For the original German review, see here.

One of the biggest advantages of Alienware notebooks is the individual configuration. Potential customers can configure almost all components according to their requirements on the Dell website (parent group); the configurator displays different options depending on the base configuration.

While the color of the case - contrary to the predecessors - cannot be changed, you can choose between a Core i7-4700MQ (2.4-3.4 GHz), Core i7-4800MQ (2.7-3.7 GHz) or Core i7-4900MQ (2.8-3.8 GHz) CPU. There are currently only two options for the graphics card: Besides the GeForce GT 750M (mainstream) you can also select the more powerful GeForce GTX 765M (high-end).

You can choose between an HD display with a resolution of 1366x768 pixels or a sharper Full HD display with 1920x1080 pixels; a matching Blu-ray drive is also available. Wireless internet is provided by modules from Broadcom or Qualcomm Atheros (Killer NIC 1202).

We already know that upgrades are usually expensive for Dell or Alienware notebooks, which is also the case for the memory. Why is an upgrade from 8 to 16 GB RAM around 200 Euros (~$265) if you can buy an 8 GB module for around 70 Euros (~$92)?

A storage upgrade is also quite expensive, although the additional charges are easier to understand. If you want an mSATA SSD besides a conventional HDD (750 GB, 7200 rpm) you have to pay between 150 Euros (~$198) for the 64 GB version (can only be used as a cache) and 300 Euros (~$397) for the 256 GB version. Very good: Windows 7 will be preinstalled if you request it.

The price of the notebook starts at 1,249 Euros (~$1655) but with a few upgrades it will easily reach 1,500 or even 2,000 Euros (~$1988 to over ~$2651). The price of our review configuration is currently 1,900 Euros (~$2519).

