Alienware laptop m17x r3 skin
The M17x R3 sports two drive bays, but the storage options offered on the Dell website leave something to be desired. Unfortunately the solution here isn't quite as automatic or seamless as NVIDIA's Optimus, but it gets the job done. The M17x R3 also supports GPU switching, allowing you to switch to the IGP while on the battery to substantially improve running time. It features 960 stream processors, a 680MHz core clock, and 2GB of GDDR5 clocked to an effective 3.6GHz on a 256-bit bus for a staggering 115.2 GB/sec of memory bandwidth. This is arguably the fastest mobile GPU currently available, duking it out with NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 485M for the top slot. Handling graphics duties is the AMD Radeon HD 6970M, basically a mobile version of the desktop Radeon HD 6850. Alienware also joins four DIMM slots instead of two to the i7's memory controller allowing for a maximum of 16GB of memory, enough to get some serious work done. With a 2.2GHz nominal clock rate capable of turbo-ing up to 3.3GHz on a single core (or 3GHz on all four cores), the i7-2720QM should offer more than enough processing horsepower. You can custom order all the way up to the Intel Core i7-2820QM (the 55-watt i7-2920XM isn't available), but the i7-2720QM presents a nice balance of performance and value.
The Sandy Bridge processor at the heart is the major part of this refresh of the M17x. Internal WirelessHD (with external receiver included)įlash reader (MMC, SD/Mini SD, MS/Duo/Pro/Pro Duo)Ģ-year, 3-year, and 4-year extended warranties available Slot-loading Blu-ray/DVDRW Combo (HL-DT-ST CA30N) (960 stream processors, 680MHz/3.6GHz core/memory clocks, 256-bit memory bus)Ģx Seagate Momentus 750GB 7200-RPM HDD in RAID 0 Or you can go for the big daddy like our review sample has: the AMD Radeon HD 6970M. Alienware has upgraded the M17x R3 with Sandy Bridge processors, and graphics options start at the AMD Radeon HD 6870M, upgradeable to the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460M. Performance-wise, it's definitely going to feel right. But there's something to be said for a little bling, and if the whole thing feels right, who's to really complain if it looks like the gaming equivalent of a racecar bed? Gaming notebooks can tend to be gaudy affairs, and Alienware's notebooks (at least on the shelf) are practically exemplars of this goofy kind of excess. Truth be told, I was ambivalent about laying hands on the M17x R3. ASUS, MSI, Toshiba, and HP all offer fairly compelling alternatives, and today Alienware brings us a particularly interesting contender in the form of the M17x R3. Yet they also have some persisting drawbacks: build quality isn't often that hot, the battery is a glorified UPS system, and they feature some of the worst keyboards on the market. These aren't necessarily bad notebooks they're fast, typically have good screens, and they get the job done. We've had our hands on quite a few gaming notebooks here, but most of the time they're Clevo-based machines.