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Devil 6700 Battery Life
Since the 15 incher comes with a strong BTY-M6D 9cell battery (87 Wh), the runtime is impressive. When set to minimum brightness, almost six hours can be squeezed out of the notebook in optimal conditions (idling).
4.5 hours of wireless surfing at 2/3 brightness is also good. Our test DVD ran for good 3.5 hours on maximum brightness. The notebook is not as suitable for mobile gaming. BatteryEater's Classic test stopped at 67 minutes using the GeForce graphics card. Nevertheless, you will hardly find a better runtime in the high-end sector.
Case
In the meantime, Deviltech mainly uses cases from the company MSI. The MS-16F3 is a gaming barebone with a weight of roughly 3.3 kilograms and a height of over five centimeters. Apart from the innards, it corresponds to the old MS-16F2 to the greatest extent.
If the case looks familiar, Medion uses the same barebone for some of its models (e. g. Erazer X6821). However, the cases are not completely identical. Rather than a matte lid with aluminum looks, a high-gloss lid in piano lacquer awaits the customer. Fingerprints are very visible due to the black paint. The glossy keyboard plate and partly glossy display bezel also prove to be extremely sensitive. The lightly textured wrist rest is matte though.
Although MSI's barebone is no longer quite as flashy as in the past, the design is still rather fancy. Other competing products, such as Clevo's P150EM barebone (Schenker's XMG P502 PRO), look a lot more restrained. The well-processed plastic surfaces unfortunately cannot compete with the new gaming elite's quality. Alienware's M17x R4 and Asus' G75VW have a much higher quality feel. In short: The chassis only meets the alleged premium claim to an extent.
In terms of stability, the Devil 6700 gives a satisfactory show. While the top tends to yield in the number pad area, the bottom can be dent evidently in the vents' vicinity. The base unit usually stays down despite the tightly pulled hinges.
Interfaces
We would use the adjective premium to describe the connectivity. Four audio jacks (right) and three USB 3.0 ports (left) are quite rare. MSI places the majority of ports on the rear. In addition to a VGA and HDMI out, we find an eSATA, RJ-45 Gigabit LAN port and a Kensington lock. A card reader and USB 2.0 port (right) finish off the supply.
Naturally, the interface distribution is a matter of taste. To reduce the danger of collisions with the mouse, this writer would have placed the ports on the side further to the rear.
Communication
The network card comes from Qualcomm Atheros. According to the manufacturer, the Killer e2200 is designed especially for gamers. An intelligent data package management is to give the user optimal performance in online games. The well-structured Network Manager offers various information and setting options.
In return, the wifi module comes from Intel. The Centrino Wireless N 2230 module supports WLAN b/g/n as well as Bluetooth 4.0. Intel's touts the card with support for Wi-Fi Direct, Smart Connect and Wireless Display technologies. The optionally available Killer Wireless N does not support Bluetooth.
Keyboard
The input devices are good but by no means outstanding. Typical MSI, the unlit chiclet keyboard's layout is not quite standard. For example, the "><|" key is located between the left Alt key and the space bar, and the single-rowed enter key needs a longer period of familiarization.
The manufacturer marks the gaming-vital navigation keys in red. The positioning of some FN functions (brightness and volume on the arrow keys) is also unusual. The 15 incher can serve with a full-blown number pad despite the tight room. Pressure point and stroke prove to be sufficiently clear. However, the 14.5 x 14.5 millimeter keys generate a rather clattery noise. Basically, the keyboard sounds a bit cheap.
Touchpad
The marginally lowered touchpad clearly shows room for improvement. A width of 76 millimeters and a height of 44 millimeters are not exactly generous. The roughened surface ensures good feedback, but affects the skin sensation and gliding traits. Moreover, the precision is unsatisfactory due to temporary speed fluctuations.
Another point of criticism: MSI inserts the touchpad so far to the left that unintentional inputs are made in games (can be disabled). Multi-touch gestures were not available on our test device. Vertical scrolling was the only special function.
Display
The manufacturer follows the current gaming trend for the screen: 1920 x 1080 pixels, 16:9 aspect ratio and LED backlight. The GeForce GTX 680M is one of the few graphics cards that does not have problems with Full HD in games. Weaker high-end models, such as the GTX 660M, frequently fail due to the extreme processing effort (over two million pixels). Not only games, but pictures and movies naturally benefit from the razor-sharp reproduction. Multi-window operation is also comfortable. (DELL BTYVOY1 Battery)
The Devil 6700 owes the good image quality to LG Philips' high-end screen. We already had contact with the LP156WF1-TLF3 a few times (lastly in MSI's GE60 and Deviltech's Fire DTX). The relatively homogeneously illuminated surface radiates with an average of just below 250 cd/m2 - a feasible rate. The contrast is also impressive: 522:1 is above-average in notebooks.
Meanwhile, a black value of approximately 0.5 cd/m2 ensures a fairly saturated reproduction of dark elements. For example, a lousy black value would especially be noticed in dark movies or gaming scenes at night (grayish tint). Thanks to the good sRGB coverage, the colors are also displayed properly. All kinds of media look contrast-rich.
The screen's matte surface facilitates choosing the location enormously. Reflections are present in intense sunlight, but it is usually possible to work on the device without problems anyway. A better brightness would nevertheless be appreciated for outdoor use. The recently tested Samsung 700G7C clearly features a higher outdoor suitability (over 300 cd/m2).
As expected, the TN screen bids good viewing angle stability. No distortions are seen even from a narrow angle horizontally. In return, minor changes are enough to cause a negative image vertically. Nevertheless, a higher viewing angle stability is very rare. (ASUS C23-UX32 batteries)
Speakers
The built-in 2.1 system surprises with a fairly good sound. While most devices of this category exhibit prominent weaknesses, music tracks, games and movies sound quite spacious and vigorous on the Devil 6700.
The clearly-arranged THX TruStudio Pro software lets the sound appear fuller and less tinny. Even lower ranges are not neglected thanks to the installed subwoofer. Another plus point is the agreeably high maximum volume. External speakers are thus not compulsory in our opinion.
Had the sound been a touch more precise, the Devil 6700 would have earned itself a place on the winners' podium. Asus' N56V currently offers a similar good sound quality. Great: the four audio jacks enable connecting a surround system.
Verdict
All in all, the Devil 6700 leaves us with a rather mixed impression. We will start with the positive aspects. The great performance is primarily on the "pro side".
Nvidia's latest top model, the GeForce GTX 680M, not only strikes due to its numerous features and good energy efficiency, but also with its enormous graphics power. Virtually all up-to-date tracks can be played with the maximum of looks, i.e. 1920 x 1080 pixels, very high details and multiple anti-aliasing without problems. Intel's Ivy Bridge processors of the Core i7 range also ensure a high future security. If you configure the device with a solid state drive, you will also be satisfied with the system's general speed.
The good Full HD screen also earns praise. LG Philips' matte screen (LP156WF1-TLF3) does not have any major drawbacks. Brightness, viewing angles, colors, black value and contrast are on an above-average level. (MSI MS-1762 batteries)
The extremely bulky and heavy case (~3.3 kg) especially scores with its innards. Two hard disk slots as well as the extensive maintenance possibilities are not a matter of course in the 15 inch category. The cool wrist rest and three USB 3.0 ports add to that. The battery runtime is also impressive owing to the strong battery and Nvidia's Optimus technology. The speaker's sound impressed us as well.
We especially have to list the high noise development among the cons. The case's fan is clearly audible during load. The input devices also have room for improvement. The unlit chiclet keyboard's unconventional layout and the small touchpad placed quite far to the left could not really convince us. The same goes for the sensitive high-gloss screen.
In summary, the Devil 6700 is a very powerful gaming notebook that is not suitable for every gamer due to the high noise emissions. We would recommend Clevo's P150EM barebone as an alternative (Schenker's XMG P502).
More info: laptop-batteries.com.au , laptop-battery.org.uk , battery-store.eu
