Alienware M18x R2 Notebook Review: NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 680M in SLI
by Dustin Sklavos on September 28, 2012 12:01 AM ESTApplication and Futuremark Performance
Given that the Alienware M18x R2 we have in house features the fastest mobile CPU we've tested, the fastest mobile GPU configuration we've tested, and two SSDs in a striped RAID, it's reasonable to assume Futuremark's benchmarks are going to be pretty kind to it. With that in mind, I've added another wrinkle for both my edification and yours: I've included test results where available for AVADirect's second Quiet Gaming PC and iBuyPower's Ivy Bridge and Kepler-powered Erebus GT. Both of these are powerful current-generation gaming desktops that are available for roughly two thirds the price of the M18x R2.
It's pretty crazy to think about just how fast a notebook like the M18x R2 can be, though you do pay very dearly for the privilege. Note that even its SSDs in RAID and SLI graphics hardware can't quite get it in contention with the two desktops and their overclocked CPUs. This is something that you're going to see a lot of.
3DMarks 11 and Vantage show a substantial performance increase between the single and dual GPU Alienwares, but what's interesting is that despite the Ivy Bridge processor's substantial performance, it looks like it still may not be fast enough for this graphics subsystem.
Our CPU-specific benchmarks continue to demonstrate the potential upshot of going with a custom desktop system and saving some bread, but if you need a mobile gaming system the i7-3820QM in the M18x R2 is no slouch. It very nearly breaks the 100fps barrier on the first pass of our x264 benchmark.
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DarthPierce - Friday, September 28, 2012 - link
I have a hard time believing a samsung series 7 with 3615QM and gt 650M is getting scores 4x higher than a 3720M with raid 0 SSDs and SLI GTX680s. (22890 vs 5542)If those scores are real, why aren't they explained?
Dustin Sklavos - Friday, September 28, 2012 - link
Quick Sync can dramatically bloat certain scores.Freakie - Friday, September 28, 2012 - link
"...but if you absolutely must have the most performance you can cram in a notebook, pricetag be damned, obviously this is the way to go."I don't know, I'd probably go with a Clevo P370EM over this... especially since I can configure a Sager one $800 cheaper and not have to worry about voiding my warranty if I want to apply my own paste xP Though anyone dropping this kind of money on a mobile gaming rig can more than chose whatever brand they want xP
GTRagnarok - Friday, September 28, 2012 - link
Repasting an AW doesn't void the warranty. I might consider a Clevo if they put more thought into certain things, like the keyboard for instance. They cheap out and use the same keyboards on their 15" and 17" laptops. You end up with a pretty pathetic keyboard for a 17". And bad layout aside, the AW keys are just way nicer.Meaker10 - Friday, September 28, 2012 - link
The cooling just does not compare either.SlyNine - Friday, September 28, 2012 - link
When I had my XPS studio 16 one of the guys ( after getting to know my ability alittle better) said it would be fine to change the thermal paste, He even suggested it might help it throttle less.I wonder if these suffer from any throttling issues?
bennyg - Saturday, September 29, 2012 - link
"Pricetag be damned" then every point you mention is about price or warranty.AW is also one of the very, very few who bother to get GPU switching working (and well) on their big gaming rigs, while the 2.5-3 hrs I get on my Clevo P150HM is good enough for me (and didn't justify the premium commanded by AW) the AW have always been better on that front ever since they got a 9400M integrated working alongside the SLI'ed 9800Ms a number of years ago. I think that was even before Nvidia brought out Optimus?
PCMerlin - Friday, September 28, 2012 - link
Open article.WUXGA or better screen?
No.
Close article.
KineticHummus - Friday, September 28, 2012 - link
you missed a step. forgot to add in making a worthless commentDustin Sklavos - Friday, September 28, 2012 - link
1920x1200 is dead. Get over it.