AVADirect puts desktop Sandy Bridge-E in gaming notebook
updated 07:40 pm EST, Tue February 7, 2012
Desktop replacement sports 6-core Intel CPU
Cleveland-based AVADirect is accepting pre-orders for a new gaming portable that integrates one of the refreshed, Sandy Bridge-E Intel Core i7 desktop processors into a laptop form factor. The Clevo P270WM is a 17.3-inch desktop replacement that can come equipped with either a 3.2GHz or 3.3GHz Extreme Edition chip. It can also house dual NVIDIA mobile graphics chips in SLI.
The Clevo carries a 1080p native display. The basic video is still high end, an NVIDIA GeForce 580M with 2GB of memory, but can be supplemented by a second 580M or replaced a Quadro 5010M workstation GPU for pro use. It sports up to three SATA 3 or SSD drives. Memory options range from 4GB to a large 32GB. The PC also provides HDMI video out and a backlit keyboard. A DVD burning drive is included that can be upgraded to a Blu-ray burner.
The base configuration is priced at $3,070. It includes the 3.2GHz Core i7, a single NVIDIA GTX 580M, 4GB of RAM, a 750GB hard drive, and Windows 7 Home Premium. A second twin GPU can be added for $798 or upgraded to the Quadro GPU for $1,610. An upgrade to the 3.3GHz processor adds $298. The Clevo comes in basic black, but can be customized for an additional $350. AVADirect hasn't said when it will begin shipping the P270WM.
