Alienware’s latest gaming laptop has been dubbed the most powerful gaming laptop in the universe. Quite the bold claim in the competitive performance laptop market. If there’s one thing that’s certain, you’ll at least feel powerful sitting in front of its massive 17 inch screen, 12 pound aluminum body and glowing lighting effects.
The M17x is a desktop replacement, but what exactly does that mean? The idea behind a desktop replacement laptop is to give consumers the power, and expandability of a desktop PC in the convenience of a portable laptop body. The M17x has 4 USB ports, an external SATA port, two 2.5” Drive bays, and your standard gigabit Ethernet port with Wireless N card. But those are the boring features – lets talk about the guts that make this cheetah purrr.
Our laptop was configured with an Intel Core 2 Duo 9600 running at 2.8Ghz with 4 GB of DDR3 RAM. We have two GeForce 260M video cards running in SLI mode with 1GB dedicated video RAM each. There’s also a GeForce 9400 video card which can be used to conserve battery power. Finally we’re topped off our configuration with a slot loading Blu-Ray drive. All of that is displayed on a gorgeous 1920x1200 WUXGA screen with edge to edge glass.
Alienware’s M17x can be built with either Inter Core 2 processors or the newer i5 and i7 CPUs. For Core 2’s, the included processor is a substantial Intel Core 2 Duo P8600 running at 2.4GHz, 3MB Cache and 1066MhzFSB but there are lots of upgrade options. There are two faster Core 2 Duo processors available with the T9600 running at 2.8GHz clock speed and 6MB Cache or the T9800 that kicks the speed up to 2.93GHz with the same Cache. A couple of different Intel Core 2 Quad processors are also options. The first is the Q9800 with the four cores running at 2.0GHz or, for ultimate performance, the Intel Core 2 Quad QX9300 with four 2.53GHZ cores, 12MB Cache and 1066 MHz FSB.
The alternative base processor is the Intel Core i5 520M running at 2.4GHz and 3MB Cache. There’s also the option of an i5 540M running at 2.53GHz. There are four Intel Core i7 options with the basic processor running at 2.66GHz and sporting 4MB Cache. The top of the line is the Intel Core i7 920XM which clocks at 2.0GHZ or up to 3.2GHz in Turbo Mode and has a 8MB Cache.
When you have a need for speed, the next essential piece of the puzzle is RAM memory. The basic unit comes equipped with 4GB of dual channel DDR3 1066MHz RAM. It’s upgradable to 6GB or 8GB with the snappiest option being 8GB Dual Channel DDR3 running at 1333MHz. While the base 4GB is pretty substantial for a typical laptop, for this gaming monster, we can’t help but think a RAM upgrade is a no brainer.
SPESIFICATION
* Manufacturer: - Alienware
* Part Number: - dkdoqd3
* Processor: - Intel Core2 Extreme Quad QX9300 / 2.53 GHz
* RAM Installed: - Size 8 GB Technology DDR3 SDRAM
* Storage Hard Drive: - 320 GB - 7200 rpm
* Optical Storage: - Type Slot-Load Dual Layer DVD Burner (DVD+-RW, CD-RW)
* Display ; - Type 17
* Video Graphics Processor: - Dual NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260M, 2GB SLI Enabled Video Memory 2 GB
* Operating System Software Provided: - Windows Vista Home Premium (64 bit)
* Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade Coupon
Colour Option: Alienware Lunar Silver
Processor: QX9300 Intel Core 2 Quad Extreme 2.53GHz (12MB Cache, 1066MHz FSB)
Memory: 8GB (8192MB) DDR3 1333MHz
Hard Drive: 2 x 500GB Serial (SATA) 7200 RPM
Display/Screen: 17.0" 1920x1200 (WUXGA) Dual CCFL/8ms Widescreen Display - Beyond HD (1200p)
Optical drive: Blu-Ray Combo (Reads Blu-Ray,DVD and CD, Writes DVD & CD)
Graphics Card: 2 x 1024MB nVidia GeForce GTX 280M SLI (Total 2GB)
Webcam: Yes, Integrated Webcam Included
Sound Card: IDT High Definition Audio
Wireless: Broadcom 802.11n
3G/Mobile Broadband: No, Please See Upgrades Section Below For Availability
Bluetooth: YES
Battery: Extended Life 9 Cell 80WHr/85WHr Lithium Ion Battery
Please See For Other Options if Available
Keyboard: Please see Upgrades section below for available keyboard layouts
For Different Keyboard Languages See
If a US keyboard is listed below, for a limited time only we will upgrade it for FREE (non-backlit)if you send us an email requesting us to do so after you have bought the item!
Additional features:
- Anodized Aluminum Case Design with Aggressive Lines and In-Your-Face Attitude
- Binary GFX Technology - Switch between onboard and discrete graphics
- Optional AlienFXTM Illuminated Keyboard, Exclusive Design
- Internal High-Definition 5.1 Surround Sound Audio
- Integrated Gigabit Ethernet RJ-45 (1000 Mbps)
- Built-In 8-in-1 Media Card Reader
Ports:
- 4 Hi-speed USB 2.0 ports
- 1 eSATA/USB 2.0 Combo (2-in-1 port) with PowerShare
- IEEE 1394a (4-pin) port
- ExpressCard Slot
- DisplayPort, HDMI, VGA - Video Output
- Front Speakers Audio Out Connector / Headphone Jack
- Center Speaker and Subwoofer Audio Out Connector / Headphone Jack
- Rear Surround Audio Out Connector
- Audio In / Microphone Jack
- Two Built-In Front Speakers
Software:
- Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate SP1 (64-Bit) - English
For Different OS Languages See
- DVD-Playing & CD/DVDWriting Software
(Where Applicable)
- Open Office Software Suite
Included:
- Battery
- Worldwide AC Adaptor/Charger (110v-240v)
- Recovery Media/Discs
