14 DAY TRIAL // If you are one of the laptop users that scream for additional horsepower, you might give the new laptop from 1 Beyond a try. Powered by Intel's Q6600 quad-core desktop processor, the notebook can easily be mistaken with a miniature version of a desktop computer.
Its manufacturer touts the new GoFlex317 HD as the world's first notebook to be capable of supported RAID 5 configurations for enhanced data protection. There is no doubt about its computing power, but it comes at a price. The 17-inch screen and 5.44-kilogram weight is severely crippling its mobility. The 1920 x 1200 screen is powered by an Nvidia 8800 card, and if you're out of high-definition movies, you can always switch to the built-in TV tuner on the left side of the case.
"For many time-critical productions, data security and speed have only been available on desktop systems. For the first time, a portable laptop solution exists that addresses the robust storage requirements and performance needs of these crews who want to be agile and require portability to stay where the action is. The GoFlex317 HD is simply the most powerful laptop currently available with its unique combination of speed and data reliability," says Terry Cullen, 1 Beyond's CEO and Founder.
Under the massive hood, you can find an Intel Core 2 Duo or Extreme Edition processor up to 2.93GHz and NVIDIA GeForce Go 7950 GTX video cards with up to 512MB of RAM. The system is certified for video- and sound-processing applications, such as Adobe Creative Suite 3, Avid Express Pro with Mojo, and Grass Valley / Canopus Edius. The most important limitation in the laptop's hardware configuration is the set of three 7200 RPM drives, that can be optimized for either speed or data redundancy.
The notebook is available for a significant $6,995 in the fully-featured hardware configuration.