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Eurocom Sky X4C (i7-8700K, GTX 1080, Clevo P751TM1-G) Laptop Review

Desktop in disguise. Our latest Eurocom system returns the highest PCMark 10 score in our database at 6620 points. Its removable GTX 1080 GPU and LGA 1151 Coffee Lake CPU give the system longer legs than most gaming notebooks.

The Sky X4C is one if the first 15.6-inch notebooks to ship with socketed Coffee Lake processors. Like most every system from Eurocom, the notebook aims to be more modular and more powerful than well-known alternatives from MSI, Alienware, HP, Asus, Aorus, or Acer. The Sky X4C is defined by its accessible LGA 1151 socket and MXM 3.0 slot for a wider variety of compatible options than one would expect.

Our test model today is equipped with a Core i7-8700K CPU, GTX 1080 GPU, and 4K UHD display for a rough price of $3500 USD depending on the storage. While Eurocom does not configure the SKy X4C with Quadro graphics, it's still possible to swap out the GeForce card for workstation use. We recommend checking out our existing review on the Schenker XMG U507 with the Core i7-7700K, GTX 1070 GPU, and FHD display for more information on the hardware and its features as the two models share a very similar Clevo barebones design. Owners of older MSI or Alienware laptops can trade in their notebooks for 25 percent off of any Eurocom notebook.

Eurocom Sky X4C (Sky Series)
Processor
Intel Core i7-8700K 6 x 3.7 - 4.7 GHz, Coffee Lake-S
Graphics adapter
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile - 8 GB VRAM, Core: 1657 MHz, Memory: 10010 MHz, GDDR5X, 388.13
Memory
32 GB 
, DDR4, 1333.3 MHz, PC4-24000, 18-18-18-36, Dual-Channel,
Display
15.60 inch 16:9, 3840 x 2160 pixel 282 PPI, ID: SHP142A, Name: LQ156D1JX01B, IPS, glossy: yes
Mainboard
Intel Z370 (Kaby Lake)
Soundcard
NVIDIA GP104 - High Definition Audio Controller
Connections
1 USB 2.0, 3 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, 2 USB 3.1 Gen2, 1 Thunderbolt, 1 HDMI, 2 DisplayPort, 1 Kensington Lock, Audio Connections: 2-in-1 Audio Jack (Headphone, S/PDIF); Microphone-in; Line-out; Line-in, Card Reader: SD, Brightness Sensor
Networking
Killer E2500 Gigabit Ethernet Controller (10/100/1000MBit/s), Intel Wireless-AC 9260 (a/b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/ac = Wi-Fi 5/), Bluetooth 5
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 38 x 386 x 262 ( = 1.5 x 15.2 x 10.31 in)
Battery
82 Wh, 5400 mAh Lithium-Ion, removeable, 14.8V
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 10 Pro 64 Bit
Camera
Webcam: 2 MP (FHD)
Additional features
Speakers: 2 W stereo, Keyboard: Beveled, Keyboard Light: yes, 12 Months Warranty
Weight
3.6 kg ( = 126.99 oz / 7.94 pounds), Power Supply: 910 g ( = 32.1 oz / 2.01 pounds)
Price
3200 USD
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

 

Case

Since the chassis is very similar to the Clevo P751DM2-G, our same comments apply here on the Clevo P751TM1-G. Weak areas include the bendable rear ventilation grilles and relatively flexible lid compared to the more rigid lids of the Alienware 17 and Asus G7x series. The matte rubberized outer surface is an uncommon occurrence on notebooks as it is very susceptible to grease and dust buildup. In contrast, the smooth brushed aluminum surfaces of the Eurocom Q5 and most MSI notebooks are much easier to wipe clean.

The jet black design is otherwise typical Clevo fare. The base is still very strong with almost no creaking when attempting to twist and bend its corners. The inner bezels of the lid are sitting flat against the edges of the screen this time unlike on some of our previous Eurocom systems. One can argue that the boxy look is uninteresting and outdated from a gamer standpoint, but its understated design can be seen as more appropriate in a formal workstation setting.

In terms of size and weight, the SKy X4C is thicker and heavier than more popular 15.6-inch alternatives like the Alienware 15 R3 or MSI GT62VR due in part to its more demanding hardware. The Acer Predator 15 is slightly heavier and larger, but the Predator series is generally known to be oversized because of its more aggressive "jet engine" rear grilles for cooling and overclocking.

The thin ventilation grilles feel cheap and the rubberized outer lid is difficult to clean
The thin ventilation grilles feel cheap and the rubberized outer lid is difficult to clean
Display opened to ~130 degree maximum
Display opened to ~130 degree maximum
391 mm / 15.4 inch 300 mm / 11.8 inch 39 mm / 1.535 inch 3.7 kg8.16 lbs390 mm / 15.4 inch 266 mm / 10.5 inch 40 mm / 1.575 inch 2.9 kg6.39 lbs386 mm / 15.2 inch 262 mm / 10.3 inch 38 mm / 1.496 inch 3.6 kg7.94 lbs390 mm / 15.4 inch 266 mm / 10.5 inch 30 mm / 1.181 inch 2.6 kg5.73 lbs389 mm / 15.3 inch 305 mm / 12 inch 25 mm / 0.984 inch 3.5 kg7.82 lbs387 mm / 15.2 inch 260 mm / 10.2 inch 22.55 mm / 0.888 inch 2.9 kg6.46 lbs297 mm / 11.7 inch 210 mm / 8.27 inch 1 mm / 0.03937 inch 5.7 g0.01257 lbs

Connectivity

Ports are spaced and distributed quite evenly between three of the four sides of the notebook. We would've preferred the ports along the edges to be pushed further towards the rear of the system to save on desk space, but they are easy to reach nonetheless. A full-size DisplayPort would have been a good addition to the already wide selection.

We hope to see 10 Gbps RJ-45 on future revisions to catch up to the latest notebooks from MSI.

Front: No connectivity
Front: No connectivity
Right: 3.5 mm Line-in, microphone, line-out, headphone, USB-A 2.0, USB-A 3.1, Kensington Lock
Right: 3.5 mm Line-in, microphone, line-out, headphone, USB-A 2.0, USB-A 3.1, Kensington Lock
Rear: HDMI 2.0, 2x mini-DisplayPort 1.3, AC adapter
Rear: HDMI 2.0, 2x mini-DisplayPort 1.3, AC adapter
Left: RJ-45, Thunderbolt 3, USB-C 3.1 Gen. 2, 2x USB-A 3.1, 6-in-1 card reader
Left: RJ-45, Thunderbolt 3, USB-C 3.1 Gen. 2, 2x USB-A 3.1, 6-in-1 card reader

SD Card Reader

The spring-loaded SD card reader returns an average read rate of 201 MB/s on our Toshiba Exceria Pro UHS-II test card rated for up to 270 MB/s. The card reader on the XPS 15 is even faster at over 250 MB/s. Transferring 1 GB worth of photos from card to desktop takes less than 6 seconds. 

A fully inserted SD card protrudes by about 2 mm from the edge for safe handling in a bag and easy ejecting.

SD Card Reader
average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs)
Eurocom Sky X4C
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
193.6 MB/s
Dell XPS 15 9560 (i7-7700HQ, UHD)
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
120.5 MB/s -38%
Acer Predator 15 G9-593-751X
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
80 MB/s -59%
maximum AS SSD Seq Read Test (1GB)
Dell XPS 15 9560 (i7-7700HQ, UHD)
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
252.6 MB/s +22%
Eurocom Sky X4C
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
206.3 MB/s
Acer Predator 15 G9-593-751X
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
89 MB/s -57%

Communication

WLAN is provided by the new Intel 9260 M.2 2230 module with integrated Bluetooth 5 for maximum theoretical throughput of 1.73 Gbps. Less expensive and slower Killer 1535 and Intel 8260 options are available as well. Note that our recorded transfer rates below are significantly slower than the the theoretical because of the limitations of our Linksys EA8500 test router.

The chassis comes pre-wired with antennae to support WWAN cards with the mini-SIM slot hidden underneath the battery compartment.

Networking
iperf3 transmit AX12
Acer Predator 15 G9-593-751X
Killer Wireless-n/a/ac 1535 Wireless Network Adapter
623 MBit/s +2%
Eurocom Sky X4C
Intel Wireless-AC 9260
611 MBit/s
MSI GT62VR 7RE-223
Killer Wireless-n/a/ac 1435 Wireless Network Adapter
579 MBit/s -5%
iperf3 receive AX12
Acer Predator 15 G9-593-751X
Killer Wireless-n/a/ac 1535 Wireless Network Adapter
692 MBit/s +5%
MSI GT62VR 7RE-223
Killer Wireless-n/a/ac 1435 Wireless Network Adapter
669 MBit/s +1%
Eurocom Sky X4C
Intel Wireless-AC 9260
662 MBit/s

Maintenance

Removal of the two bottom panels require only a standard Philips screwdriver. The smaller panel reveals three of the four storage bays while the larger panel reveals the rest of the motherboard for easy upgrading. Note that additional disassembly is required if needing to access the last M.2 2280 storage bay, the other two DDR4 SODIMM slots, the BIOS battery, and the WLAN card.

Eurocom Sky X4C
Eurocom Sky X4C
Eurocom Tornado F5
Eurocom Tornado F5

Warranty

The standard one-year limited warranty applies with three-year extended options. The delidded CPU is covered under all warranty options from Eurocom.

We'd still like to see a two-year base warranty as competitors like Gigabyte and EVGA have two-year warranty standards for their high-end models.

Input Devices

Keyboard and Touchpad

The keyboard (~35 x 11 cm) and trackpad (10.5 x 6.0 cm) remain identical to the ones on the Clevo P751DM2-G and other 15.6-inch Eurocom systems like the Tornado F5. Thus, we recommend checking out these existing reviews for more information. In short, tactile feedback from the keyboard keys can feel soft to veteran desktop users, but clatter is quieter than on most Ultrabooks. Meanwhile, the trackpad offers smooth gliding and works as intended for responsive cursor control. The top left corner is used only as a fingerprint sensor while the dedicated mouse keys are soft in feedback and with deeper travel compared to those on the MSI GT or GE series.

We hope to see individually-lit RGB keys on future Clevo designs instead of the aging tri-zone backligh.

No major changes to the keyboard or trackpad from existing Eurocom notebooks
No major changes to the keyboard or trackpad from existing Eurocom notebooks
Beveled layout is uncommon on most notebooks
Beveled layout is uncommon on most notebooks

Display

Display options include FHD 60 Hz matte IPS, FHD 5 ms/120 Hz matte TN, 4K UHD 60 Hz matte IPS, and 4K UHD 60 Hz glossy IPS with differing gamuts and contrast ratios between them. Our test unit today is the latter glossy option that promises deeper colors than the matte alternatives. Otherwise, core attributes like brightness, contrast, and response times appear to be run-of-the-mill for a high-end gaming notebook. Users who intend to game extensively on the Sky X4C may want to consider the FHD 5 ms/120 Hz option for fewer ghosting issues. Unfortunately, Eurocom provides no panels with faster 3 ms response times unlike on some newer MSI notebooks.

The major benefits of a glossy panel are its potentially sharper texts and colors. On the Sky X4C, however, this does not appear to be the case. Color grains that are normally present on matte panels are still very visible on the glossy X4C. Thus, it's hard to recommend this glossy option knowing that its implementation on the Sky X4C appears to be poorer than on current glossy Ultrabooks.

Uneven backlight bleeding is present on our unit along the top edge as shown by our image below. It's not acute enough to be distracting during day-to-day browsing, but it's still noticeable during video playback with black bars.

Note that G-Sync is available but not when paired with the 4K UHD panel or GTX 1080 GPU.

RGB subpixel array (282 PPI)
RGB subpixel array (282 PPI)
Moderate backlight bleeding along the top edge and corners
Moderate backlight bleeding along the top edge and corners
282
cd/m²
346.1
cd/m²
311.3
cd/m²
306.9
cd/m²
324.7
cd/m²
316.6
cd/m²
326.4
cd/m²
312.6
cd/m²
332.5
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
ID: SHP142A, Name: LQ156D1JX01B tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 346.1 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 317.7 cd/m² Minimum: 15.61 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 81 %
Center on Battery: 324.7 cd/m²
Contrast: 1249:1 (Black: 0.26 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 4.67 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 5.9 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
96.1% sRGB (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
61.1% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
67.2% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
96.5% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
65.1% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.14
Eurocom Sky X4C
ID: SHP142A, Name: LQ156D1JX01B, IPS, 15.60, 3840x2160
MSI GT62VR 7RE-223
LG Philips LP156WF6 (LGD046F), IPS, 15.60, 1920x1080
Alienware 15 R3
HPJGK_B156HTN (AUO51ED), TN, 15.60, 1920x1080
Asus Strix GL502VS-FY032T
LG Philips LP156WF6-SPB6 (LGD046F), IPS, 15.60, 1920x1080
EVGA SC15
ID: AUO42ED, Name: AU Optronics B156HAN04.2, , 15.60, 1920x1080
Dell XPS 15 9560 (i7-7700HQ, UHD)
IGZO IPS, 15.60, 3840x2160
Display
-9%
-2%
-8%
-5%
30%
Display P3 Coverage
65.1
63.9
-2%
66
1%
64.5
-1%
62.3
-4%
89.7
38%
sRGB Coverage
96.5
83.1
-14%
90.5
-6%
83.1
-14%
89.6
-7%
100
4%
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage
67.2
60.8
-10%
66.2
-1%
60.8
-10%
63.6
-5%
100
49%
Response Times
8%
45%
9%
-9%
-31%
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% *
33.6 ?(19.6, 14)
37 ?(16, 21)
-10%
25 ?(12, 13)
26%
38 ?(16, 22)
-13%
41.6 ?(21.6, 20)
-24%
57.2 ?(27.2, 30)
-70%
Response Time Black / White *
33.2 ?(21.2, 12)
25 ?(4, 21)
25%
12 ?(4, 8)
64%
23 ?(5, 18)
31%
30.8 ?(17.6, 13.2)
7%
39.2 ?(23.6, 15.6)
-18%
PWM Frequency
1000 ?(20)
962
-4%
Screen
-5%
-33%
-6%
-1%
1%
Brightness middle
324.7
310
-5%
386
19%
315
-3%
281.5
-13%
370.1
14%
Brightness
318
311
-2%
382
20%
290
-9%
253
-20%
356
12%
Brightness Distribution
81
85
5%
93
15%
85
5%
73
-10%
87
7%
Black Level *
0.26
0.3
-15%
0.39
-50%
0.32
-23%
0.27
-4%
0.37
-42%
Contrast
1249
1033
-17%
990
-21%
984
-21%
1043
-16%
1000
-20%
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
4.67
4.82
-3%
10.2
-118%
4.88
-4%
3.9
16%
5.3
-13%
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. *
8.16
10.14
-24%
15.81
-94%
8.88
-9%
7.1
13%
9.9
-21%
Greyscale dE 2000 *
5.9
3.94
33%
11.28
-91%
4.17
29%
3.8
36%
4.6
22%
Gamma
2.14 103%
2.45 90%
2.23 99%
2.53 87%
2.27 97%
2.31 95%
CCT
7176 91%
6877 95%
11383 57%
6683 97%
7322 89%
6284 103%
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998)
61.1
54
-12%
59
-3%
55
-10%
57.8
-5%
88.3
45%
Color Space (Percent of sRGB)
96.1
83
-14%
90
-6%
83
-14%
89.3
-7%
100
4%
Total Average (Program / Settings)
-2% / -4%
3% / -16%
-2% / -4%
-5% / -3%
0% / 0%

* ... smaller is better

Color space is approximately 96 percent and 61 percent of the sRGB and AdobeRGB standards, respectively, to be comparable to most high-end gaming notebooks including the Alienware 15 R3 and EVGA SC15. Some 15-inch 4K UHD panels can cover an even wider gamut such as the alternate Sharp IGZO panel on the XPS 15, but response times are slower. Still, most graphics artists should be satisfied with what is available here.

vs. sRGB
vs. sRGB
vs. AdobeRGB
vs. AdobeRGB
vs. XPS 15 9560 4K UHD
vs. XPS 15 9560 4K UHD

Further analyses with a X-Rite spectrophotometer reveal a generally inaccurate grayscale and an overly cool color temperature out of the box. Our calibration efforts improve both by noticeable margins for more accurate colors on all tested saturation levels. We recommend applying our calibrated ICC profile above for any Sky X4C owners out there with the same Sharp panel in order to get the most out of the display. Otherwise, Eurocom offers a similar service for a small fee.

Grayscale before calibration
Grayscale before calibration
Saturation Sweeps before calibration
Saturation Sweeps before calibration
ColorChecker before calibration
ColorChecker before calibration
Grayscale after calibration
Grayscale after calibration
Saturation Sweeps after calibration
Saturation Sweeps after calibration
ColorChecker after calibration
ColorChecker after calibration

Display Response Times

Display response times show how fast the screen is able to change from one color to the next. Slow response times can lead to afterimages and can cause moving objects to appear blurry (ghosting). Gamers of fast-paced 3D titles should pay special attention to fast response times.
       Response Time Black to White
33.2 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 21.2 ms rise
↘ 12 ms fall
The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 88 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (21.6 ms).
       Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey
33.6 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 19.6 ms rise
↘ 14 ms fall
The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.2 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 39 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is similar to the average of all tested devices (33.9 ms).

Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)

To dim the screen, some notebooks will simply cycle the backlight on and off in rapid succession - a method called Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) . This cycling frequency should ideally be undetectable to the human eye. If said frequency is too low, users with sensitive eyes may experience strain or headaches or even notice the flickering altogether.
Screen flickering / PWM detected 1000 Hz ≤ 20 % brightness setting

The display backlight flickers at 1000 Hz (worst case, e.g., utilizing PWM) Flickering detected at a brightness setting of 20 % and below. There should be no flickering or PWM above this brightness setting.

The frequency of 1000 Hz is quite high, so most users sensitive to PWM should not notice any flickering.

In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 18110 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured.

Outdoor visibility is average at best. The display backlights on tested Eurocom notebooks have never been significantly brighter or dimmer than other gaming notebooks of its class and the glossy panel only accentuates glare and reflections. A high DPI scaling is recommended for larger and more easily readable text.

Outdoors under shade
Outdoors under shade
Outdoors under direct sunlight
Outdoors under direct sunlight
Outdoors under direct sunlight
Outdoors under direct sunlight
Wide IPS viewing angles
Wide IPS viewing angles

Performance

CPU options are limited to desktop Coffee Lake processors as the LGA 1151 socket is incompatible with previous generations. Although Eurocom only configures between the unlocked i7-8700K, i7-8700, and unlocked i5-8600K, users can swap the processor for any other within the family up to a TDP of 95 W. Similarly, the MXM 3.0 slot can be outfitted with either a GeForce or Quadro GPU of up to 190 W for the ability to adapt to gaming or workstation conditions. The removable desktop CPU and MXM-based GPU are a very uncommon pair in consumer notebooks and they offer some of the highest raw performance levels in the market.

Processor

CPU performance is essentially identical to the Sky X9C equipped with the same delidded Core i7-8700K CPU and about 50 to 55 percent faster in multi-threaded workloads than both the Eurocom Tornado F5 and Sky X7E2 equipped with the last generation Kaby Lake i7-7700K and Skylake i7-6700K, respectively. Of course, much of this advantage can be attributed to the hexa-core i7-8700K having 50 percent more physical cores than the quad-core i7-7700K or i7-6700K. Jumping to the Sky X4C from more traditional gaming laptops with HQ-class CPUs, like the Alienware 15 R3 or Asus GL503VD, will see a performance boost of about 75 to 85 percent. The AMD Ryzen 7 series is comparable to the i7-8700K in multi-threaded workloads since its slower clock rates are balanced out by having more physical cores and parallel threads.

Single-core performance from the i7-8700K is less impressive as core clock rates are not significantly different than those of the i7-7700K or even the i7-6700K. As a result, the deltas between these processors are much narrower as shown by our comparison chart below. The i7-6700HQ and i7-7700HQ, on the other hand, are limited to slower clock rates because of their lower 45 W TDP and they are subsequently about 30 percent behind the i7-8700K in CineBench Single-Threaded tests.

Running CineBench Multi-Thread in a loop results in very stable scores over time. Thus, clock rates remain relatively stable throughout the duration of the test which is impressive considering that this particular processor is meant for desktop platforms. Of course, overclocking capabilities are limited by the high running temperatures as detailed in our Stress Test section below. Note that the score for our second run in the loop test was unusually lower at 1221 points, but the result was fortunately short-lived.

See our dedicated CPU page on the Core i7-8700K for more technical information and benchmark comparisons.

CineBench R10 32-bit
CineBench R10 32-bit
CineBench R11.5 64-bit
CineBench R11.5 64-bit
CineBench R15
CineBench R15
01020304050607080901001101201301401501601701801902002102202302402502602702802903003103203303403503603703803904004104204304404504604704804905005105205305405505605705805906006106206306406506606706806907007107207307407507607707807908008108208308408508608708808909009109209309409509609709809901000101010201030104010501060107010801090110011101120113011401150116011701180119012001210122012301240125012601270128012901300131013201330Tooltip
Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64 Bit
Cinebench R15
CPU Single 64Bit
Eurocom Sky X4C
Intel Core i7-8700K
192 Points
Eurocom Tornado F5
Intel Core i7-7700K
190 Points -1%
Eurocom Sky X9C
Intel Core i7-8700K
190 Points -1%
Smart7 Karme GX17E G2
Intel Core i5-8600K
181 Points -6%
Eurocom Tornado F5 Killer Edition
Intel Core i5-7600K
168 Points -12%
Alienware 15 R3 Max-Q
Intel Core i7-7820HK
166 Points -14%
Eurocom Sky X7E2
Intel Core i7-6700K
160 Points -17%
AMD Ryzen 1800X - Asus Crosshair VI Hero
AMD Ryzen 7 1800X
157 (155min - 159max) Points -18%
Asus GL702ZC-GC104T
AMD Ryzen 7 1700
144 Points -25%
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2016 (2.6 GHz, 450)
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
141 Points -27%
Asus GL503VD-DB74
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
133 Points -31%
Dell Inspiron 15 7000 7577
Intel Core i5-7300HQ
131 Points -32%
CPU Multi 64Bit
AMD Ryzen 1800X - Asus Crosshair VI Hero
AMD Ryzen 7 1800X
1617 (1603min - 1630max) Points +19%
Asus GL702ZC-GC104T
AMD Ryzen 7 1700
1408 Points +4%
Eurocom Sky X9C
Intel Core i7-8700K
1362 Points 0%
Eurocom Sky X4C
Intel Core i7-8700K
1359 Points
Smart7 Karme GX17E G2
Intel Core i5-8600K
988 Points -27%
Eurocom Tornado F5
Intel Core i7-7700K
897 Points -34%
Eurocom Sky X7E2
Intel Core i7-6700K
874 Points -36%
Alienware 15 R3 Max-Q
Intel Core i7-7820HK
767 Points -44%
Asus GL503VD-DB74
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
734 Points -46%
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2016 (2.6 GHz, 450)
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
666 Points -51%
Eurocom Tornado F5 Killer Edition
Intel Core i5-7600K
660 Points -51%
Dell Inspiron 15 7000 7577
Intel Core i5-7300HQ
514 Points -62%
Cinebench R11.5
CPU Single 64Bit
Eurocom Sky X9C
Intel Core i7-8700K
2.23 Points +3%
Eurocom Tornado F5
Intel Core i7-7700K
2.19 Points +1%
Eurocom Sky X4C
Intel Core i7-8700K
2.16 Points
Eurocom Tornado F5 Killer Edition
Intel Core i5-7600K
1.98 Points -8%
Alienware 15 R3 Max-Q
Intel Core i7-7820HK
1.85 Points -14%
Asus GL503VD-DB74
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
1.81 Points -16%
AMD Ryzen 1800X - Asus Crosshair VI Hero
AMD Ryzen 7 1800X
1.79 Points -17%
Eurocom Sky X7E2
Intel Core i7-6700K
1.72 Points -20%
Asus GL702ZC-GC104T
AMD Ryzen 7 1700
1.63 Points -25%
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2016 (2.6 GHz, 450)
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
1.53 Points -29%
Dell Inspiron 15 7000 7577
Intel Core i5-7300HQ
1.52 Points -30%
CPU Multi 64Bit
AMD Ryzen 1800X - Asus Crosshair VI Hero
AMD Ryzen 7 1800X
18 (17.98min - 18.08max) Points +20%
Asus GL702ZC-GC104T
AMD Ryzen 7 1700
15.76 Points +5%
Eurocom Sky X9C
Intel Core i7-8700K
15.02 Points 0%
Eurocom Sky X4C
Intel Core i7-8700K
14.98 Points
Eurocom Tornado F5
Intel Core i7-7700K
9.78 Points -35%
Eurocom Sky X7E2
Intel Core i7-6700K
8.55 Points -43%
Alienware 15 R3 Max-Q
Intel Core i7-7820HK
8.41 Points -44%
Asus GL503VD-DB74
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
8.17 Points -45%
Eurocom Tornado F5 Killer Edition
Intel Core i5-7600K
7.67 Points -49%
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2016 (2.6 GHz, 450)
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
7.23 Points -52%
Dell Inspiron 15 7000 7577
Intel Core i5-7300HQ
5.92 Points -60%
Cinebench R10
Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit
Eurocom Sky X9C
Intel Core i7-8700K
39382 Points +1%
Eurocom Sky X4C
Intel Core i7-8700K
38810 Points
AMD Ryzen 1800X - Asus Crosshair VI Hero
AMD Ryzen 7 1800X
32833 Points -15%
Asus GL702ZC-GC104T
AMD Ryzen 7 1700
29330 Points -24%
Eurocom Tornado F5
Intel Core i7-7700K
28189 Points -27%
Eurocom Sky X7E2
Intel Core i7-6700K
23815 Points -39%
Eurocom Tornado F5 Killer Edition
Intel Core i5-7600K
23585 Points -39%
Alienware 15 R3 Max-Q
Intel Core i7-7820HK
22793 Points -41%
Asus GL503VD-DB74
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
21729 Points -44%
Dell Inspiron 15 7000 7577
Intel Core i5-7300HQ
17971 Points -54%
Rendering Single 32Bit
Eurocom Sky X9C
Intel Core i7-8700K
7423 Points +2%
Eurocom Sky X4C
Intel Core i7-8700K
7243 Points
Eurocom Tornado F5
Intel Core i7-7700K
7222 Points 0%
Eurocom Tornado F5 Killer Edition
Intel Core i5-7600K
6730 Points -7%
Eurocom Sky X7E2
Intel Core i7-6700K
6434 Points -11%
Alienware 15 R3 Max-Q
Intel Core i7-7820HK
6091 Points -16%
Asus GL503VD-DB74
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
5649 Points -22%
Dell Inspiron 15 7000 7577
Intel Core i5-7300HQ
5433 Points -25%
AMD Ryzen 1800X - Asus Crosshair VI Hero
AMD Ryzen 7 1800X
5062 Points -30%
Asus GL702ZC-GC104T
AMD Ryzen 7 1700
4286 Points -41%
wPrime 2.10 - 1024m
Dell Inspiron 15 7000 7577
Intel Core i5-7300HQ
331.1 s * -174%
Eurocom Tornado F5 Killer Edition
Intel Core i5-7600K
253.6 s * -110%
Asus GL503VD-DB74
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
212.5 s * -76%
Eurocom Sky X7E2
Intel Core i7-6700K
205.9 s * -70%
Smart7 Karme GX17E G2
Intel Core i5-8600K
188.8 s * -56%
Eurocom Tornado F5
Intel Core i7-7700K
176.3 s * -46%
Eurocom Sky X4C
Intel Core i7-8700K
120.9 s *
Eurocom Sky X9C
Intel Core i7-8700K
116.6 s * +4%
AMD Ryzen 1800X - Asus Crosshair VI Hero
AMD Ryzen 7 1800X
104 s * +14%

* ... smaller is better

Cinebench R10 Shading 32Bit
6831
Cinebench R10 Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit
38810
Cinebench R10 Rendering Single 32Bit
7243
Cinebench R11.5 OpenGL 64Bit
85.9 fps
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Multi 64Bit
14.98 Points
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Single 64Bit
2.16 Points
Cinebench R15 Ref. Match 64Bit
99.6 %
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64Bit
171.7 fps
Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64Bit
1359 Points
Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64Bit
192 Points
Help

System Performance

The Sky X4C returns the highest PCMark 10 score in our database at 6620 points beating out the Sky X9C and HP Omen X 17 with 6495 points and 5290 points, respectively. Nonetheless, the final scores are not all that higher than other gaming notebooks equipped with less powerful hardware including the Alienware 15 R3 and Acer Predator 15. Users will not notice any speed boosts when browsing or during other light tasks if that is the main intention of owning the SKy X4C.

Subjectively, we ran into no notable software or hardware issues on our test unit. Wake from sleep, however, takes abnormally long at about 6 to 10 seconds each and every time.

PCMark 8 Home Accelerated
PCMark 8 Home Accelerated
PCMark 8 Work Accelerated
PCMark 8 Work Accelerated
PCMark 8 Creative Accelerated
PCMark 8 Creative Accelerated
PCMark 10 Standard
PCMark 10 Standard
PCMark 8
Home Score Accelerated v2
Eurocom Sky X4C
GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i7-8700K, Samsung SSD 960 Pro 1TB m.2 NVMe
5225 Points
Acer Predator 15 G9-593-751X
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV256HDGL m.2 PCI-e
5169 Points -1%
EVGA SC15
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Toshiba NVMe THNSN5256GPU7
5085 Points -3%
MSI GT62VR 7RE-223
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Samsung SSD PM871a MZNLN256HMHQ
5011 Points -4%
Eurocom Sky X9C
GeForce GTX 1080 SLI (Laptop), i7-8700K, 2x Samsung SSD 960 Pro 1TB m.2 NVMe (RAID 0)
5005 Points -4%
Alienware 15 R3
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-7700HQ
4966 Points -5%
Asus Strix GL502VS-FY032T
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SNAT256G1002
4651 Points -11%
Work Score Accelerated v2
Acer Predator 15 G9-593-751X
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV256HDGL m.2 PCI-e
5426 Points +5%
MSI GT62VR 7RE-223
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Samsung SSD PM871a MZNLN256HMHQ
5406 Points +4%
EVGA SC15
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Toshiba NVMe THNSN5256GPU7
5400 Points +4%
Alienware 15 R3
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-7700HQ
5299 Points +2%
Eurocom Sky X4C
GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i7-8700K, Samsung SSD 960 Pro 1TB m.2 NVMe
5181 Points
Eurocom Sky X9C
GeForce GTX 1080 SLI (Laptop), i7-8700K, 2x Samsung SSD 960 Pro 1TB m.2 NVMe (RAID 0)
5095 Points -2%
Asus Strix GL502VS-FY032T
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SNAT256G1002
5011 Points -3%
Creative Score Accelerated v2
Eurocom Sky X9C
GeForce GTX 1080 SLI (Laptop), i7-8700K, 2x Samsung SSD 960 Pro 1TB m.2 NVMe (RAID 0)
9529 Points +3%
Eurocom Sky X4C
GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i7-8700K, Samsung SSD 960 Pro 1TB m.2 NVMe
9222 Points
Acer Predator 15 G9-593-751X
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Samsung SM951 MZVPV256HDGL m.2 PCI-e
8034 Points -13%
MSI GT62VR 7RE-223
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Samsung SSD PM871a MZNLN256HMHQ
7738 Points -16%
Alienware 15 R3
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-7700HQ
7678 Points -17%
EVGA SC15
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Toshiba NVMe THNSN5256GPU7
7505 Points -19%
PCMark 10 - Score
Eurocom Sky X4C
GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i7-8700K, Samsung SSD 960 Pro 1TB m.2 NVMe
6620 Points
Eurocom Sky X9C
GeForce GTX 1080 SLI (Laptop), i7-8700K, 2x Samsung SSD 960 Pro 1TB m.2 NVMe (RAID 0)
6495 Points -2%
PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2
5225 points
PCMark 8 Creative Score Accelerated v2
9222 points
PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2
5181 points
PCMark 10 Score
6620 points
Help

Storage Devices

Three of the four storage bays are easily accessible
Three of the four storage bays are easily accessible

A total of four internal storage bays are available in the form of two M.2 2280 PCIe x4 slots and two 2.5-inch SATA III bays. Three of the four are easily accessible via a hatch on the bottom of the system while the last M.2 bay requires further disassembly. Optane, RAID 0/1, and thick 9.5 mm HDDs are all supported on this model for a plethora of storage combinations.

Our particular test unit is equipped with a single 1 TB NVMe Samsung SSD 960 Pro offering sequential read and write speeds approaching 2600 MB/s and 2000 MB/s, respectively. In comparison, the Samsung SM951 or Toshiba XG3 THNSN5256GPU7 offer about half the write speed each.

See our table of SSDs and HDDs for more benchmark comparisons.

CDM 5
CDM 5
AS SSD
AS SSD
PCMark 8 Storage
PCMark 8 Storage
Eurocom Sky X4C
Samsung SSD 960 Pro 1TB m.2 NVMe
Acer Predator 15 G9-593-751X
Samsung SM951 MZVPV256HDGL m.2 PCI-e
MSI GT62VR 7RE-223
Samsung SSD PM871a MZNLN256HMHQ
Asus Strix GL502VS-FY032T
SanDisk SD8SNAT256G1002
EVGA SC15
Toshiba NVMe THNSN5256GPU7
AS SSD
-30%
-74%
-123%
-35%
Copy Game MB/s
1055
1091
3%
377.8
-64%
977
-7%
Copy Program MB/s
467.2
488.6
5%
199
-57%
442.3
-5%
Copy ISO MB/s
1908
1575
-17%
354.7
-81%
1071
-44%
Score Total
4615
2574
-44%
1019
-78%
598
-87%
2474
-46%
Score Write
1703
570
-67%
304
-82%
288
-83%
896
-47%
Score Read
1945
1350
-31%
472
-76%
207
-89%
1081
-44%
Access Time Write *
0.03
0.032
-7%
0.037
-23%
0.161
-437%
0.035
-17%
Access Time Read *
0.032
0.059
-84%
0.1
-213%
0.097
-203%
0.054
-69%
4K-64 Write
1375
346
-75%
171.6
-88%
191.8
-86%
706
-49%
4K-64 Read
1646
1109
-33%
383.4
-77%
140.7
-91%
822
-50%
4K Write
129.6
117.3
-9%
104
-20%
65.5
-49%
95.5
-26%
4K Read
44.83
46.35
3%
37.2
-17%
16.31
-64%
39.13
-13%
Seq Write
1989
1067
-46%
288.2
-86%
309.9
-84%
943
-53%
Seq Read
2541
1941
-24%
510
-80%
504
-80%
2203
-13%

* ... smaller is better

Samsung SSD 960 Pro 1TB m.2 NVMe
CDM 5/6 Read Seq Q32T1: 3155 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Write Seq Q32T1: 2054 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Read 4K Q32T1: 661 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Write 4K Q32T1: 545 MB/s
CDM 5 Read Seq: 1411 MB/s
CDM 5 Write Seq: 1568 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Read 4K: 55.2 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Write 4K: 158.6 MB/s

GPU Performance

The GTX 1080 in the Sky X4C is within just a few percentage points from our desktop GTX 1080 reference according to 3DMark benchmarks. Note that the Alienware 15 R3 with GTX 1080 Max-Q and the Razer Blade Pro are each about 10 percent slower than our Eurocom because of slower clock rates and more limited GPU Boost potential. Even the GTX 1070 Ti scores about 10 percent lower while the GTX 1080 Ti is 36 percent faster. There is still no GTX 1080 Ti option for notebooks, so the GTX 1080 continues to be the fastest uncontested single GPU solution.

When under gaming loads, the system is able to play most titles at 1080p and at 120 FPS on High to Maximum detail settings. Thus, there is a strong case for paring the GTX 1080 with the 5 ms/120 Hz 1080p panel option if fast frame times are priority. On the other hand, gamers who prioritize resolution will be able to play most games at 4K UHD and at 60 FPS assuming Medium to High details. Newer titles like Middle-earth: Shadow of War and Destiny 2 will need additional tweaking to maintain 60 FPS.

See our review on the GTX 1080 here and more benchmark comparisons here.

3DMark 11
3DMark 11
Ice Storm Unlimited
Ice Storm Unlimited
Cloud Gate
Cloud Gate
Fire Strike
Fire Strike
Fire Strike Ultra
Fire Strike Ultra
Fire Strike Extreme
Fire Strike Extreme
3DMark
1920x1080 Fire Strike Graphics
Eurocom Sky X9C
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 SLI (Laptop), i7-8700K
40582 Points +94%
Aorus X9
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 SLI (Laptop), i7-7820HK
32640 Points +56%
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Founders Edition
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti (Desktop), 4790K
28366 Points +36%
Eurocom Sky X4C
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i7-8700K
20909 Points
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 Founders Edition
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop), 4790K
20268 Points -3%
Razer Blade Pro 2017
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i7-7820HK
18879 Points -10%
Alienware 15 R3 Max-Q
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Max-Q, i7-7820HK
18505 Points -11%
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 Ti Founders Edition
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Ti (Desktop), 4790K
18405 Points -12%
MSI GF72VR 7RF
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-7700HQ
11011 Points -47%
3840x2160 Fire Strike Ultra Graphics
Eurocom Sky X9C
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 SLI (Laptop), i7-8700K
9770 Points +98%
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Founders Edition
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti (Desktop), 4790K
6722 Points +36%
Eurocom Sky X4C
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i7-8700K
4938 Points
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 Founders Edition
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop), 4790K
4841 Points -2%
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 Ti Founders Edition
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Ti (Desktop), 4790K
4460 Points -10%
Alienware 15 R3 Max-Q
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Max-Q, i7-7820HK
4232 Points -14%
MSI GF72VR 7RF
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-7700HQ
2469 Points -50%
Fire Strike Extreme Graphics
Eurocom Sky X9C
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 SLI (Laptop), i7-8700K
19870 Points +99%
Eurocom Sky X4C
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i7-8700K
9996 Points
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 Founders Edition
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop), 4790K
9994 Points 0%
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 Ti Founders Edition
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Ti (Desktop), 4790K
8852 Points -11%
Alienware 15 R3 Max-Q
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Max-Q, i7-7820HK
8682 Points -13%
MSI GF72VR 7RF
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-7700HQ
5140 Points -49%
3DMark 11
1280x720 Performance GPU
Eurocom Sky X9C
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 SLI (Laptop), i7-8700K
46773 Points +74%
Aorus X9
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 SLI (Laptop), i7-7820HK
41469 Points +54%
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Founders Edition
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti (Desktop), 4790K
38959 Points +45%
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 Founders Edition
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop), 4790K
29443 Points +9%
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 Ti Founders Edition
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Ti (Desktop), 4790K
27503 Points +2%
Eurocom Sky X4C
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i7-8700K
26912 Points
Razer Blade Pro 2017
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i7-7820HK
24868 Points -8%
Alienware 15 R3 Max-Q
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Max-Q, i7-7820HK
24425 Points -9%
MSI GF72VR 7RF
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-7700HQ
14518 Points -46%
1280x720 Performance Combined
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 Ti Founders Edition
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Ti (Desktop), 4790K
17576 (11229min - 23922max) Points +26%
Eurocom Sky X9C
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 SLI (Laptop), i7-8700K
14119 Points +1%
Eurocom Sky X4C
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i7-8700K
13928 Points
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 Founders Edition
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop), 4790K
11623 Points -17%
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Founders Edition
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti (Desktop), 4790K
11584 Points -17%
Razer Blade Pro 2017
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i7-7820HK
10129 Points -27%
Aorus X9
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 SLI (Laptop), i7-7820HK
9929 Points -29%
Alienware 15 R3 Max-Q
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Max-Q, i7-7820HK
9607 Points -31%
MSI GF72VR 7RF
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-7700HQ
7310 Points -48%
3DMark 11 Performance
22125 points
3DMark Ice Storm Standard Score
194644 points
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score
41694 points
3DMark Fire Strike Score
18551 points
3DMark Fire Strike Extreme Score
9551 points
Help
Rise of the Tomb Raider - 3840x2160 High Preset AA:FX AF:4x
Eurocom Sky X9C
GeForce GTX 1080 SLI (Laptop), i7-8700K, 2x Samsung SSD 960 Pro 1TB m.2 NVMe (RAID 0)
87.4 fps +73%
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Founders Edition
GeForce GTX 1080 Ti, 4790K, Samsung SSD 840 Pro 256GB MZ7PD256HAFV-0Z000
70.9 (63min - 78max) fps +40%
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Founders Edition
GeForce GTX 1080 Ti, 4790K, Samsung SSD 840 Pro 256GB MZ7PD256HAFV-0Z000
68.4 (61min - 75max) fps +35%
Eurocom Sky X4C
GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i7-8700K, Samsung SSD 960 Pro 1TB m.2 NVMe
50.6 fps
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 Founders Edition
GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop), 4790K, Samsung SSD 840 Pro 256GB MZ7PD256HAFV-0Z000
50 fps -1%
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 Founders Edition
GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop), 4790K, Samsung SSD 840 Pro 256GB MZ7PD256HAFV-0Z000
47.8 (43min - 54max) fps -6%
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 Ti Founders Edition
GeForce GTX 1070 Ti (Desktop), 4790K, Samsung SSD 840 Pro 256GB MZ7PD256HAFV-0Z000
46.5 (41min - 52max) fps -8%
Asus Zephyrus GX501
GeForce GTX 1080 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ, Samsung SSD SM961 1TB M.2 MZVKW1T0HMLH
43.6 fps -14%
Eurocom Q5
GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ, Samsung SSD 960 Pro 512 GB m.2
33.6 fps -34%
Fallout 4 - 3840x2160 High Preset AA:T AF:16x
Eurocom Sky X9C
GeForce GTX 1080 SLI (Laptop), i7-8700K, 2x Samsung SSD 960 Pro 1TB m.2 NVMe (RAID 0)
100 fps +87%
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Founders Edition
GeForce GTX 1080 Ti, 4790K, Samsung SSD 840 Pro 256GB MZ7PD256HAFV-0Z000
74 (58min - 92max) fps +39%
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 Founders Edition
GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop), 4790K, Samsung SSD 840 Pro 256GB MZ7PD256HAFV-0Z000
54 (42min - 66max) fps +1%
Eurocom Sky X4C
GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i7-8700K, Samsung SSD 960 Pro 1TB m.2 NVMe
53.4 fps
Eurocom Q5
GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ, Samsung SSD 960 Pro 512 GB m.2
34.3 fps -36%
low med. high ultra4K
BioShock Infinite (2013) 181.2
Metro: Last Light (2013) 141.1
Thief (2014) 127.6
The Witcher 3 (2015) 75.3 53.4
Batman: Arkham Knight (2015) 101 55
Metal Gear Solid V (2015) 60 60
Fallout 4 (2015) 123.4 53.4
Rise of the Tomb Raider (2016) 111.7 50.6
Overwatch (2016) 195.6 92.1
Mafia 3 (2016) 81.2 32.5
Prey (2017) 143 70.9
Middle-earth: Shadow of War (2017) 94 37
Destiny 2 (2017) 139.1 38.4

Stress Test

We stress the notebook to identify for any potential throttling or stability issues. When running Prime95, the CPU can be observed jumping from an idling temperature of about 35 C to 97 C in a matter of seconds with clock rates reaching up to 4.2 GHz. After this short period, however, clock rates drop to about 3.9 GHz in order to maintain a core temperature of 85 C. When both Prime95 and FurMark are active simultaneously, the CPU and GPU will stabilize at 86 C and 90 C, respectively, to be significantly warmer than the same Core i7-8700K CPU and GTX 1080 GPU on a desktop form factor. In comparison, the GTX 1080 GPUs in the Razer Blade Pro and Acer Predator Triton 700 settle at slightly cooler temperatures in the low 80 C range due in part to slower clock rates on these competing systems.

Running Witcher 3 is more representative of real-world gaming loads. The CPU and GPU can be observed stabilizing at 57 C and 67 C, respectively, for cooler surface temperatures as shown in our Temperature section below. It's worth noting that the GPU never reaches the 1657 MHz clock rate as listed on the Nvidia System Information window unless if manually overclocked by the pre-installed overclocking utility.

Running on batteries will throttle both the CPU and GPU. A 3DMark Fire Strike run on battery power results in Physics and Graphics scores of 10375 and 6881, respectively, compared to 19202 and 20909 points when on mains.

Prime95 stress
Prime95 stress
FurMark stress
FurMark stress
Prime95+FurMark stress
Prime95+FurMark stress
Witcher 3 stress
Witcher 3 stress
0123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536Tooltip
The Witcher 3 4K
CPU Clock (GHz) GPU Clock (MHz) Average CPU Temperature (°C) Average GPU Temperature (°C)
Prime95 Stress 3.9 - 4.0 -- 85 47
FurMark Stress -- 1443 70 90
Prime95 + FurMark Stress 3.0 - 3.5 1481 86 89
Witcher 3 Stress 3.7 1491 57 67

Emissions

System Noise

The cooling solution consists of six heat pipes and dual fans with a delidded CPU to improve cooling potential. The fans will idle if the notebook is simply sitting on desktop, but even small loads like browsing will initiate a low whir of about 31 dB(A). Medium loads (as represented by 3DMark 06) will bump fan noise to 42 dB(A) while gaming loads will be even louder at 53 dB(A). We recommend headphones for a better gaming experience.

Fan noise is quieter during maximum load (Prime95 + FurMark) compared to gaming load to suggest throttling when both the CPU and GPU are subjected to unusually extreme processing loads.

Fan pulsing will occur when on the default High Performance Automatic mode and so the Power Saver mode is recommended for video playback, word processing, or browsing. Coil whine or electronic noise is not present on our unit.

Twin ~60 mm fans
Twin ~60 mm fans
The CPU shares no direct heat pipes with the GPU
The CPU shares no direct heat pipes with the GPU

Noise Level

Idle
28.6 / 28.6 / 31.1 dB(A)
HDD
0 dB(A)
Load
42.2 / 50 dB(A)
  red to green bar
 
 
30 dB
silent
40 dB(A)
audible
50 dB(A)
loud
 
min: dark, med: mid, max: light   Audix TM1, Arta (15 cm distance)   environment noise: 28.6 dB(A)
Eurocom Sky X4C
GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i7-8700K, Samsung SSD 960 Pro 1TB m.2 NVMe
Alienware 15 R3 Max-Q
GeForce GTX 1080 Max-Q, i7-7820HK, LiteOn CX2-8B256
MSI GT62VR 7RE-223
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Samsung SSD PM871a MZNLN256HMHQ
Asus Strix GL502VS-FY032T
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, 6700HQ, SanDisk SD8SNAT256G1002
EVGA SC15
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Toshiba NVMe THNSN5256GPU7
Alienware 15 R3
GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-7700HQ
Noise
-6%
-8%
-6%
1%
-13%
off / environment *
28.6
29
-1%
30
-5%
30
-5%
28
2%
30
-5%
Idle Minimum *
28.6
32
-12%
34
-19%
32
-12%
31.9
-12%
31
-8%
Idle Average *
28.6
33
-15%
35
-22%
33
-15%
32
-12%
32
-12%
Idle Maximum *
31.1
35
-13%
36
-16%
34
-9%
32
-3%
42
-35%
Load Average *
42.2
46
-9%
40
5%
39
8%
36.5
14%
49
-16%
Witcher 3 ultra *
53.8
48
11%
40.3
25%
Load Maximum *
50
50
-0%
46
8%
51
-2%
53.4
-7%
50
-0%

* ... smaller is better

Temperature

Rear exhaust under load
Rear exhaust under load

When idling, surface temperatures are slightly warm around the keyboard area at just under 30 C while the trackpad and palm rests are a few degrees cooler. The hot spot at the center of the keyboard can be as warm as 42 C when under extreme processing loads despite having almost no temperature changes to the trackpad or palm rests. The temperature gradient is generally steeper on the Eurocom compared to the MSI GT62 when under similar loads. The tighter cooling solution of the EVGA SC15 means an even wider surface temperature range than our Eurocom.

System idle (top)
System idle (top)
System idle (bottom)
System idle (bottom)
Maximum load (top)
Maximum load (top)
Maximum load (bottom)
Maximum load (bottom)
Max. Load
 37.8 °C
100 F
43.8 °C
111 F
40 °C
104 F
 
 34 °C
93 F
41.2 °C
106 F
33.6 °C
92 F
 
 24.6 °C
76 F
27.6 °C
82 F
24.4 °C
76 F
 
Maximum: 43.8 °C = 111 F
Average: 34.1 °C = 93 F
47.6 °C
118 F
35.6 °C
96 F
49.6 °C
121 F
32.8 °C
91 F
32.2 °C
90 F
32.4 °C
90 F
25.8 °C
78 F
25.8 °C
78 F
25.8 °C
78 F
Maximum: 49.6 °C = 121 F
Average: 34.2 °C = 94 F
Power Supply (max.)  44 °C = 111 F | Room Temperature 21.2 °C = 70 F | Fluke 62 Mini IR Thermometer
(±) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 34.1 °C / 93 F, compared to the average of 33.8 °C / 93 F for the devices in the class Gaming.
(±) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 43.8 °C / 111 F, compared to the average of 40.4 °C / 105 F, ranging from 21.2 to 68.8 °C for the class Gaming.
(-) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 49.6 °C / 121 F, compared to the average of 43.2 °C / 110 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 26.4 °C / 80 F, compared to the device average of 33.8 °C / 93 F.
(+) Playing The Witcher 3, the average temperature for the upper side is 30 °C / 86 F, compared to the device average of 33.8 °C / 93 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are cooler than skin temperature with a maximum of 27.6 °C / 81.7 F and are therefore cool to the touch.
(±) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 28.9 °C / 84 F (+1.3 °C / 2.3 F).

Energy Management

Power Consumption

The system will draw anywhere between 30 W and 38 W when idling on desktop depending on the power profile and screen brightness setting. More demanding conditions like gaming will draw about 172 W. Strangely, we cannot record anything higher than about 256 W even when under extreme (Prime95+FurMark) processing load. The system fluctuates between 193 W and 256 W when under extreme loads despite setting the OS and GPU to High Performance mode. We are unsure why the notebook is unable to maintain a stable power consumption when under extreme loads. Fortunately, real-world gaming performance appears to be unaffected.

The large (~20.0 x 10.0 x 4.5 cm) Lite-On external AC adapter is rated for 330 W.

Prime95 initiated at the 20s mark. Turbo Boost is very short-lived as power consumption falls and levels off within seconds of initiation
Prime95 initiated at the 20s mark. Turbo Boost is very short-lived as power consumption falls and levels off within seconds of initiation
Maximum load initiated at the 30s mark. Note that power consumption is unsteady when under 100 percent CPU and GPU loads
Maximum load initiated at the 30s mark. Note that power consumption is unsteady when under 100 percent CPU and GPU loads
Steady power consumption when running Witcher 3
Steady power consumption when running Witcher 3
Unsteady power consumption when under extreme processing loads
Unsteady power consumption when under extreme processing loads
Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0.34 / 1.29 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 30.2 / 34.7 / 37.8 Watt
Load midlight 130.3 / 217.7 Watt
 color bar
Key: min: dark, med: mid, max: light        Metrahit Energy
Currently we use the Metrahit Energy, a professional single phase power quality and energy measurement digital multimeter, for our measurements. Find out more about it here. All of our test methods can be found here.
Eurocom Sky X4C
i7-8700K, GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, Samsung SSD 960 Pro 1TB m.2 NVMe, IPS, 3840x2160, 15.60
Alienware 15 R3 Max-Q
i7-7820HK, GeForce GTX 1080 Max-Q, LiteOn CX2-8B256, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
MSI GT62VR 7RE-223
i7-7700HQ, GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, Samsung SSD PM871a MZNLN256HMHQ, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
EVGA SC15
i7-7700HQ, GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, Toshiba NVMe THNSN5256GPU7, , 1920x1080, 15.60
Alienware 15 R3
i7-7700HQ, GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, , TN, 1920x1080, 15.60
Eurocom Tornado F5 Killer Edition
i5-7600K, GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, Samsung SSD 960 Evo 250GB m.2 NVMe, IPS, 3840x2160, 15.60
Power Consumption
18%
27%
27%
28%
-8%
Idle Minimum *
30.2
22
27%
20
34%
25.8
15%
19
37%
28.4
6%
Idle Average *
34.7
26
25%
24
31%
26.6
23%
23
34%
32
8%
Idle Maximum *
37.8
33
13%
29
23%
26.7
29%
29
23%
33.5
11%
Load Average *
130.3
86
34%
82
37%
80.3
38%
85
35%
190.9
-47%
Witcher 3 ultra *
172.2
159
8%
121.2
30%
Load Maximum *
217.7
215
1%
193
11%
159.3
27%
192
12%
259.4
-19%

* ... smaller is better

Battery Life

Runtimes are poor as expected from a notebook with such powerful components. Users will get just 2.5 hours of real-world WLAN use before automatic shutdown. Gaming notebooks with the more common HQ-class of Intel CPUs and/or Optimus tend to run an hour or two longer than our Eurocom. Unlike most competitors, however, the 82 Wh battery is removable and easily replaceable.

Charging from near empty to full capacity takes about 2 to 2.5 hours with the included AC adapter.

Battery Runtime
Idle (without WLAN, min brightness)
3h 02min
WiFi Websurfing
2h 36min
Load (maximum brightness)
1h 21min
Eurocom Sky X4C
i7-8700K, GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, 82 Wh
Alienware 15 R3 Max-Q
i7-7820HK, GeForce GTX 1080 Max-Q, 99 Wh
MSI GT62VR 7RE-223
i7-7700HQ, GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, 75 Wh
Asus Strix GL502VS-FY032T
6700HQ, GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, 62 Wh
EVGA SC15
i7-7700HQ, GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 62 Wh
Acer Predator 15 G9-593-751X
i7-7700HQ, GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, 90 Wh
Battery Runtime
93%
62%
11%
10%
111%
Reader / Idle
182
424
133%
377
107%
243
34%
222
22%
502
176%
WiFi v1.3
156
321
106%
246
58%
196
26%
167
7%
332
113%
Load
81
113
40%
98
21%
58
-28%
81
0%
117
44%

Pros

+ consistent CPU and GPU performances; no throttling when gaming
+ accessible LGA 1151 socket and MXM 3.0b slot
+ respectable core temperatures when gaming
+ pre-installed overclocking utilities
+ upgradeable CPU and GPU
+ 4x internal storage bays
+ removing battery
+ 4G LTE support
+ strong base

Cons

- high core temperatures under extreme loads; limited overclocking abilities
- rubberized outer lid attracts dirt and grease
- moderate uneven backlight bleeding
- G-Sync not available on all panels
- heavy; very large AC adapter
- loud fan noise when gaming
- no per-key RGB lighting
- lid could be more rigid
- grainy glossy panel
- poor battery life

Verdict

In review: Eurocom Sky X4C. Test model provided by Eurocom
In review: Eurocom Sky X4C. Test model provided by Eurocom

The Sky X4C is the most powerful and versatile 15.6-inch notebook available because of its desktop-like upgradeability. Its dual-purpose capabilities for both gamers and professional workstation users and integrated SIM options make it one-of-a-kind in a sea of consumer gaming notebooks. There's no way a major manufacturer like Lenovo, HP, or Dell would ever allow end-users the level of serviceability and customization encouraged by Eurocom and Clevo notebooks in general. This is a notebook for enthusiasts, after all.

As powerful as the Eurocom may be, the Clevo chassis is beginning to show its age in terms of features. G-Sync is limited to certain GPUs and there are no options for 3 ms/144 Hz panels, no touchscreen features, no 10 Gbps RJ-45, and no per-key RGB lighting or dedicated auxiliary keys. Some users may find these missing options to be superfluous, but we expect the kitchen sink and more to be available considering the price of the notebook.

The hardware itself has a few oddities worth mentioning. The rubberized outer lid is a mixed bag because of its attraction to grease and dust while the uneven backlight bleeding is inexcusable for an enthusiast notebook. The glossy-but-grainy 4K UHD panel makes it an unappealing configuration and the power consumption fluctuations when under extreme processing loads has us a bit concerned about the performance of the unit whilst running at 100 percent CPU and GPU utilization for extended periods.

This is the notebook to beat from a pure serviceability and performance perspective. However, there is still a lot of room for improvement regarding features and fan noise.

Eurocom Sky X4C - 02/11/2018 v6(old)
Allen Ngo

Chassis
72 / 98 → 74%
Keyboard
83%
Pointing Device
83%
Connectivity
75 / 81 → 93%
Weight
53 / 10-66 → 76%
Battery
67%
Display
80%
Games Performance
99%
Application Performance
99%
Temperature
90 / 95 → 95%
Noise
80 / 90 → 89%
Audio
80%
Camera
40 / 85 → 46%
Add Points
-1%
Average
71%
86%
Gaming - Weighted Average

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > Reviews > Eurocom Sky X4C (i7-8700K, GTX 1080, Clevo P751TM1-G) Laptop Review
Allen Ngo, 2018-02-11 (Update: 2019-11-26)