Alienware M14x, M17x and M18x gaming laptops now with Ivy Bridge

Alienware M17x (pictured), M14x, and M18x gaming laptops now offer Intel's 3rd-gen Core i5 and i7 processors

Hot on the heels of last week’s preview of Intel’s 3rd-generation Core i5 and i7 Ivy Bridge mobile processors, Dell’s Alienware high performance PC gaming brand has announced Ivy Bridge availability in its refreshed M14x, M17x, and M18x gaming laptops. The three units also get new GPU and storage options, a dedicated Creative Sound Blaster chip, and THX TruStudio software.

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Starting with the baby of the range, the M14x marks the first time Alienware is offering GDDR5 graphics in a 14-inch form factor with the NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M graphics card. It also features dual drive configurations, up to 16 GB of RAM, and a Blu-ray combo drive.

The M17x adds AMD graphics card options to the mix, ups the RAM to 32 GB, and offers a 17.3-inch 120 Hz WideFHD WLED 3D display and THX 3D surround sound as options.

Meanwhile, the flagship M18x is designed to give high-performance gaming desktop units a run for their money, with up to 200 w of graphics grunt when configured with the optional Dual NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675M in SLI – a dual AMD Radeon HD 7970m with CrossFire will also be available in the coming weeks. The unit also boasts an 18.4-inch Full HD 1080p WLED backlit LCD and storage options that include up to 750 GB 7200 rpm SATA HDDs, and support for triple SSDs providing up to 768 GB (3 x 256 GB) of solid state storage.

All three feature the aforementioned 3rd-gen processors from Intel with Intel Turbo Boost 2.0, along with HDMI 1.4, USB 3.0, Bluetooth 4.0, optional 3D HD gaming capabilities, optional Blu-ray drive, and Klipsch speakers.

The standard configurations start at US$1,099 for the M14x, $1,499 for the M17x, and $1,999 for the M18x. All are available now via Dell and Alienware.

Here’s the full list of configuration options:

Alienware M14x

• 2nd and 3rd Generation Intel Core i5 and i7 Processor Options
• Intel Core i5-2450M 2.5GHz (3.1GHz w/Turbo Boost, 3MB Cache) (Standard)
• Intel Core i7-3610QM 2.3GHz (3.3GHz w/Turbo Boost, 6MB Cache)
• Intel Core i7-3720QM 2.6GHz (3.6GHz w/Turbo Boost, 6MB Cache)
• Intel Core i7-3820QM 2.7GHz (3.7GHz w/Turbo Boost, 8MB Cache)

• Powerful NVIDIA Graphics Card Options
• 1GB GDDR5 NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M using NVIDIA Optimus technology[ii] (Standard)
• 2GB GDDR5 NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M using NVIDIA Optimus technology[ii]

• 14-inch WLED HD display (1366X768) (Standard) or optional 14-inch WLED HD+ display (1600X900)
• Configure with up to 16GB of DDR3 Memory[ii] (6GB Standard); 2x 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM SDRAM Slots
• Configure with up to 750GB 7200RPM drive[iii] (500GB standard) or up to 512GB Solid State Drive[iii]
• RAID 1 and 0, and Dual Drive options available
• mSATA Boot and Caching Drive Options available
• Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium, Professional and Ultimate available
• 1.3MP HD Camera with dual digital microphones
• Slot-Loading DVD drive (Standard) or optional Blu-ray Disc Reader
• Creative Sound Blaster Recon3Di High-Definition 5.1 Audio with THX TruStudio Pro Software (Standard) or 2.1 Speaker configuration with Subwoofer Audio Powered by Klipsch; 7.1 Digital Audio out using HDMI out connection or S/PDIF Optical port
• Integrated 10/100/1000Mbps Gigabit Ethernet NIC and Integrated Wireless-N with Bluetooth 4.0 (standard); optional WiMax configuration available
• USB 3.0 (2); USB 2.0; Mini-Display Port; HDMI 1.4 Output; VGA Port; 9-in-1 Media Card Reader; Audio/Microphone In; Audio Out; RJ-45 Gigabit Ethernet

Alienware M17x

• 3rd Generation Intel Core i7 Processor Options
• Intel Core i7-3610QM 2.3GHz (3.3GHz w/Turbo Boost, 6MB Cache) (Standard)
• Intel Core i7-3720QM 2.6GHz (3.6GHz w/Turbo Boost, 6MB Cache)
• Intel Core i7-3820QM 2.7GHz (3.7GHz w/Turbo Boost, 8MB Cache)
• Powerful NVIDIA and AMD Graphics Card Options
• 2GB GDDR5 NVIDIA GeForce GT 660M[ii] (Standard)
• 2GB GDDR5 NVIDIA GeForce GT 675M[ii]
• 2GB GDDR5 AMD Radeon HD 7970M[ii]
• 17.3" WideHD+ (1600 x 900 ) WLED LCD (Standard); optional: 17.3" WideFHD (1920 x 1080) WLED LCD or 17.3" 120Hz WideFHD (1920 x 1080) WLED LCD w/3D Bundle
• Configure with up to 32GB of DDR3 Memory[ii] (6GB 1600MHz Standard); 4x 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM SDRAM Slots
• Configure with up to 1TB (2x 500GB) RAID0 7200RPM drive[iii](500GB standard) or up to 512GB Solid State Drive[iii]
• RAID 1 and 0, and Dual Drive options available
• mSATA Boot and Caching Drive Options available
• Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium, Professional and Ultimate available
• 2.1MP FullHD Camera with dual digital microphones
• Slot-Loading DVD drive (Standard) or optional Blu-ray Disc Reader
• Creative Sound Blaster Recon3Di High-Definition 5.1 Audio with THX TruStudio Pro Software (Standard) or 2.1 Speaker configuration with Subwoofer Audio Powered by Klipsch; 7.1 Digital Audio out using HDMI out connection or S/PDIF Optical port
• Integrated 10/100/1000Mbps Gigabit Ethernet NIC and Integrated Wireless-N with Bluetooth 4.0 (standard); optional WiMax configuration available
• USB 3.0 (4); USB 2.0 and eSATA combo port; Auto-sensing jacks for Line-out (3); Microphone In; Mini-Display Port; HDMI 1.4 Output; HDMI 1.3 Input; VGA Port; 9-in-1 Media Card Reader; RJ-45 Gigabit Ethernet

Alienware M18x

• 3rd Generation Intel Core i7 Processor Options
• Intel Core i7-3610QM 2.3GHz (3.3GHz w/Turbo Boost, 6MB Cache) (Standard)
• Intel Core i7-3720QM 2.6GHz (3.6GHz w/Turbo Boost, 6MB Cache)
• Intel Core i7-3820QM 2.7GHz (3.7GHz w/Turbo Boost, 8MB Cache)
• Intel Core i7-3920XM 2.9GHz (3.8GHz w/Turbo Boost, 8MB Cache)
• Intel Core i7-3920XM Overclocked Turbo Boost (8MB Cache)
• Powerful NVIDIA and AMD Graphics Card Options
• 2GB GDDR5 NVIDIA GeForce GT 660M[ii] (Standard)
• 2GB GDDR5 NVIDIA GeForce GT 675M[ii]
• Dual 2GB GDDR5 AMD Radeon HD 7970M - AMD CrossFireX[ii] (coming soon)
• Dual 2GB GDDR5 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675M - NVIDIA SLI[ii]
• 18.4 inch WLED WideFHD display (1920 X 1080)
• Configure with up to 32GB of DDR3 Memoryii or 8GB 1866MHz (4GB 1600MHz Standard); 4x 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM SDRAM Slots
• Configure with up to 750GB 7200RPM SATA drive[iii] (500GB standard)
• RAID 1 and 0, Dual and Triple Drive options available
• mSATA Boot and Caching Drive Options available
• Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium, Professional and Ultimate available
• 2.1MP FullHD Camera with dual digital microphones
• Slot-Loading DVD drive (Standard) or optional Blu-ray Disc Reader
• Creative Sound Blaster Recon3Di High-Definition 5.1 Audio with THX TruStudio Pro Software (Standard) or 2.1 Speaker configuration with Subwoofer Audio Powered by Klipsch; 7.1 Digital Audio out using HDMI out connection or S/PDIF Optical port
• Integrated 10/100/1000Mbps Gigabit Ethernet NIC and Integrated Wireless-N with Bluetooth 4.0 (standard)
• USB 3.0 (4); USB 2.0 and eSATA combo port; Auto Out Ports (2); Microphone In; Mini-Display Port; HDMI 1.4 Output; HDMI 1.3 Input; VGA Port; 9-in-1 Media Card Reader; RJ-45 Gigabit Ethernet; Combo S/PDIF Optical output / Analog Headphone Line Out.