Notebooks have finally outsold desktop computers for the first time ever; despite that fact, for most gamers the desktop computer is still the weapon of choice. Gaming notebooks are still simply more costly than most gamers can afford.

Alienware introduced its latest gaming notebook called the M17 that starts at a bargain price -- for an Alienware computer -- of $1,399. Fully optioned systems will cost you significantly more coin than the starting price.

Alienware stacks the options list with some good hardware. The standard 17-inch LCD has a screen resolution of 1440 x 900. An optional Clearview WUXGA LCD provides a resolution of 1920 x 1200. To drive very high resolutions on today's most popular games requires lots of graphics muscle.

Alienware says that the M17 is the first Alienware gaming notebook to offer ATI CrossFireX multiple-GPU technology. The machine can be had with a single ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3870 GPU and dual 3870 GPUs can be added for more performance.

The system can also be optioned with the first mobile quad-core CPU from Intel called the Core 2 Extreme QX9300. Up to 4GB of DDR3 RAM is supported and dual 500GB HDDs are available with RAID 0 configurations.

Alienware executive VP for Product and Marketing groups Frank Azor said in a statement, "By incorporating the all-out performance of CrossFireX graphics and quad-core processing into Alienware’s award-winning notebook lineup. The M17 delivers an impressive feature set at a price point that doesn’t break the bank."

Gamers will also be glad to hear that the M17 has a decent sound system that features two speakers and a built-in subwoofer. The system uses the Intel PM45 + ICH9M-E chipset and can be optioned with a TV tuner. The keyboard is backlit and power comes from a 12-cell lithium-ion battery.

Alienware also makes some powerful, but costly, gaming desktop computers like the Area-51 ALX DailyTech covered in May.