Crysis

Publisher: Electronic Arts

We patch Crysis to v1.21 and run it in DirectX 10 mode with High detail settings at the native resolution of the laptop's screen with 2x AA and no AF to give a reasonably real-world test.

We load a save game in the Relic level and play the game for roughly three minutes, following a strictly defined sequence of actions and movements. We repeat this test three times, or until a reliable set of results is achieved. The consistent results are then averaged to give the figures below.

This is the best way to test how the CPU and GPU affects game performance, as the game will be generating AI and physics and game rules for the CPU to perform. A timedemo addresses a CPU in a noticeably different way.


Note: our version of the Kobalt G860 had a 1,600 x 900 screen, so this test was conducted via the DVi output on an external screen.

Performance Analysis

We were expecting pretty big things from the Core i7-720QM, and the CPU duly delivered; just compare the scores of this (nominally) 1.6GHz quad-core CPU to those of the other laptops we've tested. They all used CPUs with much higher frequencies (even the Core 2 Quad Mobile of the MSI) and yet struggled for real-world performance. While the G860 scored 1,136 points overall, the other laptops we've tested couldn't break the 1,000 points barrier. Video encoding was naturally a high point for the i7-720QM, as the eight threads tore through the test and posted a strong score of 1,397.

From our Lynnfield testing, we know that the combination of the P55 chipset and Lynnfield CPU is significantly faster when gaming than the P45 chipset and a Core 2 CPU. We were therefore hopeful that this laptop would be able to handle Crysis at 1,680 x 1,050 with 2x AA. Alas, the G860 came a touch short, with a minimum of 17fps and an average of 21fps.

We’re fairly sure, therefore, that even Nvidia’s fastest mobile offering - the GeForce GTX 280M - just hasn’t got the gaming power, as we doubt that either the CPU, chipset or 4GB of 1,066MHz DDR3 memory are the limiting factors. Switching back to the screen of the laptop, we could get Crysis more or less playable by running it in DX9 mode with no AA; the minimum of 24fps and average of 30fps was smooth enough.

Conclusion

We'll admit to laughing when we first heard that Intel's new Core i7 CPUs were clocked as low as 1.6GHz - the quad-core Core 2 Quad Q9000 isn't much kop, so we'd feared that the Core i7 720QM would follow suit. After all, most applications at the moment prefer fast dual-core CPUs to slow quad-cores.

It's Turbo Boost that rescues the Core i7 Mobile, allowing the CPU to clock itself up to nearly 3GHz during most of our benchmarking runs. That's even more impressive considering that frequency increases via Turbo Boost cannot bring the CPU beyond it TDP spec, which is a cool 45W in the case of the Core i7 720QM.

The full review of the Kobalt G860 is in the next issue of Custom PC, due out on Thursday 19 November in the UK and will be online soon afterwards. You can read more about the laptop on Kobalt's website. Let us know your thoughts about Intel's new CPUs in the forum.