Alienware is a subsidiary of Dell. It specializes in gaming desktops and laptops and other graphics-intensive applications as well. Alienware offers M11x, M15x, and M17x product lines for its gaming laptops.
In this article, we’ll take a look at their 15-inch product line, the M15x gaming laptops. M15x gaming laptops pack lightning-fast graphics, the latest processor technology, and high-definition capabilities in a devilishly stylish design. It features the new Intel Core i7 mobile processors with Hyper Threading and Turbo Boost technologies that will power games and multimedia applications. It also features DDR 1333MHz memory, which is also compatible with next generation quad processors, speed and bandwidth for the best gaming experience.
The M15x gaming laptops start at USD 1199 on their US site and SGD 2499 on their Singapore site. The specifications offered on both sites are different, which contributes to the price difference even after conversion.
Let’s go over the specs of what the M15x gaming laptop has to offer.
It comes in 3 color selections, Cosmic Black Base, Nebula Red Base, and Lunar Shadow Base.
First, let’s take a look at the processor or central processing unit (CPU). The processor is the brain of your laptop. Faster processors with more cache can take on more workloads, which is often required for gaming. M15x gaming laptops come with Intel Core i7 720QM 1.6 GHz (2.8 GHz Turbo mode, 6 MB cache), upgradable to Intel Core i7 820QM 1.73 GHz (3.06 GHz Turbo mode, Cache 8 MB) or Intel Core i7 920XM 2.0 GHz (3.2 GHz Turbo mode), 8 MB cache) on their Singapore site. On its US site it comes standard with Intel Core i3 350M (2.26 GHz, 3M Cache) and is upgradable to Intel Core i5-540M 2.53 GHz (3.06 Ghz Turbo mode, 3M Cache). 3M) or Intel Cor i7 740QM Quad Core Processor, 1.73 GHz (2.93 GHz turbo mode, 6M Cache) or Intel Core i7 840QM Quad Core Processor, 1.86 GHz (3, GHz turbo mode, 20 GHz, 6M Cache) or Intel® Core i7 940XM Quad-Core Processor, 2.13 GHz (3.33 GHz Turbo Mode, 8M Cache) . A balancing act is required when selecting your processor. The faster the processor, the better it is, but it is also more expensive. Most games don’t require the fastest processor money can buy to run.
M15x ships with the Windows 7 operating system. As far as gaming is concerned, this shouldn’t be a concern. Most of the new games are compatible with Windows 7 and Windows Vista.
Next, let’s take a look at the graphics card. The graphics card handles the graphics processing for your computer. Games now have highly detailed graphical effects such as shadows, 3D reflections, and will require an increasingly powerful graphics processor to ensure the best gaming experience. M15x comes with 1GB DDR3 ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5730, upgradeable to 1GB GDDR5 ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5850 or 1GB GDDR3 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260M on their Singapore website. On its US website, it comes with 512MB GDDR3 NVIDIA GeForce GT 240M and is upgradable to the other graphics cards mentioned above. The cost to upgrade to an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260M 1GB GDDR3 is higher than an ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5850 1GB GDDR5.
M15x gaming laptops come with 4GB (2GBx2) 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM, upgradeable to 6GB 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM (1 x 2GB + 1 x 4GB) or 8GB (4GBx2) 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM on Dell’s Singapore website. On its US website, it offers 3 GB of memory (1 x 1 GB, 1 x 2 GB DDR3), upgradable to 4 GB of dual-channel memory (2 x 2 GB DDR3), 6 GB of memory ( 1 of 2 GB, 1 of 4 GB DDR3) or 8 GB of dual-channel memory (2 of 4 GB DDR3) . The more memory the better for your gaming laptops as it will increase your overall performance and allow your laptop to multitask with more applications. If you are running the Windows Vista and Windows 7 operating system, you will be fine with more than 2 GB of memory.
The M15x gaming laptops come with a 500GB 7200RPM SATA HDD on their Singapore site and a 250GB 7200RPM SATAII HDD on their US website if you’re storing a lot of pictures and videos , it will do well with large capacity hard drives. An SSD upgrade is also available, but it’s not necessary as it only improves load time, not overall game performance.
M15x gaming laptops come with a 15.6-inch Full HD (1080p) WLED (1920 x 1080) display with TrueLife. In the US, it comes with a lower-spec 15.6-inch WideHD+ 1600 x 900 WLED that can be upgraded. The higher the resolution, the better the gaming experience.
M15x is a good gaming laptop and is capable of running all the major games available. It’s in the mid-range in terms of budget and still packs a punch.