In anecdotal use, a challenging but adjustable game like Skyrim was playable with just the integrated graphics, and the most satisfying results came from dialing the settings to low and the resolution to 1,600x900 pixels. A game such as this should really be enjoyed at full 1080p resolution, or at least medium detail settings.
 Juice box |
|||
| Origin EON17-S | Average watts per hour | ||
| Off (60 percent) | 0.66 | ||
| Sleep (10 percent) | 1.72 | ||
| Idle (25 percent) | 38.21 | ||
| Load (5 percent) | 96.36 | ||
| Raw kWh | 130.98 | ||
| Annual power consumption cost | $14.87 | ||
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
 |
1,366x768, High, DX11, AAA, 4X AF | |
1,920x1,080, High, DX11, 4X AA, 16X AF |
A desktop-replacement laptop, especially one with an overclocked high-end CPU and a very powerful GPU, wouldn't be expected to last very long running on battery power. Intel hasn't promised a huge gain in battery life with the new Ivy Bridge platform, nor did we see one. In fact, at 1 hour and 55 minutes, it ran about 15 minutes less than last year's Sandy Bridge Origin EON17-S (although the components were different enough to make that a less than exact comparison). Ivy Bridge did acquit itself better in the Asus N-series test system, also with a new Core i7 and slightly lower-end Nvidia GPU, running for 3 hours and 46 minutes.
One of the major reasons people buy specialty gaming laptops from boutique system builders such as Origin is for the enhanced service and support. Our system came with a detailed multipage checklist covering its assembly and testing, and hand-signed by the techs responsible. The default mail-in warranty is for one year, but with only 45 days of free shipping. Adding $70 will get you free shipping for the duration of the warranty, or two- and three-year terms are also available. The system includes lifetime phone support and labor (assuming you pay for parts), which is a nice touch, as is the 45-day guarantee of no dead pixels on the display.
Origin makes a fine custom gaming machine, and is often the first to offer new components such as Intel's third-generation Core i-series CPUs. The overall design is still painfully generic for a $3,000 laptop, but the new back panel at least shows an acknowledgment of that. The new EON17-S is a great laptop for tearing through high-end games, but ironically, its GPU is so powerful that you'll never get to take advantage of the improved Intel integrated graphics.
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
|
1,600 x 900, 4X AA, 8X AF* |
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
|
1,366x768, 2X AA, V Sync Off |
Find out more about how we test laptops.
System configurations:
Asus N56V (Ivy Bridge - Intel Core i7-3720QM)
Windows 7 Professional (64-bit) w/ SP1; 2.6GHz Intel Core i7-3720QM; 8GB DDR3 SDRAM 1,333MHz; 2GB Nvidia GeForce GT 630M + 64MB (Dedicated) Intel HD 4000; 750GB Seagate 7,200rpm
Asus N53S
Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit) w/ SP1; 2.2GHz Intel Core i7-2670QM; 8GB DDR3 SDRAM 1,333MHz; 2GB Nvidia GeForce GT 630M + 64MB (Dedicated) Intel HD 3000; HDD #1: 750GB Seagate 7,200rpm
Origin EON17-S (Ivy Bridge - Intel Core i7-3920XM)
Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit) w/ SP1; 2.9GHz Intel Core i7-3920XM; 16GB DDR3 SDRAM 1,333MHz; 2GB Nvidia GeForce GTX 675M + 64MB (Dedicated) Intel HD 4000; HDD #1: 1TB SAMSUNG 5,400rpm + HDD #2/3: 240GB Corsair Force SSD (x2) RAID 0
Sony Vaio VPC-F236FM
Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit) w/ SP1; 2.2GHz Intel Core i7-2670QM; 8GB DDR3 SDRAM 1,333MHz; 1GB Nvidia GeForce GT 540M + 64MB Intel HD; 640GB Toshiba 7,200rpm
Toshiba Qosmio F755-3D290
Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit) w/ SP1; 2.0GHz Intel Core i7-2630QM; 6GB DDR3 SDRAM 1,333MHz; 1GB Nvidia GeForce GT 540M; 750GB Hitachi 5,400rpm
What You'll Pay
- See All Prices
- Set Price Alert
- Price History
