Verge Review
Alienware is all but synonymous with aggressive styling, audacious lighting, and burly machines belching out heat and frame rates. The latest update to the M17x line is no exception; packed into the familiar chassis are a quad-core Intel Ivy Bridge processor, 8GB of RAM, and a GeForce GTX 680M GPU, the fastest mobile GPU Nvidia currently has to offer.
In typical Alienware fashion, high-end wares will cost you a pretty penny — $2,599, as configured. Does its performance match the price...
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Basic Specs
| Laptop type |
Gaming PC |
| Thickness |
1.75 inches |
| Weight |
9.39 pounds |
| Operating system |
Windows 7 |
| Screen size (diagonal) |
17.3 inches |
| CPU brand |
Intel |
| CPU family |
Sandy Bridge |
| Graphics type |
Discrete |
| Base discrete GPU brand |
Nvidia |
| Optical drive type |
Slot-loading |
| The Verge Battery Test |
4 hours and 12 minutes |
Tech Specs
Hardware
| Laptop type |
Gaming PC |
| Width |
16.14 inches |
| Depth |
11.98 inches |
| Thickness |
1.75 inches |
| Weight |
9.39 pounds |
| Color |
Black, Red |
Software
| Operating system |
Windows 7 |
Display (base)
| Screen size (diagonal) |
17.3 inches |
| Technology |
LCD |
| Backlight |
WLED |
| Resolution (X) |
1600 px |
| Resolution (Y) |
900 px |
Display (max)
| Size (diagonal) |
17.3 inches |
| Technology |
LCD |
| Backlit |
WLED |
| Resolution (X) |
1920 px |
| Resolution (Y) |
1080 px |
| 3D enabled |
Yes |
Keyboard
| Type |
Chiclet |
| Backlit |
Yes |
| Number pad |
Yes |
Mouse
| Type(s) |
Trackpad |
| Multitouch |
Yes |
Processor (base)
| CPU brand |
Intel |
| CPU family |
Sandy Bridge |
| Model |
Core i7-2670QM |
| Cores |
4 |
| Clockspeed |
2.2 GHz |
| Turbo clockspeed |
3.1 GHz |
Processor (max)
| Brand |
Intel |
| Family |
Ivy Bridge |
| Model |
Core i7-3820QM |
| Cores |
4 |
| Clockspeed |
2.7 GHz |
| Turbo clockspeed |
3.7 GHz |
GPU (base)
| Graphics type |
Discrete |
| Base discrete GPU brand |
Nvidia |
| Discrete GPU model |
GeForce GTX 660M |
| Dedicated VRAM size |
2 GB |
GPU (max)
| Discrete GPU brand |
Nvidia |
| Discrete GPU model |
GeForce GTX 675M |
| Dedicated VRAM size |
2 GB |
Memory
| Base RAM size |
6 GB |
| Max. config RAM size |
32 GB |
| RAM type |
DDR3 |
| Base RAM speed |
1600 MHz |
| RAM slots |
4 |
Storage
| Options |
HDD (7200RPM), Flash Memory (SSD), RAID 0 (HDD), RAID 0 (SSD) |
| Base drive type |
HDD (7200RPM) |
| Max. config HDD |
1 TB |
| Max. config SSD |
1 TB |
| Card reader |
Yes |
| Card reader support |
Other, SD, Memory Stick, MMC |
Optical Drive
| Optical drive type |
Slot-loading |
| Compatible media |
DVD±R/RW, BD-ROM |
Audio
| Speakers |
2 |
| Audio brand |
Creative Sound Blaster Recon 3Di, Klipsch, THX TruStudio Pro |
Webcam
| Effective pixels |
2.1 megapixels |
Port options
| USB 3.0 |
4 |
| Combo eSATA / USB |
1 |
| Ethernet |
1 |
| Ethernet type |
10/100/1000 (Gigabit) |
| VGA |
1 |
| Mini DisplayPort |
1 |
| HDMI |
1 |
| HDMI input(s) |
1 |
| 3.5mm headphone |
1 |
| 3.5mm mic / headphone combo |
1 |
| 3.5mm digital optical audio (S/PDIF) |
1 |
Connectivity
| Wi-Fi |
Yes |
| Wi-Fi options |
802.11n, 802.11g, 802.11b, 802.11a |
| Bluetooth |
Yes |
| Bluetooth version |
4.0 |
| 4G |
Optional |
| WiMAX |
Optional |
Battery
| Size |
90 Wh, 9 cell |
| Chemistry |
Lithium Ion (Li-Ion) |
Benchmarks
| PCMarkVantage |
14518 |
| 3DMarkVantage (GPU) |
21876 |
| 3DMark06 (GPU) |
23914 |
| The Verge Battery Test |
4 hours and 12 minutes |
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