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Alienware teases new X-Series laptops with exotic cooling solution

Its latest Alienware m15 laptops use 11th-gen Intel CPUs and up to RTX 3080 graphics.

Dell

Dell has teased an upcoming Alienware laptop lineup called the X-Series offering improved thermal performance using new materials. The company also unveiled its latest Alienware m15 R6 laptop with 11th-generation Intel CPUs and RTX 3080 mobile graphics.

The company didn't reveal a lot about the X-Series, other than a few details on the thermal design and a short video. The main gist is that the X-Series will use a new thermal interface material (TIM), likely a pad rather than a paste, that it calls "Element 31." It's made of gallium-silicone that supposedly provides "a decrease to overall thermal resistance over the previous generation and extraordinary improvement in contact resistance as shown in preliminary testing."

It also uses Alienware's new patent-pending Quad-Fan design that "produces dedicated airflow using evacuative fans and dual opposite outlet fans." That extra airflow allows for high performance with a very thin design, the company said, as you can see in the video above. As a tradeoff for the fans occupying more space, there appears to be very little space for connectivity on the side, so the back of the laptop is now filled with ports. Dell also revealed that, not surprisingly, the X-Series laptops will use 11th-gen Intel CPUs and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 30-series graphics. There's no word yet on pricing or availability for the X-Series.

Alienware teases new X-Series laptops with exotic cooling solution
Alienware teases new X-Series laptops with exotic cooling solution (Dell)

More tangibly, Dell also unveiled its latest Alienware m15 R6 laptop. It's available with Intel's 11th-gen CPUs with 6-core i5-11400H, 8-core i7-11800H and 8-core i9-11900H CPUs, and graphics options ranging from NVIDIA's latest RTX 3050 Ti up to RTX 3080 GPUs.

As for displays, you can get it with 1080p 165 Hz, 1080p 360 Hz and QuadHD (2,560 x 1,440) at up to 240 Hz models. The latter two support NVIDIA G-Sync and Advanced Optimus technology and include an IR camera supporting Windows Hello biometrics. It also supports up to 32GB of RAM (user upgradeable) and 4TB of storage. Other features include an RJ-45 ethernet NIC port, headset jack, Type-C Thunderbolt 4 and USB 3.2 Gen 3 ports, with the latter supporting Thunderbolt 4 on RTX 3060 and higher configurations. The Alienware m15 arrives this summer starting at $1,300.

Dell Alienware m15 (R5) non-touch gaming notebook computer, codename Ark AMD
Dell Alienware m15 (R5) non-touch gaming notebook computer, codename Ark AMD (Dell)

Finally, Dell unveiled its latest G15 budget gaming laptop. It supports up to a 6-core, 11th-gen Intel core-i7 CPU and RTX 30-series graphics, though Dell didn't specify which RTX models specificall. It also comes with a 15.6-inch 1080p 120 Hz display or optional 165 Hz display. That model arrives this summer starting at $950.