Alienware M17x Dual-GPU Gaming Notebook Review

Name: Alienware M17x Dual-GPU Gaming Notebook Review
Brand: Alienware

by Marco Chiappetta — Monday, August 03, 2009, 10:00 AM EDT

Alienware M17x Dual-GPU Gaming Notebook

Synopsis: The M17x is Alienware's current flagship gaming notebook. It features an anodized aluminum shell that is available in a variety of colors, including silver, black, and red, and its 17" LCD sports a covering comprised of a single sheet of glass, that runs from edge-to-edge. The M17x also features 'BinaryGFX' technology which gives users have the ability to switch between discrete or integrated graphics and a 'Stealth Mode' in which the discrete graphics cards are turned off and other components throttle down to achieve a 65W power limit. We tested a high-end configuration, complete with an Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9300 processor, dual NVIDIA GeForce GTX 280M GPUs, 8GB of RAM, and 1TB RAID 0 array, and it put up the best benchmarks scores we have seen from a notebook to date.

Alienware M17x Notebook

Alienware M17x Gaming Notebooks

Features and Options

Video Card Options

Single 1GB GDDR3 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260M
SLI Dual 1GB GDDR3 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260M
SLI Dual 1GB GDDR3 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 280M

Processor Options

Intel Core 2 Suo P8600
(3MB Cache, 1066MHz FSB)
Intel Core 2 Duo P8700
(3MB Cache, 1066MHz FSB)
Intel Core 2 Duo T9600
(6MB Cache, 1066MHz FSB)
Intel Core 2 Duo T9800
(6MB Cache, 1066MHz FSB)
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9000
(6MB Cache, 1066MHz FSB)
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9100
(12MB Cache, 1066MHz FSB)
Intel Core 2 Extreme Quad QX9300
(12MB Cache, 1066MHz FSB)

Color Options

Anodized Aluminum - Space Black
Anodized Aluminum – Lunar Silver

Display Options

17-inch WideXGA+ 1440 x 900 - (900p) LCD
17-inch WideUXGA 1920 x 1200 - (1200p) LCD

Operating System Options

Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium (64-bit)

Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate (64-bit)

Memory Options

4GB, 6GB, 8GB DDR31 - 1067MHz

4GB, 6GB, 8GB DDR31 - 1333Mhz

Hard Drive Options
Single Hard Drives

160GB, 250GB, 320GB, 500GB - 7,200RPM
128GB, 256GB SSD

Performance RAID 1

500GB 7,200RPM (2x500GB)
320GB 7,200RPM (2x320GB)

Performance RAID 0

320GB2 7,200RPM - RAID 0 (2x160B)
640GB2 7,200RPM - RAID 0 (2x320GB)
1TB2 7,200RPM - RAID 0 (2x500GB)
256GB2 SSD - RAID 0 (2x128GB)
512GB2 SSD - RAID 0 (2x256GB)

Optical Drive Options

Slot-Loading Dual Layer Blu-ray Combo (BR-ROM, DVD+-RW, CD-RW)
Slot-Loading Dual Layer DVD Burner (DVD+-RW, CD-RW)

Network Adapters

Integrated Gigabit Ethernet RJ-45 (10 / 100 / 1000 Mbps)
Internal Wireless a/g/draft-n with MIMO (2x2) Technology
Internal Wireless Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR

Audio

Internal High-Definition 5.1 Surround Sound Audio

Ports

4 Hi-speed USB 2.0 ports
1 eSATA/USB 2.0 Combo (2-in-1 port)
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

TV Tuner Option

ExpressCard Digital TV Tuner w/ Remote

Media Card Reader

Built-In 8-in-1 Media Card Reader

Keyboard

AlienFX Illuminated Keyboard
(Exclusive Design)

Software Personalization Options

Avatar
Window Style
Mouse Pointers
Wallpapers
Power Plan
Automatic Updates
Time Zone
Laser-Engraved Nameplate

Battery

9-cell Lithium-Ion Battery

Weight

11.7lbs (as configured)

Alienware M17x Image Gallery

Click For Larger View

Left 4 Dead
1920x1200 (4XAA, 16X Aniso)
Battery Eater Pro
(Classic Test, Discrete Graphics)

59.42 FPS
1 Hour, 4 Minutes