Dell releases slimmed down versions of its Alienware 15 and 17 gaming laptops

After releasing the stunning XPS 13 laptop and incredibly thin Venue 8 7000 today at CES, Dell is shifting the focus to Alienware, its PC gaming division. The company is adding two larger models to its gaming laptop line, announcing the release of the new Alienware 15 and a slimmed down Alienware 17, to go alongside the recently released Alienware 13.

As you would expect, these laptops have Intel's fifth generation Core i chips, going all the way up to the Core i7 quad-core processor, up to 16GB of RAM, and NVIDIA's GTX 980m graphics. The new Alienware laptops can also support desktop graphics cards from NVIDIA and AMD thanks to Alienware's Gaming Amplifier, which may be a bigger development than the new laptops. The $299 Gaming Amplifier brings desktop-level graphics to Alienware laptops for the first time. The rather large device is meant to sit on your desk and power graphics cards separately from your laptop. Gamers have long lamented the quality of PC gaming on laptops compared to desktops, but products like Alienware's Gaming Amplifier may be the solution to that problem.

While both laptops offer full HD touchscreen displays, The Alienware 15 also offers an optional 4K touchscreen display. Thanks to a carbon fiber and aluminum design, Dell says both the Alienware 15 and 17 are 20 percent lighter than their predecessors. The Alienware 15 and 17 are available for purchase today on Dell's website, starting at $1,199 and $1,499 respectively.