How did you guys get over the plain aesthetics

Well? They say it's coming out as stated on the website, so I assume it's coming out. I was wrong, I guess.

You really like flashy things, don't you.

 

The reason I haven't really responded in this thread is because I ordered the P180HM which is actually pretty flashy with a glossy finish and lots of blue lights. So I guess that is the exception to the professional looking sager, but it still isn't so over the top as my alienware. To be honest, the understated look has grown on me, and the way the laptop looks doesn't matter as much as how it performs. We are buying these machines for how they perform, or we would all just be buying apple macbooks if the case was we were buying them to be appliances sitting on top of our desks.

 

See I love the p180HM, that's what i'm looking for in styling. It isn't over the top, but it is tastefully styled, and gives the impression of something poweful, but not something TRYING to look powerful. I feel MSI does this well as well. I don't think I can afford the p180hm though, which is why I'm waiting to see if there is a backlit version of the more basic models coming out soon.

Obviously i'm concerned with performance, otherwise I wouldn't be here. I would have already bought a cute little macbook that I used for nothing more than facebooking and been on my way.

 

The P180HM is still sleek, smooth and minimalistic, so I think it still looks "elegant" even though it may not look "business-like". I prefer this school of aesthetics, where the MBPs, Samsungs, and Sonys reside.

 

I was in your shoes a few years ago. Bought a Clevo and then started watching AW unboxing videos, got super jelly but decided to live with it. Once the Clevo arrived, it was broken and that was the excuse I needed to send it packing and grab an AW. Never looked back.

P.S. AW's in business settings: http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware-m17x/568307-pics-m17xr3-business-setting.html

 

That whole thread is comedy gold, endorsed.

 

To truly answer the OP's question:

The 'normal' non-desktop CPU models (P150EM for example) will have backlit keyboards once Ivy Bridge hits sometime in April to May.

I hope that helps you out.

 

+1.
seriously AW in practical business day..

 

If I pulled out a 17-18 inch gaming laptop during a business meeting my boss would slap me.

Enter the Asus Eee Pc Its simple mathematics instead of selling one of your kidneys and buying an Alienware get yourself a smart little Netbook for work (which fits nicely into a Nike string draw bag) and a big brash good looking Clevo for your home life. You will probably even get change.

But then again having lights which do nothing, have no point reason or place in a laptop, look stupid, attention seeking, childish and comical......Well, sure that is worth an extra $1000.

PLEASE!.

 

I don't consider Clevo's machines "plain" or "boring" in aesthetic.

To me, it's just well designed and simplistic.

 

Wouldn't something described as simplistic be synonymous with something described as plain in terms of aesthetics?

 

Sorry for this off-topic comment but it's like

Lady Gaga vs Lady Antebellum

Over The Top vs Simplistic

 

what about the minimalist school of design?

 

lol, both of those are horrible artists man.

When I think of minimalist design, I think of something sleek and stylish though, utilizing style through things such as shapes and curves, rather than in this case fancy lights. I think the Macbooks and Lenovo's can be described as such. Where as to put it straight forward, I feel the lower Sagers have a cheap look, more of, the absence of any style, and looks like styling was cut to cut costs. Where as a lot of you are making it out to be that the Sager is styled better than others and looks plain for a purpose, I feel it was just done to cut costs and isn't a styling at all.

 

seems like you want to show off your laptop. well, to each their own. In my own case, the look of the clevo laptops look nice. I bought a sager 8130 to play games, do school work and to stream HD movies not to stare and admire the exterior.

 

I vote for price + performance > appearance

 

This same conversation has come up before. Looks vs performance. And then they wonder why it dies in 10 months.

 

the aesthetics in a clevo are not that fancy, however... I think that the overall focus for a clevo is to make a laptop well priced and highly functional... alienware shows off cos it doesn't make budget cuts. My opinion - laptops look fine even without decoration... and if you've ever noticed even the rectangular lenovo laptops look fine enough, not great but fine. Seriously... it's more about what's inside.

 

The big ( very big ) problem with that Alienware in a business setting or any other setting is that it looks ugly ( personal opinion ), it's limited ( fact ) and is overpriced. It doesn't come with firewire and it doesn't even come with any kind of expansion card slots. I know this is not a problem for most, but I have a firewire audio interface which costs as much as that Alienware, so in my professional setting that machine simply won't measure up. It's not really a professional machine. It's a toy. It limits your options if you work in a sound or video recording industry and considering the screen's gamut it's not really suited for professional image/video/design work either.

 

Lol Alienware is overpriced, that's a fact for sure. They don't offer a laptop that has a GTX 560M for near the $1000 mark last time I checked.

 

But... But... It's..., um, flashy!

 

Hahaha yeah. I'll give you a rep when I'm on my business like sager.

Sent from my samsung galaxy s2 using tapatalk

 

Yet Aienware has the following:

(1x) RJ-45 Gigabit Ethernet IPv6
(2x) SuperSpeed USB 3.0 Ports
(2x) Hi-Speed USB 2.0 Port
(1x) eSATA 3Gb/s + USB 2.0 Combo port (with PowerShare Technology)
(1x) Mini-Display Port
(1x) HDMI 1.4 Audio and Video Output
(1x) HDMI 1.3 Audio and Video Input
(1x) VGA Port
(1x) 9-in-1 Media Card Reader
(2x) Audio Out 1/8" Ports
(1x) Combo S/PDIF Optical output / Analog Headphone Line Out (7.1 digital audio output via S/PDIF)
(1x) Line In Microphone 1/8" Port (retaskable for 5.1 analog audio output)
(1x) Security Lock port


And you're saying its limited? AW has more options than almost any other notebook maker out there lol!

 

Lmao nice edit there, that other paragraph probably wouldve started a
clevo vs alienware war.

 

comedy gold

 

One wish, this
with with MXM 3 type B

If Clevo Mainstream 15.6" ever come close this design. I will forever stick to it

 

i just saw that the other day, the 17" can have a quadro 5010m, so im guessing its mxm III b.

 

Hmmm, that design sure does look familiar... I wonder where I could have seen it.


OHHH right, it's Apple's signature MBP design that everyone wants to copy so that all new laptops will have the extra feature-"ability to cook eggs after 30 minutes of use".

 

Yes, Alienware is limited, no firewire and no expansion slots ( except the 18 inch version ).

All those other things you listed can be found on any decent laptop. HP's top of the line even has a serial port.

And its screen although not bad doesn't have high enough color gamut for professional video and image editing. In other words it's a toy and isn't that what they say themselves. It's a gaming laptop, the very definition of a toy.

Clevos are both, you can use them as toys and you can use them as real workstations. Until Alienware offers a higher gamut screen and firewire they are limited no matter what else they add or how many lights they can flash at you. Nobody in the pro audio industry will use any of those inputs or outputs when their audio interface costs as much or more than the laptop itself. They are useless to them. What matters is higher gamut screen and firewire or at least an express card slot. Many people have $2000 firewire interfaces they are not just going to throw away and spend another $2000 on a USB interface just so they can use some ugly laptop with flashing lights. They'll buy a laptop with firewire.

That Dell precision was better in its previous incarnation. It had a better screen. Don't know whether they've added that back, but 6500 was better than the current 6600.

Clevo should just add an all metal case version with quadro options and we'd be all set.

The war that Clevo would win in under a minute.

 

I don't know about you guys... but I think AW pulls off "classy" almost as well as it pulls off "cool". Besides, if anyone dares to tell you that it doesn't belong at work, they are just jealous that they don't have the guts to own one. Just look at Jeremy Clarkson from Top Gear, here is a 51 year old man that hasn't lost his feelings for fast cars since he was a kid. I think the same will be true for me and laptops. Whoever says AW is "limited" isn't thinking about it the "right" way IMO. AW is designed as an entertainment system as well as a powerhouse. The problem is, this concept does not carry over well into smaller systems.

 

Very sorry for the double, but I can't edit my post for some reason, my PC doesn't like me at the moment. I forgot to say that if you don't trust your campus or don't want to stick out as much where you are, then Sager is a good idea for you. However, my mother has worked at the same campus for 20+ years and I feel comfortable going there to visit. I will be attending there next year. Either way, if it looks cool or not, I will still practically handcuff a piece of tech to my wrist. Therefore, if you want the looks of AW and have the guts to show off a little, then by all means go for it. If you don't want to or you would rather fly under the radar, then Sager is the way to go. ALso, another feature of AW is the 3-4+ hrs battery life on the M17x R3.

 

+11111111 for this. Cars with soul, that's what our english man loves

If you want a Clevo with metal frame (good one) , you should expect it to cost a lot more..

 

If all you need is an entertainment system ( a toy ) AWare is fine.

Once you see 95% gamut screens on Clevos or the HP dreamcolor display there's no way you'll be happy with Alienware no matter what you think of its aesthetics. And the no firewire deal was just as bad of a dealbreaker in my case, I've already explained why. That's all I'm saying.

Talking about cars. I've always thought that AWare's design looked like some kid trying to copy Lamborghini designs and failing miserably.

 

Comedy gold +1

 

It is a pretty simple argument to sum up really.

If you wake up next to a beautiful women, get into your nice car outside your nice house and drive to your nice job and return home after a hard days work to enjoy an hour or two of your favorite game on your fast and affordable laptop.

You sir, have a Clevo/Sager.

If you wake up and log into Azeroth.

You sir, have an Alienware.

 

This argument is almost as bad as the one in the "Alienware in business setting" thread, which claims that women around the office are impressed by their Alienwares and that they look like Ferraris.

In some work places it's ok to show up unshaven, wearing jeans and a t-shirt. Some other employers demand that you come to work clean shaven, wear a suit and tie every day. Are they just jealous of not having the guts to grow a beard and wear more comfortable clothes?

 

See here's a clear difference between you and I. You just described the most generic layout of a successful life I have ever read. You seem to just want to fit the mold of society. I bet by nice car your thinking of something like a Lexus or BMW, and by beautiful woman you mean some dumb bimbo that is with you for your money because you've busted your your whole life to fit this mold of social success. I can now see why you wouldn't want something that is designed differently to what your perception of an "adult laptop" is. You have a predetermined idea of how a "professional laptop" should look, and you want to fit that mold. I mean no offense by what I'm saying by the way, i'm just trying to point out that while you may want to fit a mold and blend into society like that, I prefer to stray from the path. If the life I want to live is preplanned and scripted, what is the point of living?

Man I went way off topic with this, but I just found your scenario up there really interesting. For the record though, I have no idea what Azeroth is...

 

I'm breaking the mold of all the Clevo cool guys with expensive cars with hot blonde super models in their backseats. Azeroth is the Warcraft Universe. I've first heard the name when I played Orcs and Humans back in 1995! What I suspect he is trying to refer to is World of Warcraft MMO and lack of a social life. In my opinion it's a rather childish argument in itself.

 

Figures. We are talking about computers built for gaming, and he attempts to "class" different types of gamers. So gamers that play WoW are of lesser social value than those that play his type of games? An argument I would expect from someone that aspires to be as you say the generic "cool guy with an expensive car and hot blonde super model in the backseat."

 

It's a personal matter of choice, aesthetics and age.

Clevo is for people who want the clean, neat and simple business look that doesn't attract unnecessary attraction from those who shouldn't be attracted whilst Alienware (plain example in this thread for some reason, I would presume because of all the shiny lights) is probably for those with a taste for lights, power and flashiness, nothing more I guess, besides the epic brand name and good rep, I would presumably think there ain't no actual reason to this "war".

Searching for a balance between Clevo and Alienware? MSI would be a excellent choice IMO but don't forget that Clevo is releasing their backlit keyboard model, the upcoming P150EM, which should stand out in the crowd while maintaining the well-known anonymous-like status.

EDIT: Regarding Yiddo's example, I think he is trying to make his point towards Clevo being a more successful machine and is for the optimal man, while when playing WoW with a Alienware (which according to some is a negative thing to game? AFAIU) you automatically choose the bad/boring way of life, not the optimal solution considering you can get a Clevo and a woman and a car and a life, it's a matter of principles and understanding, no need to dig deeper into his meaning.

EDIT: Although I understand the badly explained example in itself since Clevo basically gives the opportunity to create monstrous gaming machines, on which WoW also can be played on, since it's a demanding game for some Oh well, I'm too tired to type any more

 

I think that instead of looking down on each other because of the different laptops we own, we should all band together instead...

Spoiler

and look down on those pesky console games and people that play them!

 

Ah no there was no meaning to my comment at all I just thought the argument was simmering down slightly and wanted to liven things up.

Mission accomplished.

P.s I dont drive I ride a horse to work, I met my wife in Dalaran and I am the PA to Patchwerk. How quick you all are to judge me

 

This thread has some of the most hilarious non-sense I have read in a while. I don't see why everyone is trying to compare laptops to cars, lifestyles, choices of female, or "social molds"

Out of experience: I work in IB, and can guarantee you that if you showed up to the office with an AW, you wouldn't make it past security.

"Dumb bimbos and BMWs" are one of many, many possible results of having money. Nothing to do with fitting some kind of mold. You can make money wearing jeans and a t-shirt, you can make money wearing a suit and tie. You can make money dealing in private equity, you can make money selling drugs. Nothing is pre-planned or scripted.

I hope you are not getting an AW to "be different" or "stand out". That's one unnecesserily expensive fashion statement.

P.S. - Some of the most beautiful women I know lead entire departments in companies. I don't know where you have been looking, but attractiveness is not inversely related to mental capacity.

For the lulz.

 

Your way off. I'm not talking about making money when I talk about fitting the mold. I love to make money, everyone does. The point i'm trying to make is I don't need to drive the same car or live in the same house as everyone else in my monetary class. Just as I don't need my laptop to look like everyone else's "professional laptop" to be a successful individual.

I'm not getting the laptop to stand out, however everything I own applies to my own taste. Trust me I am recognizable enough without people looking at my laptop. There is a reason just about everything you can buy has different stylings, people like visually appealing things.

Oh, and on the attractiveness to mental capacity thing, you missed my point. My point is that in his post, it seemed as though when referring to that generic successful lifestyle, he included the beautiful woman with things acquired through wealth, such as a nice car and a nice house, him including the woman along with possessions acquired by wealth would indicate he was with a woman who was with him for the money. So some dumb bimbo.

 

Funny story about that actually. I have a colleague who exclusively caters to "dumb bimbos" for the sole reason because he is afraid that if he gets a smart woman, she'll find a way to take all of his money!

 

Well a smart woman is very capable of making her own money, I suppose that is one way for her to do it . But yah, I hate the mentality that SO many people have that you can only get an attractive girl if you have money.

 

Surge, seriously, several pages ago I as well as other forum members advised you not to purchase a Clevo if its looks bother you. We are not here to change your mind about anything. Get something you like more and be happier as a result. I'm sure that a lot of people who own Clevo laptops right now at some point of their lives had an Asus/Alienware or something similarly flashy; I know I did with green flashing LED lights! Maybe you will also come to appreciate Clevo style with time, maybe not. Whichever way you feel, make sure to avoid buyer's remorse.

 

Indeed, this thread has run its course many pages ago.

 

Oh yah, 10 pages, i'm surprised it only went off topic until now. I thought everyone was having fun! No?

I'm pretty much at this point waiting for the backlit keyboard Sagers to come out. If a great deal on an MSi comes up before than, I will probably take it though, as they really have the styling I like. The Alienwares are a bit too bulky considering this laptop will be in transit 5 days a week, multiple times a day, and used in cramp auditorium classrooms.

 

If Alienware had kept their M15x instead of going the M11x route, things would be more interesting. It's like they were afraid to compete with Clevo and MSI at 15.6".