The Alienware M18x Review

[ShadowCaptain]

M18x

 

 

Hi Guys, it is nearly 2 years since I bought my Alienware M18x R2 Laptop. I deliberated for ages between laptop, desktop, custom build, boutique etc etc

 

I finally settles on the M18x, I knew I wanted a desktop replacement and this laptop really has no equal with its 18.4" display, fast processor options , multiple hard drive capabilityies and the all important dual graphics cards!

 

Specs 

Intel i7 3610qm 2.3Ghz (3.3ghz turbo) Quad core CPU with hyperthreading

AMD Crossfire Dual 7970m with 2gb of DDR5 (equivelent to CF 7850 desktop cards)

2x 500GB mechanical hard drives in raid 0

Samsung 250GB Evo SSD

Memory 8gb 1866mhz memory 

18.4" 1080p display

Windows 8.1 64bit(upgrade)

 

 

(the SSD, ram and second drive were added in as an upgrade)

 

 

Ports

 

-Left Side:

Keninsgton Lock Port, Gigabit Ethernet, HDMI Out, Mini Displayport, 2x USB 3, 

4x 3.5mm Headphone jacks for 5.1, + SPDIF (optical) on port 1

 

 

 

-RIght Side:

HDMI In (very rare), E-Sata/USB Charging port (when device is sleeping) , 2x USB 3, Card Reader (SD/MMC/MS), PCMIA Card, Slot Loading DVD Drive

 

 

-Rear:

Power

 

Ordering

 

I ordered from Dell after picking my specification and shipping options. About 2 weeks later the machine arrived exactly as the order stated.

 

I happily ripped open the MASSIVE BOX, to finally cast my eyes on this behemoth. Very happy with the ordering process

 

First Impressions + Build Quality

HOLY FUCK

 

 

Nuff said right. This thing is huge, its a beast, i can barely lift it with one hand, it is absolutely built like a tank. Not a single surface bends or flex even with extreme pressure, even the keyboard is absolutely solid. The Main body of the laptop is a gorgeous aluminium "unibody" type design (in this case Nebula Red parts). The entire display casing is aluminium on the back and sides of the display, and all but the keyboard inlay and bottom of the laptop are metal. This thing DOES NOT bend or flex... ever, it has evne been subjected to a few drops and tumbles even when open and no damage at all. Very impressive

 

Lighting

The first thing I did after the initial boot up was stare are the lights. The lighting customisztion that I have come to know and love from Alienware is here and boy does it look amazing. 

 

Lighting zones include 

-3 zones on the keyboard

-Trackpad

-Speaker grills

-Alienware logo under display

-Alien power button
-Keyboard indicator lights

-Alien head on back of display

-Macro keys (each bank can be assigned a differnet colour)

 

All of these zones are customizble to great lenghts. You can have solid colours, breatihng and pulse effects and all sorts, you can use premade profiles or save your own. You can create profiles for different games or applications too and control the brightness

 

You can even do some cool things like set the power button to change colour as the battery drains, you can even set what colour the num lock/caps lock etc lights are

 

The lighting is bright and clear without being blinding on full brightness, the keyboard especially is absolutely beautiful

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Display/Keyboard/Trackpad

 

18.4" display on a laptop....it is as mental as it sounds. But it is also a very beautiful display with decent if not stealler viewing angles fantastic colour and very crisp image quality. It is a full 1080p and it is honestly great. However, the display is covored by a massive piece of plexiglass to protect it, and it is mirror reflective. Fine for indoors but this laptop just cannot be used oppsite windows or outdoors, a BIG minus here in my opinon. Happily the new alienware m18s use a matte panel so Kudos to alienware there, but this is honestly one of the most negative aspects of the laptop and one of the few things I would change in its design.

 

The keyboard is very nice, it is fast accurate with decent snappy feedback. It is obviously a shallow laptop keyboard but the keys have a near pefect travel distance and size and are spaced very well. Since this machine is big you get a full keyboard layout with numpad, and even a set of macro keys to the left with 3 banks. Fantastic

 

The trackpad is ..ok. It is large and appropriately sensitive and accurate, but the surface is not my favourite. It supports multi-touch gestures which I have had little to no trouble with, though they are a bit shit in windows 7 + 8. (one reason I love OSX) but hardly Dells fault here.

 

 

 

Size Vs A4 Horizontal

 

Size Vs A4 Vertical

 

 

 

Sound

 

Dell chose to outfit the Alienware with Klipsch speakers and it shows.

For a laptop the sound is remarkable, it has some very loud very clear speakers with very little rattle or distortion. It has a sub built in for rumbles and bass and more importantly has a fantastic amount of volume, no more straining to hear your games music and movies. They really belt it out loud.

 

They are almost good enough to replace dedicated low end speakers. Though those looking for a much more competent audio experiance should look for headphones or higher end speakers.

 

Shot of the little sub inside

 

 

Size

This thing is HUGE, here are few shots comparing the laptop and charget with other objects

 

 

Size vs A4 and 360 controller

 

 

 

Thickness vs 360 controller

 

 

MASIVE 96W hr Battery

 

 

 

MASSIVE 200w charget

 

 

 

Size vs HK USP 45

 

 

Upgradability and Maintainance

 

The M18x is very easy to open. Remove the battery, remove 4 screws and the entire bottom of the laptop comes off

 

Once inside you are met with the gorgeous internals, you can see the great cooling system. You can easily change your ram, remove the drive cage or perform any numer of upgrades, everything is removable and upgradable, even the graphics cards!!! Kudos Dell

 

 

 

 

 

Gaming

 

Ok ok hold your horses, we are getting to the good parts!!!

 

What is gaming like on this thing. Well tbh for the last 2 years it has done a STELLAR job in keeping up with modern titles. It handles pretty much everything at 1080p on high settings and many AAA are playable at full Ultra details at 30-60 FPS and some even at 60fps+

 

This is still some of the most powerful gaming hardware available. Only beaten out by SLI 880m about (5-10% more powerful) and the slightly newer Crossire 290x (5% more powerful)

 

This has truly desktop grade GPU performance. Outstanding in my opinion.

 

 

here are some benchmarks and screenshots to show its performance in current games.

 

Benchmarks

 

I only had time to test 3 games (also my camera was flat as I forgot that it wasnt fully charged so these were done on my iPhone) Battlefield 4, Batman Arkaham Origins, and Thief - Should give a decent idea of the performance of this thing, I will add more to this section when I get time. 

Any games you would like to see?

 

 

Battlefield 4 (sorry for the shitty video)

 

 

Batman Arkam Origins

Settings - 

 

Results

 

Thief 

 

 

 

The End

 

Thankyou for reading this far 

 

Any questions? Anything you would like to see? I will add more if anybody likes. If you spot any mistakes let me know, I typed this up in one go without checking as I am short on time!!!!!

 

[qwertywarrior]

This review is lacking size comparisons

Since I Dont own any A4 paper

I like to request size vs AK47

[ShadowCaptain]

This review is lacking size comparisons

Since I Dont own any A4 paper

I like to request size vs AK47

 

I can compare it to my m4 if that helps?

 

EDIT: hope this helps

 

photo

[qwertywarrior]

I can compare it to my m4 if that helps?

Yes that helps

[Freaky_spider]

nice heckler and cock you got there

 

if anyone gets that reference, i will bring a cookie to your doorstep

[TheSLSAMG]

 

wait wait wait... that's a 3x2.5" hdd cage... in a laptop...

 

[piggykid1]

Nice review

[Guest Kloaked]

inb4 Alienware hate

[AMICLG]

Nice review, I personally don't care about Alienware but it's such a fantastic review that it doesn't matter.

[piggykid1]

nice heckler and cock you got there

 

if anyone gets that reference, i will bring a cookie to your doorstep

Where's my cookie

[piggykid1]

@ShadowCaptain I remember a few months ago we had a conversation about Alienware laptops and you had mentioned you wanted to upgrade... are you still thinking about that?

[Altecice]

I would never buy one of these myself but they sure do know how to make them look good. 

[Freaky_spider]

Where's my cookie

ill come to 'unplug the router' as quickly as possible

[shiftberry]

that was a good read; thank you chap!

i really like that laptop, it includes both ultra performance and mobility easiness!

[ZeroBreaker]

Always thought alienware laptops were the macbooks of gaming, but your review has made me reconsider this. Might well get an alienware as my next laptop, as the last three laptops i had all managed to spontaneously break physically (either the monitor or the plastic case) despite being in a single spot in light use. Seems like most laptops are built either on the cheap or for looks nowadays.

[Inkz]

I would have to say that there should not be that much hate for their laptops. They look nice, most laptops are barely upgradable. For me I would have to say that they do cost quite a bit but there is no reason not to consider them.

[ShadowCaptain]

DEEP BREATH.................

 

Yes that helps

 

Hope you liked the picture (if you saw it)

 

 

 

wait wait wait... that's a 3x2.5" hdd cage... in a laptop...

 

Insane yes? it also has an m-sata slot  which I normally have in (was currently doing something else with it)

 

Nice review, I personally don't care about Alienware but it's such a fantastic that it doesn't matter.

 

Thankyou, Yeah its kind of awesome, my third gaming laptop from dell now (M1730, m11x, m18x)

 

@ShadowCaptain I remember a few months ago we had a conversation about Alienware laptops and you had mentioned you wanted to upgrade... are you still thinking about that?

 

A huh, im either going to upgrade it or sell it for a 15" retina pro

 

I would never buy one of these myself but they sure do know how to make them look good. 

 

 

that was a good read; thank you chap!

i really like that laptop, it includes both ultra performance and mobility easiness!

 

Portability ...hmm perhaps not, I can barely lift it, it weighs nearly 6kg (12lb), and barely fits in any bags THOUGH its is alot more portable than a desktop, since it includes a massive display and keyboard etc, great for LAN games or staying over at a friends house

 

Always thought alienware laptops were the macbooks of gaming, but your review has made me reconsider this. Might well get an alienware as my next laptop, as the last three laptops i had all managed to spontaneously break physically (either the monitor or the plastic case) despite being in a single spot in light use. Seems like most laptops are built either on the cheap or for looks nowadays.

 

Ah funnily enough I am possible selling this soon for a 15" Macbook retina pro! They ARE the macbook of gaming, They are as almost as well build, very well designed, and very expensive, they are also great for what they do. Its very tough though, super tank!!!!

 

I would have to say that there should not be that much hate for their laptops. They look nice, most laptops are barely upgradable. For me I would have to say that they do cost quite a bit but there is no reason not to consider them.

 

yeah they get unjustified hate. Personally I love their laptops, I would probably not buy a desktop from them as they ARE a little overpriced, but they are still very well built, very well designed and very powerful.

 

Value for money is subjective so to some its overpriced, to others just expensive, to some its just the price to pay for a high end well build system

 

I would happily buy future laptops from them

[qwertywarrior]

yeah

[Scionyde]

Always thought alienware laptops were the macbooks of gaming, but your review has made me reconsider this. Might well get an alienware as my next laptop, as the last three laptops i had all managed to spontaneously break physically (either the monitor or the plastic case) despite being in a single spot in light use. Seems like most laptops are built either on the cheap or for looks nowadays.

 

Well, depends how you mean "macbooks of gaming". For what you pay and the hardware you get, they are the most expensive gaming laptop brand (aside from maybe Origin laptops). But it's usually pretty decent build quality with a unique style that people will sometimes be willing to pay a bit extra for. In that respect, yeah, they might be considered the "macbooks of gaming".

 

EDIT: @ShadowCaptain So that's an actual gun, there? I thought you weren't allowed to own them in the UK? 

[ShadowCaptain]

Well, depends how you mean "macbooks of gaming". For what you pay and the hardware you get, they are the most expensive gaming laptop brand (aside from maybe Origin laptops). But it's usually pretty decent build quality with a unique style that people will sometimes be willing to pay a bit extra for. In that respect, yeah, they might be considered the "macbooks of gaming".

 

See that's what I thought he was saying but then he said "I thought it was the macbook of gaming but i have reconsidered"

 

Does that mean he thinks macbooks are rubbish? 

 

I love my alienware laptop but I am 100% going to swap it for a 15" rMPB very soon

 

 

 

EDIT: @ShadowCaptain So that's an actual gun, there? I thought you weren't allowed to own them in the UK?  

 

 

Airsoft my friend

[Scionyde]

 

Airsoft my friend

 

Ahh, okay.

 

(Despite being an American, I know nothing about guns, haha)

[EpicGeekonFire]

Nice review and guns :3

[ShadowCaptain]

Ahh, okay.

 

(Despite being an American, I know nothing about guns, haha)

 

 

Nice review and guns :3

 

 

Thanks

 

I used to have about 15 airsoft guns, 3 of them were Systema PTWs, which were £1500 each...but I just dont do it anymore

 

Maybe I should take it up again

[ZeroBreaker]

Well, depends how you mean "macbooks of gaming". For what you pay and the hardware you get, they are the most expensive gaming laptop brand (aside from maybe Origin laptops). But it's usually pretty decent build quality with a unique style that people will sometimes be willing to pay a bit extra for. In that respect, yeah, they might be considered the "macbooks of gaming".

 

EDIT: @ShadowCaptain So that's an actual gun, there? I thought you weren't allowed to own them in the UK? 

 

See that's what I thought he was saying but then he said "I thought it was the macbook of gaming but i have reconsidered"

 

Does that mean he thinks macbooks are rubbish? 

 

I love my alienware laptop but I am 100% going to swap it for a 15" rMPB very soon

 

 

 

 

Airsoft my friend

Should have clarified, I meant more along the lines of macbooks being hailed as the best of the best for laptops, when there are actually very good and fairer priced equivalents just as suitable for every job. I always thought alienware laptops were like this, where the premium is more in the name, the brand, the looks, the purpose. After reading this, I see they are far more well rounded than I assumed at first.

[ShadowCaptain]

Should have clarified, I meant more along the lines of macbooks being hailed as the best of the best for laptops, when there are actually very good and fairer priced equivalents just as suitable for every job. I always thought alienware laptops were like this, where the premium is more in the name, the brand, the looks, the purpose. After reading this, I see they are far more well rounded than I assumed at first.

 

Ah that makes sense

 

I honestly think its good value, I always challenge people to find me something better for my money, and nobody can.. even though this thing is 2 years old I bet its hard to find anything better even now