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Alienware Steam Machines to get a new model every year
Alienware's Steam Machines won't be easily upgraded, but there will be a new model each year, Alienware General Manager Frank Azor told Trusted Reviews. "Lifecycle wise, consoles update every five, six, seven years. We will be updating our Steam Machines every year," Azor said. There will be no customization options in Alienware's Steam Machines, Azor continued: "You can't really update it." Customers will have small range of configurations to choose from, such as more memory or a faster CPU, he said. Those who want to beef up their machines on their own are better off with a standard PC, Azor noted – after all, anyone can turn a PC into a Steam Machine by buying a Steam Controller and downloading SteamOS. "If you actually want to customize your Alienware Steam Machine, maybe change your graphics card out or put in a new CPU, you would be better off with the standard Alienware X51. This particular product is restricted in its upgrade options." The first round of Alienware Steam Machines are due to hit retail in September.
Alienware's X51 now ships with AMD's R9 270X graphics card (updated)
If Haswell innards weren't enough to incite a purchase of Alienware's X51 gaming PC, perhaps an extra choice of GPU could push you over the edge: Dell's little gaming-machine-that-can is now available with AMD's Radeon R9 270X. The card adds $100 to the base price of the Core i7 model, bringing the total to $1,200. In return, this configuration brings the chipset maker's Eyefinity tech into the fold for multi-monitor support or output to a 4K monitor, although you probably wouldn't want to attempt gaming on it beyond 1080p. While we're scraping together enough pennies for a true 12K gaming rig, we suppose this may just have to do. Update: Apologies for the earlier error regarding this being a flagship card. The post has been corrected.
Dell's Alienware X51 desktop gets Haswell, NVIDIA GTX 670 graphics
For the most part, Dell's using this week at Computex to talk up its various XPS products, though its Alienware division is also getting a little love. The company just announced that the pint-size X51 desktop has been refreshed with Haswell processors (up to a quad-core Core i7-4770) and an optional 2GB NVIDIA GTX 670 GPU. The design hasn't changed at all, as you can see, but the price has: it now starts at $900 with Haswell. If you're on a budget, though, and willing to settle for last year's chips, the Ivy Bridge models will still be available for $699 and up. Now all we need are some fresh gaming laptops. How 'bout it, Dell?
Alienware X51 gaming PC now available with Ubuntu, starts at $600
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.
Engadget goes hands on with the X51 gaming PC from Alienware
Alienware is looking to abduct a few console devotees with its new gaming PC, the X51. What separates it from Alienware's normal crop of powerful rigs, you ask? The X51 is all about form factor, cramming decent horsepower into a diminutive, console-like package. It features a slot-loading optical drive, front facing USB ports for controllers, lots of rear USB ports and plenty of output options.Engadget recently got some hands-on time with the X51, which ran Street Fighter IV swimmingly (and Portal 2, which isn't exactly a graphics showcase). The base configuration runs for $700, while the top-of-the-line model will set you back $1150.
Alienware X51 gaming PC: We go hands-on at the London launch event
Alienware's latest PC is an attempt to fire a salvo right across the bows of Sony and Microsoft's gaming flagships. It looks like the (slightly overweight) lovechild of the pair; like an alternate universe console. The X51 borrows liberally from the design schools of both the Xbox (matte sides) and the PlayStation 3 (slot-loading optical drive, front panel gloss). The Alienware logo rotates to suit both vertical and horizontal setups. The device is around the size of the original PS3, but it looked pretty petite in comparison to the rest of Alienware's gaming hardware. There's a litany of holes on the back of the X51, including plenty of USB ports and audio options. Reacquaint yourself with some technical specifics after the break, alongside our hands-on impressions with Super Street Fighter IV.
Alienware announces X51 small form factor gaming PC, starting at $699
Alienware may have just upgraded its Aurora gaming rig, but that's not to keep the company from giving more diminutive form factors some love. Just this evening, the subsidiary of Dell announced the X51, a slim gaming PC that's designed to orient itself either vertically or horizontally on the desktop -- complete with an Alienware logo that properly rotates depending on positioning. The system includes both Core i3 and i5 options, and features a slot-loading optical drive with an option for Blu-ray. While it's no shocker, the X51 can be upgraded to 8GB of RAM and a full 1TB of storage. Further, the case accommodates a single, full size NVIDIA GeForce GT 545 graphics card, (with the GTX 555 available as an upgrade), and features an external power supply that's available in 240W or 330W versions. Users can also expect HDMI 1.4, on-board WiFi, USB 3.0 and digital 7.1 surround sound. As a nifty trick, the computer's accent colors can be conveniently modified with the Alienware Command Center software. Touting immediate availability, customers can place orders for the X51 right away, with configurations starting as low as $699. For the complete set of specs that make up this Mini-ITX gamer, just follow the break.
Penny Arcade wants you to write 10 words about WoW
Penny Arcade, those funny WoW comic guys, are giving away a metric ton of loot, via a contest, that they've gotten for the WoW Trading Card Game. Things that they're giving away include "four boxes of boosters, tournament playmats, a Winterveil collector's box, deckboxes, sleeves, two binders, three raid decks, three starter decks, and one of these awesome dice chest things." That's a ton of stuff to be handing out. But it gets better.They're also handing out an X-51 Nether-Rocket card to each winner. You can get your very own Rocket Mount! Three lucky winners will be quite happy. What's the contest they're holding? From the site: "you must write a short story, set in World of Warcraft, and this story must be precisely ten words long." It's so simple and so easy you just have to chuckle. Head on over to their site for more information on how to enter the contest.Of course, you'll have to go up against a certain WoW Insider writer on this one, since I've already submitted my story: "A casual paladin casually walks up and one shots Illidan."Good luck!
