Introduction and Specifications

Alienware is the first to market with a SLI and RAID capable notebook.Is the premium price of the Aurora m9700 worth the extra features or are we better off sticking to a desktop for gaming in SLI?

Alienware made a big splash in the headlines not long ago with their announcement of the world’s first gaming laptop to support TWO GPUs. But that alone was not enough for Alienware, no sir! They also included RAID for increased performance and security. If there ever was a laptop to truly replace a desktop machine, the Aurora m9700 was the one to accomplish that. As you can exprect, the m9700 isn’t cheap, but there are a lot of features and perks that come with owning an Alienware system. So let’s get on to reviewing this green monster!

Alienware Aurora m9700 Notebook with SLI and RAID - Mobile 78


Technical Specifications

The following are the specifications for the Alienware Aurora m9700. There are a few different configurations you can get and the one we received to review is shown below in green with italics.

Operating Systems

  • Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition
  • Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional Edition
  • Microsoft® Windows® XP Media Center Edition 2005
  • Microsoft® Windows® Vista Capable

Processors, Chipset & Memory

  • AMD Turion™ 64 Mobile Processor (800MHz FSB, 1MB L2 Cache) – Turion ML-44 2.4 GHz
  • Nvidia Mobile SLI Chipset
  • Starting at 512MB and up to 2GB of Dual-Channel DDR SDRAM at 400MHz
  • 2 dedicated SO-DIMM slots for Dual-Channel DDR Memory

Graphics & Video

  • Single Graphics Card Support: 512MB Nvidia GeForce Go 7900 GS
  • Dual Graphics Cards Support: 512MB Nvidia GeForce Go 7900 GS SLI ENABLED 
  • Connectivity 
    • Video in: Integrated TV Tuner (Coaxial) – Optional
    • Video out: One VGA Connector
    • Video out: One DVI-D Connector
    • TV out: One S-Video out connector

Storage

  • Slot Loading Hard Drives
  • Single Hard Drive
    • 5400 RPM – Up to 160GB SATA with NCQ
    • 7200 RPM – Up to 100GB SATA with NCQ
  • Dual Hard Drives in RAID 0
    • 5400 RPM – Up to 320GB (2 x 160GB)
    • 7200 RPM – Up to 200GB (2 x 100GB)
  • Dual Hard Drives in RAID 1 for Data Backup
    • 5400 RPM – Up to 120GB (2 x 120GB)
    • 7200 RPM – Up to 100GB (2 x 100GB)
  • Optical Drives
    • 24x CD-RW / 8x DVD Combo
    • 8x Dual Layer DVD±RW / 24x CD-RW

Networking

  • Wireless Connectivity
    • RealTek B/G Wireless
    • Integrated Bluetooth
    • Optional w/ Airgo MIMO Technology
  • Wired Connectivity
    • Integrated Gigabit Ethernet RJ-45
    • Integrated 56K V.92 modem RJ-11

Audio

  • High-Definition audio with Surround Sound Support
  • Two Speakers with SubWoofer
  • Connectivity
    • 1 headphone jack
    • 1 microphone jack

Peripheral Connects

  • 4 Hi-speed USB 2.0 ports
  • Express Card Slot /54mm
  • IEEE 1394a (4-pin) port
  • 4-in-1 Memory Card Reader
    (SD / MS / MSPRO / MMC)

LCD Panel

  • 17′ Wide Screen WUXGA 1920 x 1200 with Clearview
  • 17′ Wide Screen WXGA+ 1440 x 900 with Clearview

Keyboard & Touchpad

  • Full Size Keyboard with Separate Numeric Keypad
  • Full Size Touchpad with Scroll Functionality
  • Instant Access Button include:
    • Internet
    • E-mail
    • Windows Media Player
    • Power DVD 6
    • Windows Media Center*
    • Play/Pause
    • Skip Forward
    • Skip Backward

Case & Chassis

  • Exclusive Alienware Design and Color
  • Height: 1.85′
  • Width: 15.65′
  • Depth: 11.75′
  • Weight: 8.5 lbs

* Only enabled if TV tuner card and Media Center OS is installed

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