News | 7/6/2009 at 12:56 PM

Demand for Alienware M17x Exceeds Expectations, Adds Delays

A few months ago we told you about a brand new laptop from Dell and Alienware that would make your friends jealous.  The inner geek and hardware addict in me couldn't withstand it, and I decided to bite the bullet and order one.  I figured it would be a great opportunity for the site to review the product and expand our co-op territory a bit.  

Sadly that was 3 weeks ago and I'm still waiting.

You see, despite what people tell you about expensive gaming laptops, there is quite a demand for these products.  So much demand in fact that the laptops are falling into significant delay right now, just short of backorder.  When all is said and done it will have taken almost a month to get the laptop.

Here's the scoop: due to popular demand, there's been a slight hiccup in the supply LCD panels for the M17x, so csharpzealot isn't too far off with his statement. These aren't just your average LCD panels, but some of the highest quality LCD panels available, so just substituting any old panel to fulfill the orders just won't do. This part shortage is the root cause of most M17x delays, and the system's popularity is a major cause of the parts shortage. That's the bad news.

The good news is that the supply problem is well on the way to being conquered, and while we can't say when the shipping delays will subside, we know they soon will.

 We'll have a full review of this beast in late July.  Perhaps if you are feeling adventurous you might have better luck finding a ready made system at Best Buy.