Alienware 14 (2013) Pro Reviews

The Alienware 14 is a noticeable upgrade over its predecessors; it's a well-rounded notebook with very few cons. This notebook's highlights include outstanding performance thanks to its Intel quad-core processor and Nvidia graphics; a well-executed design and AlienFX customizable lighting system; excellent 1080p IPS display; superb build quality and chassis strength; good speakers; a plentiful port selection; a tolerable level of noise and respectable if not outstanding battery life. The mild cons list includes a thicker than expected chassis at 1.6", 6.1 pound weight and pricey options (starting $1,099, but our optioned-out review unit was $1,949 without an extended warranty). Overall we're more than pleased to give the Alienware 14 our Editors' Choice award for all around excellence.

The world of gaming laptops is hugely competitive, so Dell’s designers should be commended for making the Alienware 14 stand out: its matte metal chassis looks and feels fantastic, and the lights across its surfaces look good without becoming garish. It’s also fast, with plenty of potential to be made faster, at least on the CPU and storage front. When it comes to gaming it’ll also put paid to virtually any modern title at 1080p, with its fantastic screen making it a pleasure every step of the way. However, it’s much thicker and heavier than the XMG P303 and Razer Blade, and vastly more expensive than the former, yet offers essentially the same performance. You do get the optical drive in this model but although advantageous for some we tend to think that Razer and XMG were right to omit it in favour of slimness and lightness. As such, much as there is something likeable about the Alienware 14 it wouldn't be our first pick for a small gaming laptop.

It was a close match, but the Alienware 14 emerged triumphant, winning five rounds and tying in one (performance) versus the Razer Blade 14, which secured four rounds. The Razer Blade 14 offers gamers a truly mobile solution that is sleek and lightweight. Despite its lean looks, Razer found a way to cram an Intel Core i7 processor and discrete Nvidia graphics. The cloud-based Synapse software lets players access their favorite profiles from anywhere. And eight hours of battery life is nothing to sneeze at, either. The Alienware 14 is ultimately the better value. You get a striking redesign, a sharper and more colorful 1080p display, excellent audio quality, and the lighting customization that fans have come to know and love. Plus, the Alienware offered better gaming performance in our tests. Last but not least, the Alienware 14 has a more budget-friendly price, so gamers can walk away with a respectable set of specs without selling any body parts. Overall, the Razer Blade 14 is the notebook we’d like to carry, but the Alienware 14 is the one we enjoy gaming on the most.

Alienware's designers have done a great job tempering the excesses of traditional gaming laptops with good looks and matte aluminium, and the Alienware 14 doesn't just look great – it shifts, too. The quad-core processors puts paid to applications, and the GTX 765M graphics core handles modern games at high settings. It's not thin, light or quiet, but it's a more portable proposition than most of its 17in rivals.

Surprise: Dell's legacy as an OEM and Alienware's gaming cred still make for an awesome combination -- both the Alienware 14 and 17 rank among the best gaming laptops we've reviewed this year. Excellent build quality, killer components and excellent performance have left us with little to complain about. Those looking for faults can find them in the pair's comparatively short battery life and overall thickness, but in the scope of the greater presentation, neither feels like a deal-breaking blemish. It can be shockingly expensive if configured to the nines, however. In the end, we can say the new Alienware lineup is a strong follow-up to the last generation, with plenty of power for those who want it, and a fresh, modern design. That glowing trackpad is still a little weird, though.

Smaller gaming laptops that don't require your entire desk are rare, but are experiencing a bit of a surge right now. The Razer Blade 14 has by far the best industrial design of the models we've seen, but falls short as an actual mobile gaming product. The Alienware 14 picks up the performance and component slack, but the new design is not going to mesh with your presumably sophisticated aesthetic sense. Plus, the extremely thick chassis has a throwback feel to it. Despite that, the system performs as advertised, and doesn't cost a fortune, although I wish higher-end GPU options were offered.

At $1,499 kitted out with the 1080p screen and Nvidia GeForce GTX 765M graphics that you'll definitely want, the Alienware isn't an inexpensive or a particularly stylish laptop. We've seen thinner machines that can vaguely play PC games for under $800. It's not particularly portable either, with bulk and battery life that might make you think twice about taking it to your local cafe. But if you're the kind of person who would take it there — onlookers be damned — then you'll be getting a finely crafted gaming experience. The Alienware 14 is as solid and comfortable a gaming laptop (wristrests aside) as I've ever tried, and fits more power than a next-gen game console and as much as many beefier gaming laptops into its frame. "These are specialty products, and they are no-compromise products. That's why they're the size and the weight they are," Frank Azor told us at Alienware's unveiling. The company knows its audience well. This isn't the elusive miniature laptop with gaming power and battery life to spare in a thin, svelte frame — we're hoping Razer can pull that off with the new 14-inch Blade, or maybe even Alienware itself should it reintroduce an 11-inch gaming machine. When I ask whether the M11x will see a successor, Frank Azor suggests it's a possibility. "The 11-inch was very disruptive," he says. "We want to be disruptive again." Still, as of today, the right buyer will get their money's worth with this Alienware 14.

Alienware's 14-inch reincarnation has several strengths but also numerous drawbacks. But let us start with the positive aspects. One of the biggest improvements is certainly the anti-reflective display. Compared to the M14x R2 there are almost no reflections at all and the good panel quality still ensures a high-contrast picture with rich colors. All in all the notebook leaves a very high-quality impression. Besides the materials the build quality can also convince us; keyboard and touchpad are also very convenient to use. Further unique features are the flat power supply unit and the comprehensive illumination. Despite the somewhat pretentious appearance of the case, the individuality of the notebook is unrivaled and not every manufacturer would try to integrate a GeForce GTX 765M into a 14-inch case.