The massive hardware combination on the Gigabyte Aorus 17X YD is the most powerful we have reviewed to date. Not only does it have a whopping 165W Nvidia RTX 3080 16GB GPU, but it also has a Core i9 11980HK processor. With this 8-core, 16-thread monster CPU running at up to 5 GHz and a GPU capable of aceing even the RTX-powered Metro Exodus, this flagship 30-series-powered Aorus 17X kicks some serious butt.

The closest we tested in terms of raw power is the Asus ROG Flow X13 with an external 150W RTX 3080 8GB eGPU. The Ryzen 9 5980HS on this machine beat it when it came to CPU encoding (see X264 graph) and CPU rendering (see Cinebench graph). Gigabyte managed to infuse a lot of gaming potential into this bad boy without the need for an external GPU.

Of course, packing this much power into a laptop has some drawbacks. The machine's maximum CPU temperature was just under 92°C (92°F) and the maximum GPU temperature was just 72°C (72°F), so it's safe to say that the Windforce Infinity cooling is working well; the real problem with the Aorus 17X is its portability; this laptop is heavy. [The Aorus 17X YD, unlike the Aorus 17X YB model, does not require two power adapters to reach its full potential. In fact, it weighs 8 pounds, 7 ounces lighter than its sister - this is excluding cables, but it is still a heavy machine. Gigabyte has a habit of expanding the meaning of the word laptop. Clearly, it was not intended to be portable, and what we have here is yet another muscle class of desktop alternative, with a style that is more burly, powerful, and eccentric than the Toreador.

The Aorus 17X's chassis is moderately flashy to complement its tenacious performance. It is sharp and dark, with a gorgeous Aorus phoenix motif on the bottom. It's a bit edgy, so it's not for those who want to hide away and play games. Even the sound of the keyboard speaks volumes.

Under the lid is a gorgeous, full-size, low-profile Omron mechanical keyboard with N-key rollover to thrill your fingertips. The keys are sturdy enough not to be accidentally pressed when at rest, the key travel is a mere 2.5mm, and of course, no keyboard is complete without fully customizable per-key RGB LEDs. Unicorn vomit, here we come.

On the Aorus 17X YD, Gigabyte has implemented Control Center software, which is great for editing lighting, adjusting fan speeds, and switching settings, but the AI profile switching feature is a bit cumbersome. It cleverly switches profiles as you move between programs, and it certainly optimizes the system for the intended task. Still, when you are doing a lot of different things, the little notification in the corner can become annoying. Also, when I press restart, it has a habit of starting up again on its own. It is recommended that you at least turn off push notifications.

For these benchmarks, we turned off automatic AI profile switching and left it in standard gaming mode with Nvidia Dynamic Boost enabled. Even without using Turbo mode, the Aorus 17X passed all the gaming benchmarks I threw at it without any problems.

With only a native 1080p panel installed, the 17X achieved hundreds of frame rates in many AAA games without a problem; keep in mind that there is only an HDMI 2.1 port and no DisplayPort, but you can connect an external monitor at 1440p or even 4K I am confident that it can handle top games even with an external monitor connected at 1440p or even 4K. Keep in mind, however, that there are only HDMI 2.1 ports and no DisplayPort.

Still, if you can be satisfied with FHD, an IPS screen with a 300 Hz refresh rate packs a punch. If you can manage to get the frame rate up to an appreciable level (which is entirely possible with lower-resolution and/or less graphics-intensive games), this will see you with a very nice, speedy screen.

Speaking of speed, the configuration I tested had little problem with loading times; FFXIV Shadowbringers loaded in just over 10 seconds, 2 seconds faster than the closest thing I've ever tested. Additionally, this configuration has 64GB DDR4 RAM. This is the maximum available and more than adequate for quick access to cache information.

And while you're quickly jumping between programs and loading games in the blink of an eye, you can listen to bass-laden music at full throttle with the sensual ESS Sabre HiFi Audio. 2W speakers are complemented by a 3W subwoofer, and the bass echoing across the tabletop is truly powerful The bass echoing across the tabletop is truly powerful. Gigabyte doesn't skimp on sound quality either.

Packing so much great technology into such a small space does present one problem besides weight. We are not yet at the age where we can go more than a couple of hours without using a power lead at best; the Aorus 17X lasted only an hour and a half in our gaming battery life test. However, this was with AI Battery Saver turned off, as this mode did not contribute to performance.

Again, this is not a machine for everyday use. It is a serious beast of a machine that can hit hundreds of frames per second in a variety of graphically intense games, but it is for those who want to use it to travel short distances (perhaps from one room in the house to another, preferably using a table). Priced at £3,999 (pending US pricing), it's a big investment and you really have to commit to using it as your main gaming machine. Just don't expect to go anywhere without a power cable.