Will Dell’s Adamo Be Suitable For Gaming?

Rumors persist about the Dell Adamo, Dell’s answer to Apple’s MacBook Air laptop. The MacBook Air is an ultra thin, ultra light laptop introduced in early 2008. The Adamo name is not confirmed, but The New York Times confirms that Dell is developing a laptop to compete with the MacBook Air. betanews.com also uncovered a listing for Adamo accessories and putting two-and-two together, indicate that the planned laptop is the Adamo.

Although gamers may be able to fling the Adamo like a Frisbee, it remains unknown whether the Adamo will be suitable for PC gaming because Dell has not released hardware specifications yet. NotebookReview.com lists the Adamo with Intel’s Core 2 Duo processor. This is also the processor the MacBook Air sports. Assuming the Adamo possesses an internal hard drive comparable to that of the MacBook Air, the Adamo’s gaming suitability will depend on the difficulty most ultraportable laptops face: 3D graphics.

The MacBook Air. According to the rumors, the Dell Adamo will be even thinner. But does it have game?

If the graphics are Intel integrated, the Adamo’s gaming prospects may be as thin as the computer is supposed to be. The original MacBook Air’s ability to run recent titles was abysmal due to the Intel integrated graphics chip. If Dell’s Adamo is designed as a close competitor it seems unlikely that Dell would be able to make the computer a viable option for PC gamers seeking cutting-edge graphics.

The Adamo will likely run the elder Adama's games just fine, but...

However, an upgraded version of the MacBook Air released in October featured Nvidia’s Geforce 9400 M, roughly 5x faster than the laptop’s original integrated graphics. If the Adamo utilizes a comparable video solution, older 3D games such as the venerable Half-Life and its multitude of mods could run well. Comparatively younger titles such as Half-Life 2 and World of Warcraft might run passably even if used in conjunction with add-ons such as GotGame’s Rogue application, but present and upcoming titles like Far Cry 2, Fallout 3 and the PC version of Mirror’s Edge would struggle.

...the younger Adama is likely out of luck.

The bottom line is that as a competitor the Adamo’s primary computing advantages are likely to be the same as the MacBook Air’s: small-size and on-the-go portability rather than cutting-edge graphics and processing power. With the current MacBook Air clocking in at roughly $1200 to $1600 and Dell unlikely to be able to knock more than a few hundred dollars off of that price with similar hardware, the aspiring gamer would get more bang for their buck by using the cash on a desktop or a larger laptop. This may change if the specifications for the Adamo turn out much more powerful than the MacBook Air, but this seems unlikely. Fans of cutting-edge technology and casual gamers should keep an eye on the Adamo as details emerge, but gamers looking for the most powerful computer possible shouldn’t hold their breath.