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EUROCOM Monster Gaming Notebook Review

SKYMTL

HardwareCanuck Review Editor
Staff member
Joined
Feb 26, 2007
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12,840
Location
Montreal
Conclusion

Conclusion


Eurocom isn’t a household name among gamers but their Monster is certainly a product that’s bound to receive some widespread attention. Its netbook-sized chassis houses components which are typically found on high end gaming notebooks from the likes of ASUS, MSI and Alienware without any of the associated size or heft of larger designs. So even though the Monster is far from perfect and certain sacrifices have been made in an effort to maximize performance, it represents an intriguing step forward for the mobile gaming crowd.

This is far from a “pretty” notebook which will stand proudly alongside today’s Zenbooks, X1 Carbons and MacBooks. Eurocom took a generic, utilitarian approach here but that doesn’t necessarily lead to the Monster hanging its head in shame. Rather, the textured, anti-slip surface will be seen as a thing of beauty for gamers and professionals alike. Not only is the finish nearly impervious to scratches but it also repels fingerprints and water, making this one of the most durable notebook we’ve come across. Build quality is also –for the most part at least- top notch.

Regardless of its looks, the Monster is supposed to deliver awe inspiring performance and that’s exactly what it does. The combination of a GTX 650M and Intel’s i7-3940XM Ivy Bridge processor makes for buttery smooth framerates in every game but that was to be expected considering the relatively potent hardware is only pushing a 1366x768 screen. Even with such high specifications, Eurocom has managed to deliver respectable battery life for a notebook of this caliber. WiFi performance was simply outstanding as well.

There is plenty to like here but we’re still not quite sure who the Monster is supposed to target. It does well as a compact gaming platform but the screen’s resolution and size may be a turn off for enthusiasts. The stratospheric CPU temperatures don’t help things either. Professionals will love the robust CPU performance, dearth of input options and optional .icm screen calibration file. However, the crammed keyboard with its lack of backlighting and a frustrating touchpad makes this far from an optimal business solution.

While the Monster may be stuck in a bit of an identity crisis, it is one of the most adaptable notebook platforms available. Unlike other gaming notebook manufacturers, Eurocom still offers a bevy of configuration options which allows their tiny offering to hit pretty much every price point between $899 and $2500. The issue here is that somewhere along the line of choosing components for a Monster, you’ll realize that Alienware’s M14x with its higher resolution screen, optical drive, wireless HD output and backlit keyboard typically costs about 10% less when similarly configured. The Monster is smaller and lighter than Dell’s compact gaming notebook, making it infinitely easier to schlep around but that’s cold comfort for most gamers. Simply put, you pay dearly for the novelty of packing such high level specifications into a hobbit-like chassis.

Eurocom may be a dark horse in the notebook space yet that hasn’t stopped them from released what could very well be one of the most impressive notebooks on the market. The Monster seems to be a perfect fit for today’s highly mobile world and exhibits a remarkable capability to minimize several of the sacrifices which high performance notebooks are typically faced with. Instead of upsizing to achieve their goals, Eurocom has managed to pack a bewildering amount of performance into a notebook that weighs little more than today’s Ultrabooks. Regardless of its few faults, that’s a noteworthy achievement for a small Ottawa-based company.

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