Alienware Area-51 m15v Laptop:
Key Specs:
2.8GHz Core 2 Extreme X9000
4GB DDR2
200GB hard drive; 320GB removable hard drive
Blu-ray burner/DVD±RW
15.4-inch TFT
nVidia GeForce 8800M GTX (512MB)
Windows Vista Home Premium
Review:
There's been a litany of reasons to hold off on buying a new gaming laptop: the state of the high-definition-disc format war, new 45nm chips on the horizon, the latest graphics processor, or the fact that your wallet coughs up dust bunnies. But with Alienware's new 15.4-inch gaming notebook, the Area-51 m15x, you're out of excuses—except for that last one.
Pricing for the m15x starts at a not-unreasonable $2,149, but Alienware's long list of new shiny parts quickly runs up the bill. Our souped-up review unit, for instance, costs a vertigo-inducing $4,858. What do you get for all that money? Our configuration included a GeForce 8800M GTX graphics chip upgrade—previously available only in larger 17-inch Alienware models; an Intel Penryn-based 2.8GHz Core 2 Extreme X9000 processor; 4GB of DDR2 RAM; a Blu-ray burner/DVD±RW combo drive; a 1,920x1,200 screen; a 200GB internal drive; and an additional 320GB swappable hard drive.
While the spec sheet may send gamers into an energy-drink delirium, the presentation is less exciting. The laptop does have portability going for it, measuring 14.6x10.7x1.3 inches and weighing a manageable 7.1 pounds, but gone is some of Alienware's trademark otherworldly décor. The somewhat blocky case is made of plastic that feels like it would crack under the slightest strain, and the matte-black spinal ridges of the Area-51 m9750 have been smoothed out to a glossy finish and crowned with Alienware's insignia, emblazoned with LED eyes.
Lifting the lid reveals a gorgeous 15.4-inch screen topped by a 2-megapixel webcam. Below the bezel you'll notice power, volume, wireless, and system touch controls, which we found to be a bit stubborn and unresponsive. The touch pad sits flush on the case and is delineated by an LED border, which also makes it tough to distinguish from the rest of the case. One presentation aspect we did like is the multitude of LEDs built into the backlit keyboard (a $50 upgrade option) and encircling the case lid, emblem, and touch pad. They can all change color independently using the Alienware Command software, although there are no strobing or color-shifting options available.
Moving around the edges, the m15x sports an up-to-date, if utilitarian, mix of ports, including Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, headphone and mic jacks, three USB and one Firewire port, a SD/MMC memory-card slot, HDMI output, and an ExpressCard slot. We didn't miss VGA or S-Video ports, since they'd seem dated on a machine of this caliber. Watching Blu-ray movies on the high-definition display was breathtaking, but we did make good use of the HDMI port to pipe video and audio directly out to our HDTV in stunning full 1080p HD resolution.
In our benchmark testing, the GeForce 8800M GTX and Core 2 Extreme X9000 tandem positively smoked the competition. The m15x beat one previous champ, the Gateway P-171XL FX Edition, by scoring a blazing 76.2 frames per second (fps) in Company of Heroes and 96fps in F.E.A.R. (both at 1,900x1,200 resolution with anti-aliasing off). The m15x also took our 3DMark test, posting 7,381 at 1,900x1,200, which shattered the score of 5,921 the Dell XPS M1730 recorded. In our productivity tests, the m15x similarly trashed all comers in our PCMark05 test with 7,520, as well as our iTunes conversion test (3 minutes and 13 seconds). The m15x also sets the bar pretty high for our new Cinebench 10 and PCMark Vantage tests, posting 5,543 and 3,368, respectively. The only tests where the m15x didn't run away with the lead were our Cinebench 9.5 and Windows Media Encoding tests, though it still scored a respectable 928 and 5 minutes and 20 seconds, respectively.
Considering that this beast is packed with nothing but hotrod components, battery life naturally took a small hit, scoring 1 hour 22 minutes in our standard-definition DVD disc rundown test. Alienware attempts to manage the machine's power consumption with two key features: U/D GFX and Stealth mode. U/D GFX allows you to toggle between the m15x's power-hungry 8800M GTX graphics and the integrated Intel P965 chipset using the F7 key. Here's the problem: Making that switch requires a reboot, and there's no indicator to tell you in which mode you're running, unless you take a peek at Device Manager. The Stealth mode touch button attempts to curb power consumption as well by scaling back CPU and GPU use. Unfortunately, we did notice that the m15x would sometimes bump us into Stealth mode while gaming, which caused a noticeable hit in performance, but hitting Alt-tab and turning off Stealth mode corrected the issue. (We're waiting for a new system to arrive from Alienware to see if this problem was specific to our test unit.)
Despite some minor quibbles, the Alienware Area-51 m15x earns the title of best gaming laptop on the market. The tradeoffs on the system are minimal, and they're more than compensated for by the m15x's portability and performance. You may need to put your grandma in hock just to afford one, but we can't really say that it isn't worth it.
Gateway P171XL FX Edition:
Key Specs:2.8GHz Core 2 Extreme X7900
3GB DDR2
Two 200GB hard drives
HD DVD player (also supports DVD±RW burning)
17-inch TFT
nVidia GeForce 8800M GT (512MB)
Windows Vista Home Premium
Review:
Launching a high-end notebook line into a crowded market during a softening economy is not for the faint of heart. You have to have the look, the specs, and the performance just right—or risk having your multi-kilobuck machines wind up as the daily closeout deal on Woot.com. With the $2,999 P-171XL FX Edition, Gateway should be able to avoid that fate. The flagship of Gateway's new FX family of premium notebooks (which start at $1,349), the P-171XL offers neither the most multimedia bang for the buck, nor the flashiest case. But it delivers where it counts most to high-end buyers: performance.
In terms of design, the P-171XL isn't as in-your-face as two of its gaming-centric competitors, the Alienware Area-51 m9750 and the Dell XPS M1730. For many buyers—at least those past puberty—that's a good thing. The clear-coat black case and copper trim announce that this is no ordinary laptop, without the gaudy flourishes of many gaming rigs. Like many other desktop-replacement notebooks, the P-171XL weighs just a bit under 10 pounds—too heavy to lug daily, but fine to take to the weekly LAN party.
The centerpiece of the system is its 17-inch wide-screen display, which has a full 1080p HD resolution of 1,920x1,200. The screen is not as glossy as we've seen on most recent notebooks, nor does it have the heavy matte finish of older LCDs. Let's call it a satin finish, which still lets vibrant colors and razor-sharp text through while also cutting down on the glare and reflection that plague glossy panels.
Complementing that HD screen are an HD DVD drive for watching high-definition discs, plus a High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) port for displaying PC content on an external monitor. You also get all the usual jacks, Bluetooth and 802.11n wireless, a Webcam, a fingerprint reader, a five-format memory-card reader, and an external Serial ATA (eSATA) port for connecting high-speed external storage peripherals in case the P-171XL's dual 200GB hard drives fill up.
However, our test unit failed to include an applet that can play back HD DVD discs. Neither the included Windows Vista Home Premium Media Center software nor the CyberLink Power2Go burning suite can handle the task. (Gateway says shipping units will include a third-party app for playing HD discs integrated into the Media Center interface.)
Also note that the drive is an HD DVD player but burns only DVDs and CDs. For three grand, we expected an HD burner, like the one in the Toshiba Qosmio G45-AV680 at the same price.
Clearly, Gateway engineers put more emphasis on the P-171XL's performance components. The CPU is the smoking 2.8GHz Intel Core 2 Extreme X7900, married to 3GB of 667MHz SDRAM. The nVidia GeForce 8800M GT GPU has its own 512MB of fast GDDR3 video RAM. On nearly every test, the P-171XL was the fastest single-GPU notebook we've tested to date, even trumping Dell's SLI-equipped XPS M1730.
The Gateway entry delivered an excellent 7,348 on Futuremark's PCMark05 (versus 6,915 for the Dell) and a whopping 862 on Cinebench 9.5. (The XPS scored 802.) On our media-encoding trials, the P-171XL flexed its multimedia muscle, completing our iTunes conversion test in just over four minutes (on par with the XPS) and finishing our Windows Media Encoder 9 test in a quick 5 minutes and 39 seconds (about 20 seconds faster than the XPS).
On Futuremark's 3DMark06, the P-171XL managed an impressive 8,014—again, the best score we've seen without resorting to twin GPUs. The machine delivered 185 frames per second (fps) on F.E.A.R. at 1,024x768, and a strong 94fps at 1,600x1,200. In Company of Heroes, the P-171XL turned an excellent 113.8fps at 1024x768, and a very playable 47.6fps at 1920x1200 with all the visual effects set to high. Yes, boutique machines with dual GPUs will beat these 3D scores, but they also cost $1,000 more. As with other 17-inch notebooks, battery life from the nine-cell battery was a low 1 hour and 25 minutes. Clearly, running off an AC power outlet should be your normal mode of operation with this model.
Gateway backs the P-171XL FX with a one-year warranty and 24/7 tech support. It's hard to call a $3,000 machine a bargain, but we think you'd be hard-pressed to find a better-performing notebook at this price—and the HD screen and player are nice bonuses.
Alienware Area-51 M9750:
Key Specs:2.33GHz Core 2 Duo T7600
2GB DDR2
Two 160GB hard drives
Double-layer DVD±RW
17-inch TFT
Two nVidia GeForce Go 7950 GTX GPUs (512MB, SLI)
Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005
Review:
It doesn't have the flashiest case or all the next-generation parts, but Alienware's flagship gaming notebook, the Area-51 m9750, remains a force to be reckoned with. Our fully loaded review unit posted the highest scores we've seen to date on our benchmark tests. For hard-core gamers who want to ditch their desktops—and have $4,488 to spare—the Area-51 m9750 is one of the best mobile gaming options out there. But—and this is a big but—before you spend a small fortune, we recommend waiting a bit until the latest performance-enhancing components from Intel and nVidia hit the market.
The Area-51 m9750 may be portable, but at 1.5x15.7x11.8 inches and 9.5 pounds, it's still a hulking presence on any desktop. The all-black notebook feels sturdy and solidly built, and we like that Alienware opted for a scratch-resistant, matte finish for the case (a pleasant change from all the fingerprint-laden glossy laptops we've seen lately).
But for all this attention to craftsmanship, we can't help noticing that the notebook's design seems staid, even a bit stale. Where HP has managed to inject some sleekness into its latest desktop replacements, the Pavilion DV9500t and Pavilion HDX, the Area-51 m9750 looks like a big, blocky notebook of yesteryear. Maybe this is because it sports nearly the same case as its predecessor, the Aurora m9700, with the small, glowing alien head and funky ridges on the back of its lid. While these items have become a calling card for Alienware notebooks, they're less eye-grabbing than the bold colors and flashing lights we've seen on systems like the Dell XPS M1710. No doubt, a good argument can be made for sticking with its tried-and-true look, but we wish Alienware had offered some design innovation.
One feature that will draw your eye is the glossy 17-inch wide-screen display. Instead of the standard 1,440x900-resolution screen, the LCD on our test unit had a 1,920x1,200 native resolution that's fit for playing games at top resolutions and watching high-definition movies. (Alienware offers a high-definition Blu-ray optical drive as an upgrade option, though our unit came with just a standard DVD burner.) In our tests, Company of Heroes gameplay looked clear and detailed at its maximum resolution. DVD playback looked excellent, too, with little motion blur during action scenes. One drawback to bear in mind is the tiny, barely readable onscreen text typical of high-resolution displays. We also took issue with the screen's glossy coating that, though it made colors appear richer, was too reflective in brightly lit environments. Above the screen, you'll find a Webcam built into the shiny black bezel.
Thanks to its oversize case, the Area-51 m9750 has space for a full-size keyboard and a dedicated number pad, plus a large touch pad with a scroll area that can also be used to turn the touch pad on and off. While the keyboard is well-made, comfortable, and not the least bit “clacky,” it's set far back into the case—nearly half our forearm had to stretch across the wrist rest to reach it. We eventually got used to the positioning, but it won't work for everyone. Just above the keyboard are touch-sensitive media-control buttons and five quick-launch keys, plus a row of status lights.
The Area-51 m9750 comes with a good assortment of ports, slots, and connections. For audio output, you get headphone and mic jacks, an optical audio out, and center, front, and surround-sound speaker jacks; two speakers are built into the front edge of the case. Both VGA and DVI outputs are included for video, but there's no High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) port, a disappointing omission considering that the m9750 can be equipped with a Blu-ray drive. (You can still hook up a high-resolution display using the DVI port, but HDMI-out would have been a better fit, since it can transmit audio and video over the same cable.) Alienware also includes a standard-definition NTSC TV tuner with coaxial and two S-Video inputs for watching and recording TV programming. As for wireless connectivity, the m9750 comes with 802.11n Draft-N Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.0.
Though Area-51 m9750 models start at a somewhat-reasonable $2,099, the price climbs quickly with component upgrades. Our tricked-out review unit featured a 2.33GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7600 CPU, 2GB of DDR2 RAM, two 160GB hard drives spinning at a desktop-caliber 7,200rpm, and two 512MB nVidia GeForce Go 7950 GTX GPUs in an SLI configuration (a $600 option over the single GPU). If you have more cash to spare, you can add another 2GB of RAM for (are you sitting down?) $850, or the aforementioned Blu-ray drive for an extra $550.
Alienware is also offering a few solid-state drive (SSD) options for the m9750: a single 32GB SSD costs $500, or you can pair a 32GB SSD and a 200GB standard hard drive for $800. Finally, a RAID 0 array with two 32GB SSD drives will set you back a wallet-busting $1,100. Our system came with the Windows XP Media Center OS, though Alienware is also offering Windows Vista Home Premium and Vista Ultimate with this system.
Naturally, with its twin video cards, graphics performance is where the Area-51 m9750 truly shines. It blew away the competition in our F.E.A.R. and Company of Heroes tests, turning in a blazing 71.6 frames per second (fps) in Company of Heroes at 1,600x1,200 with anti-aliasing turned on, and a very respectable 52.2fps at its native 1,920x1,200 resolution. This shattered the record held by the Dell XPS M1710 we tested back in March: Its single 512MB nVidia GeForce Go 7950 GTX graphics card pumped out just 35.8fps at 1,920x1,200. The m9750's Core 2 Duo T7600 CPU proved an excellent performer as well, offering up a score of 6,527 on our FutureMark PCMark05 productivity test, the highest we've recorded in our labs so far. We also saw excellent, though not record-breaking, scores on our Cinebench 9.5 (698), Windows Media Encoder (3 minutes and 15 seconds), and iTunes encoding (4 minutes and 23 seconds) tests.
Predictably, though, one area where the Area-51 m9750 and its powerful component set did not excel was battery life. Our review unit lasted just 1 hour and 13 minutes on our DVD battery-drain test, a low score even for a desktop-replacement system of its caliber.
With Intel's Core 2 Extreme mobile processor and nVidia's new DirectX 10 GPU, the GeForce 8700M GT, on the not-so-distant horizon, the Area-51 m9750 may not hold its performance records for long. While our test unit made the most of all the currently available hardware, gaming-notebook manufacturers, Alienware among them, will be rolling out systems with these new components in the upcoming weeks. At press time, our contact at Alienware said the company plans to offer dual nVidia GeForce 8700M GT graphics cards with the Area-51 m9750 by early October; an overclocked Intel Core 2 Duo T7600 CPU will also be available in the system before the end of the year. So far, Alienware has announced no plans to introduce Intel’s new Core 2 Extreme processors.
If you're looking for a gaming notebook with the latest components and the best performance, the pricey Area-51 m9750 is your best bet—for now. But if you can hold out a bit longer, the next generation of gaming notebooks isn't far away.
Toshiba Satellite A305 -S6845 Laptop:
Key Specs:2.1GHz Core 2 Duo T8100
3GB DDR2
Two 200GB hard drives
Double-layer DVD±RW
15.4-inch TFT
ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3650 (512MB)
Windows Vista Home Premium
Review:
If portability isn't key, the $1,399 Toshiba Satellite A305-S6845 is a jack-of-all-trades laptop that can accommodate mainstream users' needs. It can even handle gaming, thanks to ATI's latest mobile GPU.
The notebook's sleek, futuristic design truly stands out: Our eyes were drawn to the reflective, gunmetal-gray case (courtesy of Toshiba's new Fusion finish), which has a horizon pattern running along most of the lid and palm rest. Of course, all of this shininess comes with a price—the unit smudges all too easily. Within a week of typing on the large, comfortable keyboard, the machine was covered in so many fingerprints and palm marks that it looked like an oft-handled sample unit in a big electronics store.
Thankfully, the notebook's bright and gorgeous 15.4-inch wide-screen display, which runs at a native resolution of 1,280x800 (meaning it supports hi-def playback at 720p), makes all those smudges easier to bear. It's certainly pleasant on the eyes, and the glossy screen never gets distracting when you're surfing the Web or watching a film on the machine's DVD±RW drive, which features Labelflash disc-labeling technology. The sound system deserves special mention, as the Harman Kardon speakers delivered heavy, bassy audio that sounded as good as what you'd expect to hear out of a decent pair of desktop speakers. Toshiba further emphasizes this system's media-playback talents with a row of media-control touch buttons running above the keyboard.
Also noteworthy for a laptop in this price range is the inclusion of a pair of 200GB hard drives, instead of a single drive. One spins at 5,400rpm, while the other is a slower, 4,200rpm drive.
The system blasted through our multimedia benchmarks, scoring a 703 in Cinebench 9.5, and landing a 4,295 in Cinebench 10. It cycled through our iTunes conversion test in 4 minutes and 20 seconds, and needed 7 minutes and 17 seconds to convert our Windows Media Encoder test files—both good scores for a media machine. Better yet, the system's 9-cell battery lasted 2 hours and 30 minutes in our demanding DVD rundown test. While the 9-cell battery is not standard—the system usually comes with a 6-cell battery—and adds $149.99 to the unit's price, it's a worthy purchase for those who will be spending a lot of time away from a power outlet.
We can't imagine wanting to carry this system around much, however: It was difficult to fit into a standard laptop bag, and its 6.5-pound weight makes lugging it on a hot day almost unbearable.
The Satellite A305-S6845 uses a 2.1GHz Core 2 Duo T8100 processor with 3GB of memory, which helped deliver good scores on our productivity benchmark tests: 5,391 on Futuremark's PCMark05 and 3,032 on PCMark Vantage. What's more, the system's 3D performance was top-notch for its price range. One of the system's biggest drawing points is its new 512MB ATI Mobility Radeon 3650 GPU, which earned the system a score of 3,870 on 3DMark06. On our Company of Heroes DirectX 10 (DX10) test, the notebook kept the game running at an average of 31 frames per second (fps) at a 1,024x768 resolution with all the detail settings cranked up. The score dropped down to 26fps when the same test was conducted at the system's native resolution of 1,280x800 (though with lower detail settings, the Satellite kept the game moving at 49fps). In our F.E.A.R. DX9 test at the laptop's native resolution, we saw a more-than-respectable 42fps with all the detail settings enabled.
While the 3D performance boost is a welcome addition, its side effects aren't very pleasant. Since the GPU is located right below the touch pad, the pad gets pretty hot, sometimes uncomfortably so. The added room the GPU requires also means that the touch pad is not recessed, but resides at the same level as the rest of the palm rest; as a result, we often found our fingers slipping off it.
The A305-S6845 comes with a standard array of connectivity options, including four USB 2.0 ports, S-Video and VGA ports, 802.11n Wi-Fi, Ethernet and modem jacks, microphone and headphone connections, and an HDMI output. The system also includes a 1.3-megapixel Webcam and a fingerprint reader, but lacks Bluetooth connectivity. It also comes with Windows Vista Home Premium, not to mention a ton of useless trialware.
Overall, if you want a media machine that can do a decent job with current games, the Satellite A305-S6845 will serve you well in the coming years—as long as you don't have too carry it around with you very often.
computershopper.com
No comments:
Post a Comment