November 27th, 2007
The BIG Alienware m9750 review
I don’t spend anywhere near as much time gaming as I’d like to. Part of this is down to being busy, but a bigger factor is the fact that I have to be sitting at my desk, and that feels an awful lot like work even when it’s not. Is there a way to be able to spend some quality time gaming without being tied to a desk?
Check out the m9750 screenshot gallery
Introducing the m9750
A few weeks ago Alienware sent me an m9750 for review. The m9750 is their flagship gaming notebook and it comes equipped with Intel T7600 CPU delivering 2.33GHz and has 2GB of 667MHz DDR2 RAM fitted. There’s also no hard drive in this puppy – storage is in the form of a 64GB solid state drive, which not only means excellent performance, but also low power consumption. Onto this 32-bit Windows Vista Home Premium has been installed. Now when it comes to graphics, Alienware have spared no expense in packing the best possible components into the m9750 - the stunning 17” Wide Screen WUXGA 1920 x 1200 Clearview screen is powered by dual 512MB nVIDIA GeForce Go 7950 GTX GDDR3 cards.
On the audio front the m9750 is equipped with 7.1 channel system and comes with all the connections jacks you’d expect, including surround sound speakers and a TOSlink optical port. The system comes with both A/B/G wireless and gigabit wired network support, Bluetooth support, 56K V.92 modem, 4 USB 2.0 ports, Express Card slot, Firewire and a 4-in-1 memory card reader supporting SD, MS, MS Pro and MMC. Games are loaded onto the system via an 8x Dual Layer CD-RW/DVD±RW with LightScribe labeling technology.
Another nice feature of the m9750 is the full-size keyboard with numeric pad, which is a real boost for gamers. There’s also a touchpad with scroll functionality and a media touch strip offering instant access to specific applications. Finally, there’s an integrated 1.3 megapixel camera built into the frame of the LCD panel.
The system specified above will set you back $4,174 (the Alienware m9750 starts at $1,699).
Hands-on with the m9750
The first thing that struck me about the Alienware m9750 is just how robust it feels. The notebook measures 1.5″ thick (the funky Alienware design on the lid adding to the thickness) by 15.65″ wide by 11.75″ deep and weighs in at a hefty 9 lbs. The material Alienware have chosen for the casing feels slightly rubbery to the touch and is a matte black called Stealth Black, which, in my opinion is far superior to shiny material which picks up and then highlights every fingerprint and speck of dirt (fingerprints on the m9750 is still stand out, just nowhere near as bad as they do on a shiny surface).
Open the lid on the m9750 and you’re faced with the spectacular 17” wide screen LCD display capable of delivering screen resolutions of 1920 x 1200. Initially the screen looks like a lot of real estate for a notebook, and it is, but once you start gaming it becomes clear that a large screen makes gaming a more immersive experience.
Everything feels well laid out on the m9750. At the front you have the DVD drive, on the right-hand side there’s a volume control wheel, audio ports and a single USB port, while on the left-hand side there are two more USB ports, a Firewire port, Ethernet port, memory card slot and an Express Card slot. On the back are two video outputs (one VGA and one DVI), the modem port, the final USB port and a coaxial, S-Video in and audio in ports. At the back is also the exhaust ports for cooling (more on these later).
Design wise, the m9750 is what we have come to expect from Alienware - it has the glowing alien head and ribbed design on the lid. You’ll either love this or you won’t.
Next –>
Adrian is a technology journalist and author who has devoted over a decade to helping users get the most from technology. He also runs a popular blog called The PC Doctor. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations
Want to get in touch? Got a tip? Feel free to drop me a note! I ALWAYS respect anonymity. I'm also on Twitter (@the_pc_doc)
Right to Reply: Should any industry representatives wish to comment on any posts on Hardware 2.0, I will be happy to publish their reply verbatim on this blog.
Subscribe to Hardware 2.0 via Email alerts or RSS.
