Are there any new Alienware models in the works? [Speculations and Wish List]

I'm frankly baffled by the lack of a 15-16" model. I'd like to have Dell service & general parts availability, but am looking at possibly getting a Sager in order to get a 15.6" with the 7970 graphics. The AW m17x is a good 3lb heavier, and bigger (I'd have to get a new bag after I already spent quite a lot on my current one). I don't think I can justify the m17x's downsides, and the m14x just seems too small, and doesn't offer the 7970m graphics.

Are there any rumors of upcoming models, or of existing Dell laptops expected to get the 7970m graphics in the next 1-2 months?

 

Good topic, just what I wanted to know too

 

Especially in light of what Apple has put out with their new retina-display macbook pro I'd love to see alienware slim down their lineup with a new chassis design. I don't think you can have something that's quite as thin and not have serious heating issues, but something slimmer and sleeker overall would be nice. I'm not a Mac OS kind of guy otherwise I'd probably be all over the new model. Still holding out for my dream of seeing something thinner, lighter, and sleeker from Alienware with all the extra goodies and touches Alienware is known for.

 

Thinner & lighter is always nicer, as long as it doesn't compromise performance. Otherwise it's just a trade-off (which can also be good for the right purposes).

I checked out the new MBPro, and was so disappointed to see the graphics card they went with. Seems like the high pricetag is paying more for bling (display) than performance, which seems backward for a "professional" computer. Granted it'll do what 90%+ of users need very well, but IMO they should offer something with at least the 670m graphics, even if it means adding some thickness. I'm ready to buy, and upon hearing they announced a new model thought maybe I'd get lured into the land of the fruit, but alas the specs let me down.

 

Yea I think the macbook pro is impressive for what it packs in for its size. But as far as a alienware laptop goes I expect performance to be the top priority. I miss the old days when Alienware really pushed the limits and slapped in a 8800M GTX in their 15x being literally the top gun at the time (or so I recall). Though a 680M GTX in a 15'' alienware might be pushing for too much and cut into the 17x marketshare.

Though I think another viable strategy they could run with is having a decent built-in GPU with a external dock powered through thunderbolt maybe to give you a extra boost. It'd go a long way to help increase the lifespan of the notebook since most games are GPU limited these days and it'd be easy to upgrade a dock.

 

In the (relatively) low-volume market of gaming/performance laptops, I'd hope they wouldn't let the beancounters dictate things too much in terms of laptop A eating into the marketshare of laptop B. I don't want a 17" laptop, and I don't care if I have to spend the same money on my 15" as I would on a 17" to get the specs I want. 17" is popular in gaming laptops, but 15" is popular among laptops in general - it baffles me they don't have an offering there. I'd probably have gone for the 14" if it offered the 7970m, but alas Dell lost my sale to Sager.

 

Agreed, I don't get it at all why there is a 14" line and not a 15"... I would have understood if they didn't have the 14" notebooks, but not the other way around...

These are gaming notebooks, the priority is performance not portability, besides nobody can call a 14" with weight starting at 6.5 lbs something very portable. So anybody who really prioritizes portability definitely won't choose the M14x...

In fact the 15" notebooks not only can have more performance due more space to put better hardware inside, but the bigger screen itself is something very important when gaming is regarded.

 

I would have to think Alienware should have something in the works with a touch-screen (Windows 8 in a few months), although I guess that could just be an available upgrade to the current models. Definitely would like to see something new soon. Aren't they phasing out the M11x as well? Gonna need a new product line. I would love to see an Alienware Windows 8 tablet. If not that maybe like a hybrid Alienware ultrabook, if they can cram a real GPU in there hehe.

 

I have yet to see an example of a compelling reason to have a touchscreen on a laptop (thus why I didn't wait a few more months before buying a new laptop). I have doubts that a touchscreen will be an upgrade option for any existing models, since it would add an interface need, which would potentially mean a motherboard redesign. I'm guessing we'll see a BUNCH of new laptop models this fall & winter.

I could see a next gen 14" model that's a near-ultrabook, something very slim & light, but with dedicated graphics. (IMO, no Alienware should lack dedicated graphics.) Then it wouldn't be too similar to a real 15" gaming laptop offering top end graphics.

I'm having a hard time envisioning what an Alienware tablet would be like, but if they're going to do it, they'd better do it quick before tablet sales drop out like netbook sales did. I'm expecting to see tablet sales drop to a fraction of what they are within the next couple years. They have a place, but it's a big fad right now that'll die down as people realize what they're good for, and what they aren't.

 

I recall reading during the speculation thread for the M14x R2, M17x R4, etc. there was a post by Dell Bill vaguely referencing the possibility of a potential m15x model in the future. Or maybe I was just reading too much into it, but I think Dell/Alienware is fully aware they don't have a competitor for the popular 15.6'' gaming laptop segment. My best guess is they're waiting to roll out new models alongside the Windows 8 launch. Potentially alongside some new Kepler gpus we have yet to see (completely speculation). But I'd love to see something bold from their part design wise that really puts them back on the map. I remember always wishing I could get an alienware back when they felt like the cutting edge of performance and I'd love to see them firmly retake that crown.

 

FWIW, I would really like to see a 15 inch. I'm struggling with my potential purchase because I really don't want to go for the size and price premium of the 17-inch, but the 14-inch screen is just way too small for my tired old eyes. As others have noted, there is a lot of competition in the 15.6 inch gaming market.

 

While I wouldn't mind a retina display and an all aluminum chassis in a 15" AW notebook, I'm highly skeptical Dell would even attempt this. In the end, it's all about whether the profit margins are wide enough to justify making a product like this.

 

enjoy the new MBP`s vast cooling solution, great for heating up your legs in winter

 

I personally wouldn't mind paying more to get some of those features combined with a focus on gaming and performance along with better ergonomics (weight and size wise). I personally think there is a market for it with even better margins if they can manage to cut costs through bulk part orders and charge a premium for being the better product on the market. I know a lot of prospective buyers go for the optimal performance to price ratio, but Alienware used to have the brand image of pushing the edge of what's possible and being the first to market with unique features.

Just picture it: a lighter, sleeker designed 15'' alienware with a "retina" display (with properly internal scaling thanks to windows 8 for a variety of resolutions) along with perhaps a die shrunk nvidia 680m GTX variant. I know I would put down money serious money for that personally.

Granted I'm no engineer nor have any true sense of the market to gauge the viability of bringing such a product to market. These are just my hopes and wishes in an ideal product I would love to see from Alienware. I've always wanted to get one ever since I discovered them 10 years ago, and now that I can afford one I just want one that really gets me excited by breaking new ground (figure of speech).

 

Note the pic above is not of the new MBP. =)

But yeah, I'd rather have bigger fans spinning at lower speeds, big air channels to reduce noise, big heatsinks for efficient cooling, etc.

 

I currently have a M15x, fantastic machine.
I used my cousins M14x the other week and the screen size is just annoying... But here I am, typing this on my M11x where I actually do most of my gaming (on the go a lot) and to me, it's not that bad. all relative I guess.

I like the upgrade potentials of the M15x though, where the M14x lacks a bit.
As soon as I have some money saved, I want to get a 920xm and a 7970m! Just gonna need like $1500... -.-"

I'm all for a sleeker AW 15.6, the whole reason why I stopped lugging it to the city.

 

While I too would put down money for this, how large is the market segment for a notebook like this compared to Apple's market segment for their notebooks?

I'm not trying to be rude with my posts (rather, I'm incredibly cynical), but what we're talking about with the possibilities of having this and that in an AW is all pie in the sky.

From my standpoint, AW/Dell would have to do a crap load of statistics, R&D, and testing out markets for who has the ability to ( and is willing to) buy something like this.

While we may be willing to buy something like this, a vast majority of the everyday users might not and that's something that Apple has in their advantage.

 

I was the one Dell Bill was answering to and he mentioned a sub 14" notebook to replace the m11x. I would expect it to be a 13" Alienware Ultrabook with a gt 640 or so. Release date at the same time as win8 (just guessing).

 

Problem is I don't think many people game on 15" displays. They're pretty small to start with (even 18" is small) so packing in a powerful GPU with all the bells and whistles in a 15" notebook seems to make less and less sense from a market perspective. Even Apple realized this and that's why their GPU choice seems lackluster when in fact its just fine for the majority of consumers.

Rumor has it that the M15x will be coming back as a redesign in 2013 or possibly a bit earlier. So you will get your wish though I'm not sure if it'll feature the top end video card or not.

 

Imo, they should cancel the m14x and bring back the m15x, then put out an m12x to replace the 11

 

No worries, I appreciate your comments and to be clear I'm clearly dreaming here with the specs I proposed. I do agree that we likely fall into a niche market that might not justify production of the product I mentioned. Perhaps a more viable possibility would be to expand on the external GPU docks option to something more advanced? That way they could sell something about as powerful as the current alienware models (albeit in a new design), which would fall in line with their current offerings from a product viability standpoint (theoretically), but with the unique option of a upgradeable external GPU. I think that'd be a unique selling point and could justify a price premium for the feature since they could hypothetically tack on external GPU purchases for a decent chunk of prospective buyers and pocket a nice margin.

Ah my mistake, looks like I was reading too much into it. Still I think that external gpu feature I mentioned above could be a possibility even with this model. Something that on the go can play less demanding titles like diablo 3, and at home can stream to a external gpu/dock with one connected to a bigger monitor or tv. In my opinion at least that'd be a very compelling feature.

Yea I know I am looking at the 15'' segment because I need to use a laptop that's not too big (physical dimension wise) that I can easily carry around for school etc. in addition to playing games on the side. I could go for something smaller but I really enjoy the workspace I get with a 15'' monitor. I just got a 512gb ssd to keep my laptop going for a while longer so I just might wait it out to see what the m15x brings to the table if it comes out later this year.

 

m14x is great, through in a 1080p or highers screen as standard and I would switch from mac as my main system. For me alienware has canceled my interest in them. No m11x, m14x with lower res screen, the m17x is my only option from them and its just a little to much laptop for me.

 

Hop over to the Sager/Clevo section & see how many people are waiting on NP9150's with the backordered 7970m graphics and tell me not many people game on 15" laptops. IIRC, the 15-16" range is the highest volume laptop market, and has been for just about forever. Granted, most of those sales are consumer level non-gaming laptops, but people have accepted that size as a balance of portability, performance, and screen size.

I expect there are a large number of people like myself that looked at the options and decided 14" was too small, even if it's lighter, and 17" is too big & heavy. And I wasn't looking exclusively at a "gaming" laptop, I want something that can handle photo & video editing with ease for a long time to come, and the hardware requirements for that and gaming have a lot of overlap.

 

Gaming on a 15" is a must for me. Its not to small where my eyes hurt for playing to much and not to big where it becomes big to carry all over the place. I think 15" is the best of both worlds.

 

I agree, 15" is optimal. 17" is just so big, it's definitely (besides the weight) the biggest con of the M17x.

 

But may I coin in here, I kind like the flexibility of a dual hard drive setup of a 17 as well, now that apple has shown us that a form factor means nothing in terms of display resolution, i do believe it's time, AW did something radicular if not for the entire line up at least for a select laptop, making it something similar to 15" retina from apple. I might be convinced to have a USB powered ODD, if that gives me access to better power savings, aluminum shell, dual hdd and at least a FHD display.

You know AW model is kinda like apple, branded accessories design studios the whole jazz, sure not as well built as the apple, but something similar

(please don't flame me if this upsets someone, just my 2 cents really)

 

What honestly needs to happen is for them to get thinner and lighter. Most people want more screen and the performance of a large machine, they just dont want it to inhibit them when they are moving about. While tech has gotten better and smaller/lighter over the last few years, alienware case models have remained the same for 4 years. I know AW has a look they want, and ill agree, I love the grills and muscle car look as much as the next guy, but if even a few eighths of an inch were shaved off your larger models it would go a long way towards getting more customer interest. Keep the general look, just put it on a lower profile package. And I know one of the reasons you guys are reluctant to do this is because since your not a clevo/sager reseller like most other companies are you would have to foot the bill for the re designs yourselves, and that is very expensive. But I think it would definitely be worth it in the long run.

Aesthetics are one of the main draws of AW laptops, and keeping those aesthetics ahead of the curb should be one of the top priorities at dell. Look at the razer blade as an example of how well aesthetics sell. Less than a quarter the performance of an M17x half its price, yet the blade sells out almost the instant a new shipment gets in. All because of the look and profile. Obviously AW laptops shouldn't be that thin because it would require a major downgrade in performance, but some thinning would be good for the brand.

 

So you want an XPS with Alienware looks, basically?

Alienware has always been about one thing - gaming performance. That means cutting edge hardware, which means space, and it means heat (which means cooling hardware, which means space). There is some hope for the AW laptops to slim down as mechanical hard drives disappear and mSATA drives grow in capacity and lower in price, and as optical drives phase out. There's still going to be a need for heatsinks & fans, so I can't see real gaming machines becoming macbookpro thin.

 

17 inch XPS's are pretty thick themselves. No I don't want AW to become MBP thin, or at least not until technology allows that with out sacrificing much performance. But the fact the models have pretty much stayed the same thickness for so long, despite technology getting lighter and smaller is annoying. I know sager and clevo are moving at a snails pace in the thinning department, but that doesn't mean alienware has to as well. Look at the new generation of asus G series laptops. Both the 15 and 17 are thinner than the last gen, but still have the cool stealth fighter aesthetic and still pack a lot of gaming power. If AW really lived up to their hype they would be trying to be industry leaders in as much categories as possible. Design as well as power. I am not demanding anything crazy here. Over the course of the next several generations a more refined, slimmer design need to begin to form or else AW laptops are going to start going form "clunky but cool", to just "clunky", the latter being something most of the other brands are at currently.

 

Interesting thread. I'd like to see for myself what the next generation of Alienware notebooks has to offer, and what they look like...

 

As mentioned, I think we'll see some thinning of most or all laptops when optical drives become fully obsolete, but that's probably at least a couple years down the road. But high performance is generally going to mean high heat, which is going to mean sizable heatsinks & fans. Still, I could see them being 20-30% thinner in 2-3 years.

 

Also don't forget the possibility (this is only speculation) of the prevalence of mSATA drives in laptops as well potentially replacing the traditional 2.5-inch drives we all currently use. This may also help slim laptops down and may be a possible route for laptop design to allow for better thermal solutions.

 

and the possibility haswell might be much cooler than previous intel processors, which would mean the heat sink would be smaller and fans wouldn't have to be as beefy. That combined with better managed future graphics cards should make fans significantly less loud and large overall.

 

How much you guys reckon the price will be if they had an Aluminum Chassis?

thats all i want + a less glossy screen

 

Even with an almost laughable GPU the MacBook Pros can cook your lap. The heating and ventilation in the Macs are minuscule, plus the newest line takes them to a nearly Macbook Air level of thinness.

I also don't understand why you would make a 'gaming' laptop in a smaller form factor with an external GPU dock and a 13" screen because... well... you would be gaming on a 13" screen. You would have to carry a monitor and dock for your "portable" gaming machine. Maybe you could have bought a 17" slab for simplicity and to have your data all in one place, or build a gaming desktop rig and buy a smaller, thinner, notebook.

Cooling is a big problem in laptops and we might lose some of it in a 15" model.
Maybe not though if you drop your internal GPU and ODD. I don't like MSATA though, expensive, and currently running on SATA II, that might change though.

An M15X would be interesting, I'd like to see what it would be like. Thin and portable or the same thing as an M17X in a 15".

...Just my 2 cents.

 

or a m16x....that would mean m14x/m16x/18x nice and even haha

And isnt the new m17x almost the same size as the previous m15x? m16x would be nice.

If they either make the screen less glossy ^v aluminum chassis, i will def jump on it!

 

Given the desire of the consumer for a small, light machine in my opinion a 15 would be very impractical for Alienware to manufacture again. If anything I'd say ditch the M18x, leave the M17 as the beast, do something (not sure what) to make the M14 more , and keep the M11 for the flyweight crowd. I'd almost be tempted to say drop the M14 for an M13 but that would be too small a screen to use regularly for gaming.

 

I think they should keep the m18x. dual graphics cards, which is the main draw, need more than a 17 inch screen to do the power they put out justice and they need space and a beefy cooling system to keep them from overheating. Its also a flagship system, and as a flagship, they are partly just for show, to demonstrate the power/coolness of the brand. And to get other companies goat. Not to mention its probably their most profitable machine per individual sale. Most people getting one are not going to bat an eye at high prices, and the highest end ones can go for over 5K.

M17x is fine.

m15x. I really think they should bring this back. Or an m16x. All the hardware of an m17x, but in a slightly smaller frame. That would be great.

m14x is great and should stay. Its awesome for people who want a system that can game, but isn't to large to be unportable, and isn't to small to not enjoy playing on it.

m11x... I think they shouldn't bring it back. Instead, they should create an m12x. That extra inch of screen would really make a difference, and would give them the ability to increase the chassis enough to make cooling and heat distribution better. it would also still be small enough to be extremely portable while having good gaming potential. This would give them a good leg up in what is left of the high end netbook market, which is a very competitive place now that tablets are starting to cannibalize netbook sales.


I really think something else that needs to happen besides the thinning, is for all the models, not just the M18x, to come with an Aluminum chassis. Or at least make it an upgrade option for models (it should stay standard for the m18x oc). A lot of people love "dat luminum" look and feel. And there are quit a few out there who would gladly pay 150-200+ to upgrade to aluminum from plastic. Apple taught us long ago that aluminum + sleek cool chassis design screams quality.

One more thing...
COLORS seriously. I love the red and black we have, but there seriously should be more. A few years ago there was a green and silver option. Why were those kicked to the curb?!?! Make additional colors cost money if you want, as long as their an option people will pay.

 

Personally, I think the rMBP is a technological marvel. Its amazing how they managed to pack a VERY good bits of technology into such a thin and light form factor. I'd love to see alienware attempt to slim down its lines, but I doubt anything drastic would happen soon. But the FIRST thing they should do is revert back to 1920x1200 RGB LED or another high gamut high resolution panel.

 

Given that the method they used to slim down the laptop also makes in almost completely non-upgradable, I'd stick with a bigger form factor and the ability to swap parts out for upgrades fairly easily.

 

maybe they could make a 15-17 inch model that was like the MBP and it would be a separate entity from the M17x and m15X. It would be "the m17x light" or "m15x light" or something like that. Most of the parts wouldn't be very upgradable. And you wouldn't be able to put some of the beefy hardware in it that the normal m17x can have, but you would have a thinner lighter machine. Which would be very attractive to a lot of people (like people who like the razer blade, but think the 2800$ price tag is BS).

 

Since the M11x is dead anyway, why not replace it with a slim-line high power 15" or 14" version to compete with rMBP and razor? Some people don't need the customizing capability found in the upper end Alienware line.

 

Not sure if its been mentioned in this thread but the reason why they dont offer a 15" anymore is because it would take a ton of sales away from the 17 IMO. I know a lot of people like me would rather have a 15" notebook with a 7970m in it (like Sager offers). The m15x was nice but I dont see a 15" in the future since they discontinued it not too long ago.

 

This thread is more about any future models they would produce -not just the M15X, maybe a tablet or something- however I don't think the M15X is likely either. I don't mind though, I have looked at the Clevo P150EM/Sager NP9150 and I prefer the 17" Clevo over the 15" anyway.

 

Hmmm. a gaming tablet...
Razer is actually supposed to be coming out with a gaming tablet at the end of this year for under a grand. The "fiona" is what its called. It's got a controller handle on either side, an HD 10.1 screen, some sort of windows 8 OS, an i7, the first dolby digital certified surround sound speakers in a tablet, and the test models have shown in can run skyrim on high/ultra graphics at 30+ FPS.

Even if its a success, I don't think alienware will want to take the time or resources to compete with that. Especially with Microsoft coming out with the surface, which is basically a high end ultrabook in a tablet form factor. and will be capable of letting you play a few turns in Civ 5 or a TF2 game.

 

I really can't imagine battery life being all that great on a gaming tablet... Still be cool but.
I don't think AW will go into that stream of market, but who knows...

 

There should be a successor to the m11x in the near future, maybe a m12x or m13x ultrabook with a gt 640m or so.

 

I can see it all now- Alienware tablets. Take that, IPad.

 

I could imagine some computer nut disassembling an M11x and transforming it into some sort of thick super tablet.

 

Google M11x tablet mod

As for an Alienware tablet in general, If they are making one...

I just hope it would not run hot and + with win 8, it will own the ipad/apple w/e.