A Core i5 and GeForce GT 650M in a
netbook-sized laptop
There isn’t much middle ground when it
comes to gaming laptops. Many people leather the idea of gaming on one; they
lack upgrade options and you pay a premium for the privilege of squeezing lots
of hardware into a small space. However, not everyone has the space for a
monstrous gaming PC, and gaming laptops are handy for taking to LAN events.
Some folks will even want to kill two birds with one stone and combine their
daily word processing with some explosive escapism in their spare time, or even
on the train to work.
Scan’s 3XS Graphite LG5 isn’t just your
average gaming laptop though. It’s part of the company’s new range of gaming
laptops based on the popular Clevo bare bones chassis. The Graphite LG5 is
Scan’s 11.6in ultra-portable model, which is fully configurable on the
company’s website. As well as SSDs, you’re able to choose between an Intel Core
i3, Core i5 and even a Core i7 CPU. Scan sent us its Core i5-3210M model- a
dual-core Ivy Bridge CPU, which boasts a 3.1GHz frequency with Turbo Boost.
Scan
3XS Graphite LG5
The rest of the specification is impressive
for the laptop’s size too – 8GB of Corsair Vengeance RAM, an Nvidia GeForce GT
650M 2GB mobile GPU and a combined Wireless N and Bluetooth module are included
as standard. We opted for a 120GB Corsair Force Series 3 SSD, but Scan was keen
to state that if you contact the company before ordering, it will also be happy
to discuss options that aren’t already listed in the configurator.
This specification costs $1,064 – cheaper
than most 11.6in Ultrabooks. And while the latter may be lighter and sport
better battery life (the 3XS Graphite L5 weighs in at 1.8kg), they lack the
gaming grunt of the Nvidia GeForce GT 650M 2GB GPU, which is equipped with 384
stream processors. The 3XS Graphite LG5 can also take advantage of Nvidia’s
Optimus technology, which can power down the Nvidia GPU and switch to the
on-board Intel graphics in non-GPU intensive tasks to maximise battery life.
The 3XS Graphite LG5 is also very well
made; it feels solid, and the screen and hinges feel firm to the touch. The
keyboard is understandably small, as are the keys, which are little too dinky
for comfortable typing over long periods of time. However, the keys still had a
surprising amount of resistance, which made for pleasant short-term typing.
Meanwhile, the touchpad, and indeed the whole top fascia of the 3XS Graphite
LG5, has a slightly textured surface. We’ve seen some dire textured touchpads
in the past, but this one proved to be very responsive and had a pleasing feel
too.
Moving inside, the laptop’s interior is
suitably crammed, with a huge dual heatpipe and heatsink array cooling the CPU
and GPU. A large vent at one side dishes out the exhausted air; this is like warm
when the laptop is idle, but firing up a game sees the entire area become
pretty hot. Thankfully, this doesn’t impede too much on the areas where you’re
likely to rest your hands. The 11.6in 1,366 x 768 screen proved to be up to the
job when dealing with games and movies too, and offered a sharp picture. As
you’d expect on a modern laptop, there are plenty of ports too, including two
USB 3 ports, a single USB 2 port, and HDMI and D-Sub outputs; a nine-in-one
flash card reader makes an appearance too.
Meanwhile, the warranty takes the form of a
two-year collect and return system for the chassis, while the screen is covered
for a year. However, Scan will soon be offering additional options to extend
this and cover faults such as dead pixels.
Performance
In our Media Benchmarks, the 3XS Graphite
LG5 managed an overall score of 1,233, which is similar to the score that a
desktop Intel Core i3-2100 or an AMD Phenom II X6 1100T can achieve. The
single-threaded image editing benchmark score was lower than we expected, but
the laptop certainly has power where it counts in games.
In Left 4 Dead 2, at the screen’s native
resolution of 1,366 x 768 with maximum settings, it managed a minimum frame
rate of 74fps, showing the speed gap between the Nvidia GPU and usual on-board
graphics. In Arma II, it managed a minimum frame rate of 29fps, again ar 1,366
x 768, with a 3,000m draw distance and very high settings. Basically, most
games will be no problem for the 3XS Graphite LG5 at its native resolution.
We then used the X3: Terran Conflict demo
to put the battery through its paces, leaving it to run with the battery fully
charged and disconnected from the mains. It lasted just under two hours, which
bodes well for gaming during long car journeys or morning commutes. Of course,
if you’re just word processing or watching videos, it will last significantly
longer.
Our
sample included a 120GB corsair Force Series 3 SSD, but you can select other
storage options in Scan’s online configurator
Conclusion
Despite its diminutive size, the 3XS
Graphite LG5 could easily replace your desktop PC for gaming. It has enough
headroom to cope at higher resolutions in games and returned respectable
results elsewhere too. It’s bulkier than similar-sized Ultrabooks, but
significantly cheaper and better for gamers.
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Information
Grapheme: Very portable; fast in games; decent battery life; good
desktop replacement
Plastic: Small size demands a premium; Ultrabooks are thinner,
lighter and have better battery life
Price: $1,064
In detail
·
CPU: 3.1GHz Intel Core i5-3210M
·
Memory: 8GB Corsair Vengeance 1,600MHz DDR3
·
Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GT 650M 2GB mobile
GPU
·
Sound: Intel HD Audio
·
Screen size: 11.6in
·
Hard disk: 128GB Corsair Force 3 SSD
·
Weight: 1.8kg
·
Ports: 2 x USB 3, 1x USB 2, LAN, mic,
headphone, HDMI, D-Sub, nine-in-one memory card reader
·
Dimensions (mm): 287 x 207 x 37.1 (W x D x H)
·
Extras: Windows 7 Home Premium
·
Warranty: Collect and return (chassis – two
years, screen – once year)
Scores
·
Speed: 22/25
·
Design: 22/25
·
Hardware: 23/25
·
Value: 21/25
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