Alienware MJ-12 M7700a Mobile Workstation Review (pics, specs)

The Alienware MJ-12 m7700a is a 17" screen mobile workstation, backed by dual-core AMD Opteron and Athlon 64 FX-60 processors, itis designed to effortlessly handle today'challenging applications, whether that be CAD or gaming, while you'reon the go. With dual-core power, the MJ-12 m7700a features two processing cores on one chip to significantly improve system efficiency when operating multiple applications at once. The MJ-12 m7700a also comes with a range of Nvidia Quatro PCI Express graphics cards, including the Nvidia FX 2500M that has 512MB of graphics memory.

The MJ-12 system under review has the following very impressive specs:

• Processor: AMD Athlon 64 FX-60 with HyperTransport and Dual Core Technology
• Operating System:Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 2
• Warranty: 3-Year AlienCare Toll-Free 24/7 Phone Support w/ Onsite Service / AlienAutopsy / Respawn
• Display: 17" WideUXGA 1920 x 1200 LCD with Built-in Camera
• Color: Conspiracy Blue
• Motherboard: VIA K8T890 + VT8237A Chipset
• Memory: 2GB Dual Channel DDR SO-DIMM at 400MHz - 2 x 1024MB
• Graphics Card: 512MB NVIDIA Quadro FX 2500M
• Hard Drive: High Performance with Data Security (RAID 1) - 200GB (100GB x 2) Serial ATA 1.5Gb/s 7,200 RPM w/ NCQ & 8MB Cache
• Primary CD ROM/DVD ROM: 8X Dual Layer DVD+/-RW & 24X CD-RW Burner
• Secondary CD ROM/DVD ROM: 8X Dual Layer DVD+/-RW / 24X CD-RW Combo
• Primary Battery: Alienware m7700 12-cell Lithium-Ion Smart Battery Pack
• Additional Battery: Additional Battery - Alienware m7700 12-cell Lithium-Ion Battery
• Notebook Cooler included: Xbrand 360 Adjustable Stand with USB 2.0 Hub
• Communications: Integrated 10/1000Mb Gigabit Ethernet & 56K V.92 Modem
• Wireless Network Card: Internal 802.11b/g WiFi Card
• Speakers: Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 200-Watt THX Speakers
• Digital Audio Hardware: Creative Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS PCMCIA
• Mobile Bags: Alienware Odyssey Briefcase andAlienware Odyssey Backpack
• USB Floppy Drive
• Belkin AC Anywhere 300W Vehicle Outlet Adapter
• Linksys WRT54GS 802.11g Router
• Razer Copperhead High Precision Gaming Mouse - Tempest Blue
• Alienware AlienArmor 17" Black Aluminum Notebook Case

SubTotal: $5,780.99 + $161.32 Shipping + $415.96 tax = $6,358.27 Total

The complete setup of the Alienware MJ-12 and what's in the box (view large image)

Reasons for Buying

First off, this notebook was bought and is going to be used primarily for my business. I am a pool designer in Orlando, Florida for one of the biggest builders in Central Florida(www.atcoymanpools.com). We dowork for Disney, Universal Studios, Sea World, Vistana and private clients. So, with that being said, this is nothing more than an investment -- as well as a business expense and tax write off!

Alienware MJ-12 m7700a notebook (view large image)

My clients are all different. Every pool I design, build or renovate is different. So I decided to get a notebook that was different as well. I use a very high end CAD-like, custom 3D software program for designing, modeling, rendering and animating. I use it for 2D prints as well. So why not just get a powerful desktop for doing this? Well,I also needed to be able to take a computer to the job site. Sitting down with management or a homeowner with their dream pool or deck virtually animated in front of them makes their jaw drop. Now with this Alienware notebooktheir jawdrops even more.

(view large image)

With the 2500m Quadro graphics card, my graphics rendering provides for pure eye candy and amazing levels of detail. I could perform microscopic laser surgery if I wanted to, but I think I'll stick to pool design.

Build and Looks

This notebook is not light, but"desktop replacement" style and top power-level notebooks shouldn't be. It weighs in at alittle over 16 pounds. Needless to say,I am not sitting it in my lap, so no complaints with the weight here.

The display rests very sturdy when open, the hinges are nice and tight. When you push in on the back of the notebook lid you won't get any ripples or wobble appearing in the screen -- in other words, the lid is very strong and durable.

(view large image)

The "Conspiracy Blue" color really sets the MJ-12 apart, as well as the high tempered hard plastic caseand black rubber grips. Of course, it wouldn't be an Alienware if it weren't for the glowing Alien head and the logo on the backside of the screen, a true sign that the alien has landed!

Screen

An impressive screen always says alot without saying anything,and this screen saysa lot -- itis superb. There is absolutely no uneven backlighting and with a wide 17" WUXGA, it just doesn't get any better than that. The color is very pristine and the display provides for crisp images with zero color drop out.

Alienware MJ-12 in the dark (view large image)

Audio

So what's the point of looking at a great screen if you can't hear what's happening on the screen? The speakers in the MJ are perfect! Of course, I did upgrademy audiowitha SoundBlaster card but all of the low's/mid's & highs are all sonically present. I can literally hear a 60db drop to a 12k tone in this bad boy. Having a built-in subwoofer helps the audio a lot too. If it's good enough to qualify to be a sonor operator on a submarine, than that's good enough for me. Enough said.

Processor and Performance

I can definitely say that patience is the virtue that forgot about me. Maybe that's why I chose the fastest processor available and 2 100GB hard drivesspinning at7200RPM. Thisis about as fast as I need right now. Granted, I'm sure this speed freak will ramp it up when the time comes, but it certainly won't be anytime soon because there is nothing I can upgrade. No sire, I don't think I have ever logged onto Windows or checked my email this fast. In fact, it seemsmy mail deletes beforeI even hit the button. I'm sure my 2GB Dual Channel DDR SO-DIMMRAM at400MHz - 2 x 1024MB helps with speed a bit too. I clocked logging onto windows in a little under 30 seconds!

I do play games on this notebook in my spare time and,let me tell you, it is configured for CAD, but it CAN game. The 2500M Nvidia graphics card is amazing -- hands down. It may fall shortly behind the Nvidia 7900GTX in terms of benchmarks, but I cannot stress the "shortly behind."

To ensure that this baby can game, I ranthree game tests using DirectX 9 features extensively as well as a multiprocessor CPU test focused on CPU intensive tasks in 3D games. My 3DMark05 score was 8,426 followed by a CPU score of 6,567. My maxFPS was 400! My other computer would probably melt if it ran so fast.

3DMark05 Comparison Results:

Notebook	3D Mark 05 Results
Alienware MJ-12 M7700a (Athlon 64 FX-60, NVIDIA Quadro FX 2500M 512MB)	8,426
Dell XPS M1210 (2.16GHz Core Duo, nVidia GeForce Go 7400 256MB)	2,090
Alienware Area 51 m5550 (2.33GHz Core 2 Duo, nVidia GeForce Go 7600 256MB)	3,542
ASUS A8Ja (1.66GHz Core Duo, ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 512MB)	3,850
Dell Inspiron E1505 (2.00GHz Core 2 Duo, ATI Mobility Radeon X1400 256MB)	1,958
Dell XPS M1710 (2.16GHz Core Duo, nVidia GeForce Go 7900 GTX 512MB)	8,524
Lenovo T60 (1.83GHz Core Duo, ATI Mobility Radeon X1300 64MB)	1,045
Lenovo Z61t (2.00GHz Core Duo, Intel GMA950 Integrated)	582
Toshiba Satellite P100-222 (2.16GHz Core Duo, nVidia GeForce Go 7900 GS 512MB)	6,214

Heat and Noise

Configuring the MJ-12 with this much power and speed definitely heats things up. I highly recommend not using it as a literal "laptop." It is a "desktop replacement", unless you like toasty or crispy legs! Using it off the lap and on a desk with proper ventingand cooling helps a lot in terms of keeping temperature down. Please note that I am also running multiple applications at the same time, one of which being a very huge 3D CAD & VR program, I am definitely surprised as to how consistently coolthis notebookruns so long as it's on a desk. It never overheats, the temps remainjust right, and thepalm rests remain a pleasant room temperature.

Being so massive I figured the MJ-12 would be very loud due to the power. I was completely surprised, it is super quiet. Yes, you can hear the fans kick on, but it's a very subtle noise, and one that definitely would not bother anyone in a library for that matter.

Keyboard and Touchpad

Keyboarding on the MJ-12 is very quiet as well. The keys are nice and smooth and easy to the touch. Alienware pretty much thought of everything when they built this machine button-wise. It has a wonderful media controlon the front and your normal volume controls up top as well. It's very user friendly. The screen dimmer function as well as the mute and Internet buttons on the top of the keyboard are very handy to have as hardware buttons as well. The mouse pad is probably the best I have ever felt -- it's not too rough andnot too smooth, just perfect.

Input & Output Ports

The ports on the MJ-12 are as follows:

• DVI Port - For the occasions when you want to output your work to a projector or larger monitor for presentations or easier viewing. The digital DVI output ensures the highest quality image will be seen.
• Parallel Port - Non-USB printers can still be utilized thanks to the inclusion of a parallel port.
• Ethernet Port - The included RJ-45 port allows you to utilize the standard Ethernet controller to connect to the Internet or a local network.
• Modem Port - The included RJ-11 port allows you to utilize the standard modem to connect to the Internet.
• AC Adaptor Plug-In - Keeping the battery charged and ready, the AC adaptor ensures the MJ-12 m7700a is able to provide potent performance wherever you might be.
• 4 USB Ports - More than enough ports to keep you digitally connected with your other electronic devices.
• IEEE 1394 FireWire Port (4-pin) - A popular connection for digital camcorders, this port ensures that the MJ-12 m7700a can connect with almost any digital device.
• Audio Ports - In addition to the standard mic port, the MJ-12 m7700a features a S/PDIF port to allow the use of digital 5.1 surround speakers. Whether you're using headphones or full-size speakers to edit digital content, the MJ-12 m7700a is equipped to deliver.
• 10-in-1 Memory Card Reader - With support for the most popular flash types such as SD, MS, and MMC flash memory information from nearly any digital device including Smart Phones and PDA's can be transferred to the MJ-12 m7700a with ease.
• S-Video Port - The included S-Video port allows you to utilize both TV and HDTV signals.
• PCMCIA Slot - The included PCMCIA slot accepts any Type I/II card.

Left side view of MJ-12 (view large image)

Right side view of MJ-12 (view large image)

A look at the dual optical bay drives on the MJ-12 (view large image)

Dual Optical Bays

The MJ-12 m7700a features dual optical drive bays to provide the most flexibility possible. Having two drives provides the ability to directly copy a CD or DVD to easily backup your information.

Wireless

I configured the MJ-12 with an internal 802.11 b/g wireless card as well as an infrared port due to lack of additional PCMCIA slots, and yes it has the ability to output to a TV with a video connector.

Battery

On to the Battery, or rather, what battery? Battery life is a joke with this machine, and Alienware has the nerve to call it a "smart cell battery", ha ha! I think the battery lasts about an hour -- maybe, if the stars and moons are aligned right. They could probably work on this feature in the future, but at the same time, I did not purchase this to be ultra-portable. I'm usually plugged in. I'll take power and speed over battery life any day of the week. That's why we have Edison outlets and a power bill to accompany them. Nevertheless, if you are looking for battery life, look elsewhere because itisn't here.

Customer Support

So far I have not had to call tech support for anything (knock on wood) so I guess that's a good sign. Alienware reps were very courteous and informative during the purchasing process. I could not have asked more.

Conclusion

This mobile workstation has me glowing and flying through space. It is everything I ever wanted and more. Most importantly, it is built right, fastand is verypowerful! Here are the quick pros and cons:

Pros:

• Very Attractive/Eye Catching
• Very, Very Fast & Powerful
• Great Screen Quality
• Built solidly
• Graphics & Audio Is Superb
• Smooth Keys & Mousepad
• Easy To Use, very user friendly with dedicated buttons for many functions
• Not too heavy or as hot as you'd think

Cons:

• Not very portable
• Virtually no battery life
• Alienware forgot my mousepad that was supposed to be included

Overall, my impression of the MJ-12 M7700a is that of a super computer, because that's exactly what it is. Alienware uses nothing but top shelf materials and design applications, and it is reflected in the final crafting of the MJ-12. From 3D VR to CAD programs, this machine dominates. It was designed for this. If you are an animator, CAD programmer, microscopic laser surgery doctor, musician or even just a business man running a business and you like having the best, this is the tool for you. And let's not forget one very important application of this machine -- FUN! The MJ-12 can run any game out there with ease. Whether if it's a 7900GTX graphics card or a 2500m Quadro graphics accelerator running your graphics, you are bound to enjoy endless fun. I do not regret my purchase one bit and will encourage consumers fitting this profile to look very seriously at Alienware's MJ-12 M7700a, for there really is nothing better out there right now. It is the best and once again, Alienware has set the bar!

 

well battery in this machine serves as a long-life Back-UPS...

 

*drools

looks excellent!

 

hmmm ... it sure is different , thats the 1st I've seen with 2xDVD , becareful not to drop it in the water .

 

wow..that is one insane laptop.

 

I think this is the most expensive notebook configurating I've seen reviewed at $6,500. Although you did get a ton of other stuff with it, so it's not all laptop cost there. The power and specs of the MJ-12 you have configured are simply amazing, and you're right, there's basically nothing you can upgrade right now!

 

That’s a one amazing looking notebook! Great review!

 

Great notebook! Congratulations. One thing: the screen doesn't really look WUXGA to me: the icons are huge. They should be much smaller. Unless you had Windows magnify them or something?

C.

 

Good eyes claudione314. It actually is a WUXGA, and I did have Windows magnify the icons.

 

Beautiful notebook and a good review.

Those are some stunning pools on your website!

 

Sweet looking computer you have there. All I can say is WOW!!!!!

 

At first, I felt wow for only one second. Then nothing else. Good specification + extremely expensive = impractical for most people

 

Wow. That's one unbelievable laptop. I had to look twice on the picture of the 2 optical drives. I thought my eyes were misleading me. It's hilarious about the battery life. With a rig like that, I doubt battery life is first on your list of concerns. Anyway, enjoy that behemoth.

 

Thanks katana6506. The website is currently under construction. I actually think those pools are meager compared to what we have done. But thanks for the compliment.

 

Hey b naslund, just got back from Toronto. I already wanna go back. Canada Rules!!!!!

 

Good review! That is the most powerful notebook I have ever seen.

 

Quick question. I do a bit of 3d modeling, too, and how would you compare your 2500FX to gaming GPU's? I was about to get one of those in a Dell M90, too, but thought it too heavy.

 

First off, what kind of 3D modeling? Frankly, the 2500FX is almost the same as the 7900GTX spec wise. Let's see...How can I explain this....The Quadro gives the orders rather than takes the orders(which is EXACTLY what most people need for 3D modeling). It's specifically designed for creating graphics and manipulating them. Are you doing real time animation and rendering? If gaming is your priority than(i'm sure you already know this)go with a dedicated gaming GPU.

 

Excellent review there CrackerJack, and that is a certified INsane notebook. I remember testing the m7700 (gaming version of MJ-12) back in March and it was beautiful.

 

Thanks Chaz. You had a big role in my config before i bought it. You da man!

 

what about Time to Calculate Pi to 2 Million Digits? is it sufficient to match core 2 duo?

 

Good question! I have been wanting to run Super Pi to find out. Actually, for that matter, there are a lot of benchmarks that I want to run. I just don't have the time right now. I'm hoping at the very least around 0m 50-60s. Maybe less. We'll see. When you say match, would I be running Super Pi with everything open or closed?

 

Based on Chaz's review of a similar laptop with the same CPU I would expect Super PI to be something in the neighborhood of 1m 23s. AMD CPU's unfortunately don't perform as well as Intel but as you have attested I think in realworld practice this laptop is still lightning fast despite the lower performance on Super PI.

 

Awesome Laptop. The dual DVD drives reminds me a Dell laptop in UK site before. " INSANE CERTIFIED" i could buy a used car with that amount of money.

 

close of course, bring up all your power!!

 

Gotcha. I said closed because I actually would like to see how much it can process with everything open.

 

I'm starting to get nervous. I have had basically all good replies to my review and my notebook. I know the AW bashing is waiting to stomp all over me. I can smell it! I know it's out there. I just want to say, the MJ is running very smooth. I had a ton of applications going on at the same time today and it ate em right up. AW deserves credit where credit is due. I read the horror stories and was fully ready to go to war over the amount that I was going to spend with this company. Fortunately, they sent me a masterpiece! You never hear the good things. Only the bad. With all due respect to those who have, or are still having problems with AW, I am very sorry, but I am utterly happy with mine. Hopefully, I will remain that way, and I wish that those of you who have an issue with AW get taken care of conveiniently! We are all equally important and deserve to be treated as valuable customers.

 

There's only one emoticon to describe this beast:

 

LOL! Nice Emoticon. I actually have video footage of me opening all the boxes the night I got home from Canada. It was so late but I had to open them and see my baby. Unfortunately the footage is like 20 minutes long. So i have to dump it to Quicken and edit it to 10 minutes. Its funny as hell though. I found out that everything was delivered while I was in Canada, so i was in a hurry to get home, thus me tired as hell opening and video taping the unveiling! It should be posted soon enough. More to come. At the very least, it's good for a laugh, and you get to see the monstrosity!

 

can you do HDTune drive benchmark too? As I understood you have raid1 in your system, it would be interesting to know how much performance you get with that...

 

Sweet. Nice laptop If you're thinking of running SuperPi, expect it to be lower than Core 2 Duo, which isn't surprising since the test basically just tests your L2 cache size. Also, is the RAID 1 hardware or software? Thanks.

 

Alienware sucks. There you go, there's the bashing you've been awaiting. Actually, it's not heartfelt so not really I guess.

I wouldn't recommend using Quicken or MS Money to edit video Quicktime, maybe though.

 

Maybe he was wanting to manage his money too, selling organs to buy that kind of rig has to be taxing on his body, so cut him some slack.

 

**** 6500$ that alot for a laptop!!!

 

With the WidowPC Sting 517D review... I'd be taking the alienWare beast back and getting a Widow instead. Widow managed to run harder, more powerful graphics results, cheaper by over $1k, lighter (16lbs as opposed to 9lbs)... and you can get an extra USB DVD drive for disc-to-disc for 50 clams.

 

Alienware doesn't suck: it's just overpriced, but if you can afford it then what's the big deal. *shrugs* Some say the support is bad, but I've heard it said of HP too, and their support has always been fantastic for me. *shrugs again*

C.

 

Sorry, i meant to say Quicktime! Duh!! It's really funny to hear everyone talking about how much money I spent on this machine. If you ask mechanics how much money they spend on their tools, its well over $6500.00! Its simply a tool for my job, that happens to make me a lot of money. Yeah I could have saved some money and got something else, and I probably will do that next time but for what it's worth, humply speaking, I can make $6500.00 in 2 hours! Thats one pool job for me. Thats my reality. Like I said before. I never buy anything for myself, but when it comes to things that i really need, I go all the way. If I could, I would buy everyone in the world a nice notebook.

 

another spelling error, "humbly"

 

I agree! I have heard it all. If I had to listen to all the horror stories I would have never bought anything. I know AW is overpriced!

 

............LOL

 

Cool....but no thanks. I'm afraid of spiders!

 

Yesm fir sine reasons, I have seen some insane trashing and some very poor reviews from Alienware customers who keep complaining of poor customer service and machines that, in spite of those insane specifications, don't really live up to snuff in actual real-time performance...

The laptop you ordered, as specified, is probably the most powerful I've seen so far, but -- at 20lbs + is impractical...

For half the money, you could get a nice Dell XPS1710 -- only 8lbs and just as powerful depending on configuration...

But what matters is that you're happy with your machine...

 

[QUOTEBut what matters is that you're happy with your machine][/QUOTE]
Indeed I am! (As I smile at it right now )

 

Are you a millionaire ? Just curios.

With respect to the laptop, I can see the ooomph value in diplsaying it to customers .
But why does it weigh 16 lbs tho ? 17" generally weigh in at 9 lbs. Add a hard riive, add another dvd drive, 12 lbs total should cover it .

 

I think they hid a dead body in there!?

 

No, I am not a millionare, i'm a thousandare

 

Now that was funny !!!!

 

That's a really good question. I don't know why it weighs so much. It's heavy as he11!!

 

It really does make sense; when you think about it, the real hardware/etc. in this computer is more like desktop/workstation. So in some ways this is less of a laptop and more along the lines of a desktop that happens to be in a laptop-like form factor.

 

That's deep man....Makes perfect sense.....Ok...now I really feel stupid. I'm even the one who reviewed it as a desktop replacement! I'm going to crawl into a cave now.......