Cizmo offers notebooks with Centrino 2, 8800M GTX

Cizmo today upped its ante among gaming notebooks with the release of the CX15. Slipping ahead of Intel's official June announcement, the European PC builder claims to equip the system with processors built for the Centrino 2 (Montevina) platform. The CX15 will unusually run on Intel's low-power, full-performance P series Core 2 Duos ranging in speed from 2.26GHz (P8400) to 2.6GHz (P9400) while also using NVIDIA's high-end GeForce 8800M GTX for video. The combination both reduces the cost of the system while also reducing its heat output and increasing its usefulness as a gaming desktop's substitute.

Along with the more advanced processing, Cizmo outfits the CX15 with 2GB of memory, a 160GB drive and a bezel-mounted 2-megapixel webcam for the system's base €1,260 ($1,989) price. An operating system and 802.11n Wi-Fi are optional t this level, however. Custom orders can also outfit a hybrid 802.11n/WiMAX wireless card as well as a Blu-ray burner, larger hard drives, or up to a 64GB solid-state drive. A launch window is uncertain but won't appear sooner than Intel's release.

The company is also offering the QX1730. Cizmo tailors the 17-inch notebook to the very highest end of gaming with a desktop-class 2.83GHz Core 2 Quad and the same 8800M GTX graphics as the smaller CX15. Memory, hard drive space, and the webcam carry over from the smaller system, though 802.11n Wi-Fi is standard at the €2,016 ($3,812) price point. Expansion allows as many as two additional hard drives but omits WiMAX without the benefit of Intel's newer onboard chipsets. [via Notebook Italia]

CX15