Our review sample has had a specification bump since it arrived, with an upgrade to a Core i7-4710MQ processor. We would have preferred Dell to try to innovate with a large, wide and responsive trackpad on this machine – but instead, we’ve got a standard notebook trackpad and a huge amount of wasted wrist-rest real estate. The two buttons are light and effective at least. It’s a constant irritation, and takes away from the trackpad’s otherwise smooth and responsive surface. It’s too small, which meant our fingers often ran into the side of the pad during frantic moments during first-person shooter games. Nonetheless, it’s one of the best keyboards we’ve used on a gaming notebook, and easily matches the SteelSeries unit inside the MSI.

The layout is fine, there’s a numberpad, and there’s reasonable travel on each key – more than most Scrabble-tile alternatives, but not as much as you’ll find on a proper desktop model. There’s no sign of Scrabble-tile keys here, either – the Alienware’s keyboard is modelled after traditional desktop units.

The keyboard benefits from the Alienware’s excellent build quality, with a solid base that doesn’t budge even under the rapid-fire pressure of frantic gaming. Keyboard, Trackpad, Configuration Options and Verdict Review.

Performance, Heat, Noise and Battery Life Review.

Alienware 17 touchpad not working