Dan Ackerman leads CNET's coverage of computers and gaming hardware. A New York native and former radio DJ, he's also a regular TV talking head and the author of "The Tetris Effect" ...

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.

Most hardcore gamers couldn't care less about how a gaming laptop looks. Give them the fastest processor and most powerful 3D graphics card and let them get on with the show. While most gaming laptop ...