Gigabyte P34G v7 review

Graphics wise, the special cooling system means that the GTX 1050 included with the  Gigabyte P34G v7 can perform to its maximum potential. It comes in two flavors: 4GB and 2GB but here it’s only a 2GB. 

Unfortunately there’s no option to have this model pre-installed with the extra GDDR. For that you’ll need to go for the P34K v7 which is around $125 (£100, $170AUD) more expensive. It would have been nice to have the extra memory, but it’s good that Gigabyte have given users the option relatively cheaply to upgrade, albeit to a different model number.

It’s connected to a 14 inch FHD screen and while we weren’t wowed by it, we weren’t disappointed either. Some gamers may want QHD for sure, but others may not miss it and be happy to save money. And while the color isn’t as vibrant as we’d hope, it’s perfectly serviceable. 

Performance

In our tests, the Gigabyte  P34G v7 rose to the challenge. And while it’ll never reach the heady heights of running The Witcher 3 with more dust particles than you can shake a very furry stick at, it’ll certainly give you a steady enough frame rate for the cash spent. 

In fact, it edged close to the Razer Blade in some of the tests, especially Cinebench and Geekbench. In Single Geekbench the P34G clocks in at 3,623 a respectable score next to the Blade’s 4,109. They both have the same CPU but the P34G’s GPU is inferior which might explain its performance on the 3D Mark tests as none were particularly outstanding. Sky Diver it hit a respectable 16,280 but crawled through parts of Time Spy to reach 1,797. 

Oddly, many of the benches are actually comparable to last year’s Asus ROG Strix GL502. A machine that’s got an 8GB GTX 1070 and weighs 2.22kg and is now around the same price as the P34. However you may be future-proofed with the newer technology that’s in here.

Just playing games, however, and not relying on the benches, it worked pretty well. GTA V runs very respectably, as does Deus Ex. We were blitzing through at 45-60fps with a little time spent on tweaks.

So how long can you play games on the move? Unsurprisingly not very long. In the PC Mark Battery test it scraped just eight minutes over two hours, and our movie loop test was a little better at three hours and 13 mins. Pretty atrocious, particularly when compared to the Razer Blade which manages two hours more. So, don’t forget to bring a charger with you. 

We liked

We like the design, really we do. It’s slim and lightweight, and while it’s not the flashiest of laptops it’ll appeal to the mature gamer. 

And here’s the bonus: it’ll blend into an office situation. Plus, it’s priced pretty well at under £1,300 ($1600, AU$2200), has a handy 1TB 7,200rpm secondary drive, perfect for gamers.  

We disliked

There are a few niggles: the bouncy keyboard is one, as are some of the components, specifically the GPU which only has a measly 2GB on it. 

In comparison to other machines of its ilk, namely the Dell Inspiron 13 Gaming, it could be considered pricey for the spec. And it’s got dismal battery life. 

Final verdict

Despite our disappointment over the battery life, we still enjoyed using the P34G v7. It’ll run the latest titles, not with all the bells and whistles on, but it’s what you’d expect for the price. 

However we’d recommend that if you can, spend the extra money and get the P34K as it has twice the amount of video RAM. 

We did love the design though, it’s so... normal and therefore unlike other garish machines of its ilk. Also, unlike other gaming laptops, this is thin enough to fit in a traditional sheath case and won’t weigh you down. Vive la normcore!