“With its acquisition of Alienware earlier this year, we’ve been wondering how Dell was going to keep its high-end XPS line separate and distinct from Alienware’s luxurious offerings. The Aurora m9700 certainly makes a bold statement for the Alienware brand, serving up components not offered on its Dell counterpart, the XPS M1710, including an AMD processor, dual-SLI graphics, dual hard drives, and an integrated TV tuner. Like the M1710, the Alienware Aurora m9700 features a 17-inch wide-screen display and a black-and-glossy-silver exterior. Admittedly, we had high hopes for this $3,881 laptop, which is the first 17-inch SLI laptop we’ve reviewed; the only other SLI laptop to have graced CNET Labs to date, the 19-inch Eurocom M590K Emperor, owns claim to the fastest frame rates we’ve seen on our 3D gaming benchmarks. The Aurora m9700 didn’t quite meet our lofty expectations: though its performance is among the best in its class, it failed to set records. Still, we give Alienware credit for squeezing so much into a 17-inch laptop and doing so with such style. Mobile gamers and multimedia aficionados with deep pockets won’t be disappointed.


Compared to Eurocom’s rickety Emperor, which struggles against its great weight, the Aurora m9700 feels sturdy and well crafted. The small alien head that glows blue on the top of the laptop makes it clear to others at any LAN party that you are toting Alienware hardware. The rubber grips on the hood don’t serve any real purpose, but they do contribute to the Aurora m9700’s ominous visage. Measuring 15.5 inches wide, by 11.7 inches deep, and 1.8 inches at its thickest, and weighing 9.4 pounds, the Aurora m9700 rests comfortably in the desktop-replacement category. It’s 0.6 pound heavier than the XPS M1710, but the two laptops share nearly the same dimensions. The Aurora m9700’s three-prong AC adapter is huge, weighing in at 2.3 pounds.

Above the 17-inch wide-screen display sits a 1.3-megapixel Webcam for video chats. The display itself is bright and crisp; our review unit included the upgrade to the Wide Ultra XGA screen, with a 1,920×1,200 native resolution. It has a glossy coating that makes movies and games shine, but like any such display, it’s easily smudged and prone to distracting reflections. It’s not ideal if you plan to use the Aurora m9700 as a mobile workstation vs. an entertainment device for gaming, movies, and TV. That’s too bad because beneath the display rests a full-size keyboard. It’s very comfortable to use, especially given the wide wrist rest. There’s also a separate number pad, a feature the Dell XPS M1710 lacks. As much as we like the keyboard, we’re less enthralled with the touch pad. It’s coated with the same glossy finish as the rest of the chassis, which is good for the overall appearance but not so good for actually moving the cursor around. Your finger doesn’t glide across the surface as easily as it would on a typical touch pad with a matte finish. Below the touch pad is a single bar for left and right mouse buttons; it’s as wide as the touch pad, forcing you to reach for the right mouse button.” - CNET.COM

This entry was posted on July 16, 2006 and is filed under Dell,Inc.