Power, Battery Life, And Efficiency
Our power consumption numbers serve up big surprises from the smallest, most modern Eurocom configuration. The Racer 2.0 consumes only 88 W during 3DMark’s first demanding test.
Those power numbers don’t translate directly to Battery Eater Pro, simply because this version of the program utilizes Intel’s integrated HD Graphics 4000 engine rather than the discrete modules. Identical power consumption with the discrete modules idle allows both Racer 2.0 configurations to reach the same 1 hour 23 minute run time.
The Racer 2.0 is so easy on the battery, in fact, that we are finally able to play games while completely unplugged. The GeForce GTX 660M’s miserly nature gives us 44 minutes of play time in Battlefield 3, while the GeForce GTX 675M dropped that time to around 29 minutes. Those are both adequate numbers for getting in a quick game on the road. But the GeForce GTX 660M actually gives us enough for a quick game and enough battery left over to remain productive.
Better CPU performance allows the Racer 2.0 and its GeForce GTX 660M to nearly match the P150HM in average performance, while its far lower power consumption gives it a 33% efficiency advantage. Upgrading the Racer 2.0 to GeForce GTX 675M graphics demonstrates an average performance gain over the P150HM that almost perfectly reflects CPU improvements. That is to say the GeForce GTX 675M and Radeon HD 6990M appear roughly equal in our specific benchmark set.
