Almost all the laptops we review from specialist manufacturers are built using the same unremarkable-looking Clevo chassis, but Scan has switched to a new, overhauled design for the 3XS Graphite LG157. The result isn't exactly eye-popping, but it's thinner, lighter and better made than its predecessors while maintaining a classy, understated design for gamers and power users who don't want to show off.
A simple 3XS logo embossed on the soft-touch, matt black lid is the only branding present outside, and it's more of the same once you open the lid. The angled speakers are a nice touch, although they lack any real bass or mid-range presence.
There's a numerical keypad in addition to the keyboard, and both are backlit with white LEDs for working or gaming in low light. Each full-size key has a satisfying amount of travel, and we didn't have any issues with missed keystrokes. The large touchpad isn't quite as strong, as while its buttons have a satisfyingly springy action, the pad itself isn't as responsive as we would like.
There are ports on almost every edge of the LG157, with four USB3s, VGA, DisplayPort and HDMI display outputs, a gigabit Ethernet port and three 3.5mm audio jacks for surround sound, which is more than enough for gaming at a desk with a full collection of peripherals. We're a little baffled as to why there are two memory card slots, however; SDXC is a useful inclusion but hardly any devices use MMC cards any more.
We had no complaints when it came to performance, however, thanks mainly to the punchy Intel Core i7-4720HQ processor. This quad-core chip runs at 2.5GHz and is paired with 8GB of 1,600MHz DDR3 RAM, as well as both SSD and hard disk storage. Scan expects this particular model to prove popular, but the system configurator lets you add or remove components based on your budget.
The processor is a minor upgrade over last year's i7-4710HQ, but still provides performance equivalent to that of a Core i5-powered desktop PC. It excelled in our benchmarks, managing scores of 112, 88 and 86 in our photo conversion, video rendering and multitasking challenges. This laptop is more than powerful enough to tackle moderately challenging tasks in a quick, and mostly quiet, manner. The fans exhaust air out the rear of the laptop quietly, and neither the keyboard nor the bottom of the machine got uncomfortably hot while in use.
