Alienware 15: It’s built like a tank you can actually carry

How much does two inches matter? You wouldn’t think it wouldd be a huge factor, but when I reviewed the Alienware 17 I called it “staggeringly huge” and said it was “time to hit the gym” if you wanted to carry one around. Since then, I’ve spent a few weeks using the Alienware 15—a laptop with the potential to be just as powerful, but in a slightly lighter package.

And it turns out that’s good enough.

THIS ONE IS JUST RIGHT

Don’t get me wrong: The Alienware 15 is still a massive laptop, especially if you put it up against competing 15-inchers. This isn’t a Razer Blade-style device, and portability suffers. Alienware could really use a lightweight line as an alternative—and maybe we’ll start seeing those soon, as the line between Alienware and Dell begins to blur.

But I felt like the Alienware 17 was completely unmanageable. It was a set-it-and-forget-it laptop, one you plop on