This laptop supports up to 32 GB memory up to 1600 MHz, unbuffered non-ECC, single-channel and dual-channel DDR3 configuration. These options are available for hard drive upgrades: You may have to select another solid state drive as 128GB might not be compatible. The edge-to-edge glass is interrupted by rubber bumpers sitting on the edge of the display, which lend the screen a bit of cushioning when you're shutting the lid.The Alienware M17x R4 has one hard drive slot and two Solid state drive slots. The lid's hinges are a bit stiff, but it opens to reveal that large, attractive display. The lid and palmrest are encased in a soft-touch rubber material, making them both comfortable and easy to hold. One could also accuse the machine of being unsightly, but I actually find it rather attractive: there are lights (and I love lights) but the effects are as tasteful or gaudy as you want them to be.
For just shy of three grand I would've liked to see at least a terabyte of storage, but there are plenty of upgrade options (including a Killer Wireless-N networking card and 512GB SSDs in RAID 0) for those with deep pockets.So I want to overclock my computer, but I have noooooo idea where to start, or what is 'safe' for my computer. Connectivity options include 802.11n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0. Most of the changes are internal: the M17x R4 now sports a 2.6GHz Core i7-3720QM processor, couples its meager 500GB hard drive with a 32GB mSATA solid state cache, and adds the 28nm Nvidia GeForce GTX 680M GPU. The power adapter connects through the rear, keeping it out of the way. The right side hosts the slot-loading Blu-ray player, a multi-format card reader, another pair of USB 3.0 ports, an eSATA / USB combo port, and HDMI input. On the left, you'll find the Gigabit ethernet port, a VGA port, Mini DisplayPort and HDMI-out slots, a pair of USB 3.0 ports, jacks for headphones, headsets, and microphones, and a S/PDIF jack.
The keys are large, spacious, and responsive there isn't too much travel to every press and actuation is near instant. You'll still want to keep a headset nearby for things like voice chat and surround sound (and drowning out the din of the fans), but the speakers won't disappoint.In a world dominated by chiclet keys, the M17x sticks to the traditional scissor-switch keys we've known for time immemorial. A Creative Sound Blaster Recon 3Di chip drives the audio experience, and you can tweak the sound by way of the THX TruStudio Pro software. I'm sure a subwoofer could've fit somewhere inside this 11-pound behemoth, as both the M14x and M18x include one, but laptop subwoofers generally don't make for significant improvements. The audio is a little light on bass but sound remains crisp and clear. It gets rather loud, easily filling a room without distorting the audio.
For many users, Alienware's options are going to be a bit superfluous — and there's no reason to dedicate a shortcut key to the Command Center, though it admittedly gives you power options and touchpad settings, too. All of the standard playback controls make an appearance alongside a Wi-Fi toggle switch and a dedicated shortcut key for the Alienware Command Center app.Let's talk about the lighting. Media shortcut keys inhabit a bar on the top right corner of the laptop's base. Few games actually use the Function row, but its miniscule keys could stand to be a bit taller. There's quite a bit of room for the palm rest my oversized mitts appreciate the space, but it does feel like an awful lot of extra real estate that could've been invested into making the keyboard a touch larger.
The laptop's base is divided into 9 different lighting zones: four for the keyboard, and zones for the touchpad, the speakers, media shortcut keys, Alienware logo, and the Alien skull that sits above the function row. Outside of games, the lighting options are broad, though not too granular. As the damage piles on, the laptop's various lighting zones start to flash, and eventually fade to white once you've bitten the proverbial bullet. Consider Battlefield 3: start taking damage and the keyboard, Alienware skull badge and Alienware logo will fade to blood-red.
The machine scoffed at Just Cause 2, earning 79 frames per second at the display's native 1920 x 1080 resolution. Unsurprisingly enough, $2,600 buys you a lot of frames per second. Windows 7 doesn't offer much in the way of gesture support, but scrolling and pinching and panning is smooth and responsive — I didn't ever find myself reaching immediately for my mouse, which is the least you could ask from a gaming machine.Now for the important bit: gaming. It's a simple matte surface surrounded by a colored ring, with a pair of buttons beneath it. That said, while the touchpad is a bit traditional (read: boring), it gets the job done. You can also opt to ignore the lighting altogether, and disable third-party support to keep games from fussing with it.If you're buying a $2,600 gaming laptop there's a good chance you're going to be plugging a proper mouse in.
Cyberlink's PowerDVD software supports the Blu-ray player, and the charmingly named AlienAutopsy and AlienRespawn apps provide system diagnostic and recovery tools, respectively. It's also light on bloatware — the desktop is bare save for a shortcut to the Alienware Command Center app (should the keyboard shortcut not prove direct enough for you). All of these tests were performed while tethered to the power adapter, as the GeForce GTX 680M always throttles down when running on battery power and Intel's integrated graphics simply can't keep up.The M17x is pretty fast out the gate: it boots from sleep in roughly 1.8 seconds, and is ready for action an average of 26 seconds after hitting the power button. I'd assumed the machine would be laid low by The Witcher 2, but that proved false: 45 frames per second on Ultra quality, though there was a bit of stuttering during a few sections of the opening sequence — the scene requires quite a bit of heavy lifting, graphically-speaking, but simple tweaks to a few of the settings (or dialing down to High quality) would get things running like a charm.
The fans on the left and right sides of the machine attempt to keep the heat in check, but the metal vanity plate centered on the underside of the machine remained uncomfortably warm. I'd also caution against putting this laptop anywhere near your lap. The fan noise didn't quite drown out the machine's illustrious speakers, but it certainly turned a few heads. That isn't much in the grand scheme of things, but this sort of longevity used to be rare in gaming machines.Here's something a little less rare: the fans roaring to life whenever you try to get some gaming done. My own use involves near continuous music streaming, the occasional video, and plenty of writing the machine lasted for three hours and thirty-six minutes before I had to track down an outlet. The test consists of downloading images and cycling through websites until the laptop's battery dies.
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