HoTWiReZ's DoMaiN

[News BoT]

<p align="center"></p><p><p>
It seems with the launch of Intel&rsquo;s Haswell processors and platform, notebook manufacturers are starting to focus on smaller devices without sacrificing a lot in the way of performance. We recently reviewed the Razer Blade, a 14-inch ultrathin laptop that&rsquo;s still able to pack a quad-core Haswell processor (37W TDP i7-4702MQ) and GTX 765M into an extremely stylish chassis. Unfortunately, the Razer Blade let us down with the inclusion of a 1600x900 lower quality LCD. In a similar vein, I&rsquo;m working on a review of MSI&rsquo;s GE40, another 14-inch laptop with specs similar to the Razer Blade, again let down by a 1600x900 low quality LCD. Digital Storm will hopefully break that trend with their 13.3-inch VELOCE laptop.</p>
<p>
Like the Razer Blade (the MSI GE40 uses the slightly slower GTX 760M), the VELOCE uses NVIDIA&rsquo;s GTX 765M 2GB for graphics duty. Where it differs from the Razer Blade and GE40 is that it supports full voltage Haswell processors, not to mention it has a slightly smaller display size but ups the resolution to 1920x1080 &ndash; anti-glare no less! The full specifications are pretty impressive, and while it&rsquo;s not as thin as the Razer Blade or GE40, it looks like we might finally have a no-compromise 13.3-inch gaming laptop. Digital Storm offers for customization options on their laptops, but here is one set of specifications for the VELOCE:</p>
<table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="600">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td align="center" class="contentwhite" colspan="2">
<strong>Digital Storm VELOCE Specifications</strong></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<strong>Processor</strong></td>
<td>
Intel Core i7-4800MQ

(Quad-core 2.7-3.7GHz, 6MB L3, 22nm, 47W)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<strong>Chipset</strong></td>
<td>
HM87</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<strong>Memory</strong></td>
<td>
2x4GB DDR3-1600</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<strong>Graphics</strong></td>
<td>
GeForce GTX 765M 2GB

(768 cores, 850MHz + Boost 2.0, 4GHz GDDR5)



Intel HD Graphics 4600

(20 EUs at 400-1300MHz)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<strong>Display</strong></td>
<td>
13.3" Anti-Glare 16:9 1080p (1920x1080)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<strong>Storage</strong></td>
<td>
750GB 7200RPM HDD

8GB SSD cache</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<strong>Optical Drive</strong></td>
<td>
DVD-RW (?)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<strong>Networking</strong></td>
<td>
802.11n WiFi (Killer Wireless-N 1202)

<em>(Dual-band 2x2:2 300Mbps capable)</em>

Bluetooth 4.0 (Killer 1202)

Gigabit Ethernet</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<strong>Battery/Power</strong></td>
<td>
6-cell, 11.1V, 5900mAh, 65Wh

90W Max AC Adapter</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<strong>Left Side</strong></td>
<td>
Headphone and Microphone

1 x USB 2.0

Exhaust Vent</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<strong>Right Side</strong></td>
<td>
3 x USB 3.0

1 x Mini-HDMI

1 x VGA

Gigabit Ethernet

AC Power Connection

Kensington Lock</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<strong>Operating System</strong></td>
<td>
Windows 8 64-bit</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<strong>Dimensions</strong></td>
<td>
1.26&rdquo; (32mm) thick</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<strong>Weight</strong></td>
<td>
4.6 lbs (2.09kg)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<strong>Pricing and Availability</strong></td>
<td>
$1535 as configured

Available July 17, 2013</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>
The press release notes that the VELOCE include support for two storage devices (mSATA and 2.5&rdquo;), with optional RAID support. There&rsquo;s also a spec sheet that mentions a DVD-RW drive, but the images don&rsquo;t indicate where that drive would be located unless it&rsquo;s an external option. We&rsquo;re definitely excited to see more competition in the (reasonably) thin and light gaming laptop market, and while the VELOCE isn&rsquo;t quite as thin as some of the other options, the performance and in particular the LCD may more than make up for that.</p>
<p>
Digital Storm is currently in the process of revamping their entire notebook lineup, so the mobile section of their website consists of a countdown to July 17. We would assume there will also be additional notebooks announced at that time, or at least sometime in the near future. We have requested a review sample and we hope to be able to provide a full review in the future. The current price is about $300 more than the MSI GE40&nbsp;(which includes a 128GB SSD), but VELOCE has a higher-end processor; it&rsquo;s also about $300 less than the baseline Razer Blade. Hopefully the VELOCE can live up to our expectations and deliver a quality gaming experience in a reasonably portable package.</p>
<p>
<div>Gallery: Digital Storm Unveils VELOCE: 13.3 Inches of Gaming Goodness<div></div></div></p>
</p>

Read more...

Source: AnandTech
This channel features the latest computer hardware related articles.