Alienware M17x

 


Dominate the Horde

When your opponents swarm down like locusts, the Alienware M17x laptop gives you the firepower for all-out extermination. The most powerful Intel® mobile processor available, ATi CrossFireX™ dual-GPU graphics and Alienware’s dramatic industrial design deliverthe ultimate Hi-def mobile gaming and entertainment experience. Strike fear in your enemies and taste sweet victory.

Speed is Survival

Any hesitation means almost-certain death. Power through the most hardcore games and intense applications with the latest Intel® Core™ i7 and Core™ i5 processors featuring Intel® Turbo Boost Technology for dynamic, on-the-fly overclocking.

You’re only as good as your GPU

If you want your games cranked up to max settings with ultrafast frame rates, the Alienware M17x now offers up to a full one teraflop of sheer graphics power with ATI CrossFireX™. Experience incredible scalability, performance and compatibility while obtaining desktop-quality imagery.

Final Words and Conclusion

When we looked at the pre-production M17x back in June we were impressed by the quality of the system. Since then Alienware have added an extra level of sheen to the product and as far as desktop replacements go, this is a fantastic machine.

Alienware’s decision to opt for a clean design throughout the chassis has resulted in a very appealing chassis which looks both professional and cutting edge. When the lid is opened we are presented with a stunning screen and after powering on the system small aspects such as the re-enforced keyboard and touch panel functionality add a feel of real quality to the build.

Thanks to some high specification components such as the QX9300 CPU, 4GB of DDR3-1333 and dual GTX 280’s the performance of the M17x we tested was exceptional, additionally it is possible to increase this further with options such as dual 256GB SSDs in RAID 0 ... equally so if your budget is limited the components can be configured to a lower specification. The option to include a single GTX 260 along with dual core processor is a fine example of how this machine can provide a great experience for those on a lower budget as well as it does for those who do not want to compromise with performance when on the move.

We were also impressed by the thermal performance of the M17x. When using the 9400 GPU it was cool enough to sit on our lap for general use, something which cannot be said of many previous Alienware models. When moving to performance mode with the GTX 280's the vent and exhaust layout is very capable. All air being passed out of the back of the machine makes a huge difference to the temperatures of the internal components and the area surrounding the front and sides of the chassis as well as the base.

Battery life was also very good for the class of system. There is no way the system will ever compete on this front with the new Macbook Pro 17inch however two hours of high definition content and three of general use should be more than enough for most users. Especially as this is a machine which is unlikely to move far from its main location.

Alienware even have the little things pretty much perfected. The free mouse pad and cap add a nice consumer friendly touch and the Respawn function works as well as any restore software we have used. Start it off and return in around 30minutes to find the system back in its original state.

Special mention also has to go to the PSU which is provided with the M17x; it runs very cool and is compact compared to previous models which is a great achievement.

Overall it is hard to find fault with the M17x but there is one. The inclusion of face recognition software is, from a geek point of view, very cool. It rarely works though. Regardless of how long we used the software for and how many times it attempted to store/recognise our faces it rarely allowed us to login/unlock the system automatically.