Everyone that complains about the price of Alienware computers are annoying, high quality stuff cost more. Extra features cost more. Companies work for a profit, don't like the price? Can't afford it? Just don't buy it.
In Denmark Alienware is actually the cheapest options if you want a nvidia 10 series GPU in a laptop :D So unless you have a problem with it being deeper (in dimensions) its a no brainer..
Honestly, you don't have to pay the market value for them. I'm a Rep for Dell and we have a year round 10-15% off Alienware. I do custom quotes through emerald.lowe@mosaic.com or you can order on your own through Dell.com/CP.
I have the mid 2013 alienware 14 and really enjoy it. The killer wireless has a common issue with restricted bandwidth I had to figure out a solution for, but it's a sweet laptop with minimal/no issues that would be typically be found on laptops or gaming laptops (i.e. keyboard ghosting, overheating, hot lap, bad airflow, inability to easily disable touchpad, BAD/quiet sound, unintentional power cord unplugging, difficulty accessing components for upgrades, cpu/gpu temp throttling, etc.). My laptop has none of those issues. The sound is so loud and clear that I finally found a laptop I could use without my soundbar. I can keep it on my lap for hours and it never overheats. I cant say enough good things about it. I have personally fully disassembled probably 5+ laptops just to upgrade a cpu or reapply thermal paste in order to get acceptable temps, and this process essentially takes hours start to finish. However, my alienware 14 can have basically anything replaced just by removing 4 screws on a bottom panel. It's a beautiful thing in the laptop world. I recommend the 1080p resolution and the better gpu which is non-removable (765, not the 750). It's also possible to have a ssd in there, although it isn't the typical hdd slot ssd. It's one of the micro m.2 types of slots. I put a used 128gb in there for my more demanding games such as Path of Exile (free and highly recommended game on steam).
With my Kaby Lake Alienware 15" R3 I am getting CPU temps under full load of 80c and GPU temps of 63c... pretty cool running machine.. received it on 1-18-17 with the GTX 1070 video card and 120khz panel
This is the exact model ive ordered in the dark and was waiting for a big review, thanks! Even on the AW subreddit we are all kind of anxious about how things are going over the release and these reviews help us out a lot.
I got the base model the cheapest one, i have a gaming desktop that i built with a gtx 1080 from evga, and didnt wanna spend to much on this but i did buy additional ram and an ssd from newegg. Thanks for the review lisa!
Me too...here in Sweden the cheapest one came with the 120Hz G Sync TN panel which is awesome and the 99 W battery both included...all in all 1300 dollars after the 14 percent discount...the Coffee Lake 8th Gen Epic Black Alienware 15 R4 is already selling in the US base model sells for 1450 USD and you have to add 150 to get the 120Hz G Sync TN panel and the battery is only available in 68 W. There was a solid 200 dollars discount available at amp.laptopmag.com/articles/200-alienware-laptops-includes-core-i9-rig?__twitter_impression=true bringing the price down to 1250 for the i5 8th Gen Coffee Lake R4 to 1250 dollars...
Just bought an Alienware 15 R2 earlier this year. It pains me that I'm still paying it off while the new version is released, but I have to say that I really enjoy this system. Barely a single issue, really responsive, and runs like a dream. My major heartache is that I purchased JUST before they stopped bothering with mobile GPUs, and apparently the cooling is better in the new systems. But, then again, I can always shell out for the graphics amplifier and get a cooling mat, so I guess it's not all bad. I love your reviews, by the way!
I had the i7 6820 HQ version and my temps reached CPU 98-100 when really pushing games like Metro Last Light, Crysis 3. Looks like Alienware fixed the thermal paste issue...
No they didn't fix it. It's a problem with the actual design of the laptop. I'm predicting a recall shortly. There's a review of the problem on over at notebookreview alienware 15r3 section.
That's a shame. I did a full review on my channel , got the temps down abit by tweaking using Intel's extreme tuning Utility. Bios 1.06 made it worse. How come Lisa's is so cool? Because of the i7 6700hq ?
OWNORDISOWN I actually watched all your videos in full and was a bit concerned but when mine arrived I ran several bench marks and even overclocked the gpu by 300mhz and the max temp I got was 63 degree! Gotta hand it to than sorted to the problem quick!
Thomas Downing Hi Thomas, I'm jealous! Glad you got a good one and am pleased that it looks like Alienware might have addressed the issue. Was yours the i7 6820hk or the i7 6700hq? I'll be doing an interview with the chap who did the repasting research in a week so stay tuned!
Hi all. I just got an Alienware 15 R3 and Windows Hello has no problem recognizing me and the camera detects my presence. However it looks like Tobii eye tracking is not working. First of all, the intro shortcut is not present on the desktop and I have to navigate to Program Files in order to start it. However, eye tracking is not working there. Is this feature only available to AW 17 R4 or did I receive a faulty unit? Help would be much appreciated.
As an owner of the previous AW15 model, it already itches to buy the new model. Alienware really hit a homerun with this laptop, the craftmanship looks excellent.
Lisa, I have a question about the notebook. On battery, does the CPU or GPU power throttle like in many other notebooks? (Test by launching a game and looking for a noticeable frame drop when unplugging the charger.)
melvyn joseph for good reasons 😆 the wider lower bezel is good for your neck as you don't have to look down as much, and allows it to have more room for the internals for better temps and specs ! I doubt they could've put a 1070 in there if the bezels were smaller
I wonder why only clevo laptops like the "Clevo P650RP6-G" (with GTX 1060/70) give you the opportunity to switch between iGPU and dGPU. It just requires a restart... Or is there a chance the Alienware G-Sync model offers anything similar?
1. How are you able to overclock the display for higher refresh rates? 2. Have you had any CPU temperature issues during stress testing? I've read a lot of people posting on forums that one of the issues with the 15 R3 is that the CPU gets very hot, in the 80-90C range and some people have to undervolt the cpu or replace the stock thermal paste. Although your temperatures during gamign are pretty good.
Great review, I had ordered 2 Alienware 15 models (cancelled both) but both (4K and TN panels) reported having light bleed issues in multiple social media channels (minus the regular IPS 1080.. which this was) and I ended up with 17 R4.. I loved it, even at 10LBs but the screen they use (along with all 3 other companies with 17" 120Hz 1440P TN Gsync) has these awful lines on static images that I could not deal with.(AU Optronics makes it). Ive also owned the 1070 ASUS in the video (3 days)and now ended up with new Razer Blade with less powerful 1060(arrives tomorrow)... which reportedly is under volted so... depending on results of testing it I may go back with the alienware. Anyway thanks for the great review, love your channel.. The ASUS plastic feel was just to much for me and like Lisa said it actually drains battery while gaming even plugged in so that's an issue and the battery of ASUS is just not good. Hey Lisa do a review of the new 1060 Razer... I have a feeling based on specs I'm seeing, as awesome looking and size as it is, its going back as that 1060 being under volted for cooling reasons is going to make it age quicker than most...
GgYyGame for the 15" the two cheapest models offer 60hz IPS (that can be overclocked to 100 if youre into that), next up is the 120hz gsync 1080p, and finally a 4k gsync if i remember right. Gsync is connected to your gpu so you get substantially worse battery life, though usually its an hour above competitor gaming laptops based on prev gens.
Please do this review Alienware 13 r3 and don't ignore the LCD display every review is OLED display this and that , thank you. Love your work, look forward to your reviews.
If I were to buy the 1350$ model which only has 1TB HDD and buy an SSD separately. Which would be suggested? And can I get a custom one with an SSD in Retail shops like BestBuy etc?
how is the bloatware? i just got an MSI 14 inch that i am returning the build quality is awful so bad that the screen flickers all the time in the reviews i found that i wasn't alone a lot did the same thing, They main complain was the build quality I am looking for something solid with a decent size.
I'm not a gamer - writer - but I plan to purchase the 17" as my sole workstation. I'm wondering whether I'm better off with the UHD or QHD display, as I spend as many as 18 hours a day reading and viewing images. In current configurations, the UHD only works with a 1060 card. The 1070 is g-sync compatible, but that's not meaningful unless you're gaming. In terms of future-proofing I sense I'm better off w/1070, but for everyday visual work, the UHD display might prove valuable. Any advice welcome.
No overheating on ours. The 6700HQ usually isn't a thermal problem on gaming laptops, but the 6820HK can be (not particularly an Alienware issue, it's a general challenge with that hotter running CPU).
There's a hotfix 375.76 that I got from the nvidia forums that fixes the flickering with gsync. forums.geforce.com/default/topic/974536/geforce-drivers/announcing-geforce-hotfix-driver-version-375-76/
No overheating on mine (7700hq, GTX 1070) only got uncomfortable on Witcher 3 on ultra with hairworks on, and dying light enhanced edition. Yet still under the max temperatures for both cpu and gpu. Ran really cool on Doom, Rise of the Tomb Raider, Resident Evil 7, and Fallout 4.
Don't care much about the bezel as long as the portability, power, and upgrade ability is decent which this laptop has in spades. The only issue maybe the reliability which is yet to be determined.
i have just got mine and i must say it doesn't really bother me doesn't make a difference when you use it and must friends and family generally like the design..esp the materials
Hi Lisa, do you know if the m2 2280 slots are capable of handling SATA and PCIE/nVME SSD´s or are they PCIE only ? And: will be there any review of the 17R4 inch Alienware containing 1060/1070 or AMD model?
Many thanks for reply. I´ve asked Dell Chat they claimed PCIE only, but i will give it a try as i guess it will be able to handle both upon chipset (ordered the 6820/1070/QHD). Thumbsup for all your videos :)
it worked (m2 2280 SSD SATA3) =) awesome device, the UHD screen also rocks and is pretty. What´s little weird is that each key is 1 tickt more right than usual, in cause of the macro keys on the left side ^^ but i guess i´ll get firm with that soon
Hey Lisa, first of all a great video about the alienware 15 R3. But a question is left I think. Do you know the core temperatures of CPU and GPU while gaming or while stress testing? Cause it would be a dealbreaker for me if the CPU runs higher then ~190 F. Thanks again for the vid!
The Aw15-R3 unit I am lookin to purchase is equipped with the i7-6th gen processor. (GTX1060, 1TB SSD, FHD IPS, 8GB RAM = USD 1,360) 1. Read the comments in your site about the thermals, should I wait for a unit with a i7-7th gen processor instead? The retailer says I need to wait for 4-5 weeks for the unit to arrive, and I am not sure how much emotional and mental stress I could handle without having to use a workhorse(graphic design) 2. Performance wise, will the money be better off spent on the 7th gen processor? in comparison of course with the 6th gen i7 This is the specs im getting if I wait for 1 month AW15-R3 - USD1,500(+/-) i7 7700HQ GTX1050Ti 8GB RAM 1TB 7200rom HDD 15.6in IPS 1080p thank you
The Razer 14, MSI Stealth pro and base alienware 15/17 have a gtx1060, do you think it'll be enough for years to come? 2 years for 1080p gaming, at high and 1-2 years at medium-low settings? I understand the 1070 is better, but will the 1060 be enough?
Lisa do you still think the 1050 will be replacing the 960m in the sub$1K market for gaming laptops? and have there been any laptop announcements using the 1050 yet?
Waiting on the replacement for 960m to replace my Thinkpad T420 since anything newer then mid 2000s just has issues running. So yeah thats why I am waiting for laptops with the 1050 to be announced to see about price point and release dates becuase it looks like I will be spending another winter with this 90degree thing. AKA the thinkpad t420 is known to run hot and easily hits 90+ degrees just browsing the web and watching videos let alone gamig using the nvs 4200m. So I hope something newer is going to run cooler then this oven.
The Predator 17X I reviewed is very quiet for a gaming laptop, as are many 17" very large and thick gaming laptops. This will be louder, but it's not obnoxiously loud-- no need for headphones when gaming, as I mentioned.
Hi Lisa, could you please make a comparison with the R2 model in terms of overall size, thickness and weight? I've got the R1 with the 4720HQ and a GTX 980m and am thinking about upgrading, especially if the new model has an over all smaller footprint.
Lucas Hellems assassins creed, no but if you drop it down to 1080p on high settings yes, halo depends on which one, halo 4 and below should be with 1080p ultra graphics and halo 5 probably needs 1080p on high settings
Lisa, can you do a smackdown between this (or the Alienware 13 R3) and the Razer Blade 14 with the GTX 1060? Those are probably the only two I'm considering at the moment unless ASUS adds Thunderbolt 3 to the ROG GL502
This laptop is awesome. I just wanted to point out that you said it has gtx 1070m in there. You may want to correct it because nvidia no longer manufactures "m" version if graphics card. It's just 1060, 1070 and 1080. Thanks! Awesome review btw!
So I am thinking about getting this laptop. Two questions, first one is, as far as I know they will announced one of this with the 1080 GC right? How much of an improvement will it be from this 1070? (I am looking to buy a laptop to stream on medium quality and play games in medium quality, my friend always complains about me buying overpriced stuff, but I want to buy an Alienware before I die, so yeah) And my second question is, dell has this preferred accounts (which are kind of like a credit account), is that the best way to finance one of this? Thank you in advance! :)
i want a laptop that i would use an extarnal moniter ,keyboard, mouse , extarnal gpu most of the time only once a week would take it out with me shall i go with this or the razor blade plz help
I have Alienware 17 R3 with Gtx 980m and it seems that I'm unable to make Nvidia video card to work. It shows yellow triangle in device manager and no matter what version of windows, drivers I use the problem won't go away. I tried playing Overwatch, hoping it will switch itself but I had pretty low fps meaning that it ran on Intel's video card. I love this laptop so much but this problem is driving me crazy and I'll probably be forced to return it.. Tried countless fixes, workarounds, tutorials and so on and I'm about to give up.
Looks to be a Very nice 'hybrid' machine filling an under-served niche providing both high end performance as well a useful option of long on-the-road battery life - finally with an adequate power supply. Well done. As always, a very complete excellent review!!!! Thanks Lisa!
The enormous bezels really make it look antique, looks like an old CRT from the front. Unbelievable that this is from the same company that makes the lust worthy XPS13/XPS15. If you make the laptop so huge that you need huge bezels to fit the internals in the bottom, just use a bigger display to use the waisted space.
To be fair 7lbs may be heavy, but I had a Alienware m15x that was 9lbs in college. If i could lug that 9 lbs laptop around the 7lbs should be no problem. In fact, even with the added backside, it is still close to m15x dimensions, which is pretty shocking to me that it isnt far off in size.
Go for Alienware. Cooling system on razer is still not enough to cool the gpu enough so it doesn't thermal throttle.. It will take them 1-2 more refresh to get that thermal throttling completely gone from their laptops.
Hey i've heard it can be pretty hot like 93 c but is it gonna be dangerous?And do you think it's gonna be able to run Ghost Recon Wildlands and if Yes at what settings? I'm also gonna buy new gaming headset, But i Think I'll go for Hyperx cloud revolver is it a good choice? Please give your opnion and what Else i can buy instead of that headset Please answer :)
Ya it gets pretty hot at stock. I undervolted mine and it still runs stable and also runs much cooler. I might repaste too. I haven't had a laptop yet where the skylake i7 runs cool though besides the giant 17 inch laptops so ya... pretty annoying.
Hands down best Laptop for the money, I'm getting my hands on a Kaby Lake version this week, with G-Sync and Nvidia GTX 1070. Honestly it was between this, the predator 17, and Dominator Pro, after weeks of research I found that I could get this laptop for a great price compared to the others, and it's packed with features like a 120hz refresh rate ips display, graphics amplifier, and ease of upgrade. If you choose this laptop I recommend getting the cooler master u3 plus pad, a friend of mine has it and it keeps the temps down below 60c after running Witcher 3 on ultra for hours. Thanks for the review!
Debating this or a 2015 macbook pro. I'm currently using a Mac and prefer it, but windows 10 doesn't seem that bad. I would use it for photoshop and lightroom, and multimedia. Perhaps audio production as well. My concern is the windows track pad on this laptop vs the Mac, like scrolling or rotating photos, pinch to zoom, etc. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Essentially I know this laptop is a beast, but the only thing holding me back is the Mac track pad and software integration. I don't use any proprietary apple software btw, except safari... And I prefer finder to Windows explorer.
I want to know the long term reliability of this laptop... so that it will last me for about 5 years. I'm gonna get a gaming laptop and I am on the fence between the alienware 13 r3 with oled screen, alienware 15 r3, and the Asus ROG GL502VM-DB74
Everyone that complains about the price of Alienware computers are annoying, high quality stuff cost more. Extra features cost more. Companies work for a profit, don't like the price? Can't afford it? Just don't buy it.
Mike Castillo yessss! I don't understand why so many people complain, no one is forcing them to buy this
In Denmark Alienware is actually the cheapest options if you want a nvidia 10 series GPU in a laptop :D So unless you have a problem with it being deeper (in dimensions) its a no brainer..
Mike Castillo Plus there are Dell discount offers everywhere.
Honestly, you don't have to pay the market value for them. I'm a Rep for Dell and we have a year round 10-15% off Alienware. I do custom quotes through emerald.lowe@mosaic.com or you can order on your own through Dell.com/CP.
Can you do a review of the Alienware 13 r3? litteraly, no one has done a review on that except for dave lee.
Agreed. I'm really entertaining the thought of buying the 13. Would like to see more videos on it.
We've asked Alienware for a review loaner. I hope they come through!
Top Dawg +David Lee is a really great reviewer.
Top Dawg +HotHardware has done one too
Yeah... I'm kind of torn, right now, between the Razer Blade (with Pascal), the Alienware 13r3, and the Asus Strix gl502vm....
Love Lisa's reviews. Her voice is so relaxing, she does detailed, great reviews on tech and she remains totally unbiased
I have the mid 2013 alienware 14 and really enjoy it. The killer wireless has a common issue with restricted bandwidth I had to figure out a solution for, but it's a sweet laptop with minimal/no issues that would be typically be found on laptops or gaming laptops (i.e. keyboard ghosting, overheating, hot lap, bad airflow, inability to easily disable touchpad, BAD/quiet sound, unintentional power cord unplugging, difficulty accessing components for upgrades, cpu/gpu temp throttling, etc.). My laptop has none of those issues. The sound is so loud and clear that I finally found a laptop I could use without my soundbar. I can keep it on my lap for hours and it never overheats. I cant say enough good things about it.
I have personally fully disassembled probably 5+ laptops just to upgrade a cpu or reapply thermal paste in order to get acceptable temps, and this process essentially takes hours start to finish. However, my alienware 14 can have basically anything replaced just by removing 4 screws on a bottom panel. It's a beautiful thing in the laptop world. I recommend the 1080p resolution and the better gpu which is non-removable (765, not the 750). It's also possible to have a ssd in there, although it isn't the typical hdd slot ssd. It's one of the micro m.2 types of slots. I put a used 128gb in there for my more demanding games such as Path of Exile (free and highly recommended game on steam).
With my Kaby Lake Alienware 15" R3 I am getting CPU temps under full load of 80c and GPU temps of 63c... pretty cool running machine.. received it on 1-18-17 with the GTX 1070 video card and 120khz panel
This is the exact model ive ordered in the dark and was waiting for a big review, thanks! Even on the AW subreddit we are all kind of anxious about how things are going over the release and these reviews help us out a lot.
First proper review I have seen of this laptop with some great insight into the specs and functionality! Keep it up Lisa!
I got the base model the cheapest one, i have a gaming desktop that i built with a gtx 1080 from evga, and didnt wanna spend to much on this but i did buy additional ram and an ssd from newegg. Thanks for the review lisa!
Me too...here in Sweden the cheapest one came with the 120Hz G Sync TN panel which is awesome and the 99 W battery both included...all in all 1300 dollars after the 14 percent discount...the Coffee Lake 8th Gen Epic Black Alienware 15 R4 is already selling in the US base model sells for 1450 USD and you have to add 150 to get the 120Hz G Sync TN panel and the battery is only available in 68 W. There was a solid 200 dollars discount available at amp.laptopmag.com/articles/200-alienware-laptops-includes-core-i9-rig?__twitter_impression=true bringing the price down to 1250 for the i5 8th Gen Coffee Lake R4 to 1250 dollars...
Love how she says- "We're gonna look at it now!" 1:12
with a small grin!
OMG.. thank you for the review!! I've been waiting for a professional review for this 15 R3 before deciding between it or the 13 inch.
Just bought an Alienware 15 R2 earlier this year. It pains me that I'm still paying it off while the new version is released, but I have to say that I really enjoy this system. Barely a single issue, really responsive, and runs like a dream. My major heartache is that I purchased JUST before they stopped bothering with mobile GPUs, and apparently the cooling is better in the new systems. But, then again, I can always shell out for the graphics amplifier and get a cooling mat, so I guess it's not all bad. I love your reviews, by the way!
Just ordered one yesterday so glad to hear such a positive review, wooo!
Luke Danby when do you get it? I am getting mine the 16 😁
I watch a lot of reviews. This is really well done and very informative.
I had the i7 6820 HQ version and my temps reached CPU 98-100 when really pushing games like Metro Last Light, Crysis 3. Looks like Alienware fixed the thermal paste issue...
No they didn't fix it. It's a problem with the actual design of the laptop. I'm predicting a recall shortly. There's a review of the problem on over at notebookreview alienware 15r3 section.
That's a shame. I did a full review on my channel , got the temps down abit by tweaking using Intel's extreme tuning Utility. Bios 1.06 made it worse. How come Lisa's is so cool? Because of the i7 6700hq ?
OWNORDISOWN I actually watched all your videos in full and was a bit concerned but when mine arrived I ran several bench marks and even overclocked the gpu by 300mhz and the max temp I got was 63 degree! Gotta hand it to than sorted to the problem quick!
Thomas Downing Hi Thomas, I'm jealous! Glad you got a good one and am pleased that it looks like Alienware might have addressed the issue. Was yours the i7 6820hk or the i7 6700hq? I'll be doing an interview with the chap who did the repasting research in a week so stay tuned!
OWNORDISOWN hey mate love your channel , im pretty sure it ran cooler because of the i7 6700hq , the 6820 has overheating issues in several laptops.
Hi all. I just got an Alienware 15 R3 and Windows Hello has no problem recognizing me and the camera detects my presence. However it looks like Tobii eye tracking is not working. First of all, the intro shortcut is not present on the desktop and I have to navigate to Program Files in order to start it. However, eye tracking is not working there. Is this feature only available to AW 17 R4 or did I receive a faulty unit? Help would be much appreciated.
As an owner of the previous AW15 model, it already itches to buy the new model. Alienware really hit a homerun with this laptop, the craftmanship looks excellent.
4:23 Hugh Mungus what?
Mikko Haavisto Hugh mungus bezels 😂
I was just gonna comment that lol
*Screams in back* WHAT? OH MY GOD!
Dark Knight did you just assumed gender?
Lisa, I have a question about the notebook. On battery, does the CPU or GPU power throttle like in many other notebooks? (Test by launching a game and looking for a noticeable frame drop when unplugging the charger.)
seriously the kind of review am looking for, thanks alot for the effort
Lisa! hey just a small question, are the 2 RAM slots being used ? can i replace them if i want to get a higher capacity ram ? thnx!
Great review. I hope you review the Alienwear 13 R3 with the oled screen, I want to know your thoughts and opinions on that model.
Does the 300 nits IPS has G sync Display? Or is it only available for 120hz TN?
How is the fan noise when gaming?
hows the color accuracy on the 4k display? is it the same as the r2 4k display you reviewed ? ( aka is it 99%adobe rgb) thanks
If you're not gonna use that laptop after reviewing, I'll take it off your hands :)
The design language is not up to the mark, that is, this lap has thick bezels.
melvyn joseph agreeeeeed
melvyn joseph for good reasons 😆 the wider lower bezel is good for your neck as you don't have to look down as much, and allows it to have more room for the internals for better temps and specs ! I doubt they could've put a 1070 in there if the bezels were smaller
I wonder why only clevo laptops like the "Clevo P650RP6-G" (with GTX 1060/70) give you the opportunity to switch between iGPU and dGPU. It just requires a restart... Or is there a chance the Alienware G-Sync model offers anything similar?
Hey. How big do you think is the difference between an Alienware 15r3 with g sync and one without? Is it worth?
Always enjoy your detailed and wonderful reviews Lisa. Very well done :)
which version is better the IPS 300-nits 60hz or the TN+WVA 400-nits 120hz? thinking about getting one but no idea which display to get
1. How are you able to overclock the display for higher refresh rates?
2. Have you had any CPU temperature issues during stress testing? I've read a lot of people posting on forums that one of the issues with the 15 R3 is that the CPU gets very hot, in the 80-90C range and some people have to undervolt the cpu or replace the stock thermal paste. Although your temperatures during gamign are pretty good.
Hey, which laptop do you recommend more: Alienware 15 R3 or MSI GS63VR or MSI GS73VR ?
Great review, I had ordered 2 Alienware 15 models (cancelled both) but both (4K and TN panels) reported having light bleed issues in multiple social media channels (minus the regular IPS 1080.. which this was) and I ended up with 17 R4.. I loved it, even at 10LBs but the screen they use (along with all 3 other companies with 17" 120Hz 1440P TN Gsync) has these awful lines on static images that I could not deal with.(AU Optronics makes it). Ive also owned the 1070 ASUS in the video (3 days)and now ended up with new Razer Blade with less powerful 1060(arrives tomorrow)... which reportedly is under volted so... depending on results of testing it I may go back with the alienware. Anyway thanks for the great review, love your channel.. The ASUS plastic feel was just to much for me and like Lisa said it actually drains battery while gaming even plugged in so that's an issue and the battery of ASUS is just not good. Hey Lisa do a review of the new 1060 Razer... I have a feeling based on specs I'm seeing, as awesome looking and size as it is, its going back as that 1060 being under volted for cooling reasons is going to make it age quicker than most...
Is the chin bar as big as it looks? Its really the only thing stopping me from getting this and going with the Aorus x5 v6 instead.
Was the 6 hours of battery life with the 68 watt hour battery or with the upgraded 99 watt battery? Thanks!
hey Lisa noticed you said about overclocking the display, you made this sound very simple is it just a setting in a bios or..?
The NVIDIA control panel allows you to set a custom refresh rate. Try raising it there, but back off once you see display artifacts.
so could the Alienware 15 r3 with the i5 6300 and the 1060 be perfectly fine with gaming and some photo and video editing?
is all the R3 model's display are 120 hz or just some models ?
GgYyGame for the 15" the two cheapest models offer 60hz IPS (that can be overclocked to 100 if youre into that), next up is the 120hz gsync 1080p, and finally a 4k gsync if i remember right. Gsync is connected to your gpu so you get substantially worse battery life, though usually its an hour above competitor gaming laptops based on prev gens.
Do you experience any flickering issues with the screen when playing games? If you do, what's your solution ?
Abishec Sundar return it
Please do this review Alienware 13 r3 and don't ignore the LCD display every review is OLED display this and that , thank you. Love your work, look forward to your reviews.
I can one used 6700 16gb 2556ssd 1tb HD hybrid drive geforce 1060 for 570$ used. Still worth it for photo and video editing?
Thanks for this review, was waiting for this video.
any heat issue? I hear a lot of people have some heat issue on their alienware 15 R3
If I were to buy the 1350$ model which only has 1TB HDD and buy an SSD separately. Which would be suggested? And can I get a custom one with an SSD in Retail shops like BestBuy etc?
how is the bloatware? i just got an MSI 14 inch that i am returning the build quality is awful so bad that the screen flickers all the time in the reviews i found that i wasn't alone a lot did the same thing, They main complain was the build quality I am looking for something solid with a decent size.
Unless you count the crappy windows 10 apps, my alienware didnt come with any bloatware.
I'm not a gamer - writer - but I plan to purchase the 17" as my sole workstation. I'm wondering whether I'm better off with the UHD or QHD display, as I spend as many as 18 hours a day reading and viewing images. In current configurations, the UHD only works with a 1060 card. The 1070 is g-sync compatible, but that's not meaningful unless you're gaming. In terms of future-proofing I sense I'm better off w/1070, but for everyday visual work, the UHD display might prove valuable. Any advice welcome.
Hi, may I ask comparing with ROG 502 VS, which of 15` laptop do you prefer?
How is the fans under full load? Is it like playing on a vacuum?
What does it mean by 6 hours battery life, is it normal usage or just stand by time
Is this better then the Razer Blade if you don't move them around all that much? I know it's cheaper and it has more storage.
loving the intro music again!😉
I heard it was overheating
No overheating on ours. The 6700HQ usually isn't a thermal problem on gaming laptops, but the 6820HK can be (not particularly an Alienware issue, it's a general challenge with that hotter running CPU).
mine overheats only when im playing overwatch....it does it a lot though if im playing on Epic...if i drop it to high it doesnt overheat
I've been having issues with G-Sync Screen flickering when running games on mine. I'm running version 375.70.
There's a hotfix 375.76 that I got from the nvidia forums that fixes the flickering with gsync.
forums.geforce.com/default/topic/974536/geforce-drivers/announcing-geforce-hotfix-driver-version-375-76/
No overheating on mine (7700hq, GTX 1070) only got uncomfortable on Witcher 3 on ultra with hairworks on, and dying light enhanced edition. Yet still under the max temperatures for both cpu and gpu. Ran really cool on Doom, Rise of the Tomb Raider, Resident Evil 7, and Fallout 4.
Great machine!! But that bezel is fucking ugly!!!
Don't care much about the bezel as long as the portability, power, and upgrade ability is decent which this laptop has in spades. The only issue maybe the reliability which is yet to be determined.
i have just got mine and i must say it doesn't really bother me doesn't make a difference when you use it and must friends and family generally like the design..esp the materials
toby goes where the bezel is in this model, same chassis.
Arief Zahir so don't buy it because of the bezel? 🙄
Arief Zahir I like the aesthetics of it. I just think it wouldn't look like an Alienware without it
What are compatible alternative internal 1TB SSD brands for this Alienware? Thanks
Hi Lisa, do you know if the m2 2280 slots are capable of handling SATA and PCIE/nVME SSD´s or are they PCIE only ?
And: will be there any review of the 17R4 inch Alienware containing 1060/1070 or AMD model?
Both SATA and PCIe. I've asked Alienware for a 17" review loaner. Hope they come through!
Many thanks for reply. I´ve asked Dell Chat they claimed PCIE only, but i will give it a try as i guess it will be able to handle both upon chipset (ordered the 6820/1070/QHD). Thumbsup for all your videos :)
it worked (m2 2280 SSD SATA3) =) awesome device, the UHD screen also rocks and is pretty. What´s little weird is that each key is 1 tickt more right than usual, in cause of the macro keys on the left side ^^ but i guess i´ll get firm with that soon
Hey Lisa, first of all a great video about the alienware 15 R3. But a question is left I think. Do you know the core temperatures of CPU and GPU while gaming or while stress testing? Cause it would be a dealbreaker for me if the CPU runs higher then ~190 F.
Thanks again for the vid!
The Aw15-R3 unit I am lookin to purchase is equipped with the i7-6th gen processor. (GTX1060, 1TB SSD, FHD IPS, 8GB RAM = USD 1,360)
1. Read the comments in your site about the thermals, should I wait for a unit with a i7-7th gen processor instead?
The retailer says I need to wait for 4-5 weeks for the unit to arrive, and I am not sure how much emotional and mental stress I could handle without having to use a workhorse(graphic design)
2. Performance wise, will the money be better off spent on the 7th gen processor? in comparison of course with the 6th gen i7
This is the specs im getting if I wait for 1 month
AW15-R3 - USD1,500(+/-)
i7 7700HQ
GTX1050Ti
8GB RAM
1TB 7200rom HDD
15.6in IPS 1080p
thank you
do you know if you can connect a non-DELL graphic amp via the thunderbolt?
also, would really appreciate for a review on the 17 R4 version.
thanks.
@mobileTechReview would it be a better purchase for a 17' R3 at 32gig of ram i7-6820 versus a 17' R4 at 16gig of ram and i7-6700?
I would only buy a gaming laptop with NVIDIA Pascal 10 series graphics. In this case that means Alienware 17 R4 not R3.
MobileTechReview thank you
The Razer 14, MSI Stealth pro and base alienware 15/17 have a gtx1060, do you think it'll be enough for years to come? 2 years for 1080p gaming, at high and 1-2 years at medium-low settings? I understand the 1070 is better, but will the 1060 be enough?
Arman Talwar i think it Will , and in the case its not enough you can always buy Alienware external gpu
Arman Talwar 6GB of VRAM for 1060. Its still awesome.
Hi Lisa! Would you say the Lenovo Y700 has the best speakers in a laptop?
Lisa do you still think the 1050 will be replacing the 960m in the sub$1K market for gaming laptops? and have there been any laptop announcements using the 1050 yet?
Yes I do think the GTX 1050 will replace the GTX 960M, and it's still not shipping.
Waiting on the replacement for 960m to replace my Thinkpad T420 since anything newer then mid 2000s just has issues running. So yeah thats why I am waiting for laptops with the 1050 to be announced to see about price point and release dates becuase it looks like I will be spending another winter with this 90degree thing. AKA the thinkpad t420 is known to run hot and easily hits 90+ degrees just browsing the web and watching videos let alone gamig using the nvs 4200m. So I hope something newer is going to run cooler then this oven.
GTX 1070 with 1080p IPS or GTX 1060 with 120Hz TN panel with G-Sync? Please reply.
Is battery life (IPS with Optimus) or no visual tearing (G-Sync) more important to you?
Lisa can you tell me the noise level comparing to acer predator ?? I have the hp omen 2015 currently (metal model) I find it a tad too loud
Thanks
The Predator 17X I reviewed is very quiet for a gaming laptop, as are many 17" very large and thick gaming laptops. This will be louder, but it's not obnoxiously loud-- no need for headphones when gaming, as I mentioned.
Lisa Thanks again!!! you do wonderful work,
Thanks for all you do, will continue to support!!
Hi Lisa, will you do a review of alienware 13? Or does anyone know if the charger for that is as big as for the 15 model?
Pleeeeeeaaseee pleeeeasee don't slabber about it I literally just bought one, arrived yesterday pleaseeeeee be nice 😂😂😂😂😂
So do you like this laptop more over the MSI GS60 GP?
Hi Lisa, could you please make a comparison with the R2 model in terms of overall size, thickness and weight? I've got the R1 with the 4720HQ and a GTX 980m and am thinking about upgrading, especially if the new model has an over all smaller footprint.
kinda new to this stuff, could this run 4k 60fps with the i7 and GTX 980??? Specifically on games such as assassin's Creed, halo etc.
Lucas Hellems assassins creed, no but if you drop it down to 1080p on high settings yes, halo depends on which one, halo 4 and below should be with 1080p ultra graphics and halo 5 probably needs 1080p on high settings
what do you think about getting all the good specs plus the gtx 1070 but getting the i7 6700 instead of the i7 7700?
beatlesthe it will not affect the gaming much.....but can show its colour in high temperatures and battery life
Lisa, can you do a smackdown between this (or the Alienware 13 R3) and the Razer Blade 14 with the GTX 1060? Those are probably the only two I'm considering at the moment unless ASUS adds Thunderbolt 3 to the ROG GL502
Should I get the new Acer Predator 15 & 17 with the 1070 and could you do a review on them?
If I don't game and want it for CAD and rendering, would you recommend the 4k?
Aiden Kashi yep
This laptop is awesome. I just wanted to point out that you said it has gtx 1070m in there. You may want to correct it because nvidia no longer manufactures "m" version if graphics card. It's just 1060, 1070 and 1080. Thanks! Awesome review btw!
so you mean the g sync models cant change to icpu mode which disable the gpu card to improve battery life?
Correct.
Could I take this (or the razor blade stealth) to use a school for stuff like google docs etc. as well as gaming?
So I am thinking about getting this laptop. Two questions, first one is, as far as I know they will announced one of this with the 1080 GC right? How much of an improvement will it be from this 1070? (I am looking to buy a laptop to stream on medium quality and play games in medium quality, my friend always complains about me buying overpriced stuff, but I want to buy an Alienware before I die, so yeah) And my second question is, dell has this preferred accounts (which are kind of like a credit account), is that the best way to finance one of this? Thank you in advance! :)
Alex Peralta it Will be between 20 to 40% Better performance
Alienware will offer the GTX 1080 in the 17" model, not in this 15" model.
i want a laptop that i would use an extarnal moniter ,keyboard, mouse , extarnal gpu most of the time only once a week would take it out with me shall i go with this or the razor blade plz help
I have Alienware 17 R3 with Gtx 980m and it seems that I'm unable to make Nvidia video card to work. It shows yellow triangle in device manager and no matter what version of windows, drivers I use the problem won't go away. I tried playing Overwatch, hoping it will switch itself but I had pretty low fps meaning that it ran on Intel's video card. I love this laptop so much but this problem is driving me crazy and I'll probably be forced to return it.. Tried countless fixes, workarounds, tutorials and so on and I'm about to give up.
Looks to be a Very nice 'hybrid' machine filling an under-served niche providing both high end performance as well a useful option of long on-the-road battery life - finally with an adequate power supply. Well done.
As always, a very complete excellent review!!!! Thanks Lisa!
The enormous bezels really make it look antique, looks like an old CRT from the front. Unbelievable that this is from the same company that makes the lust worthy XPS13/XPS15. If you make the laptop so huge that you need huge bezels to fit the internals in the bottom, just use a bigger display to use the waisted space.
Found the 1080p model for sale on Costco website for $1,299.99. Can anyone answer me if it's worth it for a basic gaming laptop to replace an old PS4?
To be fair 7lbs may be heavy, but I had a Alienware m15x that was 9lbs in college. If i could lug that 9 lbs laptop around the 7lbs should be no problem. In fact, even with the added backside, it is still close to m15x dimensions, which is pretty shocking to me that it isnt far off in size.
Lisa what’s the biggest difference between the 15 R3 vs R4 model? Anyone?
thanks for the great review! what length is the "one half height" m.2 drive bay? 2242 or 2260?
Always enjoy your reviews ^^
whats the refresh rate of the 4k display? does it have gsync, or only the 1080 panel has that? thx
60Hz. no G-Sync for the 4K display. Only the TN panel option has G-Sync and 120Hz refresh rate.
good thing i didnt listen to the dell reps when they kept screwing me over with promises of 4k 120hz G-Sync. Blatant false advertising
Would you recommend this for productivity... like cad and rendering?
Jim Galapo yep......but you can get workstation class laptops from lenovo at cheaper price....which are slim and fast.. (quadro)
Need advices on these Alienware (15&13) vs the Razer blade (gtx1060) as my first gaming laptop!
Go for Alienware.
Cooling system on razer is still not enough to cool the gpu enough so it doesn't thermal throttle.. It will take them 1-2 more refresh to get that thermal throttling completely gone from their laptops.
Hey i've heard it can be pretty hot like 93 c but is it gonna be dangerous?And do you think it's gonna be able to run Ghost Recon Wildlands and if Yes at what settings?
I'm also gonna buy new gaming headset, But i Think I'll go for Hyperx cloud revolver is it a good choice?
Please give your opnion and what Else i can buy instead of that headset
Please answer :)
if you buy the 1060 one....maybe you can play at high on 1080p while the 1070 maybe can play at ultra.....
Ya it gets pretty hot at stock. I undervolted mine and it still runs stable and also runs much cooler. I might repaste too. I haven't had a laptop yet where the skylake i7 runs cool though besides the giant 17 inch laptops so ya... pretty annoying.
Buy an msi laptop and u will be fine with temps.Hands down for that to msi
Nah i go for Alienware 15 inch r3 :P
Msi isn't that good of a gaming laptop brand, must of the reason being the keyboard, TouchPad and the graphics card (must use amd
Gaming laptops are getting exiting, aren't they?!
Are you gonna do a review of the kaby lake xps 13? Im thinking of getting it and would love your opinion on it.
Sooooooo G-Sync Vs Optimus... Smooth turnarounds vs battery life.... What do you guys think?
As a laptop Optimus is more important.
As a gaming laptop g-sync is more important.
But a gaming laptop is also a laptop..
optimus for the win. home you can have a gsync 24inch monitor for serious business:D
Yeah I think so too. Thanks guys
Guys i need help. should i go for Predator 17 Gtx 1070 6700 or for Alienware 15 R3 1060 7700? Predator 17 is $270 cheaper than Alienware. Thanks!
manu borja predator if you just wanna play directly
Choose alienware only if you can get the thermal repaste done
Hands down best Laptop for the money, I'm getting my hands on a Kaby Lake version this week, with G-Sync and Nvidia GTX 1070. Honestly it was between this, the predator 17, and Dominator Pro, after weeks of research I found that I could get this laptop for a great price compared to the others, and it's packed with features like a 120hz refresh rate ips display, graphics amplifier, and ease of upgrade. If you choose this laptop I recommend getting the cooler master u3 plus pad, a friend of mine has it and it keeps the temps down below 60c after running Witcher 3 on ultra for hours. Thanks for the review!
Does she speak of battery life at all, and if she does not, does anyone know how it is?
Can you guys do Alienware 17 R4?!?!?! PLLLZZZZ!!!
Debating this or a 2015 macbook pro. I'm currently using a Mac and prefer it, but windows 10 doesn't seem that bad. I would use it for photoshop and lightroom, and multimedia. Perhaps audio production as well. My concern is the windows track pad on this laptop vs the Mac, like scrolling or rotating photos, pinch to zoom, etc. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Essentially I know this laptop is a beast, but the only thing holding me back is the Mac track pad and software integration. I don't use any proprietary apple software btw, except safari... And I prefer finder to Windows explorer.
If you want good multimedia and stuff like that, dont get a gaming laptop look at dells workstation laptops
I want to know the long term reliability of this laptop... so that it will last me for about 5 years. I'm gonna get a gaming laptop and I am on the fence between the alienware 13 r3 with oled screen, alienware 15 r3, and the Asus ROG GL502VM-DB74
Are there still heat issues with these models?