The Chuwi AeroBook Review: One Small Step For Chuwi

GPU Performance

With just a 4.5-Watt Thermal Design Power for the entire SoC inside the Chuwi AeroBook, graphics demands are going to be a challenge, but if we compare the AeroBook to the previous Chuwi models, there’s still a substantial increase in raw performance available.

The Core m3-6Y30 features the Intel HD 515 graphics, which is several generations behind Intel’s latest, but the differences are minor since they’ve not really refreshed their GPU architecture for some time. The big difference between the HD 515 and the UHD 600 found in the latest Gemini Lake SoC Chuwi had leveraged before is that the HD 515 features 24 execution units compared to just 12 in the Celeron N4100. The HD 515 in the Core m3-6Y30 also has a higher Turbo frequency for the GPU – up to 850 MHz – compared to just 700 MHz on the N4100.

Still, as we’ve seen many times before, even with more TDP available, the integrated GPU on the Intel CPUs is really showing its age. To see how the Chuwi AeroBook performs, it was run through our Ultrabook GPU suite, which consists of a couple of synthetic tests, and one game which can be playable on an iGPU. We’ll see how the Chuwi performs though, and Chuwi’s decision to use single-channel RAM is likely to hurt the GPU scores the most.

3DMark

UL’s 3Dmark offers several tests of varying complexity, all the way from Ice Storm Unlimited which can be run on a smartphone, up to Fire Strike which can challenge even the latest GPUs. This test instantly shows the gap between the Atom powered Celerons and the Core powered devices, and even though none of these are powerful GPUs, even at a 5-Watt TDP the Core m3 offers double the performance of the Celeron.

GFXBench

The latest Aztec Ruins test from Kishonti finally dumps OpenGL on the PC and offers DX12. Unfortunately the older Atom powered devices weren’t tested on this newer benchmark, but it does show the detriment that single-channel RAM plays since the Chuwi is the only device in the graph to not offer dual-channel memory.

Dota 2

Valve’s Dota 2 continues to be our real-world game of choice for low-end devices because the game is one of the few that is actually playable even on an integrated GPU. Unfortunately the Chuwi is barely playable even at our lowest tested settings. The single-channel RAM is certainly a big factor, as is likely the lower CPU performance, since Dota 2 can be a CPU limited game as well.

GPU Summary

The move from Atom to Core brings with it a much larger GPU, and that improvement is clearly demonstrated in our results, but Chuwi’s decision to go with single-channel RAM definitely hurts overall performance. Intel’s integrated GPU really needs an update though, since even properly equipped and with a 15-Watt TDP like on the Surface Pro 6, it still struggles to offer much in the way of performance.

Storage Performance

Chuwi has also made a step up in storage. On most of their other low-end notebooks, they tend to offer eMMC storage, and although they generally offer more flash storage at the same price point as their competitors, eMMC doesn’t offer the performance of a SSD. The Chuwi AeroBook which is sold in North America comes with a single storage offering, and that is a 256 GB SSD, and in this case it’s a Netac model. Chuwi has offered a SSD before, but not as the boot drive, so this is a welcome change.

The performance is not fantastic, but still a step beyond what eMMC offers. The SSD is also accessible on the bottom of the notebook by removing two screws, so if you want to swap in a larger SATA SSD, it’s possible, which isn’t the case on most Ultrabooks without a lot of deconstruction.