Alienware Area-51 m7700 dual-drive notebook

Alienware's latest beefy laptop adds something new to the desktop-replacement game: two of Seagate's new Momentus 5400 RPM 2.5-inch 160GB drives. Other specs include a 17-inch widescreen display, Pentium 4 at up to 3.8GHz, and a backbreaking weight of 12 pounds (hey, we did say this was a desktop replacement, right?).

[Jonathan Zuniga @ Jan 18th 2006 2:24PM]

yes. my brother has a previous model and it is a desktop replacement not a laptop. but still slightly portable.

http://groups.myspace.com/engadgetreaders

[Stephen Mortensen @ Jan 18th 2006 2:27PM]

holy shit that's heavy!

[Alex CD @ Jan 18th 2006 2:30PM]

And it also has a configurable double optical drive option. Two dual layers, just incase you can be bothered to eject that age old driver disc.

[Dave95 @ Jan 18th 2006 2:40PM]

There has to be a line drowned between a Notebook and a Desktop when talking about portability.

I think at 12 pounds, this should be considered a Desktop!

[Mel @ Jan 18th 2006 2:50PM]

very nice looking laptop, but weight is a factor for me. I'm on a dell right now, and its too heavy.

[Ganz @ Jan 18th 2006 2:51PM]

5400 RPM hard drives? Wow... In an Alienware? I know for a fact that there are 7200 RPM HDDs out there for laptops... If this is supposed to be some sort of gaming laptop, 5400 RPM drives hardly cut it.

[Stephen Mortensen @ Jan 18th 2006 2:55PM]

yes, all in one, not a notebook. a big_fat_ugly all-in-one.

it makes Jonathan Ive weep

[Jimmy @ Jan 18th 2006 2:56PM]

That's so old..... They started offering the 160GB hard drive on it 20 days ago....

[Timmah!!! @ Jan 18th 2006 3:02PM]

ummm, how do you drown a line?

i think maybe some of these people who are complaining about a 12 lb laptop being too heavy to carry around should stop complaining, get their scrawny selves up out of their gamers chair, and hit the gym a little bit.

[Benson Leung @ Jan 18th 2006 3:03PM]

And to think... A Core Duo laptop running at 2.3 Ghz probably spanks this monster. P4 3.8Ghz? HAH!

[apeguero @ Jan 18th 2006 3:08PM]

Heavy is right. My right shoulder is always hurting when I get into my hotel room every night but damn is this thing fast, heavy duty and comfortable to work with/type on. I have the Sager Notebook version.

[applekoolaid @ Jan 18th 2006 3:10PM]

but can it run Mac OS 10.4.4?

[cuby @ Jan 18th 2006 3:18PM]

it's perfect with two hard drives ... one to burn up and cancerize each teste.

[David @ Jan 18th 2006 3:20PM]

Wow, I so don't want this.

[Tim Cuculic @ Jan 18th 2006 3:31PM]

Does this thing have a raid controller? If I can run these drives in RAID 0, I'm buying this thing tomorrow.

[Stephen Mortensen @ Jan 18th 2006 3:39PM]

Mister Timmah number eight.... I'm in good shape, I just dont feel the need to carry around a "laptop" that weighs as much as sixteen cans of soda. SIXTEEN!

[adrian @ Jan 18th 2006 3:44PM]

Uh oh, my friend will soon get a laptop if this keeps up. He said that he'll get one only if there's a RAID setup, dual cores, and a large screen.

[apeguero @ Jan 18th 2006 4:07PM]

I have two serial ATA 60GB drives on RAID 0 as one drive. I love this laptop, desktop replacement, heavy motha', whatever you want to call it. I include the efforts it takes me to carry it with me to and from work every day as part of my daily workout :) I bend my knees when I lift it so as to get a little bit of leg press workout, I extend my arms out when I move it to and from the desk in order to work out my upper body, and when I lift it up from the desk I tend to also bring it up above my head to work out my tricepts...

No, seriously, this thing is not that inconvinient or heavy. If you are used to those pesky little 10" lappies then don't consider this one. But, if you want a really comfortable and fast computer then this is it. It replaced my fast Desktop which needed upgrading and also got me the laptop I needed for my job. I shot two birds with one big ass motha :)

On another note, 5400 RPMs doesn't sound like much news. Now, if they were selling these with the new Perpendicular drives then that would be news since those run at or above the 7400 RPM performance but only using the power required for 5400 RPM drives...

[Will @ Jan 18th 2006 4:11PM]

There are configurations available with RAID0. I spend hours wishing I could afford their laptops, over at the website.

You can custom-build one with their "Configure" thing... If only I had money.

[bazald @ Jan 18th 2006 4:48PM]

#12, applekoolaid: No, that is one of the high points of this particular piece of hardware. You should look for a less powerful computer to suit your needs.

[jfox @ Jan 18th 2006 5:50PM]

...and a battery life of 20 minutes.

[Will @ Jan 18th 2006 5:53PM]

You can save some money with the Sager version of this - I think it's the NP9890.

[DJ @ Jan 18th 2006 5:54PM]

Its a desktop replacement..meaning its not supposed to move unless you really have to. 12lbs isnt much when you only move it to dust under it, ok, and if your house catch fire, you have crack heads breaking into your house and you need to hide it, or..if you just really have to take a shit but cant stop playing the game..naw, 12lbs isnt much

[Lee Gibson @ Jan 18th 2006 6:19PM]

Wow. If I needed two hard drives, I'd rather carry two Powerbooks. It'd still weigh less.

[bazald @ Jan 18th 2006 6:29PM]

People always complain about the battery life of these machines as if the batteries were /intended/ to be used for purposes other than UPS. If we wanted battery life, we wouldn't be looking at desktop replacements.

These aren't ultralights people. If you want a high battery life notebook, check out the Sharp Actius MM20. You won't want to play games on it though.

[Don Wilson @ Jan 19th 2006 12:11AM]

My next nootbook, the HP dv8000z has two harddrives, 17" and is half the weight of this overpriced crap.

[Peter @ Jan 19th 2006 3:03AM]

I hope they have addressed the previous model (8790 or 9100) issues of:
- LOUD! Did I say loud? You probably didn't hear me over the fans.
- Heat - the plastic has melted on the top of mine due to it's daily work-out. OTOH it's great working in those cold evenings.

BTW, I don't think the weight is that bad. But I bought multiple power-supplies for each place I usually use it (home + work). The power supply alone is heavier then most other laptops.

[Nick @ Jan 19th 2006 6:41AM]

Toshiba have had a twin hard disk machine (Qosmio G20) for at least six months will full RAID.

[. @ Jan 19th 2006 10:06AM]

6. 5400 RPM hard drives? Wow... In an Alienware? I know for a fact that there are 7200 RPM HDDs out there for laptops... If this is supposed to be some sort of gaming laptop, 5400 RPM drives hardly cut it.
__

For the 160, sure. 100GB 7200RPM drives are otherwise available.

27. I hope they have addressed the previous model (8790 or 9100) issues of:
- LOUD! Did I say loud? You probably didn't hear me over the fans.
- Heat - the plastic has melted on the top of mine due to it's daily work-out. OTOH it's great working in those cold evenings.
___

Alienware never released an 8790 or 9100 model system, the "desktop replacement" progression is currently 5620 - 766/5500 - 7700. With normal ventilation, none of those models should have had plastic issues, either way ;)

[Alex CD @ Jan 19th 2006 1:01PM]

I used to own a dual core toshiba laptop with all the bells and whistles spenk �2k basic spec and upgrades. Even with the 7200rpm drive and always on gps i could use it for upwards of 120 minutes in the car. It was listed as a desktop replacement, i just think that the alienware system more than likely has some low 2600mah battery cells which i would definately modify.

[Russell Page @ Jan 19th 2006 3:15PM]

Most of these laptops are just OEMd by the same company and tagged with a different name. Alienware. Sager, etc... Alienware goes the extra mile by having the cases changed, but they are essentially all the same

[Don Wilson @ Jan 20th 2006 1:49AM]

And yet the Sager is extremely ugly.

[Nate Dawg @ Feb 7th 2006 8:07PM]

Well you could use this laptop as a brick and throw it at the crackheads that are breaking into your house. Then you can set it on their face and burn them with melting hot plastic.

That'll teach em crackheads.

[John @ Feb 24th 2006 1:00PM]

I have 10 of these big over priced pieces of crap at my job. I will be getting 20 more. I hate them they such. They weigh 12 pounds and then 3 pounds or so for the power supply make them a wopping 15 pounds. DO NOT, I SAY AGAIN, DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY ON THESE SYSTEMS! Not only are they heavy, but they run so hot you could heat your house with one. Go for a Dell XPS dual core and you will not go wrong. Get one of these slow running, over priced paper weights and you will be singing the blues. They only good thing I did not order them nor pay for them, so they are free for me.

[Neo @ Mar 30th 2006 9:21PM]

You guys seriously need to stop complaining. And alot of the stuff you have been listing wrong with the system doesn't have to be on there. If you go to www.alienware.com you get to configure the m7700 with all the specs you want. Also you dont have to get the 5400 RPM drives, they have 7200 RPM available. About the weight, if you seriously need to take a laptop with you 24/7 think about getting a wimpy 10" laptop (which by the way wont support PC gaming needs). THIS IS AN ULTIMATE GAMING LAPTOP PEOPLE, THIS ISNT FOR A PROFESSIONAL BUSINESS! And about the "noise" well you can go to any nearby best-buy and pickup a better cooling system for under $40. And I dont understand how you can call the sleek design ugly, I mean come on(sure maybe a little big but everyone will know that your a hard-core gamer carrying this around). Also the Area-51 m7700 has the very best graphical power that you can get on a laptop (the Nvidia 7800 GTX). And I have never known of anyone's laptop melting (mine certainly hasn't). I have to agree with "Timmah!" on the whole weight thing. You people need more excersise, if you cant carry 12lbs then you need serious help! And on the price, if you want top of the line speed, design, graphical power, storage, and mobility then your going to need to cough up some real cash!