Alienware Unveil Console Like PC – Alienware X51

Alienware’s officially unveiled its cheaper, ‘console-like’ PC, the Alienware X51.

Showing off a new, smaller form-factor (only slightly larger than an Xbox 360) and capable of running Battlefield 3 at full specifications, the X51 is aimed at “the mass market”, says Alienware.

The starter model is £699 – so it’s only ‘cheaper’ compared to Alienware’s other systems, and it includes a 3.3 GHz Intel Core i3-2120 processor, Nvidia Geforce GT545 graphics card, 4GB of DDR3 RAM and a 1TB hard drive.

The more advanced model costs £999 which includes 8 Gigs of RAM, an Intel Core i7-2600 processor and a Nvidia Geforce GTX 555 graphics card.

That will give you up to 77 frames per second from Battlefield 3, according to Alienware. All systems are completely upgradeable.

“I don’t personally believe you can offer a system that offers a better gaming performance within that form-factor or even that there is anything close,” Eoin Leyden, Alienware’s senior product consultant told TechRadar.

“I asked one of our designers what cool thing I should be telling people in the briefings and he said, ‘Tell them that we managed to make it all fit in’!”

Leyden explained that Alienware is keen to tap into the growing group of gamers that do not have the fund for a powerful gaming machine.

“Desktop as a category has been declining, and the only shining light has been small and ultra-small form factor PCs,” he added. “These PCs have been predominantly digital hubs for the living room that have no regard for the gaming population at all.”

“Some of that has been partly driven by price, but also the heat generated by gaming systems is a problem.”

You could easily build a computer of your own with similar specs for a lot less, but you would struggle to make one that looks this good.