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• Alienware m15x: True Gaming Portability?

  In last year’s battle-of the behemoths, Dell’s M1730 took on Alienware’s m9750, and with the exception of a few quirks, came out on top. But not everyone is ready to lug around a notebook that weighs nearly fifteen pounds with its power adapter. Alienware’s advantage in portability among 17” gaming notebooks was still noteworthy, even if the Area-51 m9750’s battery life didn’t lend itself to truly mobile computing. The company now looks to extend its portability lead, with a smaller, lighter 15.4” unit that maintains the high resolution of the former 17” model without sacrificing battery life. There’s another key difference in Alienware’s 15.4” model, though. While the 17” test unit contained an SLI set of graphics cards, the Area-51 m15x has only a single graphics card. Does the new configuration deliver enough horsepower to qualify as gaming-ready? For comparison purposes, we continue to use an XPS M1730, which retains its SLI muscle. In fact, Dell has upgraded this unit with a new CPU and graphics processor, and changed a few smaller parts as well. The exterior remains unchanged from last year’s review. The Dell XPS M1730 still looks like an Alienware design, but the Alienware m15x is clean, smooth, and dare we say, business-like? Of course the real business is gaming, so let’s take at look at the “business” inside. (Editor’s Note: Check out our Quick Look: Alienware Area-51 m15X Notebook video of the m15x for even more up-close detail on the notebook) System Hardware and Software Configuration Model Alienware m15x Dell XPS M1730 Dimensions and Weight Width x Height x Depth 14.5" x 1.75" x 11.75" 16" x 2" x 12" 36.83 cm x 4.45 cm x 29.85 cm 39.37 cm x 5.08 cm x 27.94 cm Unit & Battery 7 lb 15 oz / 3600.4 g 11 lb / 4990 g Charter & Power Cord 1 lb 11 oz / 765.5 g 3 lb 8 oz / 1588 g Total 9 lb 10 oz / 4365.9 g 14 lb 8 oz / 6578 g AC Adapter & Battery Battery I Capacity Li-Ion 6 Cell 5200mAh Li-Ion 9 Cell 85 Wh Battery II Capacity None None AC Adapter 120 W 230 W Display & Graphics Controller Display Size 15.4" 17" Display Resolution 1920x1200 1920x1200 Graphics Controller nVidia GeForce 8800m GTX 2x nVidia GeForce 8800M GTX SLI System BIOS Phoenix vX32 P3A33 (04/11/08) Dell A06 (02/04/08) CPU Intel Core 2 Extreme X9000 Intel Core 2 Extreme X9000 2.80 GHz, 6 MB L2 Cache, FSB 200 2.80 GHz, 6 MB L2 Cache, FSB 200 Chipset Intel 965PM Intel 965GM Memory 2x 2 GB 667 MHz DDR2 2x 2 GB 667 MHz DDR2 Hard Drives Manufacturer & Model Seagate ST9200420ASG Seagate ST9250421ASG Size 200 GB 250 GB Performance (SATA / 7200.2 / 8 MB / 11 ms) SATA / 7200.2 RPM / 16 MB / 4.17 ms Other Devices Optical Drive MATSHITA BD-MLT UJ-220 Blu-Ray Burner PBDS DVD+-RW DS-8W1P DVD Burner Floppy Drive None None Pointing Device(s) Touchpad Touch Pad Audio Chip Realtek ALC885 @ Intel 82801HBM ICH8M SigmaTel STAC9228 @ Intel 82801HBM ICH8M Modem None None WLAN Intel Pro/Wireless 4965AGN Intel Pro/Wireless 4965AGN Connectors PS2 None None USB 2x Left, 1x Right 2x Right, 1x Left, 1x B IEEE1394 / Fire Wire 1x Right 1x Left Serial Com Port None None Parallel LPT Port None None Microphone Yes Yes IR Port Yes None Bluetooth None Yes VGA / DVI / HDMI None / None / 1x Right None / 1x Left / None TV Out None 1x Left TV In None None AC Power Yes Yes PC/Express Card Slots 1x Right 1x Right LAN 1x Left 1x Back Audio Connectors 1x Mic, Headphone Left 1x Mic, Headphone, Line In Left Card Reader 1x Multi Card Reader Right 1x Multi Card Reader Left Fingerprint Security None None Manufacturer Docking Socket None None System Software & Drivers OS Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium Microsoft Windows XP Professional DirectX Version DX10 DX9.0c Platform Driver Intel 9.0.0.1008 Intel 8.2.0.1014 Graphics Driver 7.15.11.6755 - nVIDIA ForceWare 167.55 6.14.11.6757 - nVIDIA ForceWare 167.57

• Anyone accustomed to the toy-like trappings of former Alienware systems will be shocked to see the Area-51 m15x gaming notebook. It is now available with only a small company symbol adorning an otherwise clean lid, with the “Skullcap Design” optional. But the m15x holds an even bigger surprise for mobile gaming enthusiasts: its lighter weight. The term “bigger surprise” is almost an oxymoron, as the unit has been downsized compared to many similarly-equipped units, to better fit a mobile lifestyle. This doesn’t mean the user should expect a lower quality gaming experience, though, as an optional 1920x1200 pixel panel lets the 15.4” diagonal screen reach resolutions that normally would have required a larger display. Even the interior has been cleaned up stylistically, having only a few special feature buttons, a one-piece touchpad button, and only the lighted Alienware brand name distinguishing it from less-equipped competitors. The optional lighted keyboard adds convenience in dark rooms, but without the gaudy glare of translucent keys. The left side panel features a power jack, one Gigabit Ethernet and two USB 2.0 ports, headphone and microphone jacks, and access to the Matshita (Panasonic) BD-MLT UJ-220 Blu-Ray Burner. All of the connectors are located far back enough to make them easy to use with the unit on one’s lap. The Panasonic BRD (Blu-Ray Disk) optical drive is a spare-no-expense option, providing BD-RE and BD-R writes up to 2x speed. The right side panel features a mini card reader, an ExpressCard slot, HDMI output, USB 2.0 and IEEE 1394b (FireWire 800) ports, and a Kensington Lock hole. The ports are located near the rear, which makes looping the cables away from a mouse easier. Of particular interest is the HDMI output, which allows easy connection to modern wide-screen displays. Though typically used in home-theater applications, an increasing number of desktop monitors also support this new standard. Anyone limited to the older DVI standard can find inexpensive HDMI to DVI cables at several online stores.

• Quake 4 appears to be significantly CPU-bound in the big Dell, and the mid-sized Alienware m15x is still powerful enough to play at high quality settings at the 1920x1200 panel’s highest resolution. Like Quake 4, Serious Sam 2 is significantly CPU-bound in the Dell at low settings. Cranking visual quality up to 4x antialiasing and high anisotropic filtering moves the bar where the CPU limitation takes effect. Meanwhile, the middle-weight non-SLI Alienware Area-51 m15x charges through with only the slightest graphics limitation, still providing twice the needed frame rates at the highest available resolution. Supreme Commander is the only game that really requires the more powerful graphics system of the big Dell XPS M1730, as the game is barely watchable at the lowest display resolutions using the Alienware Area-51 m15x. Warhammer plays almost smoothly using the Area-51 m15x at the highest settings. Remembering that strategy games don’t actually need to play perfectly smoothly, Alienware’s middle-weight should be more than ample. SLI gives the Dell a significant lead only at the panel’s native 1920x1200 resolution.