Alienware M18x with dual AMD or Nvidia GPUs coming soon

[Matthew DeCarlo]

Along with the revamped XPS 17 and M17x, Dell is preparing to unleash a massive Alienware notebook with two graphics chips. Unsurprisingly, the upcoming gaming system will use Intel's freshly introduced Sandy Bridge processors and it packs an 18.4-inch 1920x1080 LED-backlit glossy display. The Dell employee noted that another LCD option will be available, but he didn't provide any further details. A 3D-ready panel might not be out of the question.

Additionally, users will be able to order the Alienware M18x with one of at least two different graphics configurations: two AMD Radeon HD 6970Ms in CrossFireX or two Nvidia GeForce GTX 460Ms in SLI. We assume Nvidia's Optimus graphics switching technology will be present if the system is outfitted with the GTX 460Ms. Dual hard drive and solid-state drive options are popular in large notebooks, so they'll likely be on the menu too.

Few other details were revealed, except that the system will have a 12-cell 97WHr battery, which means you'll probably need a handtruck for transportation. There's no word on pricing or availability, but when the M18x begins shipping, it'll be offered with black or red trim.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/41913-alienware-m18x-with-dual-amd-or-nvidia-gpus-coming-soon.html

 

[Sarcasm]

And it will only cost a small down payment for a car!

 

[CamaroMullet]

I've never understood why someone would spend the cash on a laptop like these. Think of the bitchin' desktop you could throw together for that money??

 

[yRaz]

CamaroMullet said:
I've never understood why someone would spend the cash on a laptop like these. Think of the bitchin' desktop you could throw together for that money??

small is the new big

 

[peperonikiller]

CamaroMullet said:
I've never understood why someone would spend the cash on a laptop like these. Think of the bitchin' desktop you could throw together for that money??

because it's portable

 

[CamaroMullet]

Don't get me wrong, they are pretty fing sweet machines. I would probably lose a pinky ( maybe both ) for one. I'm a gamer and build pc's, like most the people here, I just think of the 5k + investment on one of these. I'd rather lug a tower ( probably weighs the sames as M18x...lol ) and a 20" monitor to a lan game and save the 3+ grand.

But you know, there are those crazy gamers that drive Ferrari's too.

 

[slh28]

peperonikiller said:

CamaroMullet said:
I've never understood why someone would spend the cash on a laptop like these. Think of the bitchin' desktop you could throw together for that money??

because it's portable

Umm have you seen the size and weight of the higher spec Alienware laptops? If you're gonna carry one of those around then you might as well get a small LAN PC for 1/4 of the cost

 

[gwailo247]

If you act now, you'll get a free pair of Nomex pants, a $199 value!

 

[ackack47]

Sadly, no GTX 485Ms huh, or even 470s. Getting two 485Ms for my laptop.

 

[Vrmithrax]

CamaroMullet said:
Don't get me wrong, they are pretty fing sweet machines. I would probably lose a pinky ( maybe both ) for one. I'm a gamer and build pc's, like most the people here, I just think of the 5k + investment on one of these. I'd rather lug a tower ( probably weighs the sames as M18x...lol ) and a 20" monitor to a lan game and save the 3+ grand.

LAN parties are just a portion of what these kind of gaming laptops are used for. Next time you are flying somewhere, try lugging that full gaming rig along. Me, I'll stick with a gaming-capable laptop for my road warrior entertainment.

 

[Cota]

I hate Alienware since they went skanky whit Dell, even if they keep separated, they let me waaaaaaaay down.

 

[Guest]

Hopefully this new machine won't suffer from the terribly-engineered faulty hinges that are present on the other Mxxx laptops.

Colloquially speaking it seems that Alienware's general quality level has steadily declined since they were acquired by Dell.

 

[yRaz]

Guest said:
Hopefully this new machine won't suffer from the terribly-engineered faulty hinges that are present on the other Mxxx laptops.

Colloquially speaking it seems that Alienware's general quality level has steadily declined since they were acquired by Dell.

go figure

 

[Zecias]

CamaroMullet said:
I've never understood why someone would spend the cash on a laptop like these. Think of the bitchin' desktop you could throw together for that money??

for the most part, alienware is just for rich people.
their computers are only decently priced for the most basic models, even then its still kinda expensive.

 

[Lokalaskurar]

CamaroMullet said:
I've never understood why someone would spend the cash on a laptop like these. Think of the bitchin' desktop you could throw together for that money??

Now that's an argument. From what I can tell, Alienware laptops have a certain "I'm a true gamer, now portable!" image. A custom computer would have the same image, one might imagine. Alas, the brand have a certain rich feeling to it unmatched by "bichin' desktops".

 

[Guest]

Yeah! Better bought new car

 

[Guest]

For UK users I can recommend PC Specialist as a good alternative to Alienware, the tech guys there seem to be the enthusiast types themselves and they have a good selection of highly customisable laptops (desktops too but as we're on a post about alienware laptops...)

Considerably cheaper but using top notch components (e.g. Samsung memory).

You can even choose to buy without OS for those with a license we'd rather transfer

 

[Burty117]

I really wish you could build Laptops as easily as desktops. I bet the prices would go down generally for Laptops if it was possible...

 

[CamaroMullet]

LAN parties are just a portion of what these kind of gaming laptops are used for. Next time you are flying somewhere, try lugging that full gaming rig along. Me, I'll stick with a gaming-capable laptop for my road warrior entertainment.

Yeah, I can see whipping out that 18" laptop, sitting in the middle of 2 fat guys on my way to Detroit for vacation. When the battery is drained after an hour of some serious gaming I'll be glad I spent 5 grand on that Alienware system.

...Or instead, I could go to Hawaii, play some Angry Birds on the plane, maybe some light porn. When I get home to my bitchin' system, then I can frag noobs all day and night.

 

[Vrmithrax]

CamaroMullet said:

LAN parties are just a portion of what these kind of gaming laptops are used for. Next time you are flying somewhere, try lugging that full gaming rig along. Me, I'll stick with a gaming-capable laptop for my road warrior entertainment.

Yeah, I can see whipping out that 18" laptop, sitting in the middle of 2 fat guys on my way to Detroit for vacation. When the battery is drained after an hour of some serious gaming I'll be glad I spent 5 grand on that Alienware system.

...Or instead, I could go to Hawaii, play some Angry Birds on the plane, maybe some light porn. When I get home to my bitchin' system, then I can frag noobs all day and night.

That's just being short-sighted... Try 5 straight nights in a hotel room. I've got my e-reader for my time on the plane, which is actually just a drop in the bucket when looking at the actual amount of time I (and many many others) spend on the road. If I'm gone from home more than half of the year, I'd like to be able to bring a system that I can actually enjoy using. But hey, I'm not easily amused with lame phone games, so I guess it's hard for you to relate to my situation...

And, for the record, I'm loving the absolutely clueless "dropping 5 grand" comments that are abounding throughout this discussion. Shows just how much crap can be spewed out of people who take no time to research the topic. Alienware gaming laptops start under $1000 US, and even the "Bleeding Edge" version of the m17x is only $2200. The new m18 series pricing will be on par with their current systems, maybe just a bit more premium for the newer technology. Sure you CAN spend $5k if you get the absolute top of the line on every single option from them, but only *****s with too much money would bother doing that. Oh, but by all means, make THAT situation your baseline so you can ridicule the prices and make a case vs. a landlocked gaming rig.

 

[yRaz]

I can imagine these things should not be used on your legs. I have a midranged HP laptop with an HD4650 and it gets blazing hot on my legs if I don't have the power settings way down. When my last rig died it was all I used at desk for about 6 months. It didn't really leave my desk that much, even for school. I would never buy one of these, though. I'm sure there are people, like vrmithrax, where something like this is more practical than a desktop. I find my $1000 Hp laptop fine, but I bet I would be much more willing to spend more if I was traveling for extended periods of time.

One of the problems I do see is the battery life of these laptops can't be that good. I can get around 2 hours on my laptop with the power settings on low. That isn't too big of a deal, but I've been in flight for 3+hours before. If the lay over isn't that long then i don't even have a chance to power it between flights. I don't game too often in flight, I'm usually watching movies. These are powering a 1920X1080 display. The display must take up a lot of juice and so must the video cards to power it. Just watching a movie would use a lot of power on one of these.

 

[CamaroMullet]

That's just being short-sighted... Try 5 straight nights in a hotel room. I've got my e-reader for my time on the plane, which is actually just a drop in the bucket when looking at the actual amount of time I (and many many others) spend on the road. If I'm gone from home more than half of the year, I'd like to be able to bring a system that I can actually enjoy using. But hey, I'm not easily amused with lame phone games, so I guess it's hard for you to relate to my situation...

And, for the record, I'm loving the absolutely clueless "dropping 5 grand" comments that are abounding throughout this discussion. Shows just how much crap can be spewed out of people who take no time to research the topic. Alienware gaming laptops start under $1000 US, and even the "Bleeding Edge" version of the m17x is only $2200. The new m18 series pricing will be on par with their current systems, maybe just a bit more premium for the newer technology. Sure you CAN spend $5k if you get the absolute top of the line on every single option from them, but only *****s with too much money would bother doing that. Oh, but by all means, make THAT situation your baseline so you can ridicule the prices and make a case vs. a landlocked gaming rig.

The m17x starts at 1,500USD. The weakest i7 cpu ( which isn't bad, but still ),Single card ati card, 4gb ram, shitty 320gb hard drive, once you start "customizing" it you can easily crank that baby up to the 5k area. I highly doubt when the m18x comes out with it's dual gpu's it will start at the 1,500 dollar mark.

Of course gaming on a laptop is better then a phone. My whole argument is why and who would spend that kinda of cash on an alienware system? Even getting a decent asus or acer for 2 - 3 grand less is a better option.

 

[Vrmithrax]

CamaroMullet said:
The m17x starts at 1,500USD. The weakest i7 cpu ( which isn't bad, but still ),Single card ati card, 4gb ram, shitty 320gb hard drive, once you start "customizing" it you can easily crank that baby up to the 5k area. I highly doubt when the m18x comes out with it's dual gpu's it will start at the 1,500 dollar mark.

Of course gaming on a laptop is better then a phone. My whole argument is why and who would spend that kinda of cash on an alienware system? Even getting a decent asus or acer for 2 - 3 grand less is a better option.

Funny thing... As a frequent laptop shopper, I'm very familiar with pricing and features. I see your point about there being lower priced options, but they aren't 2-3 grand less, as you suggest. If you compare pricing, there is not THAT much difference in similarly equipped systems.

Case in point: An Alienware m17x (i7-740, 8 GB RAM, HD 5870, 640 GB Drive, Win7, DVD) is $2200. The closest Asus I can find with similar specs is $1600 from Newegg, albeit with a slower processor, smaller battery, and no backlit keyboard. Acers can run about the same, for similar equipment. Start upgrading the components, and the prices drive up about the same across the board. That is, if you can FIND the specs you want on the Asus or Acer.

There are much more customization options available with most of the gaming laptops, like Alienware. Yes, you are paying a premium, but there are some reasons for that premium, such as style and personalization/customization options available to you. You don't have to just settle for picking the closest available version of what you are looking for. One of the big reasons why these boutique gaming rigs are so popular. People will pay a little more for the style as well. But it's not always such a massive upcharge, as many love to imply. Now, it USED to be that gaming laptops had a huge premium, but as they have been spreading into the mainstream, that premium has been shrinking.

Oh, and for the record, my current laptop is a Dell, not an Alienware, but a regular old Dell Inspiron with a discrete nVidia GPU. The Alienware equivalent of the same laptop was about $300 more, for better performance (and much cooler style), but I chose to stick with a model that had common parts with the rest of the Dell models in our company's fleet of notebooks. We've also got Acers, ASUS, HPs, and all of the ones with discrete GPUs that could even be considered for gaming ran about the same as far as prices.

 

[Osiris2434]

Don't you mean LAN-Locked. Heehee

 

[Tutublade]

There is no need for you people who are never going to buy an Alienware laptop/desktop b*tching here telling others how bad/overpriced Alienware is. Surely there are people who are fond of this company (hence Alienware still exists) and you 'negative' comments will just start flame fests. Why don't we discuss some of the tech-components of the m18x/release dates instead of arguing over the price?