Alienware M17x R4 Review (i7 3610QM/ AMD HD7970M)

Allan 'Zardon' Campbell June 15, 2012 Featured Announcement, Laptop / Mobile

Unigine provides an interesting way to test hardware. It can be easily adapted to various projects due to its elaborated software design and flexible toolset. A lot of their customers claim that they have never seen such extremely-effective code, which is so easy to understand.

Heaven Benchmark is a DirectX 11 GPU benchmark based on advanced Unigine engine from Unigine Corp. It reveals the enchanting magic of floating islands with a tiny village hidden in the cloudy skies. Interactive mode provides emerging experience of exploring the intricate world of steampunk.

Efficient and well-architected framework makes Unigine highly scalable:

Multiple API (DirectX 9 / DirectX 10 / DirectX 11 / OpenGL) render
Cross-platform: MS Windows (XP, Vista, Windows 7) / Linux
Full support of 32bit and 64bit systems
Multicore CPU support
Little / big endian support (ready for game consoles)
Powerful C++ API
Comprehensive performance profiling system
Flexible XML-based data structures

We use the following settings: 1920×1080 resolution. Anti Aliasing off. Anisotrophy 4, Tessellation normal. Shaders High. Stereo 3D disabled. API: Direct X 11.

AMD's HD7970M is a mobile powerhouse! This is the first time we have seen 56 frames per second from a single GPU powered laptop.

Become a Patron!

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

Valve overhauls Season Passes / DLC on Steam, for the better

Over the course of 2024, Valve has introduced a ton of new and appreciated pro-consumer features to its Steam platform. From the revamped family sharing to increased integration with the Steam Deck and more, Valve has been putting in the work to continue improving the platform. The latest update sees a new, more transparent / user-friendly approach to DLC and Season Passes.

15 comments

Davis
June 15, 2012 at 10:37 am

Well I never thought I would say it, but £1,700 is actually pretty good value for that machine. must be their best priced laptop in a long time. I might end up going for a 128GB SSD though as 64GB is borderline.
Brian
June 15, 2012 at 11:19 am

Thats a nice looking system. good pictures of the keyboard, is that the Star Trek font they use? lol.
Slash
June 15, 2012 at 11:23 am

What a spec, my dream laptop. The ivy bridge mobile processors look good, but not really such a huge advancement for Intel.

Shame they didnt use an AMD processor, but I suppose it wouldnt be popular.
WarrenUK
June 15, 2012 at 12:08 pm

Dell confuse me, some of their pricing upgrades are decent, like the HD7970 but the memory options can be excessive. the fact that this is easy to open makes me want to spec the memory as LOW as possible, then get some from amazon, like the corsair veageance (16gb for £100 on amazon for 1600mhz! 2x8gb!).

Can this computer take 8GB memory sticks?
Zardon
June 15, 2012 at 12:09 pm

Hi Warren, yes it can take 8gb memory sticks. go for it !
Seth
June 15, 2012 at 1:50 pm

I dont mind dell machines. (its basically dell) – but I think id opt for a precision with Quadro for work. The only concern i have is dell batteries, ive had three other machines now and all the batteries fail after a year.
WarrenUK
June 17, 2012 at 6:50 pm

I ordered one, now to deal with my wife 🙁
Alen
June 17, 2012 at 6:51 pm

You are mad buying one of these ! you could build one for much less ! alienware are a ripoff.
WarrenUK
June 17, 2012 at 6:52 pm

Dont talk nonsense, this isn’t a desktop system. you can’t make a laptop. half the parts aren’t widely available for a start.
Andrew I
July 8, 2012 at 3:25 pm

Yes there are cheaper options like the vortex 3 from pcspecialist but they look cheap compared to Alienware. This is also cheaper than an apple too and has better spec. I’m sold on it