Alienware m15x

Say hello to the new Area-51 m15x from Alienware. Tagged for mixing their legendary performance with impressive mobility, it is a 15.4 gaming laptop that when configured properly can knock close to $5,000. When we first got wind of this machine, we were worried that Dell's conservative take to design would dilute the futuristic flash and style that Alienware has been known to supply.inspiron 1525 battery In true LaptopLogic form read on to find out if looks and performance match our intuition



Design

Silver and only silver, thats the fist thing youll notice with the m15x.inspiron 6400 battery The case wasn't something that impressed us much and given Alienware's reputation for edgy design (almost Giger-esque), we found the silver lid with obligatory blue-eyed alien head to be, well...boring. Having reviewed Alienware machines in the past,xps m1330 battery we were always fond of their blue exterior option. This new lid is a silver panel, with a seam starting from the bottom to two-thirds up the lid, where it's broken by the ambiguous alien head. Granted,dell d620 battery the texture and quality of the material used was spot on babys behind smooth, but also too plain for what were used to.

One notable negative to the build-quality of the m15x was the creaks and groans.HP 510 Let's just say James Bond wouldn't use this laptop if he was hiding in the rafters. Just moving the lid, even before the lids angle is adjusted,Acer Aspire 4710 emits a creaky staircase noise (think 40s horror flick sound). What makes the matter worse, is it doesn't make much difference where you grip the lid. However, we have a theory behind the creakswe're attributing this to the LED lighting built into the rim of the lid.HP Pavilion DV9000 Being somewhat boring on the exterior, Alienware opted to deliver an attractive blue border to their monitor, although the extra parts means more chances for frictionand more friction means more noise.

Keyboard

The 86-key keyboard has a pleasant blue LED area of light that surrounds each key and features excellent feel while keeping perfect key travel and ample space for large hands. However,Sony VGP-BPS8A flex was an issue (although isolated). We noticed a fair amount of keyboard flex,Sony VGP-BPS8 but only to the dead center of the keyboard, which only significantly affected half-dozen keys or so. Sony VGP-BPS9

The display was astounding with a native resolution at 1920x1200,Sony VGP-BPS8B and being a 15.4" WUXGA display was plenty enough pixels per inch. Although we did notice the monitor seemed to produce a softer image than most displays at this resolution. However,Sony VGP-BPS9/B this may be a better thing because it made it easier to stare at the screen for longer periods of time.

Size & Weight

The whole kit will take up approximately 14.55" x 10.73,Sony VGP-BPS10 and weighs in at around seven pounds.VGP-BPS9A/B Compare this to the HP Pavilion DV6700t series, which is slightly smaller (14.05" x 10.12") and weighs around 6.12 pounds.Sony VGP-BPS9/S

The weight,Acer UM08B71 however, can differ slightly depending on what drive you're placing in the Smart Bay.apple a1060 battery Youre choices can range from a 2x Blu-ray Disc Burner, secondary 300 GB hard drive,apple a1045 battery or an extra Li-Ion battery. One thing we definitely like about the m15x is that all 3 of these devices are hot-swappable and can be completely changed in around 10 seconds or so. Dell inspiron 1525 battery

Connectivity

Alienware did an excellent job supplying connections for the m15x.Dell latitude e6400 battery It carries the latest internal Intel a/b/g/n wireless card, which is something we feel is a requirement given the machines price.Acer BTP-60A1

The front houses a single IR port no more,Toshiba PA3399U-1BAS no lessok, more drab silver color but thats just our disappointment talking a little more.

Heat, Noise, Upgrading

Even though this machine screams at the performance and price tag level,hp pavilion dv6000 battery we're glad to note that while the fan noise of the m15x is audible, it doesnt scream at you (thankfully).Fujitsu lifebook s6510 battery The heat generated by the laptop is only uncomfortable under the area to the right of the palmrest. It does get warm after hours of use,Sony VGP-BPS13A/B although it's within expected limits, especially with a 8800m GTX and Core2Extreme CPU under there.

Alienware gives you plenty of manufacturer options for upgrading the m15x,Lenovo/IBM ThinkPad X60 and luckily your base Alienware can be configured for quite less than ours. So you do have a few options - our unit came maxed out with 4 GB of DDR2 RAM running at 667 MHz,Lenovo/IBM ThinkPad T60 and that's the most you can get out of both Dual-Channel slots.