Benchmarks And Conclusion
How We Test
We're revisiting our benchmark suite to test AVADirect's Avant P750DM-G. For synthetics, we used PCMark 8, 3DMark Fire Strike and Unigine Valley. For real-world gaming, we have Bioshock Infinite and Metro: Last Light Redux. Finally, our battery run time metric employs Tomb Raider's built-in benchmark.
The Avant P750DM-G features a Core i7-6700K with an unlocked ratio multiplier, so we tested it using a stock 4GHz and an overclocked 4.5GHz. Additionally, we overclocked Nvidia's GeForce GTX 980M with a 100MHz core and a 52MHz memory frequency increase. Of course, your mileage may vary; with more time for tuning, we might have extracted additional performance from the P750DM-G.
The Avant P750DM-G isn't the first system we've tested to feature desktop-class components, so it'll be interesting to see how it stacks up against the competition. Comparison hardware includes the EVGA SC17, which contains an Intel Core i7-6820HK, an Nvidia GeForce 980M and 32GB of DDR4-2666 memory. We also have the powerful Origin PC EON17-SLX's numbers, representing the performance of a Core i7-6700K, a GeForce GTX 980 and 16GB of DDR4-2133 memory.
Synthetic Benchmark - PCMark 8
The Avant P750DM-G outpaces EVGA's SC17 in all of the PCMark 8 tests. At stock clock rates, AVADirect's machine falls slightly behind Origin PC's EON17-SLX in the Home Accelerated module, but wins by a hair once overclocked. The Avant can't catch Origin's EON17-SLX during the Work Accelerated metric, however.
Synthetic Benchmark - 3DMark Fire Strike
Our Fire Strike results are perhaps more predictable. Even while overclocked, the P750DM-G's GeForce GTX 980M can't catch Origin PC's GeForce GTX 980. The P750DM-G and SC17 trade blows, and the results come close enough to each other that you shouldn't be able to tell them apart in real-world games.
Synthetic Benchmark - Unigine Valley Advanced
Once again, the P750DM-G falls behind Origin PC's EON17-SLX but trades blows with systems similarly equipped with a GeForce GTX 980M.
Gaming Benchmark - Bioshock Infinite
The built-in Bioshock Infinite benchmark tells a similar story as Unigine Valley. The powerful EON17-SLX finishes first, while the Avant P750DM-G proves to be very competitive among the mobile GPU-equipped systems.
Gaming Benchmark - Metro: Last Light Redux
Since Metro: Last Light Redux is more demanding than most benchmarks, the P750DM-G struggles to maintain more than 60 frames per second. If this bothers you, try dialing back some of the quality settings.
Battery Test - Tomb Raider 2013 Run-Down
Unlike GFXBench's battery test, which provides an estimate of battery run time, the test sequence we're borrowing from Nvidia actually drains a notebook's power source from full to five percent. Run time is calculated by subtracting the start time from the finish to provide an accurate representation of battery life in that one workload. Nvidia's GeForce Experience software allows us to set a target FPS limit, which is 30 by default. Extraneous effects like keyboard and chassis backlighting are disabled to extend battery life as much as possible (the full breakdown of what we do to prep is found in our EVGA SC17 First Look).
The Avant P750DM-G maintains 30 FPS easily, but suffers from poor battery life. Intel's Core i7-6700K is a desktop processor after all, so we'd expect high-end hardware to draw more power between charges.
Conclusion
AVADirect's custom Avant P750DM-G provides outstanding performance for a reasonable amount of money. As of this writing, our configuration is available for $1978. At that price, the P750DM-G outperforms similarly- or higher-priced systems (the EVGA is approximately $2700). The only system we've tested able to beat it is Origin PC's EON17-SLX, and that costs over $3000.
AVADirect also gives you the tools needed to squeeze every bit of performance from its Avant P750DM-G. Similarly, the software suite provides artistic direction: audio can be refined to your liking and the back-lighting can be tweaked to match any theme.
The power of such a system doesn't come without drawbacks. The Core i7-6700K's higher TDP is going to cost you power, which is evident in our Tomb Raider test. If you're trying to game on the go, prepare to be disappointed by lackluster battery performance.
AVADirect's Avant P750DM-G may not be the most mobile-friendly solution, but if you're considering a desktop replacement, you'll enjoy this notebook's performance. At just shy of $2000, the Avant P750DM-G outperforms all but the most powerful systems, and at a competitive price.
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Alexander Quejado is an Associate Contributing Writer for Tom’s Hardware and Tom’s IT Pro. Follow Alexander Quejado on Twitter.
