Black Alienware ANW17-7493SLV 17.3 inches Laptop Review

Got my 17 R2 yesterday and have been enjoying setting it up. I first dumped the platter HD to a new M.2 512Gig hard drive to give the machine more in terms of HD performance. They should provide an option for this HD setup first, then add platters later. Dell often doesn't get the enthusiast market very well. But they do make machines nicely future proof, and this is a good example. A total of 5 HDs could be installed here. 5! That's amazing. Plus the external video setup so future games won't bring the video card to it's knees. Though the 980 will probably stand the test of time extremely well. My last Alienware M17x R2 lasted over 6 years, and I didn't have the top of the line video in it. So I'd expect this new 17 to really take a beating and keep going.

Pros:
- It's Alienware :)
- 5 HD bays
- Included software is nice without over-kill (no other crapware other than Alienware tools!)
- Very configurable
- Quiet, even under load. Fans... Read more

I've had my share of experiences with various "gaming" laptop and desktops and this has to be one of the best ones out there. The biggest draw in was the price. Alienware? for the PRICE? Ironically, the once outrageously expensive gaming laptop computer company is now one of the best price per performance contender. i7 4710hq gtx 980m 1080p 17" ips display rgb keyboard 1th 5400hdd + 128gb mssd all for $1850. The closest thing is a clevo branded laptop. Every other brand is at the very minimum $2000. So, how is it? Does it feel cheap? or Premium? As you can see by the 5 stars, it's obviously the latter.

The build is VERY solid. Excluding the touch pad and the Keyboard, the inside is mostly a rubber coating material. The drawback is that it's pretty easy to stain and noticeable in bright light. The benefit is that it's super comfy. I much prefer it to the metal hardness found in my previous macbooks. The keyboard is also another huge plus. Great tactical feedback... Read more

The following is my preliminary impressions. With many products, the long-term experience is more important than first impressions, and this is certainly true of computer equipment. So, as with all my reviews, I will update this review as my experience with the unit grows.

This is an impressive gaming laptop. It is artfully designed to look like something off an alien ship in a sci-fi movie. When you turn it on, there are blue lights around the edges, and more importantly, backlights for the keyboard and track pad (a thoughtful touch for gaming often done in dark rooms).

The gaming specs are equally impressive - for graphics, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M with 4GB GDDR5 - processor is Intel i7-4710HQ - memory is 16GB Dual Channel DDR3L 1600MHz. This should handle just about any game with ease, and with excellent performance. (Some feedback on specific games will come in the next update.)

The large 17-inch screen is HD resolution (1920x1080) and since it... Read more