Alienware

Dell Alienware laptops are aimed at high end gaming. Alienware M17x uses some of the fastest laptop components currently available and is aimed specifically at gaming enthusiasts.

Weighing 5.4kg and measuring 406 by 54 by 321mm, the M17x is perhaps best thought of as a portable desktop. The Alienware M17x has a full-size keyboard complete with numeric keypad.

The LEDs on the M17x can be customised and all ports are located on the sides of the chassis. On the left, you get three USB ports, as well as mini-FireWire, DisplayPort, HDMI-out, VGA-out and Gigabit LAN connections. Over on the right, a slot-loading DVD writer is joined by a further two USB ports, audio in/out, a multi-format card reader and an ExpressCard/54 slot.

The most eye-catching feature of the Alienware M17x is AlienFX, which lets you change the colour of the ten LED-backlit sections of the laptop, allowing for an unlimited array of effects or, if preferred, no lights at all.