Clevo had recently released the first Sandy Bridge E based laptop some time back, joining it are the Eurocom Panther 4.0 and Maingear Titan 17. Below are the spec sheets of the two :
Eurocom Panther 4.0
| Specifications of Eurocom Panther 4.0 | |
| Screen | 17.3″ LED Backlit (Options for glossy/matte and 120Hz 3D) |
| Resolution | 1920×1080 |
| Processor | Intel Core i7-3930K (6/12, 3.2GHz/3.8GHz, 12MB L3) or Intel Core i7-3960X (6/12, 3.3GHz/3.9GHz, 15MB L3) |
| Graphics | NVIDIA: GTX 580M, 560M; Quadro 5010M, 4000M, 3000M (Options for SLI) AMD: HD 6990M, 6970M (Options for CrossFire) |
| Memory | Up to 64GB (4x16GB) DDR3-1866 |
| Storage | Up to 3x1TB (Options for SSD or hybrid drives) |
| Optical Drive | DVD-RW, BD-RW, or fourth hard drive |
| Connectivity | 3x USB 3.0 2x USB 2.0 eSATA ExpressCard 34/54 FireWire 400 DisplayPort 1.2 DL-DVI HDMI 1.4 Gigabit Ethernet WiFi Audio in/out |
| Dimensions (WxDxH) | 16.8″ x 11.4″ x 2.5″ |
| Weight | 12.1lb |
| Price | N/A |
| Availability | March 15, 2012 |
Eurocom has lots of graphic choices and can accommodate a fourth hard drive instead of an optical drive. Apart from this, there is not much difference between the Panther 4.0 and Clevo’s P270WM. Euorocom also has the advantage in the fact that it has support for 120 Hz 3D display and 16 GB SO-DIMMS, despite the high cost of these modules. As the price for the Panther 4.0 has not been revealed, it is difficult to judge whether it is better than the Clevo P270Wm, which has been priced at $3122. Eurocom is likely to have a price premium as they do extra testing and validation on their end .
Maingear Titan 17
| Specifications of Maingear Titan 17 | |
| Screen | 17.3″ LED Backlit (Option for 120Hz 3D) |
| Resolution | 1920×1080 |
| Processor | Intel Core i7-3930K (6/12, 3.2GHz/3.8GHz, 12MB L3) or Intel Core i7-3960X (6/12, 3.3GHz/3.9GHz, 15MB L3) |
| Graphics | NVIDIA GTX 580M with 2GB GDDR5 (Optional SLI) NVIDIA Quadro 5010M with 4GB GDDR5 |
| Memory | Up to 32GB (4x8GB) DDR3-1866 |
| Storage | Up to 3x1TB (Options for SSD or hybrid) |
| Optical Drive | DVD-RW (Option for BD-RW) |
| Ports | 2x USB 3.0, 2x USB 2.0, eSATA, ExpressCard 34/54, SDXC-card reader, FireWire 400, DisplayPort 1.2, DVI, HDMI 1.4, Gigabit Ethernet, WiFi, audio in/out |
| Dimensions (WxDxH) | 16.5″ x 11.3″ x 2.4″ |
| Weight | 12.1lb |
| Price | Starts from $3499 |
| Availability | March 10, 2012 |
The Titan 17 has the same chassis as the other two, though it has lesser graphic options as compared to Panther4.0. But the Titan 17 has the option for 3D display. Titan 17 has been pegged at a couple of hundred more than the Clevo P270WM. Clevo being cheaper doesn’t make it a better buy, when we look into the support and warranty aspects.
If you are looking for a power packed workstation then Intel’s latest edition of Sandy Bridge should do your bidding. We hope to get our hands on these soon to provide you a review and help you decide on which one to opt for .
