Eurocom said on Wednesday that it has updated its popular “desktop laptop,” the company’s high-performance and fully-upgradeable Sky X9E Extreme Edition laptop, with a new 17.3-inch 4K display option. This IPS panel packs an impressive 8,294,400 pixels, meaning customers who choose this screen during the checkout process will not only have a super-sharp display, but flicker-free gaming thanks to optional G-Sync technology.
As a recap, G-Sync is provided by Nvidia, which in this case is also supplying the laptop’s Nvidia GeForce GTX 980 graphics processor. Typically, G-Sync is used in standalone monitors, and will sync its refresh rate with the framerate generated by a desktop or laptop’s Nvidia GPU. That means framerates in PC games flow better than what’s seen on the typical monitor, and there’s virtually no visual tearing or stuttering. But here’s the catch. Nvidia’s G-Sync technology isn’t built into the actual screen on the laptop, but instead resides within the main body. That said, Nvidia G-Sync is a $100 option during checkout.
Overall, Eurocom’s Sky X9E Extreme Edition laptop seems to be all about high-end PC gaming on the go. The device supports socket-based desktop-class Intel “Skylake” processors up to a fully unlocked Intel i7-6700K, and up to 64GB of DDR4 memory thanks to four DIMM sockets. Customers also have the option of packing one or two desktop-class GeForce GTX 980 GPUs into this beast, and while dual GPUs are the way to go, the extra chip will crank the final price up a good amount during checkout.
With the 4K display now serving as an option, customers will receive a beautiful 3,840 x 2,160 resolution. If that option becomes too pricey, customers can opt to outfit the laptop with a display sporting 1,920 x 1,080 resolution, which is still nice for a 17.3-inch screen. The drawback is that if customers are looking for a compact solution, the Sky X9E Extreme Edition probably isn’t the ideal candidate, as it weighs roughly around 11 pounds.
The great news about this laptop is that it can be upgradable after the fact, which is rare in the laptop sector. According to Eurocom president Mark Bialic, customers must ship their Sky X9E laptop to the company’s facilities to receive the new 4K display. And because the laptop utilizes the Intel socket LGA 1151, the CPU can presumably be swapped out outside Eurocom’s facilities. The Nvidia GPU is supposedly upgradable too.
As for other specifications, the Sky X9E Extreme Edition laptop can be configured to contain up to four drives for a massive amount of storage. There’s also two gigabit Ethernet ports, a 6-in-1 card reader, a Thunderbolt 3/USB 3.1 port, three USB 3.0 ports, an HDMI 2.0 port, headphone and microphone jacks, external 7.1 channel audio output, Sound Blaster X-Fi MB3 audio, and more. There’s even an embedded TPM 2.0 security chip to keep your files safe.
Customers looking for a laptop solution packed with desktop-class hardware for mobile PC gaming can configure the Sky X9E Extreme Edition here. The base price starts a $3,500, and while that may sound steep, the device is VR-ready, meaning customers who purchase this laptop will be ready for the Oculus Rift when it begins to ship in a matter of days. The HTC Vive will soon follow in early April.