With the Intel Developer Forum underway, one of the big stories has been Intel's official unveiling of its new high-end laptop CPU, the mobile version of the Core i7. Of course, everyone's been talking about Core i7 laptops for weeks now, so the only real surprise is which PC makers are jumping onboard right away to show off this pricey new technology. Here's a roundup of Wednesday's announcements:
>Toshiba revamps Qosmio line with Core i7 X505
>Dell welcomes Intel Core i7 with pair of laptops
>Alienware launches Core i7 M15x laptop
(Related: new Alienware desktops, too)
>Dell launches first laptop with Intel's Core i7
(Via CNET's Nanotech blog)
For more IDF news, keep an eye on this handy roundup page.
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
Once the case door is off, you can see where the folks at Alienware shine. The inside of an Alienware PC is really a work of art. Click on the image above to see more from the gallery.
(Credit: Mark Kaelin/TechRepublic)CNET News sister site TechRepublic runs a regular series called "Cracking Open" in which it takes a look inside a variety of gadgets. CNET News is publishing this excerpt of a photo gallery that examines the guts of this $8,000 Alienware Area 51 ALX, one of the company's flagship desktop computers.
Click on the image above to see more views, including the 1,200-watt power supply; four RAM sticks that make up the 4GB in the ALX system; and each of the 1GB Nvidia GeForce GTX 280 cards.
Click to see m15x gallery
(Credit: Mark Kaelin/CNET Networks)The Area 51 m15x is one of the most powerful notebook computers TechRepublic's crew has had the pleasure of reviewing. So naturally, they couldn't resist cracking that puppy open.
Join TechRepublic's Mark Kaelin for a close encounter with Alienware's m15x as he dissects the boutique manufacturer's shiny, sleek notebook in this News.com gallery: Photos: Cracking open the Alienware Area 51 m15x
(Credit:
Alienware)
Way back in November of 2007, Alienware told us about its rebooted gaming laptop series: the 15-inch Area-51 m15x and the 17-inch Area-51 m17x. We first got our hands on the 15-inch version a month later in December, and it officially went on sale in February of this year, but in all that time we never heard another peep about the 17-inch model--a design that's the mainstay of any gaming laptop lineup (the only 17-inch choice was the older m9750 model).
We're pleased to say the long-awaited 17-inch Area-51 m17x is finally up and available to order on Alienware's Web site, starting at $2,199 and easily topping the $5,000 mark if you totally trick it out. Noteworthy highlights include:
The Area-51 m17x's design is nearly identical to the 15-inch version, although with a black finish instead of silver. At the time, we said of the m15x: "The system is somewhat clumsy looking...and very fingerprint-prone. It's dorm-room chic, at best--we'd expect a laptop with the fastest components available to look a little more sophisticated."
But there was no arguing about the high-end components inside, or that this was an extremely powerful gaming laptop: "The combination of the 2.8GHz Core 2 Extreme X9000 CPU and Nvidia GeForce 8800 GPU is a real winner, and the m15x is, overall, the fastest laptop we've ever tested."
Now with Penryn: Alienware's Area-51 m15x
(Credit: CNET Networks Inc.)Dell updated its XPS line of laptops earlier this month with Penryn CPU offerings, and now it's sharing Intel's latest mobile processors with its wholly owned subsidiary, Alienware. The Area-51 m15x now offers three Penryn chips, the Core 2 Duo T9300 and the T9500 and the Core 2 Extreme X9000. Pricing starts at $2,149. If you're scoring at home, Dell's 13-inch and 17-inch XPS laptops have received a Penryn update, skipping over the XPS M1530. Meanwhile, Alienware's 15-inch laptop has the Penryn and its 17-inch model does not.
Also with Penryn: Gateway P-171X FX
(Credit: CNET Networks Inc.)Elsewhere, Gateway has made its first Penryn update. The 17-inch P-171X FX is a $2,000 fixed configuration that includes the Core 2 Duo T8300. For more on this laptop, read our recent review of the $3,000 P-171XL FX model, which includes a last-generation Core 2 Extreme X7900 and a suddenly outdated HD DVD drive. Gateway tell us it will be adding Penryn to an M-series laptop "in a few weeks."
For more on Penryn, read our coverage from CES.
The Area-51 m15x's cool backlit keyboard.
A couple of weeks ago, we brought you some exclusive pics of Alienware's two new laptops, the high-end Area-51 m15x and Area-51 m17x, which impressed us with their updated designs, cutting-edge components, and imaginative lighting systems (seriously--lots of lights on these things).
While these two laptops probably won't be shipping until mid-January, we just got our hands on a preproduction unit, which, while not exactly final shipping hardware, has both the lighting control system and an Nvidia GeForce 8800M GTX video card--the first laptop we've gotten our hands on with one of those.
We're in a green mood today.
Using the lighting control panel, you can assign different colors to the backlit keyboard, keyboard tray indicators, touch pad outline, skull logo, and sides of the display panel. The touch pad itself is just a touch-sensitive section of the wrist rest and made of the same material as the rest of the keyboard tray--and with the internal lights off, you see only the keyboard and a power button--no touch pad, no status lights. With the lights turned on, the touch pad is outlined by a colored light--a very cool effect, but one that might take a little getting used to, as we kept running our fingers off the side of the touch pad accidentally, because of the lack of any tactile feedback.
We're currently loading up some games to put the m15x through its paces, and we'll let you know how the new Nvidia 8800 handles the current crop of system-crushing games, including Crysis and Unreal Tournament III.
Boutique PC maker Alienware has been flooding in-boxes recently with secretive messages about its upcoming unveiling of two new gaming laptops. E-mails to members of the company's mailing list are filled with cryptic notes about "increased extraterrestrial activity" and links to a Web site with an "alien" message to decipher.
If you've cracked the code, you probably already know some of this, but Alienware has confirmed for CNET that the two new laptops are going to be called the Area-51 m15x and Area-51 m17x, and both will be officially shown off for the first time on Monday here in New York.
Backlit red keys. We've also seen a blue version.
We won't see these new 15- and 17-inch systems in full until next week, but Alienware says they have a whole new look, designed from the ground up, and will be available with a choice of two case designs called Skullcap and Ripley. The exclusive teaser shots here--the first photos of the new systems Alienware has released--give you a small idea of the new direction. Check back Monday for full details on these new laptops. More pics after the break... ... Read more
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