ALIENWARE AREA-51 M17X REVIEW

Alien is out with the tag line of M17X from Alienware

The m17x is Alienware's top-end gaming laptop. Prominent features of this all-black monster comprise an Intel Core 2 Extreme processor, twin NVidia Geforce 9800M-GT graphics accelerator cards, and a 500GB RAID 0 array.

Design
This all-black monster is one of the principal laptops I have experienced. It is 2.1 inches thick and guidelines the scales at 11 pounds. The corporeal design of the m17x is conventional – there are no conjure curves or other design constituents. It has a box-like intend with filleted edges. The rubberized matte black come to an end of the m17x loans it a top-end feel and look. The only lustrous finish to be set up on the m17x is on the borders of the LCD.

Performance
The m17x comes customary with the only display obtainable, a 17-inch lustrous widescreen with a WUXGA declaration (1920x1200 pixels). The m17x has 2 stereo speakers and a 2-inch subwoofer. The sound excellence is to some extent above average for a laptop, and they get convincingly deafening the subwoofer adds some required low-end. The cooling system is significant on any laptop, but on a laptop packed with high-powered constituents like the m17x, it is assignment critical. Providentially the m17x’s system is up to the task. Vista Home Premium and eventual (32-bit) are the 2 accessible operating systems. I did not have any concerns with Vista Home Premium on our test unit; all of the abounding software including the Alienware Command Center labored without questions. I had no difficulties entering/resuming from standby, and hibernation enforced fine as well. The m17x has a 12-cell, 6600mAh battery power pack. With the display dimmed down in power-save mode and wireless off, I calculated 66 minutes of battery life.

17-inch WUXGA (1920x1200) lustrous display Intel Core 2 Extreme X9000 (2.8GHz/ 4MB L2/ 800MHz FSB) processor Dual NVidia Geforce 9800M-GT 512MB graphics accelerator cards in SLI 4GB DDR2-667 RAM 500GB RAID 0 (2x 250GB 7200RPM Samsung) hard drive

Overall
The Alienware Area-51 m17x is an extraordinary gaming laptop and a clear step ahead for Alienware in terms of intend and presentation. It is crammed to the gills with top-shelf paraphernalia, most remarkably a pair of NVidia 9800M-GT video cards. This is one of not even a handful of engines that can contentedly max out Crysis.

Pros
+ Extraordinary gaming presentation
+ Alien FX LED lighting system
+ Rock-hard build quality
+ Unbelievable display quality
+ High-quality keyboard & touchpad

Cons
- Very pricey
- Earsplitting fans
- Keyboard warm up