Review: XMG P303 Pro

by Parm Mann on 2 September 2013, 22:00

Tags: XMG, Schenker Technologies

Quick Link: HEXUS.net/qab2e5

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Gaming and Battery Life

Our regular laptop gaming benchmark is Just Cause 2 at 1,366x768 with medium quality settings. This is all too easy for the P303 Pro's underlying hardware, with the laptop averaging more than 100 frames per second.

Gaming Performance

Game Quality Settings
Average FPS
BioShock Infinite 1,920x1,080, Medium Quality
57.7
1,920x1,080, High Quality
49.8
1,920x1,080, Max Quality
29.1
DiRT Showdown 1,920x1,080, 4xMSAA, Medium Quality
90.9
1,920x1,080, 4xMSAA, High Quality
75.2
1,920x1,080, 4xMSAA, Ultra Quality
29.5

To find out what XMG's P303 Pro can really do, we need to challenge the Core i7-4702MQ and GeForce GTX 765M components with more-demanding titles. Yet again, we see impressive results. The laptop manages to maintain a near-30fps average when playing BioShock Infinite or DiRT Showdown with maximum image quality settings at 1,920x1,080.

There are going to be titles that will cause the laptop to struggle, but that's nothing a little reduction in resolution shouldn't solve. On the whole, there's no reason why this 13.3in machine won't play today's latest games at high-quality settings.

The P303 Pro has been a case of ups and downs, and that trend isn't letting up. CPU and GPU performance is excellent for a 13.3in form factor, but don't expect great mileage from the eight-cell, 62Whr battery.

In our video rundown test, which entails looping a 720p movie clip with 50 per cent screen brightness and all wireless radios disabled, the machine lasted less than four hours before succumbing to hibernation. Perhaps we're expecting miracles from Haswell-based laptops, but we were hoping for five hours, at the very least.

As a potential workaround, we'd really like to see an extended 12-cell battery be made available as an option. In addition to enhancing longevity, the extended battery would prop-up the back of the laptop, potentially improving the sound output and aiding airflow.