Ratmyr's Aviator CX7 Review - Page 2

I added a new screenshot of my desktop. It is a modified Hypersonic wallpaper, but hued in a purple with the chinese "RAT" symbol added to it. This is similar to what I will be doing to the lid - in a way. We are looking at how it will look prior to moving forward with it.

Just wanted to share with everyone. Laters

There is some tweaks I would make. First, if you are interested in gaming, don't go with the fusion - rather go with the aviator. The Fusion is more of a workstation and the 1400 is greath for graphics work, but the aviator has the 7800 GTX card which will give you much better gaming performance. So that is the first tweak.

With all else the same, I came with the following:

Aviator EX7: State of the Art 17" Desktop Replacement Notebook - Qty: 1
Aviator EX7 in Silver with Graphite Accents - Qty: 1
3.20GHz Intel® Pentium® 4 Processor 640 (with EM64T) - Qty: 1
Intel® 915P+ICH6 LGA-775 Mobile Motherboard (EX7) - Qty: 1
512MB Mushkin PC4200 DDR2-533 SODIMM (Low Latency 4-4-4-12) - Qty: 1
512MB Mushkin PC4200 DDR2-533 SODIMM (Low Latency 4-4-4-12) - Qty: 1
512MB Mushkin PC4200 DDR2-533 SODIMM (Low Latency 4-4-4-12) - Qty: 1
512MB Mushkin PC4200 DDR2-533 SODIMM (Low Latency 4-4-4-12) - Qty: 1
Nvidia GeForce Go 7800 GTX PCI-Express 256MB - Qty: 1
Built-in ATA Hardware RAID Controller - Qty: 1
100GB 7200rpm Serial-ATA Hard Drive with NCQ & 8MB Cache - Qty: 1
8X DVD / 24X-10X-24 CD-R/W Combo Drive w/ Recording Software - Qty: 1
7 in 1 Flash Media Card Reader Bay - Qty: 1
17" WUXGA 1920x1200 VividView™ Display w/ Super Clear Glossy Surface - Qty: 1
Built-in 4-Speaker 3D Sound System w/ 8.1 Channel S/PDIF Output - Qty: 1
Integrated 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet Controller - Qty: 1
D-Link DI-634M Super G with MIMO Wireless Router (up to 108Mbps) - Qty: 1
Integrated V.92 56K Fax/Data Modem - Qty: 1
MS Windows XP Professional CD & Manual SP2 Pre-Installed & Configured - Qty: 1
3 Year Accidental Damage Protection (System and LCD) - Qty: 1
3 Year Platinum Warranty with 24/7 Toll-Free Tech Support - Qty: 1

This came to 3,633.00 (mostly the difference in the video cards).

Do you have home owners insurance or renters insurance? If so, the ADP may not be needed as your insurance should be covering this (I know mine does). This money is better served in the dead pixel insurance which I live by.

All that aside, it is a good system. My processor speed is always good, but if you are trying to keep costs down, that is understandable. Another item you may/may not look into is a dvd burner. Could be that it just isn't a priority - but a great way to backup your system. You can read my review of the EX7 (in my signature block). I loved my system and it did some serious kicking butt in gaming. If it wasn't for the who USPS ordeal - I would still be enjoying it.

Good luck on your purchase.

If you already have an existing wireless network in place, you may not need the router. FOr instance, I have been running a 108mbps wireless setup since they came out. AS such, when I purchased my laptops, all I needed was the 108mbps card/adaptor. There was no need for the router.

If you have an older wireless network and want to get the full speed of the Super-G, then the router selection you made above would be a benefit. The price difference is comparable to going to the local Best Buy and buying a router.

One note - I haven't had issues, but some believe the better solution is to just go with a wireless PCMCIA card as you will get a better connection. Weigh this against what your current setup is.

As for being able to replace the video cards, you can - to an extent. What made the EX7 popular (for me atleast) was that the GX7 had to be shipped back for upgrades and the EX7 could be swapped out at home. The problem comes when the new video cards may need more power or upgrades to the motherboard itself. So before going out and replacing with another mobile video card - I would check around. But with the 7800... you should be good for a month. Just kidding.

Good luck!

I didn't go with the 7200 because I found that the 5400 SATA was great on my EX7. So I wanted more space instead of the RPMs. That allowed me to get the 120gb.

If you had a choice between the two, I would most definitely go with the 3 year warranty. The dead pixel insurance worked for me, and I know others have benefited from it as well, but like in the case of splurch, he didn't get it and had no issues. But when it comes to the warranty - if you expect to be using this system for awhile and prevent upgrades, I would get the longer warranty to ensure it keeps running for you. If I was replacing systems on a yearly basis (seems like I have, but that is not the norm for me - rather just from excessive overtime from deployments), then minimal warranty would work!

Good luck!

Update

For awhile, I have been planning out my next update to the system. This includes, as normal, getting it painted to add that extra level of uniqueness. In fact, my signature block (all this time) has listed the name of the system in a purple color. This is because my plan is for a purple lid.

Now for the good news. I am sending off my system to Hypersonic. Once I get it back - it will have a purple lid with the chinese calligraphy for the RAT symbol in the middle. This is a bit different than my red systems of the past - but I wanted the CX7 to have a different personality (ok, they don't have personalities, but you get the picture).

Not as cool as what DB has - but little steps.

Once it gets back - I will be adding new photos.

That aside - there has been no issues and the system has been doing very good. In fact, I added an external speaker setup and my issues concerning sound are gone now (I can't stand the low volume that comes from the internal speakers).

Happy happy - and some sacrificed bananas for a safe journey!

To be honest, I am not completely sure which color it is. I wanted to get the color shifting purple, but there was an issue with it (either being available or something) at the time that I started discussing this.

I am going to see the shade shortly and see what color is available. I am thinking it is the Opulent Purple Pearl though.

Will be interesting if the paint job can maintain the brush alumninum feel/texture of the generic lid. Sort of like my desktop image up a few posts - which is still being used.

UPS is still getting a thumbs up in my book. The system arrived safely at Hypersonic HQ. Sucks at the home front because my living room system is the HP system that I purchased during the shipping of the EX7 - small, not as powerful, but it is serving its purpose. So I can't complain.

Once I have more details about the paint job - I will share with everyone.

Can't wait.

Ok... I added a couple to the main post, however, here is a full set. The paint did end up being the color shifting purple, which is what I definitely wanted. The only problem is - I have not been able to get a good shot of the rich purple... keeps coming out blue. But the purple is awesome as well!

Enjoy!