Alienware M17 Extreme Gaming Notebook Computer

Alienware’s patent matte black finish—the same as on the Area-51 m17x—and illuminated keyboard make the M17 the looker at any LAN party. The lid of the M17 is slightly more ostentatious, as it sports Alienware’s ribbed Skullcap case design. At 15.7 x 11.8 x 1.7 inches and weighing in at 9.5 pounds, the M17 is roughly the same size as the m17x, but a pound lighter. Regardless, it’s not a notebook you’ll want to carry around frequently.

The M17 also features customizable backlighting, which allows users to choose from three colors—red, blue, and green—by pressing Fn+F10 (the m17x, by comparison, has software that lets users select from ten different colors and create different lighting schemes). Unfortunately, you cannot change the color of the Alienware logo or media quick-launch keys above the keyboard, which always stay blue; the mismatched colors may be off-putting to some.

The M17’s full-size keyboard features a short throw, perfect for intense gaming sessions, and the system does a good job of exhausting heat without making the notebook a makeshift stove. The only drawback is the loud fans needed to dissipate the heat. The touch-sensitive buttons above the keyboard launch your Web browser, e-mail, and Power DVD and let you control Windows Media Player; they were adequately responsive, but were not the full array you see in many notebooks. The volume, now controlled by a small wheel, is on the right side of the notebook.

Alienware M17 Review by Matt Bertz on December 2, 2008

The Power of CrossFireX

The M17 brings ATI CrossFireX™ to Alienware's notebook lineup for the first time ever. Delivering a revolutionary leap in mobile graphics, ATI CrossFireX dual-GPU technology brings enhanced scalability and performance along with full DirectX® 10.1 support. ATI PowerPlay™ allows the M17 to monitor GPU usage and adjust the graphics power according to current resource requirements.

The World’s First Mobile Quad-Core CPU

The Alienware M17 notebook is powered by the world's first-ever quad core mobile CPU. The Intel® Core™2 Quad delivers unrivaled power to the M17, supplying ample horsepower to the system so you can enjoy expanded multitasking abilities and faster speeds when taking on resource-intensive tasks such as playing next-generation games, video editing and more.

Maximum Hard Drive Capacity

With the Alienware M17, having the capacity to store all your files is the last thing you need to worry about. Dual 500GB drives in a RAID 0 or RAID 1 configuration take care of that. With a full 1TB, you can hold over 150 games, 250 full-length movies or a jaw-dropping 250,000 songs. In addition, all Alienware 7200RPM drives feature Free Fall Sensor technology to further protect your valuable data.

Are You Ready For Windows Vista 64 Bit?

Alienware unleashes the full potential of its high-end hardware with Windows Vista 64 bit, unlocking all of the hardware’s dynamic features. A 64-bit operating system can process twice as much information as a 32-bit version, and can use significantly more random access memory. If you want to experience the world’s most advanced OS, you need the unrivaled power of an Alienware.

Operating Systems:

• Windows Vista® Home Premium
  (32- and 64-bit)
• Windows Vista® Ultimate
  (32- and 64-bit)

Processors, Chipset & Memory:

• Intel® Core™2 Duo and Extreme Processors
  (6MB Cache, 1066MHz FSB)
• Intel® Core™2 Quad and Extreme Processors
  (12MB Cache, 1066MHz FSB)
• Intel® PM45 + ICH9M-E Chipset
• Up to 4GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1066MHz
• 2 dedicated SO-DIMM slots for Dual Channel DDR3 Memory

Graphics & Video:

• Single Graphics - ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 3870
• Dual Graphics - ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 3870 - CrossFireX Enabled!

Connectivity

• Video in: Integrated HD TV (ATSC) Tuner (Coaxial) – optional
• Video/TV out: One HDMI 1.3b Connector
• Video/TV out: One VGA Connector
  

Storage:

Single Hard Drive

• 5400 RPM – Up to 500GB SATA
• 7200 RPM – Up to 320GB SATA

Dual Hard Drives in RAID 0

• 5400 RPM – Up to 1TB (2 x 500GB)
• 7200 RPM – Up to 640GB (2 x 320GB)

Optical Drives:

• 8x Dual Layer Burner (DVD±RW, CD-RW)
• 8x Dual Layer Burner (DVD±RW, CD-RW) w/ LightScribe Technology
• Dual Layer Blu-ray Disc Reader (BD-ROM, DVD±RW, CD-RW)

Networking:

Wireless Connectivity

• Internal Intel WiFi Link 5300 a/b/g/Draft-N
• Integrated Bluetooth 2.1

Wired Connectivity

• Integrated Gigabit Ethernet RJ-45 (1000 Mbps)

Audio:

• High-Definition Digital Audio
• Integrated 4 Channel Support
• Up to 7.1 Support Through Digital Out
• Two Speakers with Subwoofer

Connectivity

• 1 Auto-Sensing Headphone Jack
• 1 Auto-Sensing Microphone Jack
• 1 TOSlink Digital Out Optical Audio

Peripheral Connections:

• 3 Hi-speed USB 2.0 ports
• 1 eSATA/USB 2.0 Combo (2-in-1 port)
• ExpressCard Slot
• IEEE 1394a (4-pin) port
• 7-in-1 Media Card Reader (SD/MS/MSPRO/RS-MMC/MMC)

LCD Panel:

• 17-inch Widescreen WUXGA
  1920 x 1200 with Clearview
  
• 17-inch Widescreen WXGA+
  1440 x 900
  

Battery:

• 12 Cell Lithium-ION Battery

Keyboard & Touchpad:

• Full Size Keyboard with Separate Numeric Keypad
• Full Size Illuminated Keyboard with Separate Numeric Keypad
• Full Size Touchpad with Scroll Functionality
• Instant Access Buttons include (Internet, Email, Windows Media Player, Power DVD, Play/Pause, Skip Forward, Skip Backward)

Security:

• AlienSense Facial Recognition Software
• Biometric Fingerprint Reader
• 1 Kensington Lock Slot

Case & Chassis:

• Height: 1.7”
• Width: 15.65”
• Depth: 11.80”
• Weight: 9.5 lbs

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