No Such Thing As Over Kill When It Comes To Alienware
If you are one of the peculiar breed that call themselves a hardcore gamer, of which I am particularly proud to call myself, then you would understand that dominance in whatever area we focus on is the most important thing in the world to us. When our hardware slacks off, causing us a failed kill or even worse still losing a game, it is simply unacceptable. Many gamers will do anything and everything to ensure their gaming rigs do not stand in the way of our obsession of making our opponents cry.
Earlier this week, Alienware, which no doubt most of you will know is Dell Coupons gaming brand of laptops introduced two new models, the M17x and the M18x. These two new models have evolved to the next level, and Dell Coupons in partnership with NVIDIA has added the GTX 580M to the M17x and the dual option GTX580M to the M18x, increasing the horsepower of the most powerful laptop Alienware has to offer.
So what exactly does this mean for us gamers? The NVIDIA cards are the current fastest GPU’s in the world, and increase by up to 20$ per watt over older generation cards.
What does this mean for gamers? These latest generation NVIDIA cards are currently the world’s fastest laptop gaming GPU, and boast an increase of up to 20% per watt over the previous generation of notebook graphics cards. The GTX 580M also includes DirectX 11 support and NVIDIA PhysX technology, packing in the best gaming tech now available.
With the M18x offering the option of installing both cards many may start suggesting overkill, particularly from brothers and sisters of the non gaming world, but us gamers we know there can be no such thing.
>>Click here to view latest deals with Alienware
10% Off Coupon Code For Alienware Computers – Offer ends 30-04-11
Alienware Computers has a peachy offer for those of you out there who think that sales should run all year round, and not just over the holiday season or just after. You can now save 10% on any Alienware System so long as you order online before midnight on Saturday 30th April 2011.
This coupon code might seem a little strange, rest assured however that it is the passport to a fabulous discount and a happy, smiling face! Remember to check the terms and conditions below, and also to order before Midnight April 30th 2011 to enjoy this awesome discount from Alienware Computers.
Terms and Conditions
1. Eligible for consumers on affiliate sites and Tech Target site visitors
2. This Discount Coupon is only valid until April 30th 2011.
3. These discount coupons can only be applied across all Alienware Systems subject to price band tier as listed in the coupon.
4. Coupons are not to be used in conjunction with any other offer.
5. Limit of 1 Alienware system per customer.
6. To redeem this offer visit the Home/Home Office store at www.dell.com.au and insert the coupon code quoted in the coupon offer at the ‘Review Your Order’ stage OR call Dell on 1800-812-393.
7. If you buy online Coupon Discounts can only be redeemed when the order is confirmed at CHECK-OUT in the Dell Australia Home/Home Office ONLINE store.
8. Coupons cannot be redeemed after an order has been submitted and confirmed. Dell is not liable for coupons that are lost or stolen.
9. This Coupon offer cannot be combined with any other sale, promotion or coupon.
10. A Coupon cannot be exchanged, refunded, replaced or redeemed for cash or payment of accounts.
11. Dell reserves the right to cancel Coupon promotions at any time.
12. These terms and conditions are subject to change at any time without prior written notice from Dell.
13. All purchases are subject to DELL STANDARD TERMS & CONDITIONS OF SALE available on request or at www.dell.com.au
Alienware Now Official Desktop For Major League Gaming
The world’s biggest professional video game league, Major League Gaming has announced a partnership with Round Rock Texas based Dell, which operates in the country as Dell Australia.
Major League Gaming will partner with Alienware Computers, the Dell owned high performance PC gaming brand, which will be the official desktop for Major League Gaming and the 2011 MLG Pro Circuit.
The MLG Pro Circuit competition kicks off on April 1st in Dallas, and competitors will now vie for the title using arguably the most powerful desktops on the market, giving spectators the chance to experience Alienware machines at gaming stations throughout the venue.
Additionally Alienware desktops will be featured at all six live competitions during this years Pro Circuit season, MLG and Alienware will also produce exclusive tournament matches to be broadcast on MLG.tv. Details will be released in the coming weeks.
“With our growing community of dedicated PC gamers, we recognized how important it was to provide the ultimate hardware for use in competitive play and worked with Alienware to bring in the best machines available,” said Sundance DiGiovanni, CEO of MLG. “We are excited to have Alienware as part of the 2011 Pro Circuit and look forward to showcasing hours of gameplay action on their machines at our events, online and beyond.”
>>Click here to order Alienware with Dell Australia
Alienware M17x R.3 3D 17.3-inch Gaming Laptop Review
Alienware’s first venture into 3D gaming comes in the form of the M17x Revision 3 and is about a powerful as it gets when it comes to laptops, particularly if it is as pimped out as the review unit. Less expensive configurations are available, however at those price points you only get a mediocre set of components housed in an attractive looking shell.
The Alienware M17x R3 is powered by a NVIDIA GTX 460M GPU and Intel Core i7-2630QM that runs at 2.0GHz and can Turbo up to 2.8GHz. This 2nd Generation Sandy Bridge CPU features 6MB of cache.
- Intel Core i7-2630QM 2.0GHz (2.8GHz Turbo Mode) with 6MB of Cache
- 4GB DDR3 1333MHz Memory
- 17.3-inch 1920×1080 120Hz WLED Display with NVIDIA 3D Vision Bundle
- NVIDIA GTX 460M 1.5GB GDDR5 Graphics Card
- 320GB 7200RPM Hard Drive
- 802.11 g/n Wireless
- Dual Layer DVD Burner
- Two USB 3.0/2.0 Combo, One eSATA/USB, One HDMI 1.4, One Mini-Display, One VGA Port
- 9-in-1 Media Card Reader
- Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit
- 16.14″ x 11.96″ x 1.77″
- 9.4 Pounds (Starting Weight)
Very few people including hardcore gamers would ever use the kind of horse power that combination is capable of delivering, however for pure wow factor it is hard to beat, boasting a beautiful black slab aesthetic, Blu-ray drive and illuminated keyboard and if your gaming laptop is just as much about making a statement as playing games, few do it as well as the M17x r3.
With a matte black all-over finish that makes the laptop look like an imposing slab of high-frame-rate granite the M17x is most certainly aesthetically pleasing. The backlit outlined touchpad is made of the same material and looks very cool but can be difficult to use because it is hard to know when your finger slides off the edge without physically checking.
The M17x r3 contains a row of touch sensitive buttons etched right into the chassis and conveniently place just above the keyboard, which can be used for turning on the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth antennas and for launching the lighting control app that Alienware is famous for. The look is certainly very cool, however you do have to hold your finger on the buttons for a few seconds in order to generate a response.
The M17x comes with a backlit keyboard, a touchpad border, and the Alienware logo, and touch control buttons are also backlit.
The Alienware M17x r3 comes with a 17,3-inch wide screen Full HD display which offers a native resolution of 1920×1080. It is possible to get a lower resolution display, but if you feel the need to save cash on a machine, then this model is perhaps not the one for you.
Hard drive space is also a bit scarce at 320GB, although it is a fast 7200RPM model. However, you can purchase two 320GB drives in RAID 0 configuration for $150 more. Another option you may want to consider is upgrading to a Blu-ray drive, since the display features HD resolution.
The combination of Intel and Nividia chips makes the M17x R3 nearly unbeatable when it comes to benchmark testing easily outperforming other high end multimedia laptops. While it may be difficult to notice the difference when it comes to casual internet use or office applications, it does become apparent when it comes to gaming, and it must be said that the performance is impressive.
With all that power it would be reasonable if you expect that battery life would not be the strong suit of the M17x and our testing proved that assumption to be correct, with the laptop running for just 1 hour and 27 minutes on a video playback battery drain test, which is average for a high end desktop replacement and the reason behind why these laptops are plugged in most of the time.
All in all the M17x R3 delivers on the promise of being a top of the range high end desktop replacement, and if you have the cash, then it is something you should definitely consider
>> Click here to order Alienware with Dell Australia
Alienware Aurora ALX Desktop – Review
The Alienware Aurora ALX desktop is making waves in the gaming segment of the markets, with the mid tower desktop featuring a second generation higher end Intel Core i7-2600 CPU with 8MB of cache as part of the basic configuration.
- Intel Core i7-2600 Processor with 8MB Cache
- 8GB Dual Channel 1333MHz DDR3
- Dual NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 1GB GDDR5 Graphics Cards
- 1TB SATA 3Gb/s 7200RPM Hard Drive
- 24x CD/DVD Burner
- 875W Power Supply
- Alienware Multimedia Keyboard
- Alienware Optical Mouse
- Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit
- Mid-Tower Case
If you are considering buying this machine, it would be better to upgrade to 2600K processor, and regardless of the processor the Aurora ALX also features CPU liquid cooling regardless of the processor your select.
The Alienware Aurora ALX boasts the new Sandy Bridge chips, and offers 8GB of dual channel 1333MHz DDR3 memory.
The basic configuration of the Alienware Aurora ALX is roughly $1,900, which is slightly more expensive than most midrange gaming PC’s, its main drawback is the memory in the basic configuration, which can be upgraded for extra cash and upgrading the slower memory to 16GB of 1333MHz RAM is $150 which is well worth considering.
Graphics on the Aurora ALX is hard to beat, boasting dual NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 1GB GDDR5 video cards. Enthusiasts can go a step further and upgrade this to two AMD Radeon HD 6950 2GB cards, to create the ultimate gaming machine which offers above average frame rates in the latest games even at high settings.
Whether you upgrade from the original GTX 460 video cards to the CrossFireX 6950 graphics the latest games run easily, and for those wanting 3D capability, the Aurora R3 can be paired with an optional NVIDIA 3D Vision Kit with the GTX 460 graphics cards and a compatible monitor to play games in stereoscopic 3D.
The Aurora ALX provides ample storage space thanks to a 1TB 7200RPM hard drive. Options for solid state hybrid drives, as well as full-blown SSD models or RAID configurations, are available.
The overall design of the Alienware Aurora ALX is nice, offering customizable lighting, and 160,000 different lighting combinations and the chassis also enables easy upgrades.
The Aurora ALX is a powerful and fast gaming desktop with a good design and the option of transforming it into a powerhouse through customization. Some of the upgrades however can be a tad bit expensive and however the basic configuration is well equipped for a decent price.While the speed of memory is a minor pitfall, the speedy Sandy Bridge processor and dual graphics cards do wonders for performance.
>> Click here to order Alienware with Dell Australia
Dell Says 2011 Not The Year Of The Solid State Drive
Computer manufacturing giant Dell says it believes that solid-state disk drives (SSDs) will continue to remain a niche market in 2011, as laptop customers opt for capacity over performance.
General Manager of the consumer division for Dell Australia Stuart Buxton says that only a tiny minority currently equip their laptops with SSDs, and that capacity was still the main motivation behind consumer decisions.
“Those who go for SSDs are usually the gamers and enthusiasts, who want the best performance possible out of their machines,” Mr. Buxton said in an interview with iTnews .
Currently Dell offers solid state drive upgrades for its high end XPS range of laptops. Dell also offers SSD’s for its Alienware range of gaming computers, though Dell does not offer any laptop that comes with a solid state drive as its default.
SSD’s do not have any moving parts, and make use of FLASH memory for storage providing greater performance, more robustness and less power consumption. The main drawback with SSD’s, is their cost. The cheapest SSD from Dell cost $551 for 64 GB, several times more than conventional hard drives with ten time the storage.
Apple recently launched its latest version of the MacBook Air last year, and SSD storage is the only option, ranging from 64 GB to 256 GB depending on the model.
IDC analyst Amy Cheah agrees with the views expressed by Mr. Buxton.
“Each gigabyte in SSDs costs almost ten times that of normal hard drives,” Cheah said. “Furthermore, SSDs typically come in storage sizes 512GB or smaller, while standard hard drives can go up to three terabytes.” She said.
According to IDC, last SSD’s made up less than five per cent of the total portable PC market.
SSD adopters generally tend to be technology savvy, such as gamers and frequent travellers, who understand the nuance and are willing to pay a premium for the benefits provided by solid state.
Size handicap notwithstanding, Cheah said, “the potential for SSD is huge” as the drives provide greater reliability, mobility and performance.
With increased economies of scale and vendors pushing pricing downwards, IDC expects the adoption rate of SSDs to grow exponentially over the next few years.
Click here to order online with Dell Australia
Play Now Pay Later with Alienware Australia
Alienware Australia has a cracking offer that is sure to get all you serious gamers out there foaming at the mouth! For a limited time you can now pick up one of their awesome gaming computers with no interest and no payments to make for 12 months, all you need to be is -
- Over 18 years old
- Australian resident
- Be in permanent or part time employment for 3 months
- Clear credit history
- Purchase order of minimum $1,200
This deal is the perfect way to play today and pay later, and you know with an Alienware computer you will be experiencing gaming like never before. Simply click on the link below for full terms and conditions to find out if you qualify for no interest or payments for 12 months.
> > Click here for Alienware Australia
Keep Up to Date with the Latest Offers
Enter your email address for members only special offers.
