Eurocom lets loose Quad Core XEON-based D901C PHANTOM-X server laptop

It's not often we see laptop manufacturers boast of a one-hour battery life, but in the case of Eurocom's new D901C PHANTOM-X "mobile server," that spec is certainly hard-earned enough to warrant notice. The battery drain begins with a 2.8GHz Quad Core XEON X3360 processor, which gets paired with 1.5 terabytes of storage in the form of three SATA-300 hard drives (complete with various RAID options), 8GB of DDR2-800 memory, a Blu-ray burner, and a comparatively modest 17-inch display, to name but a few specs. All that, not surprisingly, takes just as big a toll on your back as it does on battery life, with the PHANTOM-X weighing in at a lugabble 12-pounds. No word on a price just yet, but Eurocom's non-Xeon-based server laptops already easily push past the $3,000 mark, so you can probably take a pretty good stab at assessing the damage to your budget.

[Mile @ May 12th 2008 12:52PM]

I guess if you need portable servers, right? I don't see them touting 1/2 U size as a selling point.

[alexmueller @ May 12th 2008 12:56PM]

this defeats the purpose of a notebooks main selling point.... the portable part

[Flashpoint @ May 12th 2008 1:04PM]

I see the use of this easily.

This notebook isn't designed to be a notebook so its "portability" is only the fact that it can be folded closed and moved from place to place as a notebook computer.

USE #1 - I host technology meetings where I teach people to use Windows Server 2003 and Apple's Workgroup Manager - Apple Remote Desktop and Apple Server Admin.
UNFORTUNATELY, this can't be used as a Leopard Server (or Tiger) but I could use it for Windows 2003.

With Mac book pro, I can wirelessly use ARD to monitor everyone's computer (on Leopard) and it works fairly well when you are only running text documents.



I don't even think the 12 pounds is that bad considering what this thing is capable of.

Hell, I could host Quake II LAN parties.

[BuddyBoy @ May 12th 2008 1:13PM]

I was thinking "Server Laptop" isn't it an oxymoron?
It's rings in my ears like "Compact Hummer"

[FTY @ May 12th 2008 1:25PM]

I'm hosting 2 QuakeWorld servers on a VIA Artigo (C7 1GHz & 1GB RAM), aside it serving as a Squezeserver, works pretty fine this far.

So this server notebook is and overkill really :)

[r3loaded @ May 12th 2008 2:09PM]

Mmmm, a server laptop.....would that be a servetop?

[computer.dude.28 @ May 12th 2008 5:04PM]

r3loaded:

no, it would be a lapserve

[dj-kenpo @ May 13th 2008 9:25AM]

flashpoint you could be teaching people using a p4 2.4ghz. server 2003 really doesn't require a quad core for the sake of 'teaching' I question whether you should be instructing anyone in computers....

me? I'd use it for 3ds max rendering. but I can;t honestly see myself carrying it from work to home for more than a week. too heavy. but slick all the same

[stefan @ May 12th 2008 12:56PM]

The only use I really see for these are server-software vendors when meeting with their customers... live demo of sorts.

Other than that... even the term "server" doesn't apply... what is it going to serve to whom when on the road? WLAN Bittorrent Tracker for your airplane? No way...

@Mile
I doubt this one would fit in 1U even...

[Mile @ May 12th 2008 1:10PM]

Well, the spec for 1/2 U that I'm written up also cuts the width in half. Special racks are being designed next to support this new standard.

[GvanLee @ May 12th 2008 1:10PM]

The system looks like a branded Clevo to me?

[Ken @ May 12th 2008 1:29PM]

It is. Some dolts at Engadget don't get this though. They keep posting stupid Eurocom product releases as if we weren't able to get this elsewhere for nearly half a year. And if you search Engadget, not only will you find lots of these stupid re-brand posts, you'll also see the same shit repeatedly posted in the comments. Things like "OMGWTBBQ I can't put it in my pocket!!eleven1!" and "wow burn my legzors".

Someone, please, stop posting this crap.

[Basic @ May 12th 2008 5:53PM]

I'm posting this from a Clevo 901c (Sager NP9262).

There's also room for MXM-based SLI graphics in that chassis...

[Basic @ May 12th 2008 5:54PM]

Oh, the 8 gigs of ram is a tad special tho... yay for motherboard options!

[IT-Accountant @ May 12th 2008 1:30PM]

If they stuck a decent graphics card in here, I could see some FPS-crazy gamers seeing the word "quad-core" and immediately reaching for their wallets.

Not that there's anything wrong with that. Not my cup of tea, though.

[Maurice Hilarius @ May 12th 2008 1:32PM]

First off, it is not a quad core.
It is a dual/dual core.
Intel do not make quad core chips.
Secondly, the Intel power consumption on these is pretty steep,
resulting in quite poor battery life.
Basically this is a laptop for Intel fanboys.

[Lein @ May 12th 2008 1:40PM]

So what if it's not a TRUE quad-core? It still beats the EVER-LOVING SHIT out of AMD's latest and greatest.

(this coming from someone who just ditched his 939-socket X2 4800+ for a Core 2 Quad Q9300.)

Sticking with a particular brand of laptop manufacturer I could see. Sticking to a brand of internal component simply because of its name, though? That's just stupid. Very stupid.

[Andrew @ May 12th 2008 1:42PM]

It's question time. How many cores does a Xeon X3360 have? I'll save you the effort, its four cores. That makes it a quad (four) core processor. It doesn't matter how the cores are arranged on the die. It has FOUR PROCSESING CORES. You don't go around telling people with V6 engines that no actually, they don't have a V6, they have two lots of three cylinders, they have a V6.

Stop failing and eating up the 'true' quad core nonsense. Performance figures would suggest there was no advantage in dumping R&D into getting out a 'true' quad core when Intel's 'fake' quad cores seriously outperform AMD's 'true' quad cores.

[Flashpoint @ May 12th 2008 2:23PM]

First of all - I low ranked you.

Secondly, Intel makes the BEST CPU's on the market and they are the LARGEST COMPANY doing it.

How can you accuse people of being Fans of a company with nearly no competition?

[Oinquer @ May 12th 2008 1:50PM]

FLAME WAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!
FLAME ON!!!!!!!!!!!!
PAWN'ed

[Steve Jones @ May 12th 2008 1:58PM]

You spelt it PAWN'ed; that's the most ironic thing i've read all day.

Consider yourself pwned.

[Oinquer @ May 13th 2008 9:37AM]

I know i spelled it wrong, tks for the tip anyway

[dukemang @ May 12th 2008 1:57PM]

For some reason the Mission Impossible theme song starts in my head when I think about this thing.

[K @ May 12th 2008 1:58PM]

Big question is... can you make an hackintosh out of it? :)

[mathias @ May 12th 2008 2:02PM]

I can see an application for this in the computer forensics field. Better to carry around a 12 lb laptop in a big laptop bag than a flight-case sized portable computer. It's missing the important drive-capture bay though.

[DarkLightConnection Unbanned @ May 12th 2008 2:04PM]

You all FAIL. Engadget and whoever calls this a laptop FAILS. Donald Melanson FAILS.

This is NOT a laptop... Not even Eurocom calls (their other model) a "laptop", look at their site, they call it "mobile workstation".... No one ever said this was intended to be on the top of your lap

People, this is NOT to be used on the go... This is meant to be just easily taken away

There are several uses to it... For instance, there are public events where you need serious computer power to do real-time audio and video, usually you have to carry around a bunch of full-sized computers with another bunch of monitors and it takes you serious time to set it all up, sometimes delaying the event because of this.... With this ""server laptop"", the problem is gone. You don't even need a truck...

Another use, let's suppose you have a home "laboratory", one day, your contacts tell you the police is on it's way to your place and you have fifteen minutes to run away...

With a full-sized server, all your data would be doomed. With this, just disconnect and go....

(don't ask what was that lab of :-P)

[Basic @ May 12th 2008 5:59PM]

I put my Clevo on my lap...

It complains about the heat so I use a Lapinator "plus" and it works out fairly well.

The only problem in the lap-bound use-case is the DC end of the power cord is short if your outlet is on your left-hand side.

[geekazine @ May 12th 2008 2:10PM]

I can definitely think of a few reasons to have this. The biggest one is size. One job I worked at had remote offices. They had a Server on location - usually in a closet of some sort. When we had to work on them, we had to usually find a computer monitor, keyboard and mouse (funny thing is if the employee's keyboard or mouse dies, they think it's alright to take them from the server). This would not only resolve space issue, but also compact-ability AND battery backup (Although I would still have it on a UPS).

I can also use this as a temporary server - Another job, we had our Citrix Web Client on a VMWare server. If I ever had to take down that server during prodution, I could fire up a VPC session on another box. This could be a great "temporary portal replacement" in those situations.

I am not sure the power issue is a big problem. First thing I would do is disable a ton of extras. For instance, I don't need to have the Blu-Ray player enabled 24/7. Once SSD comes down to a reasonable price, that would be the best thing to go into a laptop like that. But then again, I would most likely be plugged into an outlet anyway.

[HeavyD @ May 12th 2008 3:35PM]

Finally, somebody gets it. I've had instances of servers puking at remote locations when I would have killed to have one of these. Instead I had to lug a big heavy box to use as a temporary server. Remember boy and girls, not all computers are meant to play GTA IV on. Some work for a living.

[whizzo @ May 12th 2008 2:38PM]

the primary market should be gamers. 8800m-gtx's in SLI, three hard drives, quadcore CPU's.. the bragging rights will be endless. for 6000 bucks that is.

[Basic @ May 12th 2008 6:02PM]

Unless you really need 8 gigs of ram and a server-class CPU the price point tops out around $4k.

I would know because I have one, primarily because of the mxm-slot graphics and the large amount of power under the hood.

[jcup @ May 12th 2008 3:00PM]

For anyone dissing this, obviously you don't have a need for it, and thats understandable, most people don't.

I do! this could replace all three desktops I have at my desk at work, and my two computers I have at home.

I could hook this thing up to my three monitors at work, and run my second and third machines as virtual machines without this thing breaking a sweat.

Then take it home every night to replace my two machines there. One could easily set up a docking station at each location.

I would no longer have to worry about rsyncing my important data through the internet, or pluging in and taking along a spare hard drive.
And it would save me time and money (in the long run) without having to copy my projects over to my workstations at home, I could always work on my current project on the same machine!

The point is, I could see myself turning off 5 machines and only running this one...if I could afford how I built it on their website... ($13000+) (damn)

But of course, like I said, most people do not have a need for this, I don't see why anyone would put down the idea, just cause they don't have a need for it...

[Chrisvanren @ May 12th 2008 3:07PM]

Holy shit, it's my MacPro shoved into a laptop case, minus the apple motherboard. lol!!!

[HCF @ May 12th 2008 6:48PM]

What's the most powerful mobile workstation available for commercial use? I need a quad quad (I said that on purpose) laptop w/ 64GB of RAM. Any such Beast available?

[Djskrilla @ May 13th 2008 12:52AM]

There's alot of people out there that would have plenty use for this "desktop replacement". Anyone that wants to play today's most demanding games while going on business trips. Military travel alot, and you can bet a good percent of them play games as well. Anyone that does video editing or music could definitely use this. Quad-Core is practically made for heavy workloads(video, audio, HD playback, etc...). Actually I own one lol, but I only paid $2800, but I still have 500GB, 2x8700GTs, and this was atleast 6 months ago. I travel alot so I use this for video editing, post-processing of pictures from my SLR, and of course COD4, Crysis, etc...