Eurocom reveals Armadillo 14-inch Core i7 sub-$1,000 Ultrabook

By Konrad Krawczyk January 17, 2014

eurocoms reveals armadillo waddles 14 inch ultrabook 2 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

PC system and component manufacturers have made a tradition out of giving their products fearsome sounding and/or over-the-top names, whether it’s the NZXT Panzerbox or the Quantum Obsidian X-24. So when we heard about Eurocom’s Armadillo Ultrabook, we couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow, wondering if this rig shipped with a special, protective shell … or something.

In fact, the Armadillo looks pretty austere, smothered in an amalgamation of matte black material and brushed metal; it offers little in the way of visual flamboyance. However, don’t let it’s exterior fool you, because, for under $1,000, the Armadillo sounds like a decent value buy.

Recommended Videos

Weighing 4.4-pounds and measureing 13.6 x 9.6 x 0.9-inches, the Eurocom Armadillo features a 14-inch 1080p display, an Intel Core i7-4500U dual-core CPU clocked at 1.8 GHz, up to 16GB of RAM, storage that tops out with a 1TB SSD, Intel HD 4400 graphics, 802.11 Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, a 6-in-1 media card reader, and a four-cell battery. The default Armadillo configuration ships with 4GB of RAM and a 500GB hybrid hard drive. You can also choose to outfit the Eurocom Armadillo with a TV tuner, though that of course will cost extra.

While the base model Armadillo costs a wallet-friendly $917, it’s worth noting that the default setup doesn’t include an operating system. If you don’t have a copy of your own, adding one to the system will tack on at least another $91 to the cost, if you go with the 64-bit version of Windows 8.1.

What do you think of the Eurocom Armadillo? Sound off in the comments below.

Topics

Intel
PC

Konrad Krawczyk

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Konrad covers desktops, laptops, tablets, sports tech and subjects in between for Digital Trends. Prior to joining DT, he…

Computing

Intel Core i7-12800H CPU outperforms Apple M1 Max in new benchmark

Intel Alder Lake pin layout.

Intel’s Alder Lake Intel Core i7-12800H processor continues to impress, with the CPU showcasing impressive performance levels when put up against Apple’s M1 Max chip.

An insight into the CPU initially emerged in November when it was tested in a Gigabyte Aorus 15 YE4 laptop. The Alder Lake chip performed extremely well when compared to Intel's Core i7-11800H and AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX processors.

Computing

Intel Core i7 vs. i9: What’s the difference?

Intel Core i7-11700K processor.

Intel's top two CPU lines are known as Core i7 and Core i9, but other than that mild numerical difference, what does that actually mean in terms of real-world features, performance, and pricing? A higher number generally indicates better performance, but there's a little more to the story than that.

Intel's most recent desktop and mobile generations blur the lines between the i9 and i7 markers. To help you decide which is the right CPU for you, we've pitted the Intel i7 versus Core i9 to see how much you really get by upgrading.

Computing

Intel Core i7-11700K vs. AMD Ryzen 7 5800X

intel 11900k vs amd 5900x 1

After nearly six months of AMD dominating the desktop market, Intel is back with its 11th-generation desktop platform. The i9-11900K leads the lineup, though most system builders will likely settle for the more reasonably priced 11700K. Boasting eight cores, 16 threads, and a blistering clock speed, the 11700K does most of what the 11900K does, just for less money. But how does it compare to AMD's similarly priced Ryzen 5800X?

These two eight-core processors hit the sweet spot for enthusiasts, balancing excellent gaming performance with enough power to run CPU-intensive applications. Although the 11700K hasn't officially been launched just yet, we compiled a few prerelease benchmarks to see how it compares to the 5800X.
Pricing and availability