Gigabyte P34W v3 Gaming Laptop Review

Introduction

The Gigabyte P34W v3 is touted as “the world’s lightest GTX 970M gaming laptop” and exemplifies how portable modern gaming laptops can be whilst offering an impressive level of graphical prowess. After growing up with a number of 17″ behemoths that almost weighed the same as my Desktop; it is staggering how far technology has come. From the outset, the P34W v3 looks more like a fashionable ultrabook designed for basic tasks instead of an enthusiast-grade laptop. However, don’t be deceived by its slim design; the P34W v3 packs an enormous punch with an Intel Core i7-4720HQ, 8GB of RAM and GTX 970M. This combination provides a stellar 1080p gaming experience without requiring a bulky setup. The question is, have Gigabyte made too many concessions in a bid to reach a compact form factor?

Specifications

• Name: Gigabyte P34W v3
• Case: Gigabyte ABS and PC Chassis with Aluminium Lid
• Processor: 4th Gen. Intel Core i7-4720HQ (2.6GHz, 3.6GHz Turbo)
• System Memory: Transcend TS1GSK64W6H – 8GB Memory Module 1600MHz DDR3L Unbuffered Non-ECC CL11 204-pin SO-DIMM
• Main Boot Drive: Lite-On LMT-128L9M-11 MSATA 128GB
• Additional Storage Drive(s): WD Blue WD10JPVX 1TB 5400 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 2.5″ Internal Notebook Hard Drive
• Graphics card: NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 970M GDDR5 3GB
• Battery: Li-polymer 15.2V, 16.25h, 4030mAh
• Optical Drive: None
• Wireless:  Intel dual-band Wireless-AC 7260 2×2 mini-PCIe card
• OS: Windows 8.1 64 Bit
• Display: 14″ 1920×1080 AVHA
• Weight: 1.81kg
• Dimensions: 340(W) x 239 (D) x 20.9 (h) mm
• Warranty: 2-year Global Warranty
• Price: £1187 as configured Delivered.

Packing and Accessories

Gaming laptops incur a rather hefty price tag which means the packaging and presentation should be impeccable. In this case, the P34W v3 was sent without any bubble wrap, additional boxes or reinforced padding. I wouldn’t be too concerned though as this particular unit is a second-hand press sample and shouldn’t reflect the retail version.

Once the top flap has been removed, you can access the interior packaging which contains a cardboard section for the power cable and adapter. This is constructed from fairly thick-grade cardboard and protects the cables pretty well. Additionally, the laptop is hidden underneath a rectangular foam cutout which adds a luxury feel. Gigabyte decided to position the accessories on top of the cushioning foam to allow for easy removal.

The laptop is bundled with a soft and luscious protective bag which adopts an understated but classy appearance.In terms of accessories, the P34W v3 includes a user’s manual, warranty card, felt cleaning cloth, power adapter, power brick, and selection of software. The user’s manual is 12-pages long and contains clear diagrams to help you setup the device. It does seem rather silly though to provide a drivers disk considering the laptop doesn’t have an optical drive. This shows a lack of thought because many laptops require a disk to enable network functionality before downloading additional drivers. I hope Gigabyte take this feedback on-board and put the data on a USB flash drive in the future.

CPU-Z

GPU-Z