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Dell revives the Alienware 18, upgrades its smaller gaming laptops
It's a rare, satisfying feeling when a community rallies together to ask a company to bring back a discontinued product and it actually works. Today is one of those days: Dell announced at PAX that it's bringing back the Alienware 18 -- the most powerful portable gaming machine the company's ever made. The revived 18-inch rig is being touted as a 'special edition' and will pack in a 4th Generation Intel i7 processor, up to 32GB of RAM, a 1TB HDD (with an optional 512GB SSD) dual NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M or 980M graphics, depending on the configuration. Too big? Too much? No worries --- Alienware is refreshing its 13-, 15- and 17-inch laptops, too.
ASUS' new gaming laptop packs NVIDIA's latest graphics card
NVIDIA has officially launched the GTX 960M, and a number of manufacturers have revealed new, thin gaming laptops the video card was designed for at the same time. One of those laptops is the ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) G501, which measures 0.81 inch in depth and weighs 4.54 pounds. The GTX 960M card inside it can deliver "sharp, vivid visuals, high-quality textures and smooth framerates in the most demanding games," at least according to ASUS. In addition to the video card, you can find a quad-core Intel Core i7 processor, 4GB of GDDR5 RAM and a 512GB SSD under the hood, encased in a typical ROG brushed-metal body with red accents.
Razer's new 'Blade' laptop has a touchscreen that won't kill battery life
Beating last year's Blade is a tall order, but Razer hopes throwing a fancy new 14-inch, 3,200 x 1,800 touch display into its 2015 gaming laptop will help it do just that. The outfit's using an Indium Gallium Zinc Oxide (IGZO, for short) panel, and all those pixels are powered by NVIDIA's GeForce 970M GPU that runs on Maxwell architecture. In terms of memory, there's 16GB of RAM (double that of last year) in addition to a maximum 512GB of solid-state storage. All that to say, much like our laptop buyer's guide choice from last year, games will almost assuredly look gorgeous and perform incredibly well here.
MSI GT72 Dominator review: a worthy successor to a great gaming notebook
The last time I saw MSI's Dominator laptop, I was sick of it. There wasn't anything wrong with it, but at the time, the product name belonged to the GT70: a powerhouse gaming machine that hasn't evolved much since its introduction in 2012. Back then, I loved the machine's heavy chassis, superb keyboard and excellent sound -- but over time, the machine's aesthetic trappings began to bore me. Someone at MSI must have felt the same way: Earlier this year, the company released the GT72, a new Dominator with a whole new design. Soon after, it relaunched the machine with NVIDIA's latest graphics architecture. OK, MSI, let's see if you can make me fall in love again.
HP's slim 'Omen' gaming laptop conjures up Voodoo memories
Remember that gaming laptop HP was rumored to be building, the one @evleaks said would rival Alienware's rigs? Well, it's here -- and it's not quite what the retired leaker expected. Instead of a thick, meaty machine to match the Alienware 14 and 17, HP is putting out the Omen, a 15-inch gaming notebook that measures only 0.78-inches at its thickest point. Don't let its svelte chassis fool you, though, there's more than enough under the Omen's hood to compete in today's laptop market.
ASUS' ROG G751 review: a properly oversized gaming laptop
So, you noticed that NVIDIA has trotted out its latest GPU architecture and you're wondering if you should retire your old gaming laptop for something with a little more... pep. You aren't alone. Every time NVIDIA downsizes its flagship GPUs for the notebooks, manufacturers flood the market with new and improved laptops promising to give desktop gaming rigs a run for their money. The phrase "desktop-class" usually gets thrown around with reckless abandon, but the new machines never quite match the performance of their fully grown counterparts. Will this year's Maxwell-based 980M GPUs fare any better? Let's find out: The ASUS ROG (Republic of Gamers) G751 just landed in Engadget's bullpen, and it's aching to be reviewed.
The Alienware 13 is the smallest and lightest gaming laptop in Dell's lineup
Y'all remember the Alienware M11x, right? That compact, netbook-sized gaming laptop with the glowing keyboard that made it look like a spaceship? Anyway, Dell discontinued it back in 2012, only to release several big-screen machines the following year. Well, it looks like someone at the company saw the error of their ways: Dell just announced the Alienware 13, and while it's not the brand's smallest notebook ever, it's definitely the smallest the company has put out in quite some time.
Engadget Daily: inside the mind of Cortana, a desk/PC hybrid and more!
Today, we give Microsoft's Cortana a psych eval, take a closer look at Lian Li's desk/PC hybrid, go hands-on with the MSI GT70 Dominator and learn about the HP's latest slate, the Pro x2 612. Read on for Engadget's news highlights from the last 24 hours.
ASUS crams 4K gaming into a sleek and distinctive laptop
What should a company do immediately after unveiling an incredible 4K laptop that's only 19 mm thick? Why, repeat the feat while throwing in some gamer-level GFX from NVIDIA on the way. You might have heard that we were particularly impressed with ASUS' Zenbook NX500: Besides the specifications, it was quite the looker too. However, if brushed-metallic finishes aren't your thing, maybe the moody black and red undertones of the ROG GX500 will be more to your liking. Has the Razer Blade finally got competition in the slimline gaming laptop market? We prodded and poked ASUS ROG's new beast earlier today, and we reckon it's a yes.
ASUS' GX500 gaming laptop has a 4K screen and is just 19mm thick
Remember the ASUS NX500, that super-thin, MacBook Pro-inspired laptop we saw yesterday? (Now you do.) Well, then: This right here is its macho, gaming-obsessed cousin, the GX500, which just made its debut here at Computex. Like the NX500, it's a 15.6-inch notebook coming in at just 19mm (0.75 inch) thick and 2.2kg (4.85 pounds). Spec-wise, too, it packs a Core i7 processor and a 3,840 x 2,160 display that covers 100 percent of the NTSC color gamut. The difference? It purrs along with heavier-duty NVIDIA GeForce GTX 860M graphics. Oh, and the chassis is black with industrial red accents, making it less of a MacBook clone. No word yet on how much it will cost or when it will be available, but it seems to us this should make for a compelling Razer Blade competitor. Hopefully we can review one soon enough and decide for ourselves.
MSI supercharges its high-end gaming laptops with NVIDIA Maxwell graphics
It happens every time. NVIDIA unveils its latest GPU architecture, and all your favorite gaming laptops are suddenly getting refreshed internals. And why not? The new silicon promises screaming performance, improved battery life and support for GeForce Experience's ShadowPlay and GameStream features. Naturally, MSI couldn't wait to get its hands on the new technology, and has outfitted its GT Dominator and GE Apache gaming laptops with NVIDIA's new 800M Series GPUs. That said, most of the GT and GE notebooks internals are the same as yesterday's models: fourth-generation Intel Core i7 processors, dual-SSD "Super RAID" storage configurations and customizable LED keyboards. If you're ready to leap into the next generation of PC gaming, however, you've got options. Fans of the GT60 and GT70 series can pick up machines rocking NVIDIA's GTX 870M and 880M GPUs from $1,500. MSI's slimmer GE Apache laptops will start at $1,300, opting for the less powerful GTX 850M and 860M GPUs. We fully expect even more laptop manufacturers to announce GPU refreshes in the coming days, but if you can't wait, MSI is ready right now.
Alienware 14 and 17 review: Dell's new gaming laptops are fast, powerful and well-lit
Picking a gaming laptop is a difficult task these days: machines can be found in all shapes and sizes, from pricey thin-and-lights to oversized behemoths. That wide selection is a good thing, allowing buyers to pick and choose the best machine from dozens of manufacturers, possibly even finding a deal on a lower-cost ODM system. Still, there needs to be some sort of benchmark buyers can look to, and for many, Alienware serves that purpose. The brand, now owned by Dell, is known for offering powerful, high-quality machines at the market's going rate; that is, not too cheap, not too expensive, but reasonably priced with just a hint of prestige. Considering Alienware's 2013 hardware refresh, it seemed about time we took a closer look at Dell's updated family of gaming portables. We picked out two: the Alienware 14 ($1,199+) and the larger Alienware 17 ($1,499+). Let's see how they stack up.
Dell unveils redesigned Alienware 14, 17 and 18 gaming notebooks, available now from $1,199 (hands-on)
Hot on the heels of refreshing its X51 gaming desktop, Dell is sharing the news gamers have really been waiting for. The company just unveiled some fresh Alienware laptops, complete with a new look and even a new naming scheme: Alienware 14, 17 and 18. As you'd expect, they step up to Haswell processors, the latest NVIDIA graphics and 802.11ac on some models, but the real story is that they've received a serious makeover, the first in six years. For starters, Dell ditched the ol' plastic body and moved to a metal chassis with an aluminum lid and magnesium alloy chassis. As befits an Alienware, there are LEDs aplenty, including lights around the edges and a touchpad that fully lights up. And though the alien logo on the lid always glowed, that color is now customizable like other zones on the laptop. Speaking of the keyboard, you get 10 color zones on the 17 / 18 and five on the 14, and it promises improved travel, too, thanks to some retooled key caps. Dell also added Klipsch speakers, backed by Dolby Audio Theater. On a more practical note, the vents have moved to the back edge, as far as possible from gamers' hands. All told, it's a nicer design, but if you were expecting these guys to be thinner or lighter, you're going to be disappointed: the dimensions haven't really budged. Moving on to performance, Dell added some macro keys on the larger models, with the 18 supporting up to nine, and the 17 allowing for four. All come standard with a quad-core Core i7 processor, though they won't each be configurable with the same range of CPUs. 750GB of HDD storage is the minimum, and SSDs will be available too. On the 14, in particular, you can add up to three HDDs, while the two larger notebooks have room for four. Graphics-wise, NVIDIA's GTX 765M (2GB) is standard on the 17 and 18, while the 14 starts with a 1GB 750M. And on the 18 you get two GPUs by default, in an SLI setup. The Alienware 17 and 18 come with 802.11ac WiFi, while the 14 packs a Killer Wireless-N 1202 radio. As for displays, they're all non-touch (mostly TN), and while 1080p is offered on all, it's only standard on the 18 (the 14, in particular, starts with 1,366 x 768, blech). They're all available now, with starting prices pegged at $1,199 for the 14, $1,499 for the 17 and $2,099 for the 18. A Core i5 version of the 14 is also on the way, and will start around $1,099. Hopefully we'll review one of these soon, but until then have a look at some hands-on photos, a detailed spec table and a trio of promo videos, all embedded after the break.
Gigabyte unveils Intel 4th-gen gaming laptops with NVIDIA 765M, 770M graphics
After an eventful Computex 2013, Gigabyte has fired its final PR salvo: the launch of the P27K and P25W gaming laptops. The latter is a 15.6-inch, 1080P successor to the P2542G, but ups the ante with a 4th-gen Intel Core i7 quad-core CPU, NVIDIA GTX 770M 3GB graphics, up to 24GB RAM, space for up to two 256GB mSATA SSDs and 1TB of RAID 0 HDD storage, a backlit keyboard, Blu-ray RW drive and that oh-so-gamer case design that tips the scales at 6.6 pounds. Meanwhile, the P27K has a larger 17-inch, 1080P display but otherwise identical specs -- other than NVIDIA 765M 2GB graphics, space for a single 256GB SSD, seven pound heft and Sound Blaster tech instead of the P25W's Dolby Home Theater sound. The 15.6-inch P25W will arrive late June for $1,300 to $1,800 depending on memory configuration, and the 17.3-inch P27K will come a month later for the same price. That sum should let you game and still, you know, eat -- check the PR after the break for more.
MSI refreshes its GT and GE gaming laptops, teases a new 14-inch model (hands-on)
MSI's had a busy couple weeks: first it started selling a pair of laptops with AMD chips inside, and then it unveiled a flagship notebook with Haswell. Now, to complete the trilogy, the company's refreshing the other models in its range. Starting with the GT series, the existing GT70 and GT60 are both getting a quad-core, 3.2GHz Core i7-4200MQ CPU with a 4GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX780M GPU or a 3GB GTX770M. Though the chipsets are the same, however, the 17-incher makes room for more robust internals, including a max of 32GB of RAM and a 1TB HDD paired with up to three 128GB SSDs arranged in a RAID 0 setup. The 15-inch version, meanwhile, tops out at 16GB of RAM with a single 128GB SSD and 1TB hard drive. If 8.6 or even 7.7 pounds is too heavy for your tastes, you might prefer the slim GE series, where both the 15- and 17-inch models weigh in at less than six pounds. In exchange for a lighter design, of course, you get slightly inferior specs: a 2GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX765 GPU, 750GB hard drives, 8GB to 12GB of RAM and six-cell batteries, compared with a nine-cells on the beefier GT models. For what it's worth, though, most configurations have the same 3.2GHz Core i7 processor. Additionally, the GE notebooks have been refreshed with backlit keyboards, but you still won't get the full rainbow effect as on the GTs. All are available now. In the US, at least, starting prices are as follows: $1,500 for the GT70 and GT60, $1,400 for the GE70 and $1,000 for the GE60. Finally, MSI is also showing off a 14-inch model, the GE40, which has an altogether different industrial design than the other GEs, with small red lights on the lid meant to look like devil's eyes. (Or wings. Whatever.) At 4.4 pounds and 1.14 inch thick, it's an obvious competitor to the Alienware M14x. No word yet on pricing or availability, but MSI has preliminarily said it will boast a 2.9GHz Core i7-4702MQ CPU, 2GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760M GPU, 8GB of RAM and a battery rated for three hours. The screen will be a 1,600 x 900 non-IPS panel with an anti-glare matte finish. Storage-wise, you're looking at a 128GB and 750GB SSD, or just the 750-gig HDD. Again, MSI hasn't said when it'll ship, but for now we've got hands on-photos of the GE40 (and those other machines, too) after the break.
MSI ships AMD Richland A10-based GX70 and GX60 gaming laptops
Just as we knew it would, MSI has formally announced pricing for its newfangled GX70 and GX60 gaming laptops -- the world's first machines to ship with AMD's Richland A10-5750M (2.5GHz - 3.5GHz) within. The 17.3-inch GX70 offers up a 1,920 x 1,080 native display resolution, AMD's Radeon HD 8970M on the graphics front, a 750GB hard drive, 8GB of DDR3 memory, a Blu-ray Disc drive, Bluetooth 4.0 and Killer's E2200 networking technology. You'll also get a SDXC card slot, HDMI 1.4 socket, 720p webcam, a 9-cell battery -- likely good for about 89 seconds of use -- a backlit keyboard and a frame that's 2.17-inches thick and 8.6 pounds. If none of that frightens you, you can plan on parting ways with $1,399.99 to call one your own. The (slightly) more petite GX60 boasts a 15.6-inch panel (still 1080p, though), a 7.7 pound frame and a $1,299.99 price tag. Otherwise, the specifications are essentially identical from its big brother, and both should be shipping any moment now.
IRL: Skullcandy Crusher headphones and ASUS' G74SX gaming laptop
Welcome to IRL, an ongoing feature where we talk about the gadgets, apps and toys we're using in real life and take a second look at products that already got the formal review treatment. It's true; most Engadget editors would prefer some sort of Ultrabook-type laptop for attending pressers and schlepping around trade shows. But at least one of us has chosen a nine-pound gaming laptop for hitting posts. (It even says "Republic of Gamers" on it.) Speaking of schlepping, Michael has taken back (almost) everything he's ever said about over-the-ear headphones after swapping in the Skullcandy Crushers on his long commute. Hit the break to find out what he thinks of them.
Origin and CUPP wed x86 and ARM in 11-inch gaming laptop, we go hands-on (video)
Well, Origin and CUPP dropped a bit of a surprise at CES this year -- a supercharged 11.6-inch gaming laptop that runs Android 2.3.4 and Windows 7 simultaneously. On the Windows side, the machine is powered by a 2.7GHz Core i7 CPU with 4GB of RAM, a beefy GeForce GT 650M GPU with 2GB of dedicated RAM and a 128GB SSD. On the Android end you'll find a single core 1GHz Texas Instruments OMAP 3730 processor with 512MB RAM, an integrated WiFi radio, and an unspecified amount of shared storage -- nothing too exciting in this day and age, but perfectly adequate for Gingerbread. We got an exclusive first look at the machine. It's a bit bulky and heavy considering the tiny screen size, something to be expected considering the sheer amount of hardware crammed inside. There's no shortage of ports however, with the left side playing host to an Ethernet connector, VGA and HDMI outputs, headphone and mic jacks, as well as a pair of USB 3.0 ports. On the right edge is the power input, a pedestrian USB 2.0 port and a Kensington lock. We like the styling, with its lightly textured platform and soft touch lid. Even the slightly recessed hinge lends the laptop an air of aggression that we kinda dig in a gaming rig. Having full ARM and x86 systems in the same machine opens up a whole bunch of new possibilities. You can do some CPU-intensive image editing in Photoshop, put Windows to sleep, press [Fn] + [Shift] to switch over to Android (and back), then upload that edited picture to Flickr using Chrome while sipping only a trickle of power. Or you can render a video in Windows in the background while checking on your social networks on Android. It's a pretty ideal setup for editors like us. Both systems share the same 11.6-inch 1366x768 display, keyboard and trackpad. If this all seems awfully familiar that's because it is. The x86 laptop is based on Origin's EON11-S and the ARM module is CUPP's PunkThis board, which the company's already demoed for us on a Macbook Pro, a netbook and an x86 tablet. Until now all these devices have been one-off prototypes, but CUPP's partnering with Origin to make the PunkThis board available as an option on the EON11-S. The machine we played with was a pre-production unit using CUPP's single core ARM module running Gingerbread, but the company is working on a multi-core version with Jelly Bean. Origin, on its end, plans to add a touchscreen to the laptop for a better user experience in both Android and Windows 8. Want to know more? Check out the gallery below and hit the break for our hands-on video and the full PR after the break.
Maingear announces Nomad 15 gaming laptop: small in size, big on specs
Power and portability is a tricky balancing act, and if you're in the market for a gaming laptop that satisfies both, Maingear's Nomad 15 might be the one. Apart from the 15.5-inch 1,920 x 1,080 anti-glare screen, pretty much every other bit of hardware is customizable on the Windows 7 notebook. You'll have the choice of NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 670M, 670MX, 675MX or 680M for the GPU, up to an Intel i7-3840QM quad-core beast running at 3.8GHz, and a maximum of 32GB RAM. Which optical drive it comes with is also your decision, and for storage, up to dual 256GB SSDs or dual 750GB HDDs are supported. A wireless card is optional, with Ethernet joining the stock ports, including HDMI, DVI-I and S/PDIF outs, two USB 2.0's, three USB 3.0's and a lone Fire Wire. The important part comes after you've finished selecting the guts -- picking the right color finish to match your style. It might not be delivered as quickly as Maingear's other similar sized lappy, but the Nomad 15 certainly packs a heavier punch. Unfortunately, the price is pretty weighty as well: a solid $1,549 for the most basic model.%Gallery-170766%
Razer Blade review (late 2012)
Razer has made a habit of catching us off guard -- breaking the mold as an accessory manufacturer by building laptops, prototype game handhelds and controller-toting tablets. Their Blade laptop cut through our expectations as well, featuring a beautiful aluminum shell and one of the thinnest profiles of any gaming rig on the market. It had some serious flaws, though: it was underpowered, had minor build issues and simply fell short in the audio department. Its maker, apparently, wasn't deterred: mere months after the original Blade's own debut, Razer is now introducing a successor. Most of the changes are internal: this model swaps out the original's Sandy Bridge CPU and last-generation NVIDIA graphics for a newly announced 2.2GHz Intel Core i7-3632QM processor and a Kepler-based GeForce GTX 660M GPU. It caught our interest -- Razer had previously insisted its first laptop wasn't built just for power, but for a premium experience. Now, the firm seems to be focusing on both (now that's a premium experience we can get behind). So, is this upgrade enough to make up for the OG version's shortcomings? Read on to find out.
