Poll : do you like the Design of the new Alienware Notebooks 2016 ?

if you re unsure write here what you like/dislike

 

seems that my opinion is really personal: i hate em, cheap built and ugly

 

I voted no simply because I think they are a step back from the previous models. I don't like the screen pulled forward which is also the one thing I don't like about the Asus ROG laptops. I also think that overall they look cheaper than the previous models.

It reminds of what a company in China would make and sell if they were trying to sell knock off Alienware's. Or like when I was a kid, there was the real Voltron and then there was the cheaper, rip off Voltron.

I don't know. Just not impressed and don't get the same "feeling" when looking at them as before. I don't think they are ugly by any means but I can say this, I have been hoping they would bring back the 18. However, based off the new design, even if they did, it would no longer excite me and I now don't care if they ever bring it back.

Having said all of that, seeing one in person could change my opinion. It's hard to judge based on pics and or vids.

 

If the new design helps keep hardware running relatively cool without throttling and sounding like a hairdryer under load,I'm ok with it.
A GTX 1070 and 120Hz G-Sync screen sounds very nice, but it's all about the thermals first.

 

Agree with everything you said here.

I don't abhor the new design but I'm far from enticed by them.

Have been waiting ages to upgrade and was hoping this refresh would be an instant purchase for me but I'm just as hesitant as the last major refresh (and I didn't upgrade then either).

The Alienware I fell in love with that allowed us to upgrade and tweak at will seems to be dead and they've redirected their focus to mass market appeal. I'd still like to see an 18 that meets the needs/expectations of the enthusiast community and would jump on one of those.

 

I don't care for the "new" design, looks too much like a thicker Dell Vostro laptop, with elements from Asus' ROG notebooks. The thing doesn't even look like it was actually designed for Alienware, more like it was just picked out from a catalog of designs that Foxconn or whoever else could make and Alienware could slap their brand on it, but that was the case with the last design as well.

The earlier M##x designs were quite unique among laptops, and were obviously Alienwares even at a glance.The design trend after that has been plain, boring designs, just keeping the LED lighting, as if that's the thing that seperates a gaming laptop from everything else.

As far as function, more copper is a good upgrade, and maybe the big backside will give better airflow and better cooling, but it seems like the focus was too much on making the notebooks slightly thinner just to say they were thinner, and that was the real reason for moving the screen forward and keeping the back end as thick as the entire chassis.

I also don't like the forced gimmicks - stuff like eye tracking and facial recognition should be an option, not something standard that you pay for even if you DON'T want it and won't use it.


I also agree with others that it'd be great if there was an 18" option again, but that won't happen for the simple reason there are no 18" LCD/LED panels for such a monster. Samsung has the only 18.4" panel on its Galaxy tablet and they probably aren't going to put that in any laptops. Manufacturers are making money by cranking out massive amounts of 13", 15" and 17" LED panels, which is why every laptop you can buy is only in those sizes.

 

ASUS GX800 / MSI GT8x lineup since Maxwell both 18" and ASUS has 4k 60Hz GSync.

 

Well, both those are halo products, the MSI in particular being five grand. Not really consumer-level gaming laptops like the M18x/AW18 was, although two grand wasn't exactly cheap, either.

I get that 18.4" panels still exist, just not in the volume and for the cost that would make it viable to use in an Alienware system is all.

 

Nope. Haven't appreciated their design since the 2012 models. In 2012, when I pulled an Alienware out of my backpack, it was so unfamiliar and turned heads - even had girls saying, "Oh that's pretty." (Due to the lights & aluminum chassis, I guess?) They were a unique brand... So unique it made people say, "What's that?!"

These, to me, feel like they were designing them and ended being like, " Eh, good enough. We need to get them on the market ASAP!" I'm sure they spent a lot of time and resources on designing the new chassis and form factor, but that time doesn't seem to have been effectively utilized. The design keeps Alienware stagnant and not progressive. It's hardly unique.

That said, depending on how the Alienware 13 performs, I'll trade my 13.3" work/school Zenbook for it. The 13" market is very limited and Alienware does hold an advantage there.

 

I like the newer design than the 2013-2015 one.

Although like @J.Dre my old M18x and M18x turned heads whereas the newer designs do not, not even my P870DM does LOL

 

Yeah the pricing is too broken with MSI, all their laptops are overpriced not only those. M18x Is truly the best design until now, I love that machine a lot, sadly I didn't get a chance to own that marvel.

@J.Dre Agree that older models were really awesome true Alienware DNA there was this total uniqueness, oomph factor to their build both inside and outside. My M15x never failed to do so It's not like I wanted that swag but was in every girls eye whenever I pulled it out of my bag, a real point of attraction had to explain every feature set . Never tried with the Alienware 17 though

If they didn't copy that ASUS / Aorus type design It would have been something unique, I don't know but guessing, Also this thinning out mentality needs to go they have such voluminous space and could achieve much more in looks and internal hardware but sadly they skimmed out...what an unfortunate twist of fate. But to note they have more metal in them now...high density and weight despite being thinner.

 

Actually like the new design. With heat sinks in the back behind the screen, I am hoping the keyboard is going to be cooler. The design seems to look better on the 17 than the 15.


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I also believe it will be "cooler" but Pascal is also hotter than Maxwell, so it contradicts itself. I'm sure it will run very similarly, temperature-wise, as the previous product.

 

Remember... beauty is only skin deep. Ugliness starts on the inside.

 

One thing I really appreciate about the AW13/15 is the trackpad in the centre of the machines. As well as the lack of numpad. Ticks a couple of my OCD boxes.

Macro keys on the side aren't really my jam. And the front lip looks sharp as hell for wrists.

But overall, I'm a fan.
As long as it's quieter than previous gen.

 

tacky design, no more modular, no 18" model, no sli, only 2 memory banks even in 17" unit (what, did you run out of space in 17" chassis?)....and new aurora is simply hideous. I think previous generation units that were a bit more rounded like what area 51 or first gen 13, 15, 17, 18 were much better designs. and consider bringing back 18" MODULAR unit - MXM gpus, socketed cpu (even a desktop one), 4 memory banks etc.....there's definitely still an enthusiast market for those out there; especially since not everyone wants to get a cheap-feeling clevo when they spend $6k

 

This is the first Alienwares I would consider buying, the previous looked like they were designed to impress a teenager. Which they probably were.


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You mean the AW15R1/R2 etc? Because apart from the back they look very similar. The good thing is they dont have colored plastic panels imo. When I am in business meetings I just turn the Alien FX lighting off.

 

I like it because the design is so intentional and it nails the art style. As soon as I first saw it I thought, "looks very industrial." I hadn't seen any marketing material up to that point. Now I've seen the marketing and they are touting the industrial look.

No other laptop I've seen has communicated so much to the consumer just from the look of the shell. Some come close like the Asus, looks like it wants to eat another laptop. But that wasn't the intent by Asus designers. They clearly were going for their standard cookie cutter dust buster design as usual.

I've never given AW a moments thought up until now. Let's hope the inside is well engineered as much as the outside was well conceived.

 

Completely agree here, from what I have seen on pictures and videos, they new Alienwares look mature and grown up, compared to the previous version which to me just looked childish.

 

The M18x continues to turn heads today, the Alienware 18 less so. I imagine these new ones will be even less inspiring considering the now look like ASUS laptops.

 

They still look like the echo models. Love th elooks. Th ehinge forward design. Well Aorus, Asus etc do it but yeah. Del did it in the past too. Cant blame 'm for it. For me the biggest improvement is that they returned to a magnesium chassis.

 

Yea, loving the return to magnesium!

 

I don't like the lights on the sides of the chassis. They don't necessarily they look bad, it's just that they serve no functionality.

 

Nor have they ever... on any model, past or current. The only lighting that serves a functional purpose is the keyboard backlight, charging and keyboard status indicator lights.

Some people get really excited about lights, even if they have no functional purpose.

Nothing wrong with liking bling though. I guess if it brings someone pleasure, therein lies the purpose.

 

razer chroma hurrrr

 

We're Knights of the Round Table,
We dance when ere we're able,
We do routines and chorus scenes
With footwork impeccable.
We dine well here in Camelot,
We eat ham and jam and spam a lot.

We're Knights of the Round Table,
Our shows are formidable, But many times, we're given rhymes
That are quite unsingable.
We're Opera mad in Camelot,
We sing from the diaphragma looooooot.

In war we're tough and able,
Quite indefatigable,
Between our quests we sequin vests,
And impersonate Clark Gable.
It's a busy life in Camelot,
I have to push the pram a lot.

Sorry couldn't resist

I like the overall design of the new AW's, reminds me of the Dell Adamo a few years back

but I do agree that the light strips on screen housing are a little much, but not because of the "bling", but because it means more seams for the assembly line to screw up and have small gaps.

 

with a gaming pc the purpose is to have fun, and lights are giving some fun: Alienfx in supported games is something i really like as a good part of the gaming experience.

if i play Battlefield 3 with a "non Alienware pc" i really miss the red light all around when i m at low health or the flashing light for every headshot. the same on blacklight retribution or the withcher 2.

when implemented in a good way Alienfx is something i really miss from aw gaming pcs (if i play on a normal non gaming pc)