Hands-on: Newborn Alienware 13 is Alienware's thinnest gaming laptop yet

Not to stay outdone by ultra-thin gaming laptops like the Razer Blade and Origin's EVO 15-S, Alienware announced the Alienware 13 on Friday. And, well, Alienware's still being outdone by Razer and Origin whilst it comes to ultra-thin laptops, but by the side of smallest amount the contest is a slight closer.

Keep up year's low-end Alienware laptop, the Alienware 14, was a thickset 1.6-inch thick, 6 lb. Behemoth, reminiscent of the way gaming laptops used to be—you know, additional of a "portable" desktop mechanism than an concrete laptop.

I got a small piece of hands-on moment with the Alienware 13 this week and it's quite a difference—merely an move slowly thick and 4.5 pounds. That's still not quite at the same time as reedy at the same time as the 0.7" Razer Blade, but it's a massive perfection compared to keep up time. Even the old 11-inch Alienware M11x R3 wasn't this svelte.

Alienware 13 versus 14
The Alienware 13 (top) versus keep up year's 14. It can not look like much of a substitute in the field of this picture, but trust me—that partially an move slowly of thickness makes a bulky difference.

Specs-wise, the Alienware 13 skin texture an Intel staple central processing unit (if it's like keep up time, expect to wish relating i5 and i7 models) and an Nvidia GeForce GTX 860M graphics certificate (which, again, is the same performance rank at the same time as keep up year).

You plus get a hold to wish relating three several screens—the low come to an end archetypal comes with a 1366x768 TN-panel make an exhibition of, the mid-tier with a 1920x1080 IPS make an exhibition of, and the high-end with a touch-integrated 2560x1440 IPS make an exhibition of. Unfortunately the graphics certificate doesn't substitute even at the same time as you ramp up the decree, denotation graphics performance spirit stay small piece worse by the side of so as to 2560x1440 decree than it spirit by the side of 1366x768, since the GTX 860M spirit need to fill all individuals especially pixels.

At the same time as far at the same time as the 860M itself, that's the same certificate featured in the field of the Razer Blade Pro, which we benchmarked by the side of 70.4 frames for each succeeding by the side of 1920x1080, channel quality in the field of BioShock very great. That's a respectable output, though not very future-proof. On the other hired hand, the baseline Alienware 13 (presumably) overheads a assortment with a reduction of than the $2,300 Blade Pro.

Alienware 13
All in the field of all the Alienware 13 looks to stay a decent slight gaming mechanism, especially if it comes in the field of rectify around the same $1100 cost item at the same time as the current-generation Alienware 14. It's comparable in the field of many ways to Lenovo's Y50 line, though the plastic casing on the Alienware mechanism feels somewhat chintzy by comparison.

Of possibility, you possibly will splurge a little additional money representing something like the Blade before the EVO15-S and eke a small piece additional power given away of your portable gaming, but the Alienware 13 is a colossal form cause perfection concluded keep up year's archetypal and seems like a solid entry-level gaming laptop. We'll retain a assessment representing you (complete with our own benchmarks) at the same time as soon at the same time as we get a hold our hands on the final retail archetypal.

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