Dell’s line of budget gaming Inspiron systems and its high-end gaming-focused Alienware brand dropped a smattering of updates and design tweaks, plus a new pair of Alienware monitors.
Though Dell’s Inspiron 15 7000 gaming laptop is only about six months old, the company has already tweaked its design and available options. A cheap entry point into mainstream gaming starting at $999, the earlier model was one of the first to incorporate the budget-targeted Nvidia GTX 1050 Ti graphics processor; it will now bump the top-end configuration to a GTX 1060. (I don’t have UK or Australian pricing, but $999 directly converts to approximately £770 or AU$1,255.)
Roughly the same size as its predecessor, Dell dispensed with the rubberized finish, because children and sticky fingers. There are two new USB-C connections, one of which supports Thunderbolt for an external monitor or 40Gbps data transfer. It also adds a 2×2 wireless option for improved signal quality. Plus, the power button doubles as a fingerprint sensor for Windows Hello login. The front and back grilles are a little less flashy now. I kind of liked the old design, though.
On the downside, it’s got a smaller battery, dropping to a four-cell 56Wh from a six-cell 74Wh, which probably doesn’t bode well. But it charges faster!
If the new one is still too pricey, the good news is that the old model will remain for sale at a lower price for at least six months.
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Alienware Area-51 update
In other news, the promised Intel Core i9 X-series version of the latest Alienware Area-51 became available recently. Prices start at $1,700 for Intel models (though the cheapest I see on the site is $1,900), with the Core i9 base model starting at $3,300 or £3,340 — it’s a $500 or £515 upgrade over the Core i7-7820X. In comparison, Dell’s Area-51 Threadripper version, which incorporates AMD’s 12-core 1920X processor, starts at $2,700 or £2,449. Neither are available yet in Australia.
And if you were thinking of getting the more budget-friendly Dell Gaming Desktop but want something a little more bling, it will be available starting in September with a clear panel so you can see its illuminated innards. However, your lighting color choices are blue, blue or blue.
