sure which controller is used, but if it is Intel’s Alpine Ridge, which GIGABYTE uses on the majority of its Intel-based platforms, then it will be just a matter of time before the port gets Thunderbolt 3 certification), three USB 3.0 type-A connectors, an HDMI output with HDCP 2.2 for playback of Ultra HD Blu-ray discs and output video to a compatible TV or display, a mini DisplayPort and even a D-Sub output. In addition, the notebooks are equipped with a HD webcam, a SD card reader, a microphone, two 1.5W speakers and even a SPDIF output.
The more advanced GIGABYTE P57W comes with a 75.81 Wh battery, whereas the P57K sport a 60.8 Wh battery. The notebooks can weigh from 2.7 to 2.9 kilograms, depending on exact configuration.
The GIGABYTE P57W is already available at Newegg starting at $1499.
Source: GIGABYTE
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TheinsanegamerN - Wednesday, February 24, 2016 - link
They probably cut down the memory because notebook GPUS always come with stupid amounts of memory. R5 250 with 4GB, anyone?I mean, the 965m is an undercloked 960. Show me a game that NEEDS 4gb of ram to run that won't play like a slideshow on said settings. The gpu isn't powerful to warrant 4GB.
Same with the 970m. Most games use 1.5-2 gb at the most, many use far less. The only way to exceed frame buffer is to crank the settings all the way up, then crank AA to 16x or higher. Which makes no sense because
A. Any game that uses more than 3GB of memory with that level of AA will most likely be unplayable on the 970m, regardless of video memory
B. You don't need 16x AA on a laptop screen. It's too small and high rez for AA to make sense. If you want to crank the settings to 11, build a desktop. Laptop GPUS are not powerful enough for such settings to be playable.
webdoctors - Wednesday, February 24, 2016 - link
I thought 4 GB was enuff for anybody? Isnt the flagship AMD GPU with HBM memory shipping with only 4 GBs?e36Jeff - Wednesday, February 24, 2016 - link
That's partly due to the restrictions of HBM 1.0 and not being able to support more than 4GB. They almost assuredly gone with 8GB had it been feasible.xthetenth - Wednesday, February 24, 2016 - link
4GB on a desktop 960 is already making a difference over 2 GB. It's not that 4 GB is needed but 2 GB isn't always quite enough.zodiacfml - Friday, February 26, 2016 - link
Simply because of the display resolution. Though it can be connected to an external 4k display, gaming would be unlikely but productivity related use.jasonelmore - Wednesday, February 24, 2016 - link
i can get a 15" alienware for cheaper money with the same specs... hmmm.. is that 2" worth it?DanNeely - Thursday, February 25, 2016 - link
Are you gaming on the laptop screen regularly or is it normally plugged into an external monitor?For Mid-level gaming laptops the 17' form factors biggest advantage is the screen size. For higher end systems it has more thermal head room, but that's mostly a benefit for dual GPU gaming.
Hrobertgar - Thursday, February 25, 2016 - link
My 3 month old Alienware 15" has been a disaster - very long laundry list of problems that should be unfathomable on a normal laptop - let alone a gaming rig. Supposedly they are going to have me ship it back to the depot where it will presumably be rebuilt. If the Gigabyte laptop actually functions - maybe its worth the cost...yannigr2 - Friday, February 26, 2016 - link
How nice. The person who thinks that AMD users are stupid and makes decisions based on cheap prices and aesthetics, not performance, writes for Anandtech now.You should also explain how that integrated 512GB SSD is 128GB or 256GB in those two models on newegg. So maybe this is not standard? But who cares. Not to mention that those laptops have a three storage system( 2+1 if you replace the BlueRay), not two(1+1) as you make it look like in your article.
yannigr2 - Friday, February 26, 2016 - link
http://www.kitguru.net/components/memory/anton-shi...