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Note: this review is being done in-situ, as it happens, so there may be some awkward starts and stops. I just wanted to assure my place in the review line as the paucity of m7700 Aurora review is shocking...

Well, folks, it's been a loooooong wait, but when you're 20 years removed from your 20's, the wait doesn't seem *quite* as long. We geezers suffer from time compression and all that. For once, this was a blessing and not a curse.

Anyway, as I was at work yesterday, my lovely wife was NOT home to receive my m7700 notebook and assorted peripherals shipment yesterday, so she is now duct taped in the basement until it does arrive. That'll teach her. In reality, it was probably a good thing since I was incredibly tired yesterday. Even if I had gotten the computer, I probably would'vd let it sit in its box until the following day--and I never delay messing with new computer stuff!

After placing my order on December 30th, I persevered through the phase game, mostly being stuck in phase 3 for the duration. Once that logjam broke, I quickly moved to phase 8 and then phase 10 (shipped) on January 13th. FedEx ground brought it* (well, the backpack anyway; the computer is still out there somewhere; see below about all THAT) to me on the 19th.

Here's the configuration I ordered:

[1] Aurora™ m7700

Processor: AMD Athlon 64 X2 4800+ with HyperTransport and Dual Core Technology
Memory: 2GB Dual Channel DDR SO-DIMM at 400MHz - 2 x 1024MB
Hard Drive: Extreme Performance (RAID 0) - 240GB (120GB x 2) 5400 RPM SATA
Video Card: 256MB NVidiaGeForce Go 7800 GTX
Sound Card: High-Definition Audio with surround sound
Warranty: 3-Year AlienCare Toll-Free 24/7 Phone Support w/ Onsite Service / AlienAutopsy / Respawn
Operating System (Office software not included): Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional with Service Pack 2
Motherboard: VIA K8T890 + VT8237A Chipset
Floppy Drive: USB Floppy Drive
Headphones: Alienware Ozma 7 Headphones with S-Logic™ Technology
Mobile Transport: Alienware Odyssey Backpack
Primary CD ROM/DVD ROM: 8X Dual Layer DVD+/-RW / 24X CD-RW Combo w/Software
Secondary CD ROM/DVD ROM: 8X Dual Layer DVD+/-RW / 24X CD-RW Combo w/Software
Free Alienware T-shirt: Free Alienware T-shirt - Black
Wireless Network: Internal Wireless 802.11b/g miniPCI Card
Bluetooth: Bluetooth™ PCMCIA Type II Adapter
Alienware Exclusive Offers: Gamespot Complete - Free 90-day Trial (a $20.85 value)
Alienware Exclusive Offers: 10% off your next EB Games online purchase
Mobile Power: Belkin AC Anywhere 300W
Free Alienware Mousepad: Free Alienware Mousepad
Desktop Enhancements: Exclusive AlienGUIse Theme Manager
Primary Battery: Alienware m7700 12-cell Lithium-Ion Smart Battery Pack
Communications: Integrated 10/1000Mb Gigabit Ethernet & 56K V.92 Modem
Display: 17" WideUXGA 1920 x 1200 LCD Clearview Display with Built-in Camera
Notebook Coolers / Stands: Xbrand Cool Travel

[1] Special Financing Offer; 6 Months Same As Cash Financing with the Alienware Credit Card
[1] Free Shipping Mail-In Rebate; on Alienware systems excluding peripherals - Continental U.S. Only

Subtotal: $5,469.00
Shipping: $111.13
Discount: $0.00
Tax: $0.00
Order Total: $5,580.13


Woohoo, free mouspad! Very exciting. I ordered this get-up strictly for the mousepad!

So, I've dropped 5+ cool dimes on this rig and here's to hoping it lives up to some very high expectations. I've been living with a Sager NP5620 2.2ghz notebook for almost 4 years now, and it's definitely showing its age. Four years is a pretty good patch of time for a notebook, especially since it travels with me frequently to work and gets used just about every day. The other day someone saw it and asked me if Hurricane Katrina had hit it, given that the paint is worn off and it basically looks...well...unauctionalbe on Ebay.

Ok, enough boring background material. Let's get to the show.

At 12:15pm today (EST), the FedEx dude shows up with a 5 pound box that has all of the peripheral stuff in it. The computer is nowhere to be seen. Looks like it's on another truck which will show up later. We'll see.

Anyway, in the peripheral pack, I received:

The Odyssey backpack, the external floppy, the Ozma "natural surround sound" headphones, the X-band cool travel base, the Belkin AC Anywhere Plus 300w ac-dc inverter, and the bluetooth pc adapter combo card.

The first item to catch my notice was the smell of the backpack. It smelled just like the interior of a new car! In retrospect, I probably should've gotten the XL version given that the m7700 is a beast, but we'll see. I may still opt for that yet, especially since the latter is now on sale at a price less than what I paid for the smaller backpack.

Still, the Odyssey is made of high quality material with lots of storage pockets and recessed areas for gear. It'll probably be a month before I find all of the hidden pockets.

Internal to the core storage area of the backpack is separate sleeve compartment approx 16" in length and 13" wide that is designed specifically for laptop protection. It has two velcro sticky areas so that the cover flap can be set in a tight or loose position. No doubt, I'll need the latter for my rig. The shell itself is nice and light, and the straps are nicely padded. The pack includes a waist strap for additional stability (ostensibly for when you run marathons with an m7700 on your back), as well as a smaller chest strap to prevent further side-to-side shifting.

**********************This Just In*********************************************************
My wife just escaped from her duct tape and thinks I'm a total geekoid for writing an in-depth computer review on some website, especially since I'm reviewing a backpack as well. I told her she just doesn't understand. She told me I'll be sleeping on the couch for the next week if I don't stop this right now.
********************************************************************************** ******

Ok, sorry guys and gals, this review is over!

Sleep on the couch. Hmpfh!!!! Pppppffffffffffffffffffffftttttttt!!!!

(Shhh!...don't say anything, but I will be back with pictures and a further computer review once the machine finally lands on my doorstep.)

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UPDATE: Thursday, January 19th, 2pm:

Well, I just reloaded the FEdEx tracking website and I see that the Aurora is back at the shipping facility!!! It didn't make it onto the truck. Unbelievable. I immediately called FedEx and they couldn't offer me a good reason why the box didn't make it onto the truck even though their tracking website said that it had done so. Fortunately a supervisor went out to the loading dock and found the box there, so at least they know where it is. Delivery is now scheduled for tomorrow. Needless to say this is an excellent excuse for me to telecommute tomorrow rather than do my usual 2 hours of commuting into work (and 2 hours back!).

Ok, I'll work on posting some pictures of the backpack and stuff.
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Hopefully Mr. (or Ms.) Xing didn't hand me a bag job like FedEx did today.

...and now, the alien cat checks out and attacks the alien backpack!



Never fear, if she tries this stunt with the Aurora, she'll be back at the animal shelter faster than you can say "FedEx Doesn't Deliver!"

I will continue this review once DA MACHINE actually does arrive. Let's hope it doesn't arrive in a million pieces. Would be just my luck.
********************************************************************************** ******

UPDATE: Friday, January 20th, 3:45pm EST

IT'S HERE!!!!!!!!

Now I can finally get on with this review as soon as I uncrate the thing and figure out how to turn it on. Work is canceled for the rest of the day (don't tell my boss that plz.)

The Delivery and Packaging

First, I managed to get a covert shot of the FedEx guy carrying da beast with him:



Package inspection revealed a nice box bruise on top which got me worried:



(extra reputation points to whomever can identify that cruddy old laptop on the right; it predates my NP5620-V on the left).

...but I needn't be because AW packed the machine very well. They musta known some of those FedEx kooks pretend to be gold medalists in the shot put. Here's how it came packaged inside:



The alien is just waiting to escape from his confines (this is also very close to what my wife looks like when she wakes up in the morning. I try not to kiss her at that moment):



Size and Comparison w/Old Sager Lappy

Stacking it up against my old Sager NP5620-V machine reveals the size difference. Notice that the height difference is negligible, but length and width is a whole different ballgame. Oddly enough, the Aurora doesn't seem that much heavier. The NP5620-V is a very heavy machine in its own right, and a trial lap dance with the AW revealed that it was surprisingly comfortable on my lap because it spread its somewhat heavier weight over a larger area. It wasn't quite so concentrated as in the 5620.



Build Quality Impression

All I can say is that when I pulled it out of the box I almost dropped it because it looked too beautiful to be touched. Remember the prettiest cheerleader back in high school and the "I'm not worthy" complex? Well, I sure as hell do. Well, here she was, right in front of me; her name is Aurora, and I was afraid to lay a hand on her. Of course we all know that many of these high school babes go on to gain 60 pounds and lose half their teeth later in life, but let's live in the moment, shall we? Yes, 3 years from now this computer will probably be relegated to a dogpile somewhere, but at this instant, this machine is the untouchable cheerleader in all of her glory. Sheesh...I better stop snorting the fumes from the Odyssey backpack ASAP!!!

Ok, back to reality. My first impression of the rig was how solid and well-balanced it felt, as well as the deep/rich tone of the conspiracy blue paint. Like others before me, you have to see it to appreciate it. Photos do not do it justice, as the color is much darker than that shown in an image, especially one using a flash. It also has a metallic-lacquered appearance giving it a high quality sheen.

Because the machine is oversized, it's important that it be pretty well balanced, which it is. Because of the even weight distribution, it can be manhandled fairly easily by picking it up with one hand (for instance, putting it into a backpack). It's definitely more well-balanced than my old Sager, as the latter had the concentration of its weight in the back of the machine.

The Display

Once I removed the computer condom wrapper , the next thing that struck me was the beautiful screen--and I mean top notch. I turned the laptop on keeping my fingers crossed for none of the dreaded dead pixels, and the dead pixel gods must have been having a good day cuz it's unblemished. Sure hope it stays that way.

The screen surface is very glossy but bright enough to overcome any potential light reflection, with the possible exception of very bright sunlight. Haven't tested that yet. The illumination is very even and try as I might, I notice no imperfections whatsoever.



(Pay no attention to that fool's reflection in the above pictures. He doesn't know what the hell he is doing with either a camera or a laptop!)

Power "Cinder Block"

The power brick is not a brick; it's a friggin' cinder block. This thing is unbelievable. I swear it's at least 1/3 of the laptop's weight all by itself. I might throw it through a Jenny Craig window to see if it'll lose a couple of pounds.

One thing I'll have to get used to (again) is the location of the power connection. On the Aurora, it's in the back rather than on the side like I've been used to with my last 3 machines. This makes it a little more interesting to move the computer from my lap to a table without pinching the cord. Not a big deal, but it does require a bit of care and some retraining.



By the way, that's my last 20 bucks. I decided to include it in a couple of the photos, not to give you a sense of relative size, but rather to prove that at one time I had $20 to my name. That money is already spoken for by the increase in my power bill once I plug the Aurora into a wall socket. Homer Simpson better stop eating donuts, get off his fat a$$, and start pulling rods out of the reactor to give us some more power.

Keyboard and Touchpad

Ergonomically speaking, the keyboard is full-sized and displaced more toward the screen portion of the laptop than the leading edge. There is so much room on the base that Wilt Chamberlain's hands could get lost on this thing if he were still alive and not busy fondling women.

This poses a bit of a problem for me as the touchpad is displaced further from the keyboard than I'm used to, even though the touchpad is the biggest one I've seen yet. My right thumb is going to get a workout stretching to move around on it while I keep my right hand fingers on the keyboard. I'm sure I'll get used to it, but it was something I never even thought about prior to using it. Glad I don't have arthritis!

Even so, the keyboard has great tactile feedback and a high quality feel. It doesn't sag in the middle when pressing keys, and has just the right amount of key travel/rebound for me. The touchpad has a rougher feel than on my previous machine which means potential thumb blisters while my thumb gets acclimated to it. It's amazing the kind of stuff that can happen to your hands when you're on a rig for 15 hours a day sometimes.



Audio

If I have to identify an early disappointment, it would be the sound. I opted for the integrated sound thinking that 4 years of time passing would result in a far superior sound than my old machine. The built-in speakers are ok, but I was saddened to see even in 2006 we're using RealTek Audio '97, the same damn thing that was on my 5620! I think my only recourse here is to pony up for the Audigy card which I know is available for under $100 elsewhere. I was hoping not to burn my pcmcia slot on a sound card, but it looks like there's no choice.

Hooking up the line out to my stereo results in an underpowered sound experience when running DVDs. Maybe there's a different set of drivers I can use, or someone can suggest some tweaks that'll overcome this all too common problem. I really thought I'd put this problem in my rearview mirror buy getting this machine, but alas, it wasn't to be.

Note (added 1/21/06): I've reconsidered the quality of the sound output to the built-in speakers. It's actually the best I've heard in a laptop (not saying much really). If all you do is play music through the built-in speakers, then it's sufficient. My big beef is with the line out connection. I'm wondering if part of the problem is the audio cable I'm using, but I guess not since testing the sound on the Aurora against my old laptop reveals that the latter has a lot more low end punch to it. Maybe I've overlooked an EQ setting on the Aurora...I dunno.

Cooling (Heating?)

RE: fans and heat, all I can say is that it doesn't seem a whole helluva lot different than my 5620, even with all of the extra horsepower. The fans on the Aurora tend to cycle more often and at different speeds, whereas my 5620 pretty much kept at one fairly loud speed the whole time unless the room it was in was ice cold. Occasionally it would jack itself up to high while encoding videos, etc., if I hadn't recently cleaned out the vents and heat sink.



Unsure of the heat output and relative comfort level of this rig in one's lap, I opted to get the el-cheapo XBrand Travel stand to give the notebook a little extra breathing room. The stand folds up nicely and will easily fit into the backpack along with everything else. It has rubber grips on both the top and bottom so that both the laptop and the stand itself don't slide around.



Portability

Portability, you ask? Well, here's a shocker. I think this rig is just as portable as my old machine. I just finished stuffing the AW Odyssey Backpack with the Aurora and its cinder block power brick, much like stuffing a Thanksgiving Day turkey. You know what? It's pretty much a cinch! It's a bit tricky to line up the lappy width-wise with the inner sleeve of the backpack, but once you have the leading side edge inserted, it goes in fine. It is quite snug if you want to close the inner sleeve's flap over the exposed end of the laptop, but I don't think it's a necessity to go to that length unless you're carrying sand in the damn backpack. Then again, I bet that loosens up some with age (doesn't everything?). Even so, the backpack eats it up and there is quite a bit of space left over for other traveling gear.



I commute 2+ hours each way, by car, train, metrorail, and walking, and I can tell you I will have no problems toting this thing around. On my back it feels just like my other machine in its Rakgear backpack. That's a testiment to the configuration and support that the Odyssey backpack offers. I don't see the need to return it and replace it with the XL version.

These last two backpack pictures show the pack with both the laptop and the power cinder block inside. Note that the pack's profile doesn't puff out. You can hardly tell there's over 12 pounds of stuff in there!



Benchmarks

Ok...benchmarks...I'll game recreationally, but my main thrust is business use: video encoding, photoshop, running databases and doing web development. I multitask heavily, and I knew the dual cores would be my saving grace. I figured getting the GTX7800 card would make up for any CPU loss on the single core vs. dual core competition when it came to gaming.

Alienware included a burn-in benchmark testing report on my desktop, showing a 3dMark05 score of 6724. I ran another test and came up with 6701. This is right out of the box with no tweaking whatsoever. I'm not sure I had the optimal 3dmark settings configured, but I don't usually do this kind of stuff, so I don't know what's optimal.

Overall Summary

Overall, I'm very happy with this machine , but this is just the first few hours of ownership. The real test will be 3 to 6 months down the road. First impressions do count, however, and the first impression this rig made was one big thumbs-up! AW has provided a top-notch product, configured it as ordered, packed it well, and made the first few hours of ownership a very pleasing experience (no thanks to FedEx!!! ).

This machine makes a serious statement, pure and simple. It says you're not here to mess around; you're going to engage in some pretty serious bidness, whether it's gaming at your next LAN party or at work running high end server applications in a VMWARE window while simultaneously video encoding, and posting reviews to NBF. This thing won't skip a beat. My next boardroom meeting should be really interesting when I place this machine on the table and the evil alien blue eyes start flashing at the person across from me. Yep, it's a conversation piece, but also much much more. The only thing it doesn't do is burp $50 bills every time I open up the DVD drive. Can't have everything, though, as my wife frequently reminds me.

Hope this review was informative or at least somewhat entertaining, and if you have questions I'll try to answer as time permits; after all, I have lots of data to move and configuring to do and miles to go before I sleep. Right now, however, I think it's damn well time for a beer (or 12)!!!!

I'll leave you with a couple more images from a movie that should be included for free with every Alienware purchase...





Nostromo...OUT.