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Alienware announced refreshes to both the design and the technology of its high-end Area-51 and Aurora gaming desktops. A new angular look replaces the familiar rounded alien-head shape of the old models, and features such as motorized air vents and specialized hard-drive layout give Alienware some unique selling points. Alienware is also the previously unnamed OEM that purchased the first batch of AMD's Radeon HD 5800 cards, so other system vendors can blame Dell/Alienware for their short supply and delayed order shipping.

Essentially, Alienware has two systems to announce today: the full tower Area-51 and the micro-ATX-based Aurora. Each system also has a more expensive ALX edition that features liquid cooling, a wider array of case lighting, and other tweaks.

The vents on the top of the new Alienware cases open up automatically when the internal temperatures get too hot.

(Credit: Alienware)

The most interesting feature of the new case that's common to the Area 51 and the Aurora is the motorized air vents that Alienware calls its Active Venting louver system. As Alienware describes it, when the temperature inside the case reaches a certain level, the fins on the top of the case will open up automatically to increase its airflow. We have a hunch Alienware doesn't mind the theatrics of this venting system, either.

Unfortunately, missing from the images Alienware gave us is an image of the Area 51's hard-drive array. Rather than inserting the drives into main cavity, Alienware has carved out a series of six flat-lying drive bays on the opposite side of the Area 51. The benefits of this design are more apparent than the venting system, in that it lets you add more internal storage than you could normally, allows for easy drive installation, and also frees up room for airflow inside the main case compartment. No other vendor that we know of offers such a design.

It's a largely new system on the inside, but Alienware isn't digging up a new name for its powerful 15-inch gaming laptop. Featuring Intel's new mobile Core i7 processor, the Alienware m15x debuted today, the first of several Core i7 laptops we expect in the near future.

According to Alienware, this new system is for "enthusiast and hardcore gamers that require a high level of mobility while still requiring an exceptional gaming experience." Which sounds like it's not exactly going to be inexpensive. It's also not going to be lightweight--this is a 15-inch laptop that starts at nine pounds.

While sure to be highly configurable, as are all Alienware systems, these representative specs seem like the highest-end options available. We suspect an m15x outfitted as below would run several thousand dollars.

• Processor: Intel Core i7 920XM 2.0GHz
• Graphics: 1GB Nvidia GeForce GTX 260M1
• Memory: Up to 8GB DDR31 1,333MHz
• Hard Drive: Up to 500GB3 7,200rpm or 256GB solid-state drive
• Optical Drive: Slot-loading dual-layer Blu-ray Disc combo

Episode 41 of the Digital City, where we discuss Apple's falling market share, Scott's love affair with the Game Boy Micro, and whether Alienware's $5K laptop means the death of gaming PCs.

Related links:
>>Alienware M17x the fastest gaming laptop ever, but do we still need big PC gaming rigs?
>>Apple drops to No. 5 in laptop sales--are cheaper MacBooks the answer?
>>Retro Gadget: An ode to my Game Boy Micro

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(Credit: CNET)

After a steady stream of Netbooks and entry-level laptops, it's nice to slip behind the seat of a deluxe mobile powerhouse for a change. Alienware's new M17x laptop jams pretty much any high-end component you can think of into an imposing, matte, black chassis, including an Intel Core 2 Quad Extreme QX9300 CPU, dual Nvidia GeForce GTX 280M GPUs, and 1TB of hard-drive space.

While the system starts at a reasonable $1,799, you'll need to configure something closer to our $4,849 review unit to really get the benefit of Alienware's years of experience making high-end gaming PCs.

While playing around with the M17x was a blast, and we especially enjoyed creating wacky color combinations with the customizable backlit keyboard (this new version has four separate color zones under the keyboard tray), we're left wondering if the era of the extreme gaming rig is over--replaced by a mix of 10-inch Netbooks and console games.

It's an argument some have been making for years (or rebutting), but the oft-reported "Death of PC Games" really does seem closer than ever. ... Read more

The beast from front and back.

(Credit: Alienware)

With E3 around the corner, gaming news is breaking left and right. Perhaps it should come as no surprise, then, that details on Alienware's M17x gaming laptop broke a little earlier than next weekend's onslaught of pixels and polygons. And indeed, Friday morning, the full profile of Alienware's All Powerful laptop has surfaced--ahead of schedule, and ready to steal a little weekend limelight while it can.

It's big. And thick--2.11 inches thick, to be precise. At 11.6 pounds, and 15.98 inches by 12.65 inches, the M17x comes with a 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo P8600 (which can be upgraded to a Core 2 Extreme Quad-Core) and up to 8GB of DDR3 RAM. And it can be outfitted with dual 1GB Nvidia GeForce GTX 280M GPUs (it starts with a single 1GB GeForce GTX260M, but why not dare to dream?). The hard drive capacity goes up to 1TB, or half a terabyte of solid-state. A nine-cell battery, 802.11n Wi-Fi, and Blu-ray-upgradable optical drive round out the package. And, of course, there's the 1920x1200 17-inch screen.

It's thicker than Texas toast.

(Credit: Alienware)

In case you're clamoring for audio/video options, the M17x includes HDMI, VGA and DisplayPort, as well as 6.1 audio out.

As you can see, glowing red lighting is everywhere, including the keyboard, trackpad, and considerable grille, fairly screaming, "I'm a gaming laptop" to anyone who dares approach this beast's cooling vents. Carry this one out of your dorm/bedroom at your own risk.

We'll report more on this when we've actually played with one here at the lab. But the All Powerful promise looks to have been kept. Prices start at $1,799, but if you want the maximum upgrades we've listed here, look for a credit card with a line much higher than that.

Fear the gaze of the Allpowerful...

(Credit: NotebookReview Forums via Engadget)

Alienware's alien-alphabet-infused teaser site for the Allpowerful laptop has been counting down steadily, now at 15 days until the static-fringed menacing alien head reveals all there is to know in the world of ultrabeefy mobile gaming rigs. Or, it's a teaser for a new Crystal Skull movie.

Nevertheless, new intel has dropped in the forums at NotebookReview.com: a mysterious image from "mingocr83" features the contours of and is claimed to be the Allpowerful itself. Subsequent image-brightened posts seem to clearly reveal something else...... Read more

As you may have read, we are impressed by Intel's Core i7 965 Extreme Edition desktop processor. It's fast not only because of the chip itself, but also because of the changes Intel made to the way it interacts with your system memory. Such chip-specific information is great for the DIY crowd, but what about those of you less inclined to build your own PC?

Dell's Core i7-based Studio XPS.

(Credit: CNET)

We've spent the better part of November reviewing Core i7-equipped desktops, five to be exact. The highest-end model, the $8,000 Falcon Northwest Mach V, set records on every desktop benchmark in our arsenal. The surprisingly affordable Dell Studio XPS and Gateway FX6800-01e also impressed us, not only with their relative speed, but by allowing up to six system memory sticks, in the case of the Dell, or by allowing you to add two 3D cards in an sub-$1,500 desktop with the Gateway. Both of those upgrade options speak well of the flexibility afforded by Intel's new Core i7-supporting X58 chipset. We also loved the Gateway's tricked-out chassis.

Gateway's FX6800-01e has a slick removable hard drive array.

(Credit: CNET)

In between, we saw a Core i7-based Alienware Area-51 X58 with 2TB of traditional hard drive storage, as well as a pair of Samsung solid-state hard drives. That's a truly impressive amount of hardware, even for its $6,500 price tag. We just wish there was an overclocking option with that system. And finally, Velocity Micro's upper-midrange Edge Z55 impressed us as PCs from that company often do, with its workman-like design and superior performance for the dollar.

According to I4U, Alienware will soon be offering a $200 instant discount on the Area 51 m17x Notebook (which starts from $1,999) and the Area 51 790i Desktop (which starts from $1,349). This deal will be available from November 26 until December 2, and free shipping is available until December 31.

We reviewed the Alienware Area 51 m17x in September and were really impressed with its performance. However, $200 isn't that much of a deal for this kind of beast, but if you're a fan of the systems then I guess you can't look a gift horse in the mouth.

Alienware Area 51 m17x

(Credit: CNET Networks)

The starting price for the Area 51 m17x Notebook gets you:

• Intel Core 2 Duo T8100 2.1GHz
• 1GB DDR2 667MHz
• Windows Vista Home Premium with Service Pack 1
• Dual 256MB NVIDIA GeForce Go 8600M GT--SLI Enabled
• Single Drive--160GB 7,200rpm

For a gamer on a budget, however, we recommend the 17-inch Gateway P-7811FX--that's if you can still find it.

At the time of review, the Gateway was priced at $1,449 and included these specs:

• Intel Core 2 Duo P8400 2.26GHz
• 4GB DDR3 667MHz
• Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit with Service Pack 1
• Single 512MB NVIDIA GeForce 9800M GTS
• Single Drive--200GB 7,200rpm

Sony's Vaio FW270 features a Blu-ray drive and a fair price.

If you're waiting for Blu-ray players to dip below the $99 mark before replacing your DVD player, let us offer an alternate solution: a Blu-ray-equipped laptop.

While Blu-ray drives first appeared on huge laptops with 18.4-inch screens that were capable of displaying 1080p video, we've now seen Blu-ray drives on laptops as small as the 11-inch Sony Vaio TT. With an HDMI port becoming an increasingly popular laptop feature, you're able to easily connect a laptop to an HDTV for HD movie playback. And with Blu-ray player prices dropping, you don't necessarily need to break the bank to bring home a Blu-ray-equipped laptop.

To wit, the Sony Vaio FW270 serves up a 16.4-inch display and modern configuration with its Blu-ray player for a very reasonable $1,299. And some models, like Sony's Vaio TT and AW laptops, feature Blu-ray recordable drives, which let you burn data to high-capacity Blu-ray Discs.

Take a gander at our Blu-ray laptop six-pack for more.