17"+ laptops are intended to be desktop replacements and primarily belong on the desk at home.
Seeing as you've already 'bought' a brand new desktop, you're not using it as a desktop; therefore, its primary function must be a travel machine. The three main requirements for a travel machine are: durability (which results from quality), reliability (ie, no need to plug it in) and portability.
Durability/Quality: plastic; not a durable material. Has consistent issues with hinges breaking, and screens smashing.
Speaking of screens, here's what notebookcheck.net had to say - "Our first brightness test of the notebook revealed a maximum brightness of 263 cd/m2 in the lower central measuring quadrant. However, we could establish considerable a brightness reduction in the upper corner areas with the naked eye, which was also confirmed by our measurements. The maximum brightness decreased down to 159.5 cd/m2". For clarity, 250 cd/m2 is considered standard of a £400 laptop. 13 cd/m2 difference between a standard laptop and a 'premium' product?
There is also an assessment category for the M17x known as 'keyboard bend'...nuff said on that.
Reliability (battery life): CNET, got my back?: "when we ran Battery Eater's Classic test, which runs the CPU at full belt until the battery is exhausted, the M17x conked out after only 51 minutes, despite the hefty nine-cell lithium-ion battery stuck up its backside".
51 MINUTES
9 CELL LITHIUM
Speaking of 9 cell lithium battery, let's look at the profile:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtslwxL_Leg
Portability: max weight 11.68 pounds. You can say "that doesn't matter" as much as you want; you will be tired of it within a month. The fact of the matter is, I know someone with an M15x and duffle bag, it's wider than he is.
Now imagine that plus 2 inches for the screen size which is probably 4+ extra inches in footprint.
To quote the Greek philosopher Zeno: "dat shit aint fittin on ur uni desk meight".
Okay, so the three criteria for using said laptop as a portable device has been refuted, and so has the idea that it's a desktop replacement. The only thing it could possibly be now is a gaming machine; unless you edit video which you could just do on your desktop.
BUT WAIT! Games while trying to study? That's pretty stupid. Okay, so you'll play them outside of lectures.
WAIT AGAIN! That means you'll have to take around a mouse. You can either choose to get a wireless mouse and pay more unnecessary money, or get a USB mouse which will inevitably tangle and get in the way. Regardless of either of these, you'll still have to take a mousepad around...and batteries if it's a wireless one. So, you fulfill all of that, and you're ready to play some games only to realise.
YOU LOOK LIKE A TWAT AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
In Conclusion
Don't buy fucking Alienware. You have no reason to buy a 17 inch laptop. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA