Eric Peterson that simply is not true and you need to update your outmoded ways of thinking, or go and actually use some 4k displays. MANY previous and current gen games can be played at 4k with max details, and I would rather have the option to play them in glorious 4k and then downscale to 1080p (accepting a small reduction in clarity) if I need to for more demanding titles. Plus, many of us do photography or video editing as a hobby on our 3000EUR notebooks and a 4k resolution is what you need.

Also if you are saying you can't notice UHD on a 17" screen then you really need your eyes testing, because it is objectively sharper especially when you zoom into things. It is even noticeable on a 13" notebook and has been for some time. Why do you think even phones have high resolution QHD screens of 400ppi despite how vastly smaller they are that a 17" screen? Our eyes can tell the difference.

I am also in the market for a big powerful laptop. I would prefer a 1440p over a 1080p so I can work and play closer to the display, but I could accept purchasing the 1080p panel if it was a great one. But clearly the 2 panels used for the 1080p 144hz are not that great in terms of contrast and response time.
So I will wait to see what Azor has for the 51m at the end of the year, or get a Razer Blade 15.

And for those who claim 1080p is enough for a 17' display, you either never used a high DPI display or have never worked on a 17' 1080p.

I really love the design & power of this 51m laptop, so many times i came close to purchasing it but could not get passed the fact the thier was no UHD option.
major deal breaker for me as I am a video editor and have my own travel channel, all my work is displayed to clients on my other 4k msi laptop, though a lovely screen it just does not edit h.vec 265 that well, whereas the alienware would have been great.
no good having all the power, when the display looks just average especially at 17 inch size.
With UHD displays you are getting 2 extra things, higher detailed image & also much richer normally more vivid colours.

Estou no aguardo do lançamento da versão em 4k, trabalho na área cad e antes de comprar meu evga sc17 eu utilizava um monitor ultrawide para realizar os projetos, atualmente uso apenas a tela do meu notebook pois a alta resolução facilita na visualização dos projetos.
Aguardando o Área 51m uhd para upgrade até porque o evga ainda esta dando conta... ;D ;D ;D

I just bought the m17 because lack of 4k display on the 51m. My main use is card so I need 4K regardless of the frequency but off course that would be nice to have a 144hz 4k display to play on the spare time.

Limited? 1080p is just fine for a 17" display. 4K is way overkill given the CPU and graphics horsepower needed and the battery demand, not to mention the pixel density isn't that noticeable over 1080p at 17" anyway (yes, it is, but hardly enough to justify the demand).

FYI, there's been a number of reports of this model going up in smoke on the Alienware subreddit and notebook forums... not sure yet if it's a widespread issue or just a bad batch