Thin and light laptops like the Alienware X14 are becoming more popular as mobile PC parts become more power-efficient. PC manufacturers improve their ability to develop cooling systems that take up less space. You should’ve already seen a few laptops attempt to combine high power and low weight in a single casing, but Alienware is now throwing its famed hat – and design – into the ring.
It also results in one of the smallest and lightest gaming laptops. This laptop is only 0.57 inches thick and weighs a little under 4 pounds, making it ideal for carrying a backpack. However, it does not compromise power to fit within that chassis. It comes with an Intel Core i7-12700H processor, 32GB of RAM, and an RTX 3060 graphics card. That isn’t the most capable hardware on the market, but it is more than most laptops of this size.
What will you see here?
Price and Availability:
The Alienware X14 is now available for $1,649. This includes a 12th-gen Intel Core i7 CPU, 16GB of RAM, and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 GPU. That should be plenty for most esports games and will be more than able to handle most AAA games, mainly if DLSS is used.
If you need more gaming power, you can upgrade the GPU to an Nvidia Geforce 3060 plus 16GB of RAM and just a 1TB SSD for $1,849. Also, the pricing is quite reasonable, comparable to other gaming laptops with similar capabilities, including all favorite low-profile gaming laptops, including the Razer Blade 14.
The setup costs $2,299; it includes 32GB of RAM and a 2TB SSD. This is excessive RAM and storage space, particularly on a gaming laptop equipped with an RTX 3060. However, this maximum configuration is rather modest in terms of Alienware computers.
Design of Alienware X14
When you take the Alienware X14 out of the box and look at it, you’ll notice how slim it is. When you take it up and see how lightweight it is, it’s easy to overlook that you’re holding a gaming laptop.
This is a slightly more than half an inch laptop and weighs roughly 4lb. In many aspects, it has a similar look to a MacBook Pro or a Dell XPS 15 but with a bit of gaming power behind it. The bulge on the rear, on the other hand, adds some heft to the laptop’s profile.
The vents back here carry a lot of the hot air, and this is also where every single port is located. However, although it is helpful in a time when you put it on a table or anything, it does sadly increase the Alienware X14’s footprint. This protrusion makes it harder to fit in a bag. Also, if you were previously struggling to put a 14-inch laptop in your bag, you may need to upgrade to a giant backpack. This folds up like a 15-inch laptop rather than a 14-inch laptop.
This is the only Alienware laptop that relies on a USB-C charger as its primary charging method. The charger included in the package is identical to the one included with the XPS 15, and it works well with our Macbook charger. On the other hand, the smaller charging cord makes up for it. With more and more gadgets adopting USB-C charging, it’s good to have a gaming laptop that doesn’t require a separate charger.
Display
The display is also excellent. It has a 14-inch 1080p screen with a refresh rate of 144Hz. It has an average brightness of 377 nits, which should be sufficient for most individuals. Also, it achieves 109% of the sRGB color spectrum, indicating that it is exceptionally vibrant. It’s not the most gorgeous or brilliant display in the industry, but it’s quick and precise enough that gamers will appreciate it.
Keyboard and Touchpad
The keyboard is also surprisingly robust for such a little notebook. Going flat out on the keys isn’t quite as substantial and alarming as on other chiclet-style keyboards. The trackpad is also quite good, precise, and has a pleasant clicking function.
Ports
Regarding the connectors stated earlier, there are two Thunderbolt 4 connections, one regular USB-C charging port, one HDMI, one USB-A port, and a microSD card reader and headphone jack. Compared to other gaming laptops, this is a touch inadequate, but given the size of the computer.
Sound
Also, the speakers are rather lovely for a gadget of this size. The only area where they fall short is in bass output. The powerful bass in the background, on the other hand, is muted by the Alienware X14’s feeble woofers. In games, things like explosives and gunfire aren’t as straightforward as they might be, but you should be using gaming headphones anyway. However, it’s a shame there’s just one USB-A slot.
Performance of Alienware X14
While this is a tiny and light gaming laptop, it is far from well-specced. This is outfitted with an Nvidia Geforce 3060, and unlike the one found in the XPS 17, it is a 75W variant of the portable GPU. However, it is pretty close to the full-fat 80W limit for this piece of hardware.
In Metro Exodus at Ultra settings in 4K, the Alienware X14 achieves just under 50 fps, and with DLSS enabled, that easily exceeds 60 fps. Similarly, this laptop performs 52 frames per second on the Ultra setting in Total War: Three Kingdoms.
The CPU in here, the Alder Lake-H, continues to impress. This is a Core i7 setup that easily outperforms its 11th-generation counterpart. It even matches an 11th-generation Core i9 CPU used in significantly bulkier laptops such as the Dell XPS 17 and the Alienware x17.
CPU-intensive operations like picture and video editing will be a breeze, and the Core i7-Efficiency 12700H’s Cores will ensure that bothersome background chores should not get in the way of getting things done.
Battery Life of Alienware X14
Said, the Alienware X14’s Achilles Heel is its battery. This gaming laptop only lasts around five and a half hours.
This is most likely due to the X14’s 80Whr battery rather than the 99WHr batteries seen in many gaming laptops. That was undoubtedly done to keep the computer as small and light as possible, but it does imply that you’ll need to carry along a charger. However, the plus side is that you can recharge this laptop with almost any USB-C charger you have sitting around.
Camera
Because telecommuting is growing more popular, good webcams are more crucial than ever, yet the Alienware X14‘s camera is quite mediocre. It has a 720p sensor and produces photos that aren’t highly detailed. The illumination is also poor, implying that you won’t be making video calls on this laptop anytime soon.
It does include IR, so it supports Windows Hello, and that’s about the only positive aspect of this camera. Dell has been installing better webcams in its other laptops.
Features and Software
The Alienware X14, like any other Alienware or Dell laptop, comes with Dell’s proprietary software. However, everything is easily integrated into a single launcher called My Alienware. You may download updates, access Alienware Command Center, and perform other support-related operations from here.
The Alienware Command Center is still where you’ll find all the RGB lighting performance profiles and settings. It will also allow you to scan your PC for games, starting your whole collection from a single app instead of navigating through a slew of separate shops. It’s a great touch, but you can obtain the same experience by installing GOG Galaxy.
Conclusion
The Alienware X14 is a lovely small gaming laptop that can easily keep you gaming on the road due to its excellent performance and lightweight design. However, the battery capacity is a tad short, and you’ll have to make up with a mediocre webcam.
