Test: Alienware Aurora m9700 UK

First look

The first thing that strikes me when opening the box is the size of the laptop. This thing is hardly mobile; it is huge, especially when compared to your average 14" or 15" laptop. I would not normally consider bringing this thing to class, as I would easily use two persons worth of desk-space. Considering that it is supposed to replace a stationary computer, the statements above are reduced to minor details, as hauling it to a LAN-party is definitely much easier than it ever was with your average desktop PC.
Alienware advertises a weight of 8.5lbs (3.85 KG). My digital kitchen weight tells another story though, as the output weight is 4.15 KG. Perhaps the advertised weight is without a battery inserted. No matter the case, this thing is quite heavy.




The reviewed model sports the Alienware default colour; Saucer Silver.



Colouring schemes are also available in so called Cyborg Green and Conspiracy Blue. A non-default colouring scheme adds another 149$ to the total price. The design and colour will make even the slightest tech-geek take another gander at your awesome laptop, so the added price might be worth the cost.
The lid bears Alienware's trademark ribbed design with rubber sides. When powered up, the Alienware logo will glow with a bright blue colour. The first thing that comes to mind; carnival! Well, as always these things are a matter of personal taste. It does add a certain touch to make the laptop even more unique.
The case is crafted with a nice shiny surface emanating a style of its own. I'm fairly certain that greasy fingers are bound to appear everywhere shortly after unpacking the thing. As the shiny finish is used on all surfaces, the greasy fingers problem is even truer of the area surrounding the mouse pad.

Keyboard
The keyboard is full-size, which is a really nice feature from my point of view. The pads are soft and require minimal pressure to respond. This makes for comfortable typing.





Numerical keypad
Based on the large monitor, space has been added to the laptop, making a numerical keypad possible. This is something that I sorely miss on regular laptops, and as such this is a welcome addition. The regular keyboard and the numerical keypad do not have any space between them, making me miss the targeted key on occasion, as for instance the enter or right shift key. A small separation would have been appreciated.





Mouse pad
As mentioned earlier, the mouse is crafted in the same shiny manner as the rest of the laptop. This is a poor choice, as movement across the pad can seem somewhat restricted. As the target group of this laptop is gamers, I would think that most users would use an external mouse and never experience such problems.





Optical drive
A DVD-drive has been placed in the front of the laptop. I find this less clever than just different from other laptops. It is not of great importance however, as long as it is available when needed.

Shortcut keys
At the top of the laptop a number of shortcut keys a situated. These are activated by touch. This is a cool feature that works excellently. A blue LED lights up when your finger hits a touch-sensitive area.




The following shortcuts are available:

TV
DVD
Music
Next track
Previous track
Stop
Play/pause
Email
Internet



Sound system
The laptop has two speakers situated at the front. A small subwoofer unit is placed underneath the laptop. I've tested the sound system by playing music and movies. Playing music the sound is quite acceptable without impressing much. The subwoofer does add slightly more base than I'm accustomed to from most laptops. The sound is excellent for watching movies. Both speech and background sound is well represented. Overall the sound is very nice considering that the source is a laptop.


Screen & Battery
Two 17" options are available when choosing a screen; a WUXGA 1920 X 1200 Clearview screen, or a 1440 x 900 Clearview screen. The reviewed laptop carries the WUXGA screen. The resolution gives the user an enormous amount of desktop-space. The image is very sharp, the brightness is excellent and the general picture is very comfortable. As a gaming machine, the Clearview screen is a nice addition as it gives the illusion of an even sharper image. This kind of sheen could become a nuisance if used for everyday work in brightly lit rooms. Generally speaking a very nice screen that can easily compete with a regular TFT monitor. At the very top of lid is a 1.3 megapixel webcam. I will not go into details on the webcam though.

Battery-life
As for battery-life, it can hardly be perceived as surprising that a laptop of these proportions require a lot of power. The laptop is accompanied by a 12-cell battery. Even in power-saving mode, the two graphic cards require a lot of power. When fully charged, Windows reports slightly more than an hours worth of using the laptop. At peak operating, the battery is not expected to last more than 30 minutes. This does not appear impressive, but again one has to remember the original intention of the laptop. It is not bought for note taking at 4-hour lectures. Therefore I will not conduct any further battery tests.


Noise Level
The noise generated by the laptop is greater than what is usually experienced on laptops. The fans are operating almost constantly and are easily audible. Even in battery powered mode a lot of airflow is required to cool the machine. During gaming or benchmarking the fans revs up after just seconds. The noise is not deafening, but not very comfortable for the ear either. When playing games with music on, or while watching movies, the noise is not noticed.