My iXPS was delivered today so I figured I would post my first impressions and post a couple of bechmark scores for you. Some of you may already know that I had also ordered a Alienware Area-51m and soon after decided to order the iXPS and pit them in a head-to-head battle to the death! (Actually, I just want to run each thru thier own paces and then decide which one best fits my own personal wants and needs). Since I have only had a few hours hands-on time with the iXPS I will only touch on a few catagories which stand out in my mind...
1) Packaging - Without a doubt I have to give this one to Alienware hands down. Alienware's laptop came packaged about as best as a laptop could. Double boxed with protective foam suspending the inner box deep inside the outer box. Besides the entire laptop being wrapped in pastic, the lcd lid was also covered in an additional plastic sheath along with a protective soft mat between the lcd surface and the keyboard. The Dell iXPS on the otherhand came double boxed (no protective foam between boxes) with only a single plastic bag wrapped around the laptop. Nothing protecting the lcd surface at all! No protective sheet or mat between the lcd surface and the keyboard. As a matter of fact there were even a couple of finger prints on the lcd! Sure, a quick wipe with a micro-fiber cloth clean the lcd but to find finger prints on a band new one??!?! Winner: Alienware 51m
2) LCD Display - This one I have to give to the iXPS. The display is so bright, sharp, and colorful. I thought the 51m had a nice display until I put it side by side with the iXPS - night and day difference. You can especially see the difference on plain colored backrounds. The iXPS shows smooth, even tone where the 51m is sort of a little grainy (this is the 51m with the 1680x1050 widescreen). Colors seem slightly richer on the iXPS. Now, as far as gaming, I cannot detect any ghosting on either display at all. However, I feel that the iXPS wins out because of the actual resolution of the lcd being 1920x1200 - games that do not support wide-screen resolutions can be played at a standard 1600x1200 without being streatched (although you will have small black bars on the left and right side of the display). Winner: Dell iXPS
3) Sound - This one goes to the iXPS as well. Even though the 51m has 4 speakers it does not sound as good as the sub-woofer enhanced iXPS. Directly compared to each other the 51m sounds tinny against the iXPS. Winner: Dell iXPS
4) Build Quality - Both laptops are built very sturdy. They both have a solid feel to them. The iXPS does not flex and make creaking sounds like the older Inspiron models and the keyboard does not flex nearly as much either. On the otherhand the keyboard on the 51m is as solid as a rock - zero flex. Keyboard "feel" is slightly better on the 51m. Over all I have to give this one to the 51m. Winner: Alienware 51m
5) Noise - I was suprised by this one. Just by the looks of both laptops you would think that the iXPS would sound like hovercraft preparing for take off but in actuallity the iXPS is quieter than the 51m! Not just in fan noise level but also in hard drive noise as well. Overall the iXPS is about 60% to 50% quieter when compared to the 51m (by my ears). As 3D apps run you can hear the video card fans increase on both laptops but the iXPS stays a few levels softer. I think the iXPS is quieter because it's chassis may have a lot of room inside allowing for a less restricted airflow (less restriction, less noise). Winner: Dell iXPS
6) Looks - Okay, this one has to go to the Alienware 51m also. From the glowing alien eyes to the sleek round curves, to the eye-popping chassis colors, Alienware knows how to make a head turning laptop. Dell's attempt to doll up the iXPS with their QuickSnap covers leaves something to be desired. It's sort of like owning a Honda Civic and then slapping a big fat spoiler on the back hoping that it would make it look soooo cool. Could be a better idea if they had better grahics to pick from. Personally I think the Skullz cover looks the best for the iXPS. Winner: Alienware 51m
7) Performance - Okay, okay... a cool, sleek looking laptop don't mean nuthin' if it doesn't perform well. All that glitz will get you the looks but it will do nothing to help you rack up the frags in a heated deathmatch. Now I realize that the iXPS out-specs the 51m in this catagory, however it is currently the best model Alienware currently ships that is in the same price range as this iXPS. When I got these laptops the 51m cost $2750 and the iXPS cost $2590 (total costs is US dollars incl. delivery) Winner? Take a look at the screen caps and you decide...
SiSoft Sandra 2004: Alienware 51m
SiSoft Sandra 2004: Dell Inspiron XPS
3DMark2003: Alienware 51m
3DMark2003: Dell Inspiron XPS
Aquamark: Alienware 51m
Aquamark: Dell Inspiron XPS
There you have it. BTW, benchmarks were performed using all stock settings. As it stands now I am leaning towards keeping the iXPS over the 51m simply because it is a more powerful laptop and the lcd display is sooo sweet. Another plus going for the iXPS is that it has an external DVI connector - Alienware has only the regular SVGA connector. Also worth a mention here is that Dell throws in a really nice XPS laptop backpack for free - Alienware's backpack will add $90 to a 51m order. Over the next week or so I plan on putting both laptops thru the gauntlet and I will post my final decision here. I hope this mini-review and benchmark comparison will help some people out there in making thier decision.
-Geed
1) Packaging - Without a doubt I have to give this one to Alienware hands down. Alienware's laptop came packaged about as best as a laptop could. Double boxed with protective foam suspending the inner box deep inside the outer box. Besides the entire laptop being wrapped in pastic, the lcd lid was also covered in an additional plastic sheath along with a protective soft mat between the lcd surface and the keyboard. The Dell iXPS on the otherhand came double boxed (no protective foam between boxes) with only a single plastic bag wrapped around the laptop. Nothing protecting the lcd surface at all! No protective sheet or mat between the lcd surface and the keyboard. As a matter of fact there were even a couple of finger prints on the lcd! Sure, a quick wipe with a micro-fiber cloth clean the lcd but to find finger prints on a band new one??!?! Winner: Alienware 51m
2) LCD Display - This one I have to give to the iXPS. The display is so bright, sharp, and colorful. I thought the 51m had a nice display until I put it side by side with the iXPS - night and day difference. You can especially see the difference on plain colored backrounds. The iXPS shows smooth, even tone where the 51m is sort of a little grainy (this is the 51m with the 1680x1050 widescreen). Colors seem slightly richer on the iXPS. Now, as far as gaming, I cannot detect any ghosting on either display at all. However, I feel that the iXPS wins out because of the actual resolution of the lcd being 1920x1200 - games that do not support wide-screen resolutions can be played at a standard 1600x1200 without being streatched (although you will have small black bars on the left and right side of the display). Winner: Dell iXPS
3) Sound - This one goes to the iXPS as well. Even though the 51m has 4 speakers it does not sound as good as the sub-woofer enhanced iXPS. Directly compared to each other the 51m sounds tinny against the iXPS. Winner: Dell iXPS
4) Build Quality - Both laptops are built very sturdy. They both have a solid feel to them. The iXPS does not flex and make creaking sounds like the older Inspiron models and the keyboard does not flex nearly as much either. On the otherhand the keyboard on the 51m is as solid as a rock - zero flex. Keyboard "feel" is slightly better on the 51m. Over all I have to give this one to the 51m. Winner: Alienware 51m
5) Noise - I was suprised by this one. Just by the looks of both laptops you would think that the iXPS would sound like hovercraft preparing for take off but in actuallity the iXPS is quieter than the 51m! Not just in fan noise level but also in hard drive noise as well. Overall the iXPS is about 60% to 50% quieter when compared to the 51m (by my ears). As 3D apps run you can hear the video card fans increase on both laptops but the iXPS stays a few levels softer. I think the iXPS is quieter because it's chassis may have a lot of room inside allowing for a less restricted airflow (less restriction, less noise). Winner: Dell iXPS
6) Looks - Okay, this one has to go to the Alienware 51m also. From the glowing alien eyes to the sleek round curves, to the eye-popping chassis colors, Alienware knows how to make a head turning laptop. Dell's attempt to doll up the iXPS with their QuickSnap covers leaves something to be desired. It's sort of like owning a Honda Civic and then slapping a big fat spoiler on the back hoping that it would make it look soooo cool. Could be a better idea if they had better grahics to pick from. Personally I think the Skullz cover looks the best for the iXPS. Winner: Alienware 51m
7) Performance - Okay, okay... a cool, sleek looking laptop don't mean nuthin' if it doesn't perform well. All that glitz will get you the looks but it will do nothing to help you rack up the frags in a heated deathmatch. Now I realize that the iXPS out-specs the 51m in this catagory, however it is currently the best model Alienware currently ships that is in the same price range as this iXPS. When I got these laptops the 51m cost $2750 and the iXPS cost $2590 (total costs is US dollars incl. delivery) Winner? Take a look at the screen caps and you decide...
SiSoft Sandra 2004: Alienware 51m
SiSoft Sandra 2004: Dell Inspiron XPS
3DMark2003: Alienware 51m
3DMark2003: Dell Inspiron XPS
Aquamark: Alienware 51m
Aquamark: Dell Inspiron XPS
There you have it. BTW, benchmarks were performed using all stock settings. As it stands now I am leaning towards keeping the iXPS over the 51m simply because it is a more powerful laptop and the lcd display is sooo sweet. Another plus going for the iXPS is that it has an external DVI connector - Alienware has only the regular SVGA connector. Also worth a mention here is that Dell throws in a really nice XPS laptop backpack for free - Alienware's backpack will add $90 to a 51m order. Over the next week or so I plan on putting both laptops thru the gauntlet and I will post my final decision here. I hope this mini-review and benchmark comparison will help some people out there in making thier decision.
-Geed
love toshibas
