Dolby Pro Logic Ii Windows 10

TechRadar Verdict

It's large, it'southward heavy and it eats games alive – but the lack of a 4K brandish is criminal. If yous've got the money and the upper body strength, the Octane 2 has all the power y'all need.

Pros

+
Massive functioning
+
Decent 1080p brandish
+
Loud speakers
+
Vast port selection

Cons

-
Crazily heavy
-
No 4K option
-
Unexciting design
-
Poor battery life

"Buy a desktop for ability, buy a laptop for mobility," was the mantra that guided PC gamers' buying choices – until now. By squeezing its desktop GTX 980 GPU into laptops, Nvidia hasn't so much thrown a spanner into the works as lobbed the full toolkit.

Configured past Uk-based original pattern manufacturer (ODM) PC Specialist, the Octane II Pro is amongst the showtime wave of gaming laptops powered past Nvidia's desktop-class GPU. Among them are the Origin EON17-SLX, MSI GT72, Aorus X7 DT and Asus' h2o-cooled ROG GX700.

These monster machines have one aim: deliver gaming experiences that, until now, take only been possible on beefy desktop PCs.

I'm all for what Nvidia is trying to reach here. As dandy equally gaming on the become is, laptops leave me with the feeling that I'thousand not playing the optimal version of a game only so I tin play it anywhere.

Rather than purchase a gaming laptop with a 980M within, I'd be tempted to spend extra on a 980-equipped model that delivers a true, desktop-class gaming experience – and I bet many hardcore gamers feel the aforementioned.

The trade off — at least, at offset — is that early gaming goliaths like the Octane II are going to be big, heavy and expensive. The Octane is a example in point.

A 17-inch monster, it's accompanied past the type of power brick that helped popularize the term 'power brick'. Its power supply alone is heavier than some Ultrabooks. Unless you invest in a strong, large backpack, don't even consider lugging this thing around.

Blackness magic

Decked in two-tone black-and-gray, the Octane features a logo-less lid and a thick, solid base that doesn't flex no matter how hard you lot prod at it. Outwardly, in that location isn't much to propose that it'due south a gaming laptop.

Well, salve for an Alienware-styled keyboard font, angled corners and a lite-up power button that's located in a recess under the center of the display. Pressing it feels like powering up the Starship Enterprise.

If you think you've seen the Octane II before, it'due south probably considering you accept. Much like Origin (the PC builder) in the states, PC Specialist shares chassis designs with other ODMs. The Octane uses Chinese visitor Clevo's P775M1-Chiliad chassis, which also features on the Shenker XMG U716 and the Eurocom Sky DLX7.

Information technology'south a little on the bland side compared to the flashier gaming laptops, like the Acer Predator 17 and Asus ROG GX700, that aim for a item brand of gaming cool. If that doesn't bother yous, the upshot is that you can relieve a wad of cash here over picking up a similarly-specced GTX 980 laptop from a big-name make.

Affordable animal

Configured with an Intel Core i7-6700K processor, GTX 980 and Full Hard disk (1080p) display, the Octane II costs £i,899 (around $2,648, or AUS$three,669).

Clearly, that's not spare change, but it is around a third cheaper than the MSI GT72 that comes with a Skylake Core i7-6820HK CPU, GTX 980 and Total Hard disk display for £two,599 (around US$three,568 or AUS$v,023).

The Octane 2 has some other rival: the Origin EON17-SLX. The Us-based company'south car costs $3,463 (around £2,483 or AU$four,809) when configured with an Intel Cadre i7-6700K chip, a GTX 980 and 16GB of DDR4 RAM.

If you're looking to pick up a high-end gaming laptop, chances are you're besides considering a 980M-equipped model. The Alienware 17 comes in at £ane,782 ($2,299 or AU$3,499) for the configuration with an older Core i7-4710HQ Haswell CPU, Full HD display and 16GB of RAM. Frankly, y'all're paying most as much every bit the Octane for less power and a flashier design.

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Kane has been fascinated past the endless possibilities of computers since get-go getting his hands on an Amiga 500+ back in 1991. These days he mostly lives in realm of VR, where he'due south working his way into the world Paddleball rankings in Rec Room.