Reviews / Xtreme 64 - Hexus.net

Xtreme 64

Final Thought from Hexus.net,
"Rockdirect·s latest effort finally brings dual-core CPUs to its laptop line, albeit one that·s not hot on the mobility stakes. The Xtreme 64 4800+ is based on the large Clevo D900K chassis that a number of other system integrators have chosen, and, here, is outfitted with AMD·s impressive desktop Athlon 64 X2 4800+ CPU that provides fantastic performance and all-round smoothness that single-core processors simply cannot match. Rockdirect has also added in a number of high-end components that are befitting for a laptop priced at nearly £2,500.

Once shipping with NVIDIA·s GeForce Go 7800 GTX mobile graphics card, we have little doubt that the Xtreme 64 4800+ will become one of the fastest laptops around, equally at home with high-resolution gaming and workstation-class software. The 17-inch wide-aspect screen is bright and clear and general ergonomics are good. Indeed, if you need to save space but don·t want to relinquish power the Xtreme 64 4800+ may be just what the doctor ordered.

Is this the perfect no-expense-spared desktop-replacement laptop, then? It comes fairly close if you don·t mind the 5.7kg base weight, hot chassis and subjectively noisy operation when under load because, frankly, it·s nothing more than a desktop machine that·s shrunken to fit inside a large laptop chassis. As such, it·s primarily designed to run off mains power and shouldn·t really be viewed as a laptop, in the mobile sense, at all.

Think carefully about what you want a laptop to do. If it·s huge power on all fronts, rivalling decent desktop PCs, then the Rockdirect laptop fully deserves its Xtreme name, because once outfitted with a GeForce Go 7800 256MB card there·s not much available that will outmuscle it. Does the near-£2500 Rockdirect Xtreme 64 4800+ offer decent value for money? Probably not. Does it offer performance in spades? Yes, yes, and yes. A product for the niche market that requires power above all else."