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Price Analysis & Conclusion
The Eurocom Tornado F5 is the second laptop we've reviewed that features a desktop processor. Our expectations were high, and sure enough, the Tornado F5 performed splendidly, especially during CPU-based benchmarks, like 3DMark Physics, Cinebench, and PCMark. On the storage front, the Tornado F5's Samsung 960 EVO held second place 4K random speeds, although it didn't quite match the EON17-SLX's 512GB Samsung 960 Pro in 128K sequential speeds.
The Tornado F5 is no slouch on gaming, either. Pairing the Tornado F5's GTX 1080 GPU with an i7-7700K provides a formidable portable gaming system. The Tornado particularly stood out in titles like Bioshock Infinite, GRID Autosport, Hitman, and Thief, and did well in punishing titles like Rise of the Tomb Raider.
As powerful as the desktop processor is, it's also power-hungry, so don't expect the Tornado F5's battery to last very long. In fact, it barely delivered an hour during our Tomb Raider battery rundown, only ranking it above the multi-GPU laptops. Obviously, this limits its true portability.
Meanwhile, we were pleased to find that the Eurocom Tornado F5 didn't experience any cooling problems and actually maintained decent temperatures under load. However, at maximum load the fans create much more noise than you would find in a desktop. Maybe that's why it's called Tornado.
The Tornado F5's display is good all around, but it lacks the wow factor that some displays have, such as those in the Aorus X7 or MSI Raider.
At first glance, the Eurocom doesn't appear to have weak spots structurally, but our first delivery of the laptop arrived with large cracks in the chassis, specifically on the hinge and one of the rear exhaust grilles. This didn't impede our testing. We don't think you'll have to worry about daily wear and tear, but a bad fall might damage the chassis in a similar manner. The brushed metal surfaces offer a good amount of rigidity, but the numerous vents on the bottom cover weaken things a bit.
At $3,100, the Eurocom Tornado F5 is the most affordable high end (read: GTX 1080-based) laptops we've tested. Still, $3,100 is quite the price tag for a laptop. The closest competitor we've tested is the Aorus X7, which costs $2,900. The extra $200 (for the Tornado F5) gets you desktop-class performance and a lightning-fast Samsung 960 EVO. For $300 more, you can get the MSI Titan SLI.
If the bottom line is desktop performance in a mobile package, and you value performance more than extraneous bells and whistles, the Eurocom Tornado F5 will serve you handsomely. We're withholding an overall recommendation, however, primarily because of its poor battery life. At this price, we expect a bit more.
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