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Cryo Computers are a UK system builder at the top of their relevant market, I have reviewed many of their systems in the past, including the stunning carbon fibre Cryo Nano and the watercooled, overclocked high end 980X based Nemesis SE. If you want a sexy custom system build then these guys should be high on your list.
System builders in the UK are a dime a dozen but Cryo have managed to distance themselves from the masses because they really know how to build a killer rig with plenty of attention to detail.
When Cryo recently announced that they were releasing a new range of performance laptops (for the first time) then we made sure we were one of the first publications in the UK to snag a machine from their production line. We received such an early unit that we had to apply the Cryo name badge ourselves !
The systems they are making are based around Clevo chassis and they range from the £1,395 Mercia to the £2,995 Iceni. Rather than focus on the high end model we though it would be more interesting to review the Mercia entry level unit – after all this is the model which is going to get the most sales.
So what do you get for your £1,395 ?
- 15.6in display 1920×1080 HD (3D nVidia support optional)
- Intel Core i5 540QM standard (Core i5 or i7 mobile processor support)
- DVD-RW optical (BluRay optional)
- Dual Channel DDR3 4GB PC3-10666 standard, to 8GB upgradable
- Discrete graphics card support; nVidia 285M, 360M, 260M, 280M, Quadro 2800M, and ATI HD5870 Mobility (standard)
- HD multichannel sound with stereo built-in speakers, WLAN 802.11g, one SATA HDD; 500GB WD Scorpio Blue
- Dim: 374(W) x 263.5(D) x 42(H) mm, 3.3Kg.
Our model shipped with the default configuration of 4GB of DDR3 and an ATI HD5870 mobility graphics card. We have high hopes that this is going to be a kick ass system to cover all bases.
awesome I have been waiting on a review of these for a while after seeing the press release last week. off to read now !
That mobile graphics solution is amazing. the price of the system is really very good considering the screen resolution quality and components inside. my friend might like one of these, shall send him an email. good review.
How much would an SSD cost in this, do they offer upgrades?
Cryo offer a complete custom range of upgrades, so an SSD is an option yes. there should be a pricing list on their site for SSD upgrades when the products go mass market.
good review Zardon, very detailed. I also like the information on the cooling and temperatures, I find higher power laptops always get hot. I think the below to back facing airflow is a good idea and it seems to work well with the CPU. the GFX is a bit hot though. Think they can get that under 90c ?
Very impressive gaming performance ! the price is great. I know my friend will be interested in this, he was alerady talking about getting a HD5870 mobility powered system
That is such a sexy looking machine, very corporate yet stylish. Love it. I have a Cryo desktop system which I bought after reading your review Zardon last year. I rate them as one of the finest UK system builders, bar none.
I was expecting this to cost more actually considering the internal components. the dual core i5 cpus are very good, but I agree they can run out of horsepower for rendering. That said, I dont think people would buy this machine for that, but its good you cover an overall system view. I like this machine. 1920×1080 is an ideal res too.
Damn I spent more than this months ago on an alienware and the specs arent as good 🙁 not buying another however.
This reminds me that I need a new laptop myself, and have been putting it off for months now. I like the appearance of this clevo chassis. I dont think I would need the HD5870 however, I bet battery life would be massively improved with this removed and a lower end model inside it. Might speak to Cryo in a few weeks about specing this with a lower end GFX.
I think this system has a bit of an issue cooling the components. CPU temps are fine but GFX looks to be borderline. wouldnt fancy this long term at 95c when gaming.
Great job for Cryo, I was over looking at their website, wicked wicked systems. they need a website update though, its pretty ugly!
This system is exactly what I need, but the temperatures concern me. Can you update us Zardon if they fix the load temperatures?
Zardon, you really do rock man. This layout is so detailed and I love the fact you covered the temperatures, the system install and any crapware installed. well DONE CRYO for keeping it crap free by the way.
Very indepth and I only had a chance to skim some pages in work, but ive it bookmarked for a read later.
As long as we have companies like Cryo who dont install a lot of shite we will be well served. It is the single most annoying bloody thing when getting a new system from a company and I am glad such a focus was placed on it. Dell should be embarassed for the 40 GB of garbage they install out of the factory. Its all very well servicing partners, but hey how about serving the people who actually buy it. If they cut out most of the crapware and actually gave away someting useful like AVAST (full) I would be much happier. The last Dell system I tried to fix for a friend required me to reinstall everything from fresh and I couldnt find the LAN drive for ages, eventually getting it on another system build.
The bigger a company gets the more automation they have to put into the imaging, but man it sucks.
I dont think Dell are alone with this to be perfectly honest Dell Hater. my friends toshiba system was rather bloated when I looked at it.
Cryo serve a different audience, people who really know more about a system and read sites like Kitguru, rather than mainstream publications. Dell are fine for people like my mother, but I agree them (as well as many others) need to start streamlining their OS installs and removing a lot of the trial ware while offering useful free alternatives, or even a commercial package included.
Great review, but I want to see the highest end Cryo model being reviewed here as I have 3 grand to spend later this year. I want a much beefier processor. Is this planned Zardon?
I would like a review of the 940 based systems, is that forthcoming soon or later in the year?
Nothing else is planned as yet, but I am sure we can get others if the demand is there.
excellent review, such a level of detail buddy, must be massively time consuming
Can I put in a request to see a review of the Carvetii which costs just under 2 grand? the specs appeal to me more. I also find smaller screens a little hard to read. old age 🙁
Gaming obviously amazing. I was just wondering about general windows use. The text must be pretty tiny with full HD on a screen this small or is it quite comfortable to read?
It normally would be Don, but the quality of this particular panel is exceptionally good so I can honestly say, reading text gave me no problems at all.