|
|
Eurocom Panther 2.0 Mobile Workstation
4 Jun, 2011 By: Ron LaFonFirst Look Review: New system offers many connectivity options, fast performance.
Editor's Note: This article was originally published in the Winter/Spring 2011 issue of Cadalyst magazine.
The new Panther 2.0 mobile workstation from Eurocom comes with an extensive range of configuration options. The system I received for review included an Intel Xeon W3680 3.33 GHz six-core processor with 12MB of L3 cache that drew 130 W of power. The Panther 2.0 supports a full line of Intel Xeon processors, including X5680, X5670, X5660, X5650, and L5630.
The Intel processor is mounted on a Clevo X7200 motherboard that uses an Intel X58+ ICH10R chipset. The system supports 24GB of RAM when fully populated, but the review system came equipped with 12GB of DDR3 1,333-MHz RAM (3 x 4GB SIMM cards). The NVIDIA FX 3800M graphics card with 1GB of onboard RAM supports the graphics engine. This graphics card drives the 17.3" 1,920 x 1,080 display using the preinstalled v8.17.12.5985 NVIDIA driver. I used the 64-bit version of the NVIDIA AutoCAD performance driver for the AutoCAD portion of the benchmark tests, all running under Windows 7 Professional x64.
The Panther 2.0 is not a small system, measuring 16.76" x 11.44" x 2.26–2.43" (W x D x H) and weighing a hefty 11.66 lbs, including the battery. The Panther's sound system includes high-definition audio, S/PDIF output, a microphone, five speakers and a subwoofer, and Dolby Home Theater sound. The autoswitching 300-W AC power adapter is large and also on the hefty side.
The reviewed system included a 6X Blu-ray writer/8X DVD R/W drive, a 256-GB SSD RealSSD Micron SATA 600 drive, and 2x 750-GB Seagate Momentus SATA-300 drives. All told, the Eurocom Panther 2.0 can be equipped with as many as four hard, solid, or hybrid storage drives for as much as 3TB of storage
with RAID 0/1/5/10.
Connectivity options for the system include 2x USB 3.0, 3x USB 2.0, HDMI out, DVI-DL, eSata, IEEE 1394b, and S/PDIF. Additional connections include headphone, microphone, audio line in, and RJ45 ports. An HDMI-in v1.4 connector is available as an option. All connectors are located along the left and right sides of the system; the power feed is located at the rear center.
The Eurocom Panther 2.0 is an attractive and well-appointed system with conveniently located connections. The included carrying case should prove to be durable — no small consideration for a system this heavy.
Performance Testing
I ran two benchmark tests on the Eurocom Panther 2.0, with the first being the Cadalyst C2011 v.5.3b running in AutoCAD 2011 x64 with the most currently available patches and service packs installed. I tested at a screen resolution of 1,280 x 1,024 and at a color depth of 24 bits. I ran several iterations of the benchmark in two basic configurations. First I ran the C2011 benchmark with the native Autodesk drivers included with AutoCAD 2011, and then I ran several iterations of the same test using the latest NVIDIA performance drivers for AutoCAD. As is typical, the performance figures for the latter configuration were significantly higher than for the tests with the native drivers. I performed all tests with Vertical Sync set to the Force Off position, as I usually do for all testing.
Next I ran the SPEC ViewPerf 11 benchmark, the latest release of this industry-standard performance benchmark. For those familiar with the older SPEC ViewPerf 10 test, the results from that version of SPEC ViewPerf aren't directly comparable to the results from ViewPerf 11. The tests of the latter version are more complex and access different features, making a comparison between the two sets impossible.
1 2
|
|
AutoCAD Tips!
Autodesk Technical Evangelist Lynn Allen guides you through a different AutoCAD feature in every edition of her popular "Circles and Lines" tutorial series. For even more AutoCAD how-to, check out Lynn's quick tips in the Cadalyst Video Gallery. Subscribe to Cadalyst's Tips & Tricks Tuesdays free e-newsletter and we'll notify you every time a new video tip is available. All exclusively from Cadalyst! |
|
