

Towards the front on this side, the notebook houses a slot-load Blu-ray drive and an SD card reader, which is located right above it. The ports on the right side are perfectly situated for a right-hander using an external mouse, as the Gigabit LAN port and 2x USB 3.0 ports are pushed all the way to the back. Since the Alienware 17 supports HDMI-in, it could also be used as an external monitor for a gaming console, for example. There is a Kensington lock slot and the power jack towards the rear, a combination HDMI in/out and a Mini-DisplayPort in the middle, and 2x USB 3.0 as well as three audio jacks towards the front. Most of the ports are located on the left edge of the notebook. Looking at the way the ports are distributed, all of the designers appear to be right handed, however. Torsional stability is also top-notch: those strong enough can hold the system on one end without having to fear any damage to the internal components.Īlienware must at least employ some gamers in their design department. Owners of the Alienware 17 will not have to worry about ruining their notebook just because they did not handle it carefully one time. The heavy-duty and stiff hinges are just par for the course. It is even possible to let the various elements pulsate in case of incoming emails.ĭespite this apparent effect-overkill, the chassis itself is very high-end and the build quality superb and appropriate for the price. While this strip of aluminum is not very dominating in appearance, the various light effects certainly are far from subdued.Īlienware does not hold back in that regard: the lid, the perimeter of the chassis, the keyboard, the touchpad, and even the power connector - all can be illuminated in different colors. Fingerprints and grime are easy to remove.Ī decorative strip of metal surrounds the base unit. The lid made from anodized aluminum can take a beating, and the inside areas feature a nicely rubberized coating.

Large dimensions and the substantial weight aside, the Alienware 17 is a superbly constructed premium notebook. Nonetheless, carrying around the Alienware 17 is not for the faint of heart. Compared to the Alienware 18, the smaller model with its weight of 4.4 kilograms (~9.7 pounds) seems downright manageable though. Sitting next to a less powerful 17-inch gaming notebook, the Alienware 17 looks to be a heavy and unwieldy beast. How well the Alienware 17 handles our various tests and how it compares to other established competitors like the Asus G750JH or the MSI GT70, is the subject of our review. There is no question that the first impression is a good one.
2013 alienware os movie#
Opening the voluminous box is going to be an experience for those not familiar with Alienware products, as the high-end notebook is secured and packaged in thick and protective foam material like a device a movie villain might intend to end the world with. Therefore, while the parent company Dell offers less pricey options, we are looking at one of the most expensive configurations for our review.Īll that money buys very high-end hardware and even those not interested in gaming rigs are likely to be impressed. Our particular model, on the other hand, sells for a steep 2464 Euros (~$3300). The Alienware 17 is also available with a less powerful GPU and less RAM, no SSD, and a weaker CPU for 1349 Euros (~$1800). A Full-HD display, a sturdy chassis, and configurable light effects round out the not exactly inexpensive package.

2013 alienware os windows 8#
To ensure a great user experience, the notebook uses a 256 GB SSD as the Windows 8 OS drive, while a 750 GB WD Black hard drive provides room for data storage. Customers can alternatively also opt for 32 GB of system RAM.
2013 alienware os series#
The newest member of the 17-inch series enters the ring with modern Haswell components, 16 GB of RAM, and Nvidia's highest-end GTX 780M with 4 GB of high-speed RAM. The company Alienware does their part to fuel the discussion about the various pros and cons of gaming machines. Some might call them expensive toys with no value-added features others get excited about mobile high-tech gaming machines with top-notch components. There is no doubt that gaming notebooks like the Alienware 17 polarize opinions. For the original German review, see here.
