From M15x to the M17: My experiences

So I received my new M17 about a week ago, and wanted to post some thoughts as I am moving to this machine from the M15x. My girlfriend and I both went back to school, and she needed a PC based laptop to get work done as she has a couple internet based classes. She also plays City of Heroes and Call of Duty, so the M15 made sense for her...and gave me an excuse to order the Dark Knights laptop.

So the spec is basically:

QX9300 Quadcore Extreme proc
4 gigs of ram
Dual 3870 Crossfire gpu's
(2) 500 gig 7200rpm hard drives in Raid 0
1920x1200 display
Vista 64
Blu-Ray

First thing I did when I received the machine was install a few games and see how they performed with all settings maxed. So all of these will be based on 1920x1200 at 8x FSAA.

World of Warcraft: 100fps in Orgrimmar, 170-210 in other areas.
City of Heroes: 60fps maxed at all times with vsync enabled
Fear2: average 48fps with dips as low as 33 in a few complex action scenes

I ran 3dmark06 and scored 13211 out of the box. I was all set to wipe the bios and in install Ereckeds but I don't think I can justify the risk just. I am going to install Farcry 2 and Left 4 Dead tonight and see how they perform but I am estimating scores similar to Fear2. If I can play at over 40fps most of the time with settings maxed then I am basically satisfied.

A few thoughts on the machine in general:

The screen is just incredible, and I love having all the desktop real estate. I have a few text books that are digital, so having notes, the book and the school forums open at the same time is friggin' heaven. In addition, BluRay disks look awesome.

The machines onboard sound is surprisingly decent for a laptop and definitely better then the m15x.

I like the keyboard on the M17 better then I did the M15x keyboard. Its tactile response is better as well, and I love the number pad. I use it all the time. The backlighting has received some criticism on the forums, and while its not as bright as the M15x I don't notice it as a problem. The keyboard is completely lit in a dark room and I can see everything clearly.

Vista 64 and the Quad core proc with the 4 gigs of ram (all being recognized) is certainly the way to order this machine if you have the dollars. Vista is much happier with the added ram, and it likes having multiple cores available. Being able to run your browser with multiple tabs open, email, Word, Pidgin and iTunes at the same time with no performance hit at all is a nice deal.

I am surprised by how good the build quality is on my machine. And there are folks that like the M17x much better. I am going to disagree. I think this machine looks sick nasty and get people that comment about it all the time. It looks like some kind of Batman edition Stealth Bomber.

Overall, this is the best single computer (including towers Ive built) that I have ever owned, and I can't speak highly enough about it. As Ferris Bueller said "If you have the means, I highly recommend one."

 

M17 FTW +1 if i can

 

I fully agree. I just got mine on MOnday. I love it. The looks, the feel, and the way it performs. Mine is not a strong as yours. Mine is configured like Mr. MOO.

 

im drooling now, can't wait! just ordered mine yesterday

 

I'm still holding back for the ATI upgrade but with each day it gets harder to wait.

 

i like the unit, but the one thing that bugs me (and as stupid as it may be) is the location of the CD/DVD drive.
i just hate them in the front of the unit....ugh!
aside from that, i have been waiting out a replacement for my desktop...

 

i always hit it or when i have it in my lap i have to move it to put somehting in

 

i love the dvd tray in the front. it makes life easier when you open it. not like on the side where you have to move something if it is in your way.

l4d is over 60 maybe about 80-120fps everything maxed out.

farcry2 i have but i havent really played. average was 30-40 for me so with the qx you should see a difference.

 

Congrats dude, and what did you think about the m15x? I've seen a lot of people from both sides and I should be getting mine from FedEx very soon

 

lol i actually still would love the m17 i like the ocz but i LOVE THE matte finish if and when the 4870's come out this will end up on my desk with the ocz up for sale (hate to say i just love the matte so much more than the glossy black) just wish i could get my hands on a barebones or stripped m17 model.

 

Careful warz0ne once one steps into the realm of the 17' screen laptop, one can never go back to anything smaller.....

 

it might be true that M17 is truly supreme and dominates gaming experience among alienware laptops but if you want mobility m15x is definitely the only choice. I still like my M15x very much.
At least I can run most of the games maxed out and play smoothly (except crysis of course)

Now I hope m17x will shrink to 15 inch and have matte finish with OCZ whitebook barebone with smartbay....drooling even more when I think about it. Alienware plz plz plz make it happen.

 

then it would just be a bigger m15x with black and no skull cap....same lights cpu ram and hard drive ....but black....

so you want a m17x to 15 inch but a ocz barebones? doesn't that mean you want 2 laptops in one?

i agree a ocz barbones in 15 inch form with intergrated graphics and a smart bay would be nice but i unno how ur gonna fit the m17x in there....but i would take the keyboard