Alienware M15x is an entirely new design and high performance gaming laptop from Alienware. The machine packs elements typically found solely in the largest of desktop replacements into a 15.4inch notebook that still manages to be practical on the road.

Build and Design:
Alienware M15x laptop is outstanding and ultra modern. The front of the M15x has the angular looks of the redesigned Chevy Camaro. The system has a nebula red finish, but it is also available in lunar shadow – silver and cosmic black. The red coloring only extends as far as the outer lid, sides and chassis, so the inside and front of the system is black.

The laptop is covered in gob of silky plastic with the entire unit being shiny and reflective. The majority of the surface is metallic silver, while only the area surrounding the lid bucks the trend with deep glossy black trim. Most of the bottom is made of an all-black metal alloy. The physical shape of the notebook is rather plain and has no radical curves. All the corners however are rounded off.

There are not any visible screws on Alienware M15x but on the customized aluminum nameplate that is placed on the underbelly of the beast. AlienFX lighting system is by far the most standout visual feature of the M15x laptop. Alienware managed to cram customizable color lights in several places, including the Alienware logo below the 15-inch (1920 x 1080-pixel resolution) display, along the touchpad, under the keyboard, on the Alienware head-shaped power button and even on the back of the lid (alien head). Each color zone is individual and can be changed to a rainbow of different colors. Alternatively, AlienFX can be turned off. There is no way to regulate the brightness of the lights. The consequence is that Alienware M15x laptop makes a very strong impression even before firing up a single game.

Keyboard and Touchpad:
M15x’s keyboard is both comfortable to type on and capable of withstanding the pounding delivered by avid gamers plus, it lights up! The backlighting not only looks cool, it is also ideal for those late night gaming sessions. Alienware M15x is one of the few notebooks available with a backlit keyboard. The keys all feel individual and have good travel – not too much and not too little. Unlike the larger M17x however, there is no number pad, so gamers will need to use other keys to store all macros in games such as World of Warcraft.

Touchpad on Alienware M15x laptop is large and flush with the wrist rest, except for a small glowing border; its honeycomb texture allows for swift finger glides across the surface. Touchpad buttons work ok but if you are playing a first-person shooter you might want to use a gaming mouse for quicker button presses.

Display and Audio:
Alienware M15x comes with a 15.6-inch with a WXGA+ (1440×900 pixels) clear view glossy display as standard and a matte WUXGA (1920×1200 pixels) as an upgrade. The screen offers pleasing picture quality for games, movies and general usage. The backlighting is generally even; there is slight leakage at the bottom but it is not noticeable when looking at anything but a pure black screen. Viewing angles are impressive. Side-to-side is near perfect as the picture does not distort and from above the picture is more than acceptable. From below there is some darkening and distortion but it is much better than average for an LCD.

The clarity of the display is good though a matte display typically does not match a glossy display in this area. Contrast levels are balanced and not overly flooded. Again, not quite as good as a glossy display but, unlike the glossy displays that are on the majority of notebooks, matte displays have no reflections and are much easier to clean.

Resolution is by far the most impressive aspect on the display as WUXGA is the highest available resolution on notebooks. The amount of screen real estate that this resolution offers is amazing and can greatly help productivity. The high resolution can also give gamers the edge in games where long distance viewing is important.

Alienware M15x comes with two tiny speakers located at the left and right corners of the notebook, below the display. Audio from the speakers is quite loud but there is no bass. However, sound separation between the two speakers is enough as to hear and anticipate enemies coming from either side when playing games.

Processor and Performance:
Following the redesign of its 17inch gaming notebook flagship, Alienware gave the same extreme makeover to the M15x gaming laptop. Not only does this monster has the same intimidating looks as the M17x but it is also outfitted with one of Intel’s lightning quick Core i7-720QM processors budding up with 4GB of DDR3 memory, a 64-bit copy of Windows 7 Ultimate and Nvidia’s, not quite top of the range GTX 260M. In fact the only let down is the 250GB hard disk, but even this makes up for its stingy capacity with its speed.

Alienware M15x is one seriously fast laptop. The Core i7-720QM’s default clockspeed of just 1.6GHz might not sound that quick on paper, but Intel’s Turbo Boost technology saves the day. Depending on how many of its four processing cores are in use, the machine is capable of ramping up the processor as far as 2.8GHz. The GTX 260M is not the fastest graphics chipset on the block but with a Core i7 behind it, it is still plenty fast enough for all but the most obsessive of gamers.

Operating System and Software:
Alienware M15x comes standard with Windows Vista Home Premium but is also comes with Vista Ultimate and XP Professional.

Ports and Webcam:
While Alienware M15x laptop has a good number of ports. On the left side of the unit are, a display port for digital video, VGA, Ethernet, a USB port, FireWire, HDMI, as well as a 4 in 1 memory card reader. On the right is an expresscard/ 54 slot, two headphone, microphone port, USB, and a USB/ eSATA combo port, which can recharge devices even when the M15x is turned off.

Unlike the M17x, the charging port is located on the left side of the M15x. To end with, the 2-megapixel webcam on the Alienware M15x turns a good choice.

Conclusion:
Alienware M15x laptop is one of the best gaming machines around. The machine is constituted of ultra high-performance components that typically, can only be found in the largest of desktop replacements. Battery life is good for a high performance gaming laptop.

Looks do not appeal to everyone of course, but anyone can admit the M15x laptop is like nothing else. Alienware put a lot of time and effort into this design and it shows. There are downsides to the machine: keyboard flexes some on the right side, screen is a bit wobbly, fans are louder than a typical notebook at full load, speakers are unimpressive and, it costs a lot. Unless price is a barrier, I do not view any of the cons as deal breakers.

In short, Alienware M15x laptop is ideal to anyone looking for a near perfect blend of reasonable portability and powerful performance. This machine is in a class of its own. Alienware unquestionably has a winner on their hands with the M15x.

Pros:
•    Fabulous gaming performance: packs power typically only found in large 17inch desktop replacements into a slim 15.4inch form factor
•    Great battery life for a gaming notebook: two graphics cards give the best of both worlds – integrated for battery life, and dedicated for performance. Standard battery life is about 2.5 hours and with the Smart Bay battery, 4 to 5 hours are possible
•    Stealth mode keeps the M15x notebook silent
•    Ability to transform from a high-performance gaming laptop to a practical on the go companion
•    Sleek, striking design and AlienFX customizable lighting
•    Smart Bay functionality: can be used for an optical drive, extra battery or another hard drive
•    Beautiful display: high-resolution WUXGA screen is a gem
•    Nice keyboard: it is backlit, plus it feels great
•    Wide variety of ports
•    Available with Blu-ray and Windows XP

Cons:
•    The price: adding options brings up the price quickly
•    Keyboard flexes on the bottom right side around the arrow keys
•    Touchpad is not the best – too slippery and scroll zones are visually undefined
•    The screen wobbles – it should have stiffer hinges
•    The speakers are unimpressive – more volume and bass would be nice
•    Fans at full load are louder than expected
•    Touch controls are subpar: volume slider is not responsive and others require too much pressure

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 24th, 2009 at 5:13 pm and is filed under Reviews. 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.