Why Alienware Is Taking A Huge Step Back With The m17x

Alright, we all know Alienware has revolutionized gaming notebooks with the m15x. 4-5 hours of battery life, Smart Bay, BinaryGFX, 8800M GTX, and support for Intel Extreme processors in an awesome-looking 1.3" thick, 7 pound chassis. What's going on with the m17x? Alienware revolutionized powerhouse 17" portable gaming with its' last generation SLI 1.5" thick, 9 pound M9750. Now the m17x is revealed and it's taking a step back, and all of the revolutions Alienware made with the M9750 and m15x are gone. Sure, it's using better hardware (which is expected), but it does it in a sloppy, clunky design that keeps brings it in the same league as all of the other SLI gaming notebooks, and all of the gaming notebooks in the past. Seriously, Alienware, this was obviously quickly made and poorly designed. The Penryn processors take up less space, use less power, and omit more heat than the Merom processors in the M9750. Missing from one of the m15x's evolutions is BinaryGFX, which lets you switch to an integrated card to save power, which should be included in this form factor. The 8800M GTX (believe it or not) used in the m17x uses around the same power and heat as the 7950M GTX of last generation. Alienware just needed a new motherboard to support it which is why the M9750 couldn't use it. The m17x basically has the same matte black finish as the M9750 with the addition of AlienFX lighting, a new ripley design, and a custom keyboard, which look cool. But the m17x is .6" thicker and 2 pounds heavier, pushing the limit of what could be considered a notebook. It's no longer portable in the sense that it's practical to carry around an area, but only portable enough to be taken from place to place on a week to week or less basis.

So the m15x is revolutionizing mobile gaming and was obviously Alienware's main focus. The m17x is a sloppy, carelessly designed notebook that just sticks cutting-edge hardware in without any thought or care to design. Just my $.02.

 

i agree, but i bet people here wont

i hate the design and features of the m17x. all that money for 1.6" more screen space and "meh" sli.

 

The thing is, Alienware had to release something in this category: 17" and 8800M GTX SLI. What real revolutions are there to make? Battery life will not be the impressive turnout it was with the m15x. Fitting two 8800M GTX into a 17" form factor isn't really that tough (Stuffing them into a 15.4" was). What is left?

There really weren't any big leaps it could make. Perhaps we'll see that when the 9-Series comes out, the m17x upgrades beautifully with no thermal problems or anything. Perhaps it's an overclockable monster? We really have to wait and see what the reviews say.

I don't think this is a step backwards, it just isn't a step forwards like the m15x.

 

This thread is nothing but sensationalism . . . closed.