Specs. and thoughts
This review will only concentrate on the amount of extra performance, if any, the XTI 3.8, complete with MR X800 XT, delivers over the reviewed XTI 3.6 and Dell Inspiron XPS Gen 2.| System Name | Rock Xtreme Ti (XTI) 3.8 |
| Processor | Intel Pentium 570 - 3.8GHz, 1MB L2 cache, 200MHz FSB - Prescott core |
| Motherboard | Intel i915P (dual-channel support, PCI-Express) |
| Memory | 1GByte (2x 512MB DDR2 PC4200 SODIMMs) |
| Hard Drives | 2x 60GB 7,200RPM drives in RAID0 |
| Screen | 17" WSXGA+ (1680x1050) - X-Glass |
| Graphics card | ATI Mobility RADEON X800 XT 256MB PCIe |
| Optical drive | NEC ND-6500A |
| Optical drive characteristics | 8x DVD-R, 8x DVD+R, 4x DVD+RW, 4x DVD-RW, 2.4x DVD+R9, 24x CD-R, 16x CD-RW, 8x DVD-ROM (read) |
| Sound | ICH6 High-Definition audio through Realtek CODEC |
| Modem | Smart Link 56k |
| Networking | Realtek RTL8169 Gigabit LAN, CB54G3 802.11/b/g Wireless, MSI Bluetooth | Ports connectivity | 4x USB2.0, 2x 4-pin FireWire400, modem, GbE, S-Video, DVI, Parallel, Serial, audio. headphones |
| Operating system | Windows XP Home SP2 |
| Weight | 5.7KG (without charger) 7.1KG with |
| Dimensions | 397mm (w) x 298mm (d) x 49.5mm (h) |
| Warranty | Rockdirect 3-year collect-and-return |
| Price | £2231.56 inc. VAT (as at 5th August 2005) |
| Shipping | Included in above price |
| Other notables | 7-in-1 card reader, space for 2nd optical drive, LCD display at front |
It's no coincidence that the majority of the specifications for the Rock Xtreme Ti 3.8 are identical to the 3.6 model we reviewed a short while back. All that's changed from the specifications' sheet is the introduction of a speed bump in CPU terms, from Pentium 4 560 to Pentium 4 570. That's 3.6GHz to 3.8GHz in old money, and, of course, the user's ability to select a Mobility RADEON X800 XT 256MB graphics card now. The price, too, has gone up for this exact model, now hovering at around the £2,200 mark. We must note that Rockdirect doesn't not offer the standard MR X800 256MB SKU as a cheaper option right now. The other road that users may want to go down is the supply of the laptop with NVIDIA's GeForce Go 256MB (non-Ultra) GPU, which reduces the price by £100 but also reduces 3D performance considerably.
Speaking of configuration, the XTI 3.8 sample shipped with 2x60GB 7,200RPM laptop drives arranged in RAID0 format. For the absolute performance junkie with lots of spare cash, Rockdirect offers a £270 upgrade to 2x100GB 7,200RPM laptop drives that are also pre-configured in RAID0. That's a whopping, nominal 200GB capacity that, Rockdirect reckons, is up to 15% faster than the 2x60GB setup here.
The company was also keen to point out that the XTI 3.8 is at the very top of its pricing scale. An XTI with a basic spec. of 3.4GHz Pentium 4, 1GB DDR2, single 60GB 7,200RPM hard drive, and multiformat DVD ReWriter, as well as the MR X800 XT 256MB GPU, would set you back around £1750 inc. VAT. Hell, just head on over to the configurator yourself and spec. your dream machine.
Our XTI 3.6 commentary on external and internal appearance holds true for this model, so hyperlink over to the original review to re-acquaint yourself with what's good and what's bad about the Clevo D900T-derived design. For those too lazy to click and digest a few pages' of information, we'll sum it up here. The Rockdirect XTI 3.8 is a bulky, hot laptop, weighing in at 5.7KG and spitting out heat like no tomorrow. The use of a desktop, wattage-guzzling CPU makes battery life a secondary concern. It's the kind of laptop that geared towards people who wish for power above all else, with portability cropping up further down the list of desirable criteria. It's big, it's hot, it's reasonably loud, but is it the fastest? Let's find out.
