Alienware Announce Small Form Factor Gaming PC: Alienware X51

Designed in-house, the Alienware X51 is touted as “the smallest desktop Alienware has ever created”. The X51 is exciting because it’s something Alienware have never attempted before. The idea behind this new model is to have the industry recognised high performance of an Alienware brand, in an affordable shell.

At somewhere between 12.5″ (back) and 13.5″ (front), the X51 is barely bigger than an Xbox 360. In fact it’s 15% the size of an Alienware Aurora.

Designed with dual-orientation in mind, you can safely sit this computer horizontally and it will look right and home amongst your set-top boxes. We’ve been assured it’s relatively quiet, too. It’s obvious from the offset that the X51 will not only make a great gaming PC, but is also ideal as a HD media centre.

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Alienware are stepping outside of their comfort zone with this one, aiming a PC at the mid-core market. Somewhere between casual and hardcore. They had great success with the M11x, the first mid-core laptop, which is current in its 3rd generation.

With the specifications below, the Alienware X51 will happily run Battlefield 3 at 77fps in 1080p, and with prices starting at only £699, we can see the X51 doing very well indeed.

Processor
• Intel® Core™ i3-2120 (3.30GHz, 3MB L3 Cache, 2C)
• Intel® Core™ i5-2320 (3.00GHz, 6MB L3 Cache, 4C)
• Intel® Core™ i7-2600 (3.40GHz, 8MB L3 Cache, 8C)

Graphics
• 1GB NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 545
• 1GB NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 555

Memory
• 4096MB (2x2GB) 1333MHz DDR3 Dual Channel
• 6144MB (1x4GB) (1x2GB) 1333MHz DDR3 Dual Channel
• 8192MB (2x4GB) 1333MHz DDR3 Dual Channel

Hard Drive
• 1TB (32MB Cache) 7,200RPM Hard Drive

Optical
• 24X Dual-Layer Burner (DVD±RW) (Standard)

Audio
• Internal High-Definition 7.1 Performance Audio with Waves MAXX Audio Software

Wireless
• Integrated 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi Wireless LAN

What’s also interesting to add, is that Alienware have used completely upgradeable parts within this small form-factor PC. Everything from the hard drive to the graphics card are standard size, for easy DIY upgrades.

Imagine the prestigious M17x in desktop form. That’s pretty much what you’re getting here, with the X51. It’s light, small, very portable, yet powerful. The perfect LAN machine, if you will.

The Alienware X51 is available for ordering, and customisation, right now via Dell.co.uk.

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