Home | Forums | Article Search | Subscribe & Shop | Contact Us | Log Out AVA Direct Clevo M980NU Core 2 Gaming Notebook Email This Print This View My Personal Library Heavy Gear November 2009 • Vol.9 Issue 12 Page(s) 38 in print issue Add To My Personal Library AVA Direct Clevo M980NU Core 2 Gaming Notebook Clevo M980NU Core 2 Gaming Notebook $4,468.35 (as tested) I AVA Direct www.avadirect.com CPU Rating: 4 Specs: CPU: Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9300 @ 2.53GHz; GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX 280M 1GB GDDR3 (2x, SLI); Display: 18.4 inches (1,920 x 1,080); RAM: 4GB (2x 2GB) PC3-8500 DDR3; Storage: 500GB Seagate Momentus (7,200rpm), 2 Corsair 128GB P128 SSD; Optical Drive: DVD±RW; Windows Vista Ultimate 64-bit SP1; one-year warranty AVA Direct is serious about its mobile gaming systems, and its largest model, the Clevo M980NU, only serves to confirm the company’s commitment. For starters, the Clevo M980NU makes a monstrous first impression, with its domineering size and impeccable consruction. In terms of overall design, the Clevo M980NU has an impressive finish, accented by the mirrored display, backlit fan speed controller, and a touch-based multimedia command panel. There are three intake fans located on the underbelly of the system, directing heat to the four vents on the backside of the notebook. The bottom of the Clevo M980NU’s shell doesn’t run parallel to its internal hardware, so there’s plenty of room for adequate airflow. On either side of the Clevo M980NU, you’ll find an abundance of ports, including three USB 2.0 ports, an eSATA port, four audio jacks, CATV (though a TV tuner card is an optional add-on), IEEE 1394, DVI-out, HDMI, and an MMC/SD/MS card reader. There is a bevy of other features, such as support for up to three 2.5-inch HDDs/SSDs, a responsive touchpad, and a beautiful 18.4-inch display. If you’re keen on something that’s comparable to the Alienware M17x, but don’t want your laptop to look like an extraterrestrial entity, the Clevo M980NU should fulfill your mobile gaming desires. by Joanna Safford Benchmark Numbers PCMark Vantage Overall 6961 Memories 5015 TV & Movies 3892 Gaming 8606 Music 4230 Communications 4769 Productivity 12236 Hard Drive 18266 3DMark Vantage (1,280 x 1,024, Performance) Overall: P10470 3DMark GPU Score 8651 GPU1 (fps) 26.89 GPU2 (fps) 23.74 3DMark CPU Score 28340 CPU1 (Plans/s) 1381.45 CPU2 (Plans/s) 101.35 Left 4 Dead 1,280 x 1,024 (High Quality, 8XAA, 16XAF) 72.83  User Reviews Be the first to write a review of this product Want more information about a topic you found of interest while reading this article? Type a word or phrase that identifies the topic and click "Search" to find relevant articles from within our editorial database. Enter A Subject (key words or a phrase): ALL Words (‘digital’ AND ‘photography’) ANY Words (‘digital’ OR ‘photography’) Exact Match ('digital photography'- all words MUST appear together) Home      Copyright & Legal Information      Privacy Policy      Site Map      Contact Us Copyright © 2010 Sandhills Publishing Company U.S.A. All rights reserved.