The Eurocom Sky X7C (Clevo P775TM1-G) Gaming Laptop Review: True Desktop Replacement
by Brett Howse on August 5, 2019 8:00 AM ESTIf you are thinking about a gaming laptop, but are tired of the compromises that come with normal “laptop” parts, then a Desktop Replacement laptop might be a better fit for you. Eurocom’s Sky X7C, based on the Clevo P775TM1-G chassis, offers more performance than most desktops, but still lets you carry it with you. As is typical of the boutique PC makers, there’s plenty of customization available to slot into your budget, and plenty of performance on tap as well, with insane specifications for a mobile computer.
Starting with the processor, and as we’ve seen in previous Clevo DTR based devices, the entire idea of a laptop class CPU is thrown out the window. Rather than have a soldered-in TDP-limited processor, the Eurocom Sky X7C features socketed desktop class Intel CPUs, from the Core i5-8400 all the way up to what’s powering our review unit: the Core i9-9900K. And, if you really love performance and overclocking, Eurocom will delid your processor and apply one of several thermal compounds, depending on what you prefer.
On the GPU side, Eurocom uses MXM3 cards with a variety of choices. Those on a budget can opt for the NVIDIA GTX 1060, and the GTX 1070 and 1080 are available as well. RTX enthusiasts can choose among the RTX 2060, 2070, or 2080, and if you’d prefer a workstation class card, there are also Pascal based versions of Quadro available to choose up to the P5000.
The 17.3-inch display also features plenty of choices, from a 1920x1080 panel with a 60 Hz IPS, 120 Hz TN, or the excellent 144 Hz IPS with G-Sync. If you’d like a bit higher resolution, Eurocom also offers the 2560x1440 TN 120 Hz display, which is what we have in our review unit, or you can opt for a 3840x2160 60 Hz IPS choice as well.
As a DTR, there are an almost infinite number of choices for storage and RAM, with Eurocom offering up to 64 GB of RAM, with various timings depending on your preferences and budget, and an insane amount of storage, with two NVMe drives up to 2 TB each if you opt for the Samsung 970 EVO, and two more 2.5-inch drive slots which can be outfitted with a mind-boggling 8 TB SSD each, meaning this notebook can be outfitted with a total of 4 TB of NVMe storage plus an additional 16 TB of SATA SSD storage.
Eurocom Sky X7C / Clevo P775TM1-G | |
As Tested: i9-9900K, 32GB (2x16) DDR4-3000 RTX 2080, 2x500GB NVMe, 120Hz QHD, $4205 USD |
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CPU | Intel Core i5-9500K, 6C/6T, 3.7-4.6 GHz, 9MB Cache, 95W TDP Intel Core i7-9700K, 8C/8T, 3.6-4.9 GHz, 12MB Cache, 95W TDP Intel Core i9-9900K, 8C/16T, 3.6-5.0 GHz, 16MB Cache, 95W TDP 8th Gen Core available upon request |
GPU | NVIDIA RTX 2060 6GB, 1920 CUDA Cores 80W TDP NVIDIA RTX 2070 8GB, 2304 CUDA Cores 115W TDP NVIDIA RTX 2080 8GB, 2994 CUDA Cores 150W TDP NVIDIA GTX and Quadro available upon request |
Memory | 4 SODIMM Slots, 64 GB Max, up to 3000 MHz |
Display Choices | 17.3" 1920x1080 IPS 60Hz 1920x1080 TN 120Hz 1920x1080 IPS 144Hz 2560x1440 TN 120Hz 3840x2160 IPS 60 Hz All displays matte, G-SYNC Optional on some panels |
Storage | 2 x 9.5mm 2.5” SATA 2 x m.2 Slot (SATA or 4xPCIE) |
I/O | 1 x USB-C Thunderbolt 3 2 x mini DP 1.3 1 x HDMI 2.0 3 x USB 3.0 1 x USB 3.0 Powered SPDIF Headphone Microphone Audio Input |
Dimensions | 418 x 295 x 39.9 mm 16.72 x 11.81 x 1.6 inches |
Weight | 3.9 kg / 8.58 lb |
Battery | 80 Wh, 330W / 780W AC Adapter |
Wireless | Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC9260 2x2:2 with Bluetooth 4.1 Killer Wireless-AC 1535 2x2:2 with Bluetooth 4.1 Killer Gigabit Ethernet |
Price | $2200 - $5000+ |
The choices continue with wireless offerings from both Intel with the Wireless-AC 9260, or Killer with the 9260 based Killer Wireless-AC 1535. If you’d prefer a wired connection, the Killer E2500 Gigabit Ethernet adapter comes standard, and if you want to connect anything else, there’s Thunderbolt 3 via a USB Type-C connector, an additional USB Type-C with power delivery, four additional USB Type-A ports, two DisplayPort outputs, and an HDMI 2.0 output.
Did I even mention yet you can choose either a 330-Watt AC Adapter, or the bonkers 780-Watt model? The latter enormous power adapter is actually a small form factor desktop PSU, complete with an integrated backlit LCD to let you know all of the statistics, including voltage and current power output.
We’ve tested Clevo devices before, but Eurocom’s rebadged Sky X7C offers perhaps the most customization I have ever seen in a gaming laptop. And although you can certainly spec out the X7C into insane levels of cost, in a normal configuration it can still come in at hundreds of dollars less expensive than one of the bigger gaming brands. Let’s see how it holds up against the competition.
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TheUsual - Wednesday, August 7, 2019 - link
The elephant in the room: Alienware Area 51-M. It is more expensive but if you wait for the Dell semi-annual sale, the price is much closer. The Dell has a better keyboard layout, is quieter and looks better.not_anton - Wednesday, August 7, 2019 - link
If my coworker starts a 60dB laptop I am gonna throw it out in a window.And little kids don’t have four grand to spend on a cool gaming machine. Who is it made for?
Calista - Wednesday, August 7, 2019 - link
It seem like a rather sensible build - for what it is. At the same time and for the money asked someone could build both a high-powered desktop and buy a highly portable laptop. But I guess that's not the target demographics for these, rather the gamer moving from a few times a month from place to place, say a young kid with divorced parents, someone staying at a boarding school etc.Anyway, these tend to age really badly in regard to residual value, and I guess it says a lot of the way we as consumers value these once their are no longer top of the line.
madhupkumar - Thursday, August 8, 2019 - link
How long will Clevo persist with the twin 2.5" storage slots? All that space inside could be used for more cooling, a dozen of m.2 2230 SSD cards, or a warm slice of pizza :Pballsystemlord - Friday, August 9, 2019 - link
Spelling and grammar corrections:"As before, we're looking for results under the yellow line of 3.0 error level, and almost none of the color achieve that."
Missing "s":
"As before, we're looking for results under the yellow line of 3.0 error level, and almost none of the colors achieve that."
"...but TN display tend to not offer the greatest results,..."
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MandiEd - Monday, August 12, 2019 - link
Have they fixed their bios? Clevo should really sort their software mess.