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" ...

I’ve covered news about 18-inch gaming laptops over the years, but I’ve never actually tested one for review. That ends now, as the gargantuan Alienware 18 Area-51 Gaming Laptop has just landed on my ...