Alienware M18x R2 Notebook Review: NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 680M in SLI
by Dustin Sklavos on September 28, 2012 12:01 AM ESTConclusion: Go Big or Go Home
As I mentioned in the conclusion of my review of the Alienware M17x R4, there are no points awarded for repetition. The original M18x was good but not perfect, and simply repeating the design instead of at least iterating it isn't going to somehow result in a better review. I think for the most part the shell does work; the aluminum is attractive and however you feel about Alienware's aesthetics, it's at least distinctive and feels sturdier than competing notebooks from Clevo. Bonus points also to the cooling system, which does a solid job of keeping the internals from roasting.
If we take the repeated chassis design out of the equation, we're faced with an amusingly unique problem that I haven't really seen in a notebook before: too much graphics power. The GK104-based GTX 680M is so good at its job that for notebook users who are going to be limited to a 1080p resolution, there's very little reason or need to add a second one. In fact, only Battlefield 3 seems to really benefit from the second GPU; everything else was already butter smooth on just one. It's a silly thing to complain about until you realize the Alienware M18x R2 costs an arm and a leg.
But wait, it gets better. Because the pair of GTX 680Ms are limited by both the resolution and by the CPU, even a relatively pricey upgrade like the i7-3820QM actually becomes borderline inadequate. Consider what that means when an i7-3610QM was perfectly fine support for a GTX 675M or 680M, when historically upgrading past the entry level quad core in a notebook has been a fairly questionable value proposition. If you simply must have the fastest gaming notebook you can find, the M18x R2 is going to be it, but the upgrades are all ridiculously expensive and amusingly, if you want the most out of your purchase you're not going to be able to cut corners. You can save $250 by not having Alienware overclock the CPU for you and do it yourself, but you're still going to want to spend the $900 upgrade cost to get the i7-3920XM just to keep your disgustingly powerful graphics subsystem from being curtailed by the CPU.
I'll level with you: the Alienware M18x R2 is a notebook for people with more money than sense. Bleeding edge hardware has always cost a pretty penny, but while I could produce a corner case need for the original M18x, the M18x R2 just isn't necessary for even the most die hard mobile gamer. A single GTX 680M is screamingly fast on its own and well paired with an Ivy Bridge CPU, making the M17x R4 a better choice in almost every way. If you really, really want the absolute fastest notebook money can buy then by all means, and you just absolutely hate having money, shell out for the M18x R2. But if you want a premium gaming notebook and aren't interested in setting your money on fire to get it, a single-GPU solution like the M17x R4 or iBuyPower's Valkyrie CZ-17 is going to suit you far better.
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DarthPierce - Friday, September 28, 2012 - link
I have a hard time believing a samsung series 7 with 3615QM and gt 650M is getting scores 4x higher than a 3720M with raid 0 SSDs and SLI GTX680s. (22890 vs 5542)If those scores are real, why aren't they explained?
Dustin Sklavos - Friday, September 28, 2012 - link
Quick Sync can dramatically bloat certain scores.Freakie - Friday, September 28, 2012 - link
"...but if you absolutely must have the most performance you can cram in a notebook, pricetag be damned, obviously this is the way to go."I don't know, I'd probably go with a Clevo P370EM over this... especially since I can configure a Sager one $800 cheaper and not have to worry about voiding my warranty if I want to apply my own paste xP Though anyone dropping this kind of money on a mobile gaming rig can more than chose whatever brand they want xP
GTRagnarok - Friday, September 28, 2012 - link
Repasting an AW doesn't void the warranty. I might consider a Clevo if they put more thought into certain things, like the keyboard for instance. They cheap out and use the same keyboards on their 15" and 17" laptops. You end up with a pretty pathetic keyboard for a 17". And bad layout aside, the AW keys are just way nicer.Meaker10 - Friday, September 28, 2012 - link
The cooling just does not compare either.SlyNine - Friday, September 28, 2012 - link
When I had my XPS studio 16 one of the guys ( after getting to know my ability alittle better) said it would be fine to change the thermal paste, He even suggested it might help it throttle less.I wonder if these suffer from any throttling issues?
bennyg - Saturday, September 29, 2012 - link
"Pricetag be damned" then every point you mention is about price or warranty.AW is also one of the very, very few who bother to get GPU switching working (and well) on their big gaming rigs, while the 2.5-3 hrs I get on my Clevo P150HM is good enough for me (and didn't justify the premium commanded by AW) the AW have always been better on that front ever since they got a 9400M integrated working alongside the SLI'ed 9800Ms a number of years ago. I think that was even before Nvidia brought out Optimus?
PCMerlin - Friday, September 28, 2012 - link
Open article.WUXGA or better screen?
No.
Close article.
KineticHummus - Friday, September 28, 2012 - link
you missed a step. forgot to add in making a worthless commentDustin Sklavos - Friday, September 28, 2012 - link
1920x1200 is dead. Get over it.