The new Alienware 13 gaming laptop has become available in the U.S. starting on Tuesday, Nov. 1, and will arrive in Europe on the Nov. 10.
Alienware 13 - How Good It Is?
The bar for entry in the virtual reality realms was set relatively high with the debut of virtual reality headsets from Oculus and HTC earlier in 2016. However, as manufacturers have played around with setups and specifications and new generations of hardware have been released, we now have available on the market some relatively compact systems able to quite easily handle commercial VR.
Among them, a top performer is the new Alienware 13. With the proper tune up, the compact gaming laptop is truly capable. The entry-level models are not as impressive, of course, with the basic $1,200 model only coming with integrated graphics. Even if it comes with a powerful CPU, you cannot expect much gaming ability.
If you are willing to spend out a little more, you can go for a model featuring the GTX 1060 graphics card with 6 GB of GDDR5. Especially when combined with a high-end Intel CPU and up to 32 GB of DDR4, with such a configuration you should have no problem playing out 90 frames per second in virtual reality. But if even that is not enough for you, you can add in an additional desktop graphics card for extra power by utilizing an Alienware's Graphics Amplifier system.
Alienware 13 - Overview
The 5-pound 13-inch Alienware 13 gaming laptop is a bit heavy for its size, but if you are fine with that weight, you get a well-equipped device that performs well in every way possible. In the PC hardware niche the competition is rough and it is difficult to get on top. Alienware, however, is the world's first producer of a compact 13-inch laptop that is virtual reality-capable. The new Alienware 13 features up to 32 GB of DDR4 RAM memory, high-end Intel Core i7-6300HQ or i7-6700HQ CPUs and a GTX 10-series graphics card.
According to Digital Trends, in terms of internal storage capacity, it comes with up to 2 TB, split between a 1 TB of PCI Express for storage and a 1 TB of PCI Express solid-state as a boot drive. For when you are outside the virtual reality realms, you also have a few different 2D-display options, including the standard 13.3-inch, 1,366 x 768 display, a QHD 2,560 x 1,440 option with built-in touch control, and a 1080p-IPS version. However, you can expect these do raise the cost by quite a lot. For instance, the QHD 2,560 x 1,440 variant is starting at a price of $2,100.
Beyond the hardware itself, Alienware 13 comes with an impressive design that introduces the use of "premium materials," such as steel reinforcements, anodized aluminum and copper thermal management to improve cooling. This choice of materials is ensuring rigidity and strength, with no compromise on weight. The Alienware 13 is less than an inch thick at its widest point and weighs in at just less than six pounds.
The compact gaming laptop also features customizable color schemes for the keyboard and a 76-watt battery. With the launch of Alienware's all-new 13-inch notebook, mobile gamers can now experience an OLED panel. When compared to OLED, LCD panels suddenly seem washed out, pixilated and nowhere near as vibrant.
The display
According to PC World, the great deal with OLED screens is that they are not only capable to display much richer colors than LCDs, but also a deep, dark black. Their overall saturation and sharpness are also way beyond LCDs' capabilities. OLED panels are as well more energy-efficient than LCDs.
The Alienware 13 gaming laptop offers an OLED panel option that runs at 2560x1440. If you are looking for something cheaper, Alienware 13 also offers a 1920x1080 IPS and a 1366x768 TN LCD panel. But, of course, if you have the means, it is highly recommended to get the OLED option for the best gaming experience.
