Alienware Aurora m7700

The Alienware Aurora m7700 has excellent CPU performance thanks to the 64-bit AMD desktop processors including the dual-core X2 as an option, but the cost and other components make it a less than steller system for those looking for any portability.

1/23/06 – Alienware has opted to use the AMD Athlon 64 line of desktop processors for the Aurora m7700 notebook. This gives the Aurora m7700 true desktop replacement performance but it also costs this system heavily in terms of battery performance as the CPUs use a lot of power. The processors are matched up with 512MB of PC3200 DDR memory standard that is below most desktop replacements but is upgradable.

Storage is very strong for the Aurora m7700. The system comes standard with a speedy 80GB 5400rpm notebook drive. While a 24x CD-RW burner is available on the lowest option, most version will ship with an 8x DVD+/-RW dual layer burner. A 7-in-1 media card reader lets it interface with digital peripherals.

The main purpose of the Aurora m7700 is as a gaming notebook and it does this extremely well. In addition to the AMD desktop processors that dominate PC gaming, it comes standard with the NVIDIA GeForce Go 6800 graphics with 256MB of memory. This is upgradeable to the 7800 that gives near desktop top of the line graphics performance. The display is a 17” wide screen LCD with a resolution of 1440x900 that is somewhat lower than desktop displays. An upgraded 1920x1200 panel is available.

What the Aurora m7700 really comes down to is purpose. It is really designed to be an exceptional portable PC gaming platform. But beyond this, the cost and components for the Aurora m7700 just don't compare well to other desktop replacements.