Yash Bhandari

Dell launches Alienware laptops

Dell’s Alienware series of gaming rigs have been a favourite amongst gamers for years, and it’s only recently that other companies like Asus and MSI have entered this segment, and are actually doing well we may add. Still, Alienware remains a household name in the gaming fraternity and no one has truly been able to beat them in terms of design and finesse. Till now, we had limited choices for Alienware notebooks in India and until recently we had just two models to choose from, the mighty M17x and the more portable M11x.

Dell filled the void when they launched the M14x, which provides a perfect balance of performance and portability. Two preset configurations are on offer out of which Dell has sent us their flagship offering.
While every other manufacturer is launching slimmer andlighter notebooks, Alienware is busy churning out big, bulky  and overthe-top gaming machines — like this new Alienware
Dell-owned gaming laptop brand Alienware has introduced its most powerful products yet, the Alienware 14 and Alienware 17. The new laptops feature a new design and Dell claims to have optimized them for the best gaming experience. Alienware 14  has been priced at Rs 1,13,990, while Alienware 17 costs Rs 1,29,990 in the country.

Both laptops feature a new, angular design that takes its cues from jet engines and stealth bombers and have anodized aluminum shell and magnesium alloy body. The latest laptops are exceptionally durable, with over 60% of the main mechanical components made of metals. The keyboard is protected by a reinforced plate, while the travel and responsiveness have been specifically designed with gamers' needs in mind, says Dell.

Dell bundles along a bunch of software applications and their own utilities. We have a 15 month trial version of McAfee Security Center and Roxio DVD creator. Dell’s own bundled software includes AlienRespawn, which is a system restore utility and Alienware Command Center, which let’s you customize the lighting on the notebook, change and create custom power profiles and adjust the sensitivity of the mouse, all through a single interface.
Alienware 14 features an anti-glare LCD display with wide viewing angles and comes with a premium full HD panel option with IPS. For 3D gaming enthusiasts, the Alienware 17 has an optional 3D panel. The two new products are powered by quad-core 4th generation Intel Core i7 processor, Nvidia GeForce 700 series graphics and come with DDR3L RAM. Alienware 14 supports up to three storage drives, while Alienware 17 can work with up to four storage drives.

It has updated the Alienware Command Center software, which now provides access to exclusive applications like AlienFX and controls in one centralized hub. Alienware has worked closely with game developers to incorporate AlienFX in over 60 game titles, including Xcom: Enemy Unknown, Neverwinter, Anomaly 2 and Smite. Alienware Command Center also features AlienAdrenaline, a custom configurable game and application automation tool, the new Accelerator dynamic performance optimizer, and a new performance monitoring tool. 


Specifications



 



Being a gaming oriented machine it comes with top-notch hardware. You get a 4th generation Intel Core i7 processor, 16GB RAM, Nvidia GT 765M graphics and 750GB harddrive.  Together, these give you an impressive Windows Experience Index of 5.9 (lowest score to the HDD). We played Bioshock  Infinte and Call of Duty: Black Ops among other games and  the Alienware ran every game smoothly in full HD resolution.
The new products allow us to bring the exciting nature for 3D and high-definition immersive gaming for passionate gamers. These come packed with extraordinary performance in bold new designs that will take gaming to the next level. The devices have been crafted with meticulous thinking put to every minute detail to give our customers the most powerful gaming laptops.
The downside is that it gets hot after just 15-20 minutes of gaming and the cooling fan makes a noise like a mini jet engine. The 14-inch full HD display is sharp and thanks to the anti-glare panel, is great for playing games. The machine has a BluRay drive, three USB 3.0 ports, HDMI, displayport and Ethernet.

One Important thing to mention is :
While the Alienware X51 has been slated by Valve as a currently available Steambox, consumers still have to get rid of that pesky Windows to install the Linux-driven platform. As we've seen with the Razer Edge, a Windows 8-powered gaming system just doesn't work well for living rooms because it still needs an interface that's not a game controller. Fortunately, that barrier is slowly evaporating as the Dell-owned commodity is now providing Ubuntu as an OS option for the X51, paving the way for easier Steambox modification in the future.
 

It'll come with Linux-friendly drivers from NVIDIA right out of the box, and you can of course install Steam for Linux on it from the get-go. As a reminder, the X51 is available in Core i3, Core i5 and Core i7 models, and can be upgraded to 8GB of RAM with 1TB of storage, with either a NVIDIA GeForce GT645 or a GTX 660 card. Features include HDMI 1.4, eight USB ports (six are 2.0 while two are 3.0), digital 7.1 surround sound, on-board WiFi and gigabit Ethernet. Pricing for the base Ubuntu model is $599, which is about $100 less than its Windows counterpart.