EmailBest Reviewed
Laptops
- Best gaming laptop Alienware M17x *Est. $1800
- Budget gaming laptop Asus G51Vx-RX05 *Est. $1050
- Best multimedia laptop Dell Studio XPS 16 *Est. $1030
- Best business laptop Lenovo ThinkPad W700ds *Est. $2100
- Budget business laptop HP EliteBook 6930p *Est. $1100
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Best gaming laptop
- Excellent gaming performance
- 17-inch display
- Numerous expansion ports
- Heavy
- Expensive
If price is no object and you want the best gaming laptop on the market, reviewers say the Alienware M17x is the one to get. This 17-inch notebook earns numerous accolades, including Editors' Choice awards from Laptop Magazine, ComputerShopper.com and PCMag.com. Reviewers are nearly unanimous in saying that the Alienware M17x offers the best gaming performance you can get in a laptop, but only if you're willing to spend to get it. Most sources test upgraded models that cost upwards of $4,000, complete with 8 GB of memory, an Intel Core 2 Duo Extreme Quad processor, slot-loading Blu-ray drive, dual Nvidia GeForce GTX graphics and a 1200p LCD display. In comparison, the base model has a 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 4 GB RAM, a single Nvidia GeForce GTX graphic card and a 900p display. Most reviewers say that serious gamers will want the upgrades to truly unlock the potential of this gaming laptop.
Performance from the Alienware M17x is stellar, and multiple reviewers rave that the Alienware gaming laptop is the fastest gaming notebook they've tested. There are two big drawbacks, however, and they may be deal-breakers for some gamers. For one, the Alienware M17x is very expensive. It also weighs 11.68 pounds and has a battery life of less than two hours, so it's not for those who value portability. If cost and weight are a concern, the Asus G51Vx-RX05 (*Est. $1,050) weighs just over 7 pounds. It can't match the performance of the pricey Alienware M17x, but it's often recommended for budget-conscious or casual gamers.
Even though the Alienware M17x was just recently released, there's no shortage of feedback on this gaming laptop. Laptop Magazine, CNET, PCMag.com and PC World all conduct detailed testing on the M17x; reviewers at Laptop Magazine and PCMag.com provide especially comprehensive reviews. All of these sources rate the laptop. HotHardware.com also posts a review of the Alienware M17x, but there's little analysis to accompany the pictures and testing graphics.
Our Sources
1. Laptop MagazineDetails/Subscribe
Laptop Magazine conducts some of the best laptop testing, and it gives an Editors' Choice award to the Alienware M17x. Todd Haselton concludes that the M17x is the "most powerful system we've had in our labs," but the steep price may be a deal-breaker for some.
Review: Alienware M17x, Todd Haselton, Aug. 5, 2009
The Alienware M17x scores an Editors' Choice award in the gaming category from PCMag.com. Cisco Cheng appreciates the many expansion ports, and he says the Alienware M17x has the most powerful laptop processor currently available. However, he finds the glossy display highly vulnerable to glare.
Review: Alienware M17x, Cisco Cheng, July 15, 2009
ComputerShopper.com also bestows an Editor's Choice award on the Alienware M17x. John Delaney notes that the M17x is "the fastest gaming laptop we've ever tested." However, like other reviewers, he notes that this laptop is expensive and heavy.
Review: Alienware M17x, John Delaney, July 2009
Darren Gladstone at PC World is also impressed with the Alienware M17x, which he says has "blistering gamer-approved performance." Overall, the laptop gets a score of 86, which is "very good" in PC World's rating system.
Review: Alienware M17x Laptop Review, Darren Gladstone, July 30, 2009
5. CNET
CNET conducts extensive testing on laptops, and the Alienware M17x scores an "excellent" rating. Reviewer Dan Ackerman says the M17x is about as powerful as a laptop can get and it easily outperforms other gaming notebooks in his tests. However, he notes the battery drains quickly and describes the lighting system as "goofy."
Review: Alienware M17x Gaming Laptop Computer, Dan Ackerman, July 1, 2009
NotebookCheck.net provides some of the most detailed laptop tests we've seen. This is just a preliminary review, but it gives a thumbs up to the Alienware M17x. J. Simon Leitner thinks the case is dramatically improved over previous Alienware laptops.
Review: Hands-On: Alienware M17x Notebook, J. Simon Leitner, July 13, 2009
There's little analysis to accompany this review, but Marco Chiappetta does test the Alienware M17x. The results are illustrated in graphic form, and Chiappetta declares that it "put up the best benchmarks scores we have seen from a notebook to date."
Review: Alienware M17x Dual-GPU Gaming Notebook Review, Marco Chiappetta, Aug. 3, 2009
Laptops Runners Up:
2 picks by top review sites.
2 picks by top review sites.
HP EliteBook 8730w KS072UT 17.0-Inch Notebook PC(2.53 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T9400 Processor, 2 GB Ram, 250 GB Hard Drive, Windows Vista Business)
 from Amazon.com New: $2493.02 In Stock.
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