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Reviews / Xtreme 770 - PC Advisor
» PC Advisor says 4/5

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Rock Xtreme 770-T7800-8800

Gaming laptops have always been something of a contradiction in terms. With most notebooks struggling to get into double figures on game framerates – let alone anywhere near to the 30 frames per second (fps) that most would consider a bare minimum for smooth gameplay – playing anything other than solitare has frequently been a pipe dream. DirectX 10 titles normally prove far too much even for dedicated gaming laptops. That is, up until now.

This Rock laptop features the 512MB nVidia GeForce 8800M GTX controller. Not only does this device support DirectX 10 games, but it actually plays them fairly well.

We put a number of games titles through their paces and found that this is one laptop where you really can play games at a ridiculous resolution – as high as 1,920 x 1,200. Despite the GTX tag, this definitely isn·t on par with the desktop version of the 8800 GTX – in fact, it·s closer to the level of the Radeon HD 3850. This is nonetheless impressive for a laptop.

Not that the Rock is just about games. Indeed, as an all-purpose laptop it has plenty to offer. The 2.6GHz Core 2 Duo T7800 is a very zippy processor and, when combined with 2GB of DDR RAM, it makes for some fierce Windows performance.
The WorldBench score of 103 is astonishing, given that a really good showing for a laptop is generally a score in the 70s. Here·s a laptop that can stand comparison with the desktop PCs.

The DVD burner is a well-specced model, stretching even to HD-DVD playback. The expansive 17in X-Glass screen packs plenty of colour and watching the HD-DVD version of Mission Impossible III was quite an experience – although we·d have preferred the HD-DVD to have been an optional extra rather than automatically built into every laptop.

The 200GB hard drive is fairly expansive and its 7200rpm speed ensures fast access to data, while the wireless connectivity options cover pretty much the entire range from a, b and g to draft-n.

Visually the Rock looks very substantial, and there are a few touches of flair. The X factor-style lettering in the trackpad won·t be to everybody·s taste, but it·s hard to ignore. We like the chequered pattern surrounding the keyboard.
The latter is reasonably easy to type on, if a little soft to the touch. The trackpad is reasonably responsive.

Verdict
In many ways, you·d have to be mad to shell out this much for a gaming laptop. After all, you·re not going to have the same upgrade options that a desktop purchaser would have, and that alone should make baulk at the idea of spending almost £2,200. But we have to say that this is a spectacular laptop in most respects. It·s far and away the fastest we·ve seen – both in terms of baseline and gaming performance – which makes it a welcome Christmas gift for the wealthy gaming enthusiast.

VERDICT
4/5


© rockdirect 2010 | Descriptions and prices subject to change without notice. | | |
rock, A Division of Stone Computers Ltd, Granite One Hundred, Acton Gate, Stafford, Staffordshire, ST18 9AA
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