Alienware M14x Review: The Best or Worst Portable Gaming Laptop?

Alienware shocked many gaming enthusiasts when it discontinued the M15x gaming notebook and replaced it with the smaller M14x. We took an in-depth look to find out if the M14x is "The most powerful 14-inch laptop in the universe."

Read the full content of this Article: http://www.notebookreview.com/notebookreview/alienware-m14x-review-the-best-or-worst-portable-gaming-laptop/

 

This thing is awesome. Having had one for over 5 months I can say I am impressed. Sure, I was kicking myself for a time about not getting the asus g53, but looking back I'm sure I made the right choice. This thing isn't tiny, but its not as large as the g53's massive 2 inches thick. It is also highly portable, and handles gaming pretty good consildering its a notebook. I'm impressed with it, you should be too.

 

hey dont make fun of the g53

 

The M14x isn't a bad laptop. As I said in the review, Alienware is telling the truth when they say it's the most powerful 14-inch laptop ... but that only goes so far when there are other notebooks that have essentially the same travel weight but have better in-game performance.

I don't have sales figures for the M14x compared to other 15-inch and 17-inch gaming notebooks but I suspect the market isn't that impressive for a thick and heavy 14-inch gaming notebook that costs as much as 15-inch and 17-inch gaming notebooks that have better performance.

 

The ONLY gripe I have with the M14x is the screen glare. I also wish there was a dedicated car adapter around.

Weight is fine. Yes, it's heavy for a 14", but we are talking about what, 1 lbs.? Come on that's nothing.
The heat? Pff. Mine has yet to reach upper 70s. I prop up the back with a book and it's fine.
The fan noise? Also very easy to cope with, using decent earphones. Sure, you will annoy people at the library, but why would you go fragging in a library?

For those that argue that no laptop is good for gaming, you are wrong. Yes, a desktop is more powerful and cheaper. But you can't really move your desktop in the living room so that your wife isn't bothered by the noise or the bad language when your gaming skills suck one night. You can't take your desktop to the coffee shop to finish a spreadsheet and then play some Civ V on the go.

Everyone has different needs, and a laptop that can handle more demanding games than Angry Birds while at the same time provide decent mobility is a must for many people.
I agree that if you already have a desktop dedicated to gaming, you don't really need a gaming laptop. But if you can't afford two machines, which would cost over 2k, the M14x can meet all your gaming and laptop work needs, easily.

Most reviews I've read before buying failed to see the point of the M14x. A jack-of-all-trades that sacrifices battery life for power. Plugged in, it's magical! It's not perfect, but unless you get a lemon, it's very close.

Except for the screen glare.

 

I have had this device for a couple of months and can say this review is almost completely accurate, but for me this device has been exactly what I needed. Though the device is not inherently portable, it has been far easy to travel with than my previous ROG Asus Notebook and the Aesthetics/Build Quality on this device continue to make this a worthy purchase.

Also after fitting a 120GB SSD as the primary and replacing the Optical Drive with the 500GB Hard Drive this device has been more than I could have asked for.

Note: When buying this device I called a Dell Rep and managed to get my price reduced almost $350AU so I would recommend following this path easing that rather large price tag.

 

It's a pretty good laptop but the the few flaws are pretty bad mainly the glossy screen.Not really that much smaller than the M15x.
I miss the old M15x.

 

Glossy screens have got to go. I'm glad other manufacturers of gaming notebook have started to get a clue, and at the least offering an option.

 

Jerry, can you comment on durability of its hinges? There were some people who were complaining about the weak hinges in M14x. The problem is not as as bad as M11x first gen, but I would still like to hear your comments on it.

 

As far as hinges go, I can say that the hinges continued to hold up just fine during our time with this review unit. That said, the hinges on my personal M11x R1 held up fine for a little over one year and then failed/snapped.

Let's just say I'd feel more confident about the screen hinges on the M14x if Alienware used a different hinge design. The screen lid is pretty big and heavy compared to the centralized location of the hinge(s).

I suspect the hinges would be stronger if Alienware put two separate hinge structures closer to the sides of M14x (one on each side). When you have a centralized hinge structure the weight isn't as spread out and the hinge is even more vulnerable to torque (twisting of the screen).

If you are using the M14x as a desktop replacement then it's a non issue ... but if you regularly travel with the M14x (constantly closing and opening the lid and exposing the notebook to possible drops while you carry it around) then the hinge structure "might" be a concern.

Again, I cannot in good conscience tell you that there is a problem with the hinges on the M14x. They worked exactly as they should during our time with the notebook. I just think there are alternative ways to design screen hinges that offer better support and long-term durability.

 

m14x is designed as 'the combination of portability and performance' but I think it makes this laptop neither so portable nor so fast, an embarrassing status.

 

I bought it for the fact that it meets my needs, I don't need the best graphics performance but I wanted enough to play games I like. I wanted something portable and a bit more compact then my past laptops 15.6+. And something that has good built quality. I'm in school to be an IT professional and I like to play some not insanely demanding games, so this works perfect.

 

We dont need reasons for members to justify there purchase, i sense a littlle regret coming from M14x owners.

 

Dont mean to bump an old thread, but just wanted to ask this quick question about the review. On the m11x r3, many users stated the screen is better than the r1 or r2, but the screen is still terrible and extremely glossy, and owners of both the m14x and m11x r3 say the m14x screen is better. Why in your m11x r3 review does it say lackluster screen as a con, but the m14x is a horrible glossy screen? It makes the m11x r3 screen seem better, when most users state the m14x screen is better. Just a question

 

The M14x just costs too much. Decently spec'd out it's nearly $1.5k, and it's basically a 15" notebook, meaning it underperforms every gaming notebook in its bracket. That's why it fails.

The M11x has just has a glossy screen. The M14x has a sheet of horribly glossy glass in front of the screen. The latter is much, much worse.

 

Oh, really? I thought I saw a bunch of people say the m14x was better :/


Can you take pictures of both of yours side by side so I can see what you mean? Probably should post in the m14x forum so moderators dont get mad.

 

haha you can think what you want, but even after reading this review long before purchasing, and knowing about the heating issues (which i dont get btw), i still went on to go buy the m14x r3 anyways.

It's amazing laptop, and for its price range it's hard to find a gaming laptop that has all the amenities, fit and finish, plush keyboard and keys, features, style, and texture feel that this laptop has. Alienware does this best.

Sure i could have gone MSI or Asus G route, but i like something I can both adorn and show off. Both msi and asus have this tacky cheap feeling, and the chassis feels really flimsy. Sure performance may be better, and might be better bang for the buck, but i dont have a top ramen eating budget, i can spend my money where i see is necessary, and the m14x was no brainer for me.

 

I agree. I actually strongly considered an M14x, but for half the price I got similar performance in the HP DV6z with a matte 1080p screen, weighing about the same.

Actually no, the M11x has glossy glass over the screen too. But I did order and apply a matte protector and it worked great. I'm sure there's a similar one for the M14x. That being said, the glossy and substandard quality screen for the price of the laptop was another turnoff for me.

Otherwise I quite liked the M14x, but cost and screen really disappointed me.

 

I dont know, I just find it extremely compact compared to a G53SX Ive seen in stores and such. It may weigh the same, but its much smaller and has similar performance to that of huge gaming notebooks (Notice how the G53 for example is the same size as a 17 inch and the m14x is the same weight as a 15 inch?). It can still currently play just about any game maxed at 900p (native res). Its not even that expensive though. For 1275 you can get a 500gb HDD, 4gb of RAM, a 900p screen and an i7. It doesnt need to cost 1500$ to get a decent spec. I think a 1080p G53SW costs about 1200, so its pretty similar. You get maybe a bit less performance (555M overclocks to stock 460M performance), but you get more than double the battery life and a much more compact machine.

But its got a glossy screen and weighs alot so it fails youre right

 

I think the screen is great...in a dim setting, which is my room. In a classroom, the glare sucks.

The m14x truly is heavy, and it feels dense.

But on the other hand, I like the 14inch form factor over the 15inch and it looks sexy as hell (kinda like a stealth jet fighter)

 

I find the M14x to be a very nice laptop that has tradeoffs like all other products. Its small, but heavy. Its expensive, but has great fit and finish. Personally, the width of a laptop dictates how portable one is, and the 14" went farther for me than the reviewer. I am not opposed to glossy screens. They inherently offer greater contrast and color fidelity than matted screens. I lose some viewability, but its a tradeoff I have always been willing to make. the lack of a good antiglare coating is where I fault Dell for. I think the disparity in sales between the Toshiba/Asus laptops and the M14x has more to do with product accessibility or lack of than their respective merits.

 

That's not true.

 

That's why I don't really find the M14x all that impressive/attractive. If they were to keep it that thick I would've wanted even better performance. Since space is precious in notebooks of this size I think including an ODD is a bad move as well. Not that there are many manufacturers following that logic...

 

When I was looking for a portable laptop that could game, I definitely considered the M14x. But there are many other 15" machines out there that weigh the same and aren't much bigger, definitely thinner, 1080p screen, and cost up to $500 less for similar performing equipment. That's how I ended up with the DV6z. With coupons and eBates ended up costing me < $700 with 1080p MATTE, blu-ray (that's the other thing no blu-ray in M14x), 8GB DDR3, A8-3510MX, 6750m, 500GB 7200RPM HDD.

 

Yeah but that's also following the same logic as "If youre going to pay $1200 for a 14 inch laptop, why not get a better 17 inch?" In which I say, because I dont need another desktop. Yeah eventually ODD will be dropped but Dell has to go to what consumers want as Alienware is such a large brand. If it hadn't come with one, people would just be complaining it doesnt have one/doesnt have blu ray (like they do)/it can't hold dual HDD's. Hopefully as the "cloud" gets bigger they'll advertise the need to not have one, but for now I think its staying (Note that I dont WANT the cloud, I just dont need a DVD Drive like you).

Anyways, yeah its thick, but eh. The overall dimensions (LxW) is in the 14 inch zone (actually smaller in length and same in width as my sisters Samsung QX410 or whatever, typical 14 inch notebook), so its mighty portable, while still having that kick like the m11x to play most games at the moment maxed out.

 

M14x is not only thicker and heavier than its competitors. It also has a larger footprint with greater depth. It is both heavier and larger in terms of depth than a 15 inch Clevo with a similar GPU. So fitting it on a airplane tray table or a college desk could be just as uncomfortable or even worse than fitting a 15 inch laptop. Calling M14x portable is almost the same as calling any 15 inch gaming laptop with GTX 580M portable. They sure are, but to a certain extent.

15.6" Clevo P151HM GTX 580M || 10.08" (d) x 14.80" (w) x 1.38-1.69" (h) 6.83 lbs
15.6" Clevo W150HM_ GT 555M || 9.80" (d) x 14.72" (w) x 0.98-1.46" (h) 5.73 lbs
14" Alienware M14x__ GT 555M || 10.17" (d) x 13.27" (w) x 1.49" (h) 6.45 lbs
14" Lenovo Y470____ GT 550M || 9.41" (d) x 13.58" (w) x 0.78-1.29" (h) 4.85 lbs
14" Asus U46SV_____ GT 540M || 9.65" (d) x 13.11" (w) x 0.97-1.06" (h) 4.85 lbs
14" MSI X460DX_____ GT 540M || 9.42" (d) x 13.35" (w) x 0.88" (h) 4.65 lbs
13.3" LG P330_______ GT 555M || 8.38" (d) x 12.34" (w) x 0.83-1.08" (h) 3.63 lbs

 

I realise you still wish to argue with me on this, and yes you can compare .1 to .1, but all I know is I did real life testing and got really involved in comparisons and found my previously stated results accurate. I didnt just find numbers on the internet.

 

Are the numbers online inaccurate? Your laptop is not 10.17" (d) x 13.27" (w) x 1.49" (h) as listed in the manual? I think you have the right to believe whatever you wish defying laws of physics or logic. I've noticed that a lot of Alienware owners are often overcompensating for their purchases, trying to prove to themselves how amazing it was. I'm providing comparisons for people interested, you don't have to trust all these deceitful manuals posted on the internet. I would never say for instance that 128bit GT 555M on the listed Clevo W150HM or P330 performs quite as good as 192 bit on Alienware. Although according to your line of thinking, one could believe in anything.

QX410 should be wider than M14x, but it is not the same depth. Feel free to post a picture and prove me wrong.

 

If it were benchmarks we were comparing, yes, it would be somewhat trivial. But dimensions are dimensions. There is no debate unless the dimensions provided are incorrect.

If you like the style of the M14x then that's your prerogative, plus the features like a backlit keyboard, then enjoy it. But from a purely size / performance it's no better than most other laptops of similar size (despite calling it a 14" or 15"), and cost of it is more expensive in general as well. The M14x is volumetrically same size (or larger) just not as wide so keyboard doesn't include a number pad.

I owned an M11x R1 for a while and loved it. Solid build. Alienware's are a solid build, I'll give them that. But like Mac's as a user you have to ask yourself how much of a premium are you willing to pay?

 

I wasn't trying to defy the laws of physics on anything, maybe you guys should calm down a bit and re-read my post. Its just a conversation. Anyway, the point is I know you can compare 0.1 to 0.1, like I said, but in reality I find its not that much similar to 15.6 inch notebooks (My 2 friends now with a DV6T/DV6Z but same thing), and my sisters 14 inch normal thin-and-light notebook. I was just inputting my own opinion, and if it seemed like I was trying to come off as God and making my own measuring system I wasnt. I was just trying to say I personally think its more like a 14 inch notebook than anything else, fitting perfectly in a bag meant for the 13 inch Macbook Pro.

Ellatan, I again know you find me annoying because I do not advertise Clevos/agree with you that the m14x is the worst laptop ever made and you continually argue with everything you don't agree on me with with each reply (such as you now comparing performance when we were talking about size), so if you wish to finally PM me about it like Ive been saying, then Id be fine with continuing our fantastic Christmas conversation.

Cheers.

 

When I wrote my first post, I didn't even realize it was you, since you changed your avatar. I'm just trying to be objective, don't take it personally.

I don't advertize Clevo over any other laptop. Usually I don't even mention Clevo in my suggestions, they have a very specific niche. Sometimes I actually discourage people from getting Clevo if you actually read my posts. When a person looks for cool LED lights/flashy design/backlit keyboard or GTX 560M with Optimus, I'd be the first in line to suggest an Alienware laptop to them.
M14x is great and all for people who can appreciate those things, it also has the best performance at 14 inch. What I was trying to point out is that it has width of a 14 inch laptop, but that's the only dimension that fits it. I don't know why you'd want to argue about it, that doesn't make it a bad laptop. Just like Apple laptops are also great for people who can value their style/OSX, even though they cost significantly more.

 

Ah, I get it. Typical biased opinion. I dont even feel like writing a response to this. Neither me, nor any other sensible Alienware and yes, even Mac owner, need to be treated this way. If you wish to know all future posts are being blocked by you Ellatan, Im putting my footdown on getting publicly and privately harassed for owning a brand. I think the M14x and all Alienware computers have flaws, but I still enjoy them no matter what stuff you may pull off the internet. I know it performs great, I know its the size of a 14 inch laptop but thicker because Ive seen it in my own two eyes, and I outweigh the costs of a few hundred dollars more over a clevo to get good features like excellent build quality, sound, and yeah even those incredibly non-sager led lights and such. I hope that people who will honestly appreciate what the notebook has to offer will do so, and if it doesnt fit thats okay, but maybe get everyones opinion before jumping in the crowd.

Done with this thread, Im out.

 

I should probably have clarified that I don't mind paying extra for it being small/portable. I share your sentiment as I have a powerful desktop as well. And hey, it's not like I've never even played with the thought of buying the M14x. I realise that consumers still want an ODD (unfortunately), but the end result is a laptop that is too thick for its specs IMO. I realise I'm probably asking for too much since I've really only seen one laptop fulfilling my criterias. The M14x is a good laptop, but focuses too much on reaching out to a broad audince for my taste.

Sent from my Optimus 2X using Tapatalk

 

Sheesh, hello drama queen. Who's harassing you in this thread? I only see people discussing the machine you purchased.

If you like what you've bought, there's no need to be so defensive over it. Others having negative opinions about the M14x doesn't mean they're persecuting everyone who's purchased one.

Calm down a little bit is all I'm saying. This has been a civil discussion, thus far.

 

Well, HP received a lot of backlash when they released the older Envy 15 without an optical drive, so they brought it back. Issue is why bring only a DVDRW and not a blu-ray. I mean if you're going to go through the effort to keep it in, at least offer the latest tech. My primary reason for an optical drive is for movies. If it was only for software installation, a USB one will serve me just fine.

 

Are 256 gb SSDs in M14x SATA III capable by default? I just ordered an M14x from the dell outlet mall.

 

It appears quiet possible to make it run at SATAIII just use an BIOS version before A07. There's probably a 50% you will have boot issues although.

 

The main thing to keep the M14x utilizing the drive at SATA III speeds is to not install Intel Rapid Storage Technology drivers. I was able to get my Samsung 830 running via SATA III on it, but I had other glaring issues such as random lockups and could not get the machine out of hibernation/sleep.

That same SSD got dropped into a Macbook Pro and I've yet to have a single issue with it, so it's not the drive...

 

Anyone tried M14x to run online trading program? Cos I require real time data streaming and super fast upload issues.

 

Ok, I can understand most of the criticism of the m14x based on this review, but how can you give this laptop a 1.5/5 in upgradeability while the m11x got a 4.5/5? You can't even upgrade the processor on the m11x.

 

Check out the review of Acer Aspire Timeline Ultra M3. M14x is outperformed by M3 in 3DMark11, even it has a better CPU.

Acer Aspire Timeline Ultra M3 Specs, Performance and Benchmarks

 

No.

The M14x has a considerably more powerful CPU. It shows that much in the compression benchmarks.

 

One of things I will disagree with in the review is:
"Runs cool even when gaming" <-- Yes, if you play games several years old

It does not run cool when gaming unless you take certain steps such as purchasing a notebook cooler and applying high grade thermal paste (IC24).

Without the above, it runs between 80-90c on a full gaming load. Civilization 5 is the worst culprit, sitting @ 90c, while SWTOR/SC2 sits at 81c.

It's an excellent laptop, besides the heat issues, though. If only they would of ditched the optical drive to help with the air flow/temps.

I just don't like the fact that the customer is forced to spend 40-50$ on a cooler and 20$+time/labour on pasting to get it in the normal temp range.

@telunsu
It's been my favourite laptop out of my G53/G73/GX740/NP8130 which have all been 1-2k laptops if that helps. I'd recommend it, just be prepared to purchase a cooler/thermal paste, which when combined should reduce temps by around -10c (IC24 thermal paste) & -5c to -7c (cooler) [total -15 to -17c] which are acceptable levels.

The M14X has a better keyboard/touchpad/battery life (5.5hrs vs 2-3hrs)/warranty (next day vs 3-5 weeks at the depot) than all the models mentioned and better portability (8130 is close in portability), however all four models are superior in the cooling department. It's a sacrifice you have to make if you want the pro's I mentioned.

 

I had an M14X for about a month before I sold it. From my time with it, I loved it!

I've owned Sager, Asus, and Dell in the past so the M14X was my first Alienware. I got my M14X for $800 (900p, Crucial M4, Killer-1103, etc. etc.) so it was a good deal either way for me. What I really liked about the M14X was the impressive build quality, great speakers, decent gaming performance, and overall portable package. It was a great hybrid between a conventional "note-taking" laptop and a DTR and I enjoyed it immensely. I still do miss it sometimes as it just ran well and I could pick it up and put it in my backpack without having to worry about battery life too much.

However, if I had to pay retail for it...I would not do so.

 

I am just curious about what CPU is on your M14X?