Origin PC Updates EON 15-S, 17-S

eon17-sOrigin PC’s 15″ and 17″ laptops are now ready for Intel’s upcoming Ivy Bridge processors that are due by the end of April. The new models come with the new HM77 chipset, which is backwards compatible, so for now the processor options include only the current Sandy Bridge lineup.

However, on the graphics front you can now configure the laptops with the new Nvidia GTX 660M, which is part of the new and more power-efficient Kepler architecture. This is perhaps the most interesting option, since the GTX 670M and GTX 675M are renamed chips based on Nvidia’s older Fermi architecture, namely the GTX 570M (670M) and GTX 580M (675M).

That’s no fault of Origin PC’s, obviously, and there are other updates in the new models besides the graphics cards and (soon) processors. One important addition that was omitted from the current [thanks, B-RYE] previous EON 15-S (and most other gaming laptops except the Alienware M14x) is Nvidia’s Optimus technology, which is now available and switches between the integrated Intel GPU and the high-end Nvidia variant on demand. This will more than double the battery life, meaning that an EON laptop now lasts for up to 6.5 hours away from the mains (when not gaming, presumably).

Another feature we noted was lacking on the current model was a backlit keyboard. This is of course mostly an aesthetical aspect, but these days it’s a feature you expect in more pricey, high-end laptops. Fortunately both of the new laptops are equipped with a nice-looking backlit keyboard, customizable in several different colors.

The sound system was already very advanced in the EON laptops, with 7.1 THX surround sound, and it looks like it stays that way courtesy of 7.1 outputs from Onkyo.

Origin PC has previously used Clevo as their supplier, with the EON 15-S being a Clevo P150HM and the EON 17-S being a Clevo P170HM. The new models seem to be based on the new P150EM and P170EM designs, but this time around they differ considerably from the base models, with a very gaming-esque lid that comes in different color options. If you prefer a more low-key design, the discrete matte black versions are still available though.

Check out the new models here.

Jesper Berg
Jesper Berg

Gaming hardware enthusiast since the 80286 era.

4 Comments
  1. Hi Juz28us! I’m happy to be of help. The thing with the GTX 660M is that it’s from the Nvidia’s new and more power-efficient design, manufactured in 28nm instead of 40nm as the GTX 670M and 675M, so at least in theory it should be more cool and quiet. On the other hand the 675M is still considerably faster (according to the Nvidia post above it puts out 45 frames per second vs. 30 FPS for the 660M in Battlefield 3’s high preset, for example). The downside with putting the fastest mobile GPU on the market (and also less power efficient) in a 15-inch laptop is that it get very hot, which means a lot of fan noise when gaming. As for Origin, I’m writing this on an EON 15-s (old version) so I’m a bit biased (although it’s paid for in full, not a review sample), but so far so good with my unit.

  2. Hi Berg!

    Your blogs are very helpful to me. I had been looking into getting a new laptop for some time now, and I am very interested in getting the Eon 15-S. I was wondering if you can explain a little about the graphics card, as to I’m not sure which would be a better option the GTX 660M or the GTX 675M and the difference between them. Also I was curious if you can comment a little on the quality and reliability of Origin PC. Thank you very much for your time!

  3. Hi B-RYE and thanks for your comment! Yes that phrasing was definitely a bit vague. ‘current EON-15’ was supposed to say ‘previous’. I’ll correct this. The new Nvidia cards are indeed capable of Optimus, so it would have the same effect on the battery life regardless of the dedicated GPU (since it will be inactive and the laptop will run on the Intel GPU). The 670M and 675M will still be a bit faster than the new Kepler 660M, but the latter should be more power efficient. Nvidia has a blog post with benchmarks here: http://www.geforce.com/whats-new/articles/geforce-600m-notebooks-efficient-and-powerful/
    (scroll down for the high-end GPUs)

  4. Hi there, first of all I absolutely love your website and always enjoy reading your updates and blogs. But there was a part in this one that confused me a little. It’s the part about the Nvidia graphics cards. You mention that almost all laptops including the current EON 15-5 omitted the Optimus technology, except the Alienware M14x. but this is not true for the new EON 15-s correct? Because according to Nvidia’s website all three of their mobile graphics cards are coming with the Optimus technology? The only other thing I was confused on is that the GTX 660M is coming with the new more power-efficient Kepler architecture giving the EON 15-s the ability to presumably last for up to 6.5 hours (non-gaming) so does this mean while the GTX670M and GTX675M are using the Optimus technology it still wont be as good as the GTX 660M with the Kepler architecture? For battery life that is, so with the GTX670M and 675M can we expect better battery life then before but still not as good as the 660M?
    Thank you so much for your time and look forward to reading all your new updates.

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