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By CJ Preece

Falcon Northwest FragBook DRX


It’s really not fair to the real laptop computers out there to classify the Falcon Northwest FragBook DRX as a laptop. Technically, you could set in on your lap, but it would probably either burn you or put your legs to sleep. Like the Sager NP9262 and the Clevo Metabox D901C custom-built gaming rigs, the FragBook DRX is a heavy, somewhat unwieldy cinderblock that packs nearly supernatural power. If you’re looking for the performance edge of a desktop in a “laptop,” you’re definitely going to want to take a look at the Falcon Northwest FragBook DRX. Maybe you won’t order one of your own, but you’ll get a first-hand glimpse of what a gaming dream machine looks like.


Standout Features


• 3.33 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo E8600
• SLI GeForce 9800M GTX 1 GB (2 x 512 MB)
• Huge range of options and high performance extras available


Features


The Falcon Northwest FragBook DRX is a presentable gaming laptop. It doesn’t have demon horns, laser sights, or extraterrestrial art on the chassis. The Falcon Northwest FragBook DRX is available with a variety of bright metallic paintjobs that forego external appearance and allow the high-end hardware and tremendous performance to speak for themselves. Like most high-dollar custom gaming machines, the Falcon Northwest FragBook DRX doesn’t skimp on overpowered components. Configured for maximum performance, the Falcon Northwest FragBook DRX is loaded with a 3.3GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor. That’s the kind of speed you’d expect from a desktop, but in a laptop? First-class gaming laptops like the popular Alienware Area-51 m17x can usually only be outfitted with 2.8GHz processors. The reason Northwest Falcon’s FragBook DRX is capable of that extra power is quite straightforward: the E8600 processor is actually a desktop processor. You lose a small amount of portability for a massive surge in processing power. For the serious gamer, we think that’s a worthwhile tradeoff.


The Falcon Northwest FragBook DRX has a large 17-inch display that makes sure all that processing power is put to good use. Add 4GB of RAM and you’ve got the solid peripherals you need to cut down load times and get a smooth gaming experience on the latest DX10 games. The huge hard drive options on the Falcon Northwest FragBook DRX ensure that file hoarders and users eager to experiment with solid state drives have a choice. Depending on your needs and budget, the Falcon Northwest FragBook DRX can be set up to pack more than 900GB of standard hard drive space or can be furnished with 160GB of solid state memory. It’s really up to you. The Falcon Northwest FragBook DRX is massively customizable.


But really, while hard drives and memory are important, extreme gaming performance is affected more by the graphics controller. SLI GeForce 9800M GTX graphics cards at 512MB a piece provide a dizzying 1GB of dedicated video memory. Dual video cards will give you bragging rights for the meantime and ensure that the Falcon Northwest FragBook DRX will crush gaming system requirements well into the future. You won’t get that degree of longevity from a budget gaming machine.


Value


Custom cars and motorcycles don’t come cheap. The same can be said about custom computers. The Falcon Northwest FragBook DRX is no exception. Unrivalled performance usually boasts an expectedly inflated price tag. A solid starter FragBook DRX runs $4,500. Tricked out starship Enterprise style (think Blu-ray writer, solid state hard drives, dual 1GB video cards), you’re looking at upwards of $9,000. At that price, the Falcon Northwest FragBook DRX is incredibly expensive! But if you want to humiliate your friends using Dell and HP, the Falcon Northwest FragBook DRX will deliver.


Summary of Reviews from Across the Internet


Users refer to the Falcon Northwest FragBook DRX as a laptop, ironically. It’s essentially a desktop in laptop’s clothing. Tipping the scale at 12 pounds, most users leave the Falcon Northwest FragBook DRX at home.


Gamers confirm the superior performance of the Falcon Northwest FragBook DRX. No chops, freezing up, or topping out on the supercharged Falcon Northwest FragBook DRX.


Summary


4GB of zippy 800MHz RAM + ridiculous processing power + dual GeForce 9800M GTX graphics cards = one heckuva gaming machine. The Falcon Northwest FragBook DRX boasts impressive hardware for a desktop! The Falcon Northwest FragBook DRX could out process HAL from Space Odyssey 2001 with one video card tied behind its back. The real downside to a laptop of this magnitude is the price. For this amount of money, you could buy a car or make a down payment on a house.

 

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Falcon Northwest FragBook DRX

Falcon Northwest FragBook DRX

Manufacturer: Falcon Northwest
Model: FragBook DRX
Excellent
Overall Rating
Excellent
Features
Very Good
Expert Reviews
Excellent
User Reviews
#3 of 3285 Gaming Laptops Products
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Expert Reviews  |  User Reviews  |  User Comments  |  Specifications

All Expert Ratings

All Expert Ratings
Very Good
based on (4) review(s)
Excellent
4
Critics combined give Falcon Northwest FragBook DRX a score of 4 out of 4
0
Very Good
3
Critics combined give Falcon Northwest FragBook DRX a score of 3 out of 4
4
Good
2
Critics combined give Falcon Northwest FragBook DRX a score of 2 out of 4
0
Fair
1
Critics combined give Falcon Northwest FragBook DRX a score of 1 out of 4
0
Poor
0
Critics combined give Falcon Northwest FragBook DRX a score of 0 out of 4
0
Wired
Very Good
Review: Falcon Northwest FragBook DRX Gaming Laptop Crushes Benchmarks, Flattens Walletsby Danny DumasUltra-gamer PC maker Falcon Northwest brings you the FragBook DRX, a machine which attempts — with considerable success — to pack all the features of a h

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About
Very Good
Falcon Northwest FragBook DRX Gaming Desktop Replacement Notebookby Mark KyrninFalcon Northwest has been around some time producing high quality custom built gaming computer systems. They offer two performance notebook systems. The DRX or Desktop Replacem

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Ubergizmo
Very Good
What better name to christen your gaming notebook than the FragBook DRX from Falcon Northwest. DRX stands for Desktop Replacement Extreme, and as we take a look at the specifications, chances are these will definitely outperform most gaming rigs, be they

Read the full review »

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CJ Preece
Ogden, Utah
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