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Last year, the $3,305 (about £2,341, AU$4,114) Origin EON17-SLX was the most expensive laptop we reviewed due to its two desktop-grade parts, and now the $3,637 (about £2,940, AU$5,010) Origin EON17-X has eclipsed that.
It’s a pricey proposition, but let’s consider the fact that it’s essentially a very well specced desktop that also happens to be portable and has a 4K screen. Yes, it’s entirely possible to build an equally powerful desktop for the same price while still having plenty leftover to buy a 4K screen and additional peripherals – but not everyone has the time or space for this type of setup, and this is when a gaming laptop makes the most sense.
That said, there are more affordable alternatives out there, like the $3,339 (£4,399, AU$5,799) MSI GT73VR Titan. Although it may not include a processor pulled from the desktop bin, it’s Intel Core i7-6820HK chip is still unlocked, plus there’s a larger 1TB SSD and 64GB of RAM on tap here. The thinner, though only QHD (2,560 x 1,440) resolution, Alienware 17 can also be had for $3,199 (£2,829, AU$4,199).
The Origin EON17-X may be the most expensive option in this desktop replacement group, but it’s the only one that offers a full desktop processor. The true value of an Origin system comes with its ability to customize the system however you’d like.
The base $1,894 (about £1,530, AU$2,610) Origin EON17-X is merely a platform with a 1080p screen, Nvidia GTX 1060 (6GB GDDR5), 3.2GHz Intel Core i5-6500, 8GB RAM and 120GB SSD. From there, you can build up the system to be a mid-range gaming machine or a media workhorse equipped with tons of storage.
No matter how you build it, Origin includes a year of insurance coverage and guaranteed parts replacement service. Our review system also came with optional overlocked CPU and GPU upgrade, the earlier of which is pushes the processor to operate at 4.5GHz – rather than the 4.2GHz limit Intel suggests.
Here’s how the Origin EON17-X performed in our suite of benchmark tests:
3DMark: Cloud Gate: 31,206; Sky Diver: 34,741; Fire Strike: 17,006
Cinebench CPU: 861 points; Graphics: 146 fps
GeekBench 3: 4,549 (single-core); 17,445 (multi-core)
PCMark 8 (Home Test): 4,085 points
PCMark 8 Battery Life: 1 hours and 46 minutes
Battery Life (TechRadar movie test): 1 hours and 54 minutes
The Division (1080p, Ultra): 102 fps; (1080p, Low): 232 fps
GTA V (1080p, Ultra): 86 fps; (1080p, Low): 182 fps
Performance
Thanks to the desktop CPU and overclocked parts, the Origin EON17-X is the best performing machine we’ve tested this year. Both the MSI GT73VR Titan Pro and Razer Blade Pro wowed us with their impressive scores, but Origin’s 17-incher just smashed them out of the park.
The EON17-X’s 3DMark Fire Strike scores landed 3,000 points ahead of everyone else, and we saw identical results from the processor in the GeekBench tests. In terms of gaming performance, Origin’s desktop replacement also ran games faster with 20 more frames per second (fps) at 1080p Ultra.
At 4K Ultra, the Origin EON17-X also proved its worth, running Watch Dogs 2 and Battlefield 1 at an average 45-60 fps. Our benchmark games, The Division and GTA V, stayed at 28 fps on 4K Ultra but we were able to get 60fps by dropping down the graphical settings a tiny smidge.
The only thing more impressive than these numbers is the jetstream the Origin EON17-X produces to keep itself cool. The cooling fans inside the laptop produces at least a foot of air pressure coming through the back while making a giant racket at the same time.
Ultimately, though, if you’re looking for a machine with the raw power to just smash through everything. This is it.
No worse or better battery life
With all the emphasis on power we weren’t expecting much in terms of battery life. Our battery benchmark tests (PCMark 8 and our standard movie test) and our own everyday usage, confirmed the Origin EON17-X lasts for less than two hours.
If you’re looking for a machine with portability in mind, the Razer Blade Pro offers up to five hours of battery life. Otherwise, the EON17-X’s run times falls in line with the trend of 17-inch gaming laptops lasting for next to no time at all.
We liked
There’s nothing elegant about the Origin EON17-X. It’s a burly, brute of a gaming laptop focused solely on raw performance, and that’s exactly why we love it. We’re finally able to play 4K games with high-to-Ultra settings on a laptop at consistently smooth frame rates.
We disliked
Because of the annoying trackpad, you’ll almost always want to plug in a mouse into this laptop. Coupled with the two-hour battery life, and this is a machine you’ll likely never use anywhere but at a desk. Thus, it’s less of a gaming laptop you can use anywhere and more of deployable desktop you can carry around.
Final verdict
If you’ve been searching for a gaming laptop that’s truly as powerful as a desktop, this is it. The Origin EON17-X sets itself apart from all 17-inch gaming laptops with its full-on desktop-grade processor and overclocked components to achieve the best performance we’ve seen from a notebook this year.
Beyond its ability to play practically any and every game imaginable, the Origin EON17-X is the perfect mobile workstation for editing video and rendering those files quickly. The large 4K screen and booming speakers also make it an excellent media player in the coming age of Ultra HD movies and TV.
The only question left is whether you are willing to part with the equivalent of several car payments or three months security on an apartment to pay for all this performance.
