A small metal plate on the bottom of the notebook measured 90 degrees, well below our 95 degree comfort threshold. 'Max Payne 3' was a symphony of gunshots accentuated with the delicate clink of shell casings and a gritty line of noir-drenched dialogue from the game's protagonist. The longer we played, the more it felt and sounded like we were fighting our way out of a Brazilian favela.Īfter running a full-screen Hulu video for 15 minutes, the touchpad, space between the G and H keys and underside measured 84, 86 and 92 degrees Fahrenheit. James Brown's plaintive wail on 'The Big Payback' filled our ears as we watched the trailer for 'Django Unchained.' On Beyonce's 'Love On Top,' we heard crisp finger snaps along along with the rich swells of a keyboard that glided playfully along with the mezzo-sopranos' vocals.

It easily outweighs other gaming rigs such as the 8.2-pound, 16.22 x 10.87 x 1.65-1.79 inch Origin Eon 17S, the 8.4-pound, 16.1 x 11.2 x 1.29 inch Samsung Series 7 Gamer and the 9.6-pound, 16.3 x 12.6 x 0.9-2.0 inch ASUS G75VW-DS71.Ĭlick to EnlargeAudio was loud on the M17x, and sound was rich and clear on movies, music and games. We created one color profile using different shades of blues that would pulse every few seconds.Īt 9.8 pounds, the only place you'll be transporting this 16.1 x 11.9 x 1.75-inch beast is from one room to another. We had a blast choosing the colors of the lid logo, the Alienware insignia on the display bezel, keyboard, the two front grilles and the bar around the touchpad. One of the best features of an Alienware notebook is the insane amount of customization available via the backlighting. We also love the large Stealth Black soft touch palm rest, where our hands nestled ready for a long night of gaming. A gigantic touchpad with matching discrete buttons are wrapped in a glowing blue band whose color we could also configure. An alien head power button sits above the keyboard, next to the row of command buttons for volume and Wi-Fi.

Click to EnlargeWe're perennial fans of the M17x's interior and its chunky keyboard that glows a myriad of (customizable) colors.

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