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Alienware Aurora m9700 (discontinued)

Entered CNET Catalog: 05/10/2006

SKU: PC-LT-AURORA-M-9700:SKU-DEFAULT

Manufacturer: Alienware Corporation

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Manufacturer's description
Product summary
CNET editors' review
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Manufacturer description

The m9700 is the first and only 17" dual-graphics card system giving you up to a 100% increase in graphics performance over single graphics card systems. Enough power to pump out games at the highest resolutions without butchering your frame rate, and mobile enough to pick up and move closer to your next victim. Even if it's just to watch him squirm. Having only one fighting style breed weakness, diversity is the key. The m9700 gives you two hard drives, allowing you to choose blazing loading speeds and double the space to record up to 125 hours of television programming with RAID 0 or the impenetrable defense of the mirrored settings and enhanced data backup of RAID 1. In-flight movie sucks and the guy next to you can't seem to stop talking long enough to eat his peanuts? Load up your favorite DVD, plug in your headphones and engulf yourself in the widescreen 17" Clearview display. Need proof you played a LAN match next to a guy in homemade full-plate armor? Frame the perfect shot and share the live feed with your friends with the built-in 1.3 megapixel tilting video camera. Never miss the crouch key again. While your fellow gamers are rubbing out hand cramps from fumbling on cell-phone-size keyboards, you can keep up to speed with the m9700's full-size keyboard and numeric pad. Make it loud and get to the good parts with complete media control. The volume control knob and system control buttons eliminate the need for on-screen menus. Now you can cut to your favorite scenes and rattle windows without interrupting your experience.

Product summary

The good: SLI graphics provide solid frame rates; loads of drive space; integrated TV tuner; mouse and remote included; comfy keyboard with number pad; beautiful 17-inch wide-screen display.

The bad The bad: Dual-core CPUs aren't offered; performance is very good but not great; glossy finish on touch pad makes it less than comfortable to use; glossy screen prone to glare.

The bottom line: The Alienware Aurora m9700 packs a wallop with dual SLI graphics, two hard drives, an integrated TV tuner, and a gorgeous 17-inch wide-screen display, but we expected its performance to knock us out instead of merely leaving us weak in the knees.

Average user rating: from 36 users

2.5 stars

CNET editors' review

Editors' Choice: No
Reviewed on: 06/29/2006

With its acquisition of Alienware earlier this year, we've been wondering how Dell was going to keep its high-end XPS line separate and distinct from Alienware's luxurious offerings. The Aurora m9700 certainly makes a bold statement for the Alienware brand, serving up components not offered on its Dell counterpart, the XPS M1710, including an AMD processor, dual-SLI graphics, dual hard drives, and an integrated TV tuner. Like the M1710, the Alienware Aurora m9700 features a 17-inch wide-screen display and a black-and-glossy-silver exterior. Admittedly, we had high hopes for this $3,881 laptop, which is the first 17-inch SLI laptop we've reviewed; the only other SLI laptop to have graced CNET Labs to date, the 19-inch Eurocom M590K Emperor, owns claim to the fastest frame rates we've seen on our 3D gaming benchmarks. The Aurora m9700 didn't quite meet our lofty expectations: though its performance is among the best in its class, it failed to set records. Still, we give Alienware credit for squeezing so much into a 17-inch laptop and doing so with such style. Mobile gamers and multimedia aficionados with deep pockets won't be disappointed.

Compared to Eurocom's rickety Emperor, which struggles against its great weight, the Aurora m9700 feels sturdy and well crafted. The small alien head that glows blue on the top of the laptop makes it clear to others at any LAN party that you are toting Alienware hardware. The rubber grips on the hood don't serve any real purpose, but they do contribute to the Aurora m9700's ominous visage. Measuring 15.5 inches wide, by 11.7 inches deep, and 1.8 inches at its thickest, and weighing 9.4 pounds, the Aurora m9700 rests comfortably in the desktop-replacement category. It's 0.6 pound heavier than the XPS M1710, but the two laptops share nearly the same dimensions. The Aurora m9700's three-prong AC adapter is huge, weighing in at 2.3 pounds.

Above the 17-inch wide-screen display sits a 1.3-megapixel Webcam for video chats. The display itself is bright and crisp; our review unit included the upgrade to the Wide Ultra XGA screen, with a 1,920x1,200 native resolution. It has a glossy coating that makes movies and games shine, but like any such display, it's easily smudged and prone to distracting reflections. It's not ideal if you plan to use the Aurora m9700 as a mobile workstation vs. an entertainment device for gaming, movies, and TV. That's too bad because beneath the display rests a full-size keyboard. It's very comfortable to use, especially given the wide wrist rest. There's also a separate number pad, a feature the Dell XPS M1710 lacks. As much as we like the keyboard, we're less enthralled with the touch pad. It's coated with the same glossy finish as the rest of the chassis, which is good for the overall appearance but not so good for actually moving the cursor around. Your finger doesn't glide across the surface as easily as it would on a typical touch pad with a matte finish. Below the touch pad is a single bar for left and right mouse buttons; it's as wide as the touch pad, forcing you to reach for the right mouse button.

Thankfully, Alienware throws in a mouse. And not just any mouse, but Logitech's excellent G5 Laser Mouse, complete with weights to get the precise feel gamers demand. Since the Aurora m9700 will be anchored on a desk and not frequently toted around, you'll find yourself using the mouse more than the touch pad. Because our review unit included the Media Center OS and a single-tuner TV tuner, it also came with a Media Center remote, which lets you access and control your music, videos, photos, and TV from across the room.

Ports and slots abound on the Aurora m9700. USB 2.0 ports are conveniently located on the left and right sides of the system, letting gamers connect their mouse on the side of their preferred trigger finger. There are four USB 2.0 ports in total along with one four-pin FireWire port. In addition to the standard headphone and mic jacks, there are three audio ports for front, center, and rear surround-sound channels. Video ports include VGA, DVI, S-Video (in and out), and coax, courtesy of the TV tuner. Next to the ExpressCard slot, a 4-in-1 media card reader supports SD, MMC, Memory Stick, and Memory Stick Pro formats. For networking, there are modem and Gigabit Ethernet jacks and integrated Wi-Fi (b/g) and Bluetooth.

A double-layer DVD burner resides front and center; this reviewer prefers its placement along the laptop's front edge vs. the traditional spot along one of the sides (see the video for another editor's differing opinion). On either side of the burner are the speakers, which offer rich sound for an integrated set. We wouldn't want to listen to music or a feature-length film with them, but they suffice for Web audio and video and even casual gaming. We greatly appreciate the volume dial along the system's right side, but we pine for a Wi-Fi on/off switch.

At $3,881, our Aurora m9700 review unit almost doubles the $1,999 starting price. Though our review system features the highest processor offered, the AMD Turion 64 ML-44, it's a single-core model. At this price, we want the option for a dual-core CPU, either an Intel Core Duo or a new Turion 64 X2. Working alongside the CPU on the Nvidia Mobile SLI motherboard is 2GB of 400MHz DDR memory and dual Nvidia GeForce Go 7900 GS GPUs, each with 256MB of memory. Alienware also manages to find room for two 100GB hard drives in a RAID 0 configuration, a rare feature in a laptop. Despite all of its high-end hardware, the Aurora m9700 runs cool and quiet, even when running intensive apps, such as a 3D game. Unfortunately, it doesn't always add up to top-flight performance.

On CNET Labs' SysMark 2004 application benchmark, the Alienware Aurora m9700 trailed Intel Core Duo-based systems, such as the Dell XPS M1710 and the Toshiba Satellite P105-S921 by 19 and 9 percent, respectively. Core Duo CPUs typically perform better on SysMark in part because they have more L2 cache than their AMD counterparts. As expected, the Aurora m9700 edged the Eurocom M590K Emperor, a system that uses a slightly slower Turion 64 processor. Do note, however, that all of the laptops discussed here are among the most powerful available. The Aurora m9700 felt fast and responsive throughout all of our hands-on testing.

Still, the Aurora m9700 turned in frame rates that failed to extinguish all comers. On CNET Labs' F.E.A.R. test, it finished behind the Dell XPS M1710, with its lone 512MB GeForce Go 7900 GTX card. (The M1710's 7900 GTX GPU is faster than the 7900 GS GPU, and it features the same amount of memory as the two GS chips combined.) The Aurora m9700 evened the score by topping the XPS M1710 on our Doom 3 benchmark. The massive Eurocom Emperor, with two 256MB GeForce Go 7800 GTX graphics cards, took top honors on both 3D benchmarks. On our anecdotal tests with Half-Life 2, we found that the 800x600 resolution on the Aurora m9700 offered the optimal gaming experience, and we didn't go crazy enabling lots of advanced features. Though the system didn't take top honors at every 3D turn, it's still one of the fastest gaming laptops on the market.

The system features a large, 12-cell lithium-ion battery. Given the laptop's heft and size, we imagine it will spend most of its time tethered to a wall outlet; we did not run our MobileMark battery-life test.

Alienware backs up the Aurora m9700 with a standard one-year warranty on parts and labor and 24/7 toll-free phone support for the length of the warranty. You can extend the warranty to up to three years. Repair is handled via depot service; Alienware pays shipping in each direction. Support options on Alienware's Web site include live chat, an extensive knowledge database, and a page of drivers. Our review system also included Alienware's Respawn recover CD, a $29 option.

SysMark 2004 performance
(Longer bars indicate better performance)

BAPCo SysMark 2004 rating

SysMark2004 Internet content creation

SysMark2004 office productivity

Dell XPS M1710

220

313

154

Toshiba Satellite P105-S921

196

257

150

Alienware Aurora m9700

179

220

145

Eurocom M590K Emporer

163

198

135

Doom 3 High Quality, 10x7, 4xAA
(Longer bars indicate better performance)

Id Software/Activision's Doom 3

Eurocom M590K Emporer

121.8

Alienware Aurora m9700

119

Dell XPS M1710

107.9

Toshiba Satellite P105-S921

85.7

F.E.A.R. 10x7, 4xAA
(Longer bars indicate better performance)

Monolith's/VU Games' F.E.A.R.

Eurocom M590K Emporer

Dell XPS M1710

Alienware Aurora m9700

Toshiba Satellite P105-S921

System configurations:

Alienware Aurora m9700
Windows XP Media Center Edition; 2.5GHz AMD T64 ML-44; 2GB PC 3200 DDR2 SDRAM 400MHz; Nvidia GeForce Go 7900 GS 256MB (each); Hitachi Travelstar 7K100 100GB 7,200rpm

Dell XPS M1710
Windows XP Media Center Edition; 2.16GHz Core Duo T2600; 2GB PC 5300 DDR2 SDRAM 666MHz; Nvidia GeForce Go 7900 GTX 512MB; Hitachi Travelstar 7K100 100GB 7,200rpm

Eurocom M590K Emporer
Windows XP Professional; 2.21GHz Turion 64 T-40; 2GB PC 3200 DDR SDRAM 400MHz; Nvidia GeForce Go 7800 GTX 256MB (each); Seagate Momentus 7200.1 100GB 7,200rpm

Toshiba Satellite P105-S921
Windows XP Professional; 1.83GHz Core Duo T2400; 1GB PC5300 DDR2 SDRAM 666MHz; Nvidia GeForce Go 7900 GS 256MB; Fujitsu MHV2160BT 160GB 4,200rpm

User opinions

Select a User Opinion to view: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36

User Rating: 4/10

Breaks down and there's no replacement parts or supportby bkbrock59 - September 30, 2009

Pros: Nice looking
Runs fast

Cons: Power supplies defective; no replacements or support; they basically tell you you're on your on.

Review: Steer clear of any companies that can't support their equipment. I paid $4,000 for a computer that lasted less than 3 years.

User Rating: 3/10

Good at first, Downhill fastby dperri31 - March 15, 2008

Pros: Great screen, fullsize keyboard, good looking

Cons: no battery life, runs very hot, breaks down

Review: I chose alienware thinking it would be powerful enough to run some cad applications such as Autodesk Maya, 3ds Max, and Revit. I first encountered problems with alienware when I chose a different hard drive than normal configuration, I was told there would be no delay but found out after calling that it was out of stock this delayed my delivery 2 additional weeks to the original date. When I finally received my laptop it worked great but like all computers after 6 or 7 months it slowed down. When attempting to format the harddrive I had issues. I could not get through the whole process without the notebook powering down. The company had me take the notebook apart over the phone to try to identify the problem. Nothing was solved and after a dozen or so attempts at formating and reinstalling with the respawn cd I finally got it to work using a quik format. The computer worked good again for a while but has slowed down again. Just past the year warranty the computer stopped powering up. I called alienware and they said that the problem could cost over a 1000 to repair if it were the motherboard. I got the laptop to work by taking out all components and resetting them. The problem occurs every so often and I usually reset the video cards and the sli connection and it works. Another issue I have with alienware is the speakers. They are loud and clear however the quality of craftsmenship is not up to par, the speakers make the frontloading cd player and other elements vibrate and rattle distorting and sound from the speakers. Also this is a heavy machine that you must have the huge power adapter with at all times, the battery 6 months in lasted about 30 min with running applications. Get ready to lug around an extra 15 lbs or more with the cooler you will have to buy for it to rest on, it runs hot enough to burn your hand on the back vents. I will not buy from alienware or dell again. (dell is now the owner of alienware)

User Rating: 10/10

AW - Made for real gamersby Stormjl - November 26, 2007

Pros: Great support and equipment

Cons: none I can think of,... oh, ok it is too shiny :-)

Review: I think most of us who own a 9700, know what it can do and even if you do have an issue and they can or might ask you do try some of the fixes, that is great! We love opening boxes and "tinkering" as it is!

If you don't feel comfy, then tell them and you just have to ship it to them. They pay for it via FEDEX too. At least for me it was quite simple and painless and spending the money I did on it, their supports treats you very well and no waiting on hold. The online access is great too.

I run WoW and recently loaded Hellgate:London and feel not a pinch of lag at all. Great machine!

User Rating: 5/10

Generally dislike but read my blog for specifics.by notasaintinca - August 27, 2007

Pros: Doesn't run too hot and it's lighter than you would expect.

Cons: Alienware was misleading and still hasn't worked with (pushed) NVidia to generate SLI drivers for Vista.

Review: The system itself isn't too bad but I have to say I miss my old Hypersonic-PC P4 3.0GHz HT laptop with the 256MB ATI PCI-Express 6800 Go. A much better machine even taking into consideration the much higher heat and weight. Read this post for more specific information:
http://notasaintinca.blogspot.com/2007/06/review-alienware-aurora-m9700.html

Happy gaming!

User Rating: 7/10

Rate the system not the CSby ojchillinndc - June 30, 2007

Pros: Nice looking system. Gives you the option of chosing your own color.

Cons: The high end periphales are more expensive then the parent company.

Review: Everybody, please rate the system. Not the company. Both Dell (the parent company of Alienware) & HP use overseas customer support. Unless you buy a Dell XPS 1710. The system looks cool and is definitely a great subsitute to the XPS 1710 when you need to go travelining.

User Rating: 1/10

Don't bother!by mando87 - June 23, 2007

Pros: Everything about anything Alienware

Cons: Nothing good about Alienware

Review: I was stupid enough to buy more than one Alienware PC. I purchased this laptop, don't waste your money!!! These computers do not work, warranty is a joke. Their idea of helping you fix the computer is sitting on the phone with someone (no offensive to anyone) who can't speak more than "hello my name is blah blah blah how are you?" in English. After MONTHS of fighting with Alienware to return the PCs to have them fixed, they are returned to me with the same problems. I purchased this laptop to play my games, for example World Of Warcraft, and it freezes and shuts down everything I try to play. All of my drivers are up to date, the problem is the poor quality of the computer. Do yourself a favor and purchase something else.

Updated
I have those backwards sorry! When I think about how I've got ripped out by this company I'm so mad I can't think straight.

User Rating: 9/10

Very Impressedby Conorflan - May 21, 2007

Pros: Awesome Graphical Power, Does what its made to do (play games), no real competition (excluding the soon to be released m9750)

Cons: High Price, Lack of 64 bit drivers on alienware site,have to pay for additional colours.

Review: Fantastic had this machine 6 months and can honestly say have had no bother with it. Plays games better than most desktops and keeps up with the rest which is outstanding for a laptop.
Heat issues not a problem so long as you leave amble room (4inches) behind the machine.
UK tech support very good....
Just can't believe how well this machine has performed, going to buy my new desktop off them.

In response to the negative comments...when something works people will rarely compliament items on sites like this (or sites in general) but when something goes wrong you get over-embellished tripe. Awesome machine

User Rating: 2/10

low quality, bad CS, stay awayby JockoJonson - May 11, 2007

Pros: their laptops are perfect weight for a doorstop

Cons: sub 50% uptime

Review: I bought a 7700 just over a year ago and it had problems out of the box. The wirless card causes machine stuttering. It has burned out 2 video cards and I am on the 3rd. The machine is down more than it works.

Bottomline, if you really really must have the cool alien logo on your machine, buy the extended warranty and be prepared to have your machine in the mail a lot.

User Rating: 5/10

Is this pc good?????by Ownz you all ^^ - May 6, 2007

Pros: looks and good upgrades

Cons: very expensive

Review: I've never owned a laptop before. As long as I remember the longest time i've been on one was about 30mins. However I am getting one soon and this Alienware 9700 is my choice. The looks blew me away when i first saw it, it looks KICK ASS!!!! The overall image of this machine is amazing. The reason why I choose this laptop is because I wanted way more than what the stupid school laptops offered. (whats the point of having a pc that can't play games) My verson is gonna be 256 SLI, 2.2AMD, 1gig ram, green and of course windows xp 2005 or home edition or whatever the thing is called NO VISTA. However not really impressed after all those reviews i read on how poor the customers service was, crappy and faulty parts, long shipping time, short lifetime of machine, screen is garbage, battery life is short, etc. It seems like this pc is not good at all. But there has been several people who have had no problem at all and their happy of their purchase. Several people have indicated that the SLI feature was not compatiable with windows vista or in a way stopped working, personally I'd stick with the normal windows xp home edition to avoid these problems, they should know that vista is still new and will take QUITE some time before all software and support become available for it. I just don't understand why there would be so many dam problems for the HUGE price tag your paying for. I also don't see why people perfer a mac instead, I personally have nothing against mac myself but the machines they offer are pretty much JUST a shell with nothing inside. Your paying almost $2000.00 with what INT GRAPHICS!?? and 512 ram, now THATS sumthing people should be complaining about. I agree that people who make fun of alienware is seriously jealous they can't afford one or they ARE INDEED mac users. mac is crap and you know it. I do think alienware shouldn't have placed a $99 dollar price tag for a dam paint job cause its just simply stupid but it worth it. I think it should have 2gigs ram stock for that 1599.99 USD your paying for but w/e we can't do anything about that. I give it a 5 out of 10 cause I don't really know if this product is good or not. Anyways I'm really looking forward to getting a alienware myself in about 5 months or so. I hope it won't arrive with problems like u guys, I wish the best cause this thing ain't #@$%&* cheap!

User Rating: 1/10

burger king sucks!!!!by chris1234imawhore - May 2, 2007

Pros: the fries they make are good

Cons: they have really bad burgers

Review: waste of my money

User Rating: 7/10

Portable high end gaming rig!by CoZmicShReddeR - April 7, 2007

Pros: Beautiful Display and Fast Gaming!

Cons: Heavy and vary short battery life.

Review: Well my second laptop and am vary satisfied just expensive but well worth the price.

Bad thing is you cannot get the full use SLI with external monitor...

Tech support is so so wasn't vary impressed but them to much seems my calls got redirected to India...

And the Vista upgrade program wasn't set up to well more like they rather you give up trying to figure it out...

I gave a low score just because the service there seems rather lame!

User Rating: 9/10

Amazing Machine, worth every penny.by bryangeer - March 30, 2007

Pros: Very fast, Incredible graphics and LCD screen Res, Great customer support

Cons: Doesnt have dual core, but the 64 bit processor runs amazingly. Almost Just as good.

Review: I have had this machine for about a month. The price was high, but compared to other notebooks with the hardware I got in it, it was the cheapest. I got dual 512MB Geforce 7900's, 2GBram, and AMD Turion 2.2GHz 800MHz, 17" WideUXGA 1920 x 1200 LCD... etc. Pretty much loaded. I have not regret buying this machine for one second. I would recommend this to anyone looking to get a top-notch machine to replace a desktop. I ran 3D-mark benchmarking progam on it and it scored better than 89% of all other machines including desktops. The score was almost in the 4000's. Pretty dang ood for a notebook :o)

User Rating: 9/10

One very nice system...by pepper8892 - February 22, 2007

Pros: The video, memory, CPU

Cons: Has a little heat issue. not bad.

Review: I found that the m9700 is great... If you want a high end system, that will fly, this is it... However, its not a system for noobs. If you know what you have, then you will love it... This computer is not for the New User. If you know about computers,then you will love it...

User Rating: 10/10

All around Top of the Line. This thing really shows what Alienware is known for.by kilo64 - February 21, 2007

Pros: The Option for duel 512mb Nvidia GeoForce Go 7900 Gs SLI enabled Graphics cards really makes this thing go. Up to 2gb of memory.

Cons: Windows Vista which is the main operating system does not support the SLI function. So for know only one grafics card is enabled but this isn't Alienware's fault.

Review: This is the best gaming Notebook i've seen. Vista will soon be able to support the 2 graphics cards so its not that bad. All around it's an excellent machine. Alienware has again made a remarkable gaming system.

User Rating: 3/10

Alienware's lack of supportby Pilot954 - February 1, 2007

Pros: Excellent design

Cons: Customer Service-Technical Support

Review: After spending a total of 1 1/2 hour with Alienware Customer Support and all the way up to a Manager of Technical support. I have been able to confirm that Alienware refuses to release any drivers that pertains to Windows Vista until they have their own two version of Windows Vista available. I was informed that Alienware did receive the Vista RTM at the version release, but have not deceided to take all other computer manufactures knowledge to release Betas for release to allow at least some use of the product, or allow consumer aide in debugging any problems with apps or hardware. I, also, was informed that they do have a few drivers ready, but refuse to release them to consumers who did not wait to buy the Alienware version of the CD, even though Vista Ultimate is not an Alienware option. After paying over $4000.00 for a laptop, I assumed ( I know, that is my own stupidity) they would be more forth coming with keeping their product at the Top-of-the-line status. As a computer I bought to support my bussiness, it has left me to go buy another laptop that has a better record of Technical Support after the sale. I still believe Alienware has the ability to provide a first rate product, but until they perform a complete overhaul of the Customer Service and Technical Support departments, I am afraid, In my own option, they will ultimately fall to their own demise. There are many up and coming companies who are willing to step up to fill the high-end business.

User Rating: 10/10

Alienware Rocks!by jtaleixo - January 29, 2007

Pros: Awesome WUXGA display, RAID, SLI, and above average notebook sound system!

Cons: Turion istead of Core 2 Duo....

Review: I received my M97OO in December 1st 2006. It is a total gem. Although slightly overpriced you do get truly unique Alienware aesthetics, and bragging rights. This laptop has SLI and RAID, things you won't find on some of todays highest end gaming laptops such as the Dell XPS 1710.
The display is gorgeous, and with SLI enabled on two Nvidia 7900 GSs you can really put the resolution up to the highest. I could drown on for ever about the specs, but I wont because they are insane.
About a month ago, I dropped my Alienware, and needless to say, there was enough cosmetic damage to warrant a totally new case. I contacted Alienware support, and told me it wasnt covered under warranty. I argued with them for a couple of days, until one of them was nice enough to give me the email of the CEO, Alex Aguila. Within four hours of emailing him, I got a response, and he told me all the charges would be paid for by Alienware! They even rushed it back to me in under 10 days! Alienware is a small company, with very few people of power, so if you ever get in a bind with them, take your fight right to the top and you will receive awesome support.
To all the detractors of Alienware, I have three words: GET A LIFE. Anyone who hates Alienware is obviously jealous they dont have one, or a mac person. As far as computers go, these things look sick, that is unquestionable (Unless of course you like those ugly mac books with int graphics). It also amazes me how people complain about this things size, and poor battery life. To those people I ask: How many hours of battery does a desktop get? When you buy a Ferrari dont expect gas mileage, and a place to put a refrigerator.
PS: the touchpad everyone complains about is easy to get used to after a few hours of using this machine...

User Rating: 3/10

Not happy with machine.by fireman806 - January 5, 2007

Pros: good machine for about a month

Cons: SLI not working after that and they won't fix it.

Review: I purchased this machine in September of 2005. The only option that I didn't get was a Raid 0 HD setup (my last alienware had it and it went to the pits and I got not support). After a month or so (WoW game was only thing being played) the SLI feature quit functioning. I have done everything that Alienware tech support has suggested including replacing hardware and still the problem is not fixed. I can't understand how a company is touted for it's "support" when you really get none. If I wanted to replace the components myself I would have gone to school to do so, and subsequently built my own computer. Alienware is now crediting my drop in Mark 05 scores of just over 10k to 6k as the higher being on a virgin machine, and that the "use" since purchasing is what is causing the 50% decrease in performance.

User Rating: 9/10

This laptop is brilliantby durrodurant - December 29, 2006

Pros: the best for everything that it does which is a lot

Cons: Bit chunky thats it!

Review:

User Rating: 9/10

ideal gaming laptop, perfect for the gamer who knows what they wantby puka3000 - December 14, 2006

Pros: you can select what is perfect for you and your budget in this system and it is ideal for gamers who wish to keep up to date with the latest releases

Cons: people have not been 100% satisfied with the service of the alienware helpdesk

Review: this is a great system and what makes it so great is that you are able to choose from the latest and top of the line components. it is as amazing as you want it to be, because its not someone else who chooses what is in it, it is you who chooses what you want in it like at subway lol. but honestly if you want something that would kick ass on battlefield 2142 or GRAW then this would be for you. but it does tend to heat up alot and it is recomended to have protection on your lap or proper ventelation if u dont want a nasty burn which lasts a few weeks.

User Rating: 9/10

I was very satisfied with my purchase and overall support.by Obsolesce - December 7, 2006

Pros: Perfect condition, recieved it in condition as advertised, superior performance.

Cons: It took 3 weeks to arrive.

Review: I gave it a 9/10 because it did take about 3 weeks to arrive at my house and the phone reps really did not know when it would ship.

Other than that, I received it and it was in flawless condition. The first time I turned it one I noticed the awesome performance of this laptop. I installed some games that require extreme performance and they ran flawlessly. 100+ frames per second on them all while other PCs average below 50.

Some people say the screen is too reflective. It is, but that's what makes the display so great. It is not dull. When it is turned on the reflectiveness goes away for the most part. I have an LCD flatscreen monitor for my desktop and it is much duller than this one.

I am highly satisfied with this laptop and would recommend it to anyone who has the large chunk of money to dish out for it.

User Rating: 8/10

Definitely a solid desktop replacement.by WICKED_ZOEYGIRL - December 1, 2006

Pros: Powerful, large screen, number pad, snazzy colors, helpful support.

Cons: Touchpad isn't comfortable, Ships with a 32-bit version of Windows

Review: I bought this as a desktop replacement and it's working wonderfully. It was delivered a week later than I expected though, but that's understandable because I ordered it shortly before Thanksgiving. When I talked to support they were very helpful and nice about answering all my questions. The screen is pretty shiny but it's bright enough I don't have any issues. I was a little miffed when I saw that the Windows XP Pro that I ordered was only the 32-bit version, I get a 64-bit processor and no 64-bit version of Windows? I can upgrade easily enough myself but it's one extra thing I have to do and it wasn't mentioned on the website. The OS is pretty much the only thing holding it back from a 9 in my opinion. I was also very impressed with the materials I got when the system came, I ordered Alien Respawn just in case they don't ship the OS and drivers CDs, and was plesently surprised to find them attached at the back of my user's manual. I'm still trying to find out if I can re-map the quick buttons at the top of the keyboard too, so they use Winamp instead of Windows Media Player. The tech guy where I work also ran a benchmarking program on my system and his Asus laptop with the dual-core version of my processor (he also had 64-bit Windows) and the Alienware only scored 20ish points below, mostly because of low ram (I'll be installing more myself) and the lack of a 64-bit OS. All-in-all I am extremely pleased with my new laptop and look forward to using it for years to come.

Updated
After using my system for a couple days I noticed some minor system lag, 1/4 second pauses every 30 seconds or so, enough to be annoying when listening to music and deadly when playing CounterStrike. So I spent a few hours on the phone with tech support, we found out it was the wireless network card, he walked me through disassembling the machine to take out the card and check the connections (I thought this was pretty neat) and then he had me format my system first with the Alien Respawn and then with the system restore discs, we were able to discover it was a driver issue, and not a hardware issue, I downloaded the updated driver off the Alienware webesite and problem solved. I've seen people complain about having to take their system apart, but honestly, I'd rather have tech support walk me through it on the phone than have to box up and ship my laptop back to them, thereby doing without it for 2-3 weeks, the issue was fixed in an evening and I'm back up and running. I thought tech support was very helpful.

User Rating: 9/10

Very pleased by the product and service along with there support.by Cz3ch - November 11, 2006

Pros: I would say everything is great on it.

Cons: The extra price to pick a different colour.

Review: Great product would suggest alienware to anyone looking for a powerful laptop.

User Rating: 7/10

Pretty good gaming laptopby zxeno - November 1, 2006

Pros: Good cooling, great video and sound performance

Cons: Horrible shipping experience, touch pad gets in the way

Review: Above all, this laptop is everything I expected when I bought it and more. It looks simply amazing. I originally bought it as a desktop replacement for gaming, since I travel around alot.

It has about a 2 hour battery life if you're just surfing the web and listening to music, I was expecting something along the lines of 45 minutes with this laptop.

The cooling is great, all the heat is directed out the back and the bottom doesn't get very hot at all.

The keyboard is very spacey, only problem is the touchpad often gets in the way as I am trying to play games or type, and can get annoying.

Other reviews say the glossy monitor reflects light back a little too much, but I haven't had a problem with mine. Makes the games and videos look much nicer. The sound quality is also the best I have heard on a laptop.

The only thing I didn't like about buying this laptop was the shipping process. Alienware only offeres FedEx for a delivery option, and the delivery process was very frustrating. If you want differnt colors, you also have to fork over an addition $200, which seems a little pricey for a paintjob.

Overall, I found this to be a pretty decent desktop replacement. Probobly would get a 9 if they had better shipping options and free color changes.

User Rating: 1/10

Buyer beware - terrible support and returns policy (15% restock fee regardless of defective product)by J_CONNOR - November 1, 2006

Pros: Machine appears a good buy. Excellent equipment level and options, attractive packaging and good performance reviews.

Cons: Abysmal returns policy, technical support request users to take machines apart to identify faults, company refuses contact with management

Review: Dont just take my word for it, the Better Business Bureau gives Alienware an UNSATISFACTORY rating based on the complaints against the company. To quote "Consumer complaints allege upon ordering and receiving new computers they are found in operable and/or they become in operable shortly after delivery. Complaints also allege that the company refuses to exchange the product with another one or refund the consumer's money without charging a 15% restocking fee for the newly received inoperable computer. Other complaints allege that after sending the computer back to the Depot for repairs they receive it back in a the same non working order or that various drives or software are missing upon receipt from the Depot. Other complaints further state that customer service representatives at Alienware refuse to transfer or let them speak with supervisors or management to resolve issues."

This is exactly my experience. After a week of receiving the computer it is now unusable and doesnt even boot. Tech support asked me to dissassemble the computer to identify the faulty component. They refuse to allow me to return the product until the defective item can be identified. My only option is to cancel my order (possible in the 30 days after receipt) but only after loosing 15% for restocking and the cost of shipping and insurance. They dont waive costs even if their product is defective.

When the machine was working it was subject to sporadic system hanging and despite having a full sized keyboard has smaller than normal enter, ? and arrow keys making typing more difficult.

User Rating: 9/10

Great System, Coming From an ITby Thalion360 - October 3, 2006

Pros: POWER ALL AROUND

Cons: A little too glossy screen

Review: Ive had many systems as an IT, and this is top notch. ALienware support was excellent, even called me to ask if I was enjoying my laptop. Above folks just got unlucky.

User Rating: 1/10

miserable...misrepresents at home servicing....by scsarver - October 2, 2006

Pros: when the system works it is fast(NOTE: when it works)

Cons: terrible customer service...terrible tech support

Review: I bought a top of the line system $4500 problems started after 7 months, I spent alot of time with tech support that ultimately ended up as a misdiagnosis and and wasted time the system was completely unusable after 9 months I sent it in they told me 20 days turn around ended up being 2 months within 3 weeks of having it back it it again was completely useless....

So now I have had to pay additional money to get the phone support to spend 4 hrs for them to tell me it needs to come back in to have the same parts replaced that were replaced the first time it was sent in and now with it being past warranty I get to pay for it.

So if you are thinking about Alienware Do so at your own risk.....I warned you.

User Rating: 1/10

Don't believe the hypeby theheadwall - September 26, 2006

Pros: Not sure of any

Cons: I have many - see my opinion

Review: I hope you avoid my experience. I can only say buy anything but Alienware! For the record, I bought the top of the line Aurora m9700 model, with almost all available upgrades, about $3800.

ORDER: First, my order was never processed because a $20 external USB card reader was out of stock. Customer service repeatedly told me it was an internal part and the computer could not be built and shipped without it. I was also told a restocking fee might apply if I cancelled (even though the computer wasn?t built?!) It took hours to reach someone who knew anything about the part. I had to cancel the order and reorder the computer without the part. Instead of having my computer in 1 week as advertised, it took a month.
SCREEN: I spent extra for the upgraded screen. It?s extremely reflective like a mirror? I?m watching people down the block out my window in the screen? and that?s with the computer on! It?s very bad for the eyes.
IMAGE: The factory setting was extremely bright. Even correcting that, the contrast is terrible and the clarity of the pixels is terrible. Photos and videos are fine but it?s painful to read text. I can?t use the computer for long without eye problems (and I use computers all day every day for work without problem).
RESOLUTION: Why have a wide screen without wide screen resolution? It justs stretches a ?normal? screen wider, makes everything look funny. The only widescreen resolution was at 1920x1200, which makes everything so small on the screen, it only compounds the image problems above.
TOUCHPAD: The sticky surface makes it tough to move the cursor precisely; it?s slow and often registers a ?click? when not intended.
POWER: The computer only boots up about every other time I power it on. Other times I have to power down and power it on again. It?s a little annoyance and waste of time.
VIDEO: Switching between my gaming app and another app and back causes flickering and image problems in the game. I have to exit the game and reload it. This occurs despite nVidia dual SLI cards and 2Gb of memory.
TECH SUPPORT: It?s typical, I?m sure. They don?t know a thing.
CUSTOMER SUPPORT: It?s a waste of time.
REFUND POLICY: Beware of this! When purchasing, they state a restocking fee MAY apply. But customer service will say the restocking fee WILL apply. No matter what problems you have or time wasted with tech support, there is no refund of the restocking fee, no matter what.

In short, I?ve learned if you?re buying a high end computer, avoid Alienware. More generally, spend a little more and buy from a reputable store that will handle repairs on site. I?ve had good experience with RCS and Sony stores. My effort to save money ordering online has cost me $700 in S&H and restocking fees, and 2 months of my time.

User Rating: 1/10

Worst Labtop I have ever hadby J-Ray1 - September 25, 2006

Pros: Great video card

Cons: Bad customer service and crapy computer

Review: Only haveing this computer for 6 mouths I cant wait to get rid of it.I am not impressed at all!!!THEY SUCK!!!!A company who would have you take apart there computer and trouble shoot it over the phone if that doesnt say it all.You shouldnt have to fomat the hard drive once a month so you can get some work done or play a game.

User Rating: 10/10

Alienware M9700by fahuna001 - September 25, 2006

Pros: First SLI 17" with RAID 0 or 1 configs, great cooling high res screen with clearview 900x1200

Cons: bit heavy, needs duo possibly but the 64 bit is plenty when it coemes to SLI

Review: For whoever hates Alienware, do your homework. I sure have done mine, this computer deserves way more then a 7.5, name a note book that can out perform this desktop replacement. Wait... nobody has this techy. So not only the first but the best. 2.4 Cyborg green raid 0 config, 2 sticks of ram, dual cards dare ya to play me.

User Rating: 1/10

Beware of Alienwareby aphex34 - September 6, 2006

Pros: Free T-shirt

Cons: Price, Poor Support, Bad LCD's

Review: I just got my m9700. What a disappointment. I turned it on for the 1st time and saw this bright blue pixel in the middle of the lcd. They said i needed to send it back for lcd to be replaced and i should have it back in about 2 weeks. I waited 3 weeks to get something that needs at least 2 weeks to fix. Actually, if they really did the "200 point check", they couldnt have missed it. Support kept transferring me to other departments. I was on the phone with them so long that i ran down the batteries of 2 cordless phones. Support did not care whatsoever about my problem. They said that since they offered to fix it, that if i canceled my order (refund) i would be charged a 15% restocking fee. On a defective computer? I think not. I always thought they were one of the best. Man was I worng. At least it happened straight off instead of the day after my warranty ran out.

User Rating: 9/10

great all in one laptopby odysseus7m - August 22, 2006

Pros: dvd burner, tv tuner, runs games pretty well

Cons: tv tuner requires adapter to function, price, long shipping time

Review: This is a great all in one laptop for the specs you are getting. i opted out of the dual graphics option and just got one. the nvidia card that comes with it, is pretty powerful and top of the line by notebook standards. combined with 2 gigs of ram and a 2.4 ghz processor, you should have no problems playing video games. Im currrently running rome total war, call of duty 2, and fear at relatively high specs. the 17 inch screen looks beautiful although i think the hp dv8000 looks better. my main complaint about this laptop is that you cannnot connect a coaxial cable right out of the box. after i spent some time on google, i found out that i needed a special adapter which i bought online at radio shack. then i had to create my own custom coaxial cable with the adapter. the process took about 5 mins and a extra 20 bucks. it was more of an annoyance since since theres no documentation that states that an adapter is needed and which adapter is needed. other than that the machine is great. i can record my favorite shows while im at work, and the wireless card gets pretty good signal strength through walls. the price is expensive but what else can you expect from alienware. and considering what other companies are charging for similar specs i.e. dell, falcon, etc. the alienware is competitively priced. if you have patience for the long shipping time (6 weeks for me) i recommend the alienware as a powerful all in one system. if you are looking for a cheaper alternative go with the hp dv8000.

User Rating: 1/10

Alienware absolutely SUCKS!!!by TxTiff - August 11, 2006

Pros: NONE!!!!!!

Cons: product, tech support, customer service

Review: The machines are obviously just thrown together. After 30 hours on the phone with tech support over the last 3 months,(they actually had us disassemble the laptop!) they finally determined the problem was the video card. After they charged us for a new one (it is still under waranty) and refused to give our money back, it turns out that the new video card did not fix the problem. They still have not refunded our money and keep hanging up on me when I call them.

I even made the mistake of buying a MP3 player from them. It too is a pice of junk. Buying Alienware is the most expensive mistake I ever made. I would have given 0 out of 10 if possible.

User Rating: 10/10

Awesome, that's the wordby ArchsageVal - August 6, 2006

Pros: graphics are top of the line, so is service

Cons: dell m1710 beats it on some areas

Review: I used to think that if dell didnt have the worst service now, no one would buy this, but i was wrong, its terrific, and i recommend it to anyone who doesnt want a crappy laptop

User Rating: 8/10

Awsome, Just Plain Awsomeby Dragoniies - July 27, 2006

Pros: Dual Graphic Cards, TV Tuner

Cons: Touch Pad has same glossy coat as rest of laptop

Review: This is my first Alienware, and if its up to me, won't be my last. I like the huge screen and the full-size keyboard. It has a very impressive list of extras (card reader, TV tuner). My only complaint is that the touch pad has that same glossy coat that the rest of the laptop has, so it can be tricky to use, but then again I bought this laptop to play F.E.A.R so I don't see me using the pad that much.

Updated
I have to admit that I had some issues, mostly the motherboard was bad. I got a hold of customer support and after we found the problem it was fixed and returned and now works flawlessly. I have to give it to Alienware tech support, they were fast and very good at finding out the problem. Then after it was fixed it was returned very fast, which is a big deal as I am in Iraq. I would imagine that if I were stateside, the support would have been even better then the execellent support I already recieved. Anyone who disses Alienware is either upset that they don't have one, or a mac user.

User Rating: 9/10

Amazing desktop replacementby cli006 - July 19, 2006

Pros: SLI, great performance for gaming, fast processor, great screen

Cons: sound quality isn't top notch,

Review: g-funk2k's review should not be valid in my opinion. He obviously does not own a m9700 or else he wouldn't have given it a laughable "2 out of 10" rating for this wonderful laptop. He instead, recommended an Apple instead. I find this absolutely hilarious. NO APPLE LAPTOP CAN MATCH the 10k++ benchmarks this laptop received on 3Dmark 05. Check out notebookforums.com for proof.

g-funk2k also claims it's ugly. I'd hate to see your wardrobe because obviously you have a horrible sense of taste. The laptop is very eye-catching. It looks great and not overly-flashy. The illuminated alienware logo on the shell really sets the whole package off.

g-funk2k says it's bulky which I believe is entirely not true. It's VERY thin and light weight for a DESKTOP REPLACEMENT which is what it's made to be. You don't know anything about this laptop. You've never held one, used one, and played a game on one OBVIOUSLY. Why write a review on a product you've never used?

I do have to admit that it's a little pricey (Not any more expensive than it's competitors) but it's VERY well built and wired. You get what you pay for. If you think you can build your own, then go for it and save yourself some money. If not, then I highly recommend this laptop for gaming, media, work, and/or everyday needs.

User Rating: 2/10

The UGLIEST LAPTOPby g-funk2k - July 8, 2006

Pros: Coax input

Cons: everything else

Review: why yould you spend money on this ?? just because it's alienware ? looks horrible . it's bulky. and it would be a desktop instead of a desktop replacement. .. if you are seriouse about where and how u spend your money.. skip that machine a looks elsewhere .. Apple perhaps. !!

Tips on Alienware Aurora m9700

DIY: Clean up your notebook by JamisonDCush on April 4, 2007
Hibernating problems by covolor on April 4, 2007
Upgrade your laptop's hard drive by acedtect on April 4, 2007
See all Alienware Aurora m9700 tips

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