Alienware 15 Gaming Laptop Review: GeForce Infused, Bang For Your Buck
Performance Summary and Conclusion
Alienware took a risk when it sent us the Alienware 15 in a mid-range configuration. PC makers usually outfit review systems with the best hardware options they provide to pull down the highest benchmark scores. In this case, Alienware is showing us what kind of bang you get for your buck if you invest a smaller (though still substantial) amount of money into your gaming experience.
The Alienware 51 gets points for style. The exterior lighting is appropriate bling for a gaming laptop and the customization options ensure that you’re not locked into a color you don’t want. Heck, you can even disable the lighting if you want the laptop’s reserved, but classy design to speak for itself.
As I mentioned earlier, the keyboard is high quality. The keys are responsive and large enough even for my fingers and the arrow keys are easy to find. The TactX keys are handy, but they’re easy enough to ignore if you choose.
From a performance standpoint, the Alienware 15 is a winner. Even with mid-range hardware, the laptop performs very well in games. It’s proof that you don’t need to destroy your budget to pick up a LAN party-ready laptop with decent gaming chops.
As for the Alienware Graphics Amplifier, if you normally connect a monitor, keyboard and mouse to your laptop when you’re at home, the Graphics Amplifier is worth a look. It added nearly $600 to the configuration we tested, but the performance improvement is real. Between the framerate boost and the convenience of plugging just one cable into your laptop, the Graphics Amplifier is one of the better accessories we’ve seen a long time. Keep in mind though, that with a lower-end CPU in the notebook, a high-end desktop graphics installed in the graphics amplifier may run into CPU limitations in some games.
Given my experience with the Alienware 15, I’d recommend it to gamers who want a serious gaming laptop on a budget. It’s a solid rig.
The Alienware 51 gets points for style. The exterior lighting is appropriate bling for a gaming laptop and the customization options ensure that you’re not locked into a color you don’t want. Heck, you can even disable the lighting if you want the laptop’s reserved, but classy design to speak for itself. As I mentioned earlier, the keyboard is high quality. The keys are responsive and large enough even for my fingers and the arrow keys are easy to find. The TactX keys are handy, but they’re easy enough to ignore if you choose.
From a performance standpoint, the Alienware 15 is a winner. Even with mid-range hardware, the laptop performs very well in games. It’s proof that you don’t need to destroy your budget to pick up a LAN party-ready laptop with decent gaming chops.
As for the Alienware Graphics Amplifier, if you normally connect a monitor, keyboard and mouse to your laptop when you’re at home, the Graphics Amplifier is worth a look. It added nearly $600 to the configuration we tested, but the performance improvement is real. Between the framerate boost and the convenience of plugging just one cable into your laptop, the Graphics Amplifier is one of the better accessories we’ve seen a long time. Keep in mind though, that with a lower-end CPU in the notebook, a high-end desktop graphics installed in the graphics amplifier may run into CPU limitations in some games.
Given my experience with the Alienware 15, I’d recommend it to gamers who want a serious gaming laptop on a budget. It’s a solid rig.
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