Dan Ackerman,
Senior Editor
December 12, 2008
Fans of inexpensive gaming laptops have suffered a big blow. Our long-time favorite, Gateway's P-7811 FX, is out of production, and its replacement, the P-7801u (which we're currently testing in the CNET Labs) is not only more expensive--it's no longer available in retail stores such as Best Buy.
At least a few other interesting options have popped up, including the reasonably affordable Alienware M17, which has two ATI GPUs in a CrossFire configuration, and the Asus N10J, which is basically a standard Netbook with an Nvidia 9300 GPU crammed inside. Does it work? Well, kind of. At least enough for WoW addicts to get a quick fix while waiting at the airport.
Now, if we could just get game developers to start making more PC games, we'd be in business.
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| Price | Check Prices | Check Prices | $679.99 to $749.99 | Check Prices | Check Prices |
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| Review date | August 21, 2008 | November 06, 2008 | November 26, 2008 | March 04, 2008 | September 15, 2008 |
| The Bottom Line | We appreciate the 17-inch Qosmio X305-Q701's cool looks, low price, and great stereo sound, but just a little bit more cash can buy a laptop that's better for watching movies or gaming. | Alienware is trying to have it both ways with the new M17, combining a relatively low starting price with some very pricey upgrades, including quad-core CPUs and ATI CrossFireX video cards. Our configuration wasn't very exciting, but turned in capable gaming scores. | It may look like your standard Netbook, but the Asus N10J is unique because underneath it features discrete, switchable graphics. You'll pay a bit more for the privilege, but the end result works for gaming on the go, as long as you don't mind dialing down your game settings. | Alienware's amazingly powerful flagship Area-51 m15x has the insides down, but our finicky aesthetic sense isn't sold on the look of this otherwise awesome 15-inch powerhouse of a gaming laptop. | If you're looking to drop some major change on a show-off gaming laptop, it's hard to do better than the Alienware Area-51 m17x, a mean-looking, high-performance black slab. |
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| Features | |||||
| Networking |
- IEEE 802.11g - Fast Ethernet - IEEE 802.11b Network adapter - Ethernet - Gigabit Ethernet - IEEE 802.11n - Bluetooth 2.1 EDR |
- IEEE 802.11g - IEEE 802.11b - Bluetooth 2.0 - IEEE 802.11n - Ethernet |
- IEEE 802.11g - Fast Ethernet - IEEE 802.11n (draft) - IEEE 802.11b Network adapter - Ethernet - Gigabit Ethernet - Bluetooth 2.1 EDR |
- IEEE 802.11g - Fast Ethernet - IEEE 802.11n (draft) - IEEE 802.11b - Bluetooth 2.0 - IEEE 802.11a Network adapter - Mini PCI - Ethernet - Gigabit Ethernet |
- Fast Ethernet - Gigabit Ethernet - Ethernet |
| Battery |
Lithium ion |
Info unavailable |
Lithium ion |
Lithium ion |
Lithium ion |
| Telecom |
Fax / modem - 56 Kbps |
Info unavailable |
None |
None |
Info unavailable |
| Graphics Controller |
NVIDIA GeForce 9700M GTS - 512 MB |
Info unavailable |
NVIDIA GeForce 9300M GS / Intel GMA 950 - 256 MB |
NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT - 256 MB |
Nvidia GeForce Go 8600M GT - 256 MB |
| Storage Removable |
None |
Info unavailable |
None |
None |
None |
| Optical Storage |
DVD?RW (?R DL) / DVD-RAM with Labelflash Technology |
Info unavailable |
None |
DVD?RW (+R DL) - Plug-in module |
DVD+/-RW |
| RAM |
4 GB (installed) / 4 GB (max) - DDR3 SDRAM - 1066 MHz - PC3-8500 |
3 GB DDR II SDRAM |
2 GB (installed) / 2 GB (max) - DDR2 SDRAM - 533 MHz - PC2-4200 |
2 GB (installed) / 4 GB (max) - DDR2 SDRAM - 667 MHz ( 2 x 1 GB ) |
1 GB DDR II SDRAM |
| Cache Memory |
3 MB - L2 cache |
Info unavailable | Info unavailable | ||
