iBuyPower Valkyrie CZ-17

Overview

TechSpot Metascore

Based on 5 expert reviews

Excellent:

1
Good:

2
Average:

1
Bad:

1

Pros:

Quadcore i7 processor. Good 3D performance. Excellent multimedia performance. HDMI and VGA. Killer branded Ethernet. Internal upgrade space for memory and second hard drive.
Strong brushed aluminum case and smooth aesthetics, Extreme GPU, SSD and overall system performance, Easy maintenance without voiding warranty, High performance HDD, High quality matte TN display, Good battery life
Powerful GPU; large screen

Cons:

Ultrashort battery life. Can't quite play smoothly at 1080p at high quality. Negligible Turbo and cooling settings. Start key on right side of keyboard. Busy keyboard layout. Could use an SSD at this price point. No touch screen. No 5GHz WiFi. Extremely H...
Reduced graphics performance when running on batteries, Fan noise always audible, Touchsensitive controls not always responsive, Relatively heavy even for its size class, No extended warranty options, Battery will sometimes not charge

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Last revision on May 28, 2014

Reviewers Liked

Quadcore i7 processor. Good 3D performance. Excellent multimedia performance. HDMI and VGA. Killer branded Ethernet. Internal upgrade space for memory and second hard drive
Strong brushed aluminum case and smooth aesthetics, Extreme GPU, SSD and overall system performance, Easy maintenance without voiding warranty, High performance HDD, High quality matte TN display, Good battery life
Powerful GPU; large screen

Reviewers Didn't Like

Ultrashort battery life. Can't quite play smoothly at 1080p at high quality. Negligible Turbo and cooling settings. Start key on right side of keyboard. Busy keyboard layout. Could use an SSD at this price point. No touch screen. No 5GHz WiFi. Extremely H
Reduced graphics performance when running on batteries, Fan noise always audible, Touchsensitive controls not always responsive, Relatively heavy even for its size class, No extended warranty options, Battery will sometimes not charge
Super heavy; trackpad buttons hard to press; HDD size could be bigger

Expert reviews and ratings

The iBuypower Valkyrie CZ-17 laptop is a multimedia powerhouse with some gaming prowess. It's good, but not necessarily the best at this price...

By PC Mag on April 26, 2013

iBuyPower Valkyrie CZ-17 Users looking for a high-end 15.6-inch gaming solution have plenty to choose from including the MSI GX60 and GT60 , Eurocom Racer 2.0 , Maingear Nomad 15 and Asus G55VW , to name a few. The selection of 17.3-inch notebooks with...

By NotebookCheck on April 08, 2013

Think a laptop is supposed to be a light and portable PC? Think again. The iBuyPower CZ-17 is neither of those things. With a carry weight of almost 11 pounds and dimensions measuring 16.9x11.3x2.2-inches, this thing is huge and friggin’ heavy....

By Maximum PC on March 25, 2013

My goodness do you get a lot of laptop for your money with the iBuyPower Valkyrie CZ-17. It's not even a lot of money either. We understand that UK price conversion rates are sadly not as simple as applying the current exchange rate to a dollar...

By Overclock3D on August 29, 2012

Video Review: The iBuyPower Valkyrie CZ-17 laptop can full both your school and gaming needs with the latest Intel Ivy Bridge processors, 32 GB of RAM and NVIDIA's GTX 680 set-up for only $1,300. Matt Mira and Neal Brennan review the laptop for Gadget...

By G4tv.com on August 21, 2012

When it comes to the iBuypower Valkyrie CZ-17 laptop, there is no doubt that it is a bulky laptop and that it comes packed with some serious hardware. The only real problems that this laptop has are the touchpad and battery life. It may be a pretty...

By Bright Side of News on December 07, 2012

The Valkyrie's performance matches its price point and its features deliver the right blend of power, capability, and function. The only thing we'd change from the stock configuration is the omission of an SSD. Especially for gamers, speedy load...

By HotHardware on October 11, 2012

So no, you’re not going to be able to get a full 60 fps with the graphics cranked up at the same time by using the Valkyrie CZ-17. Unless you take frame rate extremely seriously, that probably won’t be a problem. After all, enjoying games with max...

By SlashGear on August 25, 2012

The overarching recommendations we've had for big gaming notebooks these days have been pretty simple: ASUS G7x series if you're on a budget, Alienware M17x if you're not. Clevo and MSI are alternatives, but really gamers have been best served by...

By AnandTech on August 21, 2012