Can anything match the Alienware M14x?

I've come across many posts on this site concerning problems or issues.
Few threads actually compliment the Alienware M14x for what it is.

A portable marvel.

I've tested many laptops and this machine really does seem to be in a league of its own.

I can play every single game I own on max settings with the exception of Battlefield 3 and the Beta release of Tribes Ascend.
Those two can still be played on a combination of medium to high settings and I have no issues with that.
Yes, initially I wanted more power, but after reviewing my options the portability factor is more important to me right now.

Thus far the only 2 machines I'm aware of that match this system in terms of size to perfomance ratio are the following.

Razer Blade with GT 555m.
The Razer possesses a unique keyboard user interface from those at Razer.
I personally haven't tested the laptop but the price is around double that in comparison to an Alienware.
Needless to say the fancy keyboard doesn't justify that price in my mind.

LG P330
The Korean equivalent but in a much lighter package whilst still running a GT 555m. However due to the limited availability of this product & ridiculous postage/ Import Tax it got the boot as well.

Those aside can anything else really compete with this laptop for it's size to performance?

 

Powerpro R 11:36 with the GTX 570M blows away it with performance and price i think, with15" screen (if thats still portable enough for you).

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

 

all depends on what you classify as portable. I lug my m17x to class everyday with no issues and consider it fully portable for what I need. There is a similar size Sager laptop around that has a 580m upgrade available. Only downsides would be a larger chassis, More heat output, and poor battery life in comparison to the m14x.

 

The only one that comes to mind is the LG you mentioned.

Acer is doing a revision of their 3830 (540m) from 13.3" to 14", which may have a better GPU, but no one knows yet.

Other than that, I can't think of a 555m or greater 14"< laptop.

I also never even consider the Razer Blade b/c it's incredibly overpriced You can buy an M17XR3 and a M11XR3 for travelling when examining the Blade's price.

 

Yes, the Razer Blade looks like the beginning of something interesting, but it will take some revisions to ever be worth the price. Seems like a straight hustle to me.

 

Currently? No. In 6 months? Probably. NVIDIA's 600M series is gonna kick everythings butt. Im sure we'll eventually see a 13.3 inch laptop (like a Vaio SA) with a 640M, which could get neck and neck with the 555M.

 

Yeah, this. For example, the Acer Aspire Timeline Ultra M3 is an upcoming example of a thin and portable computer with the GT 640M. It's still using a ULV processor, so that might make it a bit more like an M11x than M14x, but it's totally conceivable that someone could make a 13.3" laptop with decent processor and GT 640M, and that would be pretty sweet.

 

The M14x is still pretty much unassailable in the 14" segment right now. I researched equivalent kit before buying it and most alternatives have some sort of disadvantages.

The closest matches for me were the Sager models, which had far more performance for the price, but are larger and likely to be noisier given the dual fans and higher spec graphics cards.

I also spotted a 15" Asus that had the 635M graphics card (rebadged 555M as far as I can tell) and the i5 CPU for less money, but it had a horrible keyboard layout.

 

Yeah all alternatives would be 15 inches. I would have actually gone for the new Envy 15 instead but it has the nerfed 7690M (DDR3 instead of GDDR5 like the 7690M XT) so the smaller computer actually games better!

 

Thanks for the input from all of you.
Sorry guys but the 15 inchers aren't what I'm looking for.
Should have been more specific.

14" or Under.

 

14 or under, this is the best, hands down. I dont like the 15.6, its a full 1.5 inches bigger, but if I did, I'd be aiming for the ASUS ROG series laptops, they're also tanks

 

Completely agree, I have an older asus g51jx had it for 2 years now and its still pumping hard.

There is really nothing to compare with the m14x, its an overall great laptop for portability battery life and performance. The only thing I could compare it to is some of the new lenovo's that have slightly weaker GPU's but are a lot thinner and the performance level thinkpads, if you can get over there bland design and slightly expensive price tag they are extremely reliable.

 

In a few months, there'll be a ton of computers thinner with the 640M and a full votage CPU, like a possible 3840TG or next gen Sony SA.

However, maybe the M14x has a 660M next generation. Seems plausible.

 

Actually next gen seems like its just going to be a rebrand with a slightly better manufacturing process. Probably less then 10% in terms of performance.

My old Asus g51jx that had a 360m gts in it is pretty comparable to my current gt555 only difference is the gt 555 runs a lot cooler and only has a modest 15% performance boost.

In terms of GPU on laptops they don't get the massive improvements that desktop components get. They only get smaller and cooler, with only 5-10% better from each generation. Just as an example of how CPU's compare the second gen i7 had massive improvements, the cheapest mobile second gen i7 could beat the most expensive mobile first gen i7.

 

Hope this Gigabyte U2442N will launch soon... I'm tired of lugging my M14x around:

Gigabyte Unveils U2442 Ultrabook With Great Features - CeBIT 2012 Update - The SSD Review

Gigabyte unveils U2442 ultrabooks with 14-inch displays, to start at 1000 dollars

 

That Gigabyte is THE PERFECT LAPTOP.