Scan 3XS Graphite LG10 review

While a company like Scan doesn’t have the resources to build its own custom laptop chassis, relying instead on an off-the-shelf Clevo case, the advantage is that it doesn’t have to create a specific model that will be available in huge numbers. Instead, Scan has a free hand and can take more time choosing the components it wants in its computer, targeting a different audience entirely. Step in the 3XS Graphite LG10, which is designed as a powerful desktop replacement and gaming laptop.

Everything about this 15.6in laptop is designed to offer the best performance, while letting you happily dump your desktop. There’s no denying the sheer power of this laptop, which is fitted with a 2.7GHz quad-core Intel Core i7-3740QM (capable of a Turbo Boost to 3.7GHz) and 8GB of RAM.

It powered through our benchmarks, with an overall score of 97. This is just three points shy of the 100 scored by our reference desktop PC fitted with an Intel Core i5-3570K. It’s a particularly impressive score given that most laptops typically score just under half that of a regular desktop.

Scan hasn’t just built the 3XS Graphite LG10 to cope with demanding 2D tasks and wants this laptop to be great for games, too. That means no integrated graphics, but the full power of an Nvidia GeForce GT 670M. This mobile graphics chip has 2GB of dedicated RAM, a core speed of 598MHz and 336 stream processors.

Specifications will only tell you so much, but the 670M shone in our games tests, too. In our Dirt 3 Showdown laptop test, run at 1,280×720, the 3XS Graphite LG10 managed an impressive 88.8fps. Upping the resolution to 1,920×1,080 (supported, thanks to the laptop’s hi-res screen) and setting everything to Ultra detail, we got a borderline-playable framerate of 26.2fps. Dropping the detail settings to High, which still looks fantastic, we got a super-smooth 57.3fps.

Typically, we don’t run our Crysis 2 test on laptops as they tend to struggle. However, as this laptop was powering through our Dirt 3 Showdown benchmarks, we decided to give it a go. At the laptop’s native Full HD resolution and with Ultra detail selected we saw just 15.69fps, but this can easily be improved by tweaking graphics settings. In other words, no matter what you throw at the 3XS Graphite LG10, this powerful laptop will cope with it.

We were very impressed with this laptop’s 1,920×1,080 display. The high resolution helps make everything look pin sharp, while also providing plenty of Windows 8 desktop space for your applications. Image quality is excellent, too. High contrast and vibrant colours really help to bring everything alive, from the latest first-person shooters to any photos you’re editing. We’ve no complaints about viewing angles either, and you can clearly see the screen from pretty much any normal angle without a loss of image quality.

With a built-in Blu-ray drive, you can make the most of the screen with Full HD movies. You’ll probably want to plug in external speakers, though. Although the integrated Onkyo speakers are loud, they’re quite tinny and lack bass. For generic Windows sounds and the occasional video clip they’ll do, but serious use requires something better.

It’s good to see a combination of SSD and hard disk in this laptop. The 128GB solid state drive provides fast Windows 8 boot and application load times, but still has enough space for you to install additional programs. The additional 500GB mechanical hard disk should provide enough space for most people’s files.

Of course, with a laptop like this there have to be some compromises. The biggest one is the laptop’s size. At 3.1kg, this is a seriously heavy laptop that you’re not going to want to carry very far. The brick-sized power supply and battery life of just 3h 39m confirms this. One advantage of such a large case is the range of ports available, with three USB3 and two USB ports providing plenty of expansion for external peripherals and storage. It’s nice to see DVI-D, HDMI and DisplayPort for connecting the laptop to a second monitor or TV, too.

There’s no getting away from the fact that the 3XS Graphite LG10’s case looks a little bit plain. Its soft-touch plastic finish feels nice, and the chassis seems well-built and sturdy, but this laptop isn’t going to win many fans for its looks.

We’re also not massive fans of the keyboard. While it’s fairly easy to get used to the slightly spongy keys and get up to a fast typing speed, it’s very annoying that the Windows key isn’t in the correct place and that the backslash has been moved next to the space bar. We’re guessing that some of these changes have been made in order to fit in the numeric keypad, but we’d have rather done without this for a main keyboard with the proper layout.

The touchpad is responsive and easy to use, but it’s quite sensitive. We found that brushing against it while typing would move the cursor, ending up with us typing in the wrong place. Fortunately, there is a keyboard shortcut to disable the touchpad for when you’re typing, but technology to automatically detect when you’re typing and ignore the touchpad would be better. Still, this is a complaint that can be levelled at all PC laptops.

It may not be particularly exciting from the outside and it’s big and heavy, but if you want a laptop with a lot of power and a high resolution screen to replace a desktop computer, the 3XS Graphite LG10 is a great choice.