Gamer Laptop Reviews – Eurocom Monster 1.0 (PART 1)

When it comes down to 11-inch gaming laptops there aren’t a lot of options available, especially now that Dell has decided to stop making the Alienware M11x r3. A new member of this niche is the Eurocom Monster 1.0 which will set you back about $1,600. With a compact chassis that weighs less than four pounds, this petite laptop packs a third-gen Intel Core i7 processor which makes it probably the best ultraportable laptop designed for gaming.

It doesn’t look very interesting since it is based on a rather boring W110ER chassis from Clevo. It measures 11.5 x 8.3 x 1.5 inches (H x W x D) and tips the scales at exactly 3.96 pounds, which makes it probably the lightest laptop of its kind, as compared to the previously mentioned M11x r3 which weighs four and a half pounds. As far as the design is concerned, you’ll probably think at a first glance that this is a business laptop rather than a portable gaming rig.

It comes with a matte black lid that has a rubbery finish which manages to keep away smudges and fingerprints. This lid is wearing a textured pattern while right in the center is a glossy silver Eurocom logo. The 11.6-inch display of the Eurocom Monster 1.0 has a native resolution of 1,366 x 768 pixels while its glossy coating makes the colors pop but at the same time it makes it a reflective screen so it’s not suitable for using it in a bright environment. The viewing angles are satisfactory but for this hefty price tag we were expecting for something better, especially the vertical angles.

Eurocom has fitted this 11-inch gaming laptop with an island-style keyboard that manages to be firm and quite comfortable for typing despite the small size of the laptop. This model lacks the special gaming keys and the lightning effects found on the Alienware M11x. Both the wrist rest and the touchpad adopt a similar rubbery finish as the lid so fingerprints won’t be an issue. That touchpad is capable of providing a silky smooth cursor control while the mouse buttons sitting below are quiet and responsive enough.

On the left side of the Eurocom Monster 1.0 are the HDMI and VGA video output ports, which are sitting next to the two USB 3.0 ports, an Ethernet port and the usual headphone and microphone jacks. The right side is holding  one USB 2.0 port and the power jack, while on the front edge of the chassis you will have access to the nine-in-one memory card reader.

Located under the chassis’ underside are the small speakers which get quite loud but the sound coming out is muffled. To tweak the sound settings you can utilize the bundled Creative THX TruStudio Pro.

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