Specs and initial thoughts
Specifications| Laptop name | rockdirect Xtreme SL |
| Processor | AMD Turion 64 - ML-42 - 2.4GHz - 512KB L2 cache |
| Motherboard | NVIDIA nForce4 SLI |
| Memory | 1GByte (2x 512MByte DDR2 PC3200 SODIMMs @ 3-3-3-8) |
| Hard Drive | Hitachi Travelstar SATA 100GB 7,200PM with 8MB cache |
| Screen | 19" WSXGA+ (1680x1050) |
| Graphics cards | 2x NVIDIA GeForce Go 7800 GTX 256MB in SLI - 400MHz/1000MHz core/memory |
| Optical drive | NEC ND-6500A |
| Optical drive characteristics (write) | 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 | AC'97 via Realtek codec |
| Modem | 56k |
| Networking | Marvell 88E8053 Gigabit Ethernet LAN (PCIe), 802.11g Wireless, Bluetooth | Ports connectivity | 5x USB2.0, 1x 4-pin FireWire400, modem, GbE, S-Video-In, S-Video-Out, DVI, audio (SPDIF/headphone, microphone, audio input), Infrared, PC Card slot, memory card reader (SD/MMC/MS/MS PRO) |
| Operating system | Windows XP Home SP2 |
| Weight | 6.7kg (without charger) |
| Dimensions | 476mm (w) x 343mm (d) x 30mm (h) |
| Warranty | 3-year rockdirect collect and return |
| Price | £2349.99 inc. VAT (as at 9th March 2006) for this model |
| Shipping | Included in above price |
| Other notables | SD cardreader |
An isolated look at the Xtreme SL's chassis doesn't offer up much. Hiding underneath is a wide-aspect 19-inch display and full-size keyboard. A couple of latches are required to keep the large lid secure. The front's grey plastic finish is punctuated by an infrared receiver.
A turn to the left shows the ubiquitous NEC ND-6500A multiformat DVD ReWriter that matches the laptop's colour. Note just how small it looks in relation to the chassis. A series of four audio jacks line the left-hand side. The Xtreme SL chassis, unlike a number of other DTR laptops, doesn't taper down too much at the front.
Going from left-to-right, the Xtreme SL is equipped with an S-Video-out port, DVI-out, DC-in, a couple of large grilles for exhausting heat produced by you-know-what, a modem port, a couple of USB2.0 ports, serial, S-Video-in, and, finally, a Kensington Lock socket. It's all pretty much standard fare on a desktop-replacement laptop.
Another twist shows a single CardBus slot, a mini-FireWire400 port (unpowered), 3 further USB2.0 ports, a TV antenna jack, a 4-in-1 mini-card reader, Infrared transceiver and, of course, an RJ45 port for the laptop's Gigabit LAN. The number of ports and sockets makes it a feature-rich DTR, although that's not its main claim to fame.
