Alienware M18x R2 Notebook Review: NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 680M in SLI

Conclusion: Go Big or Go Home

As I mentioned in the conclusion of my review of the Alienware M17x R4, there are no points awarded for repetition. The original M18x was good but not perfect, and simply repeating the design instead of at least iterating it isn't going to somehow result in a better review. I think for the most part the shell does work; the aluminum is attractive and however you feel about Alienware's aesthetics, it's at least distinctive and feels sturdier than competing notebooks from Clevo. Bonus points also to the cooling system, which does a solid job of keeping the internals from roasting.

If we take the repeated chassis design out of the equation, we're faced with an amusingly unique problem that I haven't really seen in a notebook before: too much graphics power. The GK104-based GTX 680M is so good at its job that for notebook users who are going to be limited to a 1080p resolution, there's very little reason or need to add a second one. In fact, only Battlefield 3 seems to really benefit from the second GPU; everything else was already butter smooth on just one. It's a silly thing to complain about until you realize the Alienware M18x R2 costs an arm and a leg.

But wait, it gets better. Because the pair of GTX 680Ms are limited by both the resolution and by the CPU, even a relatively pricey upgrade like the i7-3820QM actually becomes borderline inadequate. Consider what that means when an i7-3610QM was perfectly fine support for a GTX 675M or 680M, when historically upgrading past the entry level quad core in a notebook has been a fairly questionable value proposition. If you simply must have the fastest gaming notebook you can find, the M18x R2 is going to be it, but the upgrades are all ridiculously expensive and amusingly, if you want the most out of your purchase you're not going to be able to cut corners. You can save $250 by not having Alienware overclock the CPU for you and do it yourself, but you're still going to want to spend the $900 upgrade cost to get the i7-3920XM just to keep your disgustingly powerful graphics subsystem from being curtailed by the CPU.

I'll level with you: the Alienware M18x R2 is a notebook for people with more money than sense. Bleeding edge hardware has always cost a pretty penny, but while I could produce a corner case need for the original M18x, the M18x R2 just isn't necessary for even the most die hard mobile gamer. A single GTX 680M is screamingly fast on its own and well paired with an Ivy Bridge CPU, making the M17x R4 a better choice in almost every way. If you really, really want the absolute fastest notebook money can buy then by all means, and you just absolutely hate having money, shell out for the M18x R2. But if you want a premium gaming notebook and aren't interested in setting your money on fire to get it, a single-GPU solution like the M17x R4 or iBuyPower's Valkyrie CZ-17 is going to suit you far better.