14 DAY TRIAL // OCZ has just announced a new do-it-yourself 15.4-inch gaming notebook. Although the hardware manufacturer is mostly known for its extremely overclockable memory products and video cards (not to mention the extremely fast solid-state drives), the company plans to conquer the tech-oriented mobile gamers with its new DIY notebook barebone.
According to the company, the new notebook offering will come as a barebone system that can be adjusted depending on the required computing performance. System builders and vendors will be able to offer wide configurations based on the OCZ standard, to address different gaming market sectors.
"For years consumers have wanted to build their own mobile computing platforms, but the product offerings and market simply did not serve them as they did in the desktop do it yourself segment", said OCZ Systems Solutions Product Manager Eugene Chang.
By default, OCZ's new notebook comes with a 15.4-inch WXGA display, NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT graphics with 512MB of GDDR3, Intel PM965 northbridge paired with the ICH8M southbridge, SATA support for HDDs or SSDs, 8x dual-layer DVD burner, four USB 2.0 ports, ExpressCard 34/54 slot, as well as a biometric fingerprint reader.
Users can also opt-in for Bluetooth 2.0+EDR connectivity and an Intel 4965AGN 802.11a/g/n wireless adapter, while multimedia enthusiasts can add a TV tuner for terrestrial and cable stations.
The notebook's technical specifications claim that the notebook will come in a 14.25 x 11.25 x 1.5-inch form factor and will weigh in at about 3.17 kilograms. Most of its weight is due to the 9-cell battery pack that is alleged to offer an effective autonomy of 3.5 hours.
"With the OCZ Do-It-Yourself Notebook initiative, OCZ empowers with the resources like validated component guides, documentation, tech support, and a warranty to allow consumers to configure and build a true gaming notebook with the exact specification that matches their unique requirements", Chang continued.
OCZ also claims that it will offer validated components, as well as toll-free tech support via telephone, and a detailed instruction set regarding the building process.
The notebook will hit the OEMs later this year at a currently undisclosed price. However, pricing is expected to vary depending on the final hardware configuration.