Clevo M980NU Benchmarks and Conclusion

Performance and Benchmarks
System performance was excellent, easily running anything we could throw at it. The Core 2 Extreme QX9300 processor combined with dual NVIDIA GTX 280M graphics cards are enough to handle every modern game we tested, even at 1920x1080 resolution with high detail settings. The quick storage system was another benefit of this gaming system, having two SSDs in RAID 0 for the primary boot drive, and a third 7200RPM hard drive for additional storage. Game load times were kept to a minimum, and loading up normal applications like a web browser or word processor happened in no time at all. Multimedia tasks were no problem for the quad-core processor, coping with multiple HD videos simultaneously, just because it could.

wPrime Processor Performance Benchmark (lower scores mean better performance):

PCMark05 Overall Performance Benchmark (higher scores mean better performance):

Synthetic Gaming Performance using 3DMark06 (higher scores mean better performance):

HDTune Hard Drive Performance Benchmark:

For our gaming tests we tried out Left 4 Dead, Call of Duty 5, Crysis: Warhead, and Bioshock. Each game was tested at 1920x1080 resolution, Anti-Aliasing disabled, and detail settings on high. In the case of Crysis, detail settings were set to "gamer". Left 4 Dead played at very high framerates, with a peak of 171FPS and an average of 96FPS. Call of Duty 5: World at War was ran slightly slower, but still very high with a peak of 93FPS and an average of 80FPS. Crysis: Warhead was the most stressful of the bunch, running at an average of 36FPS, peaking at 51FPS. Bioshock turned out to be the least stressful game we tested, with an average of 137FPS, and a peak of 200FPS. Outside of Crysis, all of the games had plenty of leeway, where you could be practically playing them in power save mode while still staying at respectable framerates.

Heat and Noise
During heavy gameplay the internal cooling system kept surface temperatures at reasonable levels. We didn't put much stress on the lower side of the notebook given its weight, as it would probably crush your levels if you used it as a laptop. The palmrest while gaming stayed right around 80 degrees Fahrenheit, with the ASDWX section of the keyboard getting close to 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

Noise was above average, as it had to handle cooling for the processor and two graphics cards. Under normal activity the fans come on occasionally, which is noticeable even if you are not sitting in front of the computer. While gaming the fans kick on full time, ramping up in speed when the cooling demands are higher, then backing off if the load is reduced. I probably wouldn't recommend gaming at the front of the classroom or in a quiet library.

Battery Life
Battery life was pretty weak when compared to other large notebooks, but not all that surprising given the quad-core processor, dual graphics cards, three hard drives, and 18.4" display. In our battery test with the screen set to 70% brightness, wireless active, and Vista on the Balanced profile, we managed to get 1 hour and 13 minutes out of the M980NU before it shutoff. Power consumption during the test hovered between 60 and 65 watts.

Conclusion
The Clevo M980NU is a gaming powerhouse, especially when packed with dual NVIDIA GTX 280m graphics cards and a QX9300 quad-core processor. Even though our configuration cost well over $4,000, thrifty users can scale down the processor and storage configurations to get a much more affordable notebook. Considering that the QX9300 was over $1,000 bump in price by itself, you can see that upgrades will add up quickly. Gaming performance was phenomenal, easily ranking up at the top of our list in terms of most powerful gaming notebooks. At its stock speed it is neck and neck with the Alienware m17x in 3D performance, and well above in overall performance thanks to the storage system. Users looking for the largest possible screen will also enjoy the 18.4" LCD, offering vibrant colors and above average viewing angles. Overall if you can put up with the short battery life and noisy cooling fans, it is a great high performance gaming system.

Pros:

• Beautiful 18.4" LCD
• Excellent performance
• Good looking design

Cons:

• Battery is more of a power backup
• Loud cooling system while gaming