Gigabyte P55K V4 review

At only a little over £1,000 or $1,250 (about AU$ 2,130), the Gigabyte P55K V4 manages to pack great performance into a relatively attractive package. Okay, so there are thinner alternatives around (including the older P35K V3 we reviewed back in February), but where value is concerned, you are unlikely to get a better specified machine without spending around half as much again.

We liked

The P55K V4 offers a lot of gaming power at a price that won't break the bank. Nvidia's GTX 965M is a perfectly capable graphics card, and the high-end Intel i7-5700HQ is more than a match for pretty much anything you can throw at it.

The IPS display may not be the brightest, but with accurate colour, a quick response and good viewing angles, it's perfect for gaming from the comfort of your sofa, with the built-in virtual surround sound only sweetening the deal.

Other media and office apps are handled with ease thanks to the full-sized keyboard, large trackpad and good connectivity, and to top it all off the P55K doesn't look half bad, either.

We disliked

Whilst it isn't the most boring of laptop designs, there are a couple of things that let down the look of the P55K. Firstly, the large bezels around the screen feel like they would be more at home in a laptop from 2005, not 2015.

Equally, by today's standards the P55K is a pretty chunky beast with vast swathes of plastic on show, and not a hint of premium metals in sight. Coupled with the orange trim, it's a design that will appeal to teenage gamers, but perhaps not more mature buyers looking for the epitome of understated cool.

Lastly, the battery life was only average, and sadly didn't keep up with Gigabyte's slimmer, cheaper P35K.

Final verdict

Gigabyte's P55K V4 covers all the bases a gamer might look for if they don't want to be tied to a desktop PC. A good quality full HD screen driven by a powerful CPU and GPU combo make it a great contender to more expensive alternatives like the HP Omen, and it is considerably better value than the Acer V15 Nitro.

The styling may not be to everyone's taste, and the chunky plastic body could have been blessed with a few more premium touches, but the matte finish and orange accents certainly help it stand out from some of the more boring alternatives.

Additional features like the virtual surround sound and wealth of connectivity options mean you're getting a lot from this gaming laptop, without a bank-busting price to swallow. Just remember to pack your charger if you plan on getting your game on for more than a couple of hours.