Introduction
If you're thinking of buying a laptop, Gigabyte probably isn't the first name that springs to mind.
The Taiwanese manufacturer is best known for its award-winning line of motherboards and graphics cards, but despite showing some intriguing laptop designs in recent years, it has struggled to make a real splash in the portable-computing marketplace. Or, at least, not on the scale of its neighbouring rival, ASUS.
Gigabyte is hoping to do better and has its sights set on becoming one of the world's top 10 branded notebook manufacturers "within five years." The company clearly isn't lacking ambition, and is backing up its enthusiasm with a new range of laptops, tablets and slates that will be hitting UK shelves in the coming months.
On the laptop front, we were expecting Gigabyte to jump on the Ultrabook bandwagon, but that doesn't appear to be the strategy - not yet, anyway. Instead, Gigabyte's doing what it does best by introducing a high-performance laptop for its traditionally performance-driven audience.
It's dubbed the P2532N and it's described as "a powerful 15.6in multimedia gaming model." The description suggests that this is a one-size fits all solution, and the underlying specification doesn't disagree. Right out of the box, the P2532N offers a quad-core Intel Core i7 processor, up to 8GB of memory, a dedicated NVIDIA GeForce GT 550M graphics card and up to a 750GB hard disk.
On paper, those components - coupled with the Gigabyte brand - suggest a system that's big, brash and finished with red racing stripes. Thankfully, the P2532N is nothing of the sort, with Gigabyte opting instead for a sleek black-and-silver shell that provides the look and feel of a business machine. And despite the potent internal hardware, the P2532N is surprisingly svelte - it's just 27.6mm thick at its thinnest point (going up to 35.1mm at the rear) and weighs just over 2.6kg.
It's by no means the thinnest laptop we've ever seen, nor is it the lightest, but it's suitably trim, it packs a good amount of power into a relatively-compact frame, and at around £800 it's competitively priced, too.
The P2532N is no match for a MacBook Air or a HP Envy in the looks department, but it is comfortably cheaper, and we've come to appreciate its understated design. The combination of a thin frame, a brushed aluminium palm rest, and a small splash of silver trim provides a sense of elegance.
The bold air vents round back were a concern, but even they manage to blend in nicely. The P2532N doesn't jump out at you, but is quietly attractive in its own way, and feels reasonably well put together.
We did experience signs of flex in the palm rest, and the system as a whole isn't as rigid as some of the premium unibody alternatives on the market, but other than one-too-many stickers (seriously, Gigabyte, do we need a badge that says "Made in Taiwan"?), we could find no physical cause for complaint.
A tempting price tag and simple, understated good looks are a solid start, but it's the P2532N specification that's likely to attract consumers.
Specification
We've yet to decipher the complete meaning of the P2532N product name, but we know that the P stands for Performance, and it's the first reason to choose Gigabyte's laptop over a similarly-priced Ultrabook.
Instead of opting for an ultra-low-voltage processor, Gigabyte goes all out with a 45W Intel Core i7-2630QM chip that's armed with four physical cores, Hyper Threading, 6MB of cache and a maximum Turbo Boost frequency of 2.9GHz. We've seen the same chip used in high-performance gaming laptops, and its make up is such that it wouldn't look out of place in a fully-fledged desktop.
The CPU is undoubtedly quick, and it's accompanied by a supporting cast that includes up to 8GB of DDR3 memory, a 750GB, 7,200RPM hard disk, and an integrated DVD writer.
Graphics are beefed up, too, as in addition to Intel's integrated HD 3000 component, Gigabyte has added a discrete NVIDIA GeForce GT 550M with 2GB of memory. The two-way combination makes use of NVIDIA Optimus technology, so the more powerful, battery-sapping GeForce solution will only kick-in as and when required.
The system's crying out for a large, high-res display, and Gigabyte delivers with a 15.6in LED backlit panel that provides a full-HD, 1,920x1,080 resolution. Call me nostalgic, but the P2532N is reminding me of the good ol' days, when laptops weren't obviously pretty but provided dedicated graphics, large, high-res displays and a built-in optical drive.
Elsewhere, there are two USB 3.0 ports, a USB 2.0/eSATA combo port, a pair of audio jacks, HDMI and VGA outputs, a four-in-one card reader, and a 1.3 megapixel camera. Network connectivity is well catered for, with Gigabit Ethernet, Wireless N and Bluetooth 3.0, and the sound system - comprised of four speakers and a subwoofer - shows promise.
Is there a weak link? Well, we can think of two possible stumbling blocks. There's no solid-state drive at this price point (though an easily-removable back panel does provide access to the hard disk for an end-user upgrade), and a basic six-cell battery doesn't bode well for battery life.
But for £800, the P2532N is showing a lot of promise. Let's see if it delivers.