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HP refers to its HDX9095ea as the Dragon, a nickname we're inclined to use too since "desktop replacement" really doesn't sum up just how big it is.
It's an 8.2kg beast (including power adapter) that boasts a 20.1in widescreen LCD. The display is a joy to use, being slightly brighter that Rock Xtreme 770 while retaining a similar reflective coating to increase contrast. The dragon reinforces its name with scaly artwork across the chassis.
A double-jointed spine lets you angle the screen is various ways, including pulling it forward for better movie viewing. The screen has a 1,680x1,050 pixel resolution, which is enough to deal with 720p content but can't handle 1080p footage - this is a minor complaint, since high-definition content looks great on it anyway.
HP has included an HD DVD drive (read only, but with DVD writing capabilities) to boost its high-definition credentials, while the graphics are provided courtesy of ATI's Radeon Mobility HD 2600XT chip, which has the same excellent video processing abilities as its desktop counterpart.
Altec Lansing branded speakers form the lower half of the screen and, combined with a subwoofer on the bottom, the bassy and immersive sound is incredible for a notebook. The full-size keyboard is joined by a trackpad that blends in naturally with the rest of the chassis and is only distinguished by an array of dimples.
Touch sensitive media and function buttons glow blue (we particularly liked the individual bass and treble sliders) and there's also an infrared remote control that slots in next to the keyboard. This remote control is fully Media Center compatible, but we think HP have missed a trick with it since, with the addition of a microphone and small speaker, it could have doubled up as a VoIP phone.
Ports include an HDMI output, E-Sata, two headphone jacks (so you and a friend can share movies), analogue surround sound outputs and S/PDIF. There's also an analogue/digital tuner, Draft-N Wifi and Bluetooth, along with a 1.3-megapixel webcam sandwiched between stereo microphones.
The internal hardware certainly doesn't take centre stage in the light of such momentous physical features, but HP hasn't skimped at all in this area. It's a full Santa Rosa setup with Intel's Core 2 Duo T7500 (2.2GHz) processor, 2GB Ram and two, slow 4,200rpm 200GB hard disks - with no Raid controller, each has its own partition: OS and Data.
The HDX9095ea produced an admirable PCmark05 score of 5,570 along with a reasonable 8,899 in 3Dmark05. Fear, meanwhile, clocked up an average of 29fps.
With a hefty 180W power adapter, which could power most desktop PCs, it's easy to forget that this is a notebook. It's large, nine cell, 83Wh (Watt-hour) battery powered it to an impressive one hour 36 minutes in our DVD battery life test.
HP's Dragon certainly isn't perfect. With such a big screen, you soon being to wish the keyboard could be detached - as with Dell's similarly sized M2120. The dragon's style is another contentious issue. We'd put money on it looking antiquated within a couple of years with some wear and tear on the touch sensitive buttons, and once you've inevitably lost the remote control, the empty cavity where it once sat will only serve as an ash tray.
Priced at just under £1,700, it looks expensive compared with desktops with similar specifications. However, we've seen it as low as £1,550 online and, taking into account the HD DVD drive and massive screen that will double up as a high-quality TV, it's a great, luggable alternative to a desktop PC.
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All Notebooks & Tablets PCs Tags: Notebook Computer
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