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

[Charles P. Jefferies]

Overview

Don't be fooled by the 11.6" screen - this "Monster" packs an Intel Core i7-3720QM quad-core processor and Nvidia GT 650M graphics card while staying under 4 pounds and running cool and quiet. Read our review of this pocket powerhouse.

Read the full content of this Article: Eurocom Monster 1.0 (Clevo W110ERF) Review: Biggest Isn't Always Better

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[farsang]

nice review Charles,this is indeed a monster.We are seeing massive performance increase this generation in notebook category thanks to Nvidia Kepler and Intel Ivy bridge.
Its a pity there is no better screen option bcz otherwise it would have been a gem.

[unreal25]

Produces a gaming laptop.... makes cursor keys as small as possible. *facepalm*

[Jerry Jackson]

Produces a gaming laptop.... makes cursor keys as small as possible. *facepalm*

It is tough to have decently sized keys on an 11-inch notebook. That said, Clevo probably should consider designing a custom keyboard for this form factor that uses slightly larger keys for the most common gaming keys.

It would look weird, but I bet gamers would appreciate it on something like this that is designed for on-the-go PC gaming.

[gamba66]

I dont know what to think about the W110ER, it seems it delivers the perfomance excellently but either averages or even fails on the rest. For example the battery life of about 4 hours, the mediocre screen or the build quality.

Id much rather game on my 13" P330 with weaker perfomance and middle details then on a tiny 11.6 inch netbook on which I probably couldnt even tell the difference between medium-to-high details settings because the screen is so tiny (and of bad quality)

Also with the weight of 1,8kg they couldve made a 13" or even 14" notebook out of it, the screen size stands in contrary to the thickness and the weight. My p330 for example weighs 1,7kg while being made out of a metal chassis (bottom is plastic) and sporting a 13" screen.

Many users have also reported high idle temperatures in the owners thread, including HTWingnut, and Load temperatures that go up to 95 deg. or higher.. So cooling doesnt seem that perfect? Maybe someone do a test with prime95 and furmark while checking temperaturesß

[ajnauron]

lol here come the "13-inch laptop in a 11-inch form factor" comparisons like we had with the M11x and the 2010 Sony VAIO Z. The point is that we've never had this much performance in this screen size.

[gamba66]

lol here come the "13-inch laptop in a 11-inch form factor" comparisons like we had with the M11x and the 2010 Sony VAIO Z. The point is that we've never had this much performance in this screen size.

Well yes, but why 11.6 inch when it could be 12,5" or even 13,3" ?

Its still a netbook when it comes with that screensize regardless of the perfomance it has

[Jerry Jackson]

There will always be better specs available in larger notebooks because you can fit better parts inside. The 11-inch gaming notebook space is for gamers who want to play modern PC games at "acceptable" detail settings and frame rates but they want the smallest laptop possible.

The Alienware M11x was a MAJOR success for Alienware during the first year it was announced because it was the first notebook in this category, but subsequent sales have shown this is a niche market (people who want to game and are willing to make some sacrifices in exchange for extreme portability). The bean counters at Dell have decided to force Alienware to abandon the M11x because current sales figures suggest that "most" serious PC gamers are willing to sacrifice "a little" and buy a 14-inch or 15-inch gaming notebook for around $1,000 but fewer gamers are willing to spend $1,000 on an 11-inch gaming notebook with a low-res screen and tiny keyboard.

That said, it's interesting that this Monster 1.0/Clevo W110ERF has the almost the SAME technical specs as the new Alienware M14x. The M14x gives you a better screen option, a better keyboard, and more storage options, but it has the same CPU, GPU, and RAM options as this 11-inch notebook.

In my mind, if you are willing to live with a small screen and keyboard while traveling and you have a larger external LCD and keyboard/mouse at home then this actually makes a better choice than the thick and heavy M14x.

[RiverandSky]

Are we seriously arguing about the screen size being an inch bigger? The idea of this system, I believe, is to have an ultra portable gaming notebook that has good battery life and can easily fit in any backpack.

How about we rejoice in the fact that this system exists, is tiny and offers giant killing performance?! I hope this trend continues. When I clean the drool of my keyboard I may need a new system, in which case I may look this way.

[unreal25]

Well to each his (or her) own. For me 1366x768 @ 11.6" vs 1280x800 @ 12.1" is a massive difference, after using both for more than a year.

I do agree it is interesting that the specs are the same as M14x-R2, but a significantly lower weight (4lbs this laptop vs 6.5lbs M14x). In fact even the screen resolutions are the same if you go with the cheapest M14x screen. I can't say I would consider M14x and bigger laptops truly portable. And I am not quite sure I'd go for M14x given this laptop: it weighs ~60% more than this thing. If you carry a backpack with other stuff except for the laptop, it is quite noticable.

That said, for me the portability = WEIGHT (MASS) and not size. Macbook Pro 17" is actually quite portable in my book, simply because it is very light.