Two weeks ago Eurocom added an Intel Core i7 990X processor option to its Panther 2.0 mobile server/workstation. Now the OEM has gone and fed its Panther the Xeon equivalent to that mighty chip, the six-core X5690. Like the Core i7 990X, the X5690 comes clocked at 3.46GHz on each of its six cores and has 12MB of L3 cache, but has two QPI links instead of one, supports ECC memory, and supports 40-bit physical address extensions instead of 36-bit.

Eurocom says its new Racer laptop is "the most powerful 15-inch notebook on the planet," a claim which hinges on how you opt to configure it.

It certainly doesn't hurt that the Racer is built around Intel's new Sandy Bridge platform, but the real treat for gamers is that "the Eurocom Racer will support up to a 100W GPU which will allow it to run up to an Nvidia GeForce GTX 485M, AMD Radeon Mobility HD 6970M, or Nvidia Quadro FX 3800M graphics solution," the OEM says.

Other configuration options include up to 32GB of DDR3-1333/1600MHz RAM (four RAM slots), two drive bays with support for up to 1.75TB of storage, a 9-in-1 memory card reader, a pair of SuperSpeed USB 3.0 ports, two USB 2.0 ports, eSATA, HDMI out, Firewire, audio jacks, Wireless-N, and a 1920x1080 resolution on the Racer's 15.6-inch backlit LED display.

The Eurocom Racer will start shipping on February 1, 2011. No word yet on price.

The whole 'desktop replacement' category exists largely because of gamers, who demand the same kind of power from their notebooks that they're used to getting from their desktop PCs. But that doesn't mean gamers have little regard for battery life, they just usually don't have a choice in the matter.

Enter Eurocom, which just unveiled a line of "gamer-friendly notebooks" sporting Nvidia's Optimus graphics switching technology inside. With Optimus working behind the scenes, Eurocom's new notebooks intelligently flip a virtual switch between the integrated Intel HD graphics and the more powerful Nvidia GeForce GT330M chip inside for added pixel pushing power.

The notebook line comes in both 15.6-inch and 17.3-inch flavors, both of which run a native resolution of 1920x1080. Processor options abound, starting with an Intel Core i3 330M chip clocked at 2.13GHz, and on up to an Intel Core i7 620M clocked at 2.66GHz.

Other features include up to 16GB of DDR3-1333, a bevy of ports (including a single SuperSpeed USB 3.0 port), 9-in-1 card reader, optional Blu-ray reader, and up to 1.6TB of hard drive storage (1TB + 640GB).

Pricing starts out at $1,000 for the 15.6-inch model and $1,200 for the 17.3-inch unit.

If going strictly by the spec sheet, Eurocom's Phantom i7 notebook would nail every boutique OEM right between the eyes. This is the most decked out notebook we've ever seen, and also one you're likely never to see unless Eurocom decides to position the Phantom beyond workstation and server markets.

We're talking either a Core i7 965 Extreme or a not-yet-announced Core i7-based Xeon X5580 (3.2GHz) processor, up to 12GB of triple-channel memory at debut and twice that much later in the year, up to FOUR hard drives in a RAID 0, 1, or 5 array, and either an Nvidia GeForce Go GTX 280M 1GB or Quadro FX3700M discrete graphics to push pixels on the 17-inch, 1600 x 1050 LCD display.

It all adds up to a 12-pound monster with a maximum power consumption rated at about 220 watts. Eurocom spokesman Matt Bialic says the Phantom i7 will last about 60 minutes before needing to recharge the battery.

Look for the Phantom i7 to ship by the end of March starting at $3,000. A fully configured Phantom will cost more than $5,000.