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Eurocom P5 Pro Extreme (Clevo P750ZM) Notebook Review

Desktop CPU with overclocking. No matter how powerful a laptop gets, the proper desktop will still outpace the portable solution. The Eurocom P5 Pro Extreme closes the gap by bringing home a full-fledged Core i7-4790K with overclocking and no compromises - This is a desktop in disguise.

Aside from the monstrous MSI GT80 making most of the headlines, one of the more significant announcements from CES this year regarding high-end DTRs was from Clevo, who have managed to ship out barebone laptop models with fully-fledged desktop Haswell CPUs as early as a month later with overclocking potential to boot. The Eurocom P5 Pro Extreme is one such model based on the Clevo P750ZM.

Eurocom is touting plenty of features with the 15.6-inch P5 Pro Extreme including the world's first laptop with a Z97 chipset and a socket LGA 1150, full overclocking support of Intel K series CPUs through specialized O/C BIOS, ability to change LCD panels, and pre-wired 3G/4G. We checked out a similar Clevo P751ZM chassis earlier in the year and we highly recommend scrolling through our previous review for more pictures and details on the chassis, keyboard, connectivity options, and other physical features. Compared to the earlier configuration, this Eurocom model is equipped with much more powerful internals including a 4 GHz i7-4790K CPU, GTX 980M GPU, and a high quality UHD (3840 x 2160) resolution IPS display.

Prices start at about $1500 USD for the base model and can go over $8000 USD if configured with Xeon processors and all five storage bays occupied with 1 TB SSD drives. Our in-house model retails for roughly $3500 as configured.

Display

A number of display options are available from Eurocom including matte or glossy, LED or WLED backlight, and FHD or QFHD selections. Special 17.3-inch screens are also available for the larger "model B" chassis, though options are limited to 1080p. Our particular unit is equipped with a 15.6-inch UHD glossy WLED screen from Sharp and, according to its LQ156D1JX01B model number, is the same panel as found on our Clevo P651SE review late last year. Font and images are extremely crisp as expected and we experienced no hardware issues regarding picture quality. Windows appears to scale its UI accordingly to prevent ant-sized fonts and icons.

Measured contrast is nearly 1000:1 and brightness is sufficiently high for even the most well-lit indoor conditions, though the occasional glare will occur with the glossy screen. Compared to other 15.6-inch gaming systems, the Eurocom is as bright as the Gigabyte P35X v3 and brighter than both the Alienware 15 and MSI GS60 4K.

Furthermore, the display is upgradeable, which means that the manufacturer has made it easier to access and detach the eDP connector than on other notebooks. It's not as easy as replacing RAM or storage drives, however, as additional disassembly is required and the proper procedures are unfortunately not detailed in Eurocom's own extensive user manual.

332.9
cd/m²
357.9
cd/m²
347.7
cd/m²
344.6
cd/m²
347.3
cd/m²
344.9
cd/m²
365.6
cd/m²
339.1
cd/m²
357.9
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
tested with X-Rite i1Basic Pro 2
Maximum: 365.6 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 348.7 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 91 %
Center on Battery: 347.3 cd/m²
Contrast: 853:1 (Black: 0.407 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 3.49 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 4.65 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
58.49% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
64.6% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
89.8% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
62.6% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.2

Color space coverage is about 78 percent and 58 percent of sRGB and AdobeRGB, respectively. While certainly better than the average 60 percent or below from mainstream notebooks, this falls short of the claimed 100 percent sRGB coverage from this particular Sharp WLED panel. When compared to competing 15.6-inch workstations like the Precision 4800 and ZBook 15 G2, color gamut is very similar with overlap reaching 90 percent. 

For an even wider color range, the 17.3-inch AU Optronics display option is rated for 90 percent of the NTSC standard. Complete or near-complete (95 percent) coverage of the AdobeRGB standard is available on dedicated workstation models from Dell or HP.

vs. sRGB
vs. sRGB
vs. AdobeRGB
vs. AdobeRGB
vs. Dell Precision 4800
vs. Dell Precision 4800
vs. HP ZBook 15 G2
vs. HP ZBook 15 G2

Displays come pre-calibrated and our X-Rite spectrophotometer shows very accurate colors, RGB balance, and grayscale across the board. Color temperature is not overly cool as is common on cheaper TN displays and the 2.2 gamma is ideal for a display calibrated against the sRGB spectrum. In general, colors become less accurate the lower the saturation level, though only very minimally. Green and Teal tend to be represented most accurately while Orange colors are the least.

Grayscale
Grayscale
Saturation Sweeps
Saturation Sweeps
ColorChecker
ColorChecker

A workstation like this is not meant to be used outdoors for long periods of time. Instead, we recommend checking out the HP ZBook 15 Mobile for those interested in a lightweight workstation solution. The backlight on the Eurocom is bright, but not bright enough to overcome reflections and ambient lighting for comfortable viewing on a bright day. Working under shade is a necessity as a result.

Not exactly meant for outdoor use
Not exactly meant for outdoor use
Consistent viewing angles
Consistent viewing angles

Viewing angles are excellent as expected from an IPS panel. Colors do not significantly degrade if viewing from extreme angles and sharing the display with others nearby is made much easier.

Performance

Turbo Boost up to 4.6 GHz for two active cores
Turbo Boost up to 4.6 GHz for two active cores

Besides the Core i7-4790K CPU in our configuration, Eurocom also offers i7-4790, i5-4690K, i5-4460, and Xeon E3 class processors. Overclocking is available on CPUs with the K suffix as usual for Intel desktop cores. And just like a regular i7-4790K in a desktop, ours runs at a base speed of 4 GHz with Turbo Boost up to 4.4 GHz for four active cores. Power Saver mode will drop the CPU to 800 MHz and the GPU to just 135/162 MHz (core/memory).

It's worth noting the differences in TDP and raw clock rates between the i7-4790K and the i7-4940MX, which is one of the fastest mobile Haswell processors currently available. While the i7-4940MX is rated for a TDP of 57 W and a base clock of 3.1 GHz, the i7-4790K has a 50 percent larger power envelope at 88 W and a 30 percent faster base clock. This is a significant hurdle in terms of cooling and calls for a much more effective cooling solution than on past designs.

Access to the cooling system and other internals is fast and easy as we have now come to expect from the Clevo brand. A small panel on the underside protects three of the storage drives while a separate larger one sits over the rest of the components including the LGA1150 and MXM 3.0b slots.

System information Eurocom P5 Pro Extreme

Processor

The i7-4790K handily outperforms the high-end mobile models in our database as we had no throttlling or stability issues with our model during regular benchmarking. Multi-core CineBench R15 scores, for example, is almost 150 points higher than our ThinkPad W541 model and almost 200 points higher than an i7-4940MX. Single-core performance is about 10 percent faster than the i7-4980HQ in the mammoth MSI GT80 according to Super Pi 32M and just over 15 percent faster in multi-core performance according to wPrime 1024M.

CineBench R10 64-bit
CineBench R10 64-bit
CineBench R11.5 64-bit
CineBench R11.5 64-bit
CineBench R15 64-bit
CineBench R15 64-bit
Cinebench R10 Shading 64Bit
6799 Points
Cinebench R10 Rendering Multiple CPUs 64Bit
33974 Points
Cinebench R10 Rendering Single CPUs 64Bit
8911 Points
Cinebench R10 Shading 32Bit
6837
Cinebench R10 Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit
25835
Cinebench R10 Rendering Single 32Bit
6756
Cinebench R11.5 OpenGL 64Bit
82.9 fps
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Multi 64Bit
9.4 Points
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Single 64Bit
2.07 Points
Cinebench R15 Ref. Match 64Bit
99.6 %
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64Bit
144.1 fps
Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64Bit
873 Points
Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64Bit
171 Points
Help

Processor Overclocking

CPU and RAM overclocking utility in BIOS
CPU and RAM overclocking utility in BIOS

The "Extreme" models in the P5 Pro series are equipped with Eurocom's specialized unlocked BIOS for overclocking and are so far the only laptops in the world with such support out-of-the-box. The CPU multiplier and voltages for RAM can be adjusted at boot up.

In practice, the multiplier for all four active cores can only be adjusted 100 MHz above the default 4.4 GHz Turbo setting before needing to increase the default core voltage of 1.22 V. Any faster and the system will experience Watchdog errors. By increasing the core voltage by another 100 mV, we were able to comfortably move to 4.7 GHz. At 4.8 GHz, however, crashes became inevitable even after increasing core voltage and disabling core C-states. 

What kind of performance gains can users expect? At 4.7 GHz, our CineBench R11.5 multi-core run finishes with 8.80 points vs. 9.40 points at the default 4.4 GHz (or 9.17 points at the default 4.4 GHz after a cold boot up). Gains are not very significant as core temperatures will quickly reach nearly 100 degrees C even at default Turbo Boost levels as detailed in our stress test section below. This is compared to 80 degrees C or lower for desktop CPUs under stress. Core clock will immediately drop to safer levels, so any overclocking will be short-lived.

Standard 4.4 GHz clock rate
Standard 4.4 GHz clock rate
Stable system at 4.7 GHz and 1.32 V
Stable system at 4.7 GHz and 1.32 V

System Performance

Just when we thought we topped out our benchmark database with the Eurocom X8 a few months ago, along comes the Eurocom P5 Pro Extreme to set yet another record. Our recorded PCMark 7 score of 7272 points is the current king and one of the very few to break 7000 points. Consequently, PCMark 8 scores are one the highest and are rivaled only by the barebones K73-5N with its similar i7-4790K CPU and Samsung 840 EVO SSD. For comparison, the recently reviewed Alienware 15 scored 5627 points and 3769 points in PCmark 7 and PCMark 8 Home, respectively.

The Windows Experience Index shows a balanced configuration amongst the major components. Subjectively, navigating and launching applications feel instantaneous from the RAID 0 SSDs. 

PCMark 7
PCMark 7
PCMark 8 Creative Accelerated
PCMark 8 Creative Accelerated
PCMark 8 Home Accelerated
PCMark 8 Home Accelerated
PCMark 8 Work Accelerated
PCMark 8 Work Accelerated

» No benchmarks for this notebook found!

PCMark 7 Score
7272 points
PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2
5505 points
PCMark 8 Creative Score Accelerated v2
5995 points
PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2
5567 points
Help

Storage Devices

SATA and M.2 slots easily accessible
SATA and M.2 slots easily accessible

Clevo models have plenty of storage bays by tradition and this Eurocom model is no exception with its four bays (2x M.2 and 2X 2.5-inch SATA III) capable of RAID 0/1/5/10. This is one less bay than the Eurocom X3 models, however, due to the lack of an ODD bay. Users can configure M.2 SSDs up to 512 GB and SSD or HDD 2.5-inch solutions up to 2 TB each. Note that the SATA slots can accept both 7 mm and 9.5 mm drives.

Our 256 GB Micron M600 SSDs in RAID 0 exhibit one of the highest sequential read speeds at 957.2 MB/s according to Crystal Disk Mark. Similarly, our single 1 TB Samsung 850 PRO shows excellent transfer rates and one of the highest 4K read and write speeds. Certain Lite-On SSDs in RAID 0 (like the LMT-128M6M) outperform our Micron setup in both read and write, though only marginally by less than 10 percent. 3x RAID 0 systems can reach sequential read speeds nearing 1500 MB/s.

For our growing benchmark list of HDDs and SSDs, see our table here.

2x 256 GB Micron M600 MTFDDAV128MBF
2x 256 GB Micron M600 MTFDDAV128MBF
1 TB Samsung SSD 850 PRO
1 TB Samsung SSD 850 PRO
2x Micron M600 MTFDDAV128MBF (RAID 0)
Transfer Rate Minimum: 256.8 MB/s
Transfer Rate Maximum: 694 MB/s
Transfer Rate Average: 562 MB/s
Access Time: 0.1 ms
Burst Rate: 268.2 MB/s
CPU Usage: 2.3 %

GPU Performance

Our model is equipped with an Nvidia GTX 980M NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980Mcomplete with 8 GB GDDR5 RAM. Base clock is rated at 1038 MHz plus boost with memory effectively at 1252.8 MHz. Outside of the GTX 980M, Eurocom can configure GTX 970M and GTX 965M options or Quadro K3100M/ K5100M for CAD-related work. Additional benchmarks and technical information on Nvidia's current consumer flagship GPU can be found on our dedicated GPU page here. Eurocom was also kind enough to provide for us a GTX 965M for benchmarking and testing. More benchmarks on this mid-range Maxwell card can be found on our dedicated page here.

Synthetic GPU benchmarks place the Eurocom alongside other notebooks equipped with the same GPU, such as the popular MSI GT72 and Gigabyte P35X V3. This suggests that the GPU in the Eurocom is in no way held back or artificially throttled in performance. Its 3DMark Fire Strike Extreme Graphics score of 4336 points sits comfortably between the GTX 880M (2874 points) in the MSI GT70 and the desktop Radeon R9 290X (5388 points). Perhaps more notably, its 3DMark 11 score of 10948 points rivals the Radeon HD 8970M CrossFire found on our older Eurocom X7.

3DMark 11
3DMark 11
3DMark Ice Storm
3DMark Ice Storm
3DMark Cloud Gate
3DMark Cloud Gate
Fire Strike
Fire Strike
Fire Strike Extreme
Fire Strike Extreme
Fire Strike Ultra
Fire Strike Ultra
3DMark 06 Standard Score
33205 points
3DMark 11 Performance
10948 points
3DMark Ice Storm Standard Score
151973 points
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score
25823 points
3DMark Fire Strike Score
8341 points
3DMark Fire Strike Extreme Score
4239 points
Help

Gaming Performance

We criticized our Eurocom X8 model for coupling a GTX 980M SLI setup with a 1080p display when the graphics power is more than capable at higher resolutions. The UHD display in our model really puts the single GTX 980M to the test as most every game tested is able to run at 1080p60 Ultra or close to it without much issue. At UHD Ultra settings, however, we can see that the more recent and graphically intensive titles like Advanced Warfare, Dragon Age, and Thief will bring the system to its knees at just 20 FPS. F1 2014 is notable as it runs north of 60 FPS for one of the most crisp gaming experiences we've seen on a 15-inch laptop yet. But for most every other title, graphical embellishments must be tuned down for a more consistent 30 FPS or smoother gameplay at the native 4K resolution.

GRID: Autosport
GRID: Autosport
Dragon Age: Inquisition
Dragon Age: Inquisition
COD: Advanced Warfare
COD: Advanced Warfare
low med. high ultra
Sleeping Dogs (2012) 162.3 56.5
Guild Wars 2 (2012) 81.7 68.4
Tomb Raider (2013) 241.8 102.6
StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm (2013) 123 101.5
BioShock Infinite (2013) 217.8 85.8
Metro: Last Light (2013) 117.5 65
Thief (2014) 101 62.5
GRID: Autosport (2014) 157.6 93.6
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor (2014) 90.7 66.6
Ryse: Son of Rome (2014) 58 56.6
F1 2014 (2014) 118 116
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (2014) 107.1 59.9
Dragon Age: Inquisition (2014) 73 49.5

Title

UHD (3840 x 2160) on Ultra settings

Sleeping Dogs

13.2

Guild Wars 2

44

Tomb Raider

28.7

Starcraft II: Heart of the Swarm

51.2

Metro: Last Light

21.5

Thief

20.9

GRID: Autosport

43.7

Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor

22.9

F1 2014

66

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare

21.9

Dragon Age: Inquisition

15.5

Tomb Raider
1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:FX AF:16x (sort by value)
Eurocom P5 Pro Extreme
102.6 fps
MSI GS60 2QE Ghost Pro 4K (2QEUi716SR51G)
80 fps -22%
MSI GT72-2QE32SR311BW
104.5 fps +2%
Clevo Clevo P157SM
73.6 fps -28%
1366x768 High Preset AA:FX AF:8x (sort by value)
Eurocom P5 Pro Extreme
241.8 fps
MSI GS60 2QE Ghost Pro 4K (2QEUi716SR51G)
187 fps -23%
MSI GT72-2QE32SR311BW
247 fps +2%
Clevo Clevo P157SM
167.5 fps -31%
1366x768 Normal Preset AA:FX AF:4x (sort by value)
MSI GS60 2QE Ghost Pro 4K (2QEUi716SR51G)
297 fps
MSI GT72-2QE32SR311BW
356.4 fps
1024x768 Low Preset (sort by value)
MSI GS60 2QE Ghost Pro 4K (2QEUi716SR51G)
405 fps
MSI GT72-2QE32SR311BW
414.1 fps
Guild Wars 2
1920x1080 All Maximum / On AA:FX (sort by value)
Eurocom P5 Pro Extreme
68.4 fps
MSI GT72-2QE32SR311BW
60 fps -12%
Clevo Clevo P157SM
49.1 fps -28%
1366x768 Best Appearance Preset AA:FX (sort by value)
Eurocom P5 Pro Extreme
81.7 fps
MSI GT72-2QE32SR311BW
69 fps -16%
Clevo Clevo P157SM
59.2 fps -28%
1024x768 Best Performance Preset (sort by value)
MSI GT72-2QE32SR311BW
124.4 fps
StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm
1920x1080 Ultra / Extreme AA:on (sort by value)
Eurocom P5 Pro Extreme
101.5 fps
Clevo Clevo P157SM
80.1 fps -21%
1366x768 High AA:on (sort by value)
Eurocom P5 Pro Extreme
123 fps
Clevo Clevo P157SM
120.6 fps -2%
Metro: Last Light
1920x1080 Very High (DX11) AF:16x (sort by value)
Eurocom P5 Pro Extreme
65 fps
MSI GS60 2QE Ghost Pro 4K (2QEUi716SR51G)
52 fps -20%
MSI GT72-2QE32SR311BW
66.8 fps +3%
Clevo Clevo P157SM
42 fps -35%
1366x768 High (DX11) AF:16x (sort by value)
Eurocom P5 Pro Extreme
117.5 fps
MSI GS60 2QE Ghost Pro 4K (2QEUi716SR51G)
97 fps -17%
MSI GT72-2QE32SR311BW
112.4 fps -4%
Clevo Clevo P157SM
93 fps -21%
1366x768 Medium (DX10) AF:4x (sort by value)
MSI GS60 2QE Ghost Pro 4K (2QEUi716SR51G)
140 fps
MSI GT72-2QE32SR311BW
126.2 fps
1024x768 Low (DX10) AF:4x (sort by value)
MSI GS60 2QE Ghost Pro 4K (2QEUi716SR51G)
145 fps
MSI GT72-2QE32SR311BW
128.3 fps
Thief
1920x1080 Very High Preset AA:FXAA & High SS AF:8x (sort by value)
Eurocom P5 Pro Extreme
62.5 fps
MSI GS60 2QE Ghost Pro 4K (2QEUi716SR51G)
46 fps -26%
MSI GT72-2QE32SR311BW
62.1 fps -1%
Clevo Clevo P157SM
41 fps -34%
1366x768 High Preset AA:FXAA & Low SS AF:4x (sort by value)
Eurocom P5 Pro Extreme
101 fps
MSI GS60 2QE Ghost Pro 4K (2QEUi716SR51G)
63 fps -38%
MSI GT72-2QE32SR311BW
93.5 fps -7%
Clevo Clevo P157SM
59 fps -42%
1366x768 Normal Preset AA:FX (sort by value)
MSI GS60 2QE Ghost Pro 4K (2QEUi716SR51G)
65 fps
MSI GT72-2QE32SR311BW
95.3 fps
1024x768 Very Low Preset (sort by value)
MSI GS60 2QE Ghost Pro 4K (2QEUi716SR51G)
68 fps
MSI GT72-2QE32SR311BW
96.4 fps
GRID: Autosport
1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:4x MS (sort by value)
Eurocom P5 Pro Extreme
93.6 fps
MSI GS60 2QE Ghost Pro 4K (2QEUi716SR51G)
79 fps -16%
MSI GT72-2QE32SR311BW
107.1 fps +14%
Schenker W504
62 (51min) fps -34%
1920x1080 High Preset (sort by value)
Eurocom P5 Pro Extreme
157.6 fps
MSI GS60 2QE Ghost Pro 4K (2QEUi716SR51G)
132 fps -16%
MSI GT72-2QE32SR311BW
134.3 fps -15%
Schenker W504
95.7 (70min) fps -39%
1366x768 Medium Preset (sort by value)
MSI GS60 2QE Ghost Pro 4K (2QEUi716SR51G)
179 fps
MSI GT72-2QE32SR311BW
158.4 fps
Schenker W504
112.6 (87min) fps
1024x768 Ultra Low Preset (sort by value)
MSI GS60 2QE Ghost Pro 4K (2QEUi716SR51G)
320 fps
MSI GT72-2QE32SR311BW
279.4 fps
Schenker W504
211.5 (168min) fps
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor
1920x1080 Ultra Preset (HD Package) (sort by value)
Eurocom P5 Pro Extreme
66.6 fps
MSI GS60 2QE Ghost Pro 4K (2QEUi716SR51G)
45 fps -32%
MSI GT72-2QE32SR311BW
65 fps -2%
Schenker W504
37.1 (10min) fps -44%
1920x1080 High Preset (sort by value)
Eurocom P5 Pro Extreme
90.7 fps
MSI GS60 2QE Ghost Pro 4K (2QEUi716SR51G)
70 fps -23%
MSI GT72-2QE32SR311BW
82.5 fps -9%
Schenker W504
50.8 (30min) fps -44%
1344x756 Medium Preset (sort by value)
MSI GS60 2QE Ghost Pro 4K (2QEUi716SR51G)
120 fps
MSI GT72-2QE32SR311BW
165 fps
Schenker W504
102.8 (50min) fps
1280x720 Lowest Preset (sort by value)
MSI GS60 2QE Ghost Pro 4K (2QEUi716SR51G)
170 fps
MSI GT72-2QE32SR311BW
197.4 fps
Schenker W504
151 (84min) fps
F1 2014
1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:4x MS (sort by value)
Eurocom P5 Pro Extreme
116 fps
MSI GT72-2QE32SR311BW
109 fps -6%
Schenker W504
0 fps -100%
1920x1080 High Preset (sort by value)
Eurocom P5 Pro Extreme
118 fps
MSI GT72-2QE32SR311BW
116 fps -2%
Schenker W504
0 fps -100%
1366x768 Medium Preset (sort by value)
MSI GT72-2QE32SR311BW
118 fps
Schenker W504
0 fps
1024x768 Ultra Low Preset (sort by value)
MSI GT72-2QE32SR311BW
118 fps
Schenker W504
0 fps
Dragon Age: Inquisition
1920x1080 Ultra Graphics Quality AA:2x MS (sort by value)
Eurocom P5 Pro Extreme
49.5 fps
MSI GS60 2QE Ghost Pro 4K (2QEUi716SR51G)
34 fps -31%
Schenker W504
27.6 (23min) fps -44%
1920x1080 High Graphics Quality (sort by value)
Eurocom P5 Pro Extreme
73 fps
MSI GS60 2QE Ghost Pro 4K (2QEUi716SR51G)
43 fps -41%
Schenker W504
42.4 (39min) fps -42%
1366x768 Medium Graphics Quality (sort by value)
MSI GS60 2QE Ghost Pro 4K (2QEUi716SR51G)
86 fps
Schenker W504
94.7 (85min) fps
1024x768 Low Graphics Quality (sort by value)
MSI GS60 2QE Ghost Pro 4K (2QEUi716SR51G)
129 fps
Schenker W504
132.1 (114min) fps
Ryse: Son of Rome
1920x1080 Very High Texture Res. + High Graphics Quality (Motion Blur & Temporal AA On, Rest Off/Disabled) AF:8x (sort by value)
Eurocom P5 Pro Extreme
56.6 fps
MSI GT72-2QE32SR311BW
54.7 fps -3%
Schenker W504
39.2 (29min) fps -31%
1920x1080 High Texture Res. + High Graphics Quality (Rest Off/Disabled) AF:8x (sort by value)
Eurocom P5 Pro Extreme
58 fps
MSI GT72-2QE32SR311BW
58.8 fps +1%
Schenker W504
43.3 (30min) fps -25%
1366x768 Medium Texture Res. + Normal Graphics Quality (Rest Off/Disabled) AF:4x (sort by value)
MSI GT72-2QE32SR311BW
62.9 fps
Schenker W504
76.1 (45min) fps
1024x768 Low Texture Res. + Low Graphics Quality (Rest Off/Disabled) AF:2x (sort by value)
MSI GT72-2QE32SR311BW
63.1 fps
Schenker W504
83.4 (50min) fps
BioShock Infinite
1920x1080 Ultra Preset, DX11 (DDOF) (sort by value)
Eurocom P5 Pro Extreme
85.8 fps
MSI GT72-2QE32SR311BW
91.2 fps +6%
Clevo Clevo P157SM
108.5 fps +26%
1366x768 High Preset (sort by value)
Eurocom P5 Pro Extreme
217.8 fps
MSI GT72-2QE32SR311BW
189.2 fps -13%
Clevo Clevo P157SM
160.4 fps -26%
1366x768 Medium Preset (sort by value)
MSI GT72-2QE32SR311BW
200.2 fps
1280x720 Very Low Preset (sort by value)
MSI GT72-2QE32SR311BW
229.7 fps
Sleeping Dogs
1920x1080 Extreme Preset AA:Extreme (sort by value)
Eurocom P5 Pro Extreme
56.5 fps
Clevo Clevo P157SM
40 fps -29%
1366x768 High Preset AA:High (sort by value)
Eurocom P5 Pro Extreme
162.3 fps
Clevo Clevo P157SM
97.9 fps -40%

Legend

 
Eurocom P5 Pro Extreme Intel Core i7-4790K, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M, 2x Micron M600 MTFDDAV128MBF (RAID 0)
 
MSI GS60 2QE Ghost Pro 4K (2QEUi716SR51G) Intel Core i7-4720HQ, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M, 2x Kingston RBU-SNS8100S3256GD (RAID 0)
 
MSI GT72-2QE32SR311BW Intel Core i7-4710HQ, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M, 4x Kingston RBU-SNS8100S3256GD1 (RAID 0)
 
Clevo Clevo P157SM Intel Core i7-4930MX, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 880M, Crucial M500 120 GB CT120M500SSD3
 
Schenker W504 Intel Core i7-4700MQ, AMD Radeon R9 M290X,

Stress Test

We stress the Eurocom first with Prime95 and the GPU-Z and HWiNFO monitoring tools active. With all CPU cores stressed, the i7-4790K can be observed operating at its maximum 4.4 GHz Turbo Boost for the first one to two minutes before dropping to a more comfortable 4.2 to 4.3 GHz range. Core temperatures jump very quickly to 97 degrees C. FurMark stress puts the GPU core at the 835.3 to 847.6 MHz range whilst memory remains constant at its 1252.8 MHz maximum. GPU temperature plateaus at about 70 Degrees C.

Full system stress with both Prime95 and FurMark puts the CPU in the 3.6 GHz to 3.9 GHz range and the GPU even lower to the 822.7 to 835.7 MHz range. In both cases, this is below the base 4 GHz and 1038 MHz speeds of the respective cores. CPU and GPU temperatures cap at 99 degrees C and 75 Degrees C, respectively, after half an hour of full stress. We observed no stability issues during this time.

Prime95 stress
Prime95 stress
FurMark stress
FurMark stress
Maximum stress
Maximum stress
Unigine Heaven stress
Unigine Heaven stress

For a more realistic stress setting, we run Unigine Heaven 4.0 to simulate gaming conditions. The GPU core runs consistently above its base 1038 MHz clock at the 1113 to 1126 MHz range and maintains a relatively low temperature of 65 Degrees C. Meanwhile, the CPU will fluctuate wildly with clock speeds as low as 1.0 GHz up to 4.6 GHz. This is adaptive according to the demands of the application and consequently keeps core temperature in check at the 60 to 70 degree C range. Gamers should have no worries about performance degradation from throttling with the Eurocom P5 Pro. We recommend checking out the Gigabyte P34W v3 to compare and contrast how an inadequate cooling system can affect gaming performance overtime.

Users should note that overall performance will drop rather significantly when running on batteries, even when on the High Performance profile. A 3DMark 11 run on batteries will return much lower CPU and GPU scores of just 6048 points and 6812 points, respectively, compared to 10578 points and 11209 points on mains. The CPU will run only up to 2.2 GHz and the GPU up to 810/799.2 MHz core/memory without outlet power. The GPU core will drop to the 600 MHz range much more frequently under battery power as well.

Emissions

System Noise

Dual 60 mm fans
Dual 60 mm fans

One would imagine that the demanding 88 W CPU and 100 W GPU would require quite the portable cooling solution, and you'd be right - The two 60 mm fans are accompanied by an almost ludicrous number of heat pipes. The CPU alone sits below five separate lengths of copper pipes compared to the usual two or three on most other gaming notebooks like the MSI GT72. Is fan noise equally as monstrous?

Surprisingly, fan noise is non-existent on Power Saver mode under typical processing conditions such as 1080p playback or browsing. This itself is noteworthy considering the power-hungry internals. At the same time, both fans will not hold back when the system demands it as fan noise jumps abruptly from a silent 29 dB(A) to 37 dB(A) with nothing in between when gaming or in High Performance mode. Continue gaming and fan noise will only increase to 45 dB(A), 47 dB(A), and finally 49 dB(A) if under the most extreme of conditions. In general, however, most gaming notebooks lie in the same mid-to-high 40 dB(A) range under load or even louder for very thin models like the GS60 or P34W v3. Thus, the Eurocom is not any louder than a more standard gaming notebook despite the more powerful components.

Noise Level

Idle
28.1 / 28.2 / 28.3 dB(A)
Load
37.8 / 49.6 dB(A)
  red to green bar
 
 
30 dB
silent
40 dB(A)
audible
50 dB(A)
loud
 
min: dark, med: mid, max: light   BK Precision 732A (15 cm distance)

Temperature

Surface temperatures when idling are cool on the front palm rests, but noticeably warmer on the keyboard and towards the rear. There can be up to a 10 degrees C difference between the coolest and warmest spots on the top surface of the notebook, which is quite a steep gradient for an idling system. The Asus GL550 keeps a flatter temperature profile both on the front and back as does the thin MSI GS60 on the front, though at the same time these competing notebooks do not sport desktop-class processors and GTX 980M GPUs. Nonetheless, typing on the Eurocom will feel warmer than on most other notebooks even when word processing or browsing.

Under extreme stress for half an hour, certain quadrants will experience a rise in temperature while others will actually see a decrease. We ran our temperature test twice to double-check and sure enough the same phenomenon occurs in both trials. The keyboard feels cooler as do the touchpad and palm rests. Instead, much of the temperature rise happens on the bottom side of the notebook, especially towards the rear corners where the exhaust grilles are located. This assures maximum user comfort when gaming on a flat surface as heat exists the rear and the front surfaces remain cool. Such temperature profiles between the idling and stress conditions are uncommon on notebooks and the P5 Pro is rather unique in this category.

Max. Load
 33 °C
91 F
34.8 °C
95 F
28.8 °C
84 F
 
 25 °C
77 F
33.2 °C
92 F
24.6 °C
76 F
 
 18.8 °C
66 F
16.8 °C
62 F
16.2 °C
61 F
 
Maximum: 34.8 °C = 95 F
Average: 25.7 °C = 78 F
43 °C
109 F
36.2 °C
97 F
43.8 °C
111 F
40.8 °C
105 F
40.8 °C
105 F
25.2 °C
77 F
20.6 °C
69 F
16.2 °C
61 F
16.2 °C
61 F
Maximum: 43.8 °C = 111 F
Average: 31.4 °C = 89 F
Power Supply (max.)  39.2 °C = 103 F | Room Temperature 20 °C = 68 F | BK Precision 732A
(+) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 25.7 °C / 78 F, compared to the average of 32 °C / 90 F for the devices in the class Workstation.
(+) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 34.8 °C / 95 F, compared to the average of 38.1 °C / 101 F, ranging from 22.2 to 69.8 °C for the class Workstation.
(±) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 43.8 °C / 111 F, compared to the average of 41.3 °C / 106 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 29.4 °C / 85 F, compared to the device average of 32 °C / 90 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are cooler than skin temperature with a maximum of 26.4 °C / 79.5 F and are therefore cool to the touch.
(±) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 27.8 °C / 82 F (+1.4 °C / 2.5 F).

Speakers

Sound Blaster X-Fi MB3 software
Sound Blaster X-Fi MB3 software

The built-in 2 Watt Onkyo speakers provide relatively deep bass and very satisfying sound despite the lack of a proper subwoofer. Maximum volume is loud and quality does not decrease significantly at higher volumes. The Sound Blaster X-Fi MB3 software allows for many additional settings and adjustments and there are dedicated 7.1 channel outputs for external sound systems as needed.

The slightly larger Model B variant of the Clevo P751ZM includes a subwoofer on the bottom of the unit between the battery and the M.2 slot.

Battery Life

Removable 82 Whr battery
Removable 82 Whr battery

Runtimes in general are low largely due to the lack of Optimus and, of course, the fact that this system is running a desktop CPU on battery power. It's a fairly dense Li-Ion module by necessity at 82 Wh, which is comparable to the Alienware 15 (92 Wh) and much larger than on the Acer Aspire V15 Nitro (52.5 Wh), Gigabyte P35X v3 (75.81 Wh), and MSI GS60 (52 Wh). Users can expect a battery life of only about 2 hours for regular browser use.

Maximum runtime (Reader's Test)
Maximum runtime (Reader's Test)
Minimum runtime (Classic Test)
Minimum runtime (Classic Test)
WLAN runtime
WLAN runtime
Battery Runtime
Idle (without WLAN, min brightness)
2h 43min
WiFi Surfing
2h 16min
Load (maximum brightness)
1h 29min
Eurocom P5 Pro ExtremeAlienware 15MSI GS60 2QE Ghost Pro 4K (2QEUi716SR51G)Acer Aspire V15 Nitro VN7-591G-75TDAsus GL550JK-CN391H
Battery Runtime
142%
15%
33%
32%
Reader / Idle
163
696
327%
276
69%
299
83%
WiFi
136
266
96%
184
35%
181
33%
201
48%
Load
89
91
2%
36
-60%
57
-36%

Verdict

Eurocom P5 Pro Extreme
Eurocom P5 Pro Extreme

As a gaming laptop, the Eurocom P5 Pro Extreme offers an unmatched level of customization and is one of the fastest 15.6-inch gaming notebooks around, especially if you're out looking for one with UHD options. We have to commend Clevo for its powerful cooling solution here and Eurocom for offering an unlocked BIOS for overclocking. Native UHD gaming at buttery smooth Ultra settings, however, is still asking for a bit much from the GTX 980M as users will have to settle for 30 FPS at Medium settings instead for most of today's titles. Despite this, the larger MSI GT72 and Asus G751 are still good alternatives for their sturdier build quality even if they don't quite have the same level of accessibility as the Eurocom P5 Pro.

CPU performance is excellent for a laptop of course, but not all that much better than the i7-4980HQ in our MSI GT80. The i7-4790K is about about 10 to 20 percent faster in CPU benchmarks and whether or not this justifies having a full-fledged desktop CPU with lower battery life and higher power demands will be up to the buyer.

Meanwhile, overclocking benefits are not at the level of desktops... at least not yet. Since the P5 Pro Extreme cannot even maintain its default 4.4 GHz Turbo under stress, then any overclocking above 4.4 GHz will be short-lived and only good for short bursts.

The overclocking potential is an excellent start and we can see it becoming better in future iterations, but at this point it just feels like a check box feature to stand out from the crowd. Until then, the high levels of connectivity, customization, and performance will continue to be the reasons for most buyers to choose Eurocom over more fixed gaming notebooks.

(March 10, 2015 Update): Eurocom have released an update to the video BIOS that promises a boost to GPU performance of up to 15 percent. The update removes certain limitations on the BIOS, likely pertaining to the Nvidia overclocking lock. Our benchmarks and data do not reflect the new update.

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In Review: Eurocom P5 Pro Extreme. Test model provided by Eurocom
In Review: Eurocom P5 Pro Extreme. Test model provided by Eurocom

Specifications

Eurocom P5 Pro Extreme
Processor
Intel Core i7-4790K 4 x 4 - 4.4 GHz, Haswell, LGA 1150
Graphics adapter
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M - 8 GB VRAM, Core: 1038 MHz, Memory: 5010 MHz, 344.56
Memory
16 GB 
, Dual-Channel 800 MHz 10-10-10-32, 1.35 V
Display
15.60 inch 16:9, 3840 x 2160 pixel, WLED IPS, Sharp, ID: SHP142A, Manufacturer name: LQ156D1JX01B, glossy: yes
Mainboard
Intel Z97
Storage
2x Micron M600 MTFDDAV128MBF (RAID 0), 256 GB 
Soundcard
Intel 9-series Chipset
Connections
5 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, 1 HDMI, 2 DisplayPort, 1 Kensington Lock, 1 eSata, Audio Connections: 1 x Headphone, 1 x Microphone-in, 1 x S/PDIF (digital), 1 x Line-in, Card Reader: 6-in-1 MMC/RSMMC/SD/mini SD/SDHC/SDXC, 1 Fingerprint Reader
Networking
Realtek RTL8168/8111 Gigabit-LAN (10/100/1000MBit/s), Killer Wireless-n/a/ac 1525 Wireless Network Adapter (a/b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/ac = Wi-Fi 5/), Bluetooth 4.0
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 35 x 386 x 262 ( = 1.38 x 15.2 x 10.31 in)
Battery
82 Wh Lithium-Ion, 8-cell
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 8.1 Pro 64 Bit
Camera
Webcam: 2M FHD
Additional features
Speakers: 2 Watt, Sound Blaster X-FI MB3, Keyboard: Beveled, Keyboard Light: yes, Device Drivers and Utlities + User's Manual disc, Concise User's Guide, additional screws, 12 Months Warranty
Weight
3.4 kg ( = 119.93 oz / 7.5 pounds), Power Supply: 1.25 kg ( = 44.09 oz / 2.76 pounds)
Price
3330 Euro

 

Clevo P750ZM chassis
Clevo P750ZM chassis
Sharper and a bit less boxy than older Clevo barebones
Sharper and a bit less boxy than older Clevo barebones
Eurocom configures with glossy and matte options
Eurocom configures with glossy and matte options
Rubberized matte texture instead of plain plastic
Rubberized matte texture instead of plain plastic
Unfortunately, this means quick accumulation of dust and fingerprints
Unfortunately, this means quick accumulation of dust and fingerprints
The pointy corners and hard edges define a Clevo barebones
The pointy corners and hard edges define a Clevo barebones
Slightly tapered front
Slightly tapered front
Rear becomes quite warm due to the two exhaust grilles
Rear becomes quite warm due to the two exhaust grilles
Stable base with small hinges
Stable base with small hinges
Relatively small hinges for such a large notebook
Relatively small hinges for such a large notebook
Display can still rock back and forth slightly
Display can still rock back and forth slightly
Beveled keyboard layout with 256 color scheme backlight
Beveled keyboard layout with 256 color scheme backlight
Long Onkyo speaker grilles between the base and display
Long Onkyo speaker grilles between the base and display
Standard plastic bezel
Standard plastic bezel
Not easy to use under direct sunlight
Not easy to use under direct sunlight
Very easily accessible internals with just a Philips screwdriver
Very easily accessible internals with just a Philips screwdriver
Copper heat pipes galore
Copper heat pipes galore
Full-size SIM slot underneath battery compartment
Full-size SIM slot underneath battery compartment
Very large (120 x 10 x 4 cm) and heavy 330 Watt power adapter
Very large (120 x 10 x 4 cm) and heavy 330 Watt power adapter

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Links

  • Manufacturer's information

Compare Prices

Pros

+Excellent performance; One of the fastest 15.6-inch notebooks available
+Desktop LGA1150 socket and MXM 3.0b slot
+Built-in overclocking via BIOS
+Quiet on Power Saver mode
+1080p and 4K with matte and glossy options
+4x storage bays (2x 2.5-inch SATA III + 2x M.2)
+4x SODIMM slots
+HDMI 2.0 and 2x DisplayPort 1.2
+Quiet and comfortable backlit keyboard
+Easy access to internal components
+2 W speakers produce good sound
+Great cooling solution...
 

Cons

-... but not great enough for consistent Turbo Boost
-Limited overclocking overhead
-Reduced performance on batteries
-Low battery life
-Loud under load
-No subwoofer on Model A
-Large power adapter
-No optical drive
-Fingerprint magnet
-Hinges could be more taut

Shortcut

What we like

Desktop Haswell processor with overclocking potential. Extremely configurable with UHD resolution options. Gaming performance is excellent.

What we'd like to see

Consistent CPU Turbo Boost and lower CPU temperatures under benchmark loads.

What surprises us

Besides the Core i7-4790K, the system is very quiet under low loads or during 1080p playback. 

The competition

Acer Aspire V15 Nitro

Alienware 15

Gigabyte P35X v3

HP Omen

iBuyPower Chimera CX-9

MSI GS60 4K/ GE62

Rating

Eurocom P5 Pro Extreme - 03/06/2015 v4(old)
Allen Ngo

Chassis
71 / 98 → 72%
Keyboard
85%
Pointing Device
85 / 10-66 → 100%
Connectivity
78%
Weight
53%
Battery
70%
Display
82 / 95 → 86%
Games Performance
99 / 90 → 100%
Application Performance
100%
Temperature
90%
Noise
80%
Audio
85%
Average
82%
88%
Workstation - Weighted Average
Allen Ngo, 2015-03- 6 (Update: 2015-04-17)