Dell is cranking up laptop performance with an overclocked 4.4GHz
Intel Core i7 chip in its new Alienware 18 laptop, which is targeted at
gamers.
The company on Thursday also announced an Alienware 17 laptop with
optional Core i7 chips with clock speeds surpassing the 4.0GHz
threshold. Processors running at that frequency are rare in laptops,
though they can be found in gaming desktops.
Higher clock speeds boost PC performance, and gamers typically
overclock CPUs to run faster. Intel and Advanced Micro Devices
consistently crank up desktop CPU clock speeds in an ongoing battle to
gain the desktop performance crown.
Over the past decade, chip makers
reverted to adding more cores instead of cranking up clock speeds to
balance system performance and power consumption. Laptop chips mostly
operate at frequencies between 1.4GHz and 3GHz, and most users won't
need 4GHz laptops. But gamers love the extra performance to run intense
games.
Dell overclocked the fourth-generation Intel Core i7-4940MX processor
in the Alienware 18 to run at 4.4GHz, making it the chip maker's
fastest mobile processor. An optional Core i7-4910MQ processor in
Alienware 17 has a frequency of 4.1GHz.
The 4.4GHz chip could generate a lot of heat, and Dell did some tweaking to fit the processor in the laptop's small frame.
"Alienware engineers really got creative and developed a new thermal
solution to ensure reliable and cool operation in such a small system,"
Intel said in a blog entry.
The laptops use chips based on the Haswell microarchitecture.
The customizable Alienware 17, which has a 17.3-inch screen, starts
at US$1,399, and is also available with slower Core processors and an
Nvidia graphics card. A 3D display is optional.
The Alienware 18, which has an 18.4-inch screen, is priced starting
at $2,099. It supports dual-graphics Nvidia or Advanced Micro Devices
graphics cards.
The laptops support 32GB of RAM. Battery life of the laptops wasn't immediately available, but expect it to be just a few hours.
Agam Shah covers PCs, tablets, servers, chips and semiconductors for IDG News Service. Follow Agam on Twitter at @agamsh. Agam's e-mail address is agam_shah@idg.com
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