Benchmarks: System and Gaming
Now then. Put those GeForce GTX 970M GPUs into the mix and performance skyrockets. We've never seen a laptop score over 10,000 in the 3DMark FireStrike test. That's almost as much as a GeForce GTX 980 manages on an overclocked desktop PC.
Granted, we are looking at the performance level of two GPUs combined, but nonetheless, the numbers are sensational for a gaming laptop that's less than 23mm thick. In case you're wondering, the X7 Pro scored 5,899 in Fire Strike Extreme (2,560x1,440) and 3,053 in Fire Strike Ultra (3,840x2,160). Hands up, who has a desktop PC that can't touch these numbers?
1080p Gaming Performance (Average FPS) |
|||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Game | Quality Settings | Aorus X7 Pro |
|||||
(2x GeForce GTX 970M 3GB) |
(GeForce GTX 980M 8GB) |
(2x GeForce GTX 860M 4GB) |
(GeForce GTX 870M 6GB) |
(GeForce GTX 870M 6GB) |
(GeForce GTX 860M 2GB) |
||
| BioShock Infinite | Very Low Quality | 285.8 |
224.2 |
198.4 |
168.6 |
155.8 |
121.6 |
| Low Quality | 245.7 |
184.2 |
153.0 |
124.7 |
120.9 |
90.0 |
|
| Medium Quality | 218.5 |
156.2 |
127.2 |
101.0 |
100.1 |
73.1 |
|
| High Quality | 192.3 |
142.4 |
106.9 |
86.1 |
85.6 |
61.4 |
|
| Max Quality | 126.9 |
86.7 |
63.5 |
51.4 |
52.2 |
35.6 |
|
| Total War: Rome II | Low | 259.8 |
229.1 |
102.8 |
127.5 |
120.7 |
90.3 |
| Medium Quality | 241.1 |
210.0 |
96.7 |
121.9 |
115.0 |
85.3 |
|
| High Quality | 197.0 |
173.5 |
81.9 |
104.3 |
99.4 |
72.5 |
|
| Very High Quality | 135.4 |
110.1 |
46.0 |
60.3 |
60.4 |
44.0 |
|
| Extreme Quality | 72.1 |
57.4 |
22.1 |
29.4 |
30.6 |
21.6 |
|
So what's it like when you're gaming? At the laptop's native 1080p resolution, most games are an absolute doddle. When playing BioShock Infinite with maximum-quality settings, the X7 Pro averaged around 127 frames per second. That's a 46 per cent improvement over the MSI GT72, which if you'll recall was outfitted with a single, range-topping GeForce GTX 980M.
Total War: Rome II is among the most demanding titles available and has belatedly been updated with SLI support. With both GPUs working in tandem, the X7 Pro is able to churn out an impressive 72 frames per second. The score would probably be higher if the CPU wasn't throttling, but the good news is that GPU cooling performance doesn't appear to be an issue - GTX 970M core speed was locked at 1,038MHz throughout our gaming benchmarks.
This level of performance makes us wish the X7 Pro was offered with a higher-resolution display. It could, we feel, deliver a smooth experience at, say, 2,560x1,440, but the industry appears to be dragging its heels when it comes to high-res 17.3in panels, which is a shame for high-end gaming laptops such as this.
