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Hey there, TL. After growing tired of my family's computer running games like Starcraft 2 at an admiral 3 fps on the lowest settings, I decided it might be worth it to get a new one (especially with my first semester of college coming up in the fall.) Since I had just recently acquired a decent-paying job, I decided to splurge a little and get something really sexy.
After some deliberation, I settled on an Alienware M14x.
Rational for decision:
+ Show Spoiler +First off, would someone mind informing me how you rename spoiler links?
Anyway, I know that most of the computer-savvy denizens of TL are scratching their heads right now, or think I'm an idiot. "Gaming laptops are overpriced," they say, and then go on to claim (correctly) that it'd be cheaper to build a gaming desktop and then get a cheap netbook for portability. But I really wanted a gaming laptop specifically because I was looking for portability. My friends and I LAN quite frequently, and dragging a laptop to whichever house we decide to crash at is much, much easier.
"But, but, Alienware specifically is even more overpriced! You're just paying for a brand name and some flashy lights!"
...Okay, I concede to this point. Of all of the gaming laptops, I chose Alienware because it looks freaking sexy and the keyboard glows. But honestly, if these types of things are what make me happy, I should certainly be allowed to spend my own money on them. Besides, I want instant recognition, especially from the ladies. When I'm sitting next to a hot chick in my freshman classes next fall, and I whip out my laptop, I'd rather they go "Ooooh, an Alienware? That's hot. Let's go back to your dorm after this class" instead of "Oh, you have a... random computer that could possibly be a gaming laptop? I'm not even remotely turned on right now." Because we all know that this is how life works.
Specs:
+ Show Spoiler +Processer: Intel® Core™ i7 2630QM 2.0GHz (2.9GHz w/Turbo Boost, 6MB Cache)
OS: Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64bit, English
Memory: 4GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1600MHz
Graphics Card: 1.5GB DDR3 NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 555M using NVIDIA Optimus™ technology
Hard Drive: 500GB 7200RPM SATA 3Gb/s
Anyway, after placing the order and doing nothing but f5ing the product tracking page for about a week, I returned home to find a big, hefty box sitting on my porch.
+ Show Spoiler +![[image loading]](http://img703.imageshack.us/img703/4723/099gk.jpg) (Note: I'm terrible at taking pictures, and I'm taking them from a crappy camera, so... yeah. Hopefully these aren't too painful.)
Upon opening the outer box, I find... another box, although this one is considerably more sexy.
+ Show Spoiler +
Now we're getting somewhere...
+ Show Spoiler +
All of the contents of the box.
+ Show Spoiler +
The laptop, powered down.
+ Show Spoiler +
My desk, with my new computer on top.
+ Show Spoiler +
Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed the pics. Unboxing this beast was quite fun, and Alienware took tons of care packaging it. I've got SC2 installing as I type this, and as soon as it finishes, I'm going to hop on immediately and see if being able to cast storms without my computer exploding will help improve my game at all.
I should be posting another entry near the start of season 3, to show whether or not my new computer has helped my results at all.
Thanks for reading!
 
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Always liked the shape and elegant style of Alienware's pcs. Sadly that it's completely ruined because of the price. 
Grats though, i bet it's nice piece of hardware.
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People are just haters. If you can afford an Alienware laptop, why not get it? Yeah it's expensive, but it also looks freaking amazing.
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On July 11 2011 07:13 denzelz wrote:
People are just haters. If you can afford an Alienware laptop, why not get it? Yeah it's expensive, but it also looks freaking amazing.
If you can get a computer close with same specs 300-500$ cheaper, i don't see why would i want to spend that money on it just because of the look.
By no means im hating. Just saying that the price is often very high. As i said earlier, it looks fucking amazing and i bet they are quality laptops. If you decide to buy Alienware laptop or desktop, i have nothing against you, vice versa.
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The M14x is actually a very decently priced computer for what it offers.
You normally don't get that kind of hardware in a 14" chassis, so its price is justified.
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On July 11 2011 07:11 Assault_1 wrote:
how much did it cost?
I managed to get a pretty nice deal on this one and picked it up for around $1000. Which, while much more expensive than a similarly specced desktop, is pretty decent for a gaming laptop.
And thanks to everyone for the congrats =) I actually got it and wrote this blog last night but couldn't get these pictures uploaded til this morning. After some testing, I think "amazing piece of hardware" covers my feelings towards it.
Sorry if this is coming off as a brag blog, btw. To be honest I only really wanted to post about this because of the unboxing pictures; I know some people (myself included) enjoy looking at them.
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Might have needed more RAM. But anyway, sweet video card and it looks pretty awesome as well. 
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ya it's really hard to justify the kind of price that alienware puts on their computers, but it's better than buying a desktop by them (you can just build a better machine yourself, but I've never built nor looked into building a laptop). Hope you like it
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On July 11 2011 07:26 FragKrag wrote:
The M14x is actually a very decently priced computer for what it offers.
You normally don't get that kind of hardware in a 14" chassis, so its price is justified.
Actually this is true what i checked myself, its pretty good deal if you look at it. But some of the Alienware products are just too expensive.
But once again, grats, hope you have good times playing with this thing. 
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Edit: Never mind actually.
I saw Alienware and made an assumption, making an ass out of myself. Decent price for an alienware. Very uncommon of them.
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On July 11 2011 07:27 Baltor wrote:I managed to get a pretty nice deal on this one and picked it up for around $1000. Which, while much more expensive than a similarly specced desktop, is pretty decent for a gaming laptop. And thanks to everyone for the congrats =) I actually got it and wrote this blog last night but couldn't get these pictures uploaded til this morning. After some testing, I think "amazing piece of hardware" covers my feelings towards it. Sorry if this is coming off as a brag blog, btw. To be honest I only really wanted to post about this because of the unboxing pictures; I know some people (myself included) enjoy looking at them.
That's actually a very good deal. You get good build quality, a very solid CPU, a decent GPU, and also a nice screen.
Your $1000 is going very far with this purchase.
Anybody who says otherwise clearly has never used a high end machine and experienced the difference in quality.
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Uhh yea don't expect the hot chick next to you to actually say "Ooh an alienware" lol. Shoulda gotten a macbook air if you wanted to get the girls.
But congrats and the laptop is actually pretty good for gaming. My brother has the older m15 and this definitely looks way better imo
On July 11 2011 07:13 denzelz wrote:
People are just haters. If you can afford an Alienware laptop, why not get it? Yeah it's expensive, but it also looks freaking amazing.
I don't actually really like the look of Alienwares, but I know people who do so it's just personal preference.
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On July 11 2011 07:32 FragKrag wrote:Show nested quote +On July 11 2011 07:27 Baltor wrote:On July 11 2011 07:11 Assault_1 wrote:
how much did it cost? I managed to get a pretty nice deal on this one and picked it up for around $1000. Which, while much more expensive than a similarly specced desktop, is pretty decent for a gaming laptop. And thanks to everyone for the congrats =) I actually got it and wrote this blog last night but couldn't get these pictures uploaded til this morning. After some testing, I think "amazing piece of hardware" covers my feelings towards it. Sorry if this is coming off as a brag blog, btw. To be honest I only really wanted to post about this because of the unboxing pictures; I know some people (myself included) enjoy looking at them. That's actually a very good deal. You get good build quality, a very solid CPU, a decent GPU, and also a nice screen. Your $1000 is going very far with this purchase. Anybody who says otherwise clearly has never used a high end machine and experienced the difference in quality.
Plenty of laptops that surpass Alienware for a $1000. Nonetheless, gratz OP.
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On July 11 2011 07:36 Jaxtyk wrote:Show nested quote +On July 11 2011 07:32 FragKrag wrote:On July 11 2011 07:27 Baltor wrote:On July 11 2011 07:11 Assault_1 wrote:
how much did it cost? I managed to get a pretty nice deal on this one and picked it up for around $1000. Which, while much more expensive than a similarly specced desktop, is pretty decent for a gaming laptop. And thanks to everyone for the congrats =) I actually got it and wrote this blog last night but couldn't get these pictures uploaded til this morning. After some testing, I think "amazing piece of hardware" covers my feelings towards it. Sorry if this is coming off as a brag blog, btw. To be honest I only really wanted to post about this because of the unboxing pictures; I know some people (myself included) enjoy looking at them. That's actually a very good deal. You get good build quality, a very solid CPU, a decent GPU, and also a nice screen. Your $1000 is going very far with this purchase. Anybody who says otherwise clearly has never used a high end machine and experienced the difference in quality. Plenty of laptops that surpass Alienware for a $1000. Nonetheless, gratz OP.
Go ahead and name me a laptop that has the CPU and GPU power in a 14" chassis and a high quality screen with the same build quality.
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On July 11 2011 07:36 Jaxtyk wrote:Show nested quote +On July 11 2011 07:32 FragKrag wrote:On July 11 2011 07:27 Baltor wrote:On July 11 2011 07:11 Assault_1 wrote:
how much did it cost? I managed to get a pretty nice deal on this one and picked it up for around $1000. Which, while much more expensive than a similarly specced desktop, is pretty decent for a gaming laptop. And thanks to everyone for the congrats =) I actually got it and wrote this blog last night but couldn't get these pictures uploaded til this morning. After some testing, I think "amazing piece of hardware" covers my feelings towards it. Sorry if this is coming off as a brag blog, btw. To be honest I only really wanted to post about this because of the unboxing pictures; I know some people (myself included) enjoy looking at them. That's actually a very good deal. You get good build quality, a very solid CPU, a decent GPU, and also a nice screen. Your $1000 is going very far with this purchase. Anybody who says otherwise clearly has never used a high end machine and experienced the difference in quality. Plenty of laptops that surpass Alienware for a $1000. Nonetheless, gratz OP.
In that size and quality? Not really
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On July 11 2011 07:41 FragKrag wrote:Show nested quote +On July 11 2011 07:36 Jaxtyk wrote:On July 11 2011 07:32 FragKrag wrote:On July 11 2011 07:27 Baltor wrote:On July 11 2011 07:11 Assault_1 wrote:
how much did it cost? I managed to get a pretty nice deal on this one and picked it up for around $1000. Which, while much more expensive than a similarly specced desktop, is pretty decent for a gaming laptop. And thanks to everyone for the congrats =) I actually got it and wrote this blog last night but couldn't get these pictures uploaded til this morning. After some testing, I think "amazing piece of hardware" covers my feelings towards it. Sorry if this is coming off as a brag blog, btw. To be honest I only really wanted to post about this because of the unboxing pictures; I know some people (myself included) enjoy looking at them. That's actually a very good deal. You get good build quality, a very solid CPU, a decent GPU, and also a nice screen. Your $1000 is going very far with this purchase. Anybody who says otherwise clearly has never used a high end machine and experienced the difference in quality. Plenty of laptops that surpass Alienware for a $1000. Nonetheless, gratz OP. Go ahead and name me a laptop that has the CPU and GPU power in a 14" chassis and a high quality screen with the same build quality.
Tbh people say things on the Internet. People make up girlfriends, others make up expensive cars and brag about them on World of Warcraft. His laptop retails for $1200 or $1275 with the monitor that doesn't suck.
If he's honest and "got a deal" for a grand, then yes, it's already... but you said:
On July 11 2011 07:26 FragKrag wrote:
The M14x is actually a very decently priced computer for what it offers.
You normally don't get that kind of hardware in a 14" chassis, so its price is justified.
At its normal price, it's awful, unless you're fine with paying $300 to lose an inch of monitor.
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On July 11 2011 07:47 Djzapz wrote:Show nested quote +On July 11 2011 07:41 FragKrag wrote:On July 11 2011 07:36 Jaxtyk wrote:On July 11 2011 07:32 FragKrag wrote:On July 11 2011 07:27 Baltor wrote:On July 11 2011 07:11 Assault_1 wrote:
how much did it cost? I managed to get a pretty nice deal on this one and picked it up for around $1000. Which, while much more expensive than a similarly specced desktop, is pretty decent for a gaming laptop. And thanks to everyone for the congrats =) I actually got it and wrote this blog last night but couldn't get these pictures uploaded til this morning. After some testing, I think "amazing piece of hardware" covers my feelings towards it. Sorry if this is coming off as a brag blog, btw. To be honest I only really wanted to post about this because of the unboxing pictures; I know some people (myself included) enjoy looking at them. That's actually a very good deal. You get good build quality, a very solid CPU, a decent GPU, and also a nice screen. Your $1000 is going very far with this purchase. Anybody who says otherwise clearly has never used a high end machine and experienced the difference in quality. Plenty of laptops that surpass Alienware for a $1000. Nonetheless, gratz OP. Go ahead and name me a laptop that has the CPU and GPU power in a 14" chassis and a high quality screen with the same build quality. Tbh people say things on the Internet. People make up girlfriends, others make up expensive cars and brag about them on World of Warcraft. His laptop retails for $1200 or $1275 with the monitor that doesn't suck. If he's honest and "got a deal" for a grand, then yes, it's already... but you said: Show nested quote +On July 11 2011 07:26 FragKrag wrote:
The M14x is actually a very decently priced computer for what it offers.
You normally don't get that kind of hardware in a 14" chassis, so its price is justified. At its normal price, it's awful.
Dell and therefore Alienware routinely offer discounts/coupons. You can usually take 100-200 off any Dell MSRP, if not more.
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What's with you and 14 inches anyway, designing a space-efficient chassis is not rocket science. This isn't micro-engineering FK 
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14" is the perfect balance for power and mobility imo which is why I love the Alienware M14x
The HP Envy 14 was the only laptop that could compare, but it's not a very good choice anymore due to the lack of a good screen choice, along with mediocre AMD graphics.
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HD 6470
mediocre GPU that doesn't offer half the performance of the GT 555, and lacks Nvidia Optimus. Likely a medicore screen as well, given the recent PC industry trends of offering low quality 1366x768 panels.
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On July 11 2011 08:02 FragKrag wrote:
14" is the perfect balance for power and mobility imo which is why I love the Alienware M14x
The HP Envy 14 was the only laptop that could compare, but it's not a very good choice anymore due to the lack of a good screen choice, along with mediocre AMD graphics.
Well just so you know at $1000 I might buy this if I needed a new one, and I agree that 14 inches is a good size, but producing the thing isn't much more expensive to the manufacturer.
So no I can't really find other 14inches laptops that compete with it, but I'm pretty sure can find 15 inches one that compete for cheaper and cost more to produce. Especially @ regular retail price. Basically 15inches is more standard so 14inches cost premium dollars!
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yes, but 15.6" laptops are also less portable and heavier, and do not satisfy the portable gaming aspect nearly as well.
14" laptops are the way to go.
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On July 11 2011 08:07 FragKrag wrote:
HD 6470
mediocre GPU that doesn't offer half the performance of the GT 555, and lacks Nvidia Optimus. Likely a medicore screen as well, given the recent PC industry trends of offering low quality 1366x768 panels.
Its mediocre when it plays just fine on medium for sc2? The GT 555 plays on high but your dishing out an extra $200. Likely a mediocre screen? Quit assuming things.
And since when was 15.6 "less" portable?
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On July 11 2011 08:15 Jaxtyk wrote:Show nested quote +On July 11 2011 08:07 FragKrag wrote:
HD 6470
mediocre GPU that doesn't offer half the performance of the GT 555, and lacks Nvidia Optimus. Likely a medicore screen as well, given the recent PC industry trends of offering low quality 1366x768 panels. Its mediocre when it plays just fine on medium for sc2? The GT 555 plays on high but your dishing out an extra $200. Likely a mediocre screen? Quit assuming things. And since when was 15.6 not portable at all?
yes because SC2 is the only game that matters. It's an educated assumption given that every single 1366x768 screen reviewed on Anandtech in the past year has been a mediocre piece of shit. ASUS, MSI, Acer, etc you name it, all the laptops from different vendors using that resolution have mediocre screens.
I carry around a 15.6" MBP. It's not nearly as portable as my friends 13.3" Macbook or my friend's 14" HP Envy
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On July 11 2011 08:11 FragKrag wrote:
yes, but 15.6" laptops are also less portable and heavier, and do not satisfy the portable gaming aspect nearly as well.
14" laptops are the way to go.
Maybe for smaller people, but I carry my 15.6" laptop around and I usually forget about it. I'm not particularly big being 6 feet tall.
I guess we can't agree anyway because I look at things in terms of cost to the manufacturer and basically while 14" may be better for some people, the price is artificially augmented.
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15.6" is cheaper not because 14" is augmented, but because 15.6" is used as the standard resolution for some stupid reason I don't know. doorbuster deals are always 15.6" budget crap laptops.
It's the same reason 1920x1080 is so much cheaper than 1920x1200 these days. 1920x1200 is the better resolution but it's more expensive due to marketing and mass production of 16 panels.
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On July 11 2011 08:18 FragKrag wrote:15.6" is cheaper not because 14" is augmented, but because 15.6" is used as the standard resolution for some stupid reason I don't know. doorbuster deals are always 15.6" budget crap laptops. It's the same reason 1920x1080 is so much cheaper than 1920x1200 these days. 1920x1200 is the better resolution but it's more expensive due to marketing and mass production of 16 panels.
Good point
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I hope you have headphones, because that thing is ridiculously noisy.
Allso why did you take the 1600 mhz ram, it doesn't improve your gaming experience one bit.
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On July 11 2011 08:54 Madoga wrote:
I hope you have headphones, because that thing is ridiculously noisy.
Allso why did you take the 1600 mhz ram, it doesn't improve your gaming experience one bit.
Seems to be a free upgrade on the website
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On July 11 2011 08:54 Madoga wrote:
I hope you have headphones, because that thing is ridiculously noisy.
Allso why did you take the 1600 mhz ram, it doesn't improve your gaming experience one bit.
I do. I have some very nice sound cancelling ones for when I'm gaming, and when I'm not, it doesn't run very loud at all. And I'm not sure why (terrible at computer stuff) but I had to pick up the 1600 MHZ of Ram when I upgraded from the default i5 core to the i7 one that I have. It was a free upgrade anyway, so I'm not complaining.
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nice. have a lot of fun with it. :D
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On July 11 2011 07:36 Jaxtyk wrote:Show nested quote +On July 11 2011 07:32 FragKrag wrote:On July 11 2011 07:27 Baltor wrote:On July 11 2011 07:11 Assault_1 wrote:
how much did it cost? I managed to get a pretty nice deal on this one and picked it up for around $1000. Which, while much more expensive than a similarly specced desktop, is pretty decent for a gaming laptop. And thanks to everyone for the congrats =) I actually got it and wrote this blog last night but couldn't get these pictures uploaded til this morning. After some testing, I think "amazing piece of hardware" covers my feelings towards it. Sorry if this is coming off as a brag blog, btw. To be honest I only really wanted to post about this because of the unboxing pictures; I know some people (myself included) enjoy looking at them. That's actually a very good deal. You get good build quality, a very solid CPU, a decent GPU, and also a nice screen. Your $1000 is going very far with this purchase. Anybody who says otherwise clearly has never used a high end machine and experienced the difference in quality. Plenty of laptops that surpass Alienware for a $1000. Nonetheless, gratz OP.
...yeah, my ASUS cost me plenty over 1000. It's also a much more powerful machine than what he's got.
He got a really, really good deal. No doubt about it. 1000 well spent.
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