Alienware's Area-51 m17x gaming laptop now on sale

For most, Alienware's AlienNetwork debut was somewhat of a letdown. Nevertheless, at least one good thing did come out of the whole event, and that's the availability of the m17x gaming monster. This 17-inch beast of a laptop finally has its own dedicated page, and yes, you can get your order in starting today. Packed within, you'll find your choice of Intel Core 2 Duo processor, twin GPUs for that sweet SLI action, a WUXGA (1,920 x 1,200) display, up to 4GB of DDR2 RAM, oodles of hard drive space, a dual-layer DVD writer (or optional Blu-ray burner), enough ports for you and your cousin and a 12-cell battery that'll likely last an hour on a good day. Sadly, this Crysis destroyer starts at $2,949 (and breaks the $5k mark with ease), and it looks as if units won't start arriving until late May at best.

[blueangel00100 @ Apr 29th 2008 7:50PM]

haha for 3000 bucks you can get a falcon northwest desktop

[Aguiluz @ Apr 29th 2008 8:03PM]

I posted this weeks ago on Engadget. The reason why people like gaming desktops is because...

PS3 -> PSP
Wii -> DS
Desktop -> Laptop

[Aguiluz @ Apr 29th 2008 8:04PM]

Ooops. Gaming LAPTOP, not desktop.

[JohnTitor @ Apr 29th 2008 8:15PM]

or better yet a fully equipped Sager 9262

[Eddy @ Apr 29th 2008 9:28PM]

For $3k you can also get a great Alienware desktop with SLI or CrossFireX, whats the point you're trying to make?

Also, you can't get everything this notebook has to offer on any other notebook. This is killer notebook

[Daniel @ Apr 30th 2008 10:21AM]

For 3k I can pay most of my tuition.

[Matthew @ Apr 29th 2008 10:31PM]

This is thing pretty much identical to the Dell XPS 1730. Except the case and the price (which is higher by the way).

[XGM @ Apr 29th 2008 10:39PM]

As mentioned above, you can get a Sager witch is quite abit less with better specs too...

[Kurian @ Apr 29th 2008 10:44PM]

@Matthew
I'm sure its got nothing to do with the fact that Alienware IS Dell.

[Patriks7 @ Apr 30th 2008 5:37AM]

for 3k u can get the SSD macbook air

[Ken @ Apr 30th 2008 10:13AM]

"Also, you can't get everything this notebook has to offer on any other notebook. This is killer notebook"

You sir, are wrong.

http://www.xoticpc.com/sager-np9262-ultimate-custom-laptop-built-clevo-d901c-p-2273.html
This notebook has been out for over half a year.

[rock99rock @ Apr 30th 2008 11:47AM]

"for 3k u can get the SSD macbook air"

yea, but then you are stuck with a macbook air.

[payne @ Apr 29th 2008 7:50PM]

But will it play Crysis?

...Oh wait, it probably can.

[MeatyPi @ Apr 29th 2008 8:07PM]

You're an idiot.

Read the post, it says Crysis destroyer.

[becu55 @ Apr 29th 2008 9:01PM]

@ MeatyPi

You're an idiot.

Read his post, it says sarcasm all over it.

[A.C.E.R. @ Apr 29th 2008 7:52PM]

30 minutes of battery time never sounded so appealing!

[Moo2 @ Apr 29th 2008 9:24PM]

thats what she said

[El Taco @ Apr 29th 2008 8:15PM]

this thing looks uglier than the new Vostros that will be coming out.

[john @ Apr 29th 2008 8:16PM]

Weight: 10.5 lbs

[Neoprimal @ Apr 30th 2008 12:13AM]

It's better than lugging around a 50lb desktop and 17/19 inch LCD to a lan party or your buddy's house so you can play some games.

This is win in my book. True hardcore gamers that buy $5000 systems will appreciate it I think.

[ace_spades @ Apr 29th 2008 8:17PM]

Did they try to cram a 3.5" HDD in there? it looks thicker than a machine from the early 90's

[Johan S @ Apr 29th 2008 8:22PM]

Yeah, but what's the pixel response time of the LCD panel?

[SimonRichards @ Apr 29th 2008 8:38PM]

Anyone mind telling me how many GB's there are in 1 'oodle'?

[Towncivilian @ Apr 29th 2008 9:00PM]

6.022 x 10²³ gigabytes

[sprite @ Apr 29th 2008 9:04PM]

With the all options listed below, the specs on this laptop are off the charts, beyond all previously available limits.

Fully tricked out with the options listed below, this impressive machine costs $7,022.00. Wow, that is some serious lunch money ladies!

Bon Appetite !!!!



Area-51® m17x

Video/Graphics Card: Dual 512MB NVIDIA® GeForce® Go 8800M GTX – SLI Enabled
Display: 17" WideUXGA 1920 x 1200 LCD with Clearview Technology – Black
Includes AlienFX® Illuminated Keyboard – Exclusive Design!
System Lighting: Alienware® AlienFX® System Lighting - White
Processor: Intel® Core™ 2 Extreme X9000 2.8GHz (6MB Cache 800MHz FSB)
Memory: 4GB Dual Channel DDR2 SO-DIMM at 667MHz – 2 x 2048MB
Operating System (Office software not included): Windows Vista® Ultimate
Notebook Tuners and Remotes: Internal Digital/Analog (ATSC) MiniCard TV Tuner with Express Card Media Center Remote Control

System Drive: Extreme Performance (RAID 0) - 500GB (250GB x 2) 7,200RPM (8MB Cache) w/ Free Fall Protection
Smart Bay: 500GB 5,400RPM (8MB Cache) Smart Bay
Optical Drives : 2x Dual Layer Blu-ray Disc Burner (BD-R, DVD±RW, CD-RW)
Wireless: Internal Intel® Wireless 4965 a/b/g/Draft-N Mini-Card
Sound Card : Internal High-Definition Audio with surround sound
Warranty: 3-Year AlienCare Toll-Free 24/7 Phone Support w/ Onsite Service
Microsoft Office Suites: Microsoft® Office 2007 Professional – Factory Installed!
Includes Small Business + Access!
Port Adapters: HDMI to DVI-D Adapter
Port Adapters: FireWire Adapter: 9-pin (1394b) to 6-pin (1394a)
Port Adapters: HDMI Cable: Connect to any HDMI display
Power: Additional Battery - Alienware® m17x 12-cell Lithium-Ion Additional Battery
Power: Additional AC Adapter - Alienware® m17x 230 Watt Auto-switch AC Adapter
Alienware Extras: Alienware® Mesh Cap
Alienware Extras: Alienware® Mousepad
Alienware Extras: Alienware® Mobile Binder
Alienware Extras: Alienware® Personalized Nameplate
Alienware Extras: Owner Identification Card
Alienware Extras: Area-51® m17x Protective Cloth Sleeve
Alienware Extras: Area-51® m17x Keyboard Diagram Overlay
Alienware Extras: Area-51® m17x Smooth Mylar Touchpad
Avatar: Alienhead 3D
Window Style: Default Window Style
Mouse Pointers: Standard Mouse Pointers
Wallpaper: Alienhead 3D (Widescreen)
Power Plan: Standard Power Plan
Automatic Updates: Automatic Updates On
Sidebar Gadgets: Calendar
RSS Feeds: Alienware News:
Get the latest Alienware news delivered directly to your desktop!
Time Zones: (GMT - 5.00) Eastern Time (US & Canada)

[sprite @ Apr 29th 2008 9:11PM]

It is kind of thick at 2.1" :(

Even so, it is possible this machine could become my upgrade from the Dell Precision M90 from which I post at this very moment.

[Vidit Bhargava @ Apr 29th 2008 10:29PM]

dude...it starts at $2199....will it give Voodoo a run for its money????

[AlphaTeam @ Apr 29th 2008 10:44PM]

Yay for a 3-inch desktop, I mean laptop!

[Viakenny @ Apr 29th 2008 11:12PM]

but will it blend?

[pulpulw @ Apr 29th 2008 11:46PM]

A 'm concerning about its very thickness. How could that be.
Sounds and looks funny.
A 'm expecting to see a new inventory with an unbelievable creativity.
I mean a 'm expecting it to be much more thinner.

[white_ultras @ Apr 30th 2008 2:48AM]

This beast has meant to be a desktop replacement. Which trully is.

[Ozzie @ Apr 30th 2008 8:02AM]

Well....if the area 51 M15-x has soooo many problems with reheating, down clocking etc etc etc, this thing is going to melt. Honestly, who pays so much money for a laptop that has the reputation of lasting 1 1/2 year, if you are lucky. Apparently, the motherboards that they use don't last more than that. Also, I don't get either why Alienware offers 1 year of free support while Dell offers 3. So if you guys are thinking about buying an Alienware laptop be ready to pay an additional $300 for extended warranty.

[yacoub @ Apr 30th 2008 8:12AM]

All this and it still looks like it came out of 1995.

[Fire_Thief @ Apr 30th 2008 9:43PM]

This thing is a beast.

[jc @ May 2nd 2008 1:03PM]

Made the mistake of buying a loaded Alien m9750 for my husband. Poor quality out of the box and their Customer Service is even worse - BUYER BEWARE! From the very first boot up I got a BSOD. Determined it was hardware related; sent it back to fix. They finally returned it after 2 weeks (which SUPPOSEDLY included extensive testing). Return receipt showed they SUPPOSEDLY replaced the motherboard and LCD panel. Booted up the day of return and left it on overnight to patch EQ and found it with another BSOD in the morning! Called them next day and they said the two video cards were replaced--Huh? What about that motherboard replacement? Geez, guys, did you replace anything? What about that extensive testing you did? Sent it back to get a brand new replacement after much wrangling on the phone, only to be jerked around by a "Customer Service Advocate" named Eddy for several weeks. I finally canceled the order and bought a better laptop elsewhere. Worse CS experience I've ever encountered. Bottomline: Take you money elsewhere for better product and service for the price.