Price: Dh7,999. Available at major electronics stores
Alienware, built by Dell, established itself from the outset as being built by gamers for gamers. So naturally, this is the first thing to look at. Last year’s Tomb Raider is gorgeous. On the 17.3-inch Wide HD WLED LCD monitor, which packs 1600X900 pixels of resolution, the game’s landscapes offer crisp colour. You can see the 16GB Radeon graphics card pulling out all the stops when looking at something as simple as a deer through the cross hairs of your bow and arrow.
As for the physical feel of the machine, a matte rubber finish is pleasant for typing, and resting one’s hands on the keyboard is quite comfortable. Built on an anodised aluminium shell, the Alienware is reinforced by a magnesium alloy frame. This is a good-looking laptop, although at 4.25kg, it might be pushing the boundaries of what constitutes a portable machine.
The lighting under the keyboard, mouse pad and Alienware logo is a nifty feature, although it can appear jaded to some. Still, you can always freshen things up with the built-in software Command Centre. In purely software terms, the Command Centre might be the best part of Alienware’s offering. It lets you adjust almost anything on the laptop. Christmas approaching? Apply a red, green and white theme. Trying to finish up an essay on the train to school? Switch on one of the many power-saving modes to gain invaluable extra minutes. Blighted with large hands? You can adjust the sensitivity of the touchpad to account for them. Want to find out how the CPU is running under various performance settings or network speed? Done and done.
Alienware handles all tasks effortlessly. However, a price tag north of five figures may dissuade some. A desktop packing similar hardware can be purchased at a far lower cost. It will come down to this: how mobile do hardware gamers really want to be? If you’re looking for something you can move around with, without compromising on power, this might be the machine for you.
