Items tagged with Alienware
The running joke about Valve Corporation is that the company cannot count to three, in that there is no [traditional] follow-up to Half-Life 2, Portal 2, or Left 4 Dead 2. However, some of the developers of Left 4 Dead left Valve to create their own game, Back 4 Blood, whose release is just on the horizon. As such, the open beta to test the game out is also quite close, and you can pick up a key for free today. Back 4 Blood is a “thrilling cooperative first-person shooter” from the Left 4 Dead franchise developers. Players will find themselves at war against the Ridden: terrifying parasite-ridden corpses that once were normal people before the infections began and humanity collapsed....
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You probably thought you were done with brain-jarring algebra and trigonometry from your school days but that may not be the case, thanks to some legal lunacy out of California. New energy efficiency regulations, which went into effect on July 1st and may be adopted by five other US states, limit the amount of power desktop computers can draw in a year, based on their components and expandability. Due to this, PC manufacturers are scrambling, gamers are up in arms, and everyone is confused by the math at hand, but it is not as cut and dry as you would think. On July 26th, writer and content creator Marie Oakes spotted a new warning on Dell’s website under Alienware PCs, stating that “This...
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Fireworks are not the only thing popping today, so are all kinds of deals on games and PC hardware. If you have not already, check out Steam's Summer Sale, and be sure to claim your copy of The Spectrum Retreat for no cost at the Epic Games Store. Then after stocking up on games, if you decide you could use a gaming laptop upgrade or some fancy new peripherals, we have rounded up some more deals that might be of interest. Let's start things off with the Alienware m15 R4, discounted to $2,279.98 at Amazon (save $120.01). We reviewed the Alienware m15 R4 with the a similar configuration as this one, and donned it with our coveted Editor's Choice award for offering excellent gaming performance and...
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Just a few months ago, we reviewed the Alienware m15 R4, a seriously powerful 15.6-inch form factor laptop that, at the time, posted the best gaming performance benchmark results we had ever seen from a notebook. Not that we were particularly surprised—armed with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 GPU based on Ampere and a 10th Generation Intel Core i7-10870H CPU (Comet Lake) CPU, it packs some serious artillery. Well, we've now tested an even faster gaming laptop, and it just so happens to be the 17-inch Alienware m17 R4. Call it sibling rivalry, if you wish, but the bigger 17.3-inch brother to the m15 flexes a bit more muscle as it arrived to us. Specifically, it touts an even burlier GeForce...
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Dell first announced the Alienware m15 R5 gaming laptop back in April, and we got a chance to review the "Ryzen Edition" late last month. What makes these Alienware m15 R5 so compelling is that you can pair AMD's most potent Zen 3-based Ryzen 5000 APUs with NVIDIA's powerful GeForce RTX 30 Series GPUs. Our review unit, for example, came loaded up with a Ryzen 9 5800H processor and a GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile GPU. Although we didn't encounter any issues during our testing, some new owners of the m15 R5 report some disturbing findings regarding the GPU inside their gaming laptop. Several users configured their rigs with a GeForce RTX 3070 GPU, which is just one step down from the current flagship...
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Early last month, Dell gave us just a tiny taste of its thin and light Alienware X-Series gaming laptops powered by 11th generation Intel Tiger Lake-H processors and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 30 Series Ampere Mobile GPUs. The laptops are official today with the launch of the X15 and X17, so we're getting the full rundown on specs and available features. The X15 is perhaps the most impressive of the two, as it is billed as the world's most powerful sub-16mm gaming laptop and the thinnest ever produced by Alienware. As we previously reported, the X-Series uses an Element 31 thermal interface material (Gallium-Silicon-based) to improve cooling performance. There's also a Quad Fan arrangement that improves...
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Over the last eight months or so, segment by segment, AMD's various Zen 3-based processors have taken the world by storm. High performance servers, desktops, and notebooks all feature AMD's flagship silicon, thanks in no small part to its excellent perf-per-watt and strong overall value proposition. That dynamic really started in 2020, but we could sense a bit of hesitancy on the part of manufacturers with last year's Ryzen 4000 series gaming notebooks, since those topped out with midrange graphics. This year, though, the kid gloves have come off and higher-end graphics options have been made available. That's especially true with Dell's Alienware gaming brand. Last year, there wasn't a...
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Dell is looking to expand its Alienware gaming laptop family and is teasing the introduction of its new X-Series. With the new X-Series, a significant emphasis is being placed on improving overall performance and keeping the system cool at the same time. To this end, Dell says that the X-Series will feature an industry-first gallium-silicone thermal interface material for wicking heat away from the processor, which it calls Element 31. The new laptops will also bring another industry-first: a patent-pending, "Quad-Fan" cooling setup with extensive copper piping. Dell says that this design "Produces dedicated airflow using evacuative fans and dual opposite outlet fans," while "moving extensive...
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In this latest episode of HotHardware's 2.5 Geeks, the guys recap some of last week’s happenings and discussing all of the recent NVIDIA news. From the rumored GeForce RTX 3080 Ti, to dedicated Crypto mining cards, to hash rate limiters and Grace CPUs, NVIDIA has a lot going on... Show Notes: 02:47 -- What's in our the lab 08:56 -- New Spectre Chip Security Vulnerability Found 15:52 -- Alienware Aurora Ryzen Edition R10 Review 27:51 -- HP ZBook Fury 15 G7 33:44 -- What's NVIDIA Up To? GeForce RTX 3080 Ti 48:07 -- Hash Rate Limited Products And Crypto-Mining 56:25 -- No Chia Jokes Please 57:12 -- What's NVIDIA Up To? NVIDIA Grace 1:03:46 -- Check Out Val! And A Troll Hits The Stream...
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Dell is one of the most popular PC brands globally, selling millions of laptops, desktops, and server systems to everyday consumers and businesses alike each year. However, SentinelLabs researchers warned this week that five critical security flaws have been lurking in its firmware update driver since the early days of President Obama's first term. Attackers could have potentially exploited these flaws to conduct escalation of privilege attacks for kernel-level access on hundreds of millions of Dell and Alienware PCs. Multiple vulnerabilities were traced to Dell's firmware update driver version 2.3 (dbutil_2_3.sys) module. This module is responsible for Dell firmware updates using the Dell BIOS...
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We are no strangers to Alienware’s Aurora line of gaming PCs here at HotHardware. In fact, we have reviewed many Aurora systems over the years, and for good reason. Aurora desktops embody the essence of a powerful, mainstream prebuilt rig, with semi-custom, almost boutique styling, in a manner that makes them more attainable for the masses. Yet, every time we receive an Aurora in for review, it has something added we have not seen in the family before and this Aurora R10 Ryzen Edition is no exception. Strictly speaking, this is also not the first time we have had an Aurora R10 Ryzen Edition in our lab. Back in 2019, we tested Alienware’s first Ryzen-imbued iteration which housed a...
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Starting today, Alienware is taking its gaming notebooks to the next level with the arrival of optional Cherry MX mechanical keyboards on the m15 R4 and m17 R4. The Cherry name is synonymous with high-quality mechanical switches, and the latest evolution of that robust mechanism is ready for laptop duty. Cherry developed with its calls the MX Ultra Low-Profile switch, which is only 3.5mm thick. That's compared to 18.5mm for the original MX switch and 11.9mm for the low-profile MX switch. The switch employee a design that resembles the gull-wing doors that were first popularized on the classic Mercedes-Benz 300 SL. There's a sturdy spring mechanism, a two-piece keycap, a "gold-based" cross-point...
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In this episode of Two And A Half Geeks we'll discuss the dizzying array of GeForce RTX 30 laptop GPU SKUs, how to sift through them, and our experience with the new Alienware m15 R4 with GeForce RTX 3070. We'll also share key Ryzen 5000 desktop CPU performance optimization tips and discuss AMD's new Ryzen 5000 Mobile CPU platforms as well... Show Notes: 06:34 - AMD Ryzen 5000 Mobile Explored: The Future Of Zen 3 Laptops 17:47 - NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop Performance: What To Expect 27:31 - Alienware m15 R4 Review: A GeForce RTX 30 Series Invasion 33:12 - NVIDIA's Dizzying Array Of GeForce RTX 30 Mobile GPU Configs Detailed By ASUS 46:08 - Maximizing Ryzen 5000 Performance With AMD Curve...
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Alienware's m15 series of notebooks has typically impressed us, thanks to the family's performance and unique good looks in a relatively svelte mobile package. Performance always hinges upon having the latest platform hardware, so perhaps it's no surprise that the laptop we're looking at today has one of NVIDIA's latest mobile Ampere GPUs on board from its new GeForce RTX 30 family. When NVIDIA pulled the lid off mobile Ampere, it made some pretty big promises. Performance across the Ampere lineup that spans from RTX 3060 to 3080 should be faster than NVIDIA's previous mobile powerhouse, the GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER. That bodes well for the middle child in NVIDIA's new GeForce RTX 30 Mobile...
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Over the years, Dell has produced some sleek yet almost alien in appearance products, hence the Alienware brand. These computers have always been on the bleeding-edge of technology, and Dell continues that trend at CES 2021. We get to see a refresh of the Alienware m15, m17, and Alienware Aurora R10, which should pack a punch for gaming and productivity. Alienware m15 R4 and m17 R4 Back in October, we took a look at the Alienware m15 R3 that we found to be a high-performing option when it came to gaming laptops. Now, Dell gives the lineup an update with the latest NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3000-series graphics, but it retains 10th gen Intel processors with up to an Intel Core i9-10980HK. Because of...
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Most of you reading this have long since moved on from using those bulky CRT monitors of yesteryear, the kind of big and heavy displays that would break your back if you had to lug them up a flight of steps (been there, done that). Nevertheless, you might still be on the hunt for a new monitor, one that is primed for gaming. If so, now is a good time, with Cyber Monday deals bringing discounts on a bunch of models. One of the more affordable gaming monitors is the HP X24C, priced at $189.99 at Amazon (Save $40 - 17% Off). It features a 23.6-inch VA display with a 1500R curvature and 1920x1080 resolution. This display also boats a speedy 144Hz refresh rate, and is a FreeSync Premium model, making...
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The deals keep pouring in, and we're doing our level best to keep up with them. While building a PC by hand can be a fun and exciting project, sometimes (like right now) components are hard to come by, and buying an off-the-shelf desktop presents itself as a convenient and time-saving method for getting a new system up and running. The folks at Dell and Alienware have a nice selection of PCs on sale for the unofficial shopping holiday, and we've got the best ones picked out here. Amazon has deals on a pair of Dell G5 Gaming Desktop systems that are a bit lighter on the budget. The first has a Core i5-10400F, 8 GB f system memory, GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER graphics, and a 256 GB SSD...
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If there is one thing we can count on whenever hot new component hardware arrives, it's that it will not be long before Dell integrates it into their Alienware gaming systems. So naturally, with the release of Nvidia’s latest and greatest GeForce RTX 3080 and 3090 graphics cards, it was no surprise to see Alienware desktops already shipping out with these cards on deck. The Alienware Aurora R11 we have in our lab today features Dell's highest-performance configuration with an RTX 3090 to create what representatives at Dell are calling a “Benchmark Bruiser.” We will, of course, get to those benchmarks, but first let’s get familiar with this new Alienware machine itself....
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On this episode of HotHardware's Two And A Half Geeks, we'll be talking Tiger Lake retail laptops from ASUS, EK Fluid Gaming's awesome liquid cooled, all-AMD 270 Conquest gaming PC (and we're giving one away!), Alienware's m15 R3 gaming laptop, the potential for Qualcomm-branded Snapdragon gaming phones, MSI scalping RTX 3080/90 cards and more... Show Notes: 04:20 - Qualcomm To Launch Its Own Premium Snapdragon Branded Phones That Will Raise The Bar 13:23 - MSI Caught Red-Handed Scalping GeForce RTX 3080/90 Cards On eBay At Exorbitant Prices 19:30 - Alienware m15 R3 Review: A Quieter, Powerful Gaming Laptop 26:36 - EK Fluid Gaming 270 Conquest Review: Immaculate PC Gaming 35:18 - ASUS ZenBook...
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Thin and light gaming laptops are no longer a novelty, as practically every PC maker offers their own take on the category. Some of them don't always stand-out from the crowd, however, and can push the envelope on thermals in ever-tighter chassis designs. That is most definitely not the case with Dell's Alienware m15 R3 though, unless you want to compare it to last year's Alienware m15 R2. At a passing glance, this year's refresh looks just like last year's model. That is not a bad thing, as the new m15 R3 is a head-turning laptop with some notable improvements to this newest iteration, including a revamped cooling solution. Quite frankly, we are just fine with the overall physical design staying...
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We’ve already covered Alienware’s new Area-51m R3 and m15/m17 R3 gaming laptop releases, and now it’s time to shift focus to their desktop sibling. We’re of course talking about the Aurora desktop, which is aimed squarely at the eSports market. Liquid cooling – for the processor – has long been a staple of Alienware desktops. However, the 2020 edition of the Aurora is bringing a first for company: liquid cooled graphics cards. The Aurora’s PCIe liquid cooling solution is available with its GeForce RTX 2080 graphics option, and promises a further 19.5 percent temperature decrease along with a 69.2 percent decrease in noise reduction compared...
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It has been a few weeks since launched our latest amazing giveaway, and it's time to announce the winner! Our friends at Asetek helped us give away a powerful Alienware Aurora Ryzen Edition gaming PC, which is liquid cooled by an Asetek-powered closed-loop AIO CPU cooler. Asetek actually pioneered the All-In-One liquid cooler some 20-years ago and currently enjoys over 90% market share in the space. Up for grabs this time around was an awesome, fully decked-out Alienware Aurora Ryzen Edition gaming PC (our full review), packing an AMD Ryzen 9 3950X 16-core processor, GeForce RTX 2080 Ti GPU, 32GB of Kingston HyperX RAM, a 2TB Samsung NVMe SSD, and a Seagate 2TB HDD. Oh, and...
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