Dell Alienware M17x Gaming Laptop

[Edmund]

Powerful but wise in basic configuration, the Dell Alienware expose performance and price options once pushed to the bottom. For gamers and wealthy!

Now that Alienware is completely digested by Dell, the brand of choice for wealthy gamblers is more than a range. But a range of exception: the price of about Rs. 144000 in our test version of the M17 reserve this machine for an elite. But its performance will be able to meet these demanding players?

Graphics to Be Reckoned With

Run the most powerful gaming laptop in the universe with a powerful graphics card. NVIDIA GeForce SLI graphics deliver high frame rates with excellent resolution — so go ahead, crank up those game settings. Experience incredible scalability, performance and compatibility while obtaining desktop quality imagery. You’ll be amazed by what you’re now capable of.

BinaryGFX — With Alienware’s BinaryGFX technology, users have the ability to switch between discrete or integrated graphics.

Stealth Mode — While in Stealth Mode, discrete graphics cards are turned off and other components throttle down to achieve a 65W power limit.

Your Command Center

Alienware Command Center provides intuitive, user-friendly access to exclusive applications and controls, including AlienFX lighting effects software and AlienFusion power management system. Updates and new releases download directly into Command Center, creating a constantly evolving tool for modifying and personalizing your M17x.

AlienSense — This facial recognition software identifies numerous distinguishing features, utilizing the M17x’s webcam to read and verify biometric measurements that cannot be faked or stolen like a typed password.

[Edmund]

Powerfully Unique Design

Power isn’t only on the inside of the Alienware M17x. Protect your world with Alienware’s all-new, anodized aluminum case design with aggressive lines and in-your-face attitude that can manage your thermals and look good doing it. And you can personalize your machine with a choice of two color options: Metallic Silver or Metallic Black.

QuickTouch system control pad — Run your fingers above the keyboard on your M17x and you won’t feel a thing. Your laptop, however, will. The Alienware QuickTouch control pad uses touch-capacitive sensors to access and manage power and volume controls, Bluetooth and wireless connectivity and Command Center and Stealth Mode launch functions. Illuminated by the dramatic AlienFX lighting control system, QuickTouch renders mechanical buttons and control knobs obsolete.

Stunning Display — See bolder colors on the 17¨ widescreen LCD display. Featuring a dual CCFL back-lit LCD with higher brightness, the Alienware M17x will display more detailed, higher-quality imagery than single CCFL displays. And with an 8-ms response time, ghosting will be a thing of the past.

Webcam — The 2.0-megapixel webcam and digital microphone array lets you broadcast across the web, while wireless capabilities have you up and running anytime, anywhere.

Personalized plaque — Turn over your new Alienware M17x and check out the laser-etched nameplate that proclaims your custom-built M17x is unique to only you.

Anodized aluminum — Sophistication. Protection. Durability. Alienware M17x’s case design combines a long life span with naturally textured beauty that can withstand normal wear and tear. Considering the amount of gaming power the M17x pumps out, a case that can manage thermals efficiently and has plenty of strength to protect everything inside is essential. The M17x’s anodized aluminum case design boasts aggressive lines and an in-your-face attitude.

[Edmund]

Later design, the machine likes or dislikes, but it does not leave indifferent. Some will find the impressive, with its keyboard and its very bright grille came from the automotive world, the others find a little piece refined. From the perspective of the player, the machine is "big and stubborn", an image that sticks to the power needs of recent games.

Before discussing the performance, talking light: all the logos, and the keyboard's buttons are backlit, and the user can set to taste these items. For the keyboard, three different lights can be applied to the main part, and another in the numeric keypad. What a true rainbow. One option therefore unnecessary, we can change using profiles. This adds nothing to the skills of the player, but at least he will not go unnoticed.

Performance equivalent to that of a PC (with comparable graphics cards)

Equipped with Raid drives with a powerful processor (a T9600 at 2.8 GHz) and a graphics card medium-high range, the M17x makes it possible to play all the recent games, mostly in high resolution. But the GTX 260 is limited by the maximum resolution of the screen (1920 x 1200) with Empire Total War or Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II, when the details are pushed to the maximum. This is still playable, of course, but the animations are slower. You can go to the next level by adding to the order, a second graphics card GTX 260 or even push two GTX280.

Stability concerns: a recurring problem after a Windows Update

When first starting, we installed our tools for measuring performance and test video games and we have found, after an upgrade of Windows, the intractable problems of stability (no system tool, such as Windows Update, System etc.. no one wanted to run). We therefore restored quickly using Windows tool AlienRespawn. Alas, after everything is reinstalled, the same update appears to have made our system unstable. Problem of software serial or random, impossible to say. However, the player always feels annoyed if this problem appears on the machine he had just Rs. 144000 to pay. Especially if it has installed four or five games under Steam and 3D Mark 2006 Vantage.

[Edmund]

Specifications

Processor

• Intel Core 2 Duo P8600 (3MB Cache, 1066MHz FSB)
• Intel Core 2 Duo P8700 (3MB Cache, 1066MHz FSB)
• Intel Core 2 Duo T9600 (6MB Cache, 1066MHz FSB)
• Intel Core 2 Duo T9800 (6MB Cache, 1066MHz FSB)
• Intel Core 2 Quad Q9000, (6MB Cache, 1066MHz FSB)
• Intel Core 2 Quad Q9100 (12MB Cache, 1066MHz FSB)
• Intel Core 2 Extreme Quad QX9300 (12MB Cache, 1066MHz FSB)

Operating System

• Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit
• Genuine Windows Vista Ultimate 64-bit

Memory

• 4GB2, 6GB, 8GB DDR33 - 1067MHz
• 4GB, 6GB, 8GB DDR3 - 1333Mhz

Hard Drive

• 160GB2, 250GB, 320GB, 500GB - 7,200RPM
• 128GB, 256GB SSD

Video Card

• Single 1GB GDDR3 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260M
• SLI Dual 1GB GDDR3 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260M
• SLI Dual 1GB GDDR3 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 280M

Display

• 17-inch WideXGA+ 1440 x 900 - (900p) LCD
• 17-inch WideUXGA 1920 x 1200 - (1200p) LCD

Optical Drive

• Slot-Loading Dual Layer Blu-ray Combo (BR-ROM, DVD+-RW, CD-RW)
• Slot-Loading Dual Layer DVD Burner (DVD+-RW, CD-RW)

Ports

• 4 Hi-speed USB 2.0 ports
• 1 eSATA/USB 2.0 Combo (2-in-1 port) with PowerShare
• IEEE 1394a (4-pin) port
• ExpressCard Slot
• DisplayPort, HDMI, VGA - Video Output
• Front Speakers Audio Out Connector / Headphone Jack
• Center Speaker and Subwoofer Audio Out Connector / Headphone Jack
• Rear Surround Audio Out Connector
• Audio In / Microphone Jack
• Two Built-In Front Speakers

Color

• Anodized Aluminum - Space Black
• Anodized Aluminum – Lunar Silver

Dimensions

• Height: 51.31mm to 53.59mm (2.02 inches to 2.11 inches) – Front to Back
• Width: 405.89mm (15.98 inches)
• Depth: 321.31mm (12.65 inches)
• Weight: Starting at 5.3kg

[Edmund]

Conclusion

The Alienware M17x is fast and very good, but we have encountered stability problems during our test. The finishing of the machine are good, the adapter has experienced a small weight loss, performance is there, etc.. Everything would be for the best in the best of worlds if the machine that we tested had not seen any major concern for stability. When it takes so much money in a PC, we expect, and it is legitimate, outstanding stability.

Pros

• Performance of another world
• Equipment complete
• New anodized aluminum shell
• Silent mode for normal use

Cons

• Price
• Is this reasonable?