When it comes to gaming laptops, Eurocom decided that to go big or go home was the way to go. Cramming dual GTX 1080s and an Intel Core i7-7700k into this system means it has some serious specs and pixel-pushing power. You can be assured of some seriously impressive benchmark numbers, and many AAA games will run at absurd frame rates as there is more than enough power to max out any game currently available. It should prove more than adequate for any external 4K displays. It definitely blows away all other tested laptops in terms of pure gaming performance, with the addition of G-Sync allowing for an incredibly smooth experience if your will to sacrifice pure FPS.

Build quality is also excellent with the system built like a tank. This is mostly due to the metal frame inside the unit, which, when paired with the large heatsinks, gives the unit its rigidity. The display's hinges also feel strong and hold well. When it comes to its internals, the system is highly upgradeable and easily disassembled, which will make a great deal of enthusiasts happy. The extra HDD bays for 2.5 drives are very easy to access. Meanwhile, the M.2 slots are neatly tucked away under the keyboard for easy access as well. As for connectivity, some ports do double duty, but the connectivity on offer here is second to none. HDMI and mini Display Port, USB 3.0, Thunderbolt 3 - the list goes on.

That 780 watt FSP power brick is also a nice change of pace. For most units of this caliber, you are likely looking at dual 330 watt power bricks. This single high output offering not only reduces clutter, it has an LCD display as well, for details on voltage, wattage, amps, and temperatures. It really does make things easier. Speaking of making things easier, the lack of bloatware is a nice touch, and the included software offers some interesting features, such as RGB LED control and overclocking of the CPU, GPU, and memory. You can even set up custom macros. Basically, everything you could want to customize or eek out every possible drop of performance is here.

I do have a few problems with the Eurocom Sky X9E3. First, the price is $4750 as configured, and for that price, you may be getting the highest performance possible from a notebook, but it comes with a lot of drawbacks – namely, the 1080p IPS display. While beautiful, it is only 60 Hz with G-Sync extending the range to 75 Hz. On top of that, the CPU does in fact thermal throttle under load, dropping to 4.1 GHz, which is 100 MHz below the Intel-stated 4.2 GHz base clock. When it comes to the dual GTX 1080 GPUs, they get hot as well, pushing 90°C. Overall, while performance doesn't suffer in any detectable way, it means that while overclocking is supported, the gains will likely be minimal as temps will be the major limiting factor. Even so, the system does come with an unlocked BIOS to help make it possible. While there is that particular limitation, the unit does perform exceptionally well even without overclocking.

Thankfully, the system can be custom configured, which is fantastic. In fact, while I do like and recommend the Sky X9E3, I would recommend a slightly different configuration, such as SLI GTX 1070s with a 120 Hz 1440p G-Sync display, which would likely be a much better fit from a gaming perspective because you can save some money and get similar performance. G-Sync can actually be a useful addition there as well since the higher refresh rate lets the GPUs stretch their legs a bit more for a smoother experience.

That said, in terms of pure customization, you have the option of going with NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060, 1070 or 1080 GPUs, with SLI available for the GTX 1070 and GTX 1080. Users can also pick from among four different displays; 1080p matte 60 Hz IPS, 1440p matte 120 Hz TN, 4K 60 Hz IPS, and 1440p 120 Hz IPS without G-Sync support, while the others can if configured as such. The Intel i7-7700k, i7-7700, i7-7700T, and i5-7600k are available for CPUs. All of this just scratches the surface in terms of choice as Eurocom has gone out of their way to allow for a great deal of customization.

Overall, the Eurocom Sky X9E3 is a few pounds too heavy as configured, but for those interested in a mobile workstation or desktop replacement and able to afford it, it offers amazing performance, and it can be configured anyway you like.