Internal look
The central section is reserved for system memory. Rock specifies 1GB (2x512MB) of DDR2-533 memory that's run in dual-channel mode. You can fill the upper slots on each side with another 1GB. Thoughtfully, the section's cover has a small fan that keeps the modules relatively cool.
The bottom-right portion belongs to the graphics module. Rock shipped the review sample with an ATI Mobility RADEON X800, although current model ship with the faster XT variant (for an extra £50). Potential buyers can also specify NVIDIA's GeForce 6800 Go 256MB at no extra cost (non-Ultra, however). The card's cooling also uses a heatpipe-driven approach, with a small fan providing the cooling element. The design's easy to upgrade, too.
Where Rock scores big is in storage size and speed. Rather than lump a single large hard drive in, there's a couple of nippy 60GB 7,200RPM drives that are pre-configured in RAID0 format. It slows down the laptop's boot time a little, yet the extra speed, immediately noticeable in Windows when moving large files around, more than makes up for the extended boot time.
Software
Rock's bundles tend to be generic in nature, which is to be expected from a vendor that sells a number of similar laptops. Just like a regular desktop PC, we'd expect a comprehensive bundle. Rock scores points by having some form of Office-type bundle. Ability Office is easy to use, comprehensive, and cheaper than Microsoft's solution. Windows XP Home is provided as a recovery CD, which has the RAID driver slipstreamed into it and acts as a regular Windows installation CD. Further, there's CDs for Bluetooth and WLAN installation and configuration software, Roxio Creator 7, Napster trial, Panda Titanium AntiVirus 2004 (full version), and one for the many device drivers.
Rock's manual is excellent. It delves into detail in just the right places and answers any question that we could come up with. It's good for novice and experienced users alike, which is the hallmark of any good manual. A laptop bag is also included. It does feel cheap and tacky, though.
Warranty and support
Rock's warranty on the Xtreme Ti is pretty good in relation to the rest of the industry. It's a 3-year collect-and-return. Support for all laptops is handled by Mobile Support, and they can be contacted via an 0871 (national rate) telephone number.
General usage observations
Specifications and physical examination only tell you one part of the story. Using the Rock Xtreme Ti for any length of time and under load led to some interesting observations. Firstly, the keyboard section does become quite warm to the touch, so much so that it becomes a distraction. The bottom of the chassis also suffers from being too warm. Placing the Xtreme Ti on your lap for any length of time isn't recommended. As Rys noted in his review of the similar Katana 3D-9 portable workstation model, you'd best look at investing in some form of base cooling.
It's a gamer's laptop, right?. It's kitted out with some choice components that make playing games at 1680x1050 a doddle. Being left-handed and using a mouse to control movement led to another problem, though.
What the above picture is showing is a temperature sensor located about 3 inches away from the left-hand side of the laptop. Half-2 is running on the screen. The sensor's position is where the mouse would normally be. Enlarge the picture and you'll see that the air being expelled from this side is very warm indeed; 50c. It's warm enough to make it almost impossible for a left-handed person to use a mouse comfortably. Right-handed people, however, don't suffer from the same problem as there's no vent on that side. There's not much Rock can do about this annoying heat problem if it continues to use the D900T chassis, and I'd urge the company to look at alternative chassis from other ODMs.
Noise
When under full load, both in terms of CPU and GPU, the Rock Xtreme Ti's fans become annoyingly loud; loud enough for a gamer to consider wearing a set of headphones (if they aren't already).
