Alienware Area-51 M15x Gaming Laptop

Alienware is one of the top names in quality gaming computers and that quality extends to laptops as well as desktops.

The Area-51 M15x is one in a long line of great gaming laptops pumped out by Alienware. This laptop is a monster with loads of features, upgrades, and everything you need for ultimate gaming.

First of all, the M15x is a laptop so it needs portability. This computer sports a size of 14.6×10.7×1.3 inches and weighs a reasonable 7.1 pounds. The M17x has a few differences from previous Alienware computers. It has a plastic, blocky case which feels very weak, like it would break under the slightest strain (especially bad for hot-tempered gamers). The matte-black spinal ridges, like those on the Area-51 M9750, have been smoothed out to a glossy finish and topped with the Alienware insignia emblazoned with LED eyes.

But that’s just the outside, the inside is where everything is at. The M15x is packed with booming with hardware. It has a 2.8GHz Core 2 Extreme X9000 processor for lightning fast gaming. It also comes with 4GB of DDR 2 memory as well as a 200GB hard drive with a 320GB removable hard drive. Since the M15x is a gaming laptop, it needs a good graphics card. The Area-51 M15x has the upgrade option of the nVidia GeForce 8800M GTX (512MB) graphics card, but comes with the Intel P965 chipset. The 8800M GTX is the real deal. It can run up to 96 frames per second (fps) on some games, like F.E.A.R.

Since this computer is packing so much under the hood, it isn’t really a huge surprise that the battery doesn’t last too long. The average battery life is around 1hr 22mins respectively. Alienware tries to manage the computer’s power consumption with two key components: U/D GFX and Stealth mode. The Stealth Mode touch button tries to curb power by scailing back CPU and GPU use. Some reports have noticed that the M15x would bump you into stealth mode while gaming which would cause performance problems. But this was easily fixed by hitting Alt-tab and turning off stealth mode. U/D GFX gives you the option of toggling between the 8800M GTX graphics card and the integrated Intel P965 chipset through the F7 key. The only problem is that this requires a system reboot and there is no indicator to tell you which mode you are running. The only way to tell is to take a look at the Device Manager.

The M15x is also very nice to look at. It has a nice 15.4inch screen with a 2-mega pixel webcam. As you look below the bezel, you will notice power, wireless, volume, and system touch controls. The touch pad is surrounded by an LED border. There is also a multitude of LED lights built into the backlite keyboard, which is a $50 dollar upgrade option, and encircling the case lid and emblem. All the lights can change color independently using the Alienware Command software, however there are no strobing or color shifting options available.

Like most notebooks, the M15x sports an up-to-date variety of ports including a 802.11b/g/n wi-fi, mic and headphones, and Gigabit Ethernet as well as 3 USB 2.0 ports, one firewire port, an SD/MMC memory card slot, HDMI port and ExpressCard slot. The M15x also plays Blu-ray movies with beautiful picture, and also hooks up to your HD t.v. via a HDMI port which displays in stunning 1080p HD resolution.

Needless to say this thing is ridiculous. It is packed with so much that it is no surprise that the Alienware Area-51 M15x laptop is the undeniable best laptop on the market. This thing does not come cheap though. The M15x has a starting price of around $2,149, which isn’t unreasonable for a quality gaming computer. However, if you choose to upgrade it with the features it offers, expect to pay anything around $5,000 o less. Despite the price this is definitley a computer to look out for.

written by: Zack Duncan