Chillblast Jupiter review

Desktop replacement laptops typically prioritise processor performance above other features, and Chillblast has plumped with the tried and tested 2.5GHz quad-core Intel Core i7-4710MQ processor. This chip can Turbo Boost to 3.5GHz when thermal conditions allow, giving it desktop levels of performance in previous benchmarking tests we’ve conducted on other laptops. In the Jupiter and paired with 8GB of RAM, it managed an overall score of 97 in our benchmarking tests, peaking in the multitasking test where it scored 105. Anything above 100 beats our Intel Core i5 desktop benchmark machine so these scores equate to lightning quick performance in basic tasks and decent data crunching ability in more complex tasks.

This is all helped along by the 120GB SSD, although it’s only really big enough to store your most accessed programs and files. A 500GB mechanical hard disk with 8GB of SSD cache is also included for the rest of your files.

The graphics card inside the Jupiter is the mid-range Nvidia GeForce GTX 850M. This puts it a step below other £800-£900 laptops we’ve tested, which is a shame. The 850M is perfectly competent but it’s ever so slightly hamstrung when compared to the 860M, a stalwart of more gaming focused laptops. Still, we were able to get some decent gaming benchmark scores out of it: Dirt Showdown, which represents moderately challenging modern games, ran at Full HD resolution and Ultra detail at a smooth 41.7fps.

We had to be a bit more crafty with Crysis 3, though: determined to get it to run at Full HD resolutions we turned the graphics settings to Low, with anti-aliasing at 1x. At these settings we were able to improve its frame rate to a playable 37.9fps. At High settings, 19fps was as good as it got, so this is a marked improvement.

We weren’t bowled over by the Jupiter’s screen. While of course its 1,920×1,080 pixel resolution is very welcome, colour performance was disappointing. We measured the screen as able to produce just 69.7% of the sRGB colour gamut, meaning more vibrant colours appeared slightly washed out. It’s a very bright screen, at least, and we measured its peak brightness at 318cd/m2. There was a small amount backlight bleed visible from the bottom of the panel, but otherwise the brightness was fairly even. Contrast levels were good at 917:1, which meant plenty of detail in more subtle shading was visible in our tests.

The Chillblast Jupiter is a good 15.6in multimedia and gaming laptop, especially when you consider the presence of an SSD for speedier application performance. The extremely generous two-year collect and return warranty and five years parts cover is also not to be sniffed at. However, the impressive Cyberpower Fangbook Evo HX6-100 is just £50 more with a better graphics card and more storage.