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The Alienware M17x was mentioned in Core i7 laptops and quad core laptops.

The Alienware M17x, which was introduced last June this year, represents the first offspring of the Alienware/Dell union. The introduction of the Alienware M17x signifies that Alienware is now the face of Dell’s line of premium performance machines aimed at the consumer (non-business) market with specific focus on the gaming niche. That marriage has afforded Alienware a global market as it extends its presence in 35 countries.

 

In March 2006, Alienware officially became a subsidiary of computer giant, Dell, Inc. Founded a decade earlier, Alienware specializes in high performance desktops, laptops and workstations. The company had originally targeted a segment of the high performance gaming market, which at that time was considered insignificant by major manufacturers like Dell. As the demand for high performance gaming laptops grew over the years, Dell took notice and began showing an interest in Alienware as early as 2002.

 

The company’s name reflects the founders’ fondness for the hit TV series The X-Files. That admiration is even reflected in the names of the company’s products – Area-51, Hangar18, etc., and it extends to the gamer-influenced designs of Alienware’s machines.

 

Alienware’s marriage with Dell brought the former greater leverage as it maintained its autonomy in terms of design and marketing while at the same time providing it access to Dell’s supply chain, purchasing power, and production capabilities.

 

The Alienware M17x follows a trend among gaming laptops when it comes to design. One glance is enough to leave an impression that it is what it is – a gamer’s device. The device is decked with metals and every nook and cranny seems to be highlighted with LED lights. There is even an option that allows you to coordinate the device’s lighting combo.

 

The metal garnishes, the chassis, the internals, the robust design make this a heavy laptop. We don’t think you’d enjoy tugging this around all day. To us it is a desktop replacement that would most likely spend most of its operating time in the same desk.

 

Underneath the M17x’s heavy lid is a full-sized keyboard that is just as weighty. Atop the keyboard are various keys to control the device’s media and wireless features. The large touchpad has a wrist rest and is as responsive as you would expect with a laptop of this nature.

 

The M17x’s 17-inch display offers a 1920 x 1200 high-definition resolution. The great screen is ably complemented by a set of excellent speakers which are strong enough to fill a small room.

 

Performance-wise, the top-end Alienware M17x lives up to its claim as “the most powerful laptop in the universe.” The device has two of Nvidia’s GeForce GTX 280M graphics cards and a 2.53-GHz Intel Core 2 Extreme Quad QX9300 CPU. With this combo the M17x can take on the most demanding games available on the market today.

 

The M17x also comes with HDMI, VGA, Ethernet, four USB 2.0, eSATA, DisplayPort and FireWire ports, plus, a memory card reader, and an ExpressCard/54 slot.

 

SPECS	AVAILABLE OPTIONS (From Dell’s website)
CPU	Intel Core 2 Suo P8600 (3MB Cache, 1066MHz FSB)up to Intel Core 2 Extreme Quad QX9300 (12MB Cache, 1066MHz FSB)
RAM	4GB, 6GB, 8GB DDR31
Screen Size	17-inch WideXGA+ 1440 x 900 – (900p) LCD17-inch WideUXGA 1920 x 1200 – (1200p) LCD
Operating System	Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium (64-bit)Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate (64-bit)
Battery Life	About 3 hours
Graphics	Single 1GB GDDR3 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260MSLI Dual 1GB GDDR3 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260MSLI Dual 1GB GDDR3 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 280M

 

Pros

The Alienware M17x offers excellent performance, a great and sturdy design, cool customization options and powerful graphics. We also liked that it is highly configurable.

 

Cons

The M17x is heavy and as you upgrade it, the heavier it gets. Another thing about upgrading the M17x is that the price gets steeper with each upgrade. We agree with some users who think it has a relatively short battery life.

 

Conclusion

We think that the Alienware M17x is the best, if not, one of the best, gaming laptops money can buy. If there is a list of the top gaming laptops available today, we would not be surprised if the Alienware M17x tops those.

Related posts:

1. Dell Allienware M15X – Review
2. Dell Vostro 1720 – Review
3. Dell Studio 1537 – Review
4. Dell Inspiron 11z – Netbook Review
5. Dell Precision M6400 Covet – Review

Tags: Alienware, Dell, gaming laptop

This entry was posted on Sunday, October 18th, 2009 at 3:57 am and is filed under Dell, Other, and is tagged with Alienware, Dell, gaming laptop. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.