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Reviews / Xtreme 770 - What Laptop
» What Laptop says 8/10

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A comfortable and well-made laptop with plenty to offer those on a budget

Unlike Sony or Toshiba, Rock doesn’t have an established background when it comes to media centre laptops, concentrating instead on the gaming market. However, with a large and sharp display, high-end components and excellent 3D performance, its Xtreme 770 (£1599inc.VAT) had every chance of winning this group.

The 17-inch display is of a similar standard to its rivals, with accurate colours and crisp images. You may have to adjust the resolution in order to make menus and icons larger when not watching movies or playing games, however, as they can be tricky to read.

3D performance was the best in group, as the Rock’s nVidea GeForce 8700M GT GPU offered the most power. We found the latest games ran without trouble, even in higher resolution.

As with the Asus, HP and Toshiba, the Rock features an integrated HD DVD drive for playing high definition (HD) movies. HD content looked stunning and images were crisp and detailed. The lack of a HDMI port seems like an oversight, however, and you’ll have to use the DVI port to plug in an external monitor. Unlike HDMI, this doesn’t support audio, and an additional cable is required to output sound. When watching DVDs, the lack of hardware buttons for skipping scenes betrays the fact this isn’t a dedicated media centre laptop. The hybrid digital/analogue TV tuner fares better, with a remote control to use from your sofa.

Distinctive design
The Rock has one of the most distinctive designs in the group its chassis highlighted by orange and finished with brushed aluminium panel on the rear of the display. It’s far from subtle, but is a cohesive design and is backed by good build quality. The keyboard was quiet in use, offering well-spaced and responsive keys. The dedicated numeric keypad is a welcome touch, and doesn’t compromise the size of the main board. We also found the touchpad large and accurate. The chassis itself felt sturdy to touch, although the rear of the screen didn’t offer quite the strength we’d expected, flexing slightly under pressure.

As well as offering great value, the Rock comes with the most comprehensive warranty cover in the group. The standard three-year European warranty promises to cover parts, labour and delivery costs, potentially saving you lots of money in the event of any problems.javascript:openImgBrowser(·AWARD_IMG_URL·);

That it doesn’t finish higher in this group test is not a slight on this machine, it’s merely an indication of just how good its rivals are. If you’re after a pure gaming machine, the Xtreme 770 is an excellent choice.

Results
Value For Money – 8
Performance – 8
Features – 8
Build Quality – 8

OVERALL - 8


© 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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