PC gamers who like their hardware hardcore, look no further: here are our picks.
Scott Stein
I started with CNET reviewing laptops in 2009. Now I explore wearable tech, VR/AR, tablets, gaming and future/emerging trends in our changing world. Other obsessions include magic, immersive theater, puzzles, board games, cooking, improv and the New York Jets. My background includes an MFA in theater which I apply to thinking about immersive experiences of the future.
Dan AckermanEditorial Director / Computers and Gaming
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" (Hachette/PublicAffairs), a non-fiction gaming and business history book that has earned rave reviews from the New York Times, Fortune, LA Review of Books, and many other publications.
"Upends the standard Silicon Valley, Steve Jobs/Mark Zuckerberg technology-creation myth... the story shines." -- The New York Times
ExpertiseI've been testing and reviewing computer and gaming hardware for over 20 years, covering every console launch since the Dreamcast and every MacBook...ever.Credentials
Author of the award-winning, NY Times-reviewed nonfiction book The Tetris Effect; Longtime consumer technology expert for CBS Mornings
You'll spend as much as you would for a used car if you trick out Alienware's top-flight 18-incher to the max, but you'd be hard-pressed to find a more spectacular mix of ultra-cutting-edge dual-card gaming graphics, display connection ports, and over-clocked CPUs.
Build-your-own enthusiasts will flock to a gaming laptop like Origin's latest, which is customizable in nearly any way you see fit. Yes, the chassis is generic, but for pure choice and raw features, this beast is hard to beat. You certainly won't lack for the latest and greatest graphics and components.
Fans of small laptops can have their cake and eat it too with this tiny gaming rig. This year's update to the M11x is faster than ever, and is hands-down the best ultraportable gaming laptop, with a surprising set of speakers. It doubles as a very functional backpack-friendly computer, too.
