Think desktops are dead? Alienware disagrees, having just spawned a new gaming PC that's built to occupy a permanent space on your desk. But not very much space.
At 95mm thick, the Alienware X51 is an alarmingly slim desktop machine, but you'd be foolish to let its dimensions fool you -- it's covered with all the grilles, glowing panels and spiky bits of black plastic we've come to expect from Alienware kit.
Despite being little larger than an Xbox, it's powerful enough to achieve sentience thanks to second-generation Intel Core iSeries processors (i3, i5 or i7 depending on how much you want to spend), and Nvidia GeForce GT or GTX graphics cards.
The cheapest model costs £699, for which you get a Core i3 processor, 4GB of memory and a 1GB Nvidia GeForce GT 545 graphics card, as well as a 1TB 7,200rpm hard drive.
If you're serious about power and have loads of money lying around the house, there's a model for a little under £950 that bags you a Core i7-2600 CPU clocked at 3.4GHz, 8GB of RAM and a 1GB Nvidia GeForce GTX 555 graphics card. Compare the various system options here.
There's a keyboard and mouse (but no monitor) chucked in, but probably the best thing about this system is you can crack it open to upgrade the hard drive, graphics card and memory.
That's a little peace of mind for those worried about the system's lifespan, and an advantage that the system has over gaming laptops, which are tricky to upgrade. We'll be looking at how easy it is to tinker with the insides when it comes time for the full review.
Alienware is perhaps best known for the M11x, a gaming netbook, if you can believe such a thing exists. Meanwhile Razer is beavering away on building a gaming tablet, the nutters.
Would you buy this? What's your gaming rig look like? Tell us in the comments or on our Facebook wall.
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phd8569 18 January, 2012 16:12
Surprised they bothered with a new desktop. I was expecting a gaming tablet.
anonymous 18 January, 2012 16:54
This is so poor. Dell and other major computer manufacturers are pulling the wool over everybody's eyes. The components in a dell can be found in any site that builds computers for you at a much cheaper price. THE SAME TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS FOR A FAR CHEAPER PRICE. The specs of this particular Alienware aren't even that good. All you are paying for is a unique case, the only reason you should buy this, is if the case appeals to you so much that you would sacrifice power over style.
anonymous 20 January, 2012 08:53
I would probably buy it if I had money to spare, I mean at £699 it's decent, and cheaper than most of their other models. Maybe in 3 years they will actually be charging realistic rates for their products.
Although I'd like a case like that. Pretty nifty.
iRoddy 23 February, 2012 00:03
I thought it was a console at first. Looks neat 'as' a console though, if they ever made one.