GIGABYTE P2742G Pro Reviews

For a 17" laptop marketed by Gigabyte as offering 'High-end gaming' the P2742G sadly disappoints on this front. With only a previous generation, mid-range GTX660M graphics you won't be playing the latest games on high or even medium settings. Low settings will be about your limit for popular titles such as Battlefield 3 for example. Although we do feel Gigabyte have done themselves a great disservice with the 'High-end gaming' tag, depending on your take on what high-end means, gaming laptops with the latest Nvidia GTX780M graphics can be anything from £2,000 upwards. So for 'just' £945 the specification here is about what you would expect for the price.

Examining the latest crop of £1,000 consumer laptops suggests that a compromise typically has to be made. Among the many choices are Ultrabooks that offer responsive everyday performance in a sleek, ultra-portable form factor. However, if it's gaming potential that's important, you're often required to forego portability, subtlety and style in favour of something that offers more bang for the buck. Gigabyte's P2742G falls into the latter category. Using a large 17.3in Clevo chassis, it combines a latest-generation Intel quad-core 'Ivy Bridge' processor and dedicated Nvidia GeForce GTX 660M graphics in a laptop that has game-playing credentials. The matte 17.3in full-HD display is a real highlight, and it's put to good use with an accompanying Blu-ray optical drive, and Gigabyte's dual storage configuration ensures that users get the best of both worlds; SSD speed and HDD capacity. Yet the specification alone doesn't reveal all, and in use the P2742G presents a few shortcomings that detract from the overall package. The most troublesome is the laptop's inability to run both the CPU and GPU at their maximum speeds simultaneously. The frequency of the former is often sacrificed when the latter is called into action, limiting ultimate performance, and the need to throttle the CPU is reflected in other areas; the laptop has an uncomfortable hot-spot and can become quite loud under load. Gigabyte has the right idea - the P2742G combines a great selection of hardware components and clutter-free software in a tidy-looking chassis - but there are enough rough edges here to diminish the appeal of what could have been a very good gaming laptop.

Put it all together and you have a system with no performance weak points that can turn its hand to just about anything. Video encoding on the go. Web browsing in the airport lounge. A machine you occasionally use to power a home cinema rig. And yes, gaming. What it's not, however, is satisfying as a pure gaming machine. If that's what you want, it's simple. Buy something with better graphics. On the other hand, if you're after a great all-round desktop replacement, stick the Gigabyte P2742G on your shortlist. It's well worth a look.

The Gigabyte P2742G-CF1 laptop will get you on the gaming grid, but the overall package isn't the best, even at the affordable price.

The Gigabyte P2742G-CF1 has a lot going for it. It offers Core i7 processing power, a gorgeous 17.3-inch full HD display, a Blu-ray drive, and great battery life. Moreover, it's relatively affordable for a big-screen gaming laptop. However, you'll have to ease up on resolution and quality settings in order to play the latest and greatest DirectX 11 games. If you want speedy frame rates at peak settings you'll have to shop for a system with a faster graphics adapter; if your budget is limited the MSI GX60 offers one, but with only a 15.6-inch screen, and you'll have to live without that sweet Core i7 CPU for productivity tasks.