Type: Gaming, Media
Operating System: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium
Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo X9000
Processor Speed: 2.8 GHz
RAM: 4 GB
Weight: 7.8 lb
Screen Size: 15.4 inches
Screen Size Type: widescreen
Graphics Card: nVidia GeForce 8800M GTX
Storage Capacity: 200 GB
Networking Options: 802.11n
Primary Optical Drive: Dual-Layer DVD+/-RW
Alienware had taken a toned-down approach earlier, with its Area-51 m9750. For that system, the company opted to go with a rubber-like body reminiscent of Batman's suit of armor instead of the wildly colored designs it usually offers. It was this slick subtlety that helped the machine achieve an Editors' Choice back then, and now the Area-51 m15x follows some of the same winning principles. Rather than cover the frame with over-the-top paint jobs or fancy graphic splashes, Alienware has given the m15x a simple sophistication. The frame is reminiscent of a perfectly appointed briefcase, minus the handle and any distracting curves. Meanwhile, the laptop's solid silver treatment is reminiscent of some of the world's most luxurious automobiles.
The lighter color also complements the notebook's extraordinary display of color-shifting LEDs. Sound familiar? These lights are similar to the LEDs found on the XPS M1730, made by Dell, Alienware's parent company. The m15x's use of them is a little more stylish, futuristic, almost, well, alien—especially in the way they're laid out. Alienware has made them look like strings of light outlining areas such as the touchpad, the touch-sensitive group of multimedia buttons, the power button, the Alienware logo, and a "pipeline" that runs down on both sides of the screen. As if that's not enough, this LED extravaganza is topped off with a cool illuminated keyboard. During testing in PC Magazine Labs, the m15x really flexed its muscles.
Although its SYSmark 2007 Preview Overall score fell behind that of the Gateway P-171XL FX and the Dell M1730 by 9 percent and 12 percent, respectively, on other measures its performance trumped that of competitors including the P-171XL FX, the M1730, and the Toshiba X205-Sli4. Granted, I haven't reviewed the latest M1730 configuration with a similar Extreme processor, but the Alienware m15X's performance scores were still a marvel in their own right. The laptop secured the best scores among gaming laptops on Adobe Photoshop CS3, CineBench R10, and Windows Media Encoding tests. I'm sure it helped that the m15x was configured with one the fastest mobile processors on earth—the Intel Core 2 Extreme X9000 (2.8 GHz). Both the Gateway P-171XL FX and the Dell M1730 configurations I reviewed had previous-generation Intel Extreme processors, although that doesn't take anything away from their impressive performance prowess.
Internally, the m15x is configured with a 200GB, 7,200-rpm hard drive, which is built more for speed than for storage capacity. (Other gaming laptops feature up to 320GB of hard drive space, with some 17-inch models loading dual hard drives, which can mean up to 600GB of total hard drive space.) The three USB ports offered aren't as many as the Toshiba X205-SLi4's six or the M1730's four, but they're enough for a wide variety of peripherals. Other ports include a FireWire and a 4-in-1 card reader (MMC, MS, MS Pro, SD). There's even an HDMI port, which takes the place of both a VGA and an S-Video out port. Again, a Blu-ray drive here would have made full use of the HDMI port. With a Blu-ray drive, you could conceivably hook this laptop up to a larger, flat-panel display or even a 60-inch HDTV. (You can, of course, hook up the laptop and output any kind of video, not just Blu-ray.) The four speakers at the back of the system sound spectacular, and a 1.3-megapixel webcam sits above the screen.
Operating System: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium
Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo X9000
Processor Speed: 2.8 GHz
RAM: 4 GB
Weight: 7.8 lb
Screen Size: 15.4 inches
Screen Size Type: widescreen
Graphics Card: nVidia GeForce 8800M GTX
Storage Capacity: 200 GB
Networking Options: 802.11n
Primary Optical Drive: Dual-Layer DVD+/-RW
Alienware had taken a toned-down approach earlier, with its Area-51 m9750. For that system, the company opted to go with a rubber-like body reminiscent of Batman's suit of armor instead of the wildly colored designs it usually offers. It was this slick subtlety that helped the machine achieve an Editors' Choice back then, and now the Area-51 m15x follows some of the same winning principles. Rather than cover the frame with over-the-top paint jobs or fancy graphic splashes, Alienware has given the m15x a simple sophistication. The frame is reminiscent of a perfectly appointed briefcase, minus the handle and any distracting curves. Meanwhile, the laptop's solid silver treatment is reminiscent of some of the world's most luxurious automobiles.
The lighter color also complements the notebook's extraordinary display of color-shifting LEDs. Sound familiar? These lights are similar to the LEDs found on the XPS M1730, made by Dell, Alienware's parent company. The m15x's use of them is a little more stylish, futuristic, almost, well, alien—especially in the way they're laid out. Alienware has made them look like strings of light outlining areas such as the touchpad, the touch-sensitive group of multimedia buttons, the power button, the Alienware logo, and a "pipeline" that runs down on both sides of the screen. As if that's not enough, this LED extravaganza is topped off with a cool illuminated keyboard. During testing in PC Magazine Labs, the m15x really flexed its muscles.
Although its SYSmark 2007 Preview Overall score fell behind that of the Gateway P-171XL FX and the Dell M1730 by 9 percent and 12 percent, respectively, on other measures its performance trumped that of competitors including the P-171XL FX, the M1730, and the Toshiba X205-Sli4. Granted, I haven't reviewed the latest M1730 configuration with a similar Extreme processor, but the Alienware m15X's performance scores were still a marvel in their own right. The laptop secured the best scores among gaming laptops on Adobe Photoshop CS3, CineBench R10, and Windows Media Encoding tests. I'm sure it helped that the m15x was configured with one the fastest mobile processors on earth—the Intel Core 2 Extreme X9000 (2.8 GHz). Both the Gateway P-171XL FX and the Dell M1730 configurations I reviewed had previous-generation Intel Extreme processors, although that doesn't take anything away from their impressive performance prowess.
Internally, the m15x is configured with a 200GB, 7,200-rpm hard drive, which is built more for speed than for storage capacity. (Other gaming laptops feature up to 320GB of hard drive space, with some 17-inch models loading dual hard drives, which can mean up to 600GB of total hard drive space.) The three USB ports offered aren't as many as the Toshiba X205-SLi4's six or the M1730's four, but they're enough for a wide variety of peripherals. Other ports include a FireWire and a 4-in-1 card reader (MMC, MS, MS Pro, SD). There's even an HDMI port, which takes the place of both a VGA and an S-Video out port. Again, a Blu-ray drive here would have made full use of the HDMI port. With a Blu-ray drive, you could conceivably hook this laptop up to a larger, flat-panel display or even a 60-inch HDTV. (You can, of course, hook up the laptop and output any kind of video, not just Blu-ray.) The four speakers at the back of the system sound spectacular, and a 1.3-megapixel webcam sits above the screen.
