Eurocom Monster 1.0 (Clevo W110ERF) Review: Biggest Isn't Always Better Discussion

[invisible]

I know that Ivy Bridge supplies native USB 3.0, but some manufacturers may still opt for a third party chip, like some of the Z77 motherboards reviewed by Anandtech.

Like the ASRock.

Two USB 3.0 at rear (PCH)
Two USB 3.0 at rear (ASMedia 1042)

[Generic User #2]

is there an actual technical reason to care? or is it buying it for the label?

[invisible]

is there an actual technical reason to care? or is it buying it for the label?

Drivers. For me I've always had best success and compatibility with Intel drivers (sans graphics drivers ).

[Charles P. Jefferies]

Thanks for the comments on the review. I agree with the comments defending the 11.6" screen choice - Clevo didn't produce this as a 12.5" or 13.3" for a reason. Since Alienware is no longer making the M11x, this is the only viable choice for an 11.6" portable gaming notebook. It works nicely IMO. I still can't believe they were able to fit all that power in such a small chassis. This thing is almost identical to a netbook!

FYI I did test the USB 3.0 functionality with my WD Passport USB 3.0 external HDD, it was flawless. Can't say the same about the non-Intel USB 3.0 support in my HP EliteBook, which has been troublesome since day one. It is about time Intel added native chipset support for it. We should see a lot more notebooks coming with USB 3.0 because of that; it was expensive to do before due to the need for a daughter board.

[Karamazovmm]

I sincerely find this interesting, but too small for me, I wouldnt be able to stare at that screen for a long time, 13'' is perfect for me.

It would make the keyboard better
It would have more possibilities regarding screens, including higher res ones
It would improve cooling
I would buy it.

though I like the w110er, its not for me though

[HTWingNut]

Right. But it is what it is. I just hope Clevo considers a 13" form factor though.

Glad NBR took temperatures of the casing. Pretty much < 100F everywhere (38C) when the CPU is running ~ 85-90C in most heavy load scenarios. Very good temperature isolation.

Of course having better control of the fan would be ideal. It's clear they chose noise (or lack of) over idle heat, but it would be nice to have options, like the Fn+1 fan toggle full throttle on the other Clevo models.

I'm a bit surprised by the battery life test too. With my "power saver" test, one web page refreshed every fifteen minutes, and brightness at 30%, I barely managed 4 hours with 5% battery life left. NBR test was 70% brightness, "balanced" power profile, page refresh every 60 seconds and with an i7-3720QM over the i7-3610QM in my machine, and gets 4 hrs 10 mins.

[Charles P. Jefferies]

Do you have an SSD? We have the Intel 520 series 120GB in the review unit.

Right. But it is what it is. I just hope Clevo considers a 13" form factor though.

Glad NBR took temperatures of the casing. Pretty much < 100F everywhere (38C) when the CPU is running ~ 85-90C in most heavy load scenarios. Very good temperature isolation.

Of course having better control of the fan would be ideal. It's clear they chose noise (or lack of) over idle heat, but it would be nice to have options, like the Fn+1 fan toggle full throttle on the other Clevo models.

I'm a bit surprised by the battery life test too. With my "power saver" test, one web page refreshed every fifteen minutes, and brightness at 30%, I barely managed 4 hours with 5% battery life left. NBR test was 70% brightness, "balanced" power profile, page refresh every 60 seconds and with an i7-3720QM over the i7-3610QM in my machine, and gets 4 hrs 10 mins.

[HTWingNut]

Do you have an SSD? We have the Intel 520 series 120GB in the review unit.

I considered that after a bit. I do have an SSD, but a WD SiliconEdge Blue. I may throw in my Intel X25-M 120GB in there and see what happens. I also ordered a 256GB Samsung 830 ($240!!! ) that should show some benefit.

[Wu Jen]

Nice review, some of the resellers are shipping these with i7-3820qm's 2.7Ghz/3.7Ghz chips installed, same 45W Max TDP. One thing I didn't see in the review was the mention of Clevo locking the CPU from turbo boosting when the GPU is under load. This has been mentioned in the other reviews of the unit. I wonder if its due to the CPU/GPU sharing a common heatsink? I.e. too much thermal for it to dissipate at the same time if under load? Just a thought.

[HTWingNut]

That's the idea behind it. Although I don't always see my CPU throttling