Gigabyte P55W v5 review

Battery life

The 6-cell 5,400mAh battery gave it’s all during our continuous video playback test, too, lasting an impressive 5h 43m with the screen brightness set to our usual measurement of 170cd/m2. Compare that to Gigabyte’s P57W, which only managed 3h 46m, and it’s the clear winner. Admittedly, its size means you probably won’t be taking it on long journeys very often, but it’s reassuring to know it’s got a bit of stamina should you need it.

Display

Arguably, the laptop’s main Achilles heel is its rather dull and lifeless-looking 15.6in, 1,920×1,080 IPS display. With its matt finish and sRGB colour gamut coverage of just 82%, colours tended to look quite drab overall, so it’s arguably not the best screen for accurate, high-end colour work.

The matt finish is great at tackling those irritating reflections, though, and a contrast ratio of 936:1 provided a decent amount of detail in our subjective photo tests. However, its viewing angles weren’t quite as wide as I’d hoped, and the colour cast often shifted if I moved my head from side to side. It’s fine if you’re looking at the screen straight on, but I often had to tilt the screen or move the laptop if I happened to adjust my seating position, so those who like to fidget will likely find this screen a bit of a nuisance.

You shouldn’t have many problems with the brightness, though, as I measured a peak white level of 310.4cd/m2. This is more than enough for indoor use, but you’ll likely have to set it on max if you’re using it outside or gaming in a very brightly lit room.

Ports and speakers

You’re definitely not left wanting when it comes to ports, as the P55W v5 has three USB3 ports, one USB3.1 Type-C port, an SD card reader, 3.5mm headphone and microphone jacks, as well as a VGA and HDMI 2.0 port. The latter is particularly handy, as it not only lets you plug the laptop into a 4K monitor, but it also gives you the benefit of a full 60Hz refresh rate. There’s also 802.11ac wireless and a Gigabit Ethernet port should you want to connect for some multiplayer gaming.

The dual front-facing speakers, meanwhile, aren’t exactly outstanding, but they do a good enough job. The low-end could do with some fine-tuning, and there’s not a huge amount of volume, but overall the sound is relatively crisp and clear. Just don’t expect your music or gaming explosions to blow you away.

Conclusion

In the end, though, the Gigabyte P55W v5 does several things right. It’s a beast of a gaming laptop and its decent battery life makes it a lot more versatile than its nearest competitors. The GTX 970M might be on its last legs, but it’s still a great chip for games here and now.

The only real drawbacks are the P55W’s slightly disappointing display and mediocre build quality. However, when the P57W suffers from the same problems, the cheaper P55W is definitely the better buy overall. I’d also go for the P55W over Asus’ similarly-priced ROG GL552VW, as its GTX 970M chip puts it in much better stead for future games than the ROG’s GTX 960M.

The only other main contender is the Asus Vivobook Pro N552VW, which is a fraction cheaper at around £900 and has a stunning 4K display, but only a 960M chip like its ROG counterpart. As a result, the P55W v5 still wins out when it comes to overall gaming performance, but if you’d rather have something that doesn’t scream gaming laptop and still has plenty of power, then the N552VW is a much better all-rounder for your money.

Buy the Gigabyte P55W v5 now from Save on Laptops