Ratmyr's Aviator CX7 Review

Greetings!

Anyone who didn't think I would review this system must not be familiar with my other two reviews. One thing I love about this forum is reading reviews of systems as I get to share in the excitement as others. My job - to give back. So I wanted to take some time and share the CX7 experience with the rest of you.

One note - even though this system was ordered before paint options were included, they are now available. As such, Ratmyr can't go without a unique, painted system. So I am working with Hypersonic on getting my system back to them in about a month for a paint upgrade. More to follow as this develops.

The specs for the system are as follows:

Aviator CX7: 17" Centrino Gaming Notebook
Intel® Alviso 915PM+ICH6-M Mobile Motherboard (CX7)
Aviator CX7 in Silver with Tinted Brushed Aluminum Cover
2.0GHz Intel® Pentium-M 760 Processor w/ 2MB Cache (Sonoma)
2 x 1024MB PC4200 DDR2-533 SODIMM
NEW! Nvidia GeForce Go 7800 GTX PCI-Express 256MB
17" WUXGA 1920x1200 VividView(tm) Display w/ Super Clear Glossy Surface
Integrated 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet Controller
Internal 802.11-Super A/G 108Mbps Wireless Network Adapter
120GB 5400rpm Serial ATA Hard Drive w/ NCQ
8X DVD ± R/W Drive Dual Layer w/ DVD Recording Software & LightScribe
Integrated V.92 56K Fax/Data Modem
Integrated 1.3M High-Resolution Digital Video Camera
Built-in 4-in-1 Flash Media Card Reader
Built-in High Definition 3D Sound System for CX7
Built-in 8ch Azalia Sound System with external speaker connected
Advanced AudioDJ LED Control Panel
MS Windows XP Professional CD & Manual SP2 Pre-Installed & Configured
Guaranteed No Dead or Partially-Lit Pixels
3 Year Platinum Warranty with 24/7 Toll-Free Tech Support

Order Process
Just as in the past, the process went very well. I ordered with a credit card (again). I was able to work with a previous sales person who had been helpful in the past and during the last days of my shipping wait, she was providing me daily updates. This was great as it allowed me to know what was going on. I have had any problems with the sales and this order was no different.

Shipping
This was the best part of the transaction. I had been using APO for the last two systems, so a lot of time was added to the delivery of the system because it had to travel through the trusty USPS (do you hint on some sarcasm there???) into the military postal system and then to me. Well.... I won't go into details about my missing EX7 :sniff: :sniff:, but APO shipping definitely adds atleast a week to your delivery. This time, I was able to use UPS. Hypersonic shipped the system about 4pm on Thursday and it was delivered to my house at 11am on Friday. Very nice. I am definitely glad to be back in the land of 24x7.

Unlike the GX7/EX7, the box was much smaller and tighter. I was surprised. But everything was packed very well and no damage at all. I wonder if it was shipped another method than overnight UPS, if the box would have been the bigger model. Nonetheless, the system got here and was great.

First Impression
Awesome. It is really thin and something that I haven't experienced with the other two systems. This thing is even thinner than my HP that I had been using for the last couple months. And the nice touch was that Hypersonic has a brushed metal lid on the top of it. Very nice looking. When I put the photos up, you will see. It matches their desktop theme of the brushed metal background.

NOTE - After looking at the pictures of some of the Sager models, it appears the brushed lid is the same across the board. I wanted to make sure i corrected what I said as I don't want to mislead anyone.

The system is not heavy at all and everything feels solid. For the majority of the time (during setup), I was using the touchpad and keyboard on the system and it was smooth. I am not a fan of the laptop keyboard/touchpads and this didn't change my opinion, but not having my keyboard/mouse ready - it was acceptable.

Display
People are not fans of paying for insurance they may never need. The dead pixel insurance was well worth it to me. There were a couple found before the system left Hypersonic and they didn't ship it out. After some discussions and my desire not to delay the system too much, I opt'd for the installation of a WUXGA as opposed to the WSXGA+ screen. I am not a fan of the higher resolution, but on the same note, I wanted a clean display that was going to get me the system faster. So no sweat on my side.

The screen display and clarity is awesome. Everything is crisp and clear. The resolution still bothers me, and I am sure I will piss some off for not using it to the extent it was designed for - but I lowered the resolution to 1152x864. It makes a big difference on my eyes and everything still looks good (not strethced out as bad).

Sound
The EX7 and GX7 have better sound. I am not too impressed with the sound on this. It is alright for a laptop, but I am definitely going to break out the headphones later and see how it handles. The speakers are not as loud as my previous systems and you can definitely tell there are just two speakers (as opposed to the four on the other systems). But then again, this is lighter and more compact. You have to give somewhere I guess. However, for a laptop, the sound works very well. Just comparing to the bigger bad-boys of laptops.

The Audio DJ is one of my favorite features. Up front clock, all the LEDs for system features (hard drive, wireless, etc) is right in front of me, and the most important - the volume control. I love this more than any of the other DJ features. Very easy to turn up/down as needed. Just trying to figure out what the buttons to the left and right of the volume controls are.

Fans
Does this thing have fans?

During the entire setup, I never felt the heat as I did on the other systems and I never really heard the fans. I am deaf a bit, so I don't have perfect hearing. However, the GX7/EX7 - you know the fans were running. This has not been the case with the CX7. When I did some heavy gaming - I heard them come on. So I know they work. But it is definitely a quiet system.

Hypersonic delivered another fine system to me and I am extremely happy. I know there are individuals who have had their problems and it is sad about some of their experiences, but I have not had this problem - else I would not have gone back to them for yet another system. For those who are looking for a system. Don't let my good comments or other individual negative comments steer you completely. Read everyone's comments and then investigate things for yourself. You are investing a good chunk of change into a powerful system - you need to be happy. And as you can see here - I am. If it wasn't for the fact that I build my own desktops - they may have my business on the Cyclone side of the house as well.

In any case - pictures have just been added. I am not as good at taking pictures and a lot of my game shots are blurry as hell. Going to have to look at this a bit. But I can guarantee that the game has crisp/clear graphics and looks awesome! Guildwars was maxed out last night and gaming very nice. That is what matters to me.

Thanks

Just added the pics and thanks for the comments. Definitely been handling very well.

It's GuildWars. I am in the desert in that shot. I have a pet desert lizard, but I wasn't able to get him in the picture. Awesome graphics.

Check out their site for answers to your question, as they specifically answer a lot of that. The quests and battles you go on is based on your experience level, and you gain experience based on the difference of levels between you and the AI you are fighting. Players do not have the capability to go to other places in the "world" without already tracking there.

As for how long it takes, it doesn't take long at all to build up the characters, and you have the capability to move your skill points around to redesign your character. Also, after you ascend, you have the capability to change your secondary professions, so if you decided that a Monk/Ranger wasn't for you, you could become a Monk/Warrior.

As for servers, I believe everyone is on the same server. But the difference with GW as opposed to UO (the other game I play), is that when you leave a town, you are by yourself, unless you have partied up with other players. So you can meet friends in the towns (and each town has different districts which may equate to servers, but they are selectable).

I like it. There are a lot of people here in NBF that started off in the beginning and left - and I have been gone from it for about four months (when I didn't have a system), but I am getting back into it again now.

Good luck!

Definitely will check it out. I am also waiting on the Dungeons and Dragons Online game as well. The big difference with GW is that it costs nothing to play (other than the initial game and your time). Whereas my UO is costing me about $26 a month (two accounts). During my prime, that was seven accounts - arrgh!

Thanks for the comments all.

FT. Yeah... long story, but that wasn't about my GX7, rather my EX7. The GX7 was turned over to a very close friend of the family and currently enjoying the sand and sun of Iraq. It sees more action in real life than in games.

Last spring I upgraded to the EX7 and so I had only had it since May. When I was getting ready for the move back to the states, I had mailed it to Hypersonic for the upgrade to the 6800 Ultra. Since UPS was not an option (due to importation fees and the sort), I had to use the Army Post Office (APO) which is an extension of the US Postal Service (USPS). Somewhere between point A and point B.... someone gained a new system. I may be still a bit irked and the system is actually sitting in a corner somewhere... but if that is the case, it makes it worse. Insured for $5k, tracking, etc... and it was still "misplaced."

So yes, I finally got my reimbursement just over a week ago. Took from September to December to get the reimbursement. But it wasn't fast enough for me to buy a replacement. But that's ok. I have been very happy with the CX7. It may not be as powerful or feature loaded as my EX7 was - but it kicks butt.

When it comes to the paint job - I am going with something entirely different and even a custom logo. Will see how it turns out and definitely share with everyone.

Cool that you got to see Arena.net.... one of these days I have to shake the chains of government work and find a job in the gaming industry. One day.....

chode. I believe they will do the psp. I would either email, call or use the message boards on their site to see. They do awesome work and definitely worth checking in to see if they will do it.

Thanks again for all the comments!

I really don't know on the drive. I remember reading somewhere that there was a shortage of the drives (believe it was in the Sager forums) and how individuals were upgraded to the faster (pioneer) drive. Not completely sure.

It would be something you would have to ask sales.

Good luck