|
Alienware Aurora m9700 17-inch Notebook
Introduction
"There once was a man from Nantucket. He didn't... he didn't need an Alienware laptop." - Oscar Wilde on the Alienware Aurora m9700 So the conversation goes like this: Kurtis calls me and asks me if I want a laptop. Sure, I say. He follows up with It's an Alienware. It cost four grand. Gears spin. I can take this laptop, this $4,000 laptop, hock it on eBay, buy a real laptop, and a car. What? What do you mean they want it back? I'm supposed to review it? Damn. ...When I think laptop, I think portable computing. I want to be able to check some mail, sync some music, and basically, go a long time out of the house without worrying about where I'm going to find a free outlet. I'm also the sort who uses a laptop for work, not games, and would rather spend my gaming budget on a capable desktop. But I understand wanting a laptop that can game, I've done the LAN party deal for posterity. I also understand the appeal of the desktop replacement: a quiet computer that takes up almost no space is something most everyone agrees with. But this is a beast from a different kingdom. You take a 24" resolution, shrunk to fit a 17" display. You run it off not one, but two gaming video cards. You stuff it to the gills with RAM, stripe two high-speed hard drives into a massive RAID, connect all of it to a top-fuel processor, hide it under a keyboard--granted, a full-size keyboard with a numpad--and attempt to classify it as a laptop? No sir, this is a semi-portable desktop. The power supply should identify the difference in order alone. I thought I might take the power brick and throw it through a window, or try and get a few more and build college-grade shelving with them, as much as it resembled its moniker. I have to assume that cost is not an issue, right? I mean, anyone who wants this kind of extravagance is going to walk away with it no matter what. Price/performance analysis goes right out the window. So I have to find new and interesting ways to criticize this cobalt metal-flake show of force. Because of my perception of the function of laptops, I partly expect to hate it. I kind of changed my mind...
Page 1: Introduction
Page 2: First Looks Page 3: Test Setup Page 4: Testing - HL2 Episode 1 Page 5: Testing - F.E.A.R. Page 6: Testing - Company of Heroes Page 7: Testing - Prey Page 8: Testing - Need for Speed Most Wanted Page 9: Testing - 3DMark 06 Page 10: Performance Summary Page 11: Performance Summary, Continued... Page 12: Conclusion 
Related Reviews Add Comment
3 User Comments 1 - Posted by
mjsmom
on July 27, 2007 - 10:07 pm My non-tech comments. . .just browsing your articles today. . .would love to have a laptop, any laptop. . .keep writing. . .I'm loving it. gm
2 - Posted by
Kurtis
on July 28, 2007 - 2:09 am Thanks for the kind words, mjsmom. :)
3 - Posted by
Bloodylip
on August 23, 2009 - 3:44 pm I want but can't afford.
Add Comment To add a comment without being a member, you may omit the password field, but you must enter your name (or nickname) along with your comment. * Denotes required fields. |
Recent Articles Editorials August 27, 2009
Editorials August 18, 2009
Editorials March 3, 2009
Editorials February 12, 2009
Recent News Inside Bay Area Jan. 29, 2010 - 12:08 am
Ars Technica Jan. 28, 2010 - 11:58 pm
Develop Online Jan. 27, 2010 - 11:48 pm
Rock Paper Shotgun Jan. 27, 2010 - 11:31 pm
Tom's Hardware Jan. 27, 2010 - 11:23 pm
Rock Paper Shotgun Jan. 26, 2010 - 11:56 pm
MSNBC Jan. 25, 2010 - 10:54 pm
cnet Jan. 25, 2010 - 10:27 pm
CNN Jan. 18, 2010 - 11:47 pm
|
|||||||||||||||
