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Recently, when I've been using a normal laptop, I've found myself thinking, "I want a GPU (external GPU) ." Creative apps and games such as Adobe, of course, but recently browsers also have options to boost processing with GPUs, and chip makers are also promoting the power of the CPU's built-in GPU.
Of course, there are many notebooks with a GPU such as gaming PCs. These PCs, however, come first in terms of power consumption, then in terms of fuel consumption. If you want to use it on mobile, the battery will be empty in no time even if you don't play games. The GPU seems to use a reasonable amount of power even when idling, which is a negative for the mobility that is characteristic of notebook PCs.
Under such circumstances, HP's notebook PC " HP Specter x360 16-f1000 " (hereinafter Specter x360 16) appeared. It's a large laptop with Intel's Arc A370M GPU, and it's also based on Intel's Evo platform.
This means that it has the processing power of a GPU while meeting one of Evo's guidelines, "long battery life."
With the actual machine borrowed from HP for about 2 weeks, we will give a report on how powerful the double identity PC is.
HP Spectre x360 16
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Specifications:
CPU: Intel Core i7-1260P
GPU: Intel Arc A370M 4GB
RAM: 32GB
SSD: 2TB
Display: 16.0-inch UHD+ (3,840 x 2,400) OLED touch display
The GPU is powerful and has a long battery life
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The first thing I liked about the HP Specter x360 16 was its battery life.
As it happens, I'm using an HP ENVY 15 (Core i7-10750H + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 + 4K OLED panel) with similar specs as my main machine, but it's clear from my experience that the HP Specter x360 16 has longer battery life.
According to the battery benchmark app "MobileMark 2018", the HP Specter x360 16 can last up to 9 hours. That's a long time for a machine with a 4K resolution OLED display (HP ENVY 15 is MobileMark 2014 compliant with 6.5 hours).
Without an AC adapter, the ENVY 15 has a maximum working time of 3 hours, while the Specter x360 16 is fine for nearly 5 hours. I can't say that I can use the battery for a full day, but I didn't feel the need to be near an outlet when I was out.
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Since it supports a USB-C power supply, it can be charged with a small general-purpose USB-C charger instead of a large dedicated adapter.
Display and performance of creative work
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The Specter x360 16 is perfect for creative work such as illustrations, photos, and videos.
I mainly use it for image/photo processing such as Photoshop and Lightroom. However, I could clearly feel the benefits of the GPU, and I was satisfied with the photo preview and development speed.
The processing power of the Arc A370M in the Specter x360 16 is "slightly above the GTX 1650 Laptop" if you compare other GPUs. So you should be able to handle videos and 3D work flawlessly. For video and 3D work, the more GPU power you have, the more powerful the Arc A370M will be. However, if battery life is important, I think the Specter X360 16 is worth considering.
Another thing that makes the Specter x360 16 suitable for creatives is its display quality.
In particular, the OLED display has a wide color gamut, covering 100% of DCI-P3. In addition, the anti-reflection coating makes it difficult to worry about reflected light. You can also use the display as the main display in a 2in1 style, and a touch pen is standard equipment.
With a 16-inch, 16:10 display that stretches 4K slightly, it seems that photography and illustration work will be quite successful.
Title choice for the game
On the other hand, gaming, which is another area where GPUs play an active role, has considerably limited performance.
If you look at the benchmark score, you should be able to run recent titles as well, but in the range, I've tried, there are scenes where "Cyberpunk 2077" and "Elden Ring" drop to nearly 10 FPS even if the graphics settings are suppressed. Yes, it wasn't very practical (can't shoot at 10FPS!).
On the other hand, "Soul Hackers 2" requires less graphic performance, and can be kept at 30 FPS or more, so there is no problem playing, partly because it is an RPG. Depending on the title, it is quite clear whether you can play or not.
This area may be improved by updating the graphics driver in the future. However, certainly, it is not a machine to buy for games at present.
Shortly, PCs will be equipped with both GPUs and batteries
Nowadays, even browsers are demanding GPU power, and the need for a GPU is increasing. However, the CPU + dual GPUl system has poor fuel efficiency, and the battery is sacrificed in mobile PCs.
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The answer to that is "to enable advanced power control by aligning the CPU and GPU from the manufacturer". The Specter x360 16 is an Intel chip that tries to keep the CPU and GPU in line and push the limits of battery life. For this approach to linking CPUs and GPUs, rival AMD also has a package called "AMD Advantage".
Intel's Arc has only been around for a short time, and it can't be said that it has fully demonstrated its capabilities in applications such as games. However, if you focus on creative apps, the Specter x360 16 is already a practical choice as a creative workstation.
** Image: HP