Alienware M14x R2 Review: Better Than The Original Discussion

[Jerry Jackson]

If you're a serious PC gamer looking for a smaller, lighter gaming notebook chances are you've considered the Alienware M14x. This futuristic-looking 14-inch laptop might seem like a prop from a sci-fi movie, but it actually packs an Intel Core i7 "Ivy Bridge" processor, two storage drives, an optical drive, and NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M graphics. In short, this laptop delivers a very capable and very fun gaming experience for people who don't want to haul a larger 17-inch gaming rig.

Read the full content of this Article: Alienware M14x R2 Review: Better Than The Original

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[LongDono]

If you're a serious PC gamer looking for a smaller, lighter gaming notebook chances are you've considered the Alienware M14x. This futuristic-looking 14-inch laptop might seem like a prop from a sci-fi movie but it actually packs an Intel Core i7 "Ivy Bridge" processor, two storage drives, an optical drive, and NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M graphics. In short, this laptop delivers a very capable and very fun gaming experience for people who don't want to haul a larger 17-inch gaming rig.

Read the full content of this Article: Alienware M14x R2 Review: Better Than The Original

Related Articles:

• Eurocom Monster 1.0 (Clevo W110ERF) Review: Biggest Isn't Always Better
• Alienware Updates M14x, M17x and M18x Gaming Notebooks
• NVIDIA Announces New GeForce 600M Series Graphics

Thanks for the review. A few errors: 4gb x 2 RAM (not 4 x2gb). Bluetooth 4.0 (not 3.0). 1600x900 (1900x600 mentioned under performance tests).

Not mentioned in the review is Dell's support versus the other manufacturers.

[Wolfpup]

This sounds like an utter disaster. It uses Optimus, and on top of that you can't install Nvidia's normal drivers? Yikes.

I miss Dell's pre-Alienware days.

[Jerry Jackson]

Yes, the two best things I can say about the M14x R2 are "It's better than the old M14x" and "If you MUST have a 14-inch gaming notebook and can't accept a 15-inch notebook then the M14x R2 is probably the best choice currently on the market."

However, the value proposition starts to look worse when you consider things like not being able to install new NVIDIA drivers (at least without jumping through hoops), the strange battery life drop compared to the old M14x (which "might" also have to do with the drivers) and the fact that you can either buy a smaller notebook with similar performance or a larger notebook with better performance for the same money.

I loved my old Alienware M11x when it was new and I think Alienware would have CRUSHED the competition if they made a M11x R4 with the same processor and graphics as this M14x R2, along with an 11-inch MATTE screen with 1600x900 resolution.

On the other hand, I'd feel more positive about the M14X R2 if Alienware offered it with a Kepler-based GeForce GTX 660M instead of the just the GT 650M. I'd bet real money Dell's engineers could have found a way to make the thermals of the GTX 660M work inside this chassis. With a GTX class GPU (and full compatibility with NVIDIA's automatic driver updates) at this price point the M14x R2 would be a more compelling solution for mobile PC gaming.

[invisible]

Honestly, besides the design, I don't think there's really anything from AW that sets them apart from everyone else. From what I keep seeing from them, they're just too gimmicky IMHO.

[Jerry Jackson]

It used to be that Alienware notebooks had a clear advantage over other gaming notebooks in terms of build quality and the keyboards and touchpads. While some people will dismiss the multi-colored AlienFX lighting as a gimmick the Alienware keyboards and touchpads were the best backlit keyboards and touchpads on any gaming notebook for a long time. The problem for Alienware is that other companies are starting to catch up in terms of build quality, features, and specs.

The modern ASUS G-series notebooks are considered by many to be the "ASUS version of an Alienware notebook" but some of those ASUS G-series machines make a pretty compelling alternative to some of the Alienware models.

The Clevo-based gaming notebooks are a bit different. Clevo systems have always stressed performance (with the latest hardware) over build quality and design. So, in many cases an Alienware still has better build quality and looks than a Clevo but some Clevo resellers offer notebooks with better processors and graphics cards for less money than you'd pay for an Alienware. Of course, some Clevo reseller also charge WAY MORE than Alienware.

As far as Dell being a good or bad influence on Alienware, one good influence is that Dell provides better warranty support than some of the Clevo resellers out there. Dell isn't perfect, but they are often better at providing support than some of the smaller Clevo resellers. On the flip side, some of those Clevo resellers go way beyond Dell in terms of making sure customers are happy because they are small businesses and every sale is a big deal.

[invisible]

I see what you're saying. For me it's always been about function over form, though I suspect where gaming is a concern, most machines are the opposite and go for form over function. I guess at the end of the day I don't care what it looks like, or about flashing lights and backlit stuff as long as it's reliable and peforms as expected. So I would say I'm definitely not within their demographic.
It's nice to see others trying to catch up in build quality though.

[lua]

the design may looks cool to hardcore gamers, but for a casual gamer looking for a powerful machine to churn out gorgeous graphic, it looks pretty goofy to me. pity.

[TailGunner]

the design may looks cool to hardcore gamers, but for a casual gamer looking for a powerful machine to churn out gorgeous graphic, it looks pretty goofy to me. pity.

Agreed. The current casing design is nearly four years old and is in need of a refresh. A more elegant refresh.

[LongDono]

Not sure what happened on the battery life test.
A quote from the M14x R2's owners thread might help understand why people buy them.

I've got a message for those of you that aren't sure if they should go with a M14x or a ASUS/MSI/Sager/etc.

This laptop is the first Alienware that I've ever owned, and here are my impressions:
- First, the look and feel is absolutely gorgeous. The quality of the product is incredible. The only word that can describe it is "perfection".
- The lighting is really well done and all customisable. You can create your own sequences for most of the lighting zones (the ones that matter), and the limit is really your imagination (and patience :P).
- The screen is colourful and very bright, thanks to the WLED backlight. The only downside is that it acts as a mirror in bright environment. However, the brightness of the thing compensates for it.
- The Klipsch powered sound system is really incredible for a 14" laptop. Really. I'm not kidding. Just keep the default THX values and you'll be blown away. And I'm a sound fanatic.
- The battery life is fantastic. You can count on 5 to 6 hours of internet surfing (in Power saver mode), or 4 hours of 1080p HD movie (Balance mode).
- The thing doesn't know heat. If the nVidia GPU is not used (i.e. when you're not gaming), the fan runs at its slowest. This is really a pleasure to watch a Blu-ray on my HDMI-connected TV and to not hear the sound of the laptop. When you're gaming (I play Diablo III), it doesn't go over 70 degrees, so overclocking is possible (but useless for Diablo).
- It doesn't come with too many crapware. I just uninstalled McAfee (replaced it with Microsoft Security Essentials) and some Alienware software such as AlienRespawn, but this is really up to you. The Intel drivers were not up to date so I went to intel.com and they were updated without issue. The only thing I've done manually is to uninstall the Wi-Fi software & driver to only install the driver (need to download this one on Intel site).
- It took only 1 business week between order and receive. I live in Canada so this may be different for you.

To summarize, it's the ultimate laptop. Even if the 14" screen size slows you a bit, it's not very small and you don't need to make Windows expand the DPI. The text is clear and readable.

I don't know what to say other than "go for it".

I'm not a gamer, BTW.