The 14-inch version features a perforated strip of metal that serves as an obvious audio grille, but this area is completely solid on the larger Alienware 17. Save for that extra USB port and the obvious difference in size, the only discrepancy between the two models is the speaker bar. On the right edge lies a slot-loading optical drive, a multi-format memory card reader, an Ethernet jack and one or two more USB ports, depending on the model. There are also audio jacks for line-out (with headset support) and line-in for microphones. The left side of both machines houses two USB 3.0 SuperSpeed ports (not colored blue this time), HDMI and a Mini DisplayPort. With the exception of an additional USB port on the 17-inch model and some slight changes in location, the 14- and 17-inch Alienware laptops offer identical connectivity. It's also surprisingly uniform, not just in aesthetics, but also in port selection. Overall, it's a subtler design than we saw last time, but it certainly isn't boring or modest. The light stretches across the entire surface of the trackpad too, a bold departure from last year's model, which only had lights around the perimeter of the touchpad. Those diodes are everywhere, by the way - multiple places on the lid, underneath the keyboard and along the edges, with a thin, glowing line ringing the front and sides of the chassis.
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In a nod to past Alienware designs, the laptop features 10 distinct lighting zones that can each be customized with one of 19 colors (Dell claims a full 20, but we don't count "black" if it means "turned off"). This matte surface dulls the laptop's angled edges, which are decorated by a plethora of LED lights. The metal overhaul extends to the keyboard support brackets, screen hinges and LCD assembly too, although it isn't readily apparent under the soft rubber coating that stretches across the machine's face. Both the 14 and 17 feel incredibly solid, thanks no doubt to a sturdy magnesium alloy chassis. Unpacking the laptops, we find a brand-new generation of Alienware notebooks, built from the ground up with better materials and a fresh design.
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