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Eurocom Racer: Radeon HD 6990M In A Truly Mobile Form Factor
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1. Is There Such Thing As A $2000 Portable Gaming Monster?

We grow weary of choosing between super-heavy performance notebooks and wimpy business-oriented laptops. AMD recently pushed out its Radeon HD 6990M, which drops the Mobility designator in an unfortunate move that makes it more likely to confuse customers who can't imagine there could be much difference between a desktop Radeon HD 6990 and a mobile Radeon HD 6990M.

Despite the horrible naming that both AMD and Nvidia continue employing, the 6990M really did impress us in GeForce GTX 580M SLI Vs. Radeon HD 6990M CrossFire by demonstrating remarkable performance and efficiency.

A flurry of testing on our end revealed that the second module wasn’t even really needed in most 1080p gaming scenarios. And the low power consumption of a single 6990M module lead us to guess that it'd be a truly potent solution in a more portable package. Eurocom listened and sent us an example of the form factor we really wanted to see.

The strikingly familiar Eurocom Racer was delivered to our lab in an effort to prove the worth of AMD's Radeon HD 6990M in the $2000 portable gaming market, complete with Intel’s super-fast Core i7-2620M processor. Truly, it'd see more action in that space compared to the workstation segment, where mobile modules in CrossFire and desktop-class CPUs push price tags in excess of five and six thousand dollars.

Instead of the configuration we requested, however, Eurocom decided to instead outfit our sample with a quad-core Core i7-2960XM, which pushed the price up by $731. We're sure a handful of games will benefit from the quicker CPU, but that steep upgrade price certainly narrows the potential audience. If you're in the market for a mobile system for around two grand, we still think that scaling back to the CPU we originally planned to test is a smart idea.

Eurocom Racer Component List
PlatformIntel FCPGA988, HM65 Express, MXM-3 Discrete Graphics
CPUIntel Core i7-2960XM (Sandy Bridge), Four-Core (Eight-Thread), 2.7-3.7 GHz, 5 GT/s DMI, 8 MB Shared L3 Cache, 32 nm, 55 W
RAMSamsung 8 GB (2x 4GB) DDR3-1600 SO-DIMM, CL11, 1.5 V, Non-ECC
GraphicsAMD Radeon HD 6990M (715 MHz), 2 GB GDDR5-3600
Display15.6" Non-Glare LED Backlit TFT, 1920x1080
Webcam2.0 Megapixel
AudioIntegrated HD Audio
SecurityBuilt-in Fingerprint Reader
Storage
Hard DriveIntel SSD 510 120 GB, SATA 6Gb/s
Optical DriveTSST TS-L633F 8x DVD Burner
Media Drive9-in-1 Flash Media Interface
Networking
Wireless LANBigfoot Killer Wireless-N 1103 Three-Channel MIMO 450 Mb/s
Wireless PANRemoved with Wi-Fi upgrade
Gigabit NetworkJMicron PCIe 10/100/1000 Mb/s Ethernet
IEEE-1394JMicron JMB380 PCIe
TelephonyNot Available
Peripheral Interfaces
USB2 x USB 2.0, 2 x USB 3.0
Expansion CardNot Available
HDD1 x eSATA 3Gb/s
AudioHeadphone, Microphone, Line-In, Digital Out Jacks
Video1 x Dual-Link DVI-I w/VGA Adapter, 1 x HDMI
Power & Weight
AC Adapter150 W Power Brick, 100-240 V AC to 20 V DC
Battery14.8 V, 5200 mAh (76.96 Wh) Single
WeightNotebook 6.8 pounds, AC Adapter 2.4 pounds, Total 9.2 pounds
Software
Operating SystemMicrosoft Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit Edition, OEM
Service
WarrantyOne-year parts and labor
Price$2698


While we're on the subject of portability, because a single Radeon HD 6990M has only modest cooling requirements, Eurocom is able to build the Racer into an easily-transportable 6.8-pound unit. Unfortunately, you'll still need to haul around a 2.4-pound power brick to keep the battery charged, especially if you plan to game on the go. While the complete 9.2-pound unit isn't excessively heavy, we'd certainly consider carrying it around part of an exercise routine.

Upgrading to a Killer Wireless-N 1103 Wi-Fi module ($27 more than the Intel 6230 Wi-Fi/Bluetooth combo card) and DDR3-1600 memory ($37 more than equal-capacity DDR3-1333) would have kept our configuration under that magic $2000 price point, if not for the budget-busting CPU. Two- and three-year warranty extensions could prove even more valuable at $150 and $268, respectively.

2. Eurcom's Racer, From The Outside

eSATA, HDMI, and power connectors sit alongside the Racer’s DVI-I output, which supplements its 15.6” non-glare LED display. If you can tolerate background reflections in the name of higher contrast ratios, you can upgrade to a glossy screen for an additional fee.

Gigabit Ethernet, dual USB 3.0 ports, one USB 2.0 connector, and IEEE-1394a are all made available next to a flash media drive on the Racer’s left edge.

To the user’s right are an optical drive, analog and digital audio jacks, and a second USB 2.0 port. Our Racer came equipped with the baseline 8x DVD rewriter, though Blu-ray writers and combo drives are available optionally.

The Racer retains the smooth front edge we like to see. Older solutions often ejected the optical drive tray into a user’s lap when bumped.

3. Under The Racer's Hood

Unlike some of Eurocom’s larger models, the Racer’s battery can be removed without any tools whatsoever.

A single 2.5” hard drive bay and mini PCIe slot are found beneath the Racer’s cover, in front of its main platform compartment.

The graphics module’s GPU and DRAM coolers are separate, but depend on the same cooling fan on the Racer’s right side. The CPU cooler is nearly as large and on the left, but it uses a smaller fan.

In minimizing the amount of space consumed by the motherboard, Eurocom is able to fit larger fans into this compact form factor.

Based on the P150HM chassis, the Racer’s 76.96 watt-hour battery has nearly the capacity as its X7200-based big-brother. That’s a good indicator of improved battery life as you check email or surf the Web. However, when it comes to enabling gaming for any significant period of time, an AC adapter is still very much necessary.

When it comes to portability, the 150 W power adapter is the Racer’s only detractor. At 2.4 pounds, seven inches long, and 1.7” thick, it makes up over a quarter the weight of the entire system, while eating up substantial space in your tote bag.

4. Test Settings And Benchmarks
Test System Configurations
 Eurocom RacerX7200
CPUIntel Core i7-2960XM 2.7-3.7 GHz
Four cores, eight threads, 8 MB Shared L3 Cache
Intel Core i7-990X 3.46-3.73 GHz
Six cores, 12 threads, 12 MB Shared L3 Cache
ChipsetIntel HM65 Express PCHIntel X58 Express IOH / ICH10R
RAMSamsung M471B5273DH0-CK0
8 GB (2 x 4 GB) DDR3-1600 C11
Samsung M471B5273DH0-CK0
12 GB (3 x 4 GB) DDR3-1333 C9
GraphicsAMD Radeon HD 6990M
715 MHz, 2 GB GDDR5-3600
(2 x) AMD Radeon HD 6990M
715 MHz, 2 GB GDDR5-3600
Hard DriveIntel SSDSC2MH120A2
120 GB, SATA 6Gb/s SSD
Intel SSDSC2MH120A2
120 GB, SATA 6Gb/s SSD
SoundIntegrated HD AudioIntegrated HD Audio
NetworkIntegrated Gigabit NetworkingIntegrated Gigabit Networking
PowerLi-Shin 20 V, 7.5 A AdapterChicony 20 V, 15 A Adapter
Software
OSMicrosoft Windows 7 Ultimate x64
GraphicsAMD Catalyst 11.11


With new benchmarks in our suite and no smaller notebooks to compare, we pit Eurocom’s Racer against one of the company's own X7200-based offerings. This should provide an excellent demonstration of the more portable machine's added efficiency, while addressing doubts about its performance.

Other parts of the larger notebook were equalized to the best possible extent. However, disabling the X58 platform's triple-channel memory configuration would heave created a false parity, since that is a built-in feature. Note that the same memory runs at a slower data rate on the X58-based machine due to Intel's official specifications. That lower data rate enables better timings, though.

Benchmark Configuration
3D Games
DiRT 3V1.01, Run with -benchmark example_benchmark.xml
Test Set 1: High Quality Preset, No AA
Test Set 2: Ultra Quality Preset, 8x AA
Metro 2033Full Game, Built-In Benchmark, "Frontline" Scene
Test Set 1: DX11, High, AAA, 4x AF, No PhysX, No DoF
Test Set 2: DX11, Very High, 4x AA, 16x AF, No PhysX, DoF On
StarCraft IIVersion 1.4.1.19776, Tom's Hardware custom map
Test Set 1: High Texture, High Quality
Test Set 2: Ultra Textures, Extreme Quality
Audio/Video Encoding
iTunesVersion 10.4.1.10 x64: Audio CD (Terminator II SE), 53 minutes, default AAC format 
Lame MP3Version 3.98.3: Audio CD "Terminator II SE", 53 min, convert WAV to MP3 audio format, Command: -b 160 --nores (160 Kb/s)
HandBrake CLIVersion 0.95: "Big Buck Bunny" (720x480, 23.972 FPS) 5 Minutes, Audio: Dolby Digital, 48 000 Hz, Six-Channel, English, to Video: AVC Audio: AC3 Audio2: AAC (High Profile)
MainConcept ReferenceVersion: 2.2.0.5440: MPEG-2 to H.264, MainConcept H.264/AVC Codec, 28 sec HDTV 1920x1080 (MPEG-2), Audio: MPEG-2 (44.1 kHz, Two-Channel, 16-Bit, 224 Kb/s), Codec: H.264 Pro, Mode: PAL 50i (25 FPS), Profile: H.264 BD HDMV
Productivity
Adobe Photoshop CS5Version 12.1 x64: Filter 15.7 MB TIF Image: Radial Blur, Shape Blur, Median, Polar Coordinates
Autodesk 3ds Max 2012Version 14.0 x64: Space Flyby Mentalray, 248 Frames, 1440x1080
WinZipVersion 15.5 Pro: THG-Workload (464 MB) to ZIP, command line switches "-a -ez -p -r"
WinRARVersion 4.01: THG-Workload (464 MB) to RAR, command line switches "winrar a -r -m3"
7-ZipVersion 9.22: THG-Workload (464 MB) to .7z, command line switches "a -t7z -r -m0=LZMA2 -mx=5"
ABBYY FineReaderVersion 10.0.102.82: Read PDF save to Doc, Source: Political Economy (J. Broadhurst 1842) 111 Pages
5. Benchmark Results: 3D Games

Since dual-module graphics arrays are available on Eurocom's larger X7200 platform, we decided to include CrossFire-based numbers in our performance charts. The performance advantage made available by two GPUs isn’t completely fair to the smaller machine, however, since you simply cannot cram two graphics modules in the more compact form factor. So, we left its data at the bottom of each chart as a point of comparison.

Eurocom's Racer blows right past the desktop-oriented Core i7-990X in both DiRT 3 and Metro 2033 with a single GPU installed in both machines. CrossFire is mandatory in order to make the highest Metro 2033 settings playable, however, since the 6990M is nothing more than a reduced-power version of AMD's desktop Radeon HD 6870 graphics processor.

StarCraft II is choked up by the CPUs in both systems. This postulation becomes even more demonstrable when a second GPU is added. The X7200’s Core i7-990X desktop processor barely edges past the Racer’s energy-saving notebook chip.

6. Benchmark Results: Non-Gaming Applications

We could have made this a gaming comparison, but that would have partly ignored the rationale behind Eurocom’s quad-core notebook processor upgrade. We still wish the company would have included the dual-core chip as a reduced-cost reference point, because we still think the $700+ upsell is exorbitant.

The Racer doesn’t exactly crush the competition in single-threaded audio conversion apps, but it’s nice to see the low-power CPU edge past its high-energy rival, quantifying the advantages of Sandy Bridge over last-generation's Gulftown design.

Higher scores are bad news in our timed benchmarks, and the Core i7-990X’s two additional cores give it a big advantage in both of our video conversion tests, despite the fact that they don't leverage the superior Sandy Bridge architecture.

Adobe Photoshop, ABBYY FineReader, and 3ds Max again show why some users will always choose more cores over a better architecture. Fortunately, Sandy Bridge-E means that decision is no longer necessary, though we haven't seen Intel's server-oriented design find its way into notebooks yet. If you really need what amounts to a mobile workstation, platforms like that are available through vendors like Eurocom.

None of our compression apps, aside from 7-Zip to a very small extent, demonstrate the ability to exploit the Core i7-990X's extra cores, making up for some of the Racer's losses in the other charts on this page.

7. Power, Battery Life, And Efficiency

With its sleep settings disabled, the Eurocom Racer’s Core i7-2960XM pulls less than half of the idle power seen from the X7200’s Core i7-990X. Although its power advantage drops below 50% under a full load, the mobile processor still looks great in comparison.

Battery conditioning alters Battery Eater Pro run times slightly, so expect a margin of error a few minutes in either direction. What we can see is that the second GPU in our X7200 CrossFire configuration idles down almost completely in this test.

With nearly as much battery power available and hardware that exacts roughly half of the power consumption, it's no surprise to see Eurocom's Racer run almost twice as long on a charge compared to the X7200.

Incidentally, its smaller adapter also takes longer to charge the attached battery compared to the X7200.

A slight lead in game performance brings the Racer up to 90% its heavier competition's average performance.

The addition of CrossFire requires just enough CPU overhead to reduce the X7200’s productivity performance by around 2%.

A modest reduction in performance combines with a big advantage in power consumption to give the Racer a 67% lead over Eurocom's X7200. Game performance improvements favoring the two-GPU CrossFire configuration boost X7200 overall efficiency by a far smaller amount.

8. When A Smaller Notebook Makes More Sense

The main reason we asked for Eurocom’s Racer was to test its Radeon HD 6990M graphics module in a less-expensive, more-portable package than the workstation we reviewed previously. When we achieved similar gaming performance compared to the Core i7-990X-based X7200 rocking a single GPU, we knew we had achieved exactly what we wanted to see. The prices for our performance-per-dollar chart were updated Christmas week.

No good deed goes unpunished, though, and a 10% average performance loss in our productivity suite moving from the Core i7-990X to the mobile Sandy Bridge-based part diminished the overall value chart slightly.

Both notebooks include 1920x1080 displays, and all three configurations are capable of playing most games at moderately high quality settings using that resolution.

Based on the desktop Radeon HD 6870, AMD's Radeon HD 6990M proves itself to be an almost-perfect notebook-oriented GPU by combining moderately-high performance with moderately-low power consumption. While it can’t outperform the power-hungry GeForce GTX 580M in most games, the graphics chip does let Eurocom build one of the few portable gaming rigs we wouldn’t mind carrying around. Our only reservation in making a full-fledged recommendation favoring the Racer has to do with its price. Had we been able to compare this notebook sporting Intel's quad-core processor to a dual-core model, we think you would have been even more impressed with the configuration's value.