Ubuntu hardware re-sellers System76 have today unveiled their product: the Bonobo Extreme laptop.

And when they say ‘extreme’ they mean it.

System76’s CEO and Founder, Carl Richell, boasts that the Bonobo Extreme is the ‘world’s fastest Ubuntu laptop’, citing Steam’s impending Linux arrival as reason for launching a ‘new benchmark in gaming performance’.

The Bonobo Extreme follows on from Octobers launch of the first Ubuntu all-in-one PC, the Sable Complete.

Specifications

The laptop boasts a gargantuan, full-HD 17.3″ backlit display – so not only will your games look fantastic but so will everything else.

The stock CPU is an Intel i7 @ 2.6Ghz (Quad core) but upgrade options can see bumped up to a i7-3940XM Extreme Processor @ 3.00GHz for another $530 or so.

The big sell of the Extreme to gamers will be the inclusion of a dedicated GPU under the hood. The base model sports a nVidia Geforce GTX 670MX with 3GB of DDR5 RAM and 960 CUDA Cores. Not enough juice for you? You can upgrade to a Geforce GTX 680M with 4GB of DDR5 memory and 1344 CUDA cores for $134 more.

A full-sized backlit keyboard and a large clickpad with rubberized palm rests means whether day or night, working or playing you’re sure to have a comfortable experience using it.

Though, with those internals, I probably wouldn’t keep it on your lap ;)

Weight

If there’s one drawback (that is inevitable in all ‘extreme’ laptops of this ilk) it’s weight.

At 8.60lbs/3.90 kg you won’t be throwing this one into your rucksack for a trip to the local café. This device is huge, thick and weighty.

But you know what? That’s okay with me. Laptops like this should put power before beauty; choose raw performance over superfluous additions; and see usefulness win out against design-first trade-offs.

As an added bonus, System76 even provide a free clamshell case with this model.

Specifications in full (base model)

17.3″ Backlit Display with Glossy Surface ( 1920 x 1080 )

Intel i7 3630QM Processor clocked @ 2.40GHz (Quad core + hyper threading)

8GB DDR3 RAM

500 GB 7200 RPM HDD

nVidia Geforce GTX 670MX 3GB

DVD Drive

8 Cell Battery

Ports include 5 x USBs (incl. USB 3.0); ethernet, card reader, the usual perforation of audio holes, and a Kensington lock. HDMI and Display Port outs are also included should you want to hook this beast up to another screen.

Price and Availability

The Bonobo Extreme, on paper at least, makes a great desktop replacement. But the price of portable performance is high, and the Extreme lives up to its name in yet another area: it costs $1499.

And that’s at $100 off as part of the System 76 xmas promotion.

Head on over to the System76 xmas-themed website to check out full details on the laptop, as well as see offers on their other hardware.

Buy the System76 Bonobo Extreme Laptop