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Posts with tag alienware

How would you change Alienware's Area-51 m15x / m17x laptops?

by Darren Murph, posted Jun 20th 2008 at 6:30PM Featured Story


Not to crack open a can of worms or anything, but we're honestly curious to see what the legions of Area-51 m15x / m17x owners would change about their machines. When launched, both rigs were fawned over for their top-notch specifications, but the m15x hasn't seen the warmest of receptions from its owners. As you well know, the 17-inch sibling just now started landing on doorsteps everywhere, and we're genuinely hoping that it doesn't present those same cracking issues as found on the aforesaid m15x. Beyond defects, we also want to hear what you'd change about a flawless m15x / m17x. Whittle down the weight? Change up the style? Swap out a few components? Go on and let 'er rip in comments below.

Alienware m17x laptop touching down nationwide

by Darren Murph, posted Jun 19th 2008 at 11:44PM


If your neighbor ordered one of these monstrosities, you probably felt the ground shake when the freight carrier dropped this bad boy off at his / her doorstep. If you were stuck in the cubicle during that whole ordeal, however, here's a gentler news flash: Alienware's brawny m17x gaming laptop is shipping right now. Initial reports from early adopters include phrases like "So huge!" and "Brobdingnagian!," which is pretty much right in line with what we were expecting to hear.

Alienware adds Skullcap design option on Area-51 m15x

by Darren Murph, posted Jun 17th 2008 at 1:25AM


Judging by the multitude of problems experienced by Area-51 m15x owners, we can't say we'd recommend said laptop without reservations, but those dead set on picking one up now have yet another design option to choose from. Yeah, the sleek Ripley motif is peachy for the milder sect, but those seeking something a bit more flamboyant will certainly appreciate the new Skullcap option (pictured). Initially, Skullcap will only be offered as a free option in silver, but if demand necessitates, we can certainly envision the company busting out the paint gun.

Alienware Area-51 desktops first to score NVIDIA GTX 280 graphics

by Nilay Patel, posted Jun 16th 2008 at 3:29PM


NVIDIA just launched its new GeForce GTX 280 graphics cards earlier today, but you know the crazy kids over at Alienware don't like to wait for the latest and greatest -- Dell's gaming division has already announced Area-51 configurations that include the new cards. The Area-51 7500 will support one GTX 280-based card, while the top-of-the-line Area-51 ALX will offer a three-way SLI option that's sure to render an image of your empty wallet in no time -- it's a $1,700 option. No word on when these are scheduled to ship, but seeing as the cards are out tomorrow, we'd guess it'll be soon.

Alienware's more modestly-priced Area-51 7500 gets reviewed

by Donald Melanson, posted May 29th 2008 at 3:41PM

Alienware's Area-51 7500 series of desktops can reach some pretty lofty prices, but the folks at Computer Shopper recently got their hands on one of the company's recent, more modestly-priced configurations, and they've awarded it some considerably higher marks than its pricer predecessors. Of course, at $1,499, it's still not exactly a budget PC, but that does get you a decent 2.66GHz Core 2 Duo E8200 processor, 2GB of RAM, a 250GB hard drive and most importantly, two NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT cards in an SLI configuration. All that, Computer Shopper says, added up to some "excellent performance for the price," including some "flat-out great results" in their gaming tests -- results that only took a slight dip when they bumped things up to the DX10 test. On the downside, you do have to give up some of the more premium features like water-cooling or an upper-tier processor, but if you're looking to keep things well under the two grand mark, Computer Shopper says this one is about as good a bet as any.

Alienware relaunches Area-51 ALX desktop with overclocked 4GHz QX9770

by Darren Murph, posted May 22nd 2008 at 11:40AM


Hold onto your frame rates folks, as Alienware has just relaunched its more-potent-than-ever Area-51 ALX desktop. The bona fide gaming rig packs a 3.2GHz Core 2 Extreme QX9770, but rather than being satisfied with Intel's work, this thing comes overclocked to 4GHz -- it's "maximum stable output." As expected, you'll find the outfit's own High-Performance Liquid Cooling solution to keep things from turning into molten hot lava, and you'll also have your choice of twin NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GPUs or an ATI CrossFireX configuration with dual ATI Radeon 3870 X2 cards. Furthermore, you'll notice 4GB of DDR3 RAM, dual Ethernet ports, an optional Blu-ray burner, oodles of hard drive space and all the other high-end niceties you've come to expect from the company. Only problem? The $5,549 starting price that comes along with the 4GHz CPU and required 1,200-watt PSU.

Dell to integrate Alienware and XPS dev teams, take XPS line in "new directions"

by Nilay Patel, posted May 16th 2008 at 8:31PM


Dell's plans for Alienware and the XPS line are getting a little clearer, even as rumors swirl -- a post on the company's Direct2Dell blog today says that the XPS and Alienware dev teams are going to be integrated, and that the XPS line will go in "new directions," hinted at by the m1330 and XPS One. Furthermore, you can now buy the Area-51 m9750 gaming laptop direct from the Dell website in addition to the Area-51 m15x, which doesn't seem all that wild to us -- we're more interested in why Dell picked the super-geeky XPS brand to be its "premium" line. Ever heard of friendly, guys?

[Via CNET]

Alienware to launch low-cost, AMD-based gaming rig

by Joshua Topolsky, posted May 13th 2008 at 8:54AM

Hot on the heels of the news that Dell is axing its XPS gaming line to focus attention on Alienware, we've got word that Alienware will intro a new, low-end model soon. Clearly aiming for a bigger chunk of the market, the eyeball-shattering-system makers will offer a $1,699, AMD-powered desktop, featuring 4GB of RAM, a 2.2GHz quad-core 9550 Phenom X4 CPU, and an ATI HD 3870 X2 graphics card. The system will be based around the AMD 790FX chipset, which will be served up on an ASUS motherboard. In a feat of absurd cliché, Alienware spokesman Marc Diana claimed, "It's not your granddaddy's AMD system. We're talking top-of-the-line quad core." The PC will be available sometime in the next two weeks, so stay alert.

Dell dropping XPS, focusing on Alienware -- Dell says no

by Ryan Block, posted May 12th 2008 at 10:02PM Breaking News


We've got some news that'll make a PC gamer or two weep: the Wall St. Journal is reporting that as of next month Dell will be dropping four models of XPS performance PCs to focus solely on pushing Alienware. Certainly no surprise though, we've been waiting for this move since they picked the company up back in 2006. Of course, there will be certain challenges, namely how Dell will keep its Alienware brand separate (read: pristine) -- as its done since the acquisition -- yet be able to offer performance PCs on its site alongside the rest of its machines. It's also unclear what will happen to is XPS line of laptops, since those are big sellers as well, but we'll all have to wait patiently for the bomb to drop before knowing for sure what Dell's cutting and what they're not. [Warning: subscription required]

Update: Not true says Dell -- XPS systems and gaming rigs will live on.

Alienware's Area-51 m17x gaming laptop now on sale

by Darren Murph, posted Apr 29th 2008 at 7:39PM


For most, Alienware's AlienNetwork debut was somewhat of a letdown. Nevertheless, at least one good thing did come out of the whole event, and that's the availability of the m17x gaming monster. This 17-inch beast of a laptop finally has its own dedicated page, and yes, you can get your order in starting today. Packed within, you'll find your choice of Intel Core 2 Duo processor, twin GPUs for that sweet SLI action, a WUXGA (1,920 x 1,200) display, up to 4GB of DDR2 RAM, oodles of hard drive space, a dual-layer DVD writer (or optional Blu-ray burner), enough ports for you and your cousin and a 12-cell battery that'll likely last an hour on a good day. Sadly, this Crysis destroyer starts at $2,949 (and breaks the $5k mark with ease), and it looks as if units won't start arriving until late May at best.

Alienware set to debut AlienNetwork with "special product announcement"

by Donald Melanson, posted Apr 29th 2008 at 12:36PM

Alienware sure does seem to like to generate a little mystery around its products (or at least attempt to), and it looks like it's trying to have another go at it this afternoon, this time in conjunction with the launch of its new AlienNetwork "digital channel." Unfortunately, there's not much to go on this time around, with the company only telling us to expect a "special product announcement" during the broadcast. On the upside, we at least don't have to wait very long to get the full low down, as the show's set to kick off at 3:00PM EST.

ATI's CrossFireX now offered on Alienware Area-51 gaming PC

by Darren Murph, posted Apr 28th 2008 at 10:03AM


Alienware's AMD-powered Aurora ALX picked up CrossFireX support just as soon as it went live from ATI, but it has taken a few weeks for the technology to make its way over to the iconic Area-51. Said gaming rig is now available with ATI CrossFireX, meaning that you can take advantage of all four GPUs across a pair of Radeon HD 3870 X2s. Full release posted after the jump.

Continue reading ATI's CrossFireX now offered on Alienware Area-51 gaming PC

Alienware's Aurora desktop storms back: AMD Phenom 9850 included

by Darren Murph, posted Apr 15th 2008 at 1:22PM


Check it: AMD's potent Phenom 9850 processor, which had a fairly impressive showing during its recent benchmarking test, has teamed up with a pair of ATI's Radeon HD 3870 X2s to bring the Aurora desktop back on the scene. Available now and starting at just $999, Alienware's (potentially) "value-priced" gaming rig can be equipped with one of four AMD CPUs, a liquid-cooling system, twin 512MB 3870 X2 GPUs, up to 4GB of DDR2 RAM, a few terabytes of HDD space, a Blu-ray reader (or burner if you've got the cash), an optional (but totally necessary) Killer K1 gaming NIC, Ageia PhysX processor and your choice of colored enclosures. Of course, speccing this beauty into a rig worth gloating over will easily set you back four large or so, but hey, you only live once, right?

Some Alienware M15x users still reporting problems after BIOS update

by Donald Melanson, posted Apr 10th 2008 at 2:42PM

Well, it looks like that recently released BIOS update may not have been the cure-all solution that many Alienware M15x users were hoping for, with at least some of 'em now reporting that the update did nothing to fix the so-called "downclocking" problems that many were experiencing. Adding further confusion to the situation is that many users, as evidenced by the discussion on the Notebook Review forums, initially seemed to think that the update had fixed the downclocking problem, only to discover that it had reappeared a week or so later. For its part, Alienware is apparently aware of the ongoing problems and one rep from the company has even chimed with offers of help in on the forums, although there's no indication as to when the problem might be fixed once and for all.

Alienwarez: Bios released to fix overheating Area-51 m15x rigs

by Thomas Ricker, posted Mar 19th 2008 at 6:56AM

Drop those pitchforks m15x owners and prepare to update, Alienware just released a fix to your overheating (and downclocking) problems. A new beta BIOS -- X29b P3A30 -- features a few tweaks including the ability to spin-up the fan to a new 5400rpm max. So more noise for more speed; sounds like a reasonable trade-off to us. Unfortunately, the new BIOS is only available if you email area51_m15x@alienware.com for a copy. A general release is expected shortly. Until then, however, it looks like all m15x shipments are on hold. Ouch.

[Via Laptop, thanks Kris J.]
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