XtremeNotebooks claims first quad-core notebook in US

XtremeNotebooks on Wednesday touted itself as the first system builder in the States to ship a four-core notebook: the Xtreme 917V is based on the Taiwan-born Clevo D900C and scales up to a 2.66GHz Core 2 Quad reportedly fast enough for gamers and professional workstations. In contrast to a few versions of the 17-inch design, however, the company also offers a 512MB GeForce 8700M GT chipset as an option for DirectX 10-class 3D as well as up to dual 512MB GeForce Go 7950 GTX chipsets for raw speed.

As many as three hard drives can fill the available bays for up to 750GB of storage, with one drive optionally being replaced with up to a quick 64GB solid-state drive. A 1.3-megapixel webcam is standard on every system and an NTSC/PAL hybrid TV tuner is optional for makeshift home theaters, the company says. Beginning systems sell for $2,399 with a 1.86GHz desktop Core 2 Duo and a lone 512MB GeForce Go 7950 GTX. A top-end 2.66GHz Core 2 Quad model sells for $3,359 with twin video chipsets.