Gigabyte P57Wv5 review

The Gigabyte P57W can be had for only £1,199 (around $1700 or AU$2205), which makes it rather good value for money when weighed up against its rivals. There might be thinner alternatives, and others that look a little more premium, but with so many boxes firmly ticked it's difficult to consider spending any more if you need a portable machine that'll play any current game with ease.

We liked

Gigabyte's P57W packs in plenty of power at a truly reasonable price. The high-spec combination of the latest Intel i7-6700HQ coupled with NVIDIA's GTX 970M runs any game at 1080p with ease.

It's not a bad looking laptop, and although there are some thinner alternatives, it's not an unnecessarily large laptop either, offering plenty of connectivity options along with a full-sized keyboard and well-spaced trackpad.

The IPS screen is a pleasure to use, thanks to accurate colours and superb viewing angles. Dolby Sound and a roomy 1TB HDD round off the package nicely.

We disliked

There's nothing offensive about the design, though the hints of orange will likely appeal to younger, more trendy gamers than myself. I would have preferred to see some more premium materials on show to make the plastic shell stand out a little more.

Although it may not be a gamer's first choice of input, the trackpad feels overly sensitive and left me frustrated at times, needing a little fine-tuning to get right.

The forward-ejecting position of the DVD drive seems down-right silly, as it's a real pain to use when on your lap or on a slimmer desk. Although you can swap out the optical storage for more hard drive space or a weight-saving facia, I would have preferred to see it in a more accessible position.

Final verdict

If you would rather not be tethered to your desk and are looking for a gaming machine with a reasonable-sized screen and ample power on tap, the Gigabyte P57W delivers admirably.

It's better value than the Asus ROG G752VT, and while it may not have the premium looks, the orange accents and angular design are enough of a clue to hint at the power within.

You're unlikely to find more power in a laptop priced lower than this, but despite the savings it doesn't feel like Gigabyte has skimped on any of the essentials.