Alienware 17 Review

Alienware's latest 17-inch gaming notebook, now called the Alienware 17 boasts a redesigned exterior and even better performance thanks to the new fourth-gen Intel processor.

Read the full content of this Article: http://www.notebookreview.com/notebookreview/alienware-17-review/

 

Nice review. I was especially worried about the cooling.

1. How durable is the screen without the reflective cover?
2. Do you think that the touchpad depression was a fault of the review model?

 

Great article, but I think you may have some bad info in the config list. I'm not sure how you got that config for $2199, but the lowest-priced config I see at the AW site with a 780m, 4800mq and 256gb SSD is well north of $3000. Heck, a base "17" with just 780m is $2899.

I appreciate the innovation in design, but the new line is really a hard sell considering I can get a dual-780m Sager that will give me +/-50% more GPU power for several hundred dollars less. Even the over-priced G750 with the same specs as this 17 is over $500 less (and looks better overall IMO)

 

Can you turn off the trackpad illumination?

 

Nice review Charles. I love the styling on these new AW machines, that illuminated touchpad is beyond cool and the back hinge area with the flying saucer like curves and aluminum finish is great.

 

1. The screen is as durable as any other with an anti-glare surface, if that says anything.
2. Good question. I have a pre-production model, it is not for sale/distribution. Could be, but I'd suggest waiting for a real owner to chime in and confirm.

Yes - it can be shut off entirely. Same goes for all the other lighting zones.

Thanks a lot Andrew. I think Alienware upped the ante once again with this model. I wish I had more time to spend with it.

Yeah the pricing I have from Alienware might be off, I had a hard time even configuring the notebook on Alienware.com with these specs.

The Sagers/Clevos don't touch the Alienware by a long shot in everything but performance. Performance per dollar though I'd agree they offer more for the money.

 

I don't like the two tone colour design. but i don't think I'm going to buy this model due to increased price. Same speced as the review unit costs around £2400 (After coupon with 1yr warranty). I can buy Clevo 17 with same spec for less than £1750 with 2yr Warranty.

 

Great review but it's missing something.....game benchmarks! C'mon you could at least thrown a couple in.

 

I don't think benchmarks would be helpful, because the Dell flagship NVIDIA cards tend to perform worse than expected at first.

 

We've added some Mass Effect 3 screenshots showing FPS.
I think the graphics card drivers on this review unit could use some optimization.

 

Good review.

Would you say that the system is as durable and well-cooled as the m17x r1/r2? Are the hinges more solid than usual?

 

Although the as-tested price is quite high, it has generous specs even is nearly-base trim with nothing but the screen upgrade (total price of $1649 for a premium-build-quality 17" gaming laptop).

 

Great review, Charles!

It usually takes about a week or two before Futuremark benchmarks identify the video cards correctly, and drivers will get better within a month or so.

 

I'll save you with this one: In the US, under the $1999 model, you can configure it to have the 780m for an additional $200

 

Really good review by Notebookreview. Well done

 

Will I suffer much performance wise if I can not afford the full tricked out version and just have the standard specs that it comes with?
I understand what some differences will be but will it still be capable of most modern games?
Good review

 

^^^ Yes combo of the lower resolution screen (900 P) and the GTX765 appears to handle modern games very well & 1499 base price seems reasonable. NVIDIA GeForce GTX 765M - NotebookCheck.net Tech

 

The original M17x was still more solid but perhaps excessively so; it was also a few pounds heavier. The Alienware 17 doesn't seem to sacrifice strength relative to the original. The cooling system on the 17 is not as quiet as the original M17x but works just as well; there were zero heat issues of any kind during the review. The hinges are exceptionally solid, perhaps even a bit too stiff.

Thanks and yes it depends on which configuration you start with.

I appreciate the support.

The base Alienware 17 is a good value; I'd suggest upgrading to the 1080p display, as it's quite beautiful. I think 1600x900 is a low resolution for a 17" screen. Other than that, the standard specs should be fine for just about any modern game. The video card is the next best place to spend money should you have any left over.
You might consider getting an Alienware M17x R3/R4 from the Dell Outlet, they'll work just as well for most purposes and may come in less with better specifications (more RAM/storage space, &c).

 

Question to you Charles since you reviewed both M17x R4 and this new Alienware 17:

How do they compare in terms of noise? If I understand your reviews, the whine you found on the M17x R4 is gone with the Alienware 17? Does it have more pleasant whooosh sound now compared to earlier? How would you describe the noise when surfing and when gaming?

Thanks

 

Thanks for the answers. Two more:

1. Can you measure the screen's contrast, Delta E, color gamut, and brightness?
2. Alienware has fixed the flex and poorly-defined key caps. Is the keyboard a noticeable improvement over the r4's?

 

How is the screen brightness? I guess it is only the 14" Haswell Alienware that has brightness issues.

 

Great Design? Award Winning? Really? I'm an award winning industrial designer and former Alienware ALX, Area 51 and MJ-12 owner. Ever since Dell bought Alienware and killed the independent design of the brand in favor of what I can only describe as mildly modified stock boxes, there's been no design coolness to speak of at all. I don't know who's giving these "design awards", but I'd be curious to know if there's advertising dollars involved? The boxes that all of the recent (post-Dell) Alienware devices come in could just as easily be housing toothpicks or shoes. If they're so cool and award winning, why did the marketers and renderers have to use artificial external lighting sources and smoke (and mirrors) to make the images look cool. Shouldn't the devices have been able to do that without the rendering tricks?

What's more, being an industrial designer, and not just a gamer, I've had to cease using Alienware machines altogether. When it was a custom build from the formerly independent Alienware in Miami, you could pick and choose your graphics cards and processors config. Now it's like buying a new car. You get three possible packages and Dell chooses for us. The 3D modeling software that I use for my work requires NVidia Quadro graphics cards, a model that is not available on Alienware machines. So I can't use them for my work, which I could for all of my former Alienware by Alienware machines. Hey, guys at Dell, be nice if you'd make Alienware available for your "Precision" clients as well. What? Because we're designers and engineers, we have to use plain grey boxes?

 

...so you don't like Alienware's current cases AND you're upset because you can't get an Alienware case on a Dell Precision?

 

It is a bit hard to take your review seriously when you match it against laptops like the GX60 and you fail to mention that that laptop is an older AMD Trinity chipset and is priced well below (MSRP: $1299.99) the reviewed AW. Considering you then took the base spec and upgraded crucial bench marking components and left the competitions specs at base, it is hard to not assume this review is nothing more than a biased plug for your preference of laptop.
Perhaps you did intend to have an example of AMD's offering in the mix and to many who are familiar with MSI and their offerings would know that the GX series is one of the only gaming laptops on the market not using an Intel chipset. However to the average person this test only looks like MSI produces a far inferior laptop.
You also used a Clevo model with the 3rd gen i7 despite the fact that the company has produced laptops with 4th gen chipsets since nearly if not on the launch of that chipset.
The point is; if you intend on comparing a laptop to its competitors you should choose a mark to compare them at. Honestly it comes down to one set of values power vs. price. Choose one and compare; either pick laptops all within about $100 of having it in your hand and compare power or select nearly all the same hardware and tell us how they actually handle the chipset/GPU and the price difference. If you have any anomalies (ie: let’s throw AMD in the mix of an Intel dominated world) please inform the consumer of the difference.
Let’s be honest; looks of a laptop only matter to someone who doesn’t care about the money or when two laptops perform the same for the same price. At some point an individual doesn’t care about performance or price as much if they are valuing aesthetics.

 

I bought the 17m2 system about 3 year ago now.
Just as the warranty expired (3 days before), the video card died. Dell will do nothing about it.

What happen.....

The system one day got choppy video play back.
Checker board video flashing randomly on the screen.
No support for 3d rendering.
Video driver errors on boot up.

What I did...

Restored system to factory.
Updated newest video drivers.

Is it fixed....
No

Will dell support it? No

So, I have a $3500.00 custom laptop with a 1 gig video card that uses only 64mb of the video memory.

I have done video memory test..... All test are good.

Overall it dose not compute why it's not working and why dell will not help.

 

I want to know about dc power plug . Is it a straight or right angle you connect in power jack ? If it is a straight im kjnda disapointed... My other question is : is there any right angle adapter (female to male) available on earth for that dc adapter. Cuz in the past i broked jack power solders using straight dc power plug. Any suggestion please ?

 

Hi,

I'm new here, former owner of an M17x R3 (that was stolen at gun point) And now ordered my new Alienware 17! I cannot express how excited I am to be an owner once again. I ordered the base model, but I was able to get it for $1350 after taxes If anyone else wants to get a great deal, let me know, the US rep that helped me, would be willing to extend the deal to others. Basically, I got $50 off, plus a $200 e-gift card that can be sold, or used at dell.com for future purchases. I was able to get a few more discounts, but they were 1 time. Anyway, I pan to post links to photos, I will be taking many photos of the 17 with a DSLR.

 

Hi there - the whine is still there, but slight. I'd say to not expect the Alienware 17 to be different from the M17x R4 in terms of cooling.
While doing anything non-intensive the noise level is pretty much non existent. The fans remained off on my test unit. The fans will be on all the time while gaming, though it's relatively easy to ignore.

Sure.
1. I'd offer to do that if I had the tools. Notebookcheck will probably post those measurements.
2. Yes absolutely, the feel is more positive and accurate. The M17x R4 was my least favorite Alienware keyboard.

Screen brightness is what I expected from a decent quality 17.3" 1080p panel, not more or less than I've seen in competing models. I was impressed with the clarity of the display. It's still a TN panel and suffers from viewing angle issues; I'd like to see Dell offer IPS on the 17 like they do the 14. After having a notebook with an IPS screen for so many years, I have a hard time spending a significant amount of money on a new notebook without an IPS display.

It's straight unfortunately. Try asking about the angled plugs in the Alienware forum. It looks like the Alienwre 17 takes a Dell standard power adapter.

Thanks for all the comments as always.

 

Hey Charles, great review sir! Is the screen now standard anti-glare matte? Is the 1080p screen confirmed to be IPS/PLS or just TN? If the screen is matte, is it very clear or does it have a foggy/grainy surface?

 

The screen is TN and anti-glare. The wash on the screen at oblique angles looks awful.

The screen seems clear. It's not the most vibrant screen, but at least it's not oversaturated.

 

Benchmade - I agree with Diaphanous' assessment. It's a clear screen, with an excellent anti-glare surface. Unfortunately it is TN so it suffers from viewing angle issues, nothing new in other words.

 

Has anyone noticed the AW 17 with 780m's 3DMark11 P score is lower than both MSI and Clevo with 780m?

AW 17 with 780m 3DMark11 P score 6932 Alienware 17: Performance
MSI GT70 with 780m 3DMark11 P Score 7427 Review MSI GT70H-80M4811B Notebook - NotebookCheck.net Reviews
Clevo P177SM with 780m 3DMark11 P Score 7900 Review Schenker XMG P703 (Clevo P177SM) Notebook - NotebookCheck.net Reviews
Clevo P157SM with 780m 3DMark11 P Score 7913 Review One K56-3N2 (Clevo P157SM) Notebook - NotebookCheck.net Reviews

 

I expect that drivers and Optimus issues caused that. Running the laptop in discrete mode (Function + F5) might bypass that, and official drivers might fix it.

Or Dell throttled the flagship NVIDIA GPU yet again.

None of the reviews available have the laptop's CPU and GPU temperatures while gaming and benchmarking, so we cannot tell what causes it to under-perform.

 

There is review by laptopmag that shows the temp of the AW17 compared with MSI. AW 17 had higher temps in all three temp measurements.

P.s.

I didn't know Dell does that. How is it done and how often have they done it?

Edit: Forgot to add the link to the review with temps. Here http://www.laptopmag.com/reviews/laptops/alienware-17.aspx

 

The m17x's exterior typically runs warm because of its construction and fan profiles. Unless the new cooling system is worse than the previous ones (which the ventilation makes me doubt), the 780m should peak at around 65C at stock clocks, and any CPU should run at less than 80C.

I think that Dell added an algorithm forcing the 680m to throttle at 70-ish Celsius. The Dell 680m also performed worse than the Clevo and MSI 680ms. Someone found a way to bypass both problems a while after release.

 

You mean some kind of Throttlestop for the GPU?

 

It's worth noting we had a lot of trouble benchmarking this system. Powermark especially - took many tries.

 

For AW17? Can you be more specific what the problem was? Thx
And in your review there was data on temps. Why is that? Other reviewers show AW17's temps are higher than msi and clevo.

 

I own the m17x and m18x. 1. I do not like Silver or Grey, I am flabbergasted as to why Dell did not bring back Black and Red? I actually thought they were going to introduce Green and Blue as well. I like All aluminum cases again even on the 14 inch. However the older m17x I have seems to even be more solid in aluminum and magnesium and is in the Red Color which looks beautiful. I like the design of the new cases but how hard is it to have the different color options? I also wish you could get the m18x with one Gpu, say 780 overclocked and just one large ssd, that would allow the best cooling and quietness and still be powerful. Also currently you can only max out 256m which comes with a hard drive as well. I would rather a 480ssd and thats it. Alienware should have more choices for configuration, I think I would almost go for a Gt70 Msi Dragon Edition but the one cooling fan holds me back, come on Msi dont try and be different when it comes to cooling, reviews show that your 1 fan option gets louder then the other laptops and loud fans are not going to win people over. Asus 17 inch 780m is not out yet and that could be an option as well.... Darn it I am most likely getting a desktop anyways but all in all I Probably would buy my third Alienware in a row if laptop. Just the Quality Case and lighting, around the clock service and pride of ownership will make me pay the extra 500 bucs or more for the Alienware over Msi, Sager, or Asus.

 

Powermark took multiple attempts, and wPrime was a big problem, took 10 tries. The machine just kept crashing. Our review unit is more or less identical to a production unit but is actually pre-production.
Regarding temps - I don't think there is any data in the review, but I could be blind. I used to do all the benchmarking, but lately we have setup a test lab and have a dedicated person doing it for consistency.

 

I bought an M17x last year.... already budgeting for a 17 soon!

 

So after I saw this post, was surprised no one made a comment since?

Stolen at gunpoint? Really? Either you're trolling or holy schnikes!

If true, here's one example where AW is different than MSI or Lenovo...

 

Warning: Lame joke coming up.

It should be "robbed at gun point". "Stolen" means you didn't know it was being taken from you at the time of the incident.

But yeah holy cr@p that would be scary man. Gotta be careful where you take your AW dude. Always have a single $20-$100 bill on you that you never spend just but for life saving purposes.

 

I took it as a mugger saying "give me everything you have" and that happened to include a laptop in addition to a wallet and a watch--not someone targeting the poster for armed robbery specifically because of the brand of laptop they own.

 

It is easy to open? and where is the damn battery on the picture lol


my cousin own 2 m17 r2 or r1 not sure (core 2 2.8ghz and a t9100 3.06ghz)


I want that laptop but i want to be sure that is easy to upgrade? id get an msi if not

And about the stolen laptop seriously?


Im affraid of losing mine if i use it everywhere

 

Great review - still not convinced by the display really for the amount of cash you're putting up.

 

Judging from the number of people who promoted my "high-gamut or matte IPS screens" idea on IdeaStorm, Dell has little reason to add better screens for Alienware laptops.

 

I own am m18x and m17x, I wish you could still get the 18 with one video card. What is most impressive about the m18x is the ability to take battery out, then 4 screws and you have access to the 3 fans. unscrew them and you can completely clean them. This is so, so critical. I called Dell and told them may need a new video car. Was overheating. Tech came out to my house, by the way I live in Colombia so only company in the world that will do this. The tech took apart the back of my m18x as I watched, we did the maintenance 2 of fans were almost completly blocked by dust and hair and I had been blowing out the laptop from bottom with high pressure air obviously to no affect. So in a nutshell if you do not buy a laptop with the ability to completely take out fan and clean it after a time it will not run correctly. So Asus, Msi, and most others sorry big fail. Also if you do not get a 3 year warranty or longer, I dont think that is being smart. Now configure a 780m in a 17 or dual in a 18 and you are talking with long warranty 3500 to 4500 bucs. To ensure you get your moneys worth buy the 4 year warranty, do maintenance and you should have 4 good years out of your Alienware, vs 2 years out of a Msi, Asus etc for lack of long warranties on those other models and of course maintenance. You can also buy a 4 yr accidental warranty on the Alienware no others. I still wish Alienware had their buyback program. I really like the design of new Asus Rog g750 I will consider this because of the 500dollar and up price difference, especially if I move back to usa which will then allow me to depot service it. Now take a gander at the Awesomeness of my setup m18x on custom steel stand next to 30 inch high res dell monitor standing on zbox all in one speaker. Simply the best way to game, watch movies, work and feel superior over lowly nerds tapping away on their asus, msi, clevo or home made desktop

 

Interesting. I'm still running an M17x R1 and have been looking to upgrade for a while now. Was reluctant to do so given the lack of 17" models on the site lately, it seemed they were pushing for everyone to use 18" if you wanted proper performance.

However, I'm a bit disappointed that the customization options, at least on the UK site, seem a lot more limited compared with the previous models. You can't seem to opt out of BluRay, I don't know how much extra the drive is but I resent paying more for something I know I'm never going to use. Also there's no option to purchase a second adapter which I rely on, unless it's hidden on the main Dell site's accessories somewhere...