Origin EON17-S

Desktop performance in a gaming laptop is something we've chased forever. The latest and greatest components including Nvidia's Maxwell GPU series have taken mobile computing closer than it's ever been to a solid 60 frames per second.

This year, the line that separates gaming desktops and laptops is getting even blurrier. Both MSI and Alienware have developed external GPU boxes to give notebooks an extra kick of performance from a desktop graphics card. Now, Origin has thrown a desktop processor inside its latest EON15-X.

I'm not joking around. The 15.6-inch Origin EON15-X has a full-size desktop processor tucked inside with the CPU bracket and all. What's more, this machine also comes equipped with the best GPU currently available, the Nvidia GTX 980M. These top-tier parts work together to make the EON15-X one of the best performing machines I've ever tested.

Design

Last year the Origin EON17-S wowed us with its subtle design. The EON15-X takes the company's reserved styling one step farther. Gone are the flared dimples on the back of the screen lid, leaving a flat and simple rubberized top with a few angular lines and a silver Origin logo printed in the center.

Likewise, the light up equalizer has been replaced with a much more functional set of indicator lights for hard drive activity, the number lock, airplane mode and other settings. Even the rear vents on this laptop are a bit more mature thanks to solid metal fins adding extra protection to the exposed heatsinks.

While the trackpad doesn't light up as it does on Origin's EON-S gaming laptops, the front edge of the machine features a small light strip that can be customized to any color. Fully customizable backlighting also makes its return with the keyboard, allowing users to turn it into a dance floor for their fingers as they game.

The entire interior of the notebook is covered with a rubber finish that feels soft against my palms during long hours of use, however it stains like the dickens from even just a bit of sweat.

The EON15-X is also made with an entirely plastic chassis, which is nice and solid without feeling chintzy at all. Overall, it's not a bad looking machine and with a black lid, this laptop won't stick out too much until someone notices the aggressive rear vents and multi-colored keyboard.

Working off the pounds

Although the Origin EON15-X comes packing a desktop processor under the hood, amazingly it only measures 1.4 inches thick. Again, that's with the full-size processor and CPU bracket along with heatsink to keep it cool, plus the the laptop chassis holding everything together.

To make it all possible, Origin worked closely with Clevo, the original design manufacturer of many of Origin's gaming notebooks, to gut the EON15-X of any unnecessary weight. This included removing the optical drive and developing a cooling system for both the GPU and CPU with only one heatsink, which also helps make this machine run much cooler than most other gaming laptops.

Overall, these weight savings have added up to a much slimmer but still heavy machine that measures in at 1.4 inches (35 mm) and tips the scales at 7.5 pounds (3,401 grams). This makes it only slightly heavier and thicker than the mobile processor-equipped Alienware 15, which is 1.33 inches (34mm) thick and weighs 7.07 pounds (3,207 grams). It's an amazing feat that Origin and Clevo have managed to fit a desktop processor into a laptop that's not much bigger than its primary competitor.