Aftershock XG13 - The VFM Gaming Notebook Choice
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Performance Benchmarking (II) - 3DMark 2013, 3DMark 11, Far Cry 2, Crysis 2
3DMark 2013
3DMark 2013 is the latest graphics benchmarking utility from FutureMark and we will be gauging the systems’ performance using the Cloud Gate and the more intensive Fire Strike benchmark. The Aftershock XG13 and Razer Blade were the clear leaders on the 3DMark 2013 benchmark. The XG13 recorded marginally better scores because of its faster processor which gave it the edge in the physics test scenarios.
3DMark 11
Since 3DMark 11’s Extreme Preset runs in full-HD 1920 x 1080p resolution, we hooked both the Razer and MSI machines up to an external display to ensure they were tested fairly. The Aftershock XG13 once again maintained a slight lead over the Razer Blade despite having the same GeForce GTX 765M thanks to its marginally more powerful processor. However, the MSI GT70 0NE was still the undisputed leader in this benchmark because of its GeForce GTX 680M GPU - NVIDIA's last generation flagship mobile GPU.
Far Cry 2
Moving on to real-world gaming benchmarks, the Aftershock XG13 and Razer Blade were almost on a par, with the XG13 taking a slight lead - once again because of its slightly more powerful processor. Compared to the MSI GE40, the XG13 was about 15% to 20% faster.
Crysis 2
On Crysis 2, the XG13 continued to command a slight lead over the Razer Blade and MSI GE40. However, overall performance still falls flat when compared to Dell Alienware M17X R4 and MSI GT70 0NE, both which have more powerful GPUs. That said, the fact that it could still run Crysis 2 comfortably at full HD resolution and at "Very High" settings, is certainly impressive when you remember that it is significantly more compact and portable than the Dell and MSI 17-inch notebooks.
However, bear in mind that unlike the Razer Blade and MSI GE40, the XG13’s native resolution is 1920 x 1080. To get the best visuals, it is always recommended to use the display’s native resolution and this will result in an inevitable hit in performance, though the overall experience is likely to be better - sharper and crisper graphics. Gamers will need to take this into account when considering the XG13.
