Of all the laptops we have seen, handled or reviewed, the least deserving of being classified as one is the Rock Xtreme 840 SLI-X9100. This behemoth of a laptop weighs in at a surprisingly hefty 6 Kgs.
This is just under what an average office oriented desktop might weigh! In any case, startling weight aside, the Rock Xtreme 840 SLI-X9100 is deserving of a review for its sheer brute performance as a gaming laptop as we shall see below.
To begin with, the Rock Xtreme 840 SLI-X9100 has an Intel Core 2 Extreme X1900 Mobile processor, some might wonder why not have a regular processor given its genuinely large size but this processor is hardly something to be scoffed at. The Intel Centrino 2 X1900 runs at 3.06 GHz and has a sizable 6 MB cache and FSB of 1066 MHz. The memory for the Rock Xtreme 840 SLI-X9100 is also fairly decent, 4 GB of DDR3 RAM at 1066 MHz. While this might be considered a trifle small with regards to games and operating systems of the future it is capable of running anything thrown at it for the moment.
The graphics are of course key and the Rock Xtreme 840 SLI-X9100 does not disappoint with two Nvidia GeForce 280M GTX cards with 1 GB memory each working in tandem in SLi. This is sufficient to render any game available at the moment in pretty much the highest setting with both anisotropic filtering and anti-aliasing set to the max. To complement this, you get a full HD screen capable of resolutions up to 1920 x 1200 in a 16:9 widescreen ratio.
Another key feature with the usage of the laptop as a gaming device in the forefront is the addition of eight extra keys that can be used to store customizable macros through a simple software bundled with the laptop. However we would not really recommend the Rock Xtreme 840 SLI-X9100 laptop’s keyboard as your weapon of choice when gaming because it does not have backlit keys and although the design is better and more ergonomic than some, a standard keyboard would be much easier to use. The same goes with the touchpad, especially considering there is no tactual difference between the touchpad and the rest of the surface.
Sound is provided through 4 in-built surround sound speakers that provide decent but not impressive sound quality. Else you can use the Realtek HD on-board sound card with 4 analogous and 1 digital audio jacks to connect to an external sound system.
Other highlights include gigabit ethernet as well as 802.11 N class wireless fidelity, fingerprint recognition, webcam with built-in microphone, Bluetooth 2.0, card reader (Memory Stick as well as MS Pro and Duo, SD and mini-SD and MMC as well as RSMMC) and a Kensington lock. You also get two massive 500 GB hard drives to store all your stuff on the Rock Xtreme 840 SLI-X9100.
The Rock Xtreme 840 SLI-X9100 is quite pricey though and one imagines some would find it well beyond their range. For the simple users we would recommend going for a desktop solution.