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We store our approx. 200 GB big game file on the secondary hard disk. Seagate's Momentus ST1000LM024 is a 1000 GB SATA II HDD with an eight MB cache. Despite its 5400 rpm, the 2.5 inch disk is quite able to compete with allegedly faster 7200 rpm models. Toshiba PA3928U-1BRS battery

It managed relatively good 100 MB/s in CrystalDiskMark. Toshiba's terabyte contender MQ01ABD100 that also spins with 5400 rpm achieves similar rates here (see One K73-2O). Toshiba PA3921U-1BRS battery

The A522 also excels in the system benchmarks owing to the fast SSD. 19762 points would hardly be possible in PCMark Vantage without a solid state drive. Until now, the fewest devices reach over 2000 points (e.g. Asus' G75VW and Alienware's M18x R2). 3860 points in PCMark 7 are also good. Ordinary run-of-the-mill laptops have to be satisfied with approx. 2000 points. Toshiba PABAS248 battery

Demanding PC games tend to show the GTX 660M its limits. A few games stutter intensely when using 1920 x 1080 pixels and maximum details (among others, Battlefield 3, Dirt Showdown and Anno 2070). Although popular blockbusters such as Modern Warfare 3, Mass Effect 3 and Diablo III, run pleasantly on high graphic options, the DirectX 11 GPU is sooner made for 1600 x 900 pixels. Toshiba PA3757U-1BRS battery

If you always want to play in the native resolution, you are probably better advised with the cheaper HD+ screen. Great: the Full HD screen supports numerous 4:3, 16:10 and 16:9 resolutions (among them 1600 x 900). However, reducing the pixel count leads to a certain degree of blurriness. Toshiba PABAS213 battery

When only looking at our Ultra setting, the disabled CPU turbo only has little to no effect. The benchmark results are on a par with other notebooks featuring a GeForce GTX 660M (e.g. see Asus' G55VW or Lenovo's IdeaPad Y580). In return, differences are evident with somewhat reduced settings. Gigabyte's P2542G rendered The Secret World almost 7% smoother in high details and 1366 x 768 pixels. Toshiba PA3782U-1BRS battery

The noise emissions leave mixed feelings. In idle you primarily hear the HDD, if one is installed, which generates a quiet but not annoying noise. When the notebook does not have anything to do for a while, the hard disk switches to sleep and you only hear the fan's subtle noise. We cannot say anything adverse about the DVD burner. The optical drive is restrained when playing a movie. Toshiba PA3783U-1BRS battery

As typical for gamers, the noise level increases drastically during load. The fan sometimes comes to the fore depending on the genre and game scene. Most customers will unlikely send the device back though. However, sensitive natures should preferably look around for an alternative. Asus' G55VW is currently one of the quietest high-end notebooks. Toshiba PA3784U-1BRS battery

If you are suspiciously looking at the maximum rate, the 49 dB (A) recorded in the chart only applies to unrealistic full load operation. The 17 inch brother reached about the same noise level. Toshiba PA3785U-1BRS battery

The fairly high temperature development is one of the XMG A522's few weaknesses. Admittedly an ambient temperature of 28°C (extremely hot summer day) is not exactly the perfect measuring conditions, but the rates are nevertheless above-average. Toshiba PABAS217 battery

The base unit heats up to roughly 34°C when idling and to about 38°C (top) respectively 41°C (bottom) during the stress test. The notebook even reaches a temperature of almost 50°C above the keyboard. However, gamers do not have reckon with major limitations since the wrist rest (max 32°C) and the WASD area (max 36°C) always remain within an acceptable range. Toshiba PABAS218 battery

The innards make a contrasting impression. Good: the graphics card did not surpass 76°C even after one hour of full load (Furmark + Prime). Bad: Despite throttling to 1.2 GHz, the CPU reached nearly 90°C. The W370ET's Core i7 3610QM stayed approx. 10°C cooler (ambient temp: 24°C). Toshiba PABAS219 battery

The modest sound is the biggest setback. Although the requirements look good on paper (Onkyo speakers, THX support), Clevo has not accomplished creating an adequate sound quality. All types of media sound tinny and artificial. There is hardly any bass and the precision is also unsatisfactory. The good maximum volume and the TruStudio Pro software cannot help anymore either. Toshiba PABAS220 battery

Other gamers, such as Alienware's M17x R4 or MSI's GT70, are miles better than the XMG A522. Since the W350ET barebone's sound is only midfield, you should use headphones or external speakers. Toshiba PA3832U-1BRS battery

Nvidia's Optimus technology is not least noticed in the power consumption. While high-end notebooks easily drained over 30 watts while idling in the past, the XMG A522 is satisfied with 12-20 watts (One K73-2O: 14-25 watts). Toshiba PA3833U-1BRS battery

The load consumption is a bit lower than in other GTX 660M devices because the CPU is disabled. 76 watts in 3DMark 06 are clearly topped by Asus' G55VW and Gigabyte's P2542G (~96 watts, both w/ brighter screen). Our stress test consumed a maximum of 118 watts. Toshiba PA3786U-1BRS battery

The battery runtime is throughout impressive. The strong 8 cell battery (77 Wh) lasts for good 5.5 hours when the brightness is reduced to minimum in idle (BatteryEater's Reader's test). However, our wifi test, where the notebook's brightness is set to around 150 cd/m2 (4/8), is more realistic. 4.5 hours are not a matter of course in the high-end range. DVD playback is possible for not quite 3.5 hours using maximum brightness. So, almost all movies can be watched without interruption. Toshiba PA3787U-1BRS battery

The 15 incher even impresses in higher load and enabled GeForce graphics card. Most contenders do not achieve two hours (BatteryEater's Classic test). The W370ET was drained around half an hour earlier. As seen in a short test with Unigine Heaven, the performance on battery power is constant. Toshiba PA3788U-1BRS battery

Schenker complements its notebook portfolio perfectly with the XMG A522. The 15 inch gamer reaps in a very good score in most fields. Among other things, the matte Full HD screen has to be listed on the pro side. LG Philips' LP156WF1-TLF3 is not the ultimate top of the range product, but its picture quality is throughout convincing. Toshiba PABAS221 battery

There is little criticism in terms of performance. Configured properly (quad-core, solid state drive, etc.) the customer gets a strong, versatile and fairly future-proof overall package. Users who do not always play the newest games in high resolutions and maximum details will also be happy with the GeForce GTX 660M. Toshiba PABAS222 battery

The XMG A522 exhibits surprising energy-efficiency for a gaming laptop. The mix of Nvidia's Kepler architecture and Optimus technology ensure moderate power consumption and a relatively good battery runtime. Clevo's underlying W350ET barebone exhibits many bright, as well as a few dark sides. In addition to the components' easy accessibility, we particularly liked the good connectivity (3x USB 3.0) and the unobtrusive design. Toshiba PABAS223 battery

The emissions are not as good. The XMG A522 not only gets warm during load, but also fairly loud - as known from high-end notebooks. Moreover, the actually good input devices suffer due to the missing keyboard light and sticky touchpad surface. Toshiba PA3816U-1BRS battery

It is also unconceivable why Clevo has been stagnating for years in terms of sound system. The manufacturer should also discontinue using scratch-sensitive display bezels. Not to mention the odd Turbo policy (no CPU overclocking when Nvidia's GPU is enabled). Schenker's extensive configurator and the clean Windows installation only compensate this flaw to an extent. Toshiba PA3817U-1BRS battery

Despite the listed shortcomings, you should definitely give the XMG A522 a chance. With 84%, the 15 inch entry-level gamer's place between the XMG A502 midrange scion (82%) and the XMG P502 high-end representative (86%) is well-deserved. A review of the XMG A722 will follow shortly. Toshiba PA3818U-1BRS battery

The ultrabook class of notebooks is growing. After the first generation of ultrabooks, which consisted only of ones with 11.6 and 13.6-inch displays, now Dell, among others, also offers a 14-inch multimedia device. The XPS 14 passes the requirements from Intel and can thus be officially called Ultrabook. Toshiba PA3819U-1BRS battery

The slim height of 20.8 mm (0.82 inches) and a modern Intel Core i7-3517U Ivy Bridge dual-core processor running at 1.9 GHz are two of the major components. At the same time Dell has also fitted the smaller XPS 13 Ultrabook with new hardware, while the higher native resolution of 1600 x 900 Pixel of the bigger 14-inch brother is a bonus point against the smaller model. Toshiba PABAS227 battery

A further difference is the dedicated middle class graphics card Nvidia GeForce GT 630M, which kicks in when needed. Thanks to the automated graphics switching Optimus technology, according to Dell a battery runtime of 11 hours should be possible. Toshiba PABAS228 battery

Other components of our test unit are 8 GB DDR3 system memory and a 512 GB solid state drive (SSD) made by Samsung. This whole package does not come cheap, costing 1799 Euro (RRP, ~2210 USD). The entry-level model of the XPS 14 is however available direct from the company, with prices starting at 1179 Euro (RRP, ~1450 USD). Toshiba PABAS229 battery

Visually the new XPS 14 is based on the smaller model. The difference comes from the bigger chassis (33.6x23.3x2.08cm, 13.2x9.17x0.82 inches, WxDxH) and an overall weight of 2.06 kg (4.54 pounds). The smaller XPS 13 weighs only 1.36 kg (3 pounds) and is thus 34% lighter. Toshiba PABAS230 battery

The case itself is made of a single piece of aluminium, making it very stable. The palm rest is made of an aluminium-magnesium alloy. Thereby the softtouch surface has a pleasant feel. The base of the device is coated with silicon, on which the device rests. Overall the XPS 14 leaves a high-quality impression. The design is simple with a contrast of black and silver and is downright to the liking of the editor. Toshiba PA3780U-1BRS battery

The base unit does not give in when pressed. Even when twisted with both hands, the case stays rigid. The display lid is also made of aluminium and is further enhanced by a Corning Gorilla Glass. Overall the lid can only be slightly twisted, whereby no noises are made. Toshiba PA3781U-1BRS battery

The display is held by a large hinge, mounted in the centre. The maximum opening angle is thus only 135 degrees. The hinge is good and a slight bobbing can be heard. The continuous vibrations when used in a car might cause the opening angle to change, but this should cause no trouble when used on a train. Toshiba PABAS216 battery