Alienware Area-51 m5500

and it is AWESOME! Everthing arrived in perfect working order. Here are the specs:

[1] Area-51® m5500

Processor: Intel® Pentium® M 760 2.0GHz 2MB L2 Cache 533MHz FSB
Operating System (Office software not included): Genuine Microsoft® Windows® XP Media Center Edition 2005 with Service Pack 2
Display: Alienware® m5500 15.4" WideXGA 1280 x 800 LCD - Xeno Grey
Motherboard: Alienware® Intel® 915GM + ICH6 Chipset
Memory: 512MB Dual Channel DDR2 SO-DIMM at 533MHz - 2 x 256MB
Hard Drive: 60GB 5400 RPM ATA100
Optical Drive: 8X Dual Layer DVD+/-RW / 24X CD-RW Combo w/Software
Video/Graphics Card: 256MB NVidia® GeForce™ Go MXM 6600
Sound Card: Intel® High-Definition Audio
Modem: Integrated 56K Modem with V.90 Technology
Wireless Network Card: Intel® PRO/Wireless 2915 a/b/g Wireless Card
Communications: Integrated High Performance Gigabit Ethernet
Power: Alienware® m5500 9-cell Lithium-Ion Additional Battery
Warranty: 1-Year AlienCare Toll-Free 24/7 Phone Support w/ Onsite Service
AlienRespawn: Alienware® Respawn Recovery Kit
Flash Memory: Alienware® USB 2.0 256MB Flash Drive
Mobile Bags: Alienware® Odyssey Messenger Bag
Headphones: Sennheiser PC140 Multimedia Headset
Desktop Enhancements: Exclusive AlienGUIse Theme Manager
Alienware Mouse Pad: Alienware® Mousepad

[1] Special Financing Offer; 6 Months Same As Cash Financing with the Alienware Credit Card
[1] Free Alienware® Odyssey Messenger Bag; On Select Notebooks
[1] Free Alienware® USB 2.0 256MB Flash Drive ; On Select Notebooks
[1] Free Sennheiser PC140 Multimedia Headset; On Select Notebooks
[1] Instant Free Shipping; On Select Systems

SubTotal: $1,951.00
Shipping: $108.76
Discount: $239.00
Tax: $0.00
Order Total: $1,820.76

June 5, 2006 - Ordered
June 7, 2006 - Phase 3
<Jumped from phase 3 to phase 9>
June 13, 2006 - Phase 9
June 13, 2006 - Phase 10
June 17, 2006 - Delivered at 9:10(eastern) in the morning

Here are some pics of the box's and packaging -

One box held the bag, extra battery, and headphone while the other box held all the other stuff





Bag, Battery, and Headphones

Here's some pics of the computer -




From left to right, Media card reader, Microphone jack, Audio in jack, Headphone jack, Video card switch

Left to right, IEEE 1384 port, USB ports x3, AC Adapter, S-Video. Exhast is below the usb ports

From left to right, Ethernet, Modem, DVD-RW


With the 9-Cell Battery in. The 6-Cell is flush with the end while the 9-cell sticks out a bit
[IMG][/http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v475/aladar50/Alienware018.jpg[IMG]
Another picture of the 9-Cell


Overall, I am very happy with this laptop. I've had zero problems with it so far, and everything seems to be in working order. Those pictures were taken from my camera's memory card straight from the media card reader on the front.

So far, the only games i've put on are Half-Life 2 : Episode 1 and Counterstrike Source. HL2:Ep1 plays beutiful, considering its only 512 ram. Here are some pics:




I've ordered 2 gigs of ram, and it is coming in the mail now. Here's the ram I ordered:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820146440
Hopefully I don't mess anything up

Again, I am very happy with this computer, and would recommend it to anyone.

So here's my spec: (prett chessy, but as a college stud....dent, i'm kinda low on dough, ironic because my name is Pimp..lol. but nevertheless:

[1] Area-51® m5500

Processor: Intel® Pentium® M 740 1.73GHz 2MB L2 Cache 533MHz FSB
Operating System (Office software not included): Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition with Service Pack 2
Warranty: 90-Day AlienCare Toll-Free 24/7 Phone Support
Display: Alienware® m5500 15.4" WideXGA 1280 x 800 LCD - Xeno Grey
Motherboard: Alienware® Intel® 915GM + ICH6 Chipset
Wireless Network: Intel® PRO/Wireless 2200 b/g Wireless Card
Memory: 512MB Dual Channel DDR2 SO-DIMM at 533MHz - 2 x 256MB
Hard Drive: 60GB 5400 RPM ATA100
Video Card: 256MB NVidia® GeForce™ Go MXM 6600
Sound Card: Intel® High-Definition Audio
Optical Drive: 24x10x24 CD-RW / 8X DVD Combo w/Software MPEG2 Decoder
Ethernet NIC: Integrated High Performance Gigabit Ethernet
Modem: 56K Modem with V.90 Technology

Had this baby for three months so fat, only complaint is that alienware send me a replacement optical drive, but the bezzel does not fit, and it's a slotload drive too!

Shipping (10/10):
Order in End of Jan. i think around 22th, then it arrived on Feb. 3rd. Not bad, since i live all the way in San Hose. P.S. go Sharks.

My mom was hidding this box in the basement, she kept on laughing at me at dinner, and after dessert she finally told me that a black alien box arrived for me.

First impression (10/10):
I took the box to my room, and had my dirty way with it. I was impressed with the clean install, and there was also a document inside the computer with my specs. SWEET.

Graphics (9/10):
After the second day my CD drive died on me, so i had to use my desktop drive; networked the computer and laptop together, and install my games from my desktop. FEAR totally rocks, running it at 800x600 with med- high settings, i thought i need an alienware sli rig to run that game. Battlefield 2 rocks too, running the game on i believe 1200x800, somewhere in that neighborhood, with all filtering no AA on med settings. (I know i'm gonna upgrade ram soon). Command and conquer generals run like butter at max settings, quake 4, not all that bad. The sims 2 maxed out, now i wish i had the SXGA screen, could have seen more. I thought this card was just good for DVDs, but man it's not that bad for a 15.4" laptop, got many praises from ppl with integrated graphics.

Speakers (8/10):
speakers were quite good, was not that bad compared with name brand laptops.

Keyboard (10/10):
translucent color rocks.

Overall 9/10):
I use a backpack with a laptop compartment, have no problems here. Everytime i go to the library to study and play games, everyone passes by and give comments like: "dude you got one of em badass alienware," or "sick, how much did it cost?" ocasionally some dell xps guys wanna go head to head over LAN. CAnt wait to upgrade card and kick their arse. I wish i had bought the warranty though. It cost 150 for a 1 year warranty if you dont by the warranty with the laptop. If i had bought the warranty with the laptop it would only cost 50 dollars. I learned a valuable lesson here guys.

P.S. intel's wifi was pretty easy to use (10/10)

P.S.2 I bought my lil brother that 512mb alienware mp3, and he loves it, iPods owners really envy him. The grils said alienware mp3 is so lite and cute, girls flock to him just to play with it. Sound quality is awesome, and it comes with a semi noise cancellation earbuds. for 80 dollars after rebate, it's a steal. Now if only they had an mp4 player.

I could take picture if someone show me how to paste em.

Let's start with the specs. Here is what I ordered.

Area-51® m5500

Processor: Intel® Pentium® M 760 2.0GHz 2MB L2 Cache 533MHz FSB
Operating System: Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional with Service Pack 2
Warranty: 3-Year AlienCare Toll-Free 24/7 Phone Support w/ Onsite Service
Display: Alienware® m5500 15.4" WideUXGA 1920 x 1200 LCD - Xeno Grey - Xeno Grey
Motherboard: Alienware® Intel® 915GM + ICH6 Chipset
Wireless Network: Intel® PRO/Wireless 2200 b/g Wireless Card
Memory: 2GB Dual Channel DDR2 SO-DIMM at 533MHz - 2 x 1024MB
Hard Drive: 100GB 7200 RPM ATA100
Video Card: 256MB NVidia® GeForce™ Go MXM 6600
Sound Card: Intel® High-Definition Audio
Additional Battery: Alienware® m5500 9-cell Lithium-Ion Smart Battery Pack
Additional AC Adapter: Alienware® m5500 90 Watt Auto-switch AC Adapter
Optical Drive: 8X Dual Layer DVD+/-RW / 24X CD-RW Combo w/Software
Ethernet NIC: Integrated High Performance Gigabit Ethernet
Modem: 56K Modem with V.90 Technology
Productivity Software: Microsoft® Works 2006 DVD Suite
Apparel: Alienware® T-Shirt - Black - Price Includes $5 Instant Rebate
Desktop Enhancements: Exclusive AlienGUIse Theme Manager
Alienware Mouse Pad: Alienware® Mousepad
Automated Support: AlienAutopsy: Automated Technical Support Request System
AlienRespawn: Alienware® Respawn Recovery Kit

Alienware® Odyssey Messenger Bag
Free Shipping Mail-In Rebate; on Alienware systems excluding peripherals - Continental U.S. Only
Special Financing Offer; 6 Months Same As Cash Financing with the Alienware Credit Card
$150 Instant Rebate; On Area 51 m5500

As you'll read later, I removed the 9-cell battery and added the Odyssey Backpack.


This is my first laptop. However, this isn't my first Alienware, as I bought a desktop from Alienware four years ago.

Reason for purchasing a laptop: I'm starting college this fall and my desktop just wasn't going to fit in a little dorm room. A laptop will make traveling home on break very easy or let me write a paper while sitting in any area on campus.

What companies I considered: Mainly Alienware, though I also looked at Dell.

What actual laptops I considered: At first I was going to get an Area-51 m7700, but decided that it just weighed way too much for everyday portability. I then started to think about the Area-51 m5700, which weighs around 4 pounds less. I hadn't even seriously considered the m5500 at this point. Since I'd never owned a laptop before, I was pretty ignorant as to just how big a 17" screen laptop would be. After looking at Best Buy to see how big the laptops really were, I realized a 17" screen was just too big. Enter the 15.4" m5500. It wasn't big or small, light or heavy, weak or extremely powerful. The m5500 was the perfect "middle of the road" laptop.


The Ordering Experience

I ordered using Alienware's site. Very simple to use. No problems. Paid with credit card and quickly received an email order confirmation.

Ordering experience: 5/5


The (infamous) Phase Game

As a previous Alienware customer, I had an idea of what I was getting into here. I needed a laptop before August, so what did I do? I ordered in February.

Phase 1 (Order Received): 2/13/06
Phase 2 (Awaiting Payment Processing): 2/14/06
Phase 3 (Payment Received): 2/15/06
Phase 4 (Inventory Audit): This actually never showed up on the website, though I was told over the phone that it was in this stage not long after entering phase 3.
Phase 5 (Production: Assembly & Integration): 3/15/06
Phase 6 (Production: Phase #1): Never actually showed being in this phase.
Phase 7 (Production: Phase #2): Never actually showed being in this phase.
Phase 8 (Production: Quality Control): 3/17/06
Phase 9 (Production: Shipping): 3/17/06
Phase 10 (Order Shipped): 3/20/06
Delivered: 3/23/06

As you can see, there was a month of phase 3/4 "limbo". When I placed my order, nothing in it was on backorder.

2/15/06, I received this email: There will be a slight delay in your Alienware order, because the part(s) listed below are temporarily back ordered. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, and assure you that we are doing everything in our power to expedite the process of obtaining the part(s). Once the part(s) have been obtained, your order will be processed.

1- PDP 1GB DDR2 PC4200 SO-DIMM LEAD FREE ....................... Expected Date: To be announced

2/22/06: There will be a slight delay in your Alienware order, because the part(s) listed below are temporarily back ordered. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, and assure you that we are doing everything in our power to expedite the process of obtaining the part(s). Once the part(s) have been obtained, your order will be processed.

1- INTEL PRO WIRELESS MINI-PCI 2200BG LAN MODULE ............... Expected Date: To be announced
2- AREA-51M 5500 9 CELL PRIMARY BATTERY ........................ Expected Date: To be announced

2/28/06: There will be a slight delay in your Alienware order, because the part(s) listed below are temporarily back ordered. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, and assure you that we are doing everything in our power to expedite the process of obtaining the part(s). Once the part(s) have been obtained, your order will be processed.

1- AREA-51M 5500 9 CELL PRIMARY BATTERY ........................ Expected Date: To be announced

3/06/06: There will be a slight delay in your Alienware order, because the part(s) listed below are temporarily back ordered. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, and assure you that we are doing everything in our power to expedite the process of obtaining the part(s). Once the part(s) have been obtained, your order will be processed.

1- AREA-51M 5500 9 CELL PRIMARY BATTERY ........................ Expected Date: To be announced

3/13/03: There will be a slight delay in your Alienware order, because the part(s) listed below are temporarily back ordered. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, and assure you that we are doing everything in our power to expedite the process of obtaining the part(s). Once the part(s) have been obtained, your order will be processed.

1- AREA-51M 5500 9 CELL PRIMARY BATTERY ........................ Expected Date: To be announced


At this point I'd had quite enough. I called on 3/13/06 and removed the battery from my order. Looking back now, I wish I would have removed the battery way back in the beginning of March. That way I would have gotten my computer two weeks earlier.

Throughout all of the "limbo phase", I was treated very well by Customer Service when I bugged them over the phone about my order status. One perk of my "limbo phase" was that the price of the Odyssey Backpack was dropped from $143 to $69 when ordered with a laptop. Since I was still in phase 3/4, I was able to add the backpack to my order at the new low price.

Moral of the story: place your order at least two months before you NEED the computer. You could definitely get it well before then, but better safe than sorry. I still have four months until college, but the peace of mind was worth the early purchase.

Phase Game: 2/5

Is it really that hard to get a 9-cell battery? Apparently...

Points removed for "limbo phase". Once everything got out of backorder, phases went very quickly and smoothly.


Delivery and Packaging

I received emails from both FedEx and Alienware with tracking numbers on Monday evening (3/20/06). Two boxes: one 30 lbs and the other 5 lbs. Status didn't update very often, but then I was checking it far more often than I really should have. It left Miami Monday night, got to Orlando on Tuesday in the wee hours of the morning, arrived in Kansas on Wednesday morning, made it to the local FedEx facility in Missouri around 5 AM Thursday morning and headed out for delivery. I woke up at 7 AM and spent the next several hours peering out the window anytime I hear the littlest noise. Delivered at 11 AM Thursday. Good thing too, I don't think my nerves could have handled waiting much longer.

Nothing like seeing that wonderful big black Alienware box for the first time. After lugging the boxes up to my room, it was time to open it all up and make sure everything was there.

Big Black Box:
Owners Manual
Respawn DVD
AC Adapter
Nero DVD
Instant On DVD
Windows Recovery CD
Mobile Manual
Mouse Pad
Black Alienware T-Shirt
Laptop

Nondescript Brown Box:
Backpack
extra AC Adapter
Microsoft Works Suite 2006

Everything was in order. I was really impressed with Alienware's packaging. The laptop was actually in a smaller black box secured by foam pads within the larger black box. As a previous customer, I had seen Alienware's "custom" manuals before. Last time I got a binder with a few sheets printed off that told about my specific configuration. It seems that is no longer the practice. The manual generally covers all m5500s, rather than being tailor-made. This is actually a huge improvement as this manual was actually helpful, unlike the one that I had gotten with my desktop. It's around 100 pages long. The mobile manual covers far less and is much shorter.

Delivery: 4/5

Point taken off for FedEx driving me crazy with waiting.

Packaging: 5/5

Excellent. Really couldn't have been better.











Alienware Touch

It's the little things that make ordering an Alienware truly special.

From the FedEx delivery person to anyone nearby when it's delivered, everyone will know you have an Alienware. It's hard to mistake that big black box with alien emblem.

Literally almost everything you get, from paperwork and packaging to the actual computer and accessories, will have an alien head emblem on it. The only thing that doesn't have it, as far as I can tell, is the AC adapter. The laptop is an Alienware and they aren't letting anyone forget it.

One of the more amusing touches is the Agent Identification Card that comes in the mobile manual. It's a little card (size of a credit card) with your name and accounting number made to look like a secret agent identification card.

The touch that most people will notice is the big blue glowing Alienware logo and alien head on the laptop case. It only glows when the laptop is on and looks very sharp (it doesn't even look like it would glow) when the laptop is off.

Alienware Touch: 5/5

I'm a science fiction fan. I love that little alien head. Nothing like having a computer that looks so unique. I'm sure I'll get more than a few comments and questions from people who see it.






Laptop

Time to get down to the actual computer.


Case

This baby is a beauty. Its silvery/gray color is wonderful (I'd probably pick it, even if they were offering other colors). Very sleek design. Looks very professional. Well, the professionally of a glowing alien head is debatable. The "rubber grips" on the back of the case look quite nice in person and give you an area to grip that won't get smudged as easily with fingerprints.

Case: 5/5

Looks is one of the main draws of an Alienware.






Performance - Normal Applications

This is a speedy little thing. Just for fun I timed how long it takes to turn on, shut off, and restart.

Turn on (from pressing power to the desktop screen): 1:02 minutes.
Restart (from desktop screen and back again): 1:18 minutes.
Turn off (from desktop screen to completely off): 22 seconds.

Programs start within a few seconds of clicking on them (internet,iTunes, etc..). I've been using the integrated graphics for all non gaming usage.

Performance - Normal Applications: 5/5

Excellent. I just wish I had high speed internet at home. Oh well, I get wifi at college. Then its speed will really get to shine with using the internet.


Performance - Gaming

I've only tested gaming with the GeForce 6600 Go graphics card while using the AC adapter.

I just bought Oblivion the other day, so it got to be my test game. Runs very nicely on medium settings at 1024x768. I tried it at 1920x1600, but the graphics stuttered so bad the game was unplayable.

Here are some screenshots I took of Oblivion.





Performance - Gaming: 4/5

This won't run new games on high settings. If you want to do that, get something else. However, it will let you play many games on medium to lower settings.


Keyboard and Touch Pad

The keyboard took a little getting use to (my main problem being that I kept trying to use my PC's keyboard because it was right next to my laptop). After a few days (and typing this whole review), I've gotten used to it and can type just as fast as normal. The lack of a real keypad is missed (it has a few letter keys that can function as a number pad, but I haven't figured out how to use that yet). The function key is placed badly (right where control normally is), with the control key moved over one to the right. This makes you hit function rather than control out of habit rather easily.

The touch pad is nice, for a touch pad. I am not fond of touch pads in the least. It works fine for minimal use, but I highly suggest getting a real mouse. I bought the Microsoft mini optical wireless mouse and love it. The Alienware mouse pad that came with the laptop is by far the best I've ever used. Get it and a mouse and you're set.

Keyboard: 4/5

Touch Pad: 2/5

Microsoft Wireless Notebook Optical Mouse: 5/5

Alienware Mouse Pad: 5/5






Screen

As far as I know, I'm the first person here to buy a m5500 with a resolution of 1920x1600. You're probably think that everything would be way too small on a 15.4" screen. You'd be right, but setting the DPI to 120 (normal is 96) makes text and icons larger, while leaving amount of display space still huge. After five minutes of using this laptop, I was completely used to it and in love. The amount on space is amazing. I can easily open two large windows side-by-side.

The screen isn't one of those really shiny ones. This is a "matte" finish. I have so far had no glare problems. Though I haven't tried using it out in the sun yet.

Screen: 5/5

I was worried that 1920x1600 would make everything way too small. Now I can't imagine using anything else. Very sharp looking screen. Nothing like being able to run two internet windows side-by-side with both large enough to actually function.






Here is a full 1920x1600 screen shot of my desktop view: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v8...sktopview2.jpg


Speakers

They're located right under the screen display. I'm a bit spoiled when it comes to sound. I use Klipsch 5.1 Ultras with my PC. After those, a lot of speakers will sound flat and bland.

The 5500's two speakers get the job done, but with no finesse. Classical and other lighter musics sound nice enough on them, but heavier (Metallica, among other things, was used for my experimenting) stuff doesn't sound very good. Headphones would be a good idea to get.

Speakers: 2/5

Great for just internet use and such, but not very good for music or gaming. Buy headphones.


Ports

The 5500 has a surprising amount of ports for a laptop.

3 USB ports
S-Video
phone jack
Ethernet port
headphones / SPDIF-out jack
microphone jack
audio line-in jack
firewire port
AC adapter port
VGA port

The only bad is the placement of the USB ports. They are right above a heat vent, thus your USB connectors get warm air blown on them.

Ports: 3/5

USB ports should be better placed.


Battery

I got around 2 1/2 hours using the integrated graphics card and medium brightness settings for the screen with the 6-cell battery. This was only using the internet and the USB port for my mouse.

Update
I received my 9-cell battery. Using the same paramiters as the 6-cell (intgrated graphics, medium brightness, USB port, etc..), I was able to get almost 3 1/2 hours. It had 6% left when I quit and let it start recharging.

It should be noted that the 9-cell sticks out about 1/2" from the battery port, whereas the 6-cell sits flush with the case.

6-cell: 11.5 ounces
9-cell: 16.7 ounces

So you have a 5.2 ounce difference between the two.

Battery 6-cell: 3/5

Battery 9-cell: 4/5


Here is the laptop with the 9-cell battery.




DVD Burner

This thing is great. I have a much older one on my PC and this thing kicks its butt. It wrote a 4GB DVD in around 20 minutes overall.

DVD Burner: 5/5

It works. It works relatively fast.


Cooling

It does give off a good deal of heat. Definitely warm to the touch, but I haven't noticed it giving off more heat than those just sitting on at Best Buy. Use the integrated graphics to keep it cooler. I notice a jump in heat (and the fan running a lot more) with the GeForce 6600.

Cooling: 3/5

It's a bit warm to rate any higher.


Intervideo Instant On

This boots the computer in to a special mode just for watching DVDs and listening to CDs. It doesn't go into Windows, thus turns on in just a few seconds. Comparing using it verse playing a DVD in Power DVD through Windows, Power DVD wins. But Instant On is still a neat little feature.

Instant On: 4/5

Nice little extra.

Instant On:


Power DVD:


Portability

It's a laptop, so one of the main things it comes down to is portability. Weighing in at around 6 lbs with the 6-cell battery, the m5500 isn't too bad. I can carry it easily enough. It's also light enough to set on your lap without being uncomfortable.

I bought both the Odyssey Backpack and Messenger Bag. So far, I prefer the backpack for the laptop. It's easier to carry and seems to keep the laptop more secure. I haven't taken the laptop out of the house yet though, so I haven't tested this thoroughly.

Update

The backpack with m5500 (using 6-cell battery), AC adapter, extra 9-cell battery, mouse pad, mouse, and my iPod weighs in around 14-15 lbs.


Odyssey Backpack: 4/5

Overall nice design. The little strap that can go across your chest is obviously not made for women.

Odyssey Messenger Bag: 3/5

Having only a single strap makes carrying harder on your shoulder.

Overall Portability of Laptop: 4/5

A little heavy and big to be ultra portable, but still light enough and small enough that it isn't a hassle.







Overall Rating: 4/5

This is a great laptop. I'm very happy with my purchase. Other than the few minor flaws mention above, it's wonderful.

Before I start, here are the specs on my particular system:

Alienware Area-51 m5500

15.4" WideSXGA+ 1680 x 1050 LCD
1.73GHz Intel Pentium M 533MHz FSB
1GB DDR2 RAM
Alienware® Intel® 915GM + ICH6 Chipset
256Mb NVidia GeForce Go MXM 6600
Intel PRO/Wireless 2200 b/g Wireless Card
60GB 5400 RPM ATA100 HDD
Sound Blaster Audigy 2 NX
24x10x24 CD-RW / 8X DVD
Motorolla 56K Modem with V.90 Technology
Integrated High Performance Gigabit Ethernet

Now let's get this started...

Design:

The first thing you notice about this laptop.. yeah it's the glowing blue alien and Alienware logo on the back. My roommate got really scared one night when he woke up and saw a pair of glowing eyes staring at him. That was amusing. The design is not tacky though, and it's done clean enough that even my mom wanted one (lol, my mom is quite trendy).

The case is solid... the plastic doesn't flex easily. The lid is sturdy, and you really have to try hard to get the LCD to ripple from behind. The dark grey color is really classy, and the black keyboard and rubberized grips contrast it well. The only thing which could be improved is the placement of the sound jack in the front. Since I use an external USB sound card, it's ideal because when I'm on the go I use headphones and the jack is right there. If you've got your speakers permanently connected, it just doesn't look nice.. big deal. All 3 USB ports being on one side is a bit annoying, but I'm only using 2 right now and it's not that bad. Also the whole thing weights about 6lbs and is 1.4" thick. Check it out:

http://www2.bc.edu/~hallaba/alienware/1.jpg
http://www2.bc.edu/~hallaba/alienware/2.jpg
http://www2.bc.edu/~hallaba/alienware/3.jpg
http://www2.bc.edu/~hallaba/alienware/4.jpg
http://www2.bc.edu/~hallaba/alienware/5.jpg
http://www2.bc.edu/~hallaba/alienware/6.jpg
http://www2.bc.edu/~hallaba/alienware/desktop.jpg

AlienGUIse is responsible for the windows skin, and comes pre-installed on your system. I love it.

Input/Output:

That's just a fancy term for keyboard, touchpad, speakers and LCD screen really.. The keyboard. It's great! The keys are a little stiffer than is usual on laptops, but it feels really sturdy, and the keys have just the right amount of bounce to them. All in all, it's more comfortable than most other laptop keyboards, with the exception of the awkwardly placed Fn button, which is right where teh Ctrl button should be (that button is slightly to the right..). That cost me a couple of deaths in Counter-Strike, but you get used to it. I just switched shift to crouch and caps lock to walk and I was fine. The touchpad is really responsive, but not jumpy and annoying. Also, I find that it's placed in the right location, so your thumb doesnt accidentally make the cursor jump all the time. The buttons are solid..

The LCD sceen is nice. It's not one of the glossy types (which I actually don't like as much because of the glare they produce), but its a bit more shiny than the average LCD. The 1680x1050 resolution is great, I wouldn't go for the UXGA+ because seriously it's not worth it and everything will be way to small (overkill!). The colors are all really vibrant, and it handles game pretty well. The speakers are actually really nice. They're pretty loud, and they stay clear no matter how high you turn them up to. They're built into the bottom of the screen, so the machine doesn't rattle when you play music on them. I see them as the best speakers in a laptop this size.

Performance:

Now the serious part. All applications I tested ran great. When you click something, it opens.. it opens right then, not five seconds later, or in half an hour. The system is fast, and you won't be sittitng around waiting for stuff to happen. Windows loads up really quickly, shuts down pretty much when you click the button. Wireless G is great, signal strength is pretty strong everywhere.

Now to games and benchmarks... HL2 and Counter-Strike Source run maxed out.. and by that I mean every possible setting including filtering set to 16x and AA set to 6x, and resolution at 1680x1050. It looks great. Doom3 ran on "Ultra" mode no problem, I don't remember which resolution I used, but it looked gorgeous. Quake 4 ran on high, at 1280x1024 resolution. Here are some screenshots. Keep in mind these aren't as nice as the real game, which runs in widescreen on this machine.

http://www2.bc.edu/~hallaba/alienwar...4/quake4-1.JPG
http://www2.bc.edu/~hallaba/alienwar...4/quake4-2.JPG
http://www2.bc.edu/~hallaba/alienwar...4/quake4-3.JPG
http://www2.bc.edu/~hallaba/alienwar...4/quake4-4.JPG
http://www2.bc.edu/~hallaba/alienwar...4/quake4-5.JPG

As you can see it looks pretty good. I haven't tried Ultra mode yet (I was playing the demo version). I'll try it later today when my game comes in, but my guess is it would lag a bit at such high res. F.E.A.R. was playable, obviously not at infinity x infinity resolution, but it looked nice and ran smoothly. I also tried Call of Duty 2, and that ran smoothly at some decent settings. It actually ran better than F.E.A.R. and looked nicer (same as Quake). I think the engine in F.E.A.R. is just a little awkward (like HALO but better).

Time for benchmarks! I was surprised to find that my particular machine outbenched most other m5500's on the forums. This is impressive considering I have a 5400 RPM HDD and the slowest offered Pentium M (my Voodoo died after 3 years and I was on a tight budget). 3DMark03 yielded 6248 and 3Dmark05 got me 2783, which is amazing for something you can carry in one hand. I didn't run 3DMark06 yet, but that benchmark tends to kick your system's ass unless your running dual 7800GTXs.

Other/Misc:

Battery life on this system, considering how much power it has, is not bad. Running the integrated card (I'll explain what I mean in a bit), 3 hours of battery is average. I doubt anyone plays intense 3D games while not plugged in to the power, so that's not a big deal. Now.. the system comes with a built in Intel Extreme Graphics 3 card, which is disabled when you're running the GeForce Go 6600. However, a click of the switch on the front and a reboot will make the machine use the integrated card, saving precious power. This feature is neat, since it essentially reconciles good performance and long battery life. Make sure you actually buy a video card when you configure the system though, since Alienware's configurator defaults to none.

The right side of the palmrest tends to get a little warm, but since your hand is usually on the mouse that's not a problem. It only gets annoying for extended periods of typing (like what I'm doing now). The system runs fairly quiet most of the time and just below annoying level the rest of the time. I'm usually playing music or a game though, so it's not bothersome.

Overall:

I'm in college.. I like to play games, and have them look nice, but at the same time I carry around my laptop to and from class, and therefore a behemoth 17 incher is not an option. I find that this laptop is the best mix of performance and portability on the market. Everyday I love it more.. the widescreen is really growing on me, and at this point I wouldn't willingly go back to a standard screen. Also.. I got mine for $1600 shipped. That's a great value.. I tried Dell but all their laptops were either really cheap or really expensive, really small or really huge. Sager only offered the video card in 128mb for some reason when I tried to buy one.

I love it. Get one now! Wait, don't get one. I kinda like having the coolest notebook around. Quake 4 is here. Time to play! Later guys.

-Noodles

!MY AW M5500 REVIEW!




OK from the top I recieved my machine in this nice big 30lb black ALIENWARE box and inside was my Perfectly protected lappy.... I of course did what everyone does tear into it and do a quick check to confirm pieces parts and bam off to the benchmarks....
HOLY SH*&.........ITS A LAPTOP GEEZ...

3dmark01-14178
3dmark03-4912
3dmark05-2687

THESE BENCHMARKS SCORES ARE NON TWEAKED SETTINGS EVERYTHING AS IS FROM FACTORY


OK ill get back to those benchmark items shortly. Just to give you guys and Idea how fast this machine is ( Keep in mind fast to me was my HP 1.73GHz AMD Athlon lappy 512mb ddr 40ghz HD 4200 rpm Ati IGP integrated graphics seemed like 12 lbs... Good machine? YES! But compared to this new AW M5500 machine; WOW blows my mind ...... Even my desktop seems tiny to this beast (AW M5500).

BATTERY works for me.

Ok here is test one WMPlayer playing and loading 15 gig music from portable HD w/Viz going, STEAM loading 3 games (Counterstrike Condition Zero, and Day of defeat Source) downling, MSN in the back ground chit chatting to my cousin all going for over 1 1/2 hrs on battery. I'm happy. This test was with the geforce card running and the monitor automatically lowered itslef to save power.

ALL TEST WERE OUT OF BOX

For the sake of making this some what readable and understandable to others max setting means to me:"AA 8xs AF 16x Image Settings High Qulity and 1024x 768. This the screen size im used to and most comfortable with so all these test werw at that res... 61 hertz refresh rate.


I chose this lappy only after reading these forums. I was almost sold on the Ferrari I'm a diehard AMD fan and that laptop had it. I was reading Guntizzle's review and decided that AW is gonna get my money....... I'm only just getting into this computers full potential, however im sure im not far away from a memory upgrade. I haven't tweaked this machine at all.... ....

COD2 runs (in FRAPS) a whopping 15 fps but totally playable no noticeable performance loss or slow downs in game... I'm amazed at how clear and detailed everything looks in game and how well this machine holds up to the mass amount of frag materials flying around in this game....With Few Minor adjustments to the graphics settings you can expect much higher frame rates..


Well Regular Counter-Strike runs very smooth at MAX settings 61FPS with Fraps Fps tester. This is great my desktop won't run it this smooth. (Now to get the Wife to give in to the AW Desktop Replacement) in another life maybe...... Getting ready to test Condition Zero max settings.Counter-Strike Condition Zero scores in at 60 fps max settings and talk about smooth. I use ATI in both my Desktops. This is my first NVIDIA Graphics card and I'm liking it alot. Like the other games this game ran especially smooth. I've since loaded Day Of Defeat Source and i can get with all settings on high 35 to 40 fps and while on low settings i was getting 50 to 55. I can handle a lappy that pumps SOURCE out with FPS in that range.

I just finished loading MX VS ATV UNLEASHED. This game is one of my favorites. I ride when ever I can, which right now isn't much considering it's snow covered groung outside. Dirt Bikes don't like the snow to well. Well this game runs at 30 FPS solid.....This game is also FPS locked to even out online game play from what I understand. With every Graphic option on and set to high the game play is extremely smooth and very detailed.

HEAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!HEAT

I've read in some of the other forums that peeps say that the M5500 gets HOT!! (WARM). Well yes it does...... Now it only gets that way with the geforce card running and gaming. If you are just running normal apps there is no reason to run the extra power consumer. Turning the Geforce card off will reduce the heat felt on the right side of the keyboard. My old HP with an ATHLON XP PROCESSOR runs super hot and it is enough to make your hands sweat when just using the computer normally. Compared to this new AW machine there is a huge difference in temperature. (I'm HAPPY)

Keyboard layout is normal and comfortable to use. The keys are Transparent, so you can kind of see through them, nice touch to an already stylin machine.

"ALIENWARE HAS BUILT ME A KICKASS MOBILE GAMING MACHINE".

THANK YOU AW!!!!!

In conclusion I think that AW has a very neat and sleek layout and the Light up Logos KICKASS!

Review of the a51m-5500


First Impressions

Let me remind all of you this is my first Alienware. I am simply amazed at its features and speed. I have owned many laptops, and being a computer hardware technician and avid gamer, buying this Alienware was a no-brainer. Other choices were Dell, IBM and Sony.

Ordering

One of the better sites to order something from. Alienwares layout is pretty nice, comparable to Dell. I ordered my system in less than 10 minutes and had an order confirmation about 5 minutes after ordering.

The Infamous Phase Game

We all know about this. Pretty much felt like a crackhead feening for more crack. I never even saw one yet, so my thoughts were mixed; curious yet nervous.

Finally, It's Here!

Nothing better than seeing that big huge beautiful black box. Shipping and packing job was done perfectly, and everything was in the box. I carefully opened each supplement to the laptop, awaiting the moment of truth. Finally it came time to open the smaller box in which the laptop was held. I have to say the shipping guys do a great job to make sure no laptop arrives damaged by shipping. I carefully placed each part out, carefully inspecting. It was like a dream come true. A better way to describe it is like the first time you have sex.

The Case

Case is awesome, beautiful design, crystal clear screen, nice feel on keys, touchpad is a dream, especially with the scroll bar.

Features

Pretty basic stuff, nothing super exciting, but enough to make me happy. Instant ON is awesome I have to say. Havent used it much, but definitely cool stuff. Wireless is great has really good strength. The built in card is very good and if you don’t have one I suggest getting the intel 2915.

Upgrades

Well as with any hardware tech, I just had to open the bitch up. So first thing was the memory. I replaced the shipping 512MB (2 X 256MB) with Transcend 2GB (2 x 1GB) Samsung memory chips. Next was the hard drive. I put in a Hitachi 7200RPM 80GB in place of the standard 40GB. The last mod I have done is pop in a Pentium M 725 Mobile CPU, instead of the stock Celeron M 1.5GHZ. I pinmodded it which allows the FSB to run at 533MHZ instead of 400MHZ. It does kill battery life slighty, but not as bad as you would think. The current CPU clock is at 2.24MHZ. Stock is 1.6MHz for the Pentium M 725. The Celeron M is 1.5.

Other Tweaks.
I used nVidias own Coolbits to run the GPU Memory clock at 745MHZ and the Core at 372MHZ. I could of went a little more but this is what the best config for longer battery life and increased performance is. I also used Prime95 and RMclock to undervolt the CPU so it is not using that much power but still running the at 2.24MHZ


Last Impressions

i love this laptop. it is by far the best laptop i have owned. i do wish i had gotten the m5700 or 7700 but they are a little large for my taste. i like this laptop because its light, fast, and didnt kill my wallet.

as a gadget geek, i couldnt be more happy with the features. the graphics control technology is simply awesome, though i was missleaded because i thought it was on the fly graphics switching, but its ok, its such a great feature that prolongs battery life.

Hey guys, here is my review of the new Alienware m5500. I have some pictures to include and will do so after I get some time to format them etc so igore the <pic> tags as I will replace them soon. I just thought you might want to see the review now.

Alienware m5500 Review


Overview

Alienware company located in Florida USA markets their systems as high end boutique computers for enthusiasts who enjoy everything from desktop application work to gaming and gaming…did I mention gaming? After scouring various forums before making my final decision to purchase I was a bit surprised to find that many people did not have positive things to say about Alienware and in fact I was able to find a horror story or two about their experiences with Alienware systems and their customer service.

Since I am not one to take advice easily, I was very curious about Alienware and since I have never owned a computer from them before I was swayed to give it a try (how adventurous). Lastly I was won over by the “glowing alien eyes” on the back of the lid; and in all seriousness who can resist the alien eyes?



I am an avid gamer and businessman so I was looking for a high powered/portable 15.4 widescreen laptop that I could use to play games on the road as well as work. The Alienware m5500 (which was released in December) fit the criteria of my needs perfectly. Another added bonus is that the 5500 contains 2 video cards and you can switch between them depending on your needs. This is a very unique feature and I like to be unique! I ordered one with the following specifications:

Pentium – m 780 2.26 GHz processor
Windows XP Professional SP2
2048MB (1024MB x 2) DDR2 533MHz Dual-channel RAM
100GB 7200RPM HD
NVIDIA Geforce go6600 256MB dedicated GPU
Intel 915GM/GMS Express Chipset, 128MB shared memory (second video card)
15.4" WSXGA+ (1680x1050) TFT display
Intel PRO Wireless 2915
Intel 915GM Chipset
8-cell Li-Ion battery
8X CD/DVD + RW combo drive
Integrated microphone
Intel high Definition Audio
Media card reader

Alienware Odyssey Briefcase (I was able to order it in November but it is now unavailable)

Reasons for Buying

I was in the market for a portable high performance gaming notebook that I could also use for business. Here are some of the key features I desired:

•Fast graphics card for gaming
•As thin and light as possible
•15.4 widescreen display
•Pentium – m processor for better battery life and less heat
•Stylish looks

Here are the notebooks I considered before purchasing:

•Sager NP-5320
•Asus Z70VA
•Various Dell notebooks (including the XPS even though its 17”)

My decision was an easy one because after I was recommended against the Alienware by practically all the main posters on the forum I just had to get it to find out what all the fuss was about. Honestly, the Asus and Sager’s seemed like solid options and got much better recommendations. Without being able to see all of the candidates side by side, the Alienware did have one thing going for it that set it apart from the others in my mind and that was the style. I was very attracted to how thin this notebook appeared and the case style and clean look. It had the right combination of pizas, professionalism, and size that I was won over. Since price was not a big issue for me I was willing to spend the extra $ to get the new Alienware. With shipping my system came to an even US $3000.00 (this includes the briefcase).

Where Purchased

I custom configured and ordered my system from www.alienware.com. I am not sure if it is possible to purchase Alienware systems anywhere else and I did not do extensive research on this. I was able to get a 5% discount on the system because they are partnered with Microsoft Corporation and give special offers for Microsoft employees and partners (I am not a MS employee in case you are wondering).

Build and Design

This is the biggest surprise for me with this system. The build is excellent and I even expected slightly less with a system this thin and light. The screen has very little flex in it and is very solid on the hinges. The top down view of the screen shows a slight bevel of the high quality plastic used in its construction. This makes the back of the lid not perfectly flat and creates a “rib” down the middle of the lid that adds to the strength of the unit. Everything feels solid…and what’s so great is this notebook comes in at 6.2 pounds and is very thin! It measures only 1.3” thick but feels very solid. The notebook is currently only available in “battleship” grey but that is the color I would have picked anyway because I also use it for business and the grey color suits that very well. On the back of the lid you will find the Alienware logo and the signature alien head light up in a pleasing blue color. This surpassed even my greatest expectations and fit my road-warrior gamer requirements perfectly.

Screen

The display I opted for with this notebook is a high-resolution Widescreen Super eXtended Graphics Array Plus (WSXGA+) screen. It spans 1,680 pixels horizontally and 1,050 pixels vertically, resulting in a large amount of screen real estate.
The screen itself is average by my standards. The colors are not as vivid as the 17” display I have on my Toshiba and the viewing angle is average. This is the first 15.4 laptop I have owned so I am comparing this to the 20” desktop LCD I own as well as the 17” lcd on my 2nd laptop. The screen is a matte variety not the clearview screens now available on many laptops. The LCD has good brightness and is very adequate for gaming with no ghosting. I was fortunate to receive mine with no dead pixels. Overall I am quite pleased with the screen on this laptop and although it didn’t make me say “WOW” and pee my pants it certainly doesn’t disappoint. This screen does not come with a built in camera like others I have seen but it does have a built in microphone at the top left.

Speakers and Sound Quality

This notebook’s speakers are built into the display just under the LCD but not on the main body of the chassis. I am not a notebook speaker enthusiast as I typically use headphones for games and have the sound either off or very low when I am working. As compared to other notebooks I would say the speakers on the 5500 are average. They do not pump out a lot of bass and are not extremely loud but provide adequate sound for my needs. I would have liked to see (or hear) a bit more sound coming out of them and a little more bass as well. This notebook does not sport the oft included “subwoofer” that many notebooks contain to add a little boost to the sound. I was impressed by the 7.1 surround demo I ran which the speakers did a good job of creating that “3D” feel to sounds coming at you or whizzing by. But I typically will just plug in headphones when my application calls for this sort of trickery. The headphone jack is located conveniently at the right front of the main chassis and provided excellent performance with no audio hiss at all. As well the jack is very sturdy and provides a solid connection to any set of headphones you plug in. All said and done I am happy with the external speakers on this notebook but by all means I am not blown away.

Processor and Performance

This is where this notebook shines. The 2.26 GHz Pentium – m coupled with the 256MB geforce 6600 go GPU provides mind blowing performance in a very compact package.

I have only experienced one lockup and that was as I was booting up one time. I just had to physically turn the unit off and re-power it. Overall the stability is excellent while running games of all sorts and multiple applications as well. I am very impressed with the gaming performance of this unit, I haven’t run all the extensive benchmarks I am sure you will all want to see but I have played a load of games and let me tell you…this machine ROCKS!

I did run one benchmark and will include it here for you. Remember this benchmark was run out of the box with no driver updates or tweaking:

3dMark 2005 score = 2700 3d marks

As for real world experience I can tell you this unit has exceeded my expectations. Here is a list of games I have played on this rig and any comments I had:

Battlefield 2 and Special forces: Smooth as silk, handles this game on MAX settings at 1024 X 768 and could have raised the resolution with no slowdowns.

World of Warcraft: All settings on MAX ran this game like butter on any resolution

F.E.A.R.: Ran this game very very well. Of course it’s easy to crank it up to the point where any computer would cry. But you won’t have to be ashamed playing it on this system.

C&C Generals: Like butter at max settings and any resolution

Age of Empires 3: Like butter on any resolution

City of Heroes: Awesome

Ok ok…you might be asking “why get a 7800gtx when your 6600 plays everything like butter”? I will say that the 7800 gtx will play all of these games “better” but really that is just for the ultra hardcore enthusiast and a 17” screen. I don’t find that I am lagging or stuttering or my frame rate is sub par with this rig at all. In the 15.4 market you can’t even get the 7800 so you will be sacrificing some of the high end power for portability and for me it’s not much of a sacrifice. Bottom line…you wont be sacrificing with this machine…it’s a great portable gaming powerhouse. I did not attempt to run any games on the Intel card also included with this rig. That graphics chip is for work and battery life not games; more on that in the battery life section.

One last note; the 6600go GPU in this rig is MXM2. It is a new standard for upgradeable NVIDIA graphics modules. There are 3 MXM1 for ultra portables, MXM2 for mainstream and MXM3 for high end. My 15.4 fits under mainstream and I know that this spring NVIDIA will be releasing the 7600go that will fit my chassis. It is great to think that I will be able to upgrade my GPU soon!

Be aware not all notebooks feature MXM technology, if you want this capability be sure you research your choices carefully.

I have not performed any benchmarks on the hard drive (and I don’t know how to) but as far as I can tell the 7200 RPM drive performs very well. It is responsive and fast. The optical drive performs well too…no problems or glitches to speak of except for a small sticking problem when ejecting a disc. That problem has since gone away with use and I think it just needed to be broken in a bit.

Keyboard and touchpad

In a couple words “Expectations exceeded”.
Touchpad: one of the best touchpads I have used. It is very smooth and simple; it also includes a nice scrolling feature that is well used when browsing the web. The buttons are solid and responsive without being intrusive or cumbersome. Very rarely do I accidentally push one of the buttons and even with the touchpad on I can type without rubbing against it and moving the cursor accidentally. This is due to nice placement and tuning of the touchpad and buttons. That said I always use a mouse even when traveling so I have my touchpad shut off most of the time and would only use it in a pinch when a mouse wasn’t available or I forgot mine.

Keyboard: This is the best keyboard I have ever had the pleasure of using on a laptop. It is very solid with very little (if any) flex at all. It is comfortable to type on for long periods of time and the keys are quiet with just the right amount of travel. It even helps me to type faster. The layout is nice but it is different than I am used to. The FN key is on the far bottom left of the keyboard where I normally expect the control key to be but its not bad after I have been practicing with it a bit. Otherwise the layout is very typical and again I stress typing on this keyboard is a pleasure. This is awesome because I do a lot of typing for work so it is great that this is a fantastic experience. As for gaming this keyboard serves its purpose well – no complaints.

All of the status lights are blue (sweet) and located at the front center of the chassis just below the touchpad. They are easy to view and make the notebook look very stylish without adding clutter. I think the words to use would be “Simple sophistication”; all in all very well done.

Input and Output Ports

Overall I like the layout of this notebook, see my comments and final opinion about this at the end of this section.

The back of the notebook:

<pic>

Not much on the back except the external monitor connection and the Kinston lock

The right side:

<pic>

From left to right: PC card slot, Firewire, 3 X USB 2.0 AC power Jack, S-Video. The exhaust port can be seen beneath the USB ports.

The left side:

<pic>

From left to right: Ethernet port, Modem port, Optical drive

The front side:

<pic>

From left to right: 4 in 1 card reader, Microphone jack, some other jack, headphone jack, graphics card selection switch.

Bottom:

<pic>

Notice there is one fan that cools the GPU and CPU; also located at the top end is the battery release switch.

Top (lid):

The Alienware logo and alien head light up!! Incredible! (yeah you can sense the sarcasm here but it’s kinda cool nonetheless)

Comments:

I like the layout of the m5500 very much. All of the peripherals are easy to access and use. I really like how the 3 USB ports are spaced apart from each other and none of them are stacked vertically. It makes it easy to use any USB device in any of the ports because there is enough space between them so the devices don’t crowd one another. I also very much appreciated the AC adaptor jack. This has got to be the most solid, secure feeling AC jack on any laptop I have had. This is great because your power plug will always be secure when plugged into the notebook and will not pull out when you don’t want it to. I have had experience with other notebooks where the power connection is very poor and forces you to make sure the thing is still plugged in. The Alienware scores big in this area.

A couple things I would add/change to the layout would be to put the exhaust port at the back of the unit. It is not annoying where it is on the right side but it does keep your mouse hand warm on a cold day. Great for gaming outdoors in the snow! It never gets hot or makes your USB devices too hot…but it does get warm and may be annoying to some people. Also I would have added another USB port…or moved one of the other 3 to the opposite side of the notebook. All 3 USB ports are on the right side which isn’t bad…but it would be nice to have another one on the left or on the back.

Overall I like the layout but would make minor changes if I was to design it.


Wireless

My notebook came standard with the Intel PRO 2915 WLAN card. It features the traditional B and G bands, as well as the less common A band. Both A and G connect at 54Mbps, but their operating frequencies differ. G operates at 2.4GHz, and A at 5GHz. In a crowded area, one might experience interference with the 2.4GHz band, so operating at the A band has its advantages if the router supports it. A band also uses less power and is faster, but the disadvantage is that it has shorter range.

I did not have any problems connecting to my wireless router in my house, nor to the ones we have at the office. I connected to both WEP and WAP encrypted networks without issue. (this section was ripped from Chazman’s review of the 5320 but it applies 100% to this notebook as well).

Battery

The unit comes with a 9 cell Li-Ion battery pack. I tested the battery life while working on this review connected to my wireless network (for web surfing) with the laptop in full power mode. Additionally I used my Logitech G7 wireless mouse and had the touchpad turned off. I am also using the less powerful Intel graphics card that is supposed to help with the battery life. I did a timed run and I ran the battery from 100% down to 6%. This took 2 hours and 15 minutes. I suppose if I used that last 6% I could squeeze out another 15 minutes or so making the battery life approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes.
I am not sure if this is good or bad but it is double what my old 2.8 GHz P-4 notebook could do. I have not tested the battery life with the 6600 graphics card enabled as of yet. I would imagine it would be about 1/3 less time while using windows applications and the like. I do not intend to play games on the battery so the integrated card is best suited for this test. Also after the test I realized that the notebook was on full power mode. I will run more battery tests later in different power modes and see what I get.
Overall I am pleased with the battery life as it is double what I was getting before on my old P-4 laptop.

Heat and Noise

When I first fired this rig up I was surprised at how loud the fan was. The fan also has variable speeds so if I crank up the games the fan goes into overdrive. The noise is not so loud as to be bothersome but it did take me some time to get used to. My last laptop was quieter but I think there are factors that contribute to this. First off the 5500 is very thin and very light for the power that it contains. Second, the 5500 has a geforce 6 series graphics card to cool. All in all I wish it was quieter, in fact I wish it was completely silent, but alas I am asking too much. I have asked friends and even called Alienware customer support and as it turns out my noise expectations were a little unrealistic. The other peripherals such as the hard drive and optical drive are nearly silent. In fact the hard drive is the quietest I have ever heard (or not heard) on a laptop before. Another thing to note is that the laptop is very quiet when running the Intel video card so it works great for meetings and late night work. Overall I would say this laptop has average noise output in its class.
As far as heat goes I am very impressed. This notebook gets warm, never hot and even the exhaust port never gets that warm even under the stress of a 3D game. The GPU temperature stays around 60 C in Windows (6600go) and after 3 hours of Battlefield 2 it tops out at a very respectable 70 C. In fact I think the hottest I was able to get the GPU was 71 C. As for typing and gaming the notebook itself gets warm but never hot or uncomfortable. As I said before the exhaust port is on the right hand side of the notebook and for me is not bothersome at all. This is surprising considering there is only one fan to cool the entire system. A very well thought out cooling plan indeed.

Operating System and Software

I ordered my system with Windows XP Professional SP2. One nice thing about ordering boutique is that you get to choose each and every option and the OS is completely configurable…or you could choose not to have an OS at all. The other nice thing is my system did not come with any stickers at all on it (besides the serial number etc on the bottom). So there are no “Intel inside” stickers or the like which makes for a very clean looking system. All of the CD’s were included with my system (OS, recovery kits etc).

Extras

I had to include this section to talk about the Alien Eyes!!! On the back of the lid there is an alien head and the Alienware logo both of which light up blue when the notebook is on. I like this touch and think it looks sweet. It is not too over the top to make this rig look outright silly…but it adds the right amount of flare to give it some distinctness with out being a total distraction. When I received my notebook I noticed that one of the alien eyes on the alien head did not light up. When I called customer service they told me that there was a bulb burnt out and that they would fix it if I was willing to send it in and it does not affect any other system function. I said no worries I can live with it. Actually it looks like my alien is “winking” at me which makes my 5500 unique I guess.

Customer Service and Support

Since I have heard stories about the Alienware customer service and support prior to my purchase I paid very close attention to this area throughout my experience and want to spend ample time on it here.
Here are the facts as I experienced them; I realize others have differing expectations in this area so take this and apply it to your own standards to form your conclusions. And remember this is just one man’s story.
I ordered my system by calling Alienware and I had the sales rep enter in all my specs. This process was easy and the representative was very nice and helpful with all of my questions. This is typical of most companies’ sales process as they want to put their best foot forward to get the sale. Nonetheless it was an enjoyable experience and Alienware does it very well; right from the start I felt like I was important and not just another one of the plethora of customers they might have had that day.
Immediately after placing my order I received a thank you email from Alienware along with a customer number that I could use to track the progress of my system as it went through the build process all the way to my door. It was nice that I could log in at any time to get the current status of my system. Alienware uses a phased approach which includes 10 phases where phase 10 is the shipping phase. Other phases include the build cycles, software installation, testing, burn in, and others. Alienware has what they call a 200 point quality regimen that they go through to make sure that your system is absolutely perfect in every way. Needless to say I was wondering how my burnt out Alien eye (the one on the back of the lid) made it past such a stringent 200 point testing system. I guess nobody is perfect (even the 200 point failsafe system) and what was more important to me was how Alienware customer service handled the issue. As I said earlier, they were very knowledgeable and understanding as they were immediately willing to remedy my problem at no cost to me without arguing with me or making me jump through hoops just to get what I wanted.
I can honestly say I have been very pleased with this system and the customer service Alienware has provided me. In fact the Alienware customer service has exceeded my expectations and I would say that alone is worth the extra $400 I paid for my system (over other similarly configured models). Lastly when I received my system I found an Alienware customer care card (looks like a credit card) which has my customer account number on it as well as all of the Alienware customer care phone numbers just in case I need to call. I put that card in my laptop case so I have it in case I need it…a very nice touch in my opinion.
What does this all add up to? Well it sure makes me feel like a part of “the family” so to speak and I feel like Alienware does really care about me and my repeat business. Also, I received an email from one of the Alienware employees while I was on the Alienware forum welcoming me to the community and inviting me to ask questions or voice any concerns I might have. These are very nice touches indeed and far more than I expected or even asked for.
Overall I give the Alienware customer service and support top grade and well worth every penny.

Conclusion

Overall this is a great notebook and I am very happy with the value I have received for the money I have paid. At first I felt like I was taking a big risk going with Alienware after hearing others opinions but now I am happy I did and I will purchase again from Alienware in the future.

Pros:
•Fast Pentium M processor
•Awesome NVIDIA 6600 graphics card
•Intel graphics card (switchable between the 6600) for battery saving when in windows
•Great keyboard and touchpad
•Very solid build
•Very thin, very light
•Excellent cooling solution
•Good battery life
•Flashy yet professional appearance
•Good warranty
•Excellent customer service and support

Cons
•Screen could be a bit more special (vivid maybe)
•The fan could be quieter
•The exhaust port could be positioned at the back of the unit instead of the right side.
•Onboard speakers could have a bit more punch

If you asked me to give this notebook a score from 1 to 10 I would easily give it an 8.5. If the screen was more eye catching and it was completely silent I would score this one in the high 9’s
I hope this review helps some of you.

Pricing and Availability
Please check out www.alienware.com for all the details.

**Warning**

I'm not really good at the whole review thing....This is just me typing a bit about my new lappy...

First Impressions

Shipping

I must admit, at first I was a bit worried about my lappy. I've heard a few horror stories on these forums about FedEx shipping and from some friends at work, so I was a bit white knuckled the whole time. However, I was immediately reassured when I opened up the black AW box and saw how well this machine was packaged. Everyone knows how wonderful AW packaging is, so I won't even get into it. It also shipped in 8 days from the time they recieved my payment...not bad at all!!!

A+

Quality

Wow, what can I say...No flex whatsoever with the case. Amazing build quality. Very nice screen, no flushed colors. 1 dead pixel, but its at the very top of the screen. Took me forever to find, and I never notice it. No biggie. Keyboard is wonderful. The touchpad is nice also, and I got used to it very quick, as I've used many before.

A

Looks

Hot damn this rig looks nice! Conspiracy blue is b-e-a-utiful! (While we're on paint, does anyone know if the paint rubs off easily where your hands rest?) The AW head is much larger than I expected and the lights just draw attention to you like that! The rubber grips are nice and add a very nice look to the case. The only thing I don't like is the blank area between to two speakers below the screen. I would have put Alienware or another alien head in there, but thats just me.

A

Sound

Sound is what you'd expect for a laptop. Its not that bad at all though. First DVD I popped in was Band of Brothers and it didn't sound too shabby. Just get yourself headphones and speakers and yer all set.

B

I feel the need.....the need for speed baby!

This puppy is FAST! Well, to me it is anyway. Mind you, I'm upgrading from a 866mhz, 256MB Dell lappy hehe. But I think this rig is fast on any planet. First game I loaded was UT2K4. All settings as high as they can go and I experience virtually no lag. Every now and then it can get a bit skippy, but I haven't d/led the latest omega drivers yet. MoH:AA runs perfect all settings highest, but thats not a true test really. I play around on Photoshop a lot, and it loads in mere seconds, compared to the half a minute on my Dell. Any other app runs blistering fast...

A+

Noise

I've heard a few complaints about the fans being too loud. Hm....To me, they are just fine. I hardly even notice them, and they run almost all of the time. I guess they may be considered loud for a lappy, but its nothing distracting by any means.

A

Satisfaction

Overall, I love this rig. To all of the AW hatas out there.......get within a mile of one first! I couldn't be any happier....Hopefully the combo of Firefox/SpywareBlaster/Avast/ZoneAlarm will keep this machine safe for a long while....

And what is a review w/o a few pictures?

First pic is my setup. Got the speakers from my bro and a sub under the desk hehe..

Second is the top of the case. Its a much darker blue than the picture..

Third is the keyboard, which is very nice. I'm not sure if you can tell from this picture, but the keyboard is a translucent black. Very cool...

Hope the pics aren't too big for ya either. The resolution makes evreything looks so tiny..