Alienware gaming laptops are built to incite envy. Their designs, which resemble a coat of armor with gill-like ridges, topped off by the signature alien head logo, are sleek and otherworldly.

Alienware kicked off this year with some really cool conceptual projects like the Nyx for gaming, but it looks like they also want to stay current with the products they actually have on the market.

The latest entry in Alienware's M series of full-size high-end gaming laptops, the m17 R5 (starts at $1,599.99; $2,649.99 as tested) pushes the power envelope with an under-the-hood update to the m17 ...