Features & Specifications
The m15x I am testing here features a 15.4-inch WideUXGA with a resolution of 1920 x 1200. The system uses Alienware's exclusive AlienFX system lighting that allows for customization of virtually every light on the notebook. Video muscle comes from a single NVIDIA GeForce 8800M GTX video card with 512MB of RAM.

The CPU in my test machine is an Intel Core 2 Duo T9300 at 2.5GHz featuring a 6MB cache and an 800 MHz FSB. The system uses 4GB of DDR2 RAM at 667MHz. The main storage for the m15x is a 500GB 5,400 RPM internal hard drive and my system offers an additional 500GB 5400 RPM Smart Bay hard drive for additio9nal storage.

The optical drive also uses the Smart Bay and on my test machine was a 2x DL Blu-ray burner. Integrated Wi-Fi is via Intel Wireless 4965 a/b/g/n and the internal sound card offers surround sound capability. The keyboard is backlit on the computer as well. As tested the MSRP for the Alienware m15x was $3949, but the system starts at $1499.

In Use
The first thing I noticed about the m15x was the fantastic paint quality. The paint looks like something you would find on a high-end car. The case on my test unit was the Ripley design in silver. I very much like the subdued look of the case compared to some past Alienware systems I have tested.

The AlienFX lighting system on the m15x is all kinds of cool. With AlienFX lighting system you can choose form a ton of colors for the keyboard backlighting, the eyes of the alien head on the top of the notebook lid, the light surrounding the touchpad, Alienware logo, and even the lights for the indicators above the keyboard can be custom colored to your liking or mood. Each light can have its own color as well.

When it comes to gaming most gamers want the largest screen they can get so higher resolutions are available to make games look better. The problem on a notebook is those larger screens severely hamper the portability of the notebook. To remedy this Alienware offers optional 1920 x 1200 resolution on the m15x. The screen is absolutely luscious on the m15x. Image quality is fantastic and among the best I have ever seen on a notebook. Colors are deep and bright, skin tones are dead on, and there are no issues with smearing or tearing of images. The high resolution allows you to watch Blu-ray movies via the Blu-ray player in full 1080p.

The gaming prowess of the m15x is courtesy of the speedy CPU and NVIDIA graphics used in the machine. On 3DMark06, the m15x scored 8964 3Dmarks at default settings and a resolution of 1024 x 768, a great performance for a notebook. On PCMark Vantage, the system scored 3572 PC Marks at the same 1024 x 768 resolution.

The keyboard on the m15x is great. The typing feel it offers reminds me of the Logitech Illuminated Keyboard I typically work on. Needless to say, typing feel is great and the backlit keyboard is very welcome and something that you still don’t commonly find on a notebook.

The onboard sound system is the biggest area of complaint I have with the m15x. The system simply doesn't offer enough volume for comfortable movie watching. Volume levels are so low that watching movies or streamed TV shows from online is hard to do because of the low volume offered.