WidowPC offers up Core 2 Duo-powered Sting 517D gaming laptop
By Darren Murph 
posted Nov 23rd 2006 5:38AM
posted Nov 23rd 2006 5:38AM
As we count our blessings today, we can't help but give thanks for something gadget heads couldn't do without: old fashioned competition. Calling out Dell's XPS M1710 (and similar) as overpriced and packaged with subpar technical support (aw snap), WidowPC is giving hardcore mobile gamers a choice in their purchasing decisions by offering up the Sting 517D. Touting a nearly limitless list of component selections, this 17-inch beast houses your choice of Intel's 1.66GHz to 2.33GHz Core 2 Duo processor, NVIDIA's GeForce Go 7950 512MB graphics card, up to 200GB of SATA goodness, a WUXGA display, dual-layer DVD burner, up to 4GB of DDR2 RAM, built-in WiFi / Bluetooth, TV tuner, 4-in-1 flash card reader, "$400 in free software," and a lifetime's worth of free, American-based phone support. The fleshed-out machine also boasts an army of ports, including 4-pin FireWire, IrDA, serial, ExpressCard slot, DVI / S-Video outputs, S-Video input, audio in / out, 56k modem, gigabit Ethernet, and four USB 2.0 connectors. Thankfully, WidowPC found a way to shave three full pounds from its 917X2, bringing the LAN-ready machine in at a fairly respectable 8.3 pounds. While pricing for the Sting 517D starts at just under $2,200, upping the innards to 1337 status could put your credit limit in serious turmoil, but the wicked spider logo across the lid definitely makes it worthwhile.
http://www.rjtech.com , or any number of other retailers (iBuyPower, Sagernotebook.com, PCTorque.com, RockDirect, Eurocom...) RJTech has the best price I was able to find, though. And I did a *lot* of research.
Keep in mind their base prices are without CPU, RAM, or drives though. You might be better off buying those separately from Newegg, especially the RAM.
Yeah. You can, of course, have them put everything together for you, but you'll save a good hunk of change if you do it yourself. For example, 2gb RAM in 2 sticks = $140 at Newegg, but $300 preinstalled. I can only speak for the 570, but that was easy enough to install everything in. I didn't do the CPU though.
This is a rebadged Clevo M570U/Sager 5760. These have been out for almost a year now - I'm typing this on one. And it didn't cost me WidowPC prices, either...
I would just like to add that in Ireland at least Dell's XPS support line is a 25/7 dedicated support line that puts you through directly to support personell that actually know what they are talking about and are VERY helpful. By far the best support line I have ever called. And as far as service, the part that had malfunctioned was with me the next day and I was called that evening to check it was working. needless to say I was extreemly impressed and I will recommend Dell XPS to any of my friends.
But maybe it's not like that in the US.
25/7? I guess they really *do* go the extra mile with XPS support :)