Up-Close With Clevo's New Desktop Replacements
These two behemoths promise a lot of power under the hood—and enough heft to cause fatal blunt force trauma.
Over at the Clevo meeting room for COMPUTEX 2010, at least two different desktop replacements were on display. For some reason though, picture-taking wasn't allowed. So, for the X7200 and X8100, we only have our impressions, the spec we found online, and company product photos to share.
Let's get the specs out of the way first:
X7200 (complete specs here)
- CPU: Intel Core i7 CPU
- Chipset: X58
- GPU: Dual-Configuration GTX 480M With SLI
- Display: 17.3" 1920 x 1080
- Wi-Fi: Intel Centrino Ultimate-N 6300
- Webcam: 3.0 megapixel
- Memory: 3 x DDR3 slots, total max 12 GB
- HDD: Max 3 slots for RAID 0/1/5
- Media Connectivity: HDMI-In, HDMI-Out, S/PDIF
- Ports: 1394b, 2 x USB 3.0, 3 x USB 2.0, eSATA
- Others: TV Tuner, Fingerprint reader, Bluetooth
X8100 (complete specs here)
- CPU: Intel Core i7 CPU (mobile version)
- Chipset: PM55
- GPU: GTX 480M
- Display: 18.4" 1920 x 1080
- Wi-Fi: Intel Ultimate N WiFi Link 5300
- Webcam: 3.0 megapixel
- Memory: 2 x DDR3 slots, total max 8 GB
- HDD: Max 3 slots
- Media Connectivity: HDMI-In, HDMI-Out, DVI-I
- Ports: 1394b, 2 x USB 3.0, 4 x USB 2.0, eSATA
- Others: TV Tuner, Fingerprint reader, Bluetooth, 8 "gaming keys", touch controls
From appearances, the X7200 promises more power, by virtue of its desktop-grade hardware. Yet the X8100 came off as more intriguing due to its touch controls. While physical buttons and dials do a great job of managing functions like volume level and Bluetooth on-off states, doing away with them results in a more sleek look for this 18.4" monster.
Both gadgets are quite big, even for desktop replacements. With a ruler on-hand, we estimate heights of 2.35" and 1.7" for the X7200 and X8100 respectively. They're also quite hefty, with both feeling at least 12 pounds heavy. The mere act of dropping either "portable" on a person's head is undoubtedly enough to kill them. Neither demo unit felt particularly hot to the touch, as they were busy cranking out Unigine renders at full detail.
Clevo is an OEM, which means they sell only to resellers, not direct to customers. Once such reseller is Sager Notebooks. The Sager NP2985 is practically similar to the X7200, save for the lack of USB 3.0 ports and inability to read fingertips. The X8100 is well-represented by the Sager NP8120—mostly. Sager's 18.4" offering also has the touch controls and the specialized gaming keys. Unfortunately, other than also lacking USB 3.0 and the fingerprint reader, the NP8120's most powerful GPU option is the GTX 285M.
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greatsaltedone It is beyond me why anyone would put fermi into a laptop. The battery drain must be awful!Reply -
sublifer ReplyThe mere act of dropping either "portable" on a person's head is undoubtedly enough to kill them.
That was funny. Put more stuff like this in your stories Rico :) -
freiheitner Put about four inches between the top of the keyboard and the bottom of the display and then I'll consider it a desktop replacement. Until then, I can't use it because I have to hunch over so much to read the screen.Reply -
ricardok Since notebooks can't be upgraded (you can only touch the HD/Memory) than I wouldn't say that those will ever replace desktops.Reply -
Ehsan w jeez.....Reply
"GPU: Dual-Configuration GTX 480M With SLI"
still only the performance of an Nvidia 6800gt....so....