TheLostSwede
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| System Name | Overlord Mk MLI |
|---|---|
| Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D |
| Motherboard | Gigabyte X670E Aorus Master |
| Cooling | Noctua NH-D15 SE with offsets |
| Memory | 32GB Team T-Create Expert DDR5 6000 MHz @ CL30-34-34-68 |
| Video Card(s) | Gainward GeForce RTX 4080 Phantom GS |
| Storage | 1TB Solidigm P44 Pro, 2 TB Corsair MP600 Pro, 2TB Kingston KC3000 |
| Display(s) | Acer XV272K LVbmiipruzx 4K@160Hz |
| Case | Fractal Design Torrent Compact |
| Audio Device(s) | Corsair Virtuoso SE |
| Power Supply | be quiet! Pure Power 12 M 850 W |
| Mouse | Logitech G502 Lightspeed |
| Keyboard | Corsair K70 Max |
| Software | Windows 10 Pro |
| Benchmark Scores | https://valid.x86.fr/yfsd9w |
The Ultrabook name seems to have faded away, but the concept has clearly not gone anywhere and Gigabyte has announced its new U4-series of what they simply call ultralight notebooks. This is also the first 14-inch notebook series from Gigabyte in a while, since the company has focused on 15.6 and 17.3-inch models over the past couple of years' with the last 14-inch model from the company being the AERO 14.
The U4-series is quite a different beast, as the AERO 14 was still weighing in at 1.89 kg, whereas the U4 is almost half that at 990 grams. If you're a sucker for sturdy products, then this might be what you've been waiting for, as Gigabyte claims it meets the MIL-STD 810G specification, which means that the product has gone through "simulation-testing has been conducted in eight harsh working environments, including extreme altitude, temperature and humidity, mechanical vibration, sand and dust, salt fog, etc."
So far it seems like Gigabyte is only offering a single processor option, which consists of an Intel Core i7-1195G7 CPU, which is a quad core part with a top boost speed of 5 GHz and Iris Xe graphics. The U4 comes with 8 GB of soldered down DDR4 memory and there's a spare expansion slot for a single DDR4 SO-DIMM, for a maximum of 40 GB of RAM in total, although Gigabyte claims 64 GB.
Somewhat more unusual, especially for a notebook that only measures 17.2 mm at its thickest point, is the inclusion of a pair of M.2 slots, one with support for PCIe 4.0 NVMe drives and one with support for SATA or PCIe 3.0 NVMe drives. It's not clear which type the U4 ships with as standard and there might be different SKUs in different regions.
Not quite as impressive is the 1920x1080 resolution of the 14-inch IPS-level panel, as there are plenty of similar notebooks with higher resolution displays. Beyond it being an "anti-glare" display, Gigabyte provides zero details, so we have no idea what to expect in terms of brightness. The keyboard is backlit and Gigabyte has added a "wider" touchpad without going into details about its size.
Most notebooks in the ultra thin segment tend to lack connectivity options, but the only thing really lacking here is an Ethernet port, as Gigabyte has included a Thunderbolt 4 port with USB4, DisplayPort and 35 W USB-PD charging support, as well as one each of a USB 3.2 Gen 2 and a USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A port, an HDMI 2.0 port, a 3.5 mm combo audio/mic jack, a microSD card slot and DC jack. There's also an Intel AX201 Wi-Fi 6/Bluetooth 5.2 card thrown into the mix, as well as a nondescript HD webcam. Finally we have a pair of speakers and a dual-array microphone with noise cancellation. Windows 10 Home or Pro is also part of the package.
The battery is rated at 36 Wh which is said to be good for up to 8 hours of usage and the 65 W power adapter can charge 45 percent of the battery in 30 minutes. The U4 measures 322x216.8 mm (WxD) and is 14.9 to 17.2 mm thick and weighs as mentioned 990 grams. No word on pricing, but Gigabyte claims it has an affordable price point, which presumably is relative in this case.
View at TechPowerUp Main Site
The U4-series is quite a different beast, as the AERO 14 was still weighing in at 1.89 kg, whereas the U4 is almost half that at 990 grams. If you're a sucker for sturdy products, then this might be what you've been waiting for, as Gigabyte claims it meets the MIL-STD 810G specification, which means that the product has gone through "simulation-testing has been conducted in eight harsh working environments, including extreme altitude, temperature and humidity, mechanical vibration, sand and dust, salt fog, etc."
So far it seems like Gigabyte is only offering a single processor option, which consists of an Intel Core i7-1195G7 CPU, which is a quad core part with a top boost speed of 5 GHz and Iris Xe graphics. The U4 comes with 8 GB of soldered down DDR4 memory and there's a spare expansion slot for a single DDR4 SO-DIMM, for a maximum of 40 GB of RAM in total, although Gigabyte claims 64 GB.
Somewhat more unusual, especially for a notebook that only measures 17.2 mm at its thickest point, is the inclusion of a pair of M.2 slots, one with support for PCIe 4.0 NVMe drives and one with support for SATA or PCIe 3.0 NVMe drives. It's not clear which type the U4 ships with as standard and there might be different SKUs in different regions.
Not quite as impressive is the 1920x1080 resolution of the 14-inch IPS-level panel, as there are plenty of similar notebooks with higher resolution displays. Beyond it being an "anti-glare" display, Gigabyte provides zero details, so we have no idea what to expect in terms of brightness. The keyboard is backlit and Gigabyte has added a "wider" touchpad without going into details about its size.
Most notebooks in the ultra thin segment tend to lack connectivity options, but the only thing really lacking here is an Ethernet port, as Gigabyte has included a Thunderbolt 4 port with USB4, DisplayPort and 35 W USB-PD charging support, as well as one each of a USB 3.2 Gen 2 and a USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A port, an HDMI 2.0 port, a 3.5 mm combo audio/mic jack, a microSD card slot and DC jack. There's also an Intel AX201 Wi-Fi 6/Bluetooth 5.2 card thrown into the mix, as well as a nondescript HD webcam. Finally we have a pair of speakers and a dual-array microphone with noise cancellation. Windows 10 Home or Pro is also part of the package.
The battery is rated at 36 Wh which is said to be good for up to 8 hours of usage and the 65 W power adapter can charge 45 percent of the battery in 30 minutes. The U4 measures 322x216.8 mm (WxD) and is 14.9 to 17.2 mm thick and weighs as mentioned 990 grams. No word on pricing, but Gigabyte claims it has an affordable price point, which presumably is relative in this case.
View at TechPowerUp Main Site
