Performance - Part One
Before we get on to benchmark results, here's a detailed specification of the reviewed MSI GT70 laptop and a range of comparison systems, including last year's predecessor, the GT780DXR.
Comparison Laptops |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laptop | MSI GT70 | MSI GT780DXR | ASUS N55SF | Dell XPS 15z | HP Pavilion dv6 | Gigabyte P2532N |
| Processor | Intel Core i7-3610QM (2.3GHz, 6MB cache, quad-core, 45W) | Intel Core i7-2630QM (2.0GHz, 6MB cache, quad-core, 45W) | Intel Core i5-2430M (2.40GHz, 3MB cache, dual-core, 35W) | Intel Core i5-2410M (2.30GHz, 3MB cache, dual-core, 35W) | AMD A6-3430MX (1.70GHz, 4MB cache, quad-core, 45W) | Intel Core i7-2630QM (2.00GHz, 6MB cache, quad-core, 45W) |
| Memory | 16GB DDR3 | 8GB DDR3 | 6GB DDR3 | 4GB DDR3 | 6GB DDR3 | 8GB DDR3 |
| Integrated Graphics | Intel HD 4000 | N/A | Intel HD 3000 | Intel HD 3000 | AMD Radeon HD 6520G | Intel HD 3000 |
| Discrete Graphics | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670M 3GB | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570M 1.5GB | NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M 2GB | NVIDIA GeForce GT 525M 1GB | AMD Radeon HD 7470M 512MB | NVIDIA GeForce GT 550M 2GB |
| Display | 17.3in - 1,920x1,080 | 17.3in - 1,920x1,080 | 15.6in - 1,600x900 | 15.6in - 1,366x768 | 15.6in - 1,366x768 | 15.6in - 1,920x1,080 |
| Battery | 9 cell, 87Whr | 9 cell, 87Whr | 6 cell, 56Whr | 8 cell, 64Whr | 6 cell, 62Whr | 6 cell, 61Whr |
| Weight | 3,820g | 3,937g | 2,815g | 2,517g | 2,533g | 2,659g |
| Wireless | Intel Centrino Wireless-N 2230 (802.11bgn) and Bluetooth | Intel Centrino Wireless-N 130 (802.11bgn) and Bluetooth | Atheros AR9002WB-1NG (802.11bgn) and Bluetooth | Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6230 (802.11bgn) and Bluetooth | Broadcom 4313GN (802.11bgn) and Bluetooth | Realtek RTL8188CE (802.11bgn) and Bluetooth |
| Primary Storage | 2x Sandisk U100 60GB SSDs, RAID 0 | 2x Western Digital Scorpio Black 500GB HDDs, 7,200RPM, 16MB cache, RAID 0 | Hitachi Travelstar 640GB HDD, 5,400RPM, 8MB cache | Seagate Momentus 500GB HDD, 7,200RPM, 16MB cache | Toshiba MK7575GSX 750GB HDD, 5,400RPM, 8MB cache | Western Digital Scorpio Black 750GB HDD, 7,200RPM, 16MB cache |
| Seconday Storage | Western Digital Scorpio Black 750GB HDD, 7,200RPM, 16MB cache | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Optical Drive | Blu-ray Writer | Blu-ray reader + DVD-RW | Blu-ray reader + DVD-RW | DVD-RW | DVD-RW | DVD-RW |
| Operating System | Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium, 64-bit | Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium, 64-bit | Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium, 64-bit | Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium, 64-bit | Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium, 64-bit | Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium, 64-bit |
Benchmarks |
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| Cinebench | Using Cinebench's multi-CPU render, this cross-platform benchmark stresses as many cores as possible. Run using high-performance mode. | |||||
| Geekbench | A cross-platform benchmark used to measure memory and processor performance. Run using high-performance mode. | |||||
| 3DMark Vantage | A PC benchmark used to test the DirectX 10 performance of a system's graphics card. Run using high-performance mode. | |||||
| 3DMark 11 | A PC benchmark used to test the DirectX 11 performance of a system's graphics card. Run using high-performance mode. | |||||
| PCMark 7 | PCMark 7 combines various single- and multi-threaded CPU, Graphics and HDD tests to score overall system performance. Run using high-performance mode. | |||||
| Power Consumption | Using a high-performance power mode, we record mains power draw whilst playing back a 720p movie trailer. | |||||
| Battery Test | To calculate battery life, we run the laptop on a balanced power plan and loop a 720p movie trailer, measuring the time taken to hibernate. | |||||
CPU and Memory Performance
Getting the benchmarks started with a bang, Cinebench shows the gap between a second-generation 2.0GHz Core i7-2630QM and a third-generation Core i7-3610QM to be a significant one.
The new quad-core Ivy Bridge CPU hits speeds of up to 3.3GHz using Intel Turbo Boost technology, and it offers enough extra speed to make the 2012 GT70 some 25 per cent quicker than last year's GT780DXR.
Geekbench provides a look at combined CPU and memory performance, but it tells the same story; the mobile Ivy Bridge configuration is the quickest we've seen in a laptop.