Alienware M15x Gaming Notebook First Notebook to Feature Intel's Mobile Core i7 Processor, 15.4-in LCD, 1.9-in Chassis, 9-lb Weight

When it comes to PC gaming systems that are, to put it bluntly,
balls-to-the-wall fast, there's no doubting the warp-speed proclivity of
one Dell-owned subsidiary, Alienware. Alienware is known for
otherworldly high-tech creations crammed with the latest and greatest
peripherals on the market. Without remorse, these drool-worthy machines
are wafted under the noses of gamers all over the planet and a
reputation is born. While their promise earlier this week to shake the
foundations of the gaming world at this weeks Tokyo Game Show may have
been a bit overstated, their most recent introduction, the M15x Gaming
Notebook, is not.
This morning, in characteristically unabashed style, Alienware announced
that they would begin shipping the first notebook PC to be powered by
the Intel mobile Core i7 processor. The 15.4-in M15x can be fully
customized to fit the mold of even the most ardent gamers with one of
the options being the 2GHz Core i7 920XM quad-core processor. As if four
cores weren t good enough, it just so happens that this processor can
also support hyperthreading for as many as eight effective cores. And
even though its stated clock speed is lower than that of the Core 2
Extreme, it shouldn t face much of a challenge.
The Alienware Mx15 weighs in at a stout 9-lbs, due mainly to the
additional cooling fans and extended-life batteries, and sports a still
fairly thin 1.9-in thickness. As for power usage, the Intel Mobile Core
i7 sucks in a significant 55W of power in the 2GHz model, which doesn t
really fit the profile of the more streamlined notebooks that often use
a mere 35W or less to get the job done. If you are in the market for
something more svelte, you re going to have to wait. The dual-core
Arrandale line of Core i5 and i7 systems aren t expected to ship until
the end of this year or early 2010.
Completing the uber-speedy Mx15 s workup are a 1GB GeForce GTX 260M
video processor that can be upgraded to a whopping 8GB of memory, a
choice of either a 500GB HDD or a 256GB SSD and a Blu-ray drive. You
also get an Intel WiFi Link 5300 802.11AGN Half Mini Card
So how much would you be willing to pay for absolute gaming bliss? To
get started, you ll need about $1,500 to play. The base model begins
with an Intel Core i7 720QM 1.6GHz (2.8 GHz Turbo Mode, 6MB Cache)
processor. The maxed-out Intel Core i7 920XM 2.0GHz (3.2GHz Turbo Mode,
8MB Cache) version adds another $950. Head on over to www.alienware.com
to start building your own Mx15. Just make sure your wallet s prepared
to lose the weight.