KitGuru KitGuru.net – Tech News | Hardware News | Hardware Reviews | IOS | Mobile | Gaming | Graphics Cards
The Alienware 17 offers all the connections we could possible ask for. On the left hand side of the machine we find a Kensington lock slot, a DC-in jack, an HDMI in/out jack, a Mini DisplayPort, two USB3.0 connectors, two headphone jacks and a microphone jack.
Moving round to the right hand side of the machine we find the Blu-Ray drive alongside two further USB3.0 ports and a RJ-45 ethernet jack. The rear side of the machine is reserved for two large exhaust vents.
Alienware are using a Killer Networks Gigabit Ethernet NIC and a Broadcom 4352 5G WiFi card which also supports Bluetooth 4.0 in this model.
Opening up the bottom of the Alienware 17 reveals a fairly similar layout to other Alienware notebooks we have reviewed, although this particular model includes an integrated battery which cannot easily be removed by the user.
There are two cooling modules located within the notebook, one for the CPU and one of the single graphics card.
The hard drive and memory are easily accessible under the main cover, as these are the only components that most users are likely to change, although the mSATA SSD is nowhere to be seen so we assume it's located somewhere under the keyboard or palmrest.
The integrated battery is located at the front of the system which helps to even out the weight distribution of the laptop.
ASUS do some great gaminmg machines too, and they cost a lot less than Alienware, but at least Alienware put a lot of effort into the looks as well, which is important.
Great machine, I own one, been using it now for gaming for a month. runs a bit hot on my knee, so I use it more on a desk.
The problem with Alienware laptops, of which I have had many, is the hinges wear out so soon. If anything needs replacing it is absurd at costs.