Hello all,
Well, I've had my area 51 for about a month now, including 11 days at the repair depot. These are my thoughts about the computer.
First of all, the computer is awsome. I had some problems with the keyboard flexing into the chasis, which was very annoying and quite honestly almost caused me to return the laptop and get a dell or gateway. Alienware's customer service and technical departments were very helpful and really made up for the notorious "200 point quality control check". The service and courtesy that they provided were the reasons that i didn't choose to get a refund. Hats off to you guys!
PERFORMANCE
I use this computer primarily for office programs and the computer handles them with ease. The 16" screen is terrific for power point presentations and we can literally sit across the room and still see the the screen and everything that is on it. Very nice!
As far as games are concerned, I have never really been a big gamer, but I have to admit that I am becoming more and more addicted to them after I see what they look like and how they perform on the laptop. I currently have Quake III arena (which alienware left on my laptop...I guess they use it as a benchmark program), Splinter Cell, and the original Unreal on my computer. Quake III and Splinter Cell run flawlessly and that is with all the options maxed out. UNBELIEVEABLE!!! Unreal has one problem, it will not let me increase the resolution, I am currently on the default resolution which is the lowest one by default. It plays, but only at the lowest resolution. If I try to increase the resolution, it gives me a general protection error message, very odd.
SCREEN
I have read in the forums that the 16" screen has had some problems with dead pixels and white out and ghosting. This screen definitely does not have any dead pixels and as far as ghosting or white out, I can detect none. The screen is awsome and when you use Microsoft Excel...man it really is worth it for the extra real estate. I keep my resolution at 1600x1200, 32 bit color, and have the latest (i hope) ATI drivers (version 7.96). I did some tweeking with the brightness, contrast, and gamma. Right now it is one beautiful screen to look at.
KEYBOARD
The keyboard is very nice and has a nice feel to it. The amount of travel is just about right and the layout and size are definitely above average for a laptop.
TOUCHPAD
This is really the only area that i would have designed differently. The touch pad is good, except the virtual scrolling portion on the right side of the touch pad is kinda annoying. Whenever I type a word document, I always seem to touch the scrolling portion with my right palm and it scrolls the document down while I type...I wonder if there is a way you can disable the scrolling portion or lessen the sensitivity of it. I know this is kinda small, but non the less its still annoying. The touch pad and scrolling area that the HP uses are better in my opinion.
MOUSE
Didn't go with the Microsoft mouse, instead I bought a Kensington at Compusa. This is the first time that i have ever used a mouse that uses light instead of a ball on the bottom to track the cursor. It is every bit as good as the old style ones and quite honestly, I'm kicking myself for not getting one sooner. With the supplied alienware mouse pad, the Kensington really is a great mouse.
OVERALL
Anyone who has read my earlier posts probably noticed that I wasn't too happy with alienware, because of the keyboard problems that I was experiencing. I have to say though, this computer and the customer and technical service depts have really won me over. I am very pleased and satisfied with my Area 51m. Alienware really has put together a well thought out, stylish, and complete power house of a computer. With all the user upgradeable components this laptop has, the useable life of this laptop has been extended to maybe double that of a normal laptop. If total performance is what you crave and you're not willing to settle for second best, Alienware is definitely the computer for you.
Sincerely
Tony
Well, I've had my area 51 for about a month now, including 11 days at the repair depot. These are my thoughts about the computer.
First of all, the computer is awsome. I had some problems with the keyboard flexing into the chasis, which was very annoying and quite honestly almost caused me to return the laptop and get a dell or gateway. Alienware's customer service and technical departments were very helpful and really made up for the notorious "200 point quality control check". The service and courtesy that they provided were the reasons that i didn't choose to get a refund. Hats off to you guys!
PERFORMANCE
I use this computer primarily for office programs and the computer handles them with ease. The 16" screen is terrific for power point presentations and we can literally sit across the room and still see the the screen and everything that is on it. Very nice!
As far as games are concerned, I have never really been a big gamer, but I have to admit that I am becoming more and more addicted to them after I see what they look like and how they perform on the laptop. I currently have Quake III arena (which alienware left on my laptop...I guess they use it as a benchmark program), Splinter Cell, and the original Unreal on my computer. Quake III and Splinter Cell run flawlessly and that is with all the options maxed out. UNBELIEVEABLE!!! Unreal has one problem, it will not let me increase the resolution, I am currently on the default resolution which is the lowest one by default. It plays, but only at the lowest resolution. If I try to increase the resolution, it gives me a general protection error message, very odd.
SCREEN
I have read in the forums that the 16" screen has had some problems with dead pixels and white out and ghosting. This screen definitely does not have any dead pixels and as far as ghosting or white out, I can detect none. The screen is awsome and when you use Microsoft Excel...man it really is worth it for the extra real estate. I keep my resolution at 1600x1200, 32 bit color, and have the latest (i hope) ATI drivers (version 7.96). I did some tweeking with the brightness, contrast, and gamma. Right now it is one beautiful screen to look at.
KEYBOARD
The keyboard is very nice and has a nice feel to it. The amount of travel is just about right and the layout and size are definitely above average for a laptop.
TOUCHPAD
This is really the only area that i would have designed differently. The touch pad is good, except the virtual scrolling portion on the right side of the touch pad is kinda annoying. Whenever I type a word document, I always seem to touch the scrolling portion with my right palm and it scrolls the document down while I type...I wonder if there is a way you can disable the scrolling portion or lessen the sensitivity of it. I know this is kinda small, but non the less its still annoying. The touch pad and scrolling area that the HP uses are better in my opinion.
MOUSE
Didn't go with the Microsoft mouse, instead I bought a Kensington at Compusa. This is the first time that i have ever used a mouse that uses light instead of a ball on the bottom to track the cursor. It is every bit as good as the old style ones and quite honestly, I'm kicking myself for not getting one sooner. With the supplied alienware mouse pad, the Kensington really is a great mouse.
OVERALL
Anyone who has read my earlier posts probably noticed that I wasn't too happy with alienware, because of the keyboard problems that I was experiencing. I have to say though, this computer and the customer and technical service depts have really won me over. I am very pleased and satisfied with my Area 51m. Alienware really has put together a well thought out, stylish, and complete power house of a computer. With all the user upgradeable components this laptop has, the useable life of this laptop has been extended to maybe double that of a normal laptop. If total performance is what you crave and you're not willing to settle for second best, Alienware is definitely the computer for you.
Sincerely
Tony
