Dell Updates Alienware 13, 15, And 17 Notebooks With USB-C, Thunderbolt 3 And Killer NICs
Last week, Dell surprised us all with the introduction of its pimptastic Alienware 18 notebook, which features — as its name implies — an 18-inch display (unfortunately, it’s only 1080p resolution). And earlier today, Dell whipped out an updated Alienware X51, which has been decked out with overclocked Intel Skylake processors, liquid cooling, and some extremely powerful graphics options from NVIDIA and AMD.
But that’s not all, there are also a few more updates to Alienware’s product portfolio. Dell has refreshed its Alienware 13, 15 and 17 with “over 20 updates and upgrades” to keep the gaming notebooks at the forefront of quickly advancing changes in PC tech. For starters, Dell has added Dynamic Overclocking to the mix, ensuring that gamers can squeeze every single ounce of performance out of their processors when needed.
Perhaps more significantly, all three notebooks will include USB Type-C ports which not only support USB 3.1, but also Thunderbolt 3 technology. Thunderbolt 3 supports 40 Gbps transfer speeds via the USB Type-C interface. Thunderbolt 3 can also optionally deliver up to 100W of power to devices, but Dell hasn’t made it clear if the Alienware notebooks support that functionality.
Other additions to the entire range include PCIe SSD support (4GB/s throughput), and both a Killer Wireless-AC 1535 and Killer E2400 High-Performance GbE controller.
Alienware 13
As for specific additions to each particular model, the Alienware 13 can be equipped with an optional QHD+ IGZO touch screen display and 62Whr battery to boost runtimes. The Alienware 15 is the only notebook on the market that can be optioned with AMD’s Radeon R9 M395X mobile GPU, while the Alienware 17 is available with an optional Ultra 4K IGZO display.
In addition to the updated range of Alienware notebooks, Dell is also introducing its first dedicated gaming monitor: the Dell 27 Gaming Monitor (S2716DG). Dell says that the monitor delivers “unrivaled gameplay,” supports a 144Hz refresh rate and adopts NVIDIA G-Sync Gen II technology. To round things out, Dell has also announced a new 27-inch curved monitor (SE2716H). The monitor features thin bezels for “seamless” viewing and dual integrated 9W speakers.
The refreshed Alienware 13, 15, and 17 are available for purchase now. The Dell 27 Gaming Monitor will be available starting October 20th at a price of $799.99, while the Dell 27 Curved monitor bows on September 15th for $399.99.