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The Gigabyte P35K-CF4 UltraBlade has not impressed us at all and we could not recommend that our readers rush out to buy this laptop.
Initial issues required us to install a BIOS update and fresh drivers to get the laptop working correctly, although part of the blame may be the way that these samples are rotated to press for many months without regular maintenance. An improved system of ensuring the latest updates and drivers are installed before shipping to the publication would certainly help smooth out the process.
I was unimpressed by the all-in-one touch pad and mouse buttons. The Windows 8.1 update improved the laptop significantly and seemed to make the touch pad work slightly better too, although the tap-to-click control still left a lot to be desired.
A backlit keyboard certainly helps when room lighting is poor and we welcome the addition on the P35K. Sadly the board itself couldn't be classed as a high grade unit, lacking in comparison to those found on the Lenovo Thinkpad, and the Steelseries boards bundled with many of the latest gaming laptops.
The specification of the P35K appears to be set in stone however I was clearly missing the storage HDD in my review sample. I also see that retail versions of the P35K have a Blu-ray drive whereas I had to make do with a Super multi DVD writer.
Playing games on the Gigabyte P35K was a decent experience. The 2.1 speakers are surprisingly good, however we really do need to mention the fan noise. Even when playing games, the fan noise from this laptop is excruciating. The only way I could enjoy gaming was to wear headphones, masking out the whirring of fans as the P35K was heating up.
We feel the 15.6-inch screen is a touch too small for a Full HD gaming laptop. The size is a good compromise for portability but when you play games you need to sit a bit closer to the screen than seems entirely natural. I find a 17 inch screen is better when I want to sit back and enjoy high resolution gaming or even watching movies.
On a more positive note, the cosmetic appeal of the P35K is indisputable and the 21mm thickness is clearly a headline feature. While the size seems conducive in regards to portability, it weighs 2.3kg and takes a little effort to lug around under the arm.
Battery life is nothing remarkable and could be improved by replacing the optical drive with an even larger battery.
Another problem for the P35K is the price. Overclockers are selling this model for £1169.99 inc VAT but if you look around the web you'll find it on sale for £1540 inc vat.
If the price dropped to less than £1,000 we might be able to give the P35K a Worth Considering award. At the current price point there is no recommendation to short list or consider the P35K as there are better machines available, for less money.
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Pros:
- Lovely IPS Full HD screen.
- Slender chassis.
- Impressive combination of Core i7 CPU, GTX 765M GPU and RAID 0 SSD.
- Option of swapping the DVD drive for a SATA storage drive.
- The backlit keyboard is easy to use in the dark.
- excellent speakers.
Cons:
- High price
- Excessive noise from the cooling fan.
- Touch pad/mouse don't offer enough control.
- Heavier than I would hope – at 2.3kg.
- Battery life is unimpressive.
KitGuru says: Blazing Core i7 performance and a lovely IPS Full HD screen cannot make up for the noisy cooling and extremely high price.
A number of the pictures show the base to be curved? Is this the case?
I bought the machine and it is lovely. However, some serious issues! Sound does not work through the speakers when you turn the machine on! You have to fiddle with FnF9 to try and start it? Whether it starts or not is pure luck. It is currently silent and I have no idea what to do?????
Also the dvd drive bay is very temperamental and often only works on the 2nd or third go.