I have an alien technology in my church, and no, this isn’t a conspiracy theory.
My first point of contact came from the Alienware public relations firm. I suppose it makes sense that such drastically advanced technology would need someone to speak to the masses in layman’s terms. Anyway, they offered to give me “the fastest mobile personal computer on the planet” if I would tell them how it could be assimilated into the workflow of a church production team. I agreed, and since this was even more powerful than most desktop computers, I wanted them to load it up with the software that churches would be using for graphics editing, video editing and worship playback. The black box that arrived with an alien head on the sides was chock full of goodies, such as complete and customized documentation in a one–inch, three-ring binder, customized mousepad and the “alien spawn” recovery CD – and, of course, the laptop itself.
It’s important for me to point out that I didn’t want to just review a laptop. Instead, I asked specifically to have this system configured to be a desktop replacement. In my mind, there’s a bunch of churches that could benefit from having a full-powered computer that’s not tied down to one room. This is particularly helpful if your church is in temporary facilities or if you want several people to have access to the equipment but not be constrained to a specific room.
Alienware Technology Means Super Power
There’s only one way to describe an Alienware system: top-of-the-line. Now before you dismiss it with the thought that “it’s too expensive”, I think it’s important to understand what you’re paying for and what it means in the context of using it for your church. In my mind, portable power means that you’re not losing any performance because it’s not a desktop unit. Alienware’s M7700 delivers performance specs faster than most well-known PC manufacturers’ fastest desktop units.
Because time is the main factor in the creation, editing and playback/usage, any performance issues mean less time to get the job done. This is particularly noticeable with graphics and non-linear video editing software, where it is necessary for the computer to “render”. The M7700’s total performance from processor, video, audio and hard drives are exceptional.
Having been a serious PC user for years, I was very pleased with the performance of this desktop replacement. It easily performed the role of a high-end desktop PC in a significantly smaller package. By most laptop standards, the M7700 is huge. Weighing in at nearly 12 pounds and with dimensions of 2.1-inches by 15.6-inches by 11.7-inches, this is not a lightweight laptop. The M7700 doesn’t use the less powerful mobile processors; instead it offers full desktop processing power with an Intel P4 3.6HT chipset, which adds to the size. As performance is the whole point of this computer, the extra space is put to good use with an extraordinary hardware complement (see sidebar).
Trying to break it
I tried to use the mobile desktop in the same way I think most churches would use it. I installed and ran PowerPoint, Easy Worship, Adobe’s Photoshop CS & Premiere Pro 1.5, Google’s Picasa 2, Digital Juice’s Presenter’s Toolkit, Apple’s Quick- Time player, Instant Effect’s Office FX and Microsoft Office Professional 2003. And I ran them all at the same time, just to see how the M7700 could handle the workload and multitasking processing.
The system performed nearly flawlessly. In fact, the only issue I had came from the super high-end software for PowerPoint made by Instant Effects, called Office FX. Even then, I found out that the trouble was actually a driver issue for Direct X and was easily corrected with a simple patch.
The Bottom Line
The Area-51m 7700 that I tested comes out to $4,228, though the base configuration (as of the time of this writing) is $1,899. Optionally, you could lease it. I contacted Alan Garretson, a leasing expert for the AV industry, who is with FX Financial. Alan told me that customers can lease a computer identical to the one I tested for 24 or 36 months for about $190 or $135 a month, respectively.
No, this isn’t inexpensive, but when you look at the cost in the context of the advantages it has over a less expensive desktop PC, you understand that you’re paying for “power with portability”. Being portable has some significant advantages. First, you don’t need to lug around a desktop system and all of the cables associated with it. This means you don’t have to keep it locked up in a secure room or in the church auditorium, limiting access to staff and volunteers who need to use it. Second, it includes a great 1,400-by-900 (as tested) 17-inch monitor (16:10 aspect ratio for more width). That’s another large component that doesn’t have to be lugged around (or is easily broken). Third, you can personalize your software for every user, meaning the desktop layout and even application preferences can be customized and saved on a user-by-user basis.
Ideally suited for churches in portable facilities or satellite campus venues, the Alienware Area-51m 7700 provides the power, flexibility and performance necessary for even the most demanding users with the latest software. Quite simply, it’s the fastest and most stable desktop replacement portable computer I’ve ever used. If your church needs rock solid performance in a portable PC, the Area-51m 7700 is my first and only choice.
SPECIFICATIONS OF OPERATING SYSTEM |
