UPDATED May 2012: $50 off an Alienware M14x R2 configured at $1,499+.

• Visit Dell to configure
• Use the following coupon code: BHW1L0MX0D?MCX

The latest offer includes a $50 off coupon as well as free shipping.

There are no restrictions on how you can configure the M14x to be able to use this coupon, but it requires the laptop to be configured at $1,499 or more. The GPU is now the brand new Nvidia GeForce GT 650M with either 1 GB or 2 GB of GDDR5 video RAM, and the processor choices range from a 2nd-gen Intel Core i5 (dual core) to a 3rd-gen (Ivy Bridge quad-core i7-3820QM; 4 GB of RAM is included with an option for up to 16 GB. The hard drive or solid state drive options now includes RAID 0 setups, or a mechanical drive plus an mSATA SSD cache drive as a more affordable alternative for speeding up boot and load times.

We reviewed the first M14x a while back and were very impressed with the machine. It is now even more powerful and keeps its title as the most powerful 14-inch gaming laptop on the planet.

Alienware’s 14-inch M14x is a member of the Alienware family designed for users who neither want a desktop replacement or an ultraportable. The processor options for the M14x are all from the latest 2nd-gen Intel Core series, starting at a dual-core Core i5, but configurable up to a quad-core Ivy Bridge 3rd-generation Core i7 CPUs. The new and improved Turbo Boost feature overclocks the processor automatically to achieve optimal performance; the 3610QM which runs at 2.3GHz (3.3 GHz with Turbo Boost), the 3720QM running at 2.6 GHz (3.6 GHz with Turbo Boost), and the 3860QM which is clocked at 2.7 GHz and goes up to 3.7 GHz with Turbo Boost. These CPUs are also equipped with Hyperthreading that lets them handle two threads per processor core (4 cores shows up as 8 cores in the operating system).

It can now be equipped with up to 16 GB of 1600MHz or 1866MHz DDR3, 750 GB or 1,000 GB 7200rpm hard drives or a dual 256GB SSDs. The most important component for gamers is the Nvidia GeForce GT 650M GPU, which is available with either 1 GB or 2 GB of GDDR5 video RAM. The GT 650M has no less than 384 CUDA cores and is probably the fastest card you can find in a 14-inch laptop. Again compared to the previous GT 555M, the 655M is based on an entirely new architecture and produces in 28nm instead of 40nm.

The display options are either a 1366×768 panel or one with the higher 1600×900 resolution. Regardless of which you choose, the GT 650M GPU will let you run all of the latest games at the laptop’s native resolution. Both option also come with a 2 megapixel webcam built into the bezel. A couple of other nice additions for the latest Alienware laptops is that they come with two USB 3.0 ports and HDMI 1.4 out for external 3D capability. There’s also a slot-loading optical drive included.

A WirelessHD transmitter is an optional add-on that lets you send a Full HD signal straight to your HDTV with more or less the same performance as you would get with a cable. You can opt for just the transmitter or one bundled with the universal VIZIO XWH200 audio/video receiver. Just like all of the other Alienware laptops, the M14x also comes with the full-custom AlienFX backlighting system that will light up your system in a variety of different colors of your choosing, as well as a personalized laser etched nameplate. You can even get it with Steam and Portal, World of Warcraft or Eve Online preinstalled for your convenience.

A quick overview of the M14x:

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