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Review Update Eurocom Racer 2.0 (Clevo P150EM barebones) Notebook

Radeon Powerhouse. In this review update, the Clevo P150EM barebones takes the form of a Eurocom Racer 2.0 complete with one of the fastest quad-Core Ivy Bridge processors and the top-of-the-line AMD Pitcairn GPU. Is this Radeon core a wiser option than the equivalent Nvidia offering?

With Ultrabooks on the rise, more and more manufacturers are shifting gears to create ultrathin notebooks with emphasis on sleek appearance before solid specs and performance. On the other end of the spectrum, Eurocom caters to power users on the move and continues to focus on both ultra high-end DTRs and mobile workstations. More recently, the Canadian company launched its 11.6-inch Monster 1.0 gaming notebook (based on the Clevo W110ER barebones) to compete against the similarly-sized Alienware M11x series and the massive 17.3-inch Scorpius DTR.

This review will take a closer look at the Racer 2.0, a 15.6-inch gaming notebook based on the Clevo P150EM barebones. As such, more pictures and our rundown on the chassis, connectivity, overall responsiveness and ease of accessibility can be read in our full review of the P150EM. Our review on the original Racer 1.0 with a Core i7-2720QM and AMD HD 6970M can be seen here.

This leaves us to focus on the performance side of the Racer 2.0, namely its quad-core Core i7-3920XM and the freshly released Radeon HD 7970M. With hardware this powerful, only a few notebooks, such as the similarly specced 17.3-inch Alienware M17x R4, can compete in raw numbers. Our Eurocom unit has been configured to about $3300 retail, but how does the top-tier Pitcairn Radeon compare against the competition?

Display

The Eurocom on hand is equipped with a high quality 1080p Lenovo display instead of an LG as did our P150EM barebones unit. Overall brightness has been reduced by over 100 nits compared to the LG display, but the gains in reproducible colors are substantial and may be well worth the brightness drop. The color space trumps both the Alienware M17x R4 and P150EM and is on par with (if not better than) many high-end mobile workstations such as those from HP or Dell. In other words, the Racer 2.0 may satisfy digital graphic artists who can also take advantage of the powerful specs. Even subjectively the colors appear deeper and more saturated than most notebooks.

Racer 2.0 vs. sRGB
Racer 2.0 vs. sRGB
Racer 2.0 vs. adobeRGB
Racer 2.0 vs. adobeRGB
Racer 2.0 vs. Alienware M17x R4
Racer 2.0 vs. Alienware M17x R4
Racer 2.0 vs. XMG P150EM barebones
Racer 2.0 vs. XMG P150EM barebones
232
cd/m²
239
cd/m²
234
cd/m²
228
cd/m²
252
cd/m²
225
cd/m²
227
cd/m²
228
cd/m²
222
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
LEN40B2 tested with Gossen Mavo-Monitor
Maximum: 252 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 231.9 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 88 %
Center on Battery: 252 cd/m²
Contrast: 813:1 (Black: 0.31 cd/m²)87.7% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
95.8% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
79.8% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Under direct sunlight
Under direct sunlight

Outdoor use is possible due to the matte display and sufficient brightness. Although the maximum brightness is nowhere near that of the W150ER LG display, it is still well above 200 nits (even when running off battery) and we found no major issues with glare or reflections unlike with the M17x R4. We do, however, recommend avoiding direct sunlight and setting the brightness to its highest for better visibility.

Viewing angles Racer 2.0
Viewing angles Racer 2.0

Viewing angles are equally impressive and stable. Despite being a TN panel, the colors are subjectively sharp and do not shift by noticeable amounts when viewing horizontally. Colors still shift if viewing vertically above or below the center normal, but the acceptable angles are much wider than most typical notebooks. Traditionally, TN panels have had faster response times than IPS panels – an important factor for quick-moving games.

Performance

The real star of the Racer 2.0 is what’s inside the hardware. At its heart lies a quad-core i7-3920XM, essentially one of the fastest mobile Ivy Bridge processors currently available. When idle and in Energy Saver mode, each core hovers around the 1.2 GHz mark, but High Performance mode will immediately bump the speed to twice that at a base 2.4 GHz. Turbo Boost is supported for a theoretical maximum of 3.8 GHz, 3.7 GHz and 3.6 GHz for one, two, and four active cores, respectively. The processor is largely similar to the previous generation Sandy Bridge i7-2960XM as both CPUs share the same cache sizes and TDP, although the Ivy Bridge model is manufactured in a smaller die size for improved performance-per-watt. See here for more information and benchmarks on the Core i7-3920XM.

Memory is provided by four 4 GB 1866 MHz DDR3 modules from Corsair for a total of 16 GB, according to CPU-Z. Two SODIMM slots are easily accessible from the underside by removing a small set of Philips screws.

We experienced no recurring high latency peaks with the DPC Latency Checker even with wireless radios active.

Systeminfo CPUZ CPU
Systeminfo CPUZ Cache
Systeminfo CPUZ Mainboard
Systeminfo CPUZ RAM
Systeminfo CPUZ RAM SPD
Systeminfo GPUZ
Systeminfo HDTune
DPC Latencies
System information Eurocom Racer 2.0

Processor

In the synthetic CPU-oriented benchmarks, the i7-3920XM competes well against other high-end offerings like the 2.7 GHz i7-3820QM and even the desktop 3.5 GHz i7-2700K in CineBench CPU rendering results. For example, all three score very similarly with about 6.8 to 7 points in CineBench R11.5 Multi 64-Bit and about 19500 points in CineBench R10 Multi 32-Bit. Meanwhile, wPrime and SuperPi calculations can be completed in literally just a few seconds faster than the previous Sandy Bridge record holder, the i7-2960XM. The data automatically places the Racer 2.0 against hard hitters like the Asus G75V (i7-3720QM, GTX 670M), Alienware M18X R2 (i7-3920XM, HD 7970M) and even workstations like the ThinkPad W530 (i7-3820QM, Quadro K2000M) and HP EliteBook 8560w (i7-3820QM, GTX 680M).

Cinebench R10 Rendering Single 32Bit
5111
Cinebench R10 Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit
19595
Cinebench R10 Shading 32Bit
8573
Cinebench R10 Rendering Single CPUs 64Bit
6484 Points
Cinebench R10 Rendering Multiple CPUs 64Bit
24647 Points
Cinebench R10 Shading 64Bit
8871 Points
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Single 64Bit
1.53 Points
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Multi 64Bit
6.89 Points
Cinebench R11.5 OpenGL 64Bit
71.7 fps
Help

System Performance

We evaluate system performance with the usual PCMark 7 and Vantage benchmarking tools. These Futuremark programs are heavily skewed towards systems with SSDs - And rightly so, as a solid-state drive is one of the best ways to boost system responsiveness and performance. With PCMark 7 and Vantage scores reaching almost 5000 and 20000 points, respectively, the Racer 2.0 sits amongst performance kings such as the Schenker XMG and is only a couple thousand points away in Vantage from our top performer in our database: the Alienware M18x R2 with HD 7970M CrossFire.

The more striking fact is that the Racer 2.0 can achieve these scores with a mSATA drive and a traditional HDD; The notebook should be able to to break into higher benchmarking numbers if outfitted with a dedicated full-speed 2.5-inch SATA III SSD.

Subjectively, everyday tasks seem snappy and almost instant. If we didn't know any better, we would have assumed that the system was running only on a solid-state drive.

PCMark Vantage Result
19086 points
PCMark 7 Score
4949 points
Help
7.3
Windows 7 Experience Index
Processor
Calculations per second
7.7
Memory (RAM)
Memory operations per second
7.9
Graphics
Desktop performance for Windows Aero
7.3
Gaming graphics
3D business and gaming graphics
7.3
Primary hard disk
Disk data transfer rate
7.8
Crucial M4: CDM
Crucial M4: CDM
Crucial M4: AS SSD
Crucial M4: AS SSD
Crucial M4: ATTO
Crucial M4: ATTO

Mass storage

Similar to many Ultrabook releases, the Racer 2.0 can be equipped with both a 2.5-inch HDD and a mSATA SSD for a hybrid storage solution. Unlike these same Ultrabooks, however, the SSD is a fully accessible physical drive in Windows and is not used merely for caching purposes. In our case, it is also where Windows 7 is installed. Users can freely move files amongst the two physical drives as they would normally between any two drive letters.

Our particular review model includes a fast 750GB Seagate Momentus XT HDD and a 256GB Crucial M4 SSD, both of which utilize SATA III connectivity. The 7200 RPM drive averages 92.5 MB/s in transfer rate according to HD Tune – faster than many competing 7200 RPM drives – but still no match against the >100 MB/s speeds of the fastest notebook HDDs. For our growing list of HDD benchmarks, see here.

More impressive than the HDD is the faster-than-expected SSD. In benchmarks such as AS SSD and ATTO, the Crucial drive returns Write scores (notably the 4k-64QD scores) considerably faster than the SATA II mSATA in the Alienware M17x R4 and most other mSATA drives we’ve tested so far for that matter. Sequential write speeds are still behind 2.5-inch SATA III SSDs like the Intel 510 Series or the OCZ Vertex 3, but sequential read speeds are not trailing very far from these same drives. Given the size and relatively low market penetration of mSATA, the performance of the Crucial drive in the Racer 2.0 is quite the high note.

3DMark 03 Standard
46082 points
3DMark 05 Standard
28102 points
3DMark 06 Standard Score
22142 points
3DMark Vantage P Result
22404 points
3DMark 11 Performance
5980 points
Help

Gaming Performance

At its best, the HD 7970M trades blows with the GTX 680M while costing hundreds of dollars less. The Alienware M17x R4 is a prime example of the Radeon card flexing its muscle to its fullest. However, we cannot say the same about the HD 7970M in the Racer 2.0 as its performance is rather unreliable.

Gaming results are mixed on the reviewed unit, and we believe that the graphics switching technology Enduro could be the culprit. We benchmarked the games below with out-of-the-box drivers (GPU: 8.951.6.0, Catalyst: 0329.2312.39738). Only two of the eight tested games (Arkham City and Battlefield 3) were immediately recognized by Enduro and played without any issues at all. We detail the problematic titles below:

Metro 2033

The 4A Games title will run on the dGPU correctly upon first boot, though oddly enough, the game will have a pop-up caution window about an "unrecognized graphics card" each time it launches. Despite this, we did not run into any significant frame rate issues during gameplay.

Starcraft 2

The two year old Blizzard RTS could run on high settings just fine from mid-range graphics cards, but we were unable to launch the game correctly with the HD 7970M. Even after manually setting the title to "High Performance" in Enduro, we suspect that the game refuses to play on the dGPU. This could be due to the recent 1.5.1 Battle.net patch or could be from a driver issue, but this oversight is downright unacceptable either way. Frame rates hover around 30 FPS, even on Medium settings and 720p resolution.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution

Enduro was unable to recognize Deus Ex on first launch, so we had to close to game, manually assign "High Performance" to the launcher, and then proceed to launch the game a second time. Afterwards, the game ran without a hitch and at frame rates comparable to the Alienware M17x R4.

F1 2011

F1 2011 was recognized by Enduro on first launch, but performance is shameful for such a high-end GPU. While the game can run above 60 FPS on the M17x R4 at maximum settings, the Racer 2.0 only averages about 40 FPS on the same in-game benchmark. The game also crashed without warning during one benchmarking session and had to be restarted.

Modern Warfare 3 and Skyrim

These two titles were not recognized by Enduro on first launch, but both will play without issues once the dGPU has been assigned. Skyrim in particular had odd graphical glitches when running only on the preset Medium settings.

low med. high ultra
Metro 2033 (2010) 141 94 29
StarCraft 2 (2010) 33 24 12
Deus Ex Human Revolution (2011) 153.7 81.6
F1 2011 (2011) 49 41
Batman: Arkham City (2011) 84 57
Battlefield 3 (2011) 75 63 38
CoD: Modern Warfare 3 (2011) 109 87
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (2011) 96.8 58

Emissions

System Noise

It shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone that the dual system fans in the Racer 2.0 are going to be audible no matter the current activity. When the system is idle and on the Power Saver profile, fan noise is acceptably low at a recorded 34.3 dB(A). Unfortunately, fan speed will consistently (and noticeably) rev up for a few seconds multiple times a minute up to 37.7 dB(A), even when the system is left alone. This leads to uneven fan noise during daily use, which isn't a significant issue but can be a bit discording to some users and during video playback. We should note, however, that the similarly equipped Alienware m17x R4 is on average distinctly quieter, albeit this may be attributed to its larger overall size.

When stressed or gaming, noise levels from the fans can increase to almost 50 dB(A). This is comparable to most DTR gaming rigs, but is a bit louder than the original Racer. The noise is generally tolerable while gaming, but can be unpleasant during quieter gameplay moments. Fortunately, such high sound levels do not occur during 1080p video playback.

Noise Level

Idle
34.3 / 34.4 / 37.7 dB(A)
DVD
38.4 / 48.8 dB(A)
Load
49.2 / 49.5 dB(A)
  red to green bar
 
 
30 dB
silent
40 dB(A)
audible
50 dB(A)
loud
 
min: dark, med: mid, max: light   PK Precision 732A (15 cm distance)

Temperature

Idling surface temperatures are quite cool given the powerful hardware at about 31 to 32 degrees C for both the bottom and upper surfaces of the base. The hottest areas are located on the bottom nearest the front and directly underneath the HDD and CPU. With idle temperatures upwards of 37 degrees C on these particular spots, the DTR is best used on a desk as expected. Thankfully, the keys and hand rest surfaces are comparatively cooler and do not make typing uncomfortable. The same Clevo barebones with a GTX 675M, however, runs generally cooler than this model equipped with an HD 7970M.

When under maximum load, average temperatures on both sides can rise by a few degrees on average, but three spots in particular can become uncomfortably hot at well above 40 degrees C each. These areas are directly over the HDD and the two respective corners close to the CPU and GPU. The keyboard surface can reach 40 degrees C as well, which isn’t too uncomfortable, but can lead to sweaty palms during prolong play of extra-demanding 3D games.

Max. Load
 46 °C
115 F
42.6 °C
109 F
31.8 °C
89 F
 
 40.8 °C
105 F
40.4 °C
105 F
32.2 °C
90 F
 
 29.8 °C
86 F
30.8 °C
87 F
28.2 °C
83 F
 
Maximum: 46 °C = 115 F
Average: 35.8 °C = 96 F
30 °C
86 F
35.6 °C
96 F
41.4 °C
107 F
29.6 °C
85 F
32.4 °C
90 F
38 °C
100 F
29.2 °C
85 F
42.2 °C
108 F
28 °C
82 F
Maximum: 42.2 °C = 108 F
Average: 34 °C = 93 F
Power Supply (max.)  51 °C = 124 F | Room Temperature 25 °C = 77 F | Fluke 62 Mini IR Thermometer
(±) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 35.8 °C / 96 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 46 °C / 115 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 42.2 °C / 108 F, compared to the average of 43.2 °C / 110 F
(±) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 32 °C / 90 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 30.8 °C / 87.4 F and are therefore cool to the touch.
(±) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 28.9 °C / 84 F (-1.9 °C / -3.4 F).

We performed our usual methods to test for throttling by employing Prime95 and FurMark to stress the CPU and GPU, respectively. Unfortunately, none of the tested GPU monitoring tools (HWiNFO, GPU-Z, GPU Shark) were able to correctly display any real-time information on the dGPU and this stress test may be repeated at a later date when more support becomes available.

In the CPU-only stress, Prime95 was left to run continuously while CPU speeds were monitored with HWiNFO and CPU-Z. All four cores were operating at 3200 MHz, but steadily dropped and settled at 2900 MHz each after a few minutes. We noticed this occurring each time a core reached an internal temperature of about 98 degree C as the 2900 MHz speed flattens the core temperature closer to a safer 90 to 91 Degrees C. Not once, however, did we witness any core operating above 3200 MHz during this particular test.

Without a proper GPU monitoring tool, assessing the GPU stress test is rather moot. HWiNFO shows the GPU temperature stabilizing at about 47 degrees C with each CPU core running at full 3500 – 3600 MHz speeds throughout the test. Similarly, the CPU cores were again able to maintain 2900 MHz under full system stress (Prime95 + FurMark). Otherwise, we can only assume for now that the GPU is running smoothly at its advertised 850/1200 MHz core/memory clock rates.

Prime95 stress
Prime95 stress
FurMark stress
FurMark stress
Full stress
Full stress

Battery Life

Maximum battery life (Reader's Test)
Reader's Test
Minimum battery life  (Classic Test)
Classic Test

The power-hungry Racer 2.0 is driven by an 8-cell 76.96 WHr removable Li-ion battery capable of up to 5200 mAh. These are the exact same specs as the battery unit found on the original Racer, but the improvements of the Ivy Bridge architecture should provide the same if not longer battery lives than did our first Racer review unit. We ran the same tests and conditions on BatteryEater to compare.

At the lowest brightness setting and the Power Saver profile, we ran the Reader’s Test until the notebook automatically shut itself off after just 2 hours and 13 minutes.

On the opposite end of the scale, we set the notebook to the highest brightness setting and on the Performance profile with the Classic Test. The notebook gave in after 1 hour and 14 minutes.

A WLAN test with a looping script to simulate typical browsing conditions only faired a few minutes below that of the maximum battery life. In other words, battery runtime is almost identical to the original Racer while having improved performance from the updated processor and graphics card. The similarly equipped Alienware is able to last much longer in general, but it includes a larger 90WHr battery and an option to switch off Enduro completely for better runtimes.

It’s worth noting that the CPU in the Eurocom maxes out at 2000 MHz per core when running on batteries. This may have been implemented to artificially increase battery life, so we recommend working close to an outlet (as with all DTRs) in order to attain the full performance potential from the system.

Battery Runtime
Idle (without WLAN, min brightness)
2h 13min
WiFi Surfing
2h 01min
DVD
1h 20min
Load (maximum brightness)
1h 14min
Warning: No power consumption data found

Verdict

Eurocom Racer 2.0
Eurocom Racer 2.0

The Eurocom Racer 2.0 is, overall, an impressive 15.6-inch DTR in terms of hardware. The display is one of the more remarkable TN-based panels out there and the CPU marginally outscores the previous i7-2960XM champion in synthetic benchmarks. When powered from an outlet, the system experiences no major throttling issues despite the heavy load and power under the hood. In short, the notebook can definitely hold its own.

The bane of the Racer 2.0 doesn’t lie in the hardware, but in the software. In particular, AMD’s Enduro is more of a hassle than a solution. At its current state, the technology does an appalling job at recognizing programs and choosing between the iGPU or dGPU. Even after assigning a program to the dGPU, the system or software gives no concrete indication as to which GPU is currently active. The software has also been proven to shave off frame rates for some games, which may make users feel cheated on that last ounce of juice from the HD 7970M. We have said before that we wish Clevo could implement a feature to disable Enduro completely similar to the Alienware M17x R4, but alas, our demand continues to be wishful thinking.

The software issues are not the fault of Eurocom, of course, who have done a terrific job on assembling the Racer 2.0. Our fingers point to AMD, whose slow driver support for the HD 7970M can feel underdeveloped and whose Enduro software at the time of review is bottlenecking an otherwise super-powerful Radeon GPU and a great successor to the original Racer. The only hope now is for AMD to provide the necessary official drivers and bug fixes for their loyal Radeon fans in a timely manner. Until then, the full potential of the HD 7970M in the Racer 2.0 can feel somewhat locked.

The notebook is still worth a look for enthusiasts and we recommend checking out the vast configuration options that Eurocom offers. Until the Enduro issues are sorted out, however, buyers may be better off with the GeForce GTX 680M or GTX 670M option for more reliable gaming performance.

In Comparison

StarCraft 2 - 1920x1080 ultra (sort by value)
Eurocom Racer 2.0
Radeon HD 7970M, 3920XM, Seagate Momentus XT ST750LX003-1AC154
12 fps
Schenker XMG P702 PRO
Radeon HD 7970M, 3720QM, Samsung MZMPC128HBFU
85.1 fps
Schenker XMG P702 PRO
GeForce GTX 680M, 3720QM, Samsung MZMPC128HBFU
82.5 fps
MSI GT70PH-i7169BWW7H
GeForce GTX 670M, 3610QM, 2x SanDisk U100 (RAID 0)
48.6 fps
Alienware M17x R4
Radeon HD 7970M, 3610QM, Samsung SSD PM830 64 GByte mSATA
99.2 fps
Battlefield 3 - 1920x1080 ultra AA:4x MS AF:16x (sort by value)
Eurocom Racer 2.0
Radeon HD 7970M, 3920XM, Seagate Momentus XT ST750LX003-1AC154
38 fps
Schenker XMG P702 PRO
Radeon HD 7970M, 3720QM, Samsung MZMPC128HBFU
37.9 fps
Schenker XMG P702 PRO
GeForce GTX 680M, 3720QM, Samsung MZMPC128HBFU
33.8 fps
MSI GT70PH-i7169BWW7H
GeForce GTX 670M, 3610QM, 2x SanDisk U100 (RAID 0)
19.9 fps
Alienware M17x R4
Radeon HD 7970M, 3610QM, Samsung SSD PM830 64 GByte mSATA
34.7 fps
F1 2011 - 1920x1080 Ultra Preset DX11 AA:4xMS (sort by value)
Eurocom Racer 2.0
Radeon HD 7970M, 3920XM, Seagate Momentus XT ST750LX003-1AC154
41 fps
Schenker XMG P702 PRO
GeForce GTX 680M, 3720QM, Samsung MZMPC128HBFU
67 fps
MSI GT70PH-i7169BWW7H
GeForce GTX 670M, 3610QM, 2x SanDisk U100 (RAID 0)
37 fps
Alienware M17x R4
Radeon HD 7970M, 3610QM, Samsung SSD PM830 64 GByte mSATA
65 fps
Metro 2033 - 1920x1080 Very High DX11 AA:A AF:4x (sort by value)
Eurocom Racer 2.0
Radeon HD 7970M, 3920XM, Seagate Momentus XT ST750LX003-1AC154
29 fps
Schenker XMG P702 PRO
Radeon HD 7970M, 3720QM, Samsung MZMPC128HBFU
30 fps
Schenker XMG P702 PRO
GeForce GTX 680M, 3720QM, Samsung MZMPC128HBFU
24.2 fps
MSI GT70PH-i7169BWW7H
GeForce GTX 670M, 3610QM, 2x SanDisk U100 (RAID 0)
14.2 fps
Alienware M17x R4
Radeon HD 7970M, 3610QM, Samsung SSD PM830 64 GByte mSATA
26.9 fps
Batman: Arkham City - 1920x1080 Extreme Preset DX11 AA:4x MS (sort by value)
Eurocom Racer 2.0
Radeon HD 7970M, 3920XM, Seagate Momentus XT ST750LX003-1AC154
57 fps
Schenker XMG P702 PRO
Radeon HD 7970M, 3720QM, Samsung MZMPC128HBFU
55 fps
Schenker XMG P702 PRO
GeForce GTX 680M, 3720QM, Samsung MZMPC128HBFU
59 fps
MSI GT70PH-i7169BWW7H
GeForce GTX 670M, 3610QM, 2x SanDisk U100 (RAID 0)
29 fps
Alienware M17x R4
Radeon HD 7970M, 3610QM, Samsung SSD PM830 64 GByte mSATA
57 fps
CoD: Modern Warfare 3 - 1920x1080 Extra, all on, Image Quality: Native AA:4x (sort by value)
Eurocom Racer 2.0
Radeon HD 7970M, 3920XM, Seagate Momentus XT ST750LX003-1AC154
87 fps
Schenker XMG P702 PRO
Radeon HD 7970M, 3720QM, Samsung MZMPC128HBFU
73.1 fps
Schenker XMG P702 PRO
GeForce GTX 680M, 3720QM, Samsung MZMPC128HBFU
105.4 fps
MSI GT70PH-i7169BWW7H
GeForce GTX 670M, 3610QM, 2x SanDisk U100 (RAID 0)
53 fps
Alienware M17x R4
Radeon HD 7970M, 3610QM, Samsung SSD PM830 64 GByte mSATA
90.7 fps
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - 1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:8x AF:16x (sort by value)
Eurocom Racer 2.0
Radeon HD 7970M, 3920XM, Seagate Momentus XT ST750LX003-1AC154
58 fps
Schenker XMG P702 PRO
Radeon HD 7970M, 3720QM, Samsung MZMPC128HBFU
56.1 fps
Schenker XMG P702 PRO
GeForce GTX 680M, 3720QM, Samsung MZMPC128HBFU
53.4 fps
MSI GT70PH-i7169BWW7H
GeForce GTX 670M, 3610QM, 2x SanDisk U100 (RAID 0)
33.2 fps
Alienware M17x R4
Radeon HD 7970M, 3610QM, Samsung SSD PM830 64 GByte mSATA
55.6 fps
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In Review:  Eurocom Racer 2.0
In Review: Eurocom Racer 2.0

Specifications

Eurocom Racer 2.0 (Racer Series)
Processor
Intel Core i7-3920XM 4 x 2.9 - 3.8 GHz (Intel Core i7)
Graphics adapter
AMD Radeon HD 7970M - 2048 MB VRAM, Core: 850 MHz, Memory: 1200 MHz, 8.951.6.0, Enduro
Memory
16 GB 
, DDR3 SDRAM PC3-14200 888.9 MHz
Display
15.60 inch 16:9, 1920 x 1080 pixel, LEN40B2, TN, glossy: no
Mainboard
Intel HM77 (Panther Point)
Storage
Seagate Momentus XT ST750LX003-1AC154, 750 GB 
, 7200 rpm, + Crucial M4-CT256M4SSD3 256 GB SSD
Soundcard
Intel Panther Point PCH - High Definition Audio Controller
Connections
3 USB 2.0, 2 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, 1 Firewire, 1 DVI (Dual Link), 1 HDMI, 1 DisplayPort, 1 Kensington Lock, 1 eSata, Audio Connections: 3.5 mm headphone, microphone, line-in, S/PDIF, Card Reader: 3-in-1 (SD/MMC/MS)
Networking
Realtek RTL8168/8111 Gigabit-LAN (10/100/1000MBit/s), Bigfoot Networks Killer Wireless-N 1103 Network Adapter (a/b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/)
Optical drive
TSSTcorp CDDVDW SN-208AB
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 51 x 376 x 255 ( = 2.01 x 14.8 x 10.04 in)
Battery
77 Wh Lithium-Ion, 8-cell 14.8V
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64 Bit
Camera
Webcam: 2.0 megapixel, FHD 30 fps
Additional features
Speakers: ONKYO Speakers (2.2W x 2) + Subwoofer (2.5W), Keyboard: Beveled, Keyboard Light: yes, 12 Months Warranty
Weight
3.29 kg ( = 116.05 oz / 7.25 pounds), Power Supply: 860 g ( = 30.34 oz / 1.9 pounds)
Price
3283 Euro

 

The main components are easily accessible after removing just 4 Philips screws
The main components are easily accessible after removing just 4 Philips screws
CPU, RAM, and mSATA. The CPU fan is indeed smaller in diameter than the GPU fan
CPU, RAM, and mSATA. The CPU fan is indeed smaller in diameter than the GPU fan
The subwoofer is located right next to the MXM 3.0 board
The subwoofer is located right next to the MXM 3.0 board
The heatsink covers the VRAM modules in addition to the GPU
The heatsink covers the VRAM modules in addition to the GPU

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Pros

+High-end hardware and performance all-around
+3x video-out ports
+Excellent matte display performance
+Little to no bloatware
+Illuminated keyboard with numerous color options
+Good keyboard and responsive touchpad
+mSATA support
 

Cons

-Extremely poor graphics driver support at time of review
-Low battery life
-High system noise
-Small touchpad
-Bulky power adapter

Shortcut

What we like

Excellent balance between chassis quality, size, and specs. The style gives off a more professional feel than does the flashy and often pretentious chassis of the Alienware series.

What we'd like to see

The ability to disable Enduro at will can go a long way in improving gaming performance and reliability. Otherwise, gaming performance will continue to be a mixed bag until official drivers improve. Users are better off configuring the Racer 2.0 with an Nvidia GPU for better stability. Unfortunately, the GeForce equivalent of the HD 7970M will cost users an additional $250 on top of the base price.

What surprises us

The super speedy mSATA drive is a definite boon and the display is of top quality in terms of color range and gamut.

The competition

Samsung 700G7AToshiba X770MSI GT780MSI GT70Asus G74Asus G75VAlienware M15xXMG P702 PRO, Alienware M17x R4, Alienware M18x R2 Crossfire

Rating

Eurocom Racer 2.0 - 08/15/2012 v3(old)
Allen Ngo

Chassis
86%
Keyboard
86%
Pointing Device
78%
Connectivity
86%
Weight
69%
Battery
65%
Display
89%
Games Performance
89%
Application Performance
98%
Temperature
82%
Noise
65%
Add Points
86%
Average
82%
85%
Gaming - Weighted Average
> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > Reviews > Archive of our own reviews > Review Update Eurocom Racer 2.0 (Clevo P150EM barebones) Notebook
Allen Ngo, 2012-08-15 (Update: 2013-06- 6)