The Alienware M15x is one of the most powerful gaming notebooks on the market. The laptop is equipped with modern processors from the Intel Core i7 line, a 15.6-inch display, and powerful graphics cards such as the Nvidia GTX 260M with 1GB of local GDDR3 memory or the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460M with 1.5GB of local GDDR5 memory. Let's take a closer look at this model, how it will perform in modern games.
The Alienware M15x test laptop came with the following specifications:
Display - 15.6-inch 1080p (1920x1080 pixels) LED-backlit display
Operating system - Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit
Processor - Intel Core i7 920XM (2.0GHz / 3.2GHz in Turbo mode, 8MB L3 cache)
Graphics Card - Nvidia GeForce GTX 260M 1GB GDDR3 Local Memory
System Memory - 4GB DDR3-1333 RAM (2x 2GB)
Hard Drive - 500GB @ 7200RPM (Seagate Momentus 7200.4)
Wireless Communications - Intel Wireless WiFi Link 5300AGN
Optical Drive - Blu-ray - Read Disc / DVD-Write Disc, Slot Load Type
Battery - 9-cell lithium-ion battery (85Wh)
Weight - 4.08 kg
Construction and design
The Alienware series is renowned for its futuristic design and the M15x is no exception. Like the flagship of the line, the M17x, this model has a distinctive shape reminiscent of a modern fighter jet.
The M15x is unusually large for a 15.6-inch laptop, measuring almost 5 centimeters thick and weighing more than 4 kilograms. The frontal face of the M15x has a striking design - on it the speakers are symmetrically located, reminiscent of the shape of the air intakes of a fighter. In this case, the M15x face is not vertical, but is located at an angle. The display lid also has a unique design - it is long with an oblique cut of the upper edge to match the lower edge of the case when closed.
The M15x laptop has a very good build quality. The body has a rigid inner frame so that even with increased pressure, you will not notice any deflections. The display lid is very durable and resists twisting and bending well - much better than most 15.6-inch laptops. The screen cover is securely attached to the case with strong hinges.
The structural elements of the case are made of magnesium alloy and thick plastic. The wrist rest and keyboard are edged with textured plastic and have a matte surface that is very practical as it doesn't collect dust and fingerprints. The only glossy surfaces on this laptop are the bezel around the speakers, the button above the keyboard, and the display surface. The bottom of the notebook and the top surface of the display lid are made of magnesium alloy, which gives the chassis extra rigidity.
While the build quality of the M15s is impressive, the chassis doesn't feel as solid as the older M17x. The case of the M17x model is made of anodized aluminum, and the display lid is made the same as that of the M15x in magnesium alloy, but the metal is thicker, therefore the structure is more durable. So, although there are no complaints about the strength of the case of the M15x, if aluminum were used instead of the magnesium alloy, this would positively improve the rigidity of the structure.
Customizable keyboard illumination "AlienFX" deserves special mention. The user can choose separate colors for different zones on the laptop, including the four areas on the keyboard, touchpad, media buttons, power button, the Alienware logo below the display lid, and the alien head on the outside of the display lid.
The backlight can be turned off at any time by pressing the [Fn] and [F11] keys. The AlienFX lighting adds a unique aesthetic element to the M15x.
Display and speakers
The M15x laptop is equipped with 15.6-inch LED-backlit displays with a resolution of 1600x900 and 1920x1080 pixels, respectively; The test sample had a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels.The display is simply gorgeous - the colors are vibrant and vibrant, the contrast values are also very high. The matrix has an even illumination, and the vertical and horizontal viewing angles are much higher than average values - for example, the horizontal viewing angles are almost equal to 180 degrees. The surface of the display has a glossy coating, which leads on the one hand to the appearance of the reflection of foreign objects on the screen, but on the other - significantly improves the characteristics of contrast and brightness of colors.
The loudspeakers with which the M15x model is equipped have decent characteristics, the volume level has a wide range. The sound quality is quite acceptable, both for games and for watching movies or clips from the Internet. The M15x has two headphone outputs, so two people can listen to music or watch a movie at the same time anywhere in the airport or on the road.
Keyboard and touchpad
The M15x has a full-size keyboard but no numeric keypad. During operation, the keyboard makes almost no noise, the keys are covered with a special rubberized coating so that your fingers do not slip. Working on the keyboard is very comfortable, there is enough space between the keys, the number of typos is minimal.
The touchpad has a matte textured finish. The texture slightly interferes with full contact of the fingers with the surface and makes working with the touchpad inconvenient. Both touchpad buttons work satisfactorily, although they are a little noisy.
The M15x also has a row of multimedia touch keys located on the left above the keyboard. The operation of these buttons did not cause any complaints. Indication lamps located on the "alien head" icon glow differently - they blink when the hard drive is working, they light up brightly when the laptop is connected to a stationary power supply, and pulsate when the battery is charging (remember that the colors can be changed).
Ports and other equipment
The M15x offers a wide variety of ports. The laptop has a VGA output and a "DisplayPort" port that can be used to output video signals, although an HDMI output would have been more appropriate here since an HDTV can be connected via HDMI. Below are images of the sides of the laptop with a description:
Left Side: Kensington Lock Slot, Power Connector, VGA Out, Gigabit Ethernet LAN, DisplayPort, USB, IEEE 1394 Mini Firewire, 8-in-1 Media Card Reader
Right: ExpressCard / 54 slot (top), optical drive (bottom), two headphone jacks, microphone jack, eSATA / USB combo port, USB port.
Front: Speakers
Back side: Fan grilles and screen hinges
Bottom view: vents, battery
Performance
The M15x is impressive in performance tests, primarily due to its powerful internal components. While the Core i7 920XM processor is one of the most expensive processors on the market, it is also one of the fastest mobile processors available today. With 112 shader processors clocked at 1375 MHz, the GTX 260M is also one of the fastest on the market. For enthusiastic users, Dell offers an extreme configuration M15x models with an Nvidia GTX 480M graphics card with 192 shader processors.
Wprime CPU performance score (the lower the score, the higher the performance):
PCMark05 measures the overall system performance (the higher the score, the better the performance):
3DMark06 measures performance in games (the higher the score, the better the performance):
Performance in Crysis (1600x900 and high settings):
Performance in Left 4 Dead 2 (1920x1080, high settings, and 4X MSAA):
Performance in the game "Borderlands" (1920x1080, high settings):
HDTune measures hard drive performance:
The M15x delivers fantastic performance in the latest 3D games.Thanks to the Nvidia GTX 260M graphics card and the Intel Core i7 processor, this laptop can play almost all the latest games at a resolution of 1920 × 1080 at high quality settings. Considering the extreme configuration M15x with an Nvidia GTX 480M video card, you can safely increase the frame rate recorded in gaming tests by 1.5-1.7 times.
Heat dissipation and noise
A high-performance laptop like the M15x needs an efficient cooling system. Warm air is blown out of the case through two massive fan grilles on the rear edge. At rest, the M15x is virtually silent; while operating under load, it starts to emit a little noise, but its level is at an acceptable level. The noise is created both by the operation of the cooling fan and by the outgoing air currents. True, the fan noise is not very annoying and practically mixes with the surrounding sound background. However, even under heavy load, the surface of the M15x is only slightly warm to the touch. The surface near the fan grilles heats up a little higher, but also within the permissible level.
Standalone operation
Complete sets with 6 and 9 cell batteries are available. The 9-cell battery is required for the Core i7 920XM and has a capacity of 85Wh. With the minimum screen brightness in power saving mode, the laptop worked for one hour and 55 minutes. To understand how much power the M15x is using, you need to compare its battery life to a typical consumer laptop. For example, a typical Dell laptop with a 15.6-inch display and an 85W 9-cell battery can last almost 4 hours on a single charge.
For a 6-cell battery, you should expect about one hour of battery life, so a 9-cell battery is still the best option. It should be noted that the 9-cell battery has increased thickness and therefore lifts the laptop a little, although in this position it is more convenient to work on it.
Conclusion
The M15x proved to be excellent from almost every angle, primarily in terms of gaming performance. The test laptop was equipped with an Nvidia GTX 260M graphics card with 1GB DDR3 memory and 112 stream shader processors clocked at 1375 MHz. For enthusiasts, we can recommend purchasing a configuration Alienware M15x with an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460M video accelerator with 1.5GB of GDDR5 memory, which has 192 shader processors operating at a frequency of 1350 MHz, since in this case the performance in games will increase by almost 1.5-1.7 times. The futuristic look of the 15.6-inch laptop and its unique lighting have long been the hallmark of the Alienware series. The Full HD 1080p display is simply gorgeous. The keyboard is very comfortable to use, the body of the laptop is made of very high quality materials, and the assembly does not give rise to any complaints. Sure, there are minor drawbacks - the uncomfortable touchpad surface, overweight for a 15.6-inch laptop, and lack of HDMI output, but surely a mobile gaming station like the Alienware M15x is as powerful as many desktops and is well worth the investment. money for her.
Benefits:
Unique design and lighting
Stunning 1080p display
Highest performance and excellent build quality
Disadvantages:
High price
Large laptop weight
Inconvenient touchpad surface
Has DisplayPort, however HDMI would be preferable
