ALIENWARE AREA-51 M15X

Killer Gaming Laptop


Flashy colors and custom paint jobs, once the sole domain of high-end gaming desktops, have been steadily creeping into notebook design for years. The Alienware Area-51 m15x's sophisticated spin on the look, coupled with the best mobile performance and hardware that money can buy, easily earn it an Editor's Choice.
This high-octane laptop is relativelylight at 7.8 pounds and is encased in a futuristic silver chassis. Its understated exterior contrasts with the extraordinary color-shifting LEDs within, which outline the touchpad, multimedia buttons, Alienware logo, and more. Each of these areas is highlighted using a palette of 12 colors, which can be controlled through Alienware's "Command Center" software.
The LEDs also frame a 15.4-inch widescreen that boasts an ultrashartp 1,920-by-1,200 resolution and supports 1080p format. The system comes with only a dual-layer DVD burner, but you can add a BD-ROM drive for as little as $300.


Internally, the m15x is configured with a 200GB, 7,200-rpm hard drive, built more for speed than storage capacity. The notebook also features three USB pots, a FireWire port, a 4-in-1 card reader (MMC,MS,MS Pro,SD), and an HDMI port.
The m15x's touch-sensitive multimedia buttons include Bluetooth and Wi-Fi on/off buttons, a button that launches the Command Center, and a Speedometer key-a unique
feature that throttles down the speed of the CPU and graphica card to save battery life. The m15x's unusual dual graphics solution is creative: User can opt for the amped-up nVidia GeFOrce 8800 GTX graphics card for gaming sessions, then switch to the less-intensive Intel 965GM integrated graphics option to boost battery life when on the go. The laptop drained completely in just 1 hour 49 minutes on the MobileMark 2007 battery test with the discrete graphics card, but the integrated graphics option extended its battery life to just over 3 hours.
In labs testing, the laptop's 3DMark scores broke 10,000 points at low resolutions-a first for gaming laptops. The m15x also delivered high marks on both Crysis and World in Conflict. Although its SYSmark 2007 Preview Overall score didn't lead the category, the m15x's multimedia scores were the best amng gaming laptops. Its standout performance was likely helped by the fact that the system's Intel Core 2 Extreme X9000 processor is one of the fastest mobile CPUs out there.
When it comes to choosing a gaming laptop, design shouldn't take a backseat to performance. The m15x balances these two concern beautifully, giving hard-core gamers a compelling reason to empty their bank accounts.


Specs: Intel Core 2 Extreme X9000 (2.8-GHz) processor; 4GB DDR2 SDRAM; 200GB, 7,200-rpm hard drive; 512MB nVidia GeForce 8800M GTX graphics card; 15.4-inch, 1,920-by-1,200 widescreen; Intel Wireless WiFi Link 4965AGN; 7,8-pound system weight (9,5-pound travel weight); dual-layer DVD+R; three USB ports, one FireWire port; 56-Wh, 5.2-Ah lithium ion battery; Window vista Home Premium.

source: PC Media August 2008

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