Test Methodology
Comparison Laptops - Part One |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| System Name | |||||
| Form Factor | 15.6in |
15.6in |
14.0 |
13.3in |
13.3in |
| CPU | Intel Core i5-8250U |
AMD Ryzen 5 2500U |
Intel Core i7-8550U |
Intel Core i7-8550U |
Intel Core i5-7300U |
| CPU Base Frequency | 1.6GHz |
2.0GHz |
1.8GHz |
1.8GHz |
2.6GHz |
| CPU Turbo Frequency | 3.4GHz |
3.6GHz |
4.0GHz |
4.0GHz |
3.5GHz |
| CPU Cores / Threads | 4 / 8 |
4 / 8 |
4 / 8 |
4 / 8 |
2 / 4 |
| CPU TDP | 15W |
15W |
15W |
15W |
15W |
| Integrated Graphics | Intel UHD 620 |
Radeon Vega 8 |
Intel UHD 620 |
Intel UHD 620 |
Intel HD 620 |
| IGP Max Frequency | 1.10GHz |
1.10GHz |
1.15GHz |
1.15GHz |
1.10GHz |
| Memory | 8GB DDR4 (2x4GB) |
8GB DDR4 (2x4GB) |
16GB LPDDR3 (2x8GB) |
16GB LPDDR3 (2x8GB) |
8GB LPDDR4 (2x4GB) |
| Memory Speed | 2,400MHz |
2,400MHz |
2,133MHz |
2,133MHz |
2,133MHz |
| Display | 15.6in FHD IPS (1,920x1,080) |
15.6in FHD IPS (1,920x1,080) |
14.0in FHD IPS AUO383D (1,920x1,080) |
13.3in FHD (1,920x1,080) |
13.3in FHD IPS (1,920x1,080) |
| Touchscreen | Yes |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
| Battery Capacity | 48Wh |
48Wh |
46Wh |
52Wh |
57Wh |
| Wireless | Qualcomm Atheros QCA61x4A |
Qualcomm Atheros QCA61x4A |
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265 |
Killer 1435 802.11ac |
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265 |
| Ethernet | - |
- |
- |
- |
- |
| Storage | 256GB Micron 1100 M.2 SSD |
256GB SK hynix M.2 SSD |
512GB Samsung PM961 M.2 SSD |
512GB Toshiba KXG50ZNV512G |
256GB SanDisk X400 M.2 SSD |
| Power Supply | 65W |
45W |
65W |
45W |
65W |
| Operating System | Microsoft Windows 10 |
Microsoft Windows 10 |
Microsoft Windows 10 |
Microsoft Windows 10 |
Microsoft Windows 10 Pro |
| Dimensions (W x D x H) | 382mm x 258mm x 17.9mm |
370mm x 255mm x 18.9mm |
329mm x 214mm x 12.9mm |
309mm x 199mm x 11.6mm |
317mm x 219mm x 14.9mm |
| Weight | 2.2kg |
2.1kg |
1.1kg |
1.2kg |
1.28kg |
| Warranty | 2 Year |
2 Year |
2 Year |
1 Year |
3 Year |
| Date Reviewed | February 2018 |
March 2018 |
June 2018 |
June 2018 |
August 2017 |
| Price When Reviewed | £800 |
£700 |
£1,400 |
£1,650 |
£1,400 |
Comparison Laptops - Part Two |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| System Name | |||||
| Form Factor | 14.0in |
14.0in |
13.5in |
12.3in |
13.3in |
| CPU | Intel Core i7-7500U |
Intel Core i7-8550U |
Intel Core i5-7300U |
Intel Core i7-7660U |
Intel Core i7-8550U |
| CPU Base Frequency | 2.7GHz |
1.8GHz |
2.6GHz |
2.5GHz |
1.8GHz |
| CPU Turbo Frequency | 3.5GHz |
4.0GHz |
3.5GHz |
4.0GHz |
4.0GHz |
| CPU Cores / Threads | 2 / 4 |
4 / 8 |
2 / 4 |
2 / 4 |
4 / 8 |
| CPU TDP | 15W |
15W |
15W |
15W |
15W |
| Integrated Graphics | Intel HD 620 |
Intel UHD 620 |
Intel HD 620 |
Intel Iris Plus 640 |
Intel UHD 620 |
| IGP Max Frequency | 1.05GHz |
1.15GHz |
1.10GHz |
1.10GHz |
1.15GHz |
| Memory | 8GB LPDDR3 (2x4GB) |
16GB LPDDR3 (2x8GB) |
8GB LPDDR3 (2x4GB) |
16GB LPDDR3 (2x8GB) |
16GB LPDDR3 (2x8GB) |
| Memory Speed | 1,866MHz |
2,133MHz |
1,866MHz |
1,866MHz |
2,133MHz |
| Display | 14.0in FHD IPS (1,920x1,080) |
14.0in QHD IPS (2,560x1,440) |
12.5in PixelSense IPS (3,000x2,000) |
12.5in PixelSense IPS (2,736x1,824) |
13.3in QHD+ (3,200x1,800) |
| Touchscreen | No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Battery Capacity | 57Wh |
54Wh |
69Wh |
45Wh |
54Wh |
| Wireless | Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265 |
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265 |
Marvell Avastar Wireless-AC |
Marvell Avastar Wireless-AC |
Killer Wireless-AC 1535 |
| Ethernet | Intel Gigabit Ethernet |
Intel Gigabit Ethernet |
- |
- |
- |
| Storage | 256GB Toshiba XG4 M.2 SSD |
512GB Samsung PM981 M.2 SSD |
256GB Samsung PM961 M.2 SSD |
512GB Samsung PM971 BGA SSD |
512GB Samsung PM961 M.2 SSD |
| Power Supply | 65W |
65W |
44W |
44W |
65W |
| Operating System | Microsoft Windows 10 Pro |
Microsoft Windows 10 Pro |
Microsoft Windows 10 Pro |
Microsoft Windows 10 Pro |
Microsoft Windows 10 |
| Dimensions (W x D x H) | 324mm x 217mm x 16.0mm |
333mm x 229mm x 17.1mm |
312mm x 232mm x 23mm |
292mm x 201mm x 8.5mm |
321mm x 206mm x 13.8mm |
| Weight | 1.13kg |
1.4kg |
1.53kg |
0.78kg |
1.35kg |
| Warranty | 3 Year |
3 Year |
1 Year |
1 Year |
1 Year |
| Date Reviewed | August 2017 |
June 2018 |
February 2018 |
October 2017 |
March 2018 |
| Price When Reviewed | £1,525 |
£2,399 |
£1,500 |
£2,150 |
£1,700 |
CPU Benchmarks |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HEXUS PiFast | Our number-crunching PiFast test is used to benchmark the computational power of each system's CPU. | |||||||||||
| Cinebench | Using Cinebench's multi-CPU render, this cross-platform benchmark stresses as many cores as possible. | |||||||||||
| HandBrake | Free-to-use video encoder that stresses all CPU cores. | |||||||||||
Memory and Storage Benchmarks |
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| AIDA64 | Benchmark that analyses memory bandwidth and latency. | |||||||||||
| CrystalDiskMark | Popular free-to-use storage benchmark, used to gauge sequential performance and aggregated 4K QD32 speeds. | |||||||||||
System Benchmarks |
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| PCMark 10 | System-wide examination run using the Standard and Extended presets. | |||||||||||
| 3DMark | Graphics benchmark run using the Sky Diver DX11 preset. | |||||||||||
| Gaming | Where applicable, a selection of modern titles are tested at various resolutions. | |||||||||||
Miscellaneous Benchmarks |
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| Display | Datacolor's Spyder 4 Elite professional monitor analyser is used to return a quantitative assessment of display quality. | |||||||||||
| Power Consumption | Noted for system-wide power draw while running the HandBrake video-transcoding test. | |||||||||||
| Temperature | Average CPU temperature taken across all cores from the last five minutes of the HandBrake video-transcoding test. | |||||||||||
| Battery Life | Measured while looping a high-definition movie clip with 50 per cent screen brightness and flight mode enabled. | |||||||||||