Alienware M14x R2 review from a Mac guy

I'm going to use the template of another review thread I found, but nothing for the R2 was posted in it.

I've been a Macbook and Macbook Pro user for the past 5 years or so. Even brought them to work so I didn't have to use the cruddy Windows ME systems they still have in place at Japanese schools.

But, I decided to go with a change this time around, mostly because I had a taste of Witcher 2 and Battlefield 3 from a friend and figured if I do get a new system, may as well get one that can run those. And the price of the new Retina Macbook sealed the deal for me (seriously? That much and I can't even add my own RAM?). Sorry Apple, I've been loyal as hell and I'll still be using the Macbook for video editing and maybe 70% of my overall workload, but this round goes to Alienware.

Mainly because of the pretty lights. Anyways, 2 week review. Everything on a ten point scale:


1.) Build Quality - [8]

Despite my inherent love of the Macbook design and feel, I really dug the chunky sharpness of the M14x. I didn't want a full fledged desktop replacement and at under 7 lbs, this thing wasn't going to break my back. It's light enough for me to move around pretty effortlessly with one hand, which is cool because a lot of other reviews said doing that might be tough.

I really dig the rubberized texture encasing it all, although it attracts dust like nothing else. The Nebula red is pretty definitely attention grabbing.

Probably the most outstanding feature are the lights. So, f-ing, cool! I already have my subdued professionalism in my Macbooks. I wanted something completely opposite of that. This delivers.

But why only an 8? Maybe I'm just spoiled with unibody cases, but there were just parts of the system that felt a bit...clackity? Don't get me wrong, this thing is mostly built like a brick, but parts like around the screen and hinges feel a tad cheap compared to everything else.


2.) Display - [6]

The display is...nice. I went with the 900p upgrade and it's...good. I mean, I've seen a lot better, but I've seen a hell of a lot worse. The contrast is okay and after tinkering with the colour settings for an hour or two everything popped nicely.

But OH MY GOD the glare! I don't get it. I was warned there'd be glare, but Jesus! I took this to work the other day (if only to show off, heh), but because my desk is situated right beside the man sized window I couldn't see a damned thing (and before you ask, no, there aren't any curtains). It was damned insufferable. I had to take it to a dark part of the library to get any work done in my off periods.

So the basic ins and outs of the display itself is fine. About as good as my old Macbook 2009 model (which I adore and still use). But for whatever reason this thing bounces reflections back about 2-3x worse than my Macbook Pro despite that also being behind glass.

Look at it this way: In a nice, non-sunny room? Screen's a solid 8. Anywhere with sunlight? Gets a 4, maybe a five. So, giving out 6 as an average.


3.) Keyboard and Touchpad - [7]

I'll admit it took me awhile to get accustomed to the keyboard. Haven't typed on such old fashioned keys for awhile, and especially not on a laptop. But when I did get used to it, gaming was a pleasure. I love for tactile everything is, and it feels really nice with a soft touch finish.

But the touch pad's kind of garbage. It's really, really, significantly smaller than the Apple glass trackpad and without the glass, it doesn't glide nearly as well. Again, maybe this is a good touch pad and I've just been spoiled. The multitouch gesturing is also limited and a hassle, and that's if it works. But hey, as a gaming set up I'm using a mouse anyways so that offsets it.

4.) Performance - [9]

My set up came with 8GB of DDR3 RAM, a 2GB Geforce GT 650m GPU and an Ivy Bridge i7 3610 processor.

And I couldn't be happier. Most every game I've tried has been able to run perfectly fine at high, and sometimes ultra, settings. Things are snappy all around.

Diablo 3, Portal 2 and Civilization 5 all ran at max settings without nary a framerate hitch. Things were buttery smooth.

Witcher 2 took a bit of customizing but overall I'd say the settings were well within the "high" range and things ran without any noticeable drops in framerates. I tested lower settings to see how the game runs with everything low, and it looks comparably smooth to how the system handled things at high.

So dude, why only a 9? Because of that nearly insufferable fan! I'm not used to having so much noise coming out of my laptop. I know it needs the cooling for when running something like Witcher 2, but still. Damn. I usually don't like playing with headphones on, but this system forced me to plop down a good extra $80 for a nice, insulating pair. An extra expense I wasn't expecting to pay for.


5.) Battery Life - [5, but does it matter?]

Look, this thing isn't going to win any awards for longevity. Even with half dimness and just doing Youtube and Word, the thing was nearly dead around the three hour mark.

But again, does it matter? To game on this thing, which was the main reason I bought it, you're going to plug it in. Most of the places I plan to be gaming on the go with it (hotel rooms, libraries, etc) all have outlets.


6.) Overall Impression [8]

Absolutely no regrets. A bit pricey compared to similarly specced Windows laptops, but a fair deal when you compare it to Apple's current crop.

Well built, with a nice cool design and excellent gaming performance. A few gripes about the screen and noise aren't enough to offset me wholeheartedly recommending this system.

Will it overtake my Macbooks for most of my everyday work? No. It's a tad too clunky and loud for that, but it was never meant to do that. This is for the enthusiast PC owner who wants some fun on the side.

 

Nice review
You might want to check programs running in background as I can easily use my M14xR2 for MORE than four hours on wifi typing notes on Openoffice.

Install Battery Bar and manage the current you're draining at all time.
You should be able to get under 15ooo mW EASY ( I'm at 10100 typing this ), and on a 67mW/h battery, that means at least four hours.

Hope you enjoy your new machine

 

Wasn't there an exact review for the R1 posted here a year ago? Are you a robot?

 

I'm not sure? This was my first review for the M14x seeing as it's the only one I've ever owned.

 

The only thing I will disagree with you on is the touchpad. It's the best I've ever used and I've been through every gaming branded laptop (Sager, MSI, Asus) - Asus being the worst PoS touchpad I've ever used (has a mind of its own)

Other than that, good to see you're enjoying your new machine

If you play BF3, try it on your new system. The FX responds based on your gameplay, which is truly incredible to see for the first time.

 

Get the anti-glare filter offered with the R2 from Delienware. It fits perfectly on the screen of the M14x R2. Glare problem solved.

 

As someone posted u should be getting much more battery life. I take my m14x r2 to uni and can run it for over 5 hours straight (yes we have 5 hours straight of lectures - welcome to medicine) while using onenote, browser and audio recording the lecture (albeit with power saving power plan, alien fx off, brightness a couple of notches up from lowest)

Did u power cycle it when u first got it? Seems to make a bit of difference

 

Thanks for the replies.

laz91: I did power cycle the system when I got it and maybe there is something wrong with my battery but honestly, 3 hours was still better than I expected from this thing. And I really don't see myself using this thing without the adapter anyways.

blackweb: I'll look into the anti-glare screen.

Voodooi: I'll give BF3 a try, though I'm kinda strapped for disposable income at the moment (this thing wasn't cheap). And I don't have any first hand experience with the other system's so I'll take your word for it. I guess I'm just disappointed not more laptop makers have copied Apple's glass trackpad. It's just so....spacious. And smooth.

 

hey man, I was about to replace my old and tired M15x with this new M14x and I'm really curious about the battery talk you are all having here. My M15x last only about 2 hours and a half while doing easy tasks like browsing, and hearing your report that your new M14x can only do 1 hour better than mine which is 3 years older, I don't think it's going to impress me.

 

I don't know what is he leaving on... to get 1 hour, because I get close to 6, without powersaver, with screen brightness at half.

Even when i play Skyrim on battery I get more than 2 hours of battery life

 

I was getting around 4hours to 4 1/2 hours easily when using it normally at balanced mode web browsing and playing music and some videos around 40% brightness.

 

I have to agree with this, I love the touchpad. If you've only used mac before you may find it a bit smaller, but still pretty comfortable.

 

m15x-r2 & m17x-r2 is a nightmare without plugged in , on battery mode it reduce performance to 50%........and it don't last at all....

this is my m14x-r2 can do , in reality only 8hour+