Origin PC unveil a remake of its EOS gaming notebooks on the last day of PAX East. The EOS15-S and EOS17-S both share the HM77 chipset they’ll need to support Intel’s Ivy Bridge, even without immediately using the new processors. They also now use the fastest graphics in NVIDIA’s stable, including both the earlier GeForce GTX 670M and 675M as well as the more recent GTX 660M.
The addition lets them use NVIDIA’s Optimus and gives them battery life more appropriate to a notebook, at up to 6.5 hours if primarily using the built-in Intel video. Options bring it up to dual graphics, Blu-ray, and as many as three drives between a micro SATA solid-state drive, the regular hard drive, and a second regular drive that can replace the optical drive.
Origin PC’s specific touches include an Onkyo-designed, virtual 5.1-channel surround sound system, backlit keyboards, and a chassis that can be had in black, red, silver, or even custom paint. The EOS17-S has the option of a factory-overclocked and graphics. They support Intel’s Rapid Start and can use the micro SATA SSD to get there without sacrificing main storage.
Official starting prices sit at $1,525 for the 15-inch EOS15-S and $1,576 for its larger 17-inch cousin. Actual prices appear to vary, and start out at $1,561 for an EOS15-S with a dual 2.5GHz Core i5, a GeForce GTX 660M, 4GB of RAM, a 250GB hard drive, and a DVD burner. The larger screen of the EOS17-S bumps up the quoted price to $1,592 for what’s otherwise the same hardware.
