EUROCOM Q5
Hot-blooded high performer
EUROCOM IS KNOWN for its customizable portable workstations, but every system we’ve tested so far has been, well, let’s just say bulky, and leave it at that. Things are different this time, as we’ve got Eurocom’s Q5 in for testing—another svelte laptop built on the foundation of Nvidia’s Max-Q philosophy. Spec for spec, the Q5 is very similar to MSI’s GS63VR Stealth Pro that we tested last month, so our big question this time around is how much bearing does different manufacturers’ interpretation of the Max-Q philosophy have on performance, power, and design. In other words, who did it better?
That’s a tough question to answer. The Q5 starts at a lower price point—only $1,599 for a stripped-down system of Core i7-7700HQ, 8GB RAM, GTX 1070 Max-Q— but quickly balloons in price once you start going for complete parity with the GS63VR. So, let’s talk about the configuration we tested: $2,499 for a beefed-up spec that includes a super-fast Samsung 960 Pro SSD, 16GB DDR4-2666, and a 120Hz screen.
The 960 Pro is an outstanding inclusion, but also the priciest. Its blistering-fast CrystalDiskMark results (not to mention near-non-existent game load times) really show the difference between Samsung’s performance M.2 line and the slower (but still excellent) 850 Evo. Having said that, it’s hard to justify dropping several hundred dollars for something like load times, when the cost could be put toward ingame performance. Of course, Eurocom’s systems are customizable, so it’s easy to pick the storage spec that fits your needs.
This brings us to the screen, one of our larger disappointments. The Q5’s base spec features a fairly standard 60Hz IPS panel, but our unit featured a 120Hz panel, putting it in line with the GS63VR. While neither featured G-Sync support—an unfortunate exclusion—the Q5’s 120Hz option is of the TN variety. Colors appear washed out, despite professional calibration. There’s also a 4 KIPS option, but again, only 60 Hz, and the Max-Q GTX 1070 GPU would have a tough time performing at that resolution.
Speaking of the GPU, let’s talk benchmarks. In our gaming tests, the Q5 performed more or less in line with the GS63VR: 56fps in Total War: War hammer II, and 43 fps in Ghost Re con: Wild lands— almost identical to the GS63VR’s scores. In Riseof the TombRaider, however, the Q5 took the lead by nearly 20fps—89 to the GS63VR’s 71. 3DMark Fire Strike similarly returned a slightly higher score: 11,957 for the Q5 versus 11,338 on the GS63VR.
Unfortunately, these higher scores were not without drawbacks. Namely: heat. Temperature control was always the biggest question mark of the Max-Q design, and it seems that Eurocom’s efforts on that front don’t do much to assuage our worry. The Q5 got extremely hot during benchmarking and regular gameplay: We measured 43 C in the WASD area of the keyboard, 49 C on the keyboard near the center, where the CPU and GPU are located, around 54 C on the metal above the keyboard, and as hot as 62 C on the underside, where the processors are located. For comparison, the GS63VR measured 54 C at its hottest, and that was the air being spat out of the vents. Temperatures on the chassis itself remained much cooler.
So, who’s the winner? Hard to say. For customizability and top-end performance, the Q5 gives you a lot more to work with, but you have to deal with the price tag that comes along with it. The GS63VR Stealth Pro offers a complete package that’s hard to say no to. Either way, both systems beat the hell out of a Mac.
Eurocom Q5
QUICKSILVER Light and thin; super-fast storage; highly customizable.
QUICKSAND TN screen; extremely hot. $2,499, www.eurocom.com