
The Xi PowerGo XT mobile workstation. Image
courtesy of @Xi Computer.
While we have reviewed several
workstations from California-based @Xi Computer
Corporation (pronounced “at-ex-eye”) in the
past, the Xi PowerGo XT that recently arrived in
our office marks the first mobile workstation
the company has ever sent us. Billed as a
high-end portable aimed at 3D modeling and
simulation, we were quite excited to put this
system through its paces.
Xi PowerGo XT
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Price: $4,423 as tested ($1,679 base
price)
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Size: 16.46×11.10×1.52 in.(WxDxH)
notebook
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Weight: 8.38 lbs. as tested, plus
2.3 lb. power supply
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CPU: 4.0GHz Intel Core i7-6700K
quad-core w/8MB cache
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Memory: 32GB DDR4 at 2666MHz
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Graphics: NVIDIA Quadro M5000M w/
8GB memory and 1536 CUDA cores
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LCD: 17.3-in. diagonal (1920×1080),
non-glare
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Hard Disk: 256GB Samsung M.2 PCIe
3.0 SSD
-
Optical: None
-
Audio: Line-in, microphone,
headphone, S/PDIF-out, plus built-in
microphone and speakers
-
Network: Integrated Gigabit Ethernet
(10/100/1000 NIC) with one RJ-45
port, 802.11a/b/g/n/ac wireless LAN,
and Bluetooth 4.2
-
Modem: None
-
Other: Four USB 3.0 (one powered),
one USB 3.1 (Type C) Thunderbolt
port, two DisplayPorts, HDMI-out,
2MP webcam, 6-in-1 card reader
-
Keyboard: Integrated 102-key backlit
keyboard with numeric keypad
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Pointing device: Integrated 2-button
touchpad and fingerprint reader
The PowerGo XT is similar to several other
systems we’ve recently reviewed. Based on an
Intel Z170 Express Skylake chipset, @Xi actually
offers the system in both 15.6-in. and 17.3-in.
configurations, with screens providing either
1920×1080 HD or 3840×2160 FQHD resolutions. The
advertised base price of $1,679 is for the
smaller version with the HD display, a 3.3GHz
Intel Core i5-6600 quad core CPU, 8GB of 2133MHz
RAM, an NVIDIA Quadro M1000M GPU (graphics
processing unit), a 500GB 5400rpm SATA hard
drive, built-in gigabit LAN and Windows 10 Home
64-bit.
The 17.3-in. laptop we received came housed in a
sculpted charcoal gray case measuring
16.46×11.10×1.52 in. and weighing 8.38 lbs. Its
large 230-watt power supply (7.06×3.43×1.37 in.)
adds another 2.3 lbs., bringing the total system
weight to nearly 11 lbs.
Raising the lid reveals the display and a very
good backlit 102-key keyboard and numeric
keypad. A 4.25×2.4 in. gesture-enabled touchpad
with a pair of buttons and fingerprint reader
are centered below the spacebar. Centered above
the display is a 2-megapixel webcam and
microphone array. There is also a pair of
speakers for the built-in Sound Blaster X-Fi MB5
sound system located in a raised perforated
panel in line with the hinge, with a subwoofer
on the bottom of the case. A small panel in
front of this contains the power button, flanked
by LEDs for airplane mode and hard drive
activity lights on the left and caps lock,
scroll lock and number lock on the right. And as
we have seen in other similar systems, you can
control the intensity of the keyboard
backlighting using function key combinations or
open a special utility program to change the
backlight color and lighting effects as well as
program hotkey combinations to launch other
programs.
A Wealth of Options
The right side of the case offers a single USB
3.0 port; an S/PDIF-out jack; audio ports for
headphone, microphone and line-in, and a
security lock slot. The left side provides an
RJ-45 network port, two additional USB 3.0
ports, a USB 3.1 (Type C) Thunderbolt 3 port, a
6-in-1 SD card reader and a combined eSATA/USB
3.0 port that remains powered for recharging
devices even when the system is off (as long as
the computer is connected to a working A/C
outlet). The rear panel hosts a single HDMI
port, two DisplayPorts, and the connection for
the external power supply, flanked by a pair of
air vents. There are many additional air vents
on the bottom of the case. There is no optical
drive bay. Instead, @Xi sells optional external
DVD and Blu-ray drives. The Xi PowerGo XT is not
quite as closed as several other systems we’ve
recently received, however. In addition to being
able to remove the battery, users can easily
loosen two screws and remove a panel to access
the internal drive bays.
Our evaluation unit came equipped with an Intel
Core i7-6700K, a 4GHz quad-core CPU with 8MB
cache, a maximum turbo frequency of 4.2GHz, and
a thermal design power (TDP) rating of 91 watts.
This 14nm Skylake processor, which added $169 to
the base price, also includes Intel HD Graphics
530. Several other less expensive CPUs are also
available. @Xi also equipped our system with a
high-end NVIDIA Quadro M5000M mobile GPU, with
1536 CUDA (compute unified device architecture)
cores and 8GB of dedicated GDDR5 memory,
increasing the system cost by an additional
$1,999. The Quadro M4000M ($499) is also an
option as well as a choice of three NVIDIA
GeForce GTX graphics cards.
As previously noted, our system came with a
1920×1080 display. Although both the 15.6-in.
and 17.3-in. versions of the PowerGo XT are
available with 3840×2160 displays, those
higher-resolution panels cannot be selected when
an NVIDIA Quadro graphics board is included.
While 8GB of 2133MHz memory comes standard, the
Xi PowerGo XT can accommodate up to 64GB of RAM.
Our evaluation unit included 32GB, installed as
four 8GB 2666MHz DDR4 modules, adding $299 to
the system price.
There are also many storage options. Rather than
the 500GB 5400rpm SATA drive in the base
configuration, our evaluation unit came with a
256GB solid-state Samsung MS951 M.2 PCIe drive,
adding $149. The PowerGo XT can actually
accommodate two 2.5-in. hard drives in addition
to an M.2 solid-state drive (SSD), and supports
RAID 0 or 1 configurations. @Xi offers 16
different drives ranging from 250GB to 4TB.
You can also upgrade from the standard built-in
gigabit Ethernet LAN and Intel dual-band
wireless AC 3165 Wi-Fi/Bluetooth module to one
of two higher-end M.2 network modules. An 8-cell
lithium-ion battery comes standard and kept our
evaluation unit running for two hours 30 minutes
before shutting down. Throughout our tests, the
Xi PowerGo XT ran cool and quiet, averaging just
31dB at rest (compared to 29dB ambient
background noise), climbing to just 42dB under
compute loads (less than the volume of a typical
office conversation).
Excellent Performance
With its speedy CPU and high-end NVIDIA
graphics, the Xi PowerGo XT turned in some of
the best performance we have recorded to date
for a mobile workstation, tying or beating the
Eurocom Sky DLGX7 we
recently reviewed on
most of the datasets in the SPECviewperf tests.
On the SOLIDWORKS test, the Xi PowerGo XT was
the clear winner, surpassing every other mobile
workstation we have ever tested.

On the very demanding SPECwpc benchmark, this
@Xi mobile workstation turned in some of the
best scores on many of the individual tests,
although it did not garner top honors in any
composite category. On our AutoCAD rendering
test, the 53.10 sec. average rendering time was
just barely edged out by the Lenovo ThinkPad
P70, which remains the mobile rendering king.
Despite its high-end components, as equipped the
Xi PowerGo XT costs $4,423 (including $59 to
upgrade from the base Windows 10 Home operating
system to Windows 10 Professional), $800 less
than the Eurocom Sky DLGX7. That price also
includes @Xi’s standard warranty, which covers
labor for three years but only one year on
system parts. This can be extended to two or
three years for an additional $149 or $239,
respectively.
Like similar systems, the Xi PowerGo XT is meant
to be a desktop workstation replacement. Its
high high-end components deliver great
performance, but at the price of weight, cost
and limited battery life compared to offerings
from more mainstream manufacturers. As such, it
is likely to appeal to a smaller set of users
for who value speed more than price. For them,
the Xi PowerGo XT definitely delivers.
More Info:
Mobile Workstations Compared
|
Xi PowerGo XT17.3-inch 4.0GHz Intel
Core i7-6700K quad-core CPU, NVIDIA
Quadro M5000M, 32GB RAM, 256GB PCIe
SSD |
Eurocom Sky DLX717.3-inch 4.0GHz
Intel Core i7-6700K quad-core CPU,
NVIDIA Quadro M5000M,
32GB RAM, 512GB PCIe SSD |
HP ZBook Studio G315.6-inch
2.8GHz Intel Xeon E3-1505M v5
quad-core CPU, NVIDIA Quadro M1000M,
32GB RAM, 512GB PCIe SSD |
Lenovo
ThinkPad P7017.3-inch
2.8GHz Intel Xeon E3-1505M v5
quad-core CPU, NVIDIA Quadro M4000M,
16GB RAM, 500GB PCIe SSD |
Dell Precision 771017.3-inch
2.9GHz Intel Xeon E3-1535M quad-core
CPU, NVIDIA Quadro M5000M,
32GB RAM, 512GB SATA HD |
Eurocom
Sky X917.3-inch
4.3GHz Intel Core i7-6700K quad-core
CPU, NVIDIA Quadro M5000M, 64GB RAM,
two 256GB PCIe SSDs and two 2TB SATA
HDs |
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Price as tested |
$4,423 |
$5,223 |
$2,999 |
$3,623 |
$3,890 |
$6,781 |
Date tested |
5/27/16 |
7/26/16 |
3/9/16 |
2/12/16 |
1/23/16 |
1/23/16 |
Operating System |
Windows 10 |
Windows 10 |
Windows 10 |
Windows 7 |
Windows 10 |
Windows 10 |
SPECviewperf 12 (higher is better) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
catia-04 |
109.37 |
99.74 |
35.30 |
80.54 |
75.57 |
102.23 |
creo-01 |
94.91 |
93.00 |
32.36 |
66.69 |
55.78 |
84.55 |
energy-01 |
7.02 |
7.60 |
3.08 |
6.39 |
9.00 |
10.52 |
maya-04 |
79.26 |
64.78 |
29.50 |
54.93 |
43.43 |
75.56 |
medical-01 |
31.90 |
33.66 |
14.46 |
27.23 |
31.21 |
40.75 |
showcase-01 |
51.57 |
52.93 |
21.04 |
46.70 |
48.07 |
45.87 |
snx-02 |
165.04 |
90.15 |
28.55 |
112.86 |
63.33 |
87.30 |
sw-03 |
121.39 |
116.72 |
55.23 |
88.04 |
82.02 |
121.63 |
SPECapc SOLIDWORKS 2015 (higher is
better) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Graphics Composite |
8.78 |
8.59 |
2.92 |
4.62 |
3.88 |
6.07 |
Shaded Graphics Sub-Composite |
5.07 |
4.90 |
2.27 |
2.41 |
2.40 |
4.36 |
Shaded w/Edges Graphics
Sub-Composite |
6.54 |
6.31 |
3.05 |
3.42 |
3.21 |
5.58 |
Shaded using RealView Sub-Composite |
6.65 |
6.49 |
2.32 |
3.41 |
2.85 |
5.07 |
Shaded w/Edges using RealView
Sub-Composite |
10.72 |
10.45 |
4.03 |
5.89 |
4.93 |
8.36 |
Shaded using RealView and Shadows
Sub-Composite |
7.40 |
7.26 |
2.13 |
3.87 |
2.94 |
5.17 |
Shaded with Edges using RealView and
Shadows Graphics Sub-Composite |
11.21 |
10.92 |
3.49 |
6.19 |
4.85 |
8.11 |
Shaded using RealView and Shadows
and
Ambient Occlusion Graphics
Sub-Composite |
18.10 |
18.11 |
3.19 |
7.97 |
5.70 |
6.81 |
Shaded with Edges using RealView and
Shadows and Ambient Occlusion
Graphics Sub-Composite |
25.69 |
25.53 |
4.62 |
12.01 |
8.74 |
10.28 |
Wireframe Graphics Sub-Composite |
3.91 |
3.86 |
3.16 |
3.02 |
2.99 |
3.76 |
CPU Composite |
4.96 |
4.95 |
2.82 |
3.47 |
2.56 |
3.03 |
SPECwpc v2.0 (higher is better) |
|
|
|
|
|
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Media and Entertainment |
2.37 |
2.93 |
2.29 |
2.60 |
2.57 |
3.38 |
Product Development |
2.28 |
2.77 |
2.22 |
2.32 |
2.73 |
3.16 |
Life Sciences |
2.40 |
2.98 |
2.46 |
2.56 |
3.18 |
3.91 |
Financial Services |
1.39 |
1.39 |
1.15 |
1.14 |
1.19 |
1.40 |
Energy |
2.34 |
2.69 |
2.22 |
2.27 |
2.66 |
3.13 |
General Operations |
1.06 |
1.36 |
1.36 |
1.41 |
1.48 |
1.70 |
Time |
|
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Autodesk Render Test (in seconds,
lower is better) |
53.10 |
65.7 |
76.80 |
50.00 |
85.60 |
64.90 |
Battery Test (in hours:minutes,
higher is better) |
2:30 |
2:28 |
5:18 |
5:15 |
5:30 |
2:17 |
Numbers in blue indicate best recorded results.
Numbers in red indicate worst recorded results.
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