Rock Xtreme 770-T7700 review

The Rock may look identical to the Evesham, but it costs £160 more. For that you get the Core 2 Duo T7700 processor, which pushed the Rock to an impressive 1.16 in our benchmarks, and an integrated HD DVD drive to bolster its entertainment credentials.

The large 17in screen has a 1,920 x 1,200 resolution, making the Rock the only notebook in the group with all the requirements for full 1080p output - the Toshiba's 1,680 x 1,050 display won't get the most from its HD DVD drive. The latter does have an HDMI port, though, making it more compatible with this generation of huge LCD TVs.

Rock strikes back thanks to Nvidia's GeForce 8700M GT graphics, which powered it to an average of 49fps in Call of Duty 2 at our low settings. Our high settings had it running in the high 20s, so a few lowered settings should have you gaming at decent resolutions.

The style of the chassis is certainly striking, and is clearly marketed towards gamers. An anodised orange stripe runs around the black chassis and the huge screen is backed with brushed aluminium. Once open, the keyboard is surrounded by a carbon-fibre-effect plastic and the touchpad features a large and garish X logo.

The keyboard and build quality of the case are both impressive. As with the Evesham, the Rock has a spacious and responsive keyboard, and the wide chassis allows for a separate number pad. The trade-off is the weight: at 4.1kg this isn't a portable laptop, and the two-hour battery life backs this up.

The inclusion of a fingerprint reader seems unusual given that this isn't a business machine, but is a welcome addition. And, although the 160GB hard disk can't match the Evesham, you get a three-year collect-and-return warranty.

If you're looking for a desktop replacement the Rock Xtreme 770 is a superb choice, and the extra warranty, power and HD versatility earn it a Recommended award.

Author: David Bayon