If you told me two years ago that Alienware would be selling an 11.6” gaming laptop I would have called you insane, yet here we are. The reason I would have doubted the future of such a laptop is the engineering challenge that exists whenever powerful hardware is crammed into a small frame. Gaming laptops are generally thick, heavy monsters with displays over 15 inches because that's the size required to pack in and cool gaming hardware. And what does the M11x pack in?

Gamers who already have a gaming desktop or large gaming laptop, however, should consider the M11x as a second system. The ultraportable market is terrible for gamers. Most 11 to 13 inch systems struggle even with older 3D games, and even those that offer passable gaming performance are two to three times slower than the M11x in modern games.

Yes, the M11 is expensive, but the M11x also breaks new ground. It is the first truly portable gaming computer. Even the smallest 15-inch gaming laptop is a monster in comparison. Cutting edge products like the M11x are aren’t cheap, but buying something that pushes the boundaries of what is possible is often its own reward.