Gigabyte’s New AORUS SLI Gaming Notebook
by Jarred Walton on January 7, 2014 3:55 AM EST_678x452.JPG)
Gigabyte had all of their current generation notebooks on display, which you can see in the images below, but while many of them are interesting in their own right – and I like that all of them have either IPS or AHVA display panels as far as I could tell – the notebook that’s really aiming to garner a following is the new AORUS 17” notebook. Sporting two GTX 765M GPUs in SLI packed into a thin 22.9mm / 0.9” thick chassis that weighs 2.9kg / 6.39 lbs. the AORUS is aiming to take a crack at the slim gaming notebook market. It’s a daring design, and performance of the two 765M GPUs looks to be quite good. What’s more, the AORUS features three digital video outputs (two full-size HDMI and one mini-DP), allowing for three-screen surround gaming (and the fourth internal laptop display can continue to run as well). Build quality looks good as well, similar to that of the Razer Blade. Storage is handled by up to two mSATA SSDs in RAID 0 with a 2.5” HDD bay, along with four SO-DIMM slots allowing up to 32GB of RAM. Also present on the keyboard are five macro buttons with a toggle switch at the top providing access to 25 custom macros. Availability should be in the next quarter or two, and you can find additional details about the AORUS on the official site.
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Fluctus - Tuesday, January 7, 2014 - link
I really like the concept and the gradual increase in popularity of these slim/compact "gaming" notebooks. They define mobile gaming experience to not only be large and bulky but also small and portable.ToTTenTranz - Tuesday, January 7, 2014 - link
What's the point on releasing a laptop capable of two mid-range GPUs in SLI if a single high-end GPU (GTX780M) would consume less power, perform better and bring less hassle for compatibility and stability?Galatian - Tuesday, January 7, 2014 - link
I guess they can use two slower and more silent fans instead of using one big and loud one. Just a guess thoughnightbringer57 - Tuesday, January 7, 2014 - link
I assume there may be several causes here1- marketing. SLI or Crossfire is always a good thing to shout out event when useless or pointless (like those dual-mid-range GPU enabled full-sized computers where it is clearly useless)
2- maybe parts availability?
3- two GTX765M may be less expensive than a single GTX780M ?
4- being an ultra-thin notebook has consequences on cooling possibilities. I'm not sure one can properly cool a GTX780M in such a thin envelope. But Gigabyte must have had lots of surface to work on (with all the stuff embedded in cpu, its own tiny footprint, ...), and dividing the cooling into two ultra-thin coolers, each one being sufficient to cool a GTX765M may be a viable option here, even at the cost of more power and more heat, it may be easier to cool than a single big GPU.
chaosbloodterfly - Tuesday, January 7, 2014 - link
Better performance/$. A GTX780M is horrendously expensive.inperfectdarkness - Friday, January 10, 2014 - link
Then why is the GT60-20D261 equipped with one, plus 16GB ram & a 3k screen...for the same price point--and in a smaller form factor?Magius - Friday, January 10, 2014 - link
You do know the GT60 is roughly the same width and length and more than double the height?GT60=>395 x 267 x 55mm
X7=>392(W) x 263(D) x 22.9(H)mm
It may have the 680m and hires screen, but your tradeoff is in thickness and weight. If you don't mind those, go for it.
nerd1 - Tuesday, January 7, 2014 - link
765M looks quite affordable (maybe $100 range) and 780M costs a lot (usually $600 or more)oloop - Saturday, January 18, 2014 - link
the performance is about then same, for about more 28 watts(about 150 watt TDP on the 765s vs the 122 watt TDP on 780), where the cooling system needed for the 780 wouldn't be practical in this for factor.iTzSnypah - Tuesday, January 7, 2014 - link
I hope that there is a USB port on the back of the laptop so when you plug in your mouse the wires aren't in the way. It's terrible that almost all 'gaming' laptops don't even take a mouse into consideration when it's designed.