Alienware m17x 2011 review
Alienware is probably the biggest brand name in the gaming industry, known mostly for their gaming computers. It is no surprise that they also know what they are doing when it comes to gaming laptops. The Alienware M17x is a perfect example of what this company can do with not just desktop computers, but with laptops as well. One of the most praised features about anything made by Alienware is that they are built for taking on the road. The anodized aluminum case is sturdy enough to withstand a few dings but at the same time look good doing it. The hardware you choose is up to you; there are tons of ways to customize your gaming laptop and the specs we priced and chose are what you will find in the basic package. It is very easy to see why the Alienware M17x received our TopTenREVIEWS Silver Award and why this company is so well known for their amazing gaming computers.
Video/Audio:
The Alienware M17xgaming laptop comes standard with the ATI Mobility HD 5870, which may not be the top of the line graphics card, but it will still be able to run almost any game on the market today without any trouble. The ATI Mobility HD 5870 is the very similar to the Crossfire version made by ATI, other than the fact that it has about half as many shaders. This does make a lot of difference when playing high resolution games, but won’t make or break most games. As always you do have the option to upgrade your Alienware M17x for a price and get the Crossfire or even dual video cards. Whichever way you choose to go you will not be disappointed with what this gaming laptop can do while you’re away from home.
Audio has always been an issue for gamers using laptop computers; most gamers will simply buy some high-quality headphones and never use the built-in speakers. The Alienware M17x, on the other hand, has some of the best audio we have seen on a gaming laptop. For some, this may be the reason for choosing this gaming laptop and for others it won’t really matter.
Processor:
The basic build for the Alienware M17x gaming laptop comes with an Intel Core i5 520M processor. This doesn’t quite cut it for a new high end gaming computer, so we decided to feature a slightly upgraded model with an Intel Core i7 720QM processor instead. The 720QM model may not be quite as fast as the 740 but in the long run it won’t make or break your system’s performance for at least a few years. Most games out right now do not require anything above a quad core processor, so having a lower end i7 will not be a problem for some time. Much like the higher end models, the 720QM has four cores and eight threads; the only major difference is the speed at which data can be transferred. At 1.6GHz the speed is slightly slower, which may affect your gaming experience if quite a few other programs are running in the background.
Memory/Storage:
Once again, the base model hard drive was a little small for a high end gaming laptop so we upgraded to the 500GB version. With that much space, you should have no problem installing all of your games, music, videos or anything else for that matter. This gaming laptop is also capable of using multiple drives if you choose to RAID your two hard drives down the road. Which basically means you’re taking the two drives and making them act as the same drive.
RAM (random access memory) is one of the more important pieces of hardware because it allows your computer to run all of those high-end games without any delays. Most games out right now will not use more than 6GB of RAM, and that is only when there are a lot of things happening at once and in very demanding games. Most gaming laptops come with 4GB of RAM, which is good enough for all games out right now. The Alienware M17x has 2 sticks of 2GB DDR3 RAM which is enough memory for gamers out there.
Additional Features:
The very thought of Alienware computers conjures images of exotic machines that show everyone around that you mean business. The M17x gaming laptop carries on that tradition proudly and is most likely to be a conversation starter for anyone who hasn’t been properly introduced to the world of Alienware. The case is anodized aluminum and is available in black, silver or red colors. The thick, angular case opens to reveal a spectacular display screen that has glass running from edge to edge. Keyboard backlighting can be controlled by the Fusion FX system which allows for a huge palette of color choices. Indeed, the keyboard can be divided into four distinct sectors each with its own hue. LEDs which light the grillwork that adorns the front of the keyboard can also be customized.
The Alienware M17x is a 17.3 inch LCD screen which is plenty big for any avid gamer out there. Because of the large screen size and thick body you will find that this gaming laptop weighs right around 20 pounds. For some, this is a huge turn-off and for others it will not be such a big deal because of the large display. If you are looking for a lightweight gaming laptop, this is not going to fit the bill. On the other hand if you want one that will be able to do anything and has a large display this is your beast.
Because this system has plenty of memory, lots of hard drive space and one of the best graphics cards, it’s easy to see why they chose an operating system like Windows 7 Home Premium to run everything on. Windows 7 is by far the best multitasking OS and will make your gaming experience that much better. The Alienware M17x gaming laptop also has five USB ports which will allow you to connect pretty much anything and everything you would need for gaming at the same time. The only real issue we had with this laptop is that the battery didn’t last anywhere near the 3 hours we were told it could last. Perhaps we were running high power usage programs, but it didn’t quite add up.
Support/Warranty:
Dell has been a well known company for quite some time and has always treated their customers with respect. Getting help of any kind is very easy and does not take more than just a few minutes. Their one year warranty covers the basic manufacturing issues and hardware issues you might experience with your gaming laptop. A phone number, email and online chat are all available if you need help during the purchase process or with technical issues. Overall, the help and support seemed to be solid and issues seem to get resolved quickly.
Summary:
Many gamers out there would say that the Alienware M17x gaming laptop should be the number one product, but when comparing base models the M17x simply doesn’t offer as much for the money you spend. However, if you want a brand name that can be trusted and a gaming laptop that will blow most others out of the water, this is one of the best choices out there.
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