- Conclusion Get the lowdown
- Features How it compares
- Performance Real world benchmarks
- Differences Technical showdown
- Reviews Word on the street
- Competition Others to consider
- Discussion Answers and opinions
Alienware M Series M18x
- 18.4"
- Core i7 2 GHz Quad core
- 8 GB DDR3-1333
- 500 GB
First seen on December, 2011
by LaptopMag (Aug, 2011)The massive 18.4-inch, 1920 x 1080-pixel WLED display on the M18x is a sight to behold.
Features Key features of the Alienware M Series M18x
2 GHz
Intel Core i7 2630QM
by LaptopMag (Nov, 2011)Images were sharp with crisp detail, but had noticeably muted color.
screen size
18.4"
13.3"
13.3"
M Series M18x by LaptopMag (Aug, 2011)Movies and games simply popped off the display, and it was so large that it enveloped us in the action.
M Series M18x by J.-Manke--E.Eng.---Gamer (Jan, 2013)If you need a large screen laptop that can run anything, a 670M is more than enough.
screen resolution
M Series M18x by Walter-Cabrera (Sep, 2011)I am a very detail-oriented person (my friends say I am never satisfied with anything) but I have to say that with the m18x I am, why not say it till I was impressed with this machine, I can run all games on the market till this day.
M Series M18x by LaptopMag (Aug, 2012)During the "World of Warcraft" test, the M18x R2 notched an incredible 410 fps on autodetect at native resolution (1920 x 1080p).
cpu speed
| 0 GHz | 2.4 GHz   | 3 GHz |
M Series M18x by LaptopMag (Aug, 2012)Click to EnlargeOur $4.454 review unit has a 2.7-GHz Intel Core i7-3820QM CPU with 16GB of RAM, dual 256GB SSDs in a RAID 0 configuration and dual Nvidia GeForce GTX 680M GPUs with 2GB of VRAM.
M Series M18x by LaptopMag (Aug, 2012)In that case, the $1,999 base model features a 2.3-GHz Intel Core i7-3610QM CPU, 6GB of RAM, a 500GB 7,200-rpm hard drive and an Nvidia GeForce GTX 660M GPU with 2GB of VRAM.
processor
M Series M18x by Thomas (Dec, 2011)The only thing wrong with this computer is the processor, it says its the Intel Core i7-2670QM Processor (Quad-Core, 2.2GHz, 6MB Cache), but its actually the one right below it the Intel Core i7-2630QM Processor (Quad-Core, 2.0GHz, 6MB Cache).
M Series M18x by LaptopMag (Nov, 2011)Equipped with a 2.5-GHz Intel Core i7-2920XM CPU that overclocks to 4 GHz, 16GB of RAM, two 750GB, 7,200-rpm hard drives in a RAID 0 array, and dual AMD Radeon 6900M GPUs with 2GB of VRAM, the Alienware M18x has seriously epic performance.
memory
| 0 GB | 8 GB  | 20 GB |
M Series M18x by LaptopMag (Aug, 2012)The $2,599 model has similar specs to the base model but ups the ante with 8GBB of RAM, dual 500GB 7,200-rpm hard drives in a RAID 0 configuration and Nvidia GeForce GTX 675M GPU with 2GB of VRAM.
M Series M18x by LaptopMag (Aug, 2012)Click to EnlargePowered by a 2.7-GHz Intel Core i7-3820QM with 16GB of RAM, the Alienware M18x R2 can definitely take care of business.
Performance Real world tests of Alienware M Series M18x
3DMark06 CPU
M Series M18x by LaptopMag (Nov, 2011)s? While the AMD-powered M18x scored a little higher on the synthetic 3DMark06 test, the Nvidia-powered configuration had slightly higher frame rates in actual game play.
M Series M18x by LaptopMag (Aug, 2011)It didn't break the PCMark Vantage record, but it put up a good fight.
Our analysis How does it stack up against its top 10 competitors
pros
-
18.4" -
the screen is large enough to display 1080p video without scaling -
1920 x 1080 -
8 GB -
DDR3-1333
cons
-
can't read a camera or phone memory card -
500 GB
Reviews Word on the street
 |   Rated by 13 users at amazon.com Rated 100% by by Thomas (Dec, 2011)  Rated 100% by by J.-Manke--E.Eng.---Gamer (Jan, 2013) |
|---|---|
Screen
Alienware M Series M18x 18.4", 2 GHz, 8 GB, 500 GB | Rated 100% by by wisdomtooth (Mar, 2013)The screen color is brilliant.
Alienware M Series M18x 18.4", 2 GHz, 8 GB, 500 GB | by LaptopMag (Aug, 2012)The space was hardly needed since using multitouch gestures was such an accurate, fluid experience.
Alienware M Series M18x 18.4", 2 GHz, 8 GB, 500 GB | by LaptopMag (Aug, 2011)As Alienware is owned by Dell, the M18x features the parent company's Live Central software, which lets you tweak brightness and contrast and add fun avatars and effects.
Gpu
Alienware M Series M18x 18.4", 2 GHz, 8 GB, 500 GB | by LaptopMag (Aug, 2011)Outfit the system with Windows 7 Ultimate, an Intel Core i7-2920XM overclocked to 4 GHz, dual Nvidia GeForce GTX 580M GPUs, 16GB of DDR3 memory at 1600MHz, dual 256GB SSDs, Killer Wireless-N Wi-Fi, WirelessHD, and a slot-loading Blu-ray, and you're looking at a price tag of $6,500.
Alienware M Series M18x 18.4", 2 GHz, 8 GB, 500 GB | by LaptopMag (Nov, 2011)Opting for dual Nvidia GeForce GTX580M GPUs in SLI instead of AMD graphics will add $150 to the total cost.
Alienware M Series M18x 18.4", 2 GHz, 8 GB, 500 GB | by LaptopMag (Nov, 2011)At present, Alienware also charges $150 more for the Nvidia cards, making the AMD seem like a better value on this rig, though Nvidia has a minor edge in real-world performance.
Type
Alienware M Series M18x 18.4", 2 GHz, 8 GB, 500 GB | by LaptopMag (Nov, 2011)But users considering this high-end system must choose between configurations with Nvidia and AMD graphics chips.
Alienware M Series M18x 18.4", 2 GHz, 8 GB, 500 GB | by LaptopMag (Nov, 2011)Those using the Nvidia M18x will have to download the GeForce 285.62 WHQL drivers, which Nvidia claims will boost performance in Battlefield 3 by 11 percent.
Alienware M Series M18x 18.4", 2 GHz, 8 GB, 500 GB | by LaptopMag (Aug, 2011)The M17x, whose single AMD Radeon HD 6970M GPU notched a score of 20,048.
Storage
Alienware M Series M18x 18.4", 2 GHz, 8 GB, 500 GB | by LaptopMag (Aug, 2011)A slot-loading Blu-ray player is also on the right, as is a 9-in-1 memory card reader and an ExpressCard/54 slot.
Alienware M Series M18x 18.4", 2 GHz, 8 GB, 500 GB | by LaptopMag (Aug, 2011)About the only thing we wish the M18x had was support for SATA 6GB SSDs; a company representative said it was in the works.
Alienware M Series M18x 18.4", 2 GHz, 8 GB, 500 GB | by LaptopMag (Aug, 2011)When we watched a Blu-ray of Iron Man, the red and gold of Tony Stark's suit sparkled, and explosions were wonderfully fiery.
Uses
Alienware M Series M18x 18.4", 2 GHz, 8 GB, 500 GB | by LaptopMag (Nov, 2011)Those expecting to play Arkham Asylum, Battlefield 3, or Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 will want to make sure they've got the current drivers installed.
Alienware M Series M18x 18.4", 2 GHz, 8 GB, 500 GB | by LaptopMag (Aug, 2011)What that translates to is the highest gaming scores we've seen from a laptop.
Alienware M Series M18x 18.4", 2 GHz, 8 GB, 500 GB | Rated 100% by by Marianne (Nov, 2011)My theory in choosing this laptop is that a gamer laptop would contain all the "bells and whistles" that I'd like in a laptop.
Competition What else you should consider
 | 1 | Apple MacBook Air 4th Gen Has a light sensor Apple MacBook Air 4th Gen vs Alienware M Series M18x |
 | 3 | Sony VAIO S Series Sharpest screen Sony VAIO S Series vs Alienware M Series M18x |
 | 4 | ASUS G74 Series G74SX 3-way tie: Really fast internal storage ASUS G74 Series G74SX vs Alienware M Series M18x |
 | 5 | ASUS N75 Series N75SF 2-way tie: More VGA ports ASUS N75 Series N75SF vs Alienware M Series M18x |
 | 6 | Apple MacBook Pro 8th Gen Highest resolution screen Apple MacBook Pro 8th Gen vs Alienware M Series M18x |
 | 7 | Apple MacBook Air 5th Gen Newest on the market Apple MacBook Air 5th Gen vs Alienware M Series M18x |
New duel?
Let the battle continue or dare to compare.
Editions Editions of the Alienware M Series M18x
| Price | Edition | RAM type | Cinebench r10 32Bit (Aggregate) | Internal storage | Manufacturer code | Compare | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | | DDR3-1333 | 13,680.9 | 500 GB | M18x | | ||||
 | | DDR3-1600 | 15,868.8 | 1,024 GB | AM18X-6732BAA | | ||||
