Benchmarks: CPU
We start our performance evaluation with a range of benchmarks designed to analyse CPU performance. The 3.6GHz Core i7-4720HQ chip installed in our Defiance 17 review sample isn't the quickest processor on show - that honour goes to the 3.7GHz Core i7-4870HQ featured in the Aorus X7 Pro and MSI GS30 - and the PiFast results are a direct reflection of top clock speed.
The Cinebench and HandBrake results are arguably more interesting. Both tests apply maximum load to all available cores, and often highlight the thermal constraints of a laptop, as the CPU readily throttles in these scenarios. The Defiance 17 isn't hampered as much as the other systems on show, and by maintaining higher speeds for longer periods, is able to top the multi-threaded charts.
