The announcement wasn't scheduled for a few more days -- four according to the
teaser site -- but it looks like Alienware's All Powerful gaming laptop has been set free anyway. So, does it live up to the
clues? Pretty much... how does a pair of 1GB NVIDIA GeForce
GTX 280M GPUs strike you? No Core i7 listed, instead we're looking at a Core 2 Extreme quad-core CPU at the top end with up to 8GB of 1333MHz DDR3 memory, and 1TB of 7200-rpm disk or a 512GB SSD if you prefer. RAID 1 or RAID 0? Sure. Rounding things out is a nine-cell battery of unstated performance, FireWire, 4x USB, eSATA, ExpressCard, 802.11n WiFi, 8-in-1 media card reader, dual-layer Blu-ray, a 1920 x 1200 pixel edge-to-edge LCD, DisplayPort
and HDMI-outs all wrapped up in a massive chassis weighing 11.68-pounds with a 15.98 x 12.65 x 2.11-inch footprint. It's also packing a
GeForce 9400M G1 GPU with HybridPower technology that allows you to scale the graphics back to conserve battery power. Prices start at $1,799 for a lot less than we mentioned above.
As a footnote to the details above,
PCWorld also says that Alienware will use next week's E3 show to update us on its
42.8-inch curved monitor we went
hands-on with back in January
of 2008.
[Thanks, Steve]
posted May 29th 2009 5:28AM
sweet jeebus, that is waaay too much power for a laptop.
oh, the hummer crowd is just going to love this. "penis enhancement" - now geek styled!
Holy Moley Batman!!
With great power comes great responsibility, if you take such thing to coffee shop get ready to be smashed on the head and stolen
"if you take such thing to coffee shop get ready to be smashed on the head and stolen "
by weedy pseudo authors....
they are more likely to bore you to a sleep, then pinch it.....giggling as they skip off to update their blog
If it were truly powerful the memory bus would be overclocked to 1337MHz.
I really doubt those pseudo-weedy authors could lift anything heavier than their MacBook Airs.
the mobile version of 280gtx has the same power as the non-mobile 8800gtx
512 GB not MB SSD
Nice perusing! :)
To ugly for my tastes
...not that I could afford it
I will never get why these laptops always have to be so damn ugly...where is the understatement?
Ugly? There is a freaking alien head on the chassis! Awesome!! sometime kitch is good.
I don't know, for Alienware, it is relatively understated. And it's still a heck of a lot more understated than some 15-year-old's self-built computer which has been "blinged-out" with 20 LED fans and almost as many cold-cathode tubes.
I think it looks fine closed. It's just the red lights on the front, the red lights on the keyboard, and the red glowing "Alienware" that get to me. I almost expect to see a couple of hookers hanging out in there.
I don't like it !
Man, Alienware rocks!
But I have to say, not the most beautiful of their makings.
I would be embarrased to whip this up anywhere in public.
Me too.
Yeah. What an ugly behemoth.
It seems designed for a 15 y/o nerd - the problem is just that those will hardly have to money to buy even the basic version...
If you can whip this thing out then I'd be impressed given its weight. Perhaps some sort of winch or block and tackle will come with it...
Embarrassing to the mac kiddies maybe...and somewhat scary compared to their glorified fisher price activity centre's.
The pc boys and girls will form a circle around you and masturbate in unison.
@loci
Given what PC boys and girls typically look like, that's just ewwwwwwwww
id mod it
i dont see much of a point in a gaming laptop
I did all Oblivion on a laptop... it was nice. Now I have a 30inch screen and its just too huge for gaming... I miss that laptop.
And I don't see much point in a huge computer rig. This will do what many computer rigs will and it's small to boot, portable - lightly speaking - and I can still hook it up like a standard rig when at home.
Ever been in college where LAN parties with desktops are hugely impractical? In many circumstances having portable power is advantageous and much more practical than a full tower case with a monitor or two.
Why is the track pad so far to the left side?
5.3 kg nice all the geeks will have to go to gym to cary it around ...
By common practice it's centered relative to the "typing part" of the keyboard (excluding the numpad) to minimize your touching it with your wrist while typing.
Yep I had a laptop once that didn't center the mouse pad to the keyboard but put it in the center of the laptop. I hated the thing I used it for about 3 months then sold the thing for half of what I payed for it. I went back to my 4 yr old dinosaur of a laptop for a while. Now when I look at laptops that is one of the first things I look at is the touch pad centered around the space bar. Nothing more agrivating then typing away and have the cursor moved by brushing the mouse pad with your palm. This is a good design decision by Alien Ware even it the thing is a little showy for my likes. I tend to like the business minded laptops like the ones made by Lenovo.
So nerds don't get semen on it.
obsolete in 3... 2... 1...
Better start at 5, its not quite out the door yet...
Years?
The question is though how hot and loud is it. My last Alienware laptop was louder than a vacuum cleaner.
In fairness it'd more of a desktop replacement than something they expect you to whip out in public.
I like a notebook for portable computing, but to each his own, I suppose.
How good does the twin GTX 280M 1GB compare to a single GTX 295 desktop card?
GTX 295 > that
wow really? No need to ask about lower desktop GTX cards then....
I think that's as high as a laptop could get. It's official then, my next gaming rig will be a desktop.
Don't be fooled by NVDA's bs.
Remember the GTX280M is NOTHING TO DO with the GTX280/285/295.
Its simply a tarted up version of the old G92. aka GTX250. aka 9800 GTX. aka 8800GT.
Its just NVidia sneaky renaming to make you think a two year old GPU is something flash...
J
@ jontseng:
This is common practice for both Nvidia and ATI.
Examples:
ATI released the 9700 and 9800 Mobile parts, but they were really just the 9600 desktop core.
http://www.firingsquad.com/hardware/...9700/page4.asp
Even today, they mark-up mobile GPUs, although it's not as bad. This "Mobility HD 4850" has performance closer to a 4830 because of the reduced clocks.
http://www.notebookcheck.net/AMD-ATI...0.13975.0.html
Nvidia's mobile 9600M GT was not really 9600 GT hardware. It's really a re-branded 8600 GT.
http://www.product-reviews.net/2008/...600m-gt-specs/
Par for the course, buddy. Let it ride.
The trackpad at the left is realy (REALLY!) ugly.
That is wrong. It makes my desktop shudder in inferiority. :P
Damn, that name is quite appropriate. Added to the buy-if-I-win-the-lottery list.
I'd trample some 15yr old's grandmother on black friday for this...
Not that I could afford one unless I won the lottery too
If trampling a grandma gets me one of these, I'd do that. I can just about afford this, IF I give up all money-consuming activities for a couple of months...
Sigh... such is the life of a student...
Yea, poor you...
3.6 nanoseconds of battery life
LOL Talk about over the top.
But then again, if I won the Lottery I would definately buy one :)
...and a battery life of 5 minutes.
Awwwww be fair, might manage 30 minutes with WiFi off and screen at half brightness!
But if you go with the 9400M, maybe an extra 9-10 minutes?
But do anything other than sit and gawp at it, then that extra 9-10 cancels out....
You know, all those flashy lights aren't helping anything either....
If anyone mentions Crysis I'll kill 'em.
Can it play Crysis?
No seriously, on what framerate would it run Crysis/FC2 on ultra high?
I need to know because the M17x didn't play it smoothly with everything on its highest setting.
Way to just mention Crysis.
Kill yourself, now.
I would actually be embarrassed with this thing out in public. But then again, the type which buys this laptop probably won't have any shame, girlfriend or friends outside of a LAN connection.
Ugliest keyboard in the world too.
The biggest design gripe I have is the huge rim width below the screen.
Its more of the usual from alienware. You know as much bashing as we all can do. Me personally if I were somewhere social and saw this thing I wouldnt be able to help myself to touch it and fondle it bit and I dont think any self respecting techie wouldnt.
Im a sucker for bells and whistles..........
Speaking frankly as a 36 year old gamer geek. My first reaction to seeing this was "Ooooohhhh PRETTY!" Like it was carved out of some form of wedge of obsidian, still glowing with some unearthly, elemental power... Okay, I'm a dork, sue me. I'm their target audience, it seems ^^;
Giggity
I don't think t looks so bad, although I don't think it looks very good. Looks like it was intended as a desktop replacement / portable rigl and it looks like it is intended to be photographed in the dark... red lighting. There is nothing wrong with having a very thin PC with a screen attached to it. People still make PC's in briefcase type enclosures with LCD's attached. You may not want it or need it, but someone does.
Some of you have seriously closed minds... and are overly judgemental. Time to relax a bit and not insult everyone else that doesn't share your world view. You just might have it all wrong. It's a laptop, not a lifestyle for fucks sake.
-but it IS a lifestyle. Just like everything else in life, there are people who buy Macs and people who buy PCs. Those that buy Alienware, and those that buy Toshiba or Sony or some other off brand PC boutique. People who shop at Walmart compared to people who shop at Target. Sam's Club or Costco. Uhaul vs Penske. Those who drive VWs and the rest of the world. The individual who will invest in a Bang and Olufsen sound system is not the same type of person to go to Best Buy and get a RCA stereo. When you make the comitment to spend that kind of money on a PC you're comitting to a lifestyle choice.
lol
Weird how all the people whom haven't the money to buy it, claim that it's too ugly anyway.
IF you want a fashionable laptop, buy a MacBook and sit sipping Coffee in a Starbucks, if you want a damn powerful laptop... STFU, 'cause you can't afford it
I'll be ordering one of these, not the top end version but somewhere in the middle (spec-wise)
um, how about they just don't like that ugly piece of shat? tis a weapon of wrecked construction, ewww
good god why are the afterburners in the front, lolz
(sips on cafe mocha, macbook in tow, stbuks ftw)
I really really want to know how much heat this bitch kicks out.
That's a neat idea to convince your household that it's not just a gaming geek's expensive whim:
"But honey, with just $3,000 we get a new computer AND a new ENVIRONMENT-FRIENDLY central heating system! It's a fantastic investment!"
I think only two kind of people will be interested by this laptop : gamers who don't want to cary around a huge tower when they go to lan parties, and industrial engineers on the go who need a Sun Workstation, but then again. for all the other people, I don't really see the point.
I wish my laptop pro had brake lights...
I was going for macbook pro, but y'know how writing comments is after 20 hours of non sleep.
5 minutes battery life as stated above ... WHEN PLUGGED IN
"Rounding things out is a nine-cell battery of unstated performance"
15 minutes of portable gaming never rocked so hard...
awesome.
Lol... ironic that my new M1730 is getting delivered on the 2nd! Oh well, I don't suppose it'll be available where I live (India) for quite a while, so I'm cool - besides, the m1730 may be 1.5 years old, but it'll still play everything in native res with settings almost totally maxed out... The new 'beast' is borderline overkill, even for gamers (unless you want to be future-proof) - I mean twin GTX 280Ms?!
prepare for superhigh folding@home points for this baby.
Likely to give you a groin tumor, char your thighs, or crack your femurs.
With Alienware's track record, I would never buy on of these things. I am an unproud (my word) owner of a m9750 with SLI, laptops are not meant for gaming.
As soon as you start to play a game, it will heat up, and fps will greatly be reduced.
Do yourselves a favor, buy a desktop (stay away from Alienware). I am not an AW hater, I am an AW owner (well, thus the hate!).
What's with all the stupid lighting on gamer's machines? I hope you can turn that crap off.
The Clevo D900F offers the same dual 280's in SLI but adds the Core i7 with triple channel DDR3, THREE internal hard drives with RAID capability (without having to remove the battery or DVD/BluRay drive) and will stomp this Alienware wannabe.
ouch
You guys can carry this boulder around with you... the last thing I want is another behemoth laptop that ya need a befricken wheelbarrow to tote it around with!
dude, I'm more excited about that curved display they will be showing again..
I've been waiting for this beast.. NEC has one coming out (supposedly now) - http://www.necdisplay.com/NewTechnologies/CurvedDisplay/
I've only heard good things about Alienware, so when it came time to replace my Toshiba Sli-1, I got a loaded MX17. So far, its been the worst machine I've ever owned. They are still having conflicts with sound card and video card drivers, and while there is supposedly a fix, it works for a little while, then reverts back to its broken state. There's tons of odd design choices as well, such as upside down USB ports, which can be a pain with some devices. Personally, I will not buy an Alienware product again.
Pssst' http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/12/alienware-area-51-m15x-owners-outraged-by-overheating-cracking, there now you cant say "I've only heard good things about Alienware"
Ben, Ben, we see the smoke coming from that master modder's mind of your. Now don't go using this as a platform/inspiration for a new "Slim PS3 laptop mod". We got our good eye on you ;^)...
What is the matter with you people? I think that laptop looks awesome. I also think the specs are pretty good for a laptop, and battery life doesn't concern me, it's not like you would game away from a power outlet. It's a bit heavy, but that's a small price to pay for portable awesomeness.
Set free? It's not set free until I can order it and figure out how much it costs! :-)
Absolutely incredible. With three year financing, I'd be all over this... but it's not Nehalem. If I'm going to finance a computer, I want it to be able to play games for the next three or four years. Yes, Nehalem really offers enough of a performance difference that this restraint bugs me. I realize mobile Nehalem isn't available, yet, but I feel like it's going to be too long until we see Nehalem being offered in this super-laptop. They're going to have to make a new motherboard for it. (And the way Dell manages to keep their laptops up to date with the latest hardware... oh wait, they don't.)
One more thing: After dropping all this money on a nice new HDTV, I've tried promising myself that I wouldn't keep pouring money into computers. I thought I'd save money buying a nice home theater and just keeping games to my xbox 360. Damnit, I can't kick the bug! NEED MOAR COMPUTAR! (4,000 dollars / 36 months = $111/mo = Two or three console games a month for three years)
Jesus. After reading my own comment, I sound like a geek-Boxee.
This thing is an over priced peice of rubbish. When will people learn that badged hardware is not a celver purchase. You are buying an overglorified Dell PC MSI all the way baby weeee huuuu :P
But seriously I have seen other companies with far better specs ata fraction of the price and you dont need a Core i7 to game on, all you need is a good Video Card.
Please contribute as I would appreciate feedback on this one !
change the lighting from red all over to blue and I would be sold if I could afford it or wanted a 11 lb. behemoth to lug around. But wow...THAT is one hell of a laptop. But where's the core i7??
Well, some poor, idiot fool will buy it... Not this idiot fool however.
HOLY CRAP .............awesome
sweeeeeet
that thing is a MONSTER tho
i dont mind the looks, except for as TareX said, the rim width below the screen is uggs
After the Nvidia mobile chipset melting fiasco, i wouldn't pay top notch dollar for this... oh wait.. did they really include a 9400m with it as well? =p that's exactly the same card that melted down on me 3 times in 1 year and a half =./