The Alienware 18 gaming laptop has returned and it's "stronger than ever," Dell announced earlier this week. We have seen previous iterations of this laptop and now, for a limited time it is back, featuring "overclocked Intel Core i7 processors and dual graphic cards on every config."
As you might work out from the numerical suffix, the Alienware 18 is an 18-inch laptop. The display panel is 18.4-inches in diagonal, to be exact. On each and every model available to order Dell uses an 18.4-inch WLED FHD (1920 X 1080) TrueLife Display. No higher res panels are available, despite the SLI-propelled graphical grunt on tap in these systems.
Looking at what processing power you can get in this laptop, Dell offers a choice of CPUs from the overclocked up to 3.7GHz w/ Intel TurboBoost Intel Core i7-4710MQ processor with 4-cores and 6MB Cache, for the cheaper three models, up to the 4.4GHz w/ Intel TurboBoost Intel Core i7-4940MX processor equipped in the top model.
Graphics acceleration is important to gamers and the Alienware 18 shouldn't disappoint. Even the entry level model sports Dual Nvidia GeForce GTX 970M graphics with 12 GB total (2x 6GB) GDDR5 - SLI Enabled. The top two models use Dual Nvidia GeForce GTX 980M graphics with 16GB total (2x 8GB) GDDR5 - SLI Enabled.
Across the range, varying by price point, you will also find Dual Channel DDR3L RAM from 16GB to 32GB, storage from a single 1TB 7200RPM HDD to a 512GB mSATA SSD Boot + 1TB HDD SATA 6Gb/s.
All variants sport the same Slot-Loading Dual Layer DVD Burner (DVDR/RW), 802.11ac Dual Band 2x2 AC WiFi + Bluetooth 4.0, 8-cell Lithium Ion (86 wHr) metal chassis construction, a good seelction of modern ports and interfaces. The Alienware 18 laptops weigh in at a hefty 5.5Kg and are a chunky 57mm thick.
Gamers may be further attracted to the Alienware 18 thanks to its AlienFX Lighting Zones around the chassis, sturdy feel 4-Zone, multi-colour RGB keyboard plus 9 user-programmable keys with modifiers plus backlit touchpad.
Awful announcement video could erase 2m 49s from your life
The Dell Alienware 18 gaming laptops are available to order now and will be shipped between three and four weeks later. There are four configurations ready for buying, priced from $2,499 up to a wallet imploding $4,649.
