Alienware M18x Series

Alienware M18x

Specifications

80% Alienware M18x (AMD Graphics) Notebook Review
Source: Laptop Mag
As the saying goes, two is always better than one, but which dual video card setup should you get on the Alienware M18x: AMD's or Nvidia's? While the AMD-powered M18x scored a little higher on the synthetic 3DMark06 test, the Nvidia-powered configuration had slightly higher frame rates in actual game play. At present, Alienware also charges $150 more for the Nvidia cards, making the AMD seem like a better value on this rig, though Nvidia has a minor edge in real-world performance. With either video card option, the Alienware M18x remains the gaming notebook to beat, if money is no object. If you don't have $4,500 laying around, the next best option is the $2,076 ASUS G73SW-A2 with its 2-GHz Intel Core i7-2630QM CPU, 16GB of RAM, Nvidia GeForce GTX 560M, and 750GB, 7,200-rpm hard drive and 160GB SSD. But if you're looking for the most powerful gaming rig in the land, stick with the Alienware M18x.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 11/11/2011
Rating: Total score: 80%

Alienware's M18x, Part 2: AMD's Radeon HD 6990M in CrossFire
Source: AnandTech
We had a hunch that NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 580M would continue to be the fastest single GPU available in notebooks, and that turned out to be accurate...mostly. In a couple of games the 580M is a slam dunk, while in others it trades blows with AMD's Radeon HD 6990M.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 10/14/2011

80% Alienware M18x Notebook review
Source: PC Advisor
If you’re looking for a proper desktop replacement -- replacing a gaming desktop, that is -- the Alienware M18x is undoubtedly the notebook to pick. It’s massive and has a price tag that’s painful, but its performance is almost unparalleled.
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 09/22/2011
Rating: Total score: 80%

85% Alienware M18x gaming notebook
Source: Good Gear Guide
The Alienware M18x is a desktop replacement notebook in the truest sense — it’s powerful enough to replace a desktop workstation, but it’s also as big and as heavy as a desktop PC. The Alienware M18x is, for a laptop, incredibly powerful. It’s also incredibly bulky, incredibly heavy, and incredibly expensive. It’s just an incredible machine.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 09/16/2011
Rating: Total score: 85%

80% Alienware M18X review
Source: Techradar
Essentially, if you're not a hardcore gamer, there is no reason to spend this kind of money. But if you want the best mobile gaming experience around, this is what you should be looking at.
Single Review, online available, Very Short, Date: 09/12/2011
Rating: Total score: 80%

80% Dell Alienware M18x 18.4in gaming notebook
Source: Reg Hardware
The M18x lives up to expectations. It feels lovingly crafted around gamers' needs, combining superlative design, build quality, aesthetics and scalable power. But it comes at a cost. The review model's price compares reasonably well to other gaming laptops, but component upgrades incur a luxury brand tax, with the top spec costing close to £5k. The real issue, however, is one of positioning. The extra size, weight and power consumption required by the dual graphics cards pushes it into competition with much cheaper desktops. For all it's gaming power, that's one contest the M18x can't win.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 09/02/2011
Rating: Total score: 80%

Alienware M18x Review – even aliens use gaming notebooks
Source: Gaming Rig
For a gaming notebook of its size the Alienware M18x delivers huge amounts of raw power with the build quality and high end components we’ve grown accustomed to from Alienware. Starting with pure performance and moving all the way to the multimedia or desktop replacement sector, the M18x doesn’t disappoint.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 08/01/2011

80% Alienware M18x Review
Source: Stuff TV
In gaming parlance, the M18x is a big bundle of win. However, the specced-up model we tested is expensive, and configuring it with a lower spec lessens its appeal drastically. You can spend half as much on a laptop which will perform three quarters as well and look four fifths as good. For most of us, the numbers don't add up. But if money isn’t an issue and you want the best, this is it.
Single Review, online available, Very Short, Date: 05/29/2011
Rating: Total score: 80%

70% Alienware M18x 18.4-Inch Gaming Laptop Computer
Source: Comp Reviews
Alienware's latest gaming laptop comes in the form of the larger than life 18.4-inch M18x system that features a 1920 x 1080 full HD display. Unfortunately, the base M18x is somewhat underwhelming for the price with only 4GB of memory, a small 320GB hard drive, and an average NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460M 1.5GB graphics card.
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 05/07/2011
Rating: Total score: 70%

100% Alienware M18x Laptop Review
Source: Hardwareheaven
Where to start with the M18x? Well it probably has to be the size... this system is a desktop replacement without doubt and has a significant weight to it thanks to the tough, metal outer shell and large display with high end components/cooling inside. These factors do count towards build quality in a positive way though because the M18x feels well build, looks great and has an epic feel to the screen.
Single Review, online available, Very Long, Date: 04/19/2011
Rating: Total score: 100% price: 80% performance: 100% workmanship: 100%

92% Crossfire-Notebook Alienware M18x
Source: PC Games Hardware - 8/11
Comparison, , Length Unknown, Date: 07/01/2011
Rating: Total score: 92% performance: 94% features: 95%

Alienware M18x
Source: Notebookjournal DE→EN
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 06/06/2011
Rating: performance: 80% features: 50% display: 70% mobility: 80% workmanship: 90% ergonomy: 50%

84% Test Alienware M18x Notebook
Source: Notebookcheck DE→EN
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 06/01/2011
Rating: Total score: 84% performance: 99% display: 82% mobility: 60% workmanship: 90% ergonomy: 87% emissions: 78%

Alienware M18x
Source: HardwareLuxx DE→EN
Positive: workmanship, performance, software package, sound quality, fan control; negative: heavy and bulky, dark display with low contrast
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 12/21/2011

Звезда Смерти: тест ноутбука Alienware M18x c двумя AMD Radeon 6970M
Source: 3DNews.ru RU→EN
expensive, fast, not mobile
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 12/14/2011

80% Alienware M18x
Source: Laptopworld.dk DA→EN
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 06/27/2011
Rating: Total score: 80%

Alienware M18x
Source: Itsvet HR→EN
fantastic quality but expensive
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 10/10/2011

Alienware M18x (GTX 580M SLI, 2920XM)

Specifications

100% Alienware M18x R1 - Über Beast
Source: notebookforums.com
The anodized aluminum chassis is built like a brick house. There is no other high performance laptop that runs as well. It overclocks like a dream and it can be upgraded about as easily as a desktop computer.
Single Review, online available, Very Short, Date: 12/03/2012
Rating: Total score: 100% performance: 100% features: 100% display: 100% workmanship: 100% ergonomy: 100%

Dell Alienware M18x – Review
Source: Gadgetmix
Ability to play the newest games at maximum settings and resolution is probably to be expected for over 4000 euros, and all in all the Alienware is about as future-proof a notebook as money can buy. So what is there to complain about with? Lack of Firewire? Not really. Perhaps the price. Amazon sells nicely loaded Dell Alienware M18X laptop with case for $2,349.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 11/28/2011

Alienware M18x Gaming Notebook: Tale of Two GPUs
Source: Hot Hardware
The Alienware M18x is a notebook built for gaming and performance enthusiasts, plain and simple. This isn't a machine designed to strike a balance in power efficiency or portability by any means. Dell's Alienware division apparently built the M18x with one mission in mind--to deliver the best possible gaming and multimedia experience available in a self-contained, "desktop replacement" form-factor.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 10/04/2011

80% Alienware M18x Review
Source: Laptop Mag
To paraphrase Samuel L. Jackson in Jackie Brown, if you absolutely, positively need to kill everyone at the LAN party, accept no substitutes. If you can only afford one GPU, the $3,300 M17x is a better option, but its chassis can only accommodate a single graphics card. But if you can swing for two GPUs, then the M18x is the way to go. From power to weight to price, this notebook simply has more--the most--of everything.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 08/29/2011
Rating: Total score: 80%

90% Alienware M18x
Source: Techreview Source
With the highest configuration, gaming performance was simply outstanding at the highest graphics setting for all of the games tested. It is definitely the best-performing laptop that we've tested to date, thanks to the amazing specifications and uncommon SLI-graphics setup. Battery life, as you can expect, with the Alienware M18x is rather poor compared with all other laptops at about 1.5 hours, so you'll definitely want to stay near a power source if you do any portability.
Single Review, online available, Very Short, Date: 08/17/2011
Rating: Total score: 90%

80% Alienware M18x Intel Core i7 2630QM 2.0GHz (2.8GHz w/Turbo Boost, 6MB Cache)
Source: CNet
While 17-inch desktop replacement laptops with decent gaming performance are easy to find, if not exactly common, to truly move into the realm of mobile home entertainment center, there's nothing like an even-larger 18-inch screen. Alienware again pushes the boundaries of laptop performance (and price) with high-end parts and a great-for-gaming 18-inch screen.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 08/16/2011
Rating: Total score: 80% performance: 90% mobility: 70%

Alienware M18x (GTX 580M SLI)
Source: Notebookjournal DE→EN
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 10/17/2011
Rating: performance: 90% features: 70% display: 70% mobility: 70% workmanship: 90% ergonomy: 50%

88% Test Alienware M18x (GTX 580M SLI, 2920XM) Notebook
Source: Notebookcheck DE→EN
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 09/06/2011
Rating: Total score: 88% performance: 99% display: 82% mobility: 59% workmanship: 90% ergonomy: 87% emissions: 88%

デル ALIENWARE M18xの簡易レビュー
Source: The Hikaku JA→EN
Single Review, online available, Very Short, Date: 03/12/2012

Alienware M18x, 6990M

Specifications

80% Dell Alienware M18x
Source: 01Net FR→EN
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 01/09/2012
Rating: Total score: 80%

Alienware M18x, i7-2960XM, GTX 580M SLI

Specifications

80% Alienware M18x
Source: PC Mag
When it comes to portable gaming, Alienware delivers the goods. The M18x not only offers world-class performance, it does it with style and excellent build quality. Granted, you'll have to open the vault to afford this beauty, but you'll get your money's worth in terms of features, screen real estate, storage, and raw horsepower. You may want to consider hiring a roadie if you'll be taking this beast out on the road, and you won't get much playing time between battery charges, but if you're serious about gaming, the Alienware M18x is the current king of the hill and our new Editors' Choice for gaming laptops.
Single Review, online available, Very Short, Date: 03/14/2012
Rating: Total score: 80%

Dell Alienware M18x
Source: Dinside NO→EN
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 01/19/2012

Alienware M18x R2

Specifications

Test: Alienware M18x R2 - Gaming at its be(a)st
Source: HardwareLuxx DE→EN
Single Review, online available, Very Long, Date: 08/09/2012

Alienware M18x R2, GTX 680M SLI, Core i7-3820QM

Specifications

Alienware M18x R2 Gaming Laptop: Dual GPUs Attack
Source: Hot Hardware
Straight and to the point, if you're looking for a no-compromises desktop replacement, the Alienware M18x R2 has your name written all over it in big, bold, neon letters. This is the system to get if you don't care about trivial things like portability (it weighs 12 pounds, after all), price (and costs around $4,400), and battery life (dual GPUs...'nuff said).
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 10/29/2012

90% Alienware M18x R2
Source: Techreview Source
The Alienware M18x R2 is definitely one powerhouse of a computer. It has a fantastic 1080p display, top-of-the-class performance and good battery life. While quite expensive, it makes a great gaming laptop and will handle anything you throw at it.
Single Review, online available, Very Short, Date: 10/08/2012
Rating: Total score: 90%

Alienware M18x R2 Notebook Review: NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 680M in SLI
Source: AnandTech
As I mentioned in the conclusion of my review of the Alienware M17x R4, there are no points awarded for repetition. The original M18x was good but not perfect, and simply repeating the design instead of at least iterating it isn't going to somehow result in a better review. I think for the most part the shell does work; the aluminum is attractive and however you feel about Alienware's aesthetics, it's at least distinctive and feels sturdier than competing notebooks from Clevo.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 09/28/2012

100% Alienware M18x R2 Review
Source: Laptop Mag
Each year, Alienware keeps outdoing itself in terms of performance, and this year's M18x R2 is no different. Its dual Nvidia GPUs, dual SSDs and gorgeous 1080p display put the M18x in a class by itself. The customizable lighting and booming audio just add to the fun. If you have the means, this gaming notebook is absolute perfection.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 08/31/2012
Rating: Total score: 100%

Extraterrestrisch – 17-Zoll-Gamer mit Nvidia GTX-680M-Grafik
Source: Notebookjournal DE→EN
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 11/04/2012
Rating: performance: 85% features: 50% display: 30% mobility: 70% workmanship: 60% ergonomy: 70%

Comment

Alienware: Alienware is an American computer hardware company and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Dell. It mainly assembles for high-performance gaming. Alienware also offers for sale rebadged laptops and computer peripherals, such as headsets, computer mice, monitors and keyboards. Alienware was founded in 1996. The corporate headquarters is located in Florida. Alienware established its EMEA (Europe, the Middle East, and Africa) headquarters in Ireland, in 2002. 2005, Alienware brought in upwards of $170 million USD in annual sales and launched an international in 2003 with a presence in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Costa Rica. The international market share is limited.

Alienware reviews

These graphics cards are able to play the latest and most demanding games in high resolutions and full detail settings with enabled Anti-Aliasing.

AMD Radeon HD 6970M Crossfire: Two HD 6970M graphics card in Crossfire mode (also sometimes called 6970M X2). The gaming performance is usually a bit lower than a similar Nvidia SLI system due to comparatively worse driver support.

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M SLI:

AMD Radeon HD 6990M Crossfire: Two HD 6990M graphics card in Crossfire mode (also frequently referred to as HD 6990M CF).

AMD Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire: Two HD 7970M graphics card in Crossfire mode (also frequently referred to as HD 7970M CF).

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680M SLI: High-end SLI-setup of two GeForce GTX 680M, based on the Kepler-architecture and manufactured in 28nm.

» Further information can be found in our Comparison of Mobile Graphics Cards and the corresponding Benchmark List.

Intel Core i7: The Intel Core i7 for laptops is based on the LG1156 Core i5/i7 CPU for desktops. The base clock speed of the CPUs is relatively low, but because of a huge Turbo mode, the cores can dynamically overclock to up to 3.2 GHz (920XM). Therefore, the CPU can be as fast as high clocked dual-core CPUs (using single threaded applications) but still offer the advantage of 4 cores. Because of the large TDP of 45 W / 55 W, the CPU is only intended for large laptops.  

2920XM: Fastest mobile Quad-core processor in Q1 2011 based on the Sandy Bridge architecture with an integrated graphics card and dual-channel DDR3 memory controller. 

2960XM:

3920XM: Fastest Ivy Bridge mobile CPU (and fastest mobile CPU at all) at the time of arrival (April 2012) and clocked at 2.9 GHz with Turbo Boost support up to 3.8 GHz. Offers an integrated HD Graphics 4000 GPU running at 650-1300 MHz on a dual channel DDR3 memory controller. Compared to the other quad-core it features a 10W higher TDP of 55W.

3820QM: An Ivy Bridge-based quad-core processor clocked at 2.7 GHz with Turbo Boost support up to 3.7 GHz. Offers an integrated HD Graphics 4000 GPU running at 650-1250 MHz on a dual channel DDR3 memory controller.

18.4: 18 inch display size is a rare and very big size for desktop-replacement laptops. Laptops with 18 inch displays did not exist before 2008. The DTR-laptops can't be carried easily, need much energy but on the other side texts can be read easily and high resolutions are no problem. DTR mainly are intended for stationary usage on desks, where the weight and the energy need are unimportant.

» To find out how fine a display is, see our DPI List.

5.4 kg:

This laptop is heavy. Especially desktop replacements with 19 inch display fit in this class of weight. This class is too heavy, even for 17 inch DTR.

5.7 kg:

85.35%: This is a good rating above average. Nevertheless you should not forget, that 10-15% of all notebook-models get a better rating.

» Further information can be found in our Notebook Purchase Guide.

Notebooks with the same GPU

Laptops with Same Screen Size and/or Weight

Notebooks from the same Manufacturer