May 27, 2009 3:45 PM PDT

iCore-driven Clevo D900F notebook a beast

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Normally, when you're reading off specs for laptops, an Intel Core i7 quad-core processor isn't listed--for gaming laptops, desktop replacements, or otherwise--and with good reason. We've had a few quad-core systems in the past, like the Toshiba Qosmio X305, but those Q9000 CPUs were made for these notebooks. So, what do you get when you cram a desktop processor into a notebook? A beast.

AVADirect will be the first reseller in the U.S. to offer a notebook using the Intel Core i7 quad-core desktop processor. The Clevo D900F 17-inch gaming notebook can pack up to 12GB of DDR3, 1.5TB (500GB times three) of storage with RAID support, Nvidia GTX 280M graphics with 1GB GDDR3, and a 12-cell battery.

(Credit: AVADirect)

Unfortunately, the spec sheet doesn't say how long you can expect that 12-cell battery to last when you're running this thing. Suffice it to say you'll be plugged in most, if not all, of the time. And at 11.9 pounds of hardware meat--excluding adapter plug--I don't think carrying it around on a regular basis is going to enter the mind, so it works out. If nothing else, at least this will be the most compact Core i7 box on the market.

The D900F is not an entirely new design. It was based on an older model known as the D901C. This model also used a desktop processor and desktop components, but was based on the aging Core 2 technology.

AVADirect started taking preorders as of last week and plans to ship out the notebooks to expecting customers the first week in July. Starting price for the notebook is currently $2,538, with the sky being the limit depending on how high you configure it.