Alienware on Monday gave its M11x, M14x, M17x, and M18x a new option to optimize their Wi-Fi for gaming. Each of them will now have the option of a Killer Wireless-N 1103 chipset that potentially gives them the speed and quality needed for smooth play. The chip uses MIMO (multiple in, multiple out) antennas to hit 450Mbps but also has automatic traffic detection to prioritizes games and other time-sensitive content when on a busy network.
Key Killer Wireless-N 1103 Features
- Advanced Stream Detect – Automatically classifies and prioritizes online games, HD video and high-quality audio for fewer interruptions and a better online experience.
- Visual Bandwidth Control – Enables users to see which applications are hogging bandwidth and tune allocations for each so they don’t interfere with online games, video or multimedia applications, allowing users to do more online tasks simultaneously.
- PC Monitor – Monitor and manage wireless laptop PC health and performance with graphical displays and detailed logging via an intuitive user interface.
- Cutting-Edge 11n Performance – Up to 5X better latency than leading competitors and enhanced rate-over-range performance, with 3-stream MIMO enabling industry-leading data rates of up to 450Mbps for higher data throughput over longer distances.
Software with the notebooks will give gamers a visual guide as to what apps are consuming bandwidth and help them shut down a background task or similar that might be sapping bandwidth or increasing lag.
Killer’s hardware is available today on some models, including the M14x, and adds about $80 to the price of a given system.
