If you were to google, “the most powerful netbook in the universe,” the first hit you will get will regard the Alienware m11x netbook, and most of the rest of the hits will have “Alienware” on the page as a reference or the main topic. Long has the brand Alienware been deemed the epitome of the PC gaming community, and now all of that powerhouse technology is housed inside of a netbook roughly the size of three stacked magazines.
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| pic. courtesy of www.dell.com |
If I had to sum up the physical appearance of this netbook in two words it would have to be… downright sexy. From the durable looking black outer casing to the square and boxy frame, this netbook, measuring in at slightly over 11 inches long, looks more like a Camaro than it does a computer. It feels a bit heavier compared to netbooks of similar size but this is not necessarily a bad thing. The build feels of a high quality. The most eye-catching features however, lie within. Upon opening the mini laptop, (if it’s powered on) you will see the Alienware exclusive backlighting system which is completely customizable to be any number of bright and vivid colors at any time. Whether you prefer a hellish and aggressive red, a cooling blue, a futuristic bumble-bee yellow, or a deep grass green is your choice.
Now on to the functionality. When you were younger, your mother may have said to you,” It’s not what’s on the outside, but what’s on the inside that counts!” or something to that effect. Well, she was probably thinking of this netbook. The compilation of this grade of hardware in a body so small was revolutionary to the PC gaming community. The processor, RAM and graphics card all team up together to run high end games like Crysis, Counterstrike, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, and Call of Duty: Black Ops on medium to high settings without much of a problem. Keep in mind that this is a NETBOOK. Don’t be fooled though. The developers had in mind to make this an ultra portable netbook completely compatible with most if not all of the most recent and cutting edge games, and they absolutely succeeded. However, this machine is not exclusively for the hardcore gamer enthusiast or even the casual gamer, but for anyone who has even moderate media and laptop portability needs. Be it the businessman with a presentation in the office working with PowerPoint (yes the speakers are amazing too), the college student with far too many gigabytes of music and a constant need for internet connection, the small family with a fondness for Netflix, or the architect with his blueprint rendering programs. My point is, yes, this laptop was made with high end graphics components specifically designed to give gamers an on the go laptop, but it doesn’t matter, because anyone can run pretty much any program on it.
It also sports multiple ports which allow it to be hooked up to high definition television. So if you’re worried about the small screen size… you needn’t be. You can connect it to your 32 inch plasma TV… or 46 inch… or 70 inch. Anyone up for a movie?
The value of the idea of this type of laptop is important to PC gamers for three specific reasons: It is ultra portable, allowing one to share with friends and attend LAN parties and events as they please. It is high end, allowing one to play the hottest and most demanding games. And above all, it is CHEAP. The base price for this model on Dell.com starts at 799$ with options to upgrade. Comparable models, while I won't cite any here, are usually several hundred dollars more with less powerful components.
I'll sum it up like this: If you were in ancient Egypt, the Alienware m11x netbook would be the monumental sculpture to which you would pray. It is the item which PC gamers covet and it is the epitome of the PC gaming community, because without this type of PC, let's face it, there would be no community.
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