WV
01-19-2012, 08:36 AM
Hands-on with the Alienware X51 (http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/01/18/hands-on-with-the-alienware-x51)
An exciting new product category for both Dell and the market as a whole.
by Scott Lowe
January 18, 2012
In the realm of gaming desktops, innovation is often limited to improvements made to raw graphics processing power. The goal for most manufacturers, it seems, is to build the biggest, baddest rigs around, but this week Alienware introduced the X51; a product that instead focuses on compact design, affordability and minimal performance compromises.
<object id="vid_910b25f49c130c2ade5d62db0b650556" class="ign-videoplayer" width="480" height="270" data="http://media.ign.com/ev/prod/embed.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"><param name="movie" value="http://media.ign.com/ev/prod/embed.swf" /><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#000000" /><param name="flashvars" value="url=http://www.ign.com/videos/2012/01/17/alienware-x51-video-preview"/></object><div style="width:480px"><a href="http://www.ign.com/videos/2012/01/17/alienware-x51-video-preview">More none Videos</a></div>
Where other companies have tried and failed, Alienware hopes to have finally found a way to make cost-effective, mid-ranged gaming rigs alluring to both entry-level and experienced PC players. The key to its strategy is the X51's small, versatile form factor, which enables it to be used in both traditional desktop setups or in entertainment centers like a game console, effectively bridging the gap between the two.
The concept, simple as it may be, is actually pretty appealing.
At a press event in San Francisco, Alienware demonstrated the range of applications for the X51, including pairings with a desktop monitor, mouse and keyboard, as well as with a big-screen HDTV across from a couch with wireless Xbox 360 controller.
In a desktop scenario, the X51 acts as a space-conscious mid-ranged PC, but in the console-style application, it blows the doors off of the Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 in terms of graphics. Games were played in crisp 1080p at framerates of 30 or more, while offering higher fidelity textures and better lighting effects. The company showcased games like Mass Effect 3 and Need for Speed: The Run on high settings with no identifiable performance issues.
But, of course, the units on display weren't entry level versions of the X51 either.
The demos provided were based on the $999 configuration of the device, which incorporate NVIDIA's GTX 555 video card and Intel Core i5 processors, whereas the $699 sports a Intel Core i3 CPU and NVIDIA GT 545. While we haven't been able to compare the two versions first-hand, Alienware insists that even the cheapest version can run games like Battlefield 3 at 1080p and high settings with framerates of 30 and above.
http://oyster.ignimgs.com/wordpress/stg.ign.com/2012/01/Screen-Shot-2012-01-18-at-6.54.51-PM.png
But should you ever want to upgrade the X51's components later down the line, Alienware has made everything from the CPU to the power supply easily accessible. While accessing the motherboard take a bit more finesse, the GPU is mounted to a removable section of the chassis, which allows users to take the entire tray out, mount a new GPU and put it back in the system, requiring only power connections and alignment with the PCI port.
Although not ideal for everyone, the X51 is a creative new product category for not only Alienware, but the PC market as a whole.
An exciting new product category for both Dell and the market as a whole.
by Scott Lowe
January 18, 2012
In the realm of gaming desktops, innovation is often limited to improvements made to raw graphics processing power. The goal for most manufacturers, it seems, is to build the biggest, baddest rigs around, but this week Alienware introduced the X51; a product that instead focuses on compact design, affordability and minimal performance compromises.
<object id="vid_910b25f49c130c2ade5d62db0b650556" class="ign-videoplayer" width="480" height="270" data="http://media.ign.com/ev/prod/embed.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"><param name="movie" value="http://media.ign.com/ev/prod/embed.swf" /><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#000000" /><param name="flashvars" value="url=http://www.ign.com/videos/2012/01/17/alienware-x51-video-preview"/></object><div style="width:480px"><a href="http://www.ign.com/videos/2012/01/17/alienware-x51-video-preview">More none Videos</a></div>
Where other companies have tried and failed, Alienware hopes to have finally found a way to make cost-effective, mid-ranged gaming rigs alluring to both entry-level and experienced PC players. The key to its strategy is the X51's small, versatile form factor, which enables it to be used in both traditional desktop setups or in entertainment centers like a game console, effectively bridging the gap between the two.
The concept, simple as it may be, is actually pretty appealing.
At a press event in San Francisco, Alienware demonstrated the range of applications for the X51, including pairings with a desktop monitor, mouse and keyboard, as well as with a big-screen HDTV across from a couch with wireless Xbox 360 controller.
In a desktop scenario, the X51 acts as a space-conscious mid-ranged PC, but in the console-style application, it blows the doors off of the Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 in terms of graphics. Games were played in crisp 1080p at framerates of 30 or more, while offering higher fidelity textures and better lighting effects. The company showcased games like Mass Effect 3 and Need for Speed: The Run on high settings with no identifiable performance issues.
But, of course, the units on display weren't entry level versions of the X51 either.
The demos provided were based on the $999 configuration of the device, which incorporate NVIDIA's GTX 555 video card and Intel Core i5 processors, whereas the $699 sports a Intel Core i3 CPU and NVIDIA GT 545. While we haven't been able to compare the two versions first-hand, Alienware insists that even the cheapest version can run games like Battlefield 3 at 1080p and high settings with framerates of 30 and above.
http://oyster.ignimgs.com/wordpress/stg.ign.com/2012/01/Screen-Shot-2012-01-18-at-6.54.51-PM.png
But should you ever want to upgrade the X51's components later down the line, Alienware has made everything from the CPU to the power supply easily accessible. While accessing the motherboard take a bit more finesse, the GPU is mounted to a removable section of the chassis, which allows users to take the entire tray out, mount a new GPU and put it back in the system, requiring only power connections and alignment with the PCI port.
Although not ideal for everyone, the X51 is a creative new product category for not only Alienware, but the PC market as a whole.