Kobalt Mojave XI Mini Review

Well I told everyone that once I got my laptop I would post a review of some description so they could see what I thought of it. I got my laptop yesterday afternoon (no thanks to DHL) and all I can say is wow  don’t expect this review to be on the same power as a magazine etc lol

For images check this link (Welcome to Kobalt Computers - High Performance Custom PC's) I have left my digital camera lead at university so I will post images when I get back up.

The machine uses the same chassis as the Rock notebook and a few others such as Evesham, which is manufactured originally by Clevo in China. For a desktop replacement notebook, it is considerably thinner and lighter than previous generations (although by no means is it light). You wouldn't want to sit this on your lap on a crowded train (its needs the air!), but you can happily cart it around to LAN parties or classes without too much hassle.

Specification
Chassis - :: Mojave XI Black & Silver
Screen - :: 17" 1920x1200 WUXGA X-Glass
Processor - :: Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T9300 Dual Core Processor 2.50GHz
Video Card - :: NVIDIA® GeForce® 8800M GTX 512MB DDR3
Memory 1 - :: 4GB OCZ DDR2-PC5400 667Mhz 5-5-5-15 2x 2GB DIMMs
Hard Drive - :: 160GB 7,200rpm SATA with 8MB Cache
7 in 1 card reader - :: 7 in 1 card reader
Operating system 1 - :: Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional Edition with SP2 32-bit
Optical Device 1 - :: 8x DVD±R/W
Soundcard - :: Integrated Intel High Definition Audio
Mouse Mats - :: Kobalt Mouse Mat
Warranty - :: 3 Year - Collect & Return [E-mail, telephone & website support]
Dead Pixel Guarantee - :: 30 Day Zero Dead Pixel Guarantee

Subtotal £1,619.53 VAT £283.42 Total £1,902.95


Not a bad price when you consider the hardware. And look at all the connectivity!

1 x Serial Port
1 x Express Card 54(34) slot
1 x IrDA
1 x IEEE 1394 Firewire port (400Mbps)
1 x S-Video output
1 x DVI output
S/P DIF out, Headphone out, line-in and microphone in
4 x USB Ports

1 x RJ-11 Modem port
1 x RJ-45 10/100/1000mbps Ethernet Port
1 x Intel Mini PCI Wireless N (4965abgn) adapter
1 x Internal Bluetooth Module
1 x 2.0 Megapixel Webcam

Close Up
The casing is very sturdy and when firing up into 3D usage, the laptop gets quite loud but considering that there is an 8800GTX in there then I feel that this is a fair deal! The keyboard is excellent to use as it is very well spaced and responsive. There's even a number pad included for those who like that kind of usability. The catches on the top of the lid are heavy duty and feel very sturdy.

The sound is the Intel High Definition Audio which is something you would expect in a high end desktop motherboard. It works very well but of course a standalone X-Fi notebook card would be much better. The Go graphics also have a DVI output on the back, for connection to an external flat panel.

Gaming Benchmark
3D Mark 06’ - 9356 3DMarks

Result details
Benchmark settings
Program Version 3DMark06 Revision 1 Build 0
Resolution 1280x1024
Full Screen Anti-Aliasing None
Texture Filtering Optimal
Vertex Shader Profile 3_0
Pixel Shader Profile 3_0
Force Full Precision No
Disable Post-processing No
Force Software Vertex Shaders No
Force Software FP Filtering No
Disable Harware Shadow Mapping No
Colour Mipmaps No
Repeat Count Off
Fixed Framerate Off
Main test results
3DMark Score 9356 3DMarks
SM 2.0 Score 4268
SM 3.0 Score 4126
CPU Score 2319
Test Results
Graphics Tests
1 - Return to Proxycon 34.54 FPS
2 - Firefly Forest 36.59 FPS
CPU Tests
CPU1 - Red Valley 0.73 FPS
CPU2 - Red Valley 1.18 FPS
HDR Tests
1 - Canyon Flight (SM 3.0) 38.61 FPS
2 - Deep Freeze (SM 3.0) 43.91 FPS



The only game I have really played so far is Counter-strike Source and Team Fortress 2. Both are played at the max resolution of 1920x1200 with all the options set to the highest and it hasn’t slowed down yet. Unfortunately I don’t have all my other games with me to test as they are still up at university but when I get them I will post up more comprehensive results. Needless to say this is a powerful gaming laptop that I have no doubt will tackle every new game thrown at it (maybe even Crysis at a more reasonable resolution!) With little or no problems.

The screen is amazing to say the least. It is also excellent when scaling resolutions. I tried CS:S at a lot of different resolutions to see how it would fair and I can say is that it performed perfectly.

Conclusions
Let's split the conclusions up into a few different sections.

Form factor: The Kobalt Mojave XI is clearly a step in the right direction for gaming notebooks. It looks great and has plenty of connectivity. It’s not as nice as a Sony Vaio but then again what is? It feels very sturdy and all in all it’s a great machine.

Specification: For the price, it's hard to argue with the specification. Kobalt have put in a great screen with a colour-intensifying coating, too. Thankfully, the screen also scales well, meaning that games run out of native look excellent as I have said. The graphics card is undoubtedly the best thing in this notebook, there's nothing else to touch it. The Intel Core 2 Duo T9300 2.50GHz -inside is not the fastest available (you could get an Intel Core 2 Extreme X9000 if you really wanted) but it is more than enough in my opinion.

I don’t need to tell you any more about the specs. Look at what's in it and make your own decision. It’s a seriously powerful machine! I have not tested to see how long the battery will last but considering the specification I would assume its not great. Maybe 1 hour and 15 minutes or so.

Value: I’ve considered that the specification is good for the money. If you're a regular LANner, grab one of these and a cordless mouse and you have the perfect gaming machine.

Final thoughts
What Kobalt have done with this machine is incredible. You won't find the 8800 GTX lacking for power for a good couple of years yet. With the performance of the Core 2 Duo, it’s easy to see how this laptop will last you for a long time to come!

If you’re in the market for a high end laptop then Kobalt computers should be on the top of your list! Their support which they have provided me so far has been A* and can’t be faulted. From friendly phone calls to very helpful emails they are on a different level than what I am used to.

I give it 10/10 !