Thunderobot Zero gaming laptop review with Intel Core i7-11800H and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 on board 2023

“Chinese Young Company” in 2014 focused primarily on the production of products for gamers. Currently, the main place in the assortment is occupied by gaming laptops of various classes and prices. Also in the model range of the company you can find mice, headphones and gaming accessories such as joysticks. It should be taken into account that the share of the company’s products on the AliExpress global trading platform and even taking into account customs duties on its value remains quite natural. For example, a flagship laptop for Thunderobot Zero, which includes an Intel Core i7-11800H processor, an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 graphics card, 32 gigabytes of RAM and a terabyte SSD, costs about $2,400. In addition, discount promotions take place in the store, such as, for example, in the recently passed “black book”. Agree, such a proposal cannot be ignored, but maybe there is some kind of lead? Let’s take a closer look at this new product!

 

⇡#Box and accessories

Thunderobot Zero came to us for testing in a box – an outer postal box, made of double-sided cardboard, and a stylish inner box, designed in the colors of the laptop and with a plastic carrying handle.

Inside the box there is a special tray made of cardboard, which rises at the opening and on which lies a laptop, additionally sealed in a fabric envelope.

Under the laptop there are two compartments, which include a power adapter, two power cables (Russian and European plugs), as well as a sticker with a Russian keyboard layout.

China-manufactured Thunderobot Zero comes with a 2-year global warranty. The price of the installed model is $2200, and the priority is $2800 (the processor and video card are always assigned), but, as we announced above, the manufacturer systematically offers good discounts.

 

⇡#Specifications

⇡#Hull design and ergonomics

Thunderobot Zero looks bright and catchy, the design of the laptop clearly communicates the gaming purpose of the model. The top display panel is made of plastic and painted bright orange. The screen edging strip and some elements of the working surface are made in the same color.

On the top cover there is the Thunderobot logo and a strip of mesh-like understamping that runs through the entire cover – in the same style, the name of the ZERO model is applied in large characters. Both elements are tactilely pleasing and look very high quality.

The dimensions of the laptop are 359 × 285 × 24 mm (thickness at the back – 31 mm), and the weight is almost 2.6 kilograms.

The base of the laptop is also plastic and is equipped with two massive ventilation grilles under the cooling fans. Along the long edges of the base there are strips of supports made of dense rubber with a height of no more than 2.5 mm.

Narrow speaker grilles are visible on the side cuts in front of the base of the laptop. They are oriented in such a way that they direct the sound not perpendicular to the table, but at an angle of 40 degrees.

The front end of the laptop does not differ in any features, except for the narrowing that makes the laptop case visually thinner.

A cutout for a more convenient opening of the screen is not provided, but the lid is already picked up quite simply thanks to the oblique cut of its end.

At the back of the laptop are two massive ventilation grills through which hot air is ejected, as well as a power connector, an 8P8C network connector socket, an HDMI 2.0 video output, a Thunderbolt 4 USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C port with DisplayPort 1.3 support, and a Mini DP 1.4 video output.

The remaining ports are displayed on the side walls of the case.

Here you can find three USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-A ports, a universal mini-jack for microphone/headphones and LED indicators.

In general, externally, the laptop gives the impression of a solid and high-quality product, albeit without “premium” notes.

 

⇡#Input Devices

Thunderobot Zero is equipped with a membrane-type keyboard with a block of numeric keys. The gaming accent is clearly visible here too – the four WASD keys frequently used by gamers are highlighted with white frames around the perimeter of each key. The key travel is 1.4-1.5 mm, pressing is soft and silent.

By the way, the entire working surface of the laptop is made of metal. Apparently, in order for Zero to be resistant to the excessive emotionality of some players.

The contact surface of the keys is slightly concave, which, according to the subjective assessment, is more comfortable when typing than regular flat keys. The size of most keys is 15 × 15 mm, and the function keys are 14 × 10 mm. The width of the gap is 84 mm, both Shift – 35 mm, Enter – 25 mm.

In general, almost everything is perfect, with the exception of the hands, which measure 15 × 8.5 mm. This is just some kind of negative trend in many laptops of recent times, as if the space on the work surface is running out and “arrows” of normal size no longer fit. Well, move them down a little, but leave them full-sized!

The Thunderobot Zero keyboard features zone backlighting that can be adjusted through the Control Center software.

Both pre-installed backlight modes and custom ones are available here. Breathing, wave or cycling effects are provided. The backlight can be configured separately for three zones and tied to the mode of the laptop (more on that later).

In the same program, it is possible to adjust the illumination of the air ducts of the cooling system and the logo on the lid of the laptop.

The dimensions of the two-button touchpad are 116 × 73 mm. It is slightly recessed into the work surface.

The touchpad button responsiveness extends all the way to the middle of the touchpad, while on other laptops they only work at the very bottom. However, this does not cause any inconvenience.

The webcam in Thunderobot Zero is standard with a resolution of 720p (30 FPS).

The microphones are also located in the upper frame at the same distance from the camera lens.

The laptop power button is located in the center of the upper part of the working panel.

It is stylized as the Thunderobot logo and equipped with a backlight, there is no fingerprint scanner.

 

⇡#Display

Thunderobot Zero was endowed with a fast IPS-matrix with a diagonal of 16 inches (40.6 cm). The width of the side bezels of the display is 6 mm, the top – 10 mm, and the bottom – 15 mm. Useful screen area – 91%.

In addition to all of the above, the Thunderobot Zero screen can operate at a vertical frequency of 165 Hz (60 Hz mode is also available).

We tested the display of the Thunderobot Zero laptop with the X-Rite i1 Display Pro calibrator and the Argyll CMS software with the DispcalGUI graphical interface. All measurements were taken without additional display calibration. Let’s look at the results.

The color rendering indicators of the Thunderobot Zero display are outside the tolerance limits, which was later leveled out a little by calibration, but still not fully. But the contrast is higher than the value declared by the manufacturer.

The color temperature is above the reference value, the graph of its dependence on the brightness of the screen passes around the value of 7000 K.

The gamma curve also needs to be adjusted.

With a color balance in gray gradient, the picture is much better than with the previous characteristics.

After calibrating the display, it was possible to significantly improve all its main parameters. The average DeltaE deviation was 0.12 units, and the color space coverage was 102.9% sRGB.

The display’s brightness was advertised at 500 nits, but our measurements showed a peak brightness of 414 nits.

And although this value is sufficient for comfortable work behind the laptop screen even on a bright sunny day, we cannot but note the discrepancy between the declared and actual characteristics.

There are problems with the uniformity of the backlight, especially in the lower left and upper right corners.

In general, the screen quality of Thunderobot Zero can be assessed as average.

 

⇡#Internal device and accessories

Thunderobot Zero is somewhat surprising with an unusually narrow battery, its capacity is only 64.3 Wh, so we can assume that the autonomy of the laptop is not very good. However, let’s not forget that we have a productive gaming model, for which autonomy is somewhere in the last places in importance. But more space is reserved for the motherboard with accessories and a dual-circuit cooling system.

The base of the laptop is plastic, fixed with screws around the perimeter and removed quite easily (the latches are not tight).

The Zero hardware configuration is based on an Intel Tiger Lake-H chipset (Intel HM570) motherboard.

BIOS version TP118 dated May 18, 2021. No BIOS updates have been published on the official website, and we did not dare to flash those found on third-party sites, although they are mostly positive on the Internet.
The Thunderobot Zero central processor is an eight-core, sixteen-thread Intel Core i7-11800H, released according to the 10-nm process technology.

This is one of the most productive laptop processors of the present time. Its frequency can briefly increase to 4.6 GHz, and the amount of third-level cache is 24 MB.

The TDP value declared by the manufacturer for this processor is 45 watts, but in practice the Thunderobot Zero processor is not limited to this level, which results in overheating and increased noise levels. However, more on this later, here we add that, in the personal opinion of the author of this article, the optimal Intel processor for gaming laptops is the six-core twelve-thread Intel Core i5-11600H with a boost frequency of up to 4.6 GHz. But, alas, there is only one processor option for this laptop model.

Thunderobot Zero can be equipped with RAM from 16 to 64 GB. In our version of the laptop, two 16 GB DDR4 SO-DIMM modules are installed, the total amount of RAM is 32 GB. The memory works in dual-channel mode.

The modules are manufactured by Samsung (model M471A2G43AB2) and their nominal effective frequency is 3.2 GHz. However, in Thunderobot Zero, the memory only works at 2.667 GHz with timings of 19-19-19-43 CR2, and the ability to change the frequency in the BIOS of the motherboard is simply not provided.

What exactly caused such a limitation is completely incomprehensible, but several percent of the performance is definitely lost here.

As a result, Thunderobot Zero doesn’t impress with either memory bandwidth or memory latency, which can be clearly seen in the AIDA64 Extreme test results.

Let me grumble a little more and add that if a young company wants to break into the laptop market and win back a small piece of the “pie”, then it should have equipped its model with 3.2 GHz RAM modules and timings of 16-16-16- 32 1T or lower so that users do not have to change the installed memory to a faster one themselves (for example, Crucial Ballistix Black BL2K8G32C16S4B).
To work in 2D modes, Thunderobot Zero uses the Intel UHD graphics core built into the processor, and for games it uses a discrete NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Laptop GPU with 8 GB of video memory.

Moreover, Thunderobot pays special attention to the fact that the productive version of the GeForce RTX 3070 with a thermal package of 140 W is used (this is confirmed by the test results).

The amount of storage in Thunderobot Zero can be 512 GB or 1 TB (as in the version provided to us for testing). It is noteworthy that this volume is filled with two M.2 2280 format NVMe drives with a PCIe 4.0 interface, and even different models: Samsung PM9A1 and SSST CA6-8D512.

Here is information about drives from the Crystal Disk Info utility.

According to Thunderobot Zero tests, both drives demonstrated a close and very high level of performance when working on the power adapter and the mains.

The hottest of them (Samsung PM9A1) warmed up to 68 degrees Celsius in thermal stress tests.

For a gaming laptop, this is quite a standard situation that does not cause concern. Note that in other copies of Thunderobot Zero there are also two identical SSDs – in the cases known to us, these were Samsung PM9A1.

Thunderobot Zero is equipped with two network adapters. Wired connections are provided by the Realtek RTL8168/8111 PCI-E Gigabit Ethernet controller, and wireless connections are provided by the Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201NGW communication module.

The latter supports the 802.11ax standard and is capable of transmitting and receiving data at speeds up to 2.4 Gbps.

The Thunderobot Zero audio system is implemented by the Realtek ALC255 codec and two small stereo speakers brought into the bevels on the base of the case.

The sound of the laptop is frankly weak both in terms of maximum volume and detail.

 

⇡#Cooling system, efficiency and noise level

Cold air enters the Thunderobot Zero cooling system from the bottom through two grilles located directly below the fans.

The release of heated air occurs through massive ventilation grilles at the back of the laptop case. Partially the air is also vented on the sides, but here the flow is barely felt.

The CPU and discrete graphics with video memory are cooled by two circuits connected by two 8mm heat pipes. In addition, another heat pipe is connected to the GPU and CPU, 8- and 6-mm, respectively.

The tubes transfer the heat flow to two large-area copper radiators, which are cooled by flat fans with a large number of blades.

To control the operation of the laptop cooling system in the Control Center application (the latest version of which can be found on the official website of the company in the Drivers section), there are three modes: office, gaming and maximum performance mode, in which we tested the laptop’s central and graphics processors.

To evaluate the efficiency of CPU cooling in a laptop, we used the powerMAX stress test in AVX mode. Monitoring of all indicators was provided by the HWiNFO64 utility version 7.15.4615. Testing was conducted under the operating system Windows 10 Pro x64 with the latest drivers and updates. The ambient temperature in the room during the tests was 24.5 degrees Celsius.

Let’s look at the results, noting that the parameters in the captions to the screenshots are given after the stabilization of the load.

The office mode is the only more or less comfortable laptop in terms of noise level, you can hear the cooling fans in it, but nothing more. You have to pay for this with a low frequency (2.7 GHz) at a temperature of 77 degrees Celsius and a heat dissipation of 45 watts. In gaming and especially in maximum performance mode, the laptop turns into a roaring beast. And by the way, it is worth noting here that the regular laptop acoustics are useless for games – they simply will not be heard. But the user gets 3 GHz in game mode and 3.3 GHz in maximum performance mode. Please note that in the first case, the processor temperature was kept at 81 degrees Celsius at 55 watts, and in the second – 91 degrees Celsius at 65 watts.

When powered by battery, you can only use office mode – it is activated automatically and cannot be switched. Of course, in this mode, the laptop sharply slows down both literally and figuratively.

The average processor frequency during the stress test was 2 GHz at 56 degrees Celsius and a power consumption of 25 watts. In this mode, the laptop without reservations is comfortable in terms of noise level.

Next, we stress-tested the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Laptop GPU discrete graphics card, which was loaded with the Fire Strike Extreme looped benchmark from the 3DMark test suite.

Next in line are also three standard modes of operation. Let’s say right away that, unlike the processor tests, here the laptop makes noise in each of them, the difference is only in the noise characteristic: very loud, insanely loud and unbearable.

But you can play even in office mode, when the frequency of the GPU is kept at 1.4 GHz with a heat dissipation of 108 watts. The game mode boosts these values ​​to 1.5 GHz and 120 W, respectively, and the “watch your ears” mode is ready to offer the gamer a frequency of 1.7 GHz at 140 W and a maximum frequency of 14 GHz video memory. On the same monitoring charts, we displayed the processor indicators, which clearly show that its power consumption level in all three modes does not exceed 12-15 W, and the temperatures are within quite acceptable limits.

Without being connected to the mains, Thunderobot Zero quite naturally ceases to be a game, which is clearly demonstrated by the following monitoring data.

At the same time, the GPU frequency does not drop so much, only to 0.9-1.0 GHz, but the video memory frequency is simply cut off from 12-14 GHz to 1.6 GHz. It is impossible to play comfortably in this mode. But the temperatures – both the processor and the video card – are low and the noise level allows you to work on a laptop. No wonder this mode is called office mode.

 

⇡#Performance testing

The performance of Thunderobot Zero based on Intel Core i7-11800H in CPU and RAM tests is comparable to Lenovo Legion 7 16ACHG6 equipped with AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX processor. Note that both laptops were tested in maximum performance mode when running on a power adapter connected to the mains.

Despite the fact that Thunderobot Zero is noticeably cheaper, the gap between its processor and the flagship AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX is insignificant, and in some tests the Intel Core i7-11800H is even slightly faster. It is a pity that the potential of RAM is not fully realized in Zero, the benchmarks could be higher.

In gaming tests, we tested the performance of the laptop at a native resolution of 2560 × 1600 pixels, as well as at a resolution of 1920 × 1080 pixels for comparison with two other test participants – here Dell XPS joined the Lenovo Legion 7 16ACHG6 equipped with a discrete NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU 9710 with discrete NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU. Each of the laptops worked in maximum performance mode. All games have been tested at maximum quality settings with DLSS enabled (where possible) but without using any other anti-aliasing techniques. The results are shown in the table.

The Thunderobot Zero’s gaming performance is significantly better than the Dell XPS 9710 with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU, especially in high-definition benchmarks (yes, we see a difference between 2.5K and 4K), but the new Zero was able to handle with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU of the Legion 7 16ACHG6, it was faster in F1 2018, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Far Cry New Dawn, World War Z, Chernobylite, and Immortals Fenyx Rising at Full HD resolution. It should also be noted that Thunderobot’s NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Laptop GPU delivers a fair level of performance in most games at 2560×1600 pixels.

 

⇡#Autonomous

Thunderobot Zero has a 64.3 Wh (4231 mAh) lithium-ion battery.

It is worth noting that, according to BatteryMon and AIDA64 Extreme, the passport capacity corresponds to the actual one, and this does not always happen in laptops.

The battery is charged using the included adapter model Chicony A17-230P1A with a maximum power of 230 W (19.5 V, 11.8 A) and a weight of 719 grams.

During charging, the power supply becomes very hot. We’ve done at least nine full charge cycles, and the average time to recharge the battery from 2% to 100% was two and a half hours. It seems to us that for such a capacity of the battery and the power of the power adapter, the time is too long.

Thunderobot Zero’s battery life has been tested with the display brightness fixed at 200 cd/m². Testing was carried out using the PCMark’10 package in four modes. Network connections and sound were not turned off, no artificial optimizations were introduced. The only thing we did was run tests both at the stock (gaming) display frequency of 165Hz and at 60Hz, which is enough for normal operation, and here are the results we got.

Frankly, we expected a greater effect from lowering the screen frequency. Only in full-screen video mode, we managed to play about 1 hour and 15 minutes, with a total of 6 hours and 32 minutes. In other modes, the effect is less noticeable. In general, for everyday office work, watching movies or video conferencing, a full charge of the Thunderobot Zero battery will last for 5-6 hours.

As for the gaming mode, in it the screen frequency had almost no effect on the duration of the laptop. In all cases, we received one hour of “game” autonomy.

⇡#Conclusion

Thunderobot Zero is a true gaming laptop with a high performance CPU and discrete graphics that provide a comfortable gaming experience even at high resolution (2560×1600 pixels). In this regard, the owner of such a laptop will not have to compromise – he can enjoy the maximum graphics quality settings and all modern image enhancement techniques. The high frequency of the display – 165 Hz – makes the gaming experience very smooth and visually pleasing. The pluses include a comfortable keyboard with customizable zone backlighting, high-performance SSD drives, an exhaustive set of ports and network controllers, original backlighting of the back of the case and logos, as well as an attractive gaming design.

But it was not without drawbacks. First of all, it should be noted that the noise level is extremely high when, when launching some kind of resource-intensive application or game, it is comfortable to be near the laptop only with headphones. Also, the disadvantages include an average display in terms of image quality, the brightness of which, although sufficient, does not correspond to the declared one, and the uniformity of the backlight leaves much to be desired. The laptop’s RAM runs at a lower frequency than it’s supposed to, and its speakers are disappointing.

Can these disadvantages be compensated by the relatively low cost of Thunderobot Zero? The question is not easy, especially since this laptop also has plenty of advantages. Perhaps, with good discounts and promotions, Zero will be of interest to the consumer, especially if there is an opportunity to conjure with various BIOS mods and processor undervolting. In any case, the final choice, as always, is yours.