Alien ware is back with a bang, with a threefold attack on the PC gaming arena. Along with the M14x and the M18x, the M17x has had a third generation Intel flavored refresh for 2012. The alien ware M17x isn't any different to the model that wowed us last year. The exciting new additions are all buried deep within the M17 is brutish chassis. The model we reviewed packed an i7-3610QM processor. Which can be pumped full of Intel Turbo boost steroids to achieve a top speed of 3.3GHz.
Hardware:
The impressive spec sheet doesn't end there, you can select up to 32GB RAM, the 17.3 inch display is of the full HD 1080p variety 2.1 megapixel webcam and has a slot loading optical drive on the side.
You might think that all of this rugged power may result in an explosion of noise, fan activity and a heat overload as with previous Alienware notebooks. This is thanks to its large heat sinks and dual rear exhausts, which provide dedicated cooling for all threads and cores of both the CPU.Equally, if you want your M17x flashing bright red neon lights at you continuously , like a panicking air traffic control warning system, then that's an option too. The Keyboard keys color you choose to have emitting from them, are soft to the touch with a comforting rubber like bounce which makes them not only great for gaming but also for more day to day tasks such as browsing the web. The track-pad, which is offset to the left, has rubberized finish and you will hear not a peep from either of its buttons, such is the soft travel.
Heavy load:
The M17x is not travel friendly, the improved battery life of 133 minutes under stress.You will need a strong back to handle its weight load. Back to the plus points though and as you'd expect with the hardcore engine room, the Alienware M17x had little trouble dealing with any task that we threw its way. Recent game titles caused it no signs of despair and high resolution photo editing was done with hardly any fuss. You can configure the hard drive setup on your own Alienware model pretty much any way that you choose.
As well as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0, you have also got access to four USB 3.0oirts, HDMI 1.4port, mini-display port, Ethernet action, SD card reader, VGA socket, optical digital output, separate headphone and microphone jacks. The Alienware M17x is a significant improvement to what was already a brilliant machine. Its bulky frame and ostentatious exterior may make the M17x a specialist laptop but within the 17 inch gaming note book market.
