This article is missing information about additional details and history prior to the Dell acquisition.(October 2019) |
| | |
| Headquarters in 2008 | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Computer hardware |
| Founded | October 24, 1996 [1] [2] (as Saikai of Miami, Inc.) |
| Founders | Nelson Gonzalez, Alex Aguila |
| Headquarters | The Hammocks, , United States |
Key people | Michael Dell (CEO) |
| Products | Desktops Notebooks Peripherals Monitors |
Number of employees | 490 [3] |
| Parent | Dell |
| Website | dell |
Alienware Corporation is an American computer hardware subsidiary brand of Dell. Their product range is dedicated to gaming computers and accessories and can be identified by their alien-themed designs. [4] Alienware was founded in 1996 by Nelson Gonzalez and Alex Aguila. [5] [6] The development of the company is also associated with Frank Azor, [7] Arthur Lewis, [8] [9] Joe Balerdi, [10] and Michael S. Dell (CEO). The company's corporate headquarters is located in The Hammocks, Miami, Florida. [11]
Alienware was established in 1996 as Saikai of Miami, Inc. by Nelson Gonzalez and Alex Aguila, two childhood friends. It assembled desktops, notebooks, workstations, and PC gaming consoles. [12] [13] [14] [15] According to employees, the name "Alienware" was chosen because of the founders' fondness for the hit television series The X-Files , which also inspired the science-fiction themed names of product lines such as Area-51, Hangar 18, and Aurora. [16] In 1997, the corporation changed its name to Alienware.
Dell had considered buying Alienware as early as 2002, but did not go through with the purchase until March 2006. [17] [18] As a subsidiary of Dell, Alienware retains control of its design and marketing while benefiting from Dell's purchasing power, economies of scale, and supply chain, which lowered its operating costs. [18]
Initially, Dell maintained its competing XPS line of gaming PCs, often selling computers with similar specifications, which may have hurt Alienware's market share within its market segment. [19] [20] Due to corporate restructuring in the spring of 2008, the XPS brand was scaled down, and the desktop line was eliminated, leaving only XPS notebooks, [20] but XPS desktop models had returned by the end of the year. [21] Product development of gaming PCs was consolidated with Dell's gaming division, with Alienware becoming Dell's premier gaming brand. [22] [23] On June 2, 2009, The M17x was introduced as the first Alienware/Dell branded system. This launch also expanded Alienware's global reach from six to 35 countries while supporting 17 different languages. [24]
Alienware announced that it would be releasing a series of video game consoles starting in 2014, aiming to compete with Sony's PlayStation 4, Nintendo's Wii U, and Microsoft's Xbox One. [25] The first version in this series, the Alpha, ran Windows 8.1. [26] The operating system and ability to play PC games is what separates the Alpha from the eighth generation of video game consoles. At the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2016 (E3 2016), Alienware announced the second rendition of the Alpha, the Alpha R2. The R2 adds 6th generation Intel processors, a choice of either AMD's Radeon R9 M470X or Nvidia's GeForce 960 graphics cards, and support for Alienware's proprietary Graphics Amplifier. It also ships with Windows 10. [27]
The Graphics Amplifier allows an Alienware laptop to run most full length (or smaller, non-hybrid) desktop GPUs. [28] A proprietary PCIe 3.0 ×4 cable is used instead of the Thunderbolt 3 cable used on most other eGPUs. [29]
In 2012, Alienware announced that they would discontinue the M11x model due to decreasing consumer interest in small form factor gaming laptops. [49] The company went on to offer refreshed models for the rest of their laptop range: the M14x, M17x, and M18x. [50]
| Model | Display | Processor | Chipset | Graphics | RAM | Storage | Networking | Audio | Battery | Operating system |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 Inch | ||||||||||
| M11x (Early 2010) | 11.6"
|
(Soldered) | GS45 |
(Soldered) | 2GB, 4GB, and 8GB (2x DDR3 So-DIMM) |
| Realtek ALC665 |
| ||
| M11x-R2 (Late 2010) | 11.6"
| 1st Gen Intel Core i ULV
(Soldered) | QS57 |
(Soldered) | 2GB, 4GB, and 8GB (2x DDR3 So-DIMM) |
|
| |||
| M11x-R3 (2011) | 11.6"
| 2nd Gen Intel Core i ULV
(Soldered) | QS67 |
(Soldered) | 2GB, 4GB, and 8GB (2x DDR3 So-DIMM) |
|
| |||
| 13 Inch | ||||||||||
| Alienware 13 | 13.3"
| 4th/5th Gen Intel Core i5 5th Gen Intel Core i7 (Soldered) |
(Soldered) | 8GB, 12GB, and 16GB (2x DDR3L So-DIMM) | Realtek ALC3234 w/ Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi MB3 |
| ||||
| Alienware 13 R2 | 13.3"
| 6th Gen Intel Core i5/i7 (Soldered) |
(Soldered) | 8GB, 12GB, and 16GB (2x DDR3L So-DIMM) | Realtek ALC3234 w/ Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi MB3 |
| ||||
| Alienware 13 R3 | 13.3"
| 6th Gen Intel Core i5/i7
7th Gen Intel Core i5/i7
(Soldered) | HM170 HM175 |
(Soldered) | 8GB, 16GB, and 32GB (2x DDR4 So-DIMM) |
| Realtek ALC3266 |
| ||
| 14 Inch | ||||||||||
| M14x (2011) | 14"
| 2nd Gen Intel Core i5/i7 (Socket G2) | HM67 |
(Soldered) | 2GB, 4GB, and 8GB (2x DDR3 So-DIMM) |
| Realtek ALC665-GR |
| ||
| M14x-R2 (2012) | 14"
| 2nd Gen Intel Core i5 3rd Gen Intel Core i5/i7 (Socket G2) | HM77 |
(Soldered) | 2GB, 4GB, and 8GB (2x DDR3 So-DIMM) |
| Creative Sound Blaster Recon3Di High-Definition 5.1 |
| ||
| Alienware 14 (2013) | 14"
| 4th Gen Intel Core i5/i7 (Socket G3) | HM87 |
(Soldered) | 8GB, 12GB, and 16GB (2x DDR3L So-DIMM) |
| Realtek ALC3661 |
| ||
| Alienware x14 (2022) | 14"
| 12th Gen Intel Core i5/i7
(Soldered) | (SOC) |
(Soldered) |
(Soldered) |
| Killer AX1690i AX211 | Realtek ALC3281-CG |
| |
| 15 Inch | ||||||||||
| M15x (2009) | 15.6"
| 1st Gen Intel Core i3/i5/i7 (Socket G1) | PM55 | (MXM 3.0B) | 2GB, 4GB, and 8GB (2x DDR3 So-DIMM) |
| IDT 92HD83 |
| ||
| Alienware 15 (2015) | 15.6"
| 4th Gen Intel Core i5/i7 (Soldered) | HM87 |
(Soldered) | 8GB, 12GB, and 16GB (2x DDR3L So-DIMM) |
| Creative Sound Core3D-EX w/Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi MB3 |
| ||
| Alienware 15 R2 (2015) | 15.6"
| 6th Gen Intel Core i5/i7 (Soldered) | HM170 |
(Soldered) | 8GB - 32GB 2133Mhz (2x DDR4 So-DIMM) |
| Creative Sound Core 3D w/SBX Pro Studio |
| ||
| Alienware 15 R3 (2016) | 15.6"
| 6th Gen Intel Core i5/i7
7th Gen Intel Core i7
(Soldered) | CM236 CM238 |
(Soldered) | 8GB - 32GB 2666Mhz (2x DDR4 So-DIMM) |
| Realtek ALC3266 |
| ||
| Alienware 15 R4 (2018) | 15.6"
| 8th Gen Intel Core i5/i7/i9
(Soldered) | CM246 |
(Soldered) | 8GB - 64GB 2666Mhz (2x DDR4 So-DIMM) |
| Realtek ALC3266 |
| ||
| Alienware M15 (2018) | 15.6"
| 8th Gen Intel Core i5/i7/i9 9th Gen Intel Core i7 (Soldered) | HM370 |
(Soldered) | 8GB, 16GB, and 32GB (2x DDR4 So-DIMM) |
| Realtek ALC3281-CG |
| ||
| Alienware M15 R2 (2019) | ||||||||||
| Alienware M15 R3 (2020) | ||||||||||
| Alienware M15 R4 (Early 2021) | ||||||||||
| Alienware M15 R5 (Mid 2021) | ||||||||||
| Alienware M15 R6 (Mid 2021) | ||||||||||
| Alienware M15 R7 (2022) | ||||||||||
| Alienware x15 (2021) | ||||||||||
| Alienware x15 R2 (2022) | ||||||||||
| 16 Inch | ||||||||||
| Alienware m16 (2023) | ||||||||||
| 17 Inch | ||||||||||
| Alienware M17x (2009) | 17.3"
| Intel Core 2 Duo/Quad (Socket P) | Nvidia GeForce 9400M G | (2x MXM 3.0B) | 4GB, 6GB, and 8GB (2x DDR3 So-DIMM) |
| IDT 92HD73 |
| ||
| Alienware M17x-R2 (2010) | 17.3"
| 1st Gen Intel Core i5/i7 (Socket G1) | PM55 | (2x MXM 3.0B) | 4GB, 6GB, and 8GB (2x DDR3 So-DIMM) |
| IDT 92HD73 |
| ||
| Alienware M17x-R3 (2011) | 17.3"
| 2nd Gen Intel Core i5/i7 (Socket G2) | HM67 |
(MXM 3.0B) | 8GB, 12GB, 16GB, 24GB, and 32GB (4x DDR3 So-DIMM) |
| IDT 92HD73 |
| ||
| Alienware M17x-R4 (2012) | 17.3"
| 2nd/3rd Gen Intel Core i5/i7 (Socket G2) | HM77 |
(MXM 3.0B) | 8GB, 12GB, 16GB, 24GB, and 32GB (4x DDR3 So-DIMM) |
| Intel High-Definition 5.1 |
| ||
| Alienware 17 (M17x-R5) (2013) | 17.3"
| 4th Gen Intel Core i5/i7 (Socket G3) | HM87 |
(MXM 3.0B) | 8GB, 12GB, 16GB, 24GB, and 32GB (4x DDR3L So-DIMM) |
| Realtek ALC3661 |
| ||
| Alienware 17 R2 (2015) | 17.3"
| 4th Gen Intel Core i5/i7 (Soldered) | HM87 |
(Soldered) | 8GB, 12GB, and 16GB (2x DDR3L So-DIMM) |
| Creative Sound Core3D-EX w/Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi MB3 |
| ||
| Alienware 17 R3 (2015) | 17.3"
| 6th Gen Intel Core i5/i7 (Soldered) | HM170 |
(Soldered) | 8GB - 32GB 2133Mhz (2x DDR4 So-DIMM) |
| Creative Sound Core 3D w/SBX Pro Studio |
| ||
| Alienware 17 R4 (2016) | 17.3"
| 6th Gen Intel Core i5/i7
7th Gen Intel Core i7
(Soldered) | CM236 CM238 |
(Soldered) | 8GB - 32GB 2666Mhz (2x DDR4 So-DIMM) |
| Realtek ALC3266 |
| ||
| Alienware 17 R5 (2018) | 17.3"
| 8th Gen Intel Core i5/i7/i9
(Soldered) | CM246 |
(Soldered) | 8GB - 64GB 2666Mhz (2x DDR4 So-DIMM) |
| Realtek ALC3266 |
| ||
| Alienware M17 (2018) | 17.3"
| 8th Gen Intel Core i5/i7/i9 9th Gen Intel Core i7 (Soldered) | HM370 |
(Soldered) | 8GB - 32GB 2666Mhz (2x DDR4 So-DIMM) |
| Realtek ALC3281-CG |
| ||
| Alienware M17 R2 (2019) | 17.3"
| 9th Gen Intel Core i5/i7/i9 (Soldered) | HM370 |
(Soldered) |
(Soldered) |
| Realtek ALC3281-CG |
| ||
| Alienware M17 R3 (2020) | 17.3"
| 10th Gen Intel Core i5/i7/i9
(Soldered) | HM470 |
(Soldered) |
(Soldered) |
| Realtek ALC3281-CG |
| ||
| Alienware M17 R4 (2021) | ||||||||||
| Alienware M17 R5 (2022) | ||||||||||
| Alienware X17 (2021) | ||||||||||
| Alienware X17 R2 (2022) | ||||||||||
| Alienware Area 51m (2019) | 17.3"
| 8th/9th Gen Intel Core i7/i9 (Socket LGA1151) | Z390 |
(DGFF) | 8GB - 64GB 2400Mhz (2933Mhz XMP) (4x DDR4 So-DIMM) |
| Realtek ALC3282-CG |
| ||
| Alienware Area 51m R2 (2020) | 17.3"
| 10th Gen Intel Core i7/i9 (Socket LGA1200) | Z490 |
(DGFF) | 8GB - 64GB 2933Mhz (3200Mhz XMP) (2x DDR4 So-DIMM) |
| Realtek ALC3282-CG |
| ||
Aurora
Aurora ALX
Area-51
Area-51 Threadripper Edition
X51
Alienware Alpha
Alienware monitors use a standard naming convention system for their product names.
The ending characters represent a mix of features, as follows.