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

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Rock Xtreme 770

In Brief: Plenty of features and great performance from this desktop replacement

Rock has made a name for itself as a manufacturer of gaming machines using a generic chassis so money can be spent on the latest technology. The Rock Xtreme 770 (£2199 inc. VAT) offers excellent power, but it comes at a price.
It·s more expensive than any of its rivals. A large percentage of the cost goes towards the processor, which is a top-of-the-range Intel Core 2 Extreme X9000 chip. Running at 2.8GHz, it·s considerably quicker than the other processors, but the Xtreme 770 fell behind in our performance benchmarks.
In this case, however, the benchmarks don·t tell the whole story and we found it particularly quick in everyday use.

The Rock·s 17-inch display has a Super-TFT coating, helping to provide vivid colours. It·s not the brightest panel, but the resolution of 1920 x 1200 (WUXGA) is currently the highest available on a laptop, and the resulting images are pin-sharp.

Unlike the similarly prices Dell XPS, this machine only has one graphics card. It·s a high-end nVidia GeForce 8800M GTX chip, providing outstanding performance. The latest 3D-intensive games – including Crysis – ran smoothly, and the system only slowed in the highest resolutions.
Gaming is a pleasure, thanks to the large and responsive keyboard, and the inclusion of a numeric keypad hasn·t compromised the size or location of the main keys. We found the touchpad big and accurate, and there·s a fingerprint scanner nestled between the mouse buttons.

The chassis offers sturdy plastics with very little flex, and there·s a brushed aluminium finish to the lid. It·s a thick chassis, providing plenty of space for ventilation. The Rock remained cool to the touch, even after long periods of use.

High Definition
Features include an HD DVD optical drive for watching high-definition movies.
Content looked great, but a lack of support for HD DVD means you·ll struggle to find new releases. The optical drive is also compatible with regular DVDs.
Files can be transferred wirelessly using Bluetooth, and a 7-in-1 media card reader offers access to data from your digital camera, smartphone or Pocket PC. Networking is comprehensive, with support for 802.11n Wi-Fi, and Gigabit Ethernet for online gaming. The Xtreme also comes with a three-year European collect and return, parts and labour warranty – providing piece of mind if problems occur.

The Xtreme 770 has a lot to offer the demanding gamer, and its performance is second only to the Dell XPS. It·s difficult to justify the cost of the Extreme processor, however, and we·d be tempted to opt for a lower-specced model.

RESULTS

8/10


© 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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