ALIENWARE M17x Gaming Laptop Review
The vanguard of modern laptop gaming and a stylish machine with few rivals…
Founded in 1996, Alienware has long been one of the worlds best known manufacturers of gaming PCs. Since Dell acquired it in 2006, it has gone from strength to strength and its M17x is the current benchmark by which all gaming laptops should be measured.
Gaming performance is staggering and by far the best we’ve seen to date. Twin ATi graphics cards set up in a CrossFireX configuration let the latest games run flawlessly, with ample power on offer for the most demanding multimedia use.
The vibrant 17-inch screen provides the perfect canvas for this level of power. Images are as sharp as it gets, thanks
to its Full HD resolution, with stunning brightness, colour and contrast on offer. The only downside is that the high-gloss panel is extremely reflective.
Home office performance is equally impressive. A quad-core processor from Intel’s flagship Core i7 range delivers fantastic levels of power. Only 4096MB of memory is in place, however, so the Asus and Toshiba in this group test prove marginally more capable in this regard.
Speed is enhanced by the use of a hard drive that spins at 7200rpm – the fastest speed currently available in a laptop. While its 500GB capacity cannot match the Asus’ in this group, there is ample space for storing large multimedia collections and running games directly from the drive.
Combining an anodized aluminium casing – available in a choice of black, red or silver – and textured plastic interior, the chassis exudes high-quality style. At 5.7kg you won’t want to carry it far, but the M17x is stunningly resilient and will stay suitably protected on the occasions you do travel.
Customized lighting
Several areas of the laptop – such as the keyboard, touchpad and vents at the front of the chassis – feature garish lighting effects. Each can be customized from a variety of colours or disabled entirely, depending on personal taste.
The keyboard is one of the best we’ve used, with large keys that respond quietly and accurately. With all keys highlighted by white borders and the aforementioned backlighting, it is easy to type in any lighting conditions, adding to the usability.
802.11n Wi-Fi and Gigabit Ethernet allow the fastest possible wireless and fixed network connections for high-speed online gaming. An integrated camera and microphones are in place above the screen to let you see and taunt your opponents when battling in online gaming bouts.
With its near-perfect combination of style, power and features, the M17x is at the vanguard of the modern gaming laptop market. If you’re after the most powerful gaming machine with bags of style and features, there are few rivals.
Specs Detail
- PROCESSOR INTEL 1.6GHZ CORE i7 720QM
- MEMORY 4096MB DDR3 SDRAM
- HARD DRIVE 500MB (7200RPM)
- OPTICAL DRIVE TRI-FORMAT DVD DL
- SCREEN SIZE AND TYPE 17-INCH SUPER-TET
- DISPLAY RESOLUTION 1920 X 1200 (WUXGA)
- GRAPHICS CARD ATI MOBILITY RADEON HD 4870
- DIMENSIONS 406 X 293 X 50MM
- WEIGHT 5.7KG
- WIRELESS LAN 802.11N
- ETHERNET GIGABIT
- USB PORTS 5
- FIREWIRE 1 (MINI)
- OPERATING SYSTEM WINDOWS 7 HOME PREMIUM
- STANDARD WARRANTY 1 YR RTB P&L
Price £2,000
The vanguard of modern laptop gaming and a stylish machine with few rivals…
Founded in 1996, Alienware has long been one of the worlds best known manufacturers of gaming PCs. Since Dell acquired it in 2006, it has gone from strength to strength and its M17x is the current benchmark by which all gaming laptops should be measured.
Gaming performance is staggering and by far the best we’ve seen to date. Twin ATi graphics cards set up in a CrossFireX configuration let the latest games run flawlessly, with ample power on offer for the most demanding multimedia use.
The vibrant 17-inch screen provides the perfect canvas for this level of power. Images are as sharp as it gets, thanks
to its Full HD resolution, with stunning brightness, colour and contrast on offer. The only downside is that the high-gloss panel is extremely reflective.
Home office performance is equally impressive. A quad-core processor from Intel’s flagship Core i7 range delivers fantastic levels of power. Only 4096MB of memory is in place, however, so the Asus and Toshiba in this group test prove marginally more capable in this regard.
Speed is enhanced by the use of a hard drive that spins at 7200rpm – the fastest speed currently available in a laptop. While its 500GB capacity cannot match the Asus’ in this group, there is ample space for storing large multimedia collections and running games directly from the drive.
Combining an anodized aluminium casing – available in a choice of black, red or silver – and textured plastic interior, the chassis exudes high-quality style. At 5.7kg you won’t want to carry it far, but the M17x is stunningly resilient and will stay suitably protected on the occasions you do travel.
Customized lighting
Several areas of the laptop – such as the keyboard, touchpad and vents at the front of the chassis – feature garish lighting effects. Each can be customized from a variety of colours or disabled entirely, depending on personal taste.
The keyboard is one of the best we’ve used, with large keys that respond quietly and accurately. With all keys highlighted by white borders and the aforementioned backlighting, it is easy to type in any lighting conditions, adding to the usability.
802.11n Wi-Fi and Gigabit Ethernet allow the fastest possible wireless and fixed network connections for high-speed online gaming. An integrated camera and microphones are in place above the screen to let you see and taunt your opponents when battling in online gaming bouts.
With its near-perfect combination of style, power and features, the M17x is at the vanguard of the modern gaming laptop market. If you’re after the most powerful gaming machine with bags of style and features, there are few rivals.
Specs Detail
- PROCESSOR INTEL 1.6GHZ CORE i7 720QM
- MEMORY 4096MB DDR3 SDRAM
- HARD DRIVE 500MB (7200RPM)
- OPTICAL DRIVE TRI-FORMAT DVD DL
- SCREEN SIZE AND TYPE 17-INCH SUPER-TET
- DISPLAY RESOLUTION 1920 X 1200 (WUXGA)
- GRAPHICS CARD ATI MOBILITY RADEON HD 4870
- DIMENSIONS 406 X 293 X 50MM
- WEIGHT 5.7KG
- WIRELESS LAN 802.11N
- ETHERNET GIGABIT
- USB PORTS 5
- FIREWIRE 1 (MINI)
- OPERATING SYSTEM WINDOWS 7 HOME PREMIUM
- STANDARD WARRANTY 1 YR RTB P&L
Price £2,000
