Toshiba KIRAbook High Resolution Ultrabook


Gaming Benchmarks

Ultrabooks generally aren't meant to be serious gaming systems. Notebooks built for gaming typically have discrete graphics cards and are often heavier, noisy machines. But that's not to say that ultrabooks can't handle some casual gaming - many can, including the KIRAbook. We fired up the 3DMark tests and even ran Far Cry to see how the KIRAbook handled them.

Futuremark 3DMark 11
Simulated Gaming Performance

3DMark 11 measures more than the graphics card’s performance (the processor can impact the score, for example) and is a good way to get a feel for a system both as a gaming PC and as a general-use computer. Futuremark recently updated 3DMark 11 to support Windows 8, so if you plan to run this test on your own Windows 8 system, be sure to get the latest update.


The KIRAbook handled 3DMark 11 very well for an ultrabook. The Intel HD 4000 graphics may be integrated, but they're perfectly capable of handling most games.

Futuremark 3DMark Cloud Gate
Simulated Gaming Performance

The flagship benchmark in Futuremark’s catalog, 3DMark is a popular choice for testing everything from gaming PCs to mobile devices. Of course, the technology differences between a game machine and a smartphone are significant, so 3DMark has a separate test suite for each device category. The Cloud Gate test is aimed at entry-level PCs and laptops, and has two subtests: a processor- intensive
physics test and two graphics tests. We run the test suite at its default 1280 x 720 resolution and at default rendering quality settings. Keep in mind that 3DMark Cloud Gate scores aren’t comparable to scores from say, 3DMark Fire Strike (gaming PCs) or Ice Storm (smartphones and tablets).


The Lenovo IdeaPad Z400 Touch was our first system through the new Cloud Gate test, and it makes for an interesting comparison. The mid-range laptop is outgunned by the KIRAbook, and given that they're both running Intel HD 4000 graphics, one of the deciding factors is the Core i7 processor running Toshiba's new ultrabook.

Far Cry 2
DX10 Gaming Performance

When it comes to lush vegetation in a steaming, sinister jungle, no one pulls it off quite like Ubisoft does in its Far Cry series. Far Cry 2 uses high-quality textures, complex shaders, and dynamic lighting to create a realistic environment. The game’s built-in benchmark gives us a good look at a system’s performance with DirectX 10. 



Here again, the KIRAbook shows it can handle itself in a game. Far Cry 2 isn't going to bring a modern system to its knees, but it's telling that the KIRAbook has one of the highest scores of the ultrabooks and laptops we've recently reviewed.

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