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Entered CNET Catalog: 05/10/2006
SKU: PC-LT-AURORA-M-ALX:SKU-DEFAULT
Manufacturer: Alienware Corporation
Manufacturer description
Adding a product touch that will undoubtedly make it stand out in a crowd, the Aurora mALX also features exotically stylish, airbrushed custom paint artwork that boldly implies power and strength, while shifting color through light refraction. Is that Kevlar armor under his fatigues? The Aurora mALX uses dual graphics cards and SLI technology that assigns each card half your screen so your characters and world render with twice as much power. With dual 256MB GeForce Go 7900 GTX, animation and rendering are so detailed you can quickly assess whether to run in with guns blazing or sight in for the headshot. When there is no end to the fluctuations in your stock portfolio or waves of enemies, the only thing you should be worried about is how fast you move your fingers. The 64-bit AMD Turion processor has power to run the most demanding games and HyperTransport technology to seamlessly switch between your business applications. Now you can last as long as your ammo reserves. Whether you are tracking this year's sales or tonight's first kill, you will have no problem hunting down what you need. With Aurora's 19" widescreen display, you can pull up multiple financial projection windows or measure the size of your opponent's pupils before you lay down the heavy fire. With the ALX team behind you there are always fellow gamers at your disposal. The exclusive mALX sales reps will mold your vision of the perfect gaming machine into reality. The specialized team can help you decide which components to choose and optimize the system settings to run your most taxing games. After building the dream machine with your sales rep, keep on top of the creation process with up-to-the-minute e-mails and text message alerts letting you know how far along your system is in its build.Product summary
The good: Excellent 19-inch display; best-in-class gaming performance; top-shelf SLI graphics; plenty of A/V features and connections; comes with lots of extras, including a backpack and headphones; warranty includes onsite service.
The bad: Very expensive; extremely bulky; lid feels cheap; no external multimedia controls; no touch-pad on/off switch.
The bottom line: The Alienware Aurora mALX is one of the best, and one of the most expensive, mobile gaming rigs available today. But with Intel Core 2 Duo just around the corner, that might not be the case for long.
CNET editors' review
- Editors' Choice: No
- Reviewed on: 08/09/2006
The Alienware Aurora mALX is a show-offy laptop. Its 19-inch display is so massive that you need a huge Alienware backpack to carry it around. Its case features an extremely detailed custom airbrush paint job with a ribbon of metallic color that changes when viewed at different angles. And as with all status symbols, it's expensive: pricing starts at $4,499, and our review unit, which included a number of high-end upgrades, cost almost $5,600. The mALX isn't all bark and no bite, though. With two graphics cards running in a scalable link interface, the mALX achieved the highest frame rates to date on our gaming benchmarks. That said, the mALX didn't exactly blow away the competition; the 19-inch Eurocom M590K Emperor ($5,430) offers similar gaming performance, and the 17-inch Dell XPS M1710 ($4,215) trails just a bit behind it. And with Intel's Core 2 Duo chips just around the corner, we wonder how much longer the Aurora mALX will own the performance crown. For hard-core mobile gamers who want to turn a few heads as they frag the competition, the Alienware Aurora mALX is the laptop to buy today--but you might want to hold on to your five grand until we get the full picture on the Intel Core 2 Duo in just a few weeks.
There's a reason Alienware has opted to include a massive backpack with the Aurora mALX: the beast measures 18.8 inches wide, 13.5 inches deep, and 1.4 inches thick, and it weighs 15.2 pounds--without its AC adapter. Unbelievable as it may seem, the Aurora mALX is actually a bit slimmer than the Eurocom M590K Emperor and the Acer Aspire 9800, and its weight falls right between the two competitors'. Add in a 2.9-pound power brick--which, incidentally, is about the size and weight of an actual brick--the monster mALX is really only portable enough to schlep to your next LAN party.
The 19-inch display on the Aurora mALX may be a backbreaker, but it's also a beauty. Though the native resolution of 1,680x1,050 is lower than that of some 17-inch laptops, the screen has plenty of real estate for multitasking, graphic design, or immersive game environments. The screen size alone is awe-inspiring: underwater scenes from The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou were entrancing, and we actually got a bit dizzy while playing Doom 3. The display's glossy finish helped colors pop but was not overly reflective. Our only complaint is that the lid seemed to be made of cheap plastic; though it didn't seem likely to break or crack, it did creak and pop every time we opened it or adjusted the display angle.
The laptop's full-size keyboard and 10-key number pad are very comfortable, even with extended bouts of typing. It was difficult, though, to keep from grazing the touch pad and accidentally misplacing the cursor while typing. Though you can disable the touch pad using software, we wish the laptop had a hardware touch pad on/off button, especially given that our review unit's price included a Logitech G5 Laser Mouse painted to match the laptop's case. Nevertheless, the touch pad and the mouse buttons are amply sized, and there is a convenient scroll zone along the right side of the pad. Above the keyboard sit four launch buttons: one to control the Webcam above the laptop's screen, one to turn the system's wireless radio on and off, and two quick-launch keys for e-mail and Web applications. Given the Aurora mALX's massive screen and high-quality sound card--not to mention its four speakers with subwoofer--we were disappointed that there were no external buttons to control volume and media playback.
Because of its large case, the Alienware Aurora mALX has room to include nearly every possible connection for audio (headphone, microphone, and S/PDIF jacks), video (S-Video input and output, VGA and DVI ports, and a connector for an external TV antenna), and data (five USB 2.0 ports, one four-pin FireWire port). Networking connections include Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11a/b/g wireless, and a V.92 modem; our system lacked Alienware's $39 external Bluetooth adapter. Finally, you get a PC Card slot (but no slot for ExpressCards); a 4-in-1 card reader that reads Secure Digital, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro and MultiMediaCard formats; and a tray-loading DVD burner. That's virtually everything gamers will need, and it's identical to the list of ports and connections on the M590K Emperor. Also worth noting are all the goodies Alienware throws in with the mALX. In addition to the backpack mentioned above, our box was stuffed with Ozma 7 headphones, a luggage tag, a keychain, a pen, a mouse pad, and a polo shirt--all tagged with the Alienware logo, natch. We felt like we'd joined a cult.
Our Alienware Aurora mALX review unit is clearly not intended for amateurs; it includes nearly every upgrade the company offers, bringing the total price to $5,570. This configuration includes a top-of-the-line 2.6GHz AMD Turion 64 ML-44 processor, but there's no dual-core option, nor can you configure an Aurora mALX with an Intel CPU. The rest of the components include 2GB of 400MHz memory; dual Nvidia GeForce Go 7900 GS GPUs, each with 512MB of memory; and two 100GB hard drives, both spinning at a swift 7,200rpm. All these components are absolutely top-of-the-line today, though savvy buyers might want to wait until we gauge the performance of Intel Core 2 Duo chips (currently scheduled to start shipping at the end of August) before dropping five large on a single-core AMD laptop.
Like its sibling, the Aurora m9700, the Aurora mALX trailed the Intel Core Duo competition on CNET Labs' SysMark 2004 application benchmark, likely because the laptop's AMD CPU has less L2 cache than its Core Duo counterpart. (This discrepancy is likely only to increase with the release of Core 2 Duo, whose unified cache appears to be even better than the two separate reserves on the Core Duo chip.) The mALX scored only slightly higher than the Eurocom M590K Emperor, which includes a slightly slower Turion 64 processor. Still, these laptops are among the most powerful available, and the mALX felt responsive throughout our use.
It was the gaming benchmarks where the Alienware Aurora mALX really shone. It displayed a remarkable 86 frames per second on F.E.A.R. and 133fps on Doom 3 at 10x7 resolution--the fastest frame rates we've seen to date, on any laptop. You can save $200 and get almost as many frames per second with the M590K Emperor, but if you'll pay any price for the absolute best gaming performance available today, the Aurora mALX delivers. 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 the Aurora mALX with an industry-standard one-year warranty that includes 24/7 phone support, but unlike that of some other manufacturers, the Alienware warranty also includes onsite service. Upgrading to a three-year warranty costs a reasonable $235, and the company's AlienAutopsy self-diagnosis software is available for an additional $49. The deep Alienware support Web site includes the expected knowledge database, driver downloads, and FAQs, plus some additional helpful features, such as up-to-date virus information with free virus scans, customer forums, and the option to view your support history.
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
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BAPCo SysMark2004 rating | |
SysMark2004Iinternet content creation | |
SysMark2004 office productivity |
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Id software/ActiVision's Doom 3 |
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Monolith's/VU Games' F.E.A.R. |
Find out more about how we test Windows laptops.
System configurations:
Alienware Aurora m9700
Windows XP Media Center; 2.5GHz AMD Turion 64 ML-44; 2GB PC 3200 DDR2 SDRAM 400MHz; Nvidia GeForce Go 7900 GS 256MB; Hitachi Travelstar 7K100 100GB 7,200rpm
Alienware Aurora mALX
Windows XP Pro; 2.6GHz AMD Turion 64 ML-44; 2GB PC 3200 DDR2 SDRAM 400MHz; Nvidia GeForce Go 7900 512MB; Seagate Momentus 7200.1 100GB 7,200rpm (2)
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 Emperor
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
User opinions
Select a User Opinion to view: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 User Rating: 
1/10
Bad. BAD. Deprication of hardware quality RIFE!!
Pros: ...Big screen
...umm...
...Looks good airbrushed
Cons: Graphic cards and Motherboard replaced twice, needs a third now.
Small HDD
Heavy
USB's easily damaged
Anyway, what else. It's heavy, bowls me over all the time, tho I am tiny :) The backpack is massive, I look crushed whenever I use it.
USB ports seem to have problems after a while, lose connection sometimes, or take time and wiggling to get working.
...I cant think of good points, I'm in a negative about it atm, trying to get it repaired isnt fun.
User Rating: 
3/10
Over priced. Slower than you think...
Pros: Great Display
Good camera
Cons: Bulky
Heavy
Slow
Over heats quickly
Very poor battery life
Bottom line... not worth it's price tag...
User Rating: 1/10
THE WORST COMPUTER AND SERVICE
Pros: 19 inch screen
Cons: everything, always breaking down, don't even think of using it as a gaming computer
User Rating: 
10/10
Everyone downing alienware is wrong
Pros: Everything on this comp is amazing the screen quality the design the power all in one notebook
Cons: It is a little bigger then most of your standard notebooks
ps.rate the computer not the service
User Rating: 
2/10
Customer Service is TERRIBLE
Pros: Don't know -- can't get a machine!
Cons: Don't know -- can't get a machine!
SO, to recap:
(1) I now will NOT have either of the computers I?ve ordered the 15th
(2) If I AM (somehow!) able to get the 9700 machine by the 15th, it will still NOT be the computer I really need AND I will be paying $99 for a color that they now offer for free
(3) I have spent almost two months WAITING for one of their systems and wasted valuable time talking with your not-so-nice CS people
(4) Tomorrow I have to call Alienware's CS department AGAIN and, I suspect, cancel my SECOND order
I had read a couple of negative reviews about Alienware's customer service. I should have believed them. For a system that was going to cost close to $5k, you'd think they could do a little better.
User Rating: 
4/10
Over Priced shoddy customer service!
Pros: Awesome for gaming. Specialized support
Cons: Come on?! It's to big to be a laptop 19"? To expensive.
User Rating: 
8/10
Great for My Use
Pros: Graphics/Memory/Looks
Cons: Price/Power Cosumtion/Startup
Looks I would Give it 9.5-9.6
Power- You mine as well throw battery out windoAC Power Will be Better For You.
I did alot of looking before I chosed this computer for my use.
User Rating: 2/10
Worst Support Ever
Pros: Brilliant Play for the short time that it worked.
Cons: Over priced over hyped junk
You can get much the same purchase in a Dell or to be honest even a Mac (if you only want to play Worlds of Warcraft and the other limited games that run on Mac) for a LOT less money and with better support. I strongly suspect that many reviews are biased because of the bright shiny effect and being suckered that high price means high quality.
Yes I am a bitter customer but don't say I didn't warn you. Save your money.
User Rating: 10/10
Alienware Aurora mALX the best gamming machine
Pros: these machine is FOR EXTREAM GAMMING
Cons: IT IS LITTLE HEAVY
THE MACHINE IS VERY GOOD EXTREMLY POWERFUL
User Rating: 
9/10
Very good gaming laptop if u got the money
Pros: look so good i want it so much
Cons: Price and the size
User Rating: 9/10
The Ultimate Gaming Machine
Pros: Excellent Graphics
Cons: Lacking Processor Power
I game a lot on all of the three mentioned laptops, but I still find the Alienware Aurora mALX out-performs the other two laptops by far. Also for graphical design and graphical rendering the Alienware Aurora mALX is a perfect choice, due to the available 1GB Graphical Memory.
User Rating: 1/10
Alienware has failed to deliver
Pros: Specs look good on paper
Cons: Alienware customer service and misrepresentation are a problem
User Rating: 9/10
The Laptop of the GODS!
Pros: It has just about everything you dreamed of putting in a Laptop and more.
Cons: X_x Cost! other then that I see no cons.
So I did a lil diggin and found this... If you go to iBUYPOWER.com and look in there Notebook section. You should find the Battalion 101 SC-650 SLI. What is so grate about this u ask? Well its the very same notebook that Alienware used to model the Aurora mALX after. And it's starting price is $3,095. Not bad for a kick ass Notebook. After configuring it the way i would like it. It came out being about $3,553.00 with a AMID Turion 64 ML-44 processor, 2048MB's of memory and the all mightydual nVIDIA GeForce Go 7900 GTX512MB DDR3, and other lil goody 
Also if you wanted u could get this costom painted. Shoul be at max $300. So yeah I would much rather pay $3,853.00 then Alinwares $4,499.00 base model Aurora mALX. i still haven't bought the Battalion 101 SC-650 SLI cuz even for that good price I still don't have the mony to buy it still but will soon. If anyone out there beats me to the buy let us all know how good or bad <.<! it is. Thx for your time everyone and WOOT! this was my 1st post! YAY! <.< >.> ummmm ok im out's... User Rating: 10/10
Awesome is all you need
Pros: best preformance out there
Cons: a little heavy, no dual-core (yet)
User Rating: 10/10
OH THE HUMANITY!
Pros: Jesus Christ couldnt have created such a thing
Cons: The devil envies this notebook
now let me collect my thoughts.......
.
.
.
.
DUAL SLI ENABLED GRAPHICS CARDS!!!!!!!!!!!!
(OH-MY!)
women and children grab your kids and run for the hills.
what will they come up with next?
not one but two nvidia 7900gtx cards.
(I have a 7800 gtx card in my notebook and the games run top notch)a 7900gtx, I feel warm and fuzzy just thinking about it.
I bet this notebook will beat anything out there.
I bet jesus buddah and allah had somthing to do with the creation of this notebook.
I need a moment here...
OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH MY GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOODDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!
