11. Alienware Area-51 m9750

by Thomas Soderstrom

What do you give the PC gamer who has everything? A little portability might help! Boasting high-performance features such as the buyer’s choice of Intel’s Core 2 mobile processors up to 2.33 GHz, and up to two nVidia graphics units in SLI, the Alienware Area-51 m9750 is a complete gaming machine that owners can take almost anywhere. It’s even been improved since our August review, with an available upgrade from GeForce Go 7950 GTX technology to GeForce 8700M GT DirectX 10 capability.

A high-contrast 17” 1920x1200 pixel display combines with a 9.5 pound weight in an almost perfect balance of capability and portability.

A full-sized keyboard could make this the perfect middleweight desktop replacement gaming system, while a few other options make many desktops appear obsolete! These include a pair of 7200 RPM notebook drives in RAID 0 configuration, an 8x dual-layer DVD burner or Blu-Ray disk reader, Wireless N and wired Gigabit network controllers, and even a Vista Ultimate compatible TV tuner. Up to 4 GB of DDR2-667 is available to further accelerate Windows Vista performance, again putting the Area-51 m9750 in high-end desktop territory.

Like any other performance notebook, the Area-51 m9750 needs to be plugged in for all of its features to operate at full speed. On the other hand, any “portable desktop” alternative must be plugged in to operate at any speed. Which would you rather carry to your next LAN party?

With a starting price of $1,699 and a top gaming configuration at under $4,000, the Area-51 m9750 could be the perfect big-ticket gift for that special gamer on your list.