Alienware gaming laptops are built to incite envy. Their designs, which resemble a coat of armor with gill-like ridges, topped off by the signature alien head logo, are sleek and otherworldly.

Alienware, best-known for high-priced performance, delivers a good gaming power at a reasonable value. When I think of Alienware PCs, two words come to mind–and “cheap” usually isn’t one of them. This ...