Test Methodology
Comparison Laptops - Part One | 
    ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| System Name | ASUS ZenBook Pro UX550VD | |||
| Form Factor | 15.6in  | 
      15.6in  | 
      15.6in  | 
      14.0in  | 
    
| CPU | Intel Core i5-7300HQ  | 
      Intel Core i7-6820HK   | 
      Intel Core i7-7700HQ  | 
      Intel Core i7-7700HQ  | 
    
| CPU Base Frequency | 2.5GHz  | 
      2.7GHz  | 
      2.8GHz  | 
      2.8GHz  | 
    
| CPU Turbo Frequency | 3.5GHz  | 
      4.0GHz  | 
      3.8GHz  | 
      3.8GHz  | 
    
| CPU Cores / Threads | 4 / 4  | 
      4 / 8  | 
      4 / 8  | 
      4 / 8  | 
    
| CPU TDP | 45W  | 
      45W  | 
      45W  | 
      45W  | 
    
| Memory | 8GB DDR4 (1x8GB)  | 
      16GB DDR4 (2x8GB)  | 
      8GB DDR4 (2x4GB)  | 
      16GB DDR4 (1x16GB)  | 
    
| Memory Speed | 2,400MHz at 17-17-17-39-2T  | 
      2,400MHz at 16-16-16-39-2T  | 
      2,400MHz at 17-17-17-39-2T  | 
      2,400MHz at 17-17-17-39-2T  | 
    
| Integrated GPU | Intel HD 630  | 
      -  | 
      Intel HD 630  | 
      Intel HD 630  | 
    
| Dedicated GPU(s) | Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 4GB  | 
      Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 8GB  | 
      Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 4GB  | 
      Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 6GB  | 
    
| Display | 15.6in BOE06BA Full-HD TN (1,920x1,080)  | 
      15.6in MEI96A2 WQHD+ IPS (2,880x1,620)  | 
      15.6in CMN15E8 Full-HD IPS (1,920x1,080)  | 
      14.0in LGD049A QHD IPS (2,560x1,440)  | 
    
| Battery Capacity | 53Wh  | 
      94Wh  | 
      73Wh  | 
      94Wh  | 
    
| Wireless | Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7265  | 
      Killer Wireless-AC 1535  | 
      Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265  | 
      Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8260  | 
    
| Network | Realtek Gigabit Ethernet  | 
      Killer E2200 Gigabit Ethernet  | 
      -  | 
      Realtek Gigabit Ethernet  | 
    
| Primary Storage | 128GB SK Hynix SC308 M.2 SSD  | 
      256GB Samsung SM951 M.2 SSD  | 
      512GB Micron 1100 M.2 SSD  | 
      512GB Samsung SM951 M.2 SSD  | 
    
| Secondary Storage | 1TB Toshiba MQ01ABD100 2.5in HDD  | 
      1TB HGST Travelstar 7K1000 2.5in HDD  | 
      -  | 
      -  | 
    
| Optical Drive | -  | 
      -  | 
      -  | 
      -  | 
    
| Power Supply | 135W External  | 
      200W External  | 
      120W External  | 
      150W External  | 
    
| Operating System | Microsoft Windows 10 64-bit  | 
      Microsoft Windows 10 64-bit  | 
      Microsoft Windows 10 64-bit  | 
      Microsoft Windows 10 64-bit  | 
    
| Dimensions (W x D x H) | 389mm x 266mm x 28.9mm  | 
      390mm x 272mm x 22.9mm  | 
      365mm x 251mm x 18.9mm  | 
      335mm x 250mm x 19.9mm  | 
    
| Weight | 2.5kg  | 
      2.5kg  | 
      1.8kg  | 
      1.9kg  | 
    
| Standard Warranty | One year  | 
      Two years  | 
      TBC  | 
      Two years  | 
    
| Date Reviewed | June 2017  | 
      September 2016  | 
      August 2017  | 
      February 2017  | 
    
| Price When Reviewed | £800  | 
      £2,100  | 
      £1,600  | 
      £1,800  | 
    
Comparison Laptops - Part Two | 
    ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| System Name | ||||
| Form Factor | 15.6in  | 
      15.6in  | 
      15.6in  | 
      14.0in  | 
    
| CPU | Intel Core i7-7700HQ  | 
      Intel Core i7-6700HQ  | 
      Intel Core i7-7700HQ  | 
      Intel Core i7-7700HQ  | 
    
| CPU Base Frequency | 2.8GHz  | 
      2.6GHz  | 
      2.8GHz  | 
      2.8GHz  | 
    
| CPU Turbo Frequency | 3.8GHz  | 
      3.5GHz  | 
      3.8GHz  | 
      3.8GHz  | 
    
| CPU Cores / Threads | 4 / 8  | 
      4 / 8  | 
      4 / 8  | 
      4 / 8  | 
    
| CPU TDP | 45W  | 
      45W  | 
      45W  | 
      45W  | 
    
| Memory | 16GB DDR4 (2x8GB)  | 
      16GB DDR4 (2x8GB)  | 
      8GB DDR4 (1x8GB)  | 
      16GB DDR4 (2x8GB)  | 
    
| Memory Speed | 2,400MHz at 17-17-17-39-2T  | 
      2,400MHz at 16-16-16-39-2T  | 
      2,400MHz at 17-17-17-39-2T  | 
      2,400MHz at 17-17-17-39-2T  | 
    
| Integrated GPU | Intel HD 630  | 
      Intel HD 530  | 
      Intel HD 630  | 
      Intel HD 630  | 
    
| Dedicated GPU(s) | Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 6GB  | 
      Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 8GB  | 
      Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 4GB  | 
      Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 6GB  | 
    
| Display | 15.6in CMN15D7 Full-HD IPS (1,920x1,080)  | 
      15.6in SHP1436 4K UHD IPS (3,840x2,160)  | 
      15.6in AUO61ED Full-HD IPS (1,920x1,080)  | 
      14.0in LGD046D Full-HD IPS (1,920x1,080)  | 
    
| Battery Capacity | 94Wh  | 
      76Wh  | 
      45Wh  | 
      70Wh  | 
    
| Wireless | Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265  | 
      Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8260  | 
      Qualcomm Atheros QCA61x4A  | 
      Killer Wireless-AC 1535  | 
    
| Network | Realtek Gigabit Ethernet  | 
      Realtek Gigabit Ethernet  | 
      Realtek Gigabit Ethernet  | 
      -  | 
    
| Primary Storage | 512GB Lite-On CX2 M.2 SSD  | 
      256GB Samsung SM951  M.2 SSD  | 
      128GB Samsung PM951  M.2 SSD  | 
      256GB Samsung PM951  M.2 SSD  | 
    
| Secondary Storage | -  | 
      1TB HGST Travelstar 7K1000 2.5in HDD  | 
      1TB Seagate Mobile 2.5in HDD  | 
      -  | 
    
| Optical Drive | -  | 
      Blu-ray writer  | 
      -  | 
      -  | 
    
| Power Supply | 150W External  | 
      230W External  | 
      135W External  | 
      165W External  | 
    
| Operating System | Microsoft Windows 10 64-bit  | 
      Microsoft Windows 10 64-bit  | 
      Microsoft Windows 10 64-bit  | 
      Microsoft Windows 10 64-bit  | 
    
| Dimensions (W x D x H) | 356mm x 250mm x 19.9mm  | 
      385mm x 270mm x 20.9mm  | 
      380mm x 265mm x 25.8mm  | 
      345mm x 235mm x 17.9mm  | 
    
| Weight | 2.1kg  | 
      2.4kg  | 
      2.5kg  | 
      1.9kg  | 
    
| Standard Warranty | Two years  | 
      Two years  | 
      One year  | 
      One year  | 
    
| Date Reviewed | May 2017  | 
      December 2016  | 
      July 2017  | 
      March 2017  | 
    
| Price When Reviewed | £1,900  | 
      £1,999  | 
      £999  | 
      £1,800  | 
    
CPU Benchmarks | 
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HEXUS PiFast | Our number-crunching PiFast test is used to benchmark the computational power of each system's CPU. | |||||||||||
| Cinebench | Using Cinebench's multi-CPU render, this cross-platform benchmark stresses as many cores as possible. | |||||||||||
| HandBrake | Free-to-use video encoder that stresses all CPU cores. | |||||||||||
Memory and Storage Benchmarks | 
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| AIDA64 | Benchmark that analyses memory bandwidth and latency. | |||||||||||
| CrystalDiskMark | Popular free-to-use storage benchmark, used to gauge sequential performance and aggregated 4K QD32 speeds. | |||||||||||
System and Gaming Benchmarks | 
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| 3DMark | DX11, default Fire Strike test. | |||||||||||
| Gaming | A selection of modern titles are tested at various resolutions. | |||||||||||
Miscellaneous Benchmarks | 
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| Display | Datacolor's Spyder 4 Elite professional monitor analyser is used to return a quantitative assessment of display quality. | |||||||||||
| Power Consumption | Noted for system idling, under HandBrake video-transcoding load, and for GPU playing Dirt Rally. | |||||||||||
| Temperature | Noted for CPU idling, under HandBrake video-transcoding load, and for GPU playing Dirt Rally. | |||||||||||
| Battery Life | Measured while looping a high-definition movie clip with 50 per cent screen brightness and flight mode enabled. | |||||||||||
