Although Velocity Micro has a longstanding reputation for pushing the envelope with its high-performance systems, in some systems cutting-edge design takes a backseat to simplicity. Such is the case with the Velocity Micro NoteMagix C90 Ultra ($1,875 direct, as configured). Although short on visual flair, it's adequate for today's power-hungry games, thanks to an nVidia GeForce 8600M GT graphics chip. Velocity Micro's decision to power the C90 with a desktop-class 2.4-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 CPU gives this rig a performance edge over most other laptops in its price range. But the system's high power consumption, excessive heat, and heft make it a better fit as a desktop-replacement laptop than as a mobile gaming machine.

In terms of design, the C90's doesn't stand out. The system's high-gloss black lid, etched with the Velocity Micro logo, brings to mind the latest HP lids decorated with in-mold designs—and it's prone to collecting fingerprints. Inside, the chassis is coated in matte silver and has a clean look, while a black keyboard and hinge offset the silver. The touchpad and responsive keyboard are very quiet, and a fingerprint reader is located conveniently between the left and right mouse buttons. A shiny, brushed-metal surface makes the buttons look pretty, but they're easy to smear and slightly resistant to touch.

At 6.8 pounds (7.9 with the AC adapter), the C90 isn't exactly tote-friendly. Contributing to the system's bulk is the "turbo engine," a system cooling fan surrounded by a large grille that protrudes 1.25 inches from the laptop's rear. The C90's 15.4-inch widescreen features a crisp resolution of 1,680-by-1,050, perfect for enjoying all types of media content, though its glossy finish tends to reflect glare. Perched above the display is a 2-megapixel integrated webcam that can rotate a full 360 degrees. It's good for snapshots as well as for Web conferencing.

The C90's feature set is impressive: It includes three USB ports, a FireWire port, and a large (200GB) hard drive. Media buffs will be pleased with the eSATA port but disappointed to find neither a Blu-ray nor an HD DVD drive included. Instead, a dual-layer, multiformat DVD burner occupies the bay—a particular letdown since several sub-$2,000 laptops, such as the HP Pavilion dv9500t, house such a drive for high-def movie playback. On a positive note, the C90 can display to an external monitor using S-Video, VGA, and even HDMI. The latter is fine for those using high-definition sets, but its inclusion made me wish even more for a high-definition optical drive. A four-in-one card reader for MMC, SD, and Memory Stick Pro/Duo formats and a port for an external TV tuner (included) round out these components.

Both CPU and multimedia performance shine. Thanks to a 2.4-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 desktop processor and 2GB of RAM, the C90's Overall score on SYSmark 2007 Preview nearly matched that of the Alienware Area-51 m9750 (124 for the C90 versus 125 for the m9750). The C90 bested the m9750 on Video Creation (126 versus 111), E-Learning (126 versus 111), and 3D Modeling (129 versus 125). Considering that the m9750 runs Windows XP (the C90 runs Vista) and costs more than twice as much, this is quite a feat. The C90 further outshone the m9750, which has a mobile processor, on Windows Media Encoder (1:90 min:sec versus 1:32) and on CineBench (744 versus 698), and completed the Photoshop test in less than a minute. Such media scores bode well for video/audio professionals. (Although the C90's E6600 processor can be overclocked, Velocity Micro doesn't recommend or support doing this. Overclocking voids the company's warranty, leaving you without technical support should things take a turn for the worse.)

Where the C90 shows its weakness is in 3D gaming performance. Although its 512MB nVidia GeForce 8600M GT is more than capable of tackling today's games, its overall performance pales in comparison with that of higher-end systems like the Dell XPS M1730. Still, I played through a few levels of Prey and noticed the occasional hiccup, but nothing to hinder the overall experience. Performance in Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter 2 (GRAW 2) was generally smooth as well. Both Prey and GRAW 2 ran well at 1,024-by-768 resolution, but neither was enjoyable when cranked to the C90's 1,680-by-1,050 native resolution. Hard-core gamers should opt for a system with more graphics power.

While the C90's desktop processor gives the system a power boost, it also confers a couple of disadvantages. The "Turbo Engine" cooling mechanism, which keeps the CPU from overheating, is large and emits a generous amount of heat. So much, in fact, that I found it too hot to enjoy simple computing tasks like Web browsing and ripping CDs when the system lay on my lap. I measured 130° F with an infrared thermometer. I didn't expect an enormous amount of battery life, but I was taken aback the C90's six-cell lithium ion battery gave out at a mere 1 hour 9 minutes on the MobileMark 2007 benchmark test, rendering the system helpless without a wall outlet.

Nits aside, the Velocity Micro NoteMagix C90 Ultra is a good desktop-replacement system, ideal for the video professional who doesn't plan on toting it around a lot. Its desktop processor lends it a performance advantage over rivals in its price range, but given the heft, weak battery life, and excess of heat, serious gamers can find better options elsewhere.

Check out the Velocity Micro NoteMagix C90 Ultra's test scores.

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