Great comparison and review. I have the older 17r4 with the GTX 1060. I bought it in Jan 2017 and sadly the GTX is starting to run hot with some games in the mid 90's (c) now even after very consistent care to clean out the dust. It's the best PC I've ever had and the first 17" laptop I've had and I much prefer it over the smaller 15" even with the higher cost. I'm trying to get through the rest of this year to take it to the 5 year mark before buying a new one but I'm leaning towards this M17r4. It looks oddly slim and light weight compared to the 17r4 which is a beast and very heavy. I'm surprised it can keep as cool as it does. I was surprised to see how little HD/SSD space is provided though. My older 17r4 has a 100gb SSD boot drive and an additional 2TB HDD and I use most of it.
Thanks mate. OK, in answer to your comment, 1. Sounds like your thermal paste needs redoing if you are hitting mid 90s. If you are not happy re-applying thermal paste your other option is to undervolt the 1060 to keep the temps down, add me on instagram if you need help. With regards to the storages yes this is the difficulty moving to all ssd to make a slim laptop! SSDs are still so much more expensive. And lastly the system cools so well with the combination of vapour chamber and 4 fans!
@@MashITTech Thanks for the reply, I really appreciate the advice. I've been curious to re-apply paste, have never done it and it does make me a bit nervous. I've also never worked with clocks but I feel inclined to go down these rabbit holes. I might look for some tutorials and give it a go. For now, I've ordered a laptop cooling pad. I know experts might scoff lol but it seems like a safe and easy way to reduce temps when gaming and I think that will buy me some time regardless of what I try. It's not even issue for all games, just some that are more demanding. At least the CPU is not over-heating.
Anything I can help with just ask. And the cooling stands can sometimes help so worth a shot but before you buy one just try lifting the rear up with a mask shift device (coasters, lego, anything that give the laptop more clearance as that also helps massively with temps)
@@MashITTech I heard! I'm sub'd. looking forward to it! I just remember having a 15 alienware a long time ago and the cooling was not good on longer gaming plays. it got so bad that I couldn't play. I ended up using an extra fan base AND cold packs from the freezer.. ... yes it was ridiculous, but it kept the machine cool. lol I just don't want that to happen again
Man, the temp difference was even greater than I thought it'd be. Glad I went with the m17 R4 instead of the m15. :-) I mean, they're both good, but I'm happy with the 17!
The 17” is a real beast! You are right, the 15” is still really good, especially if you need portability. But if gaming is your priority then it’s got to be the 17”
@@AJ-2-Toke i’m asking the same question. i have the 3080 32 go m17 and got it for a INSANE deal. but i’m wondering if it’s gonna be my long term workstation if i should go with the rog strix g17 for that amd processor. if you get any info lmk
@@AJ-2-Toke In game performance, from all the testing I've seen, Intel and Ryzen are pretty effing close :-) If you want to also do video editing and what not on your laptop, then yeah, Ryzen, but for me . . . Intel made sense, since I typically have my laptop plugged into a Thunderbolt dock and the Flow 13 is smaller than I want in the actual laptop department.
Hi, thanks a lot for all your work! I'd be interested in the fan noise difference between the two laptops while gaming in max speed, balanced, and quiet together the performance at each setting. That way we can infer loudness vs performance vs longevity compromises. Thanks again!
The fan noise is very similar between the two units so 57db on max fan and 49-50 on performance mode. Quiet mode is about 47db. The main differences between the two machines is the higher temps with the 15 and also a bit of throttling whereas my i7 3070 suffered no throttling at all.
Yeah, it is a great keyboard! I still prefer the 15 keyboard (I am a TKL user so this is similar to me) but can appreciate it for any one that uses the num pad.
Sorry do u know when does it come out ? I’m considering buying a laptop first before building my pc and it would be good to know if I should wait. Thanks!
@@alejandrochara1156 it’s already out rn, but building a pc is going be much cheaper then a laptop, so I’d recommend the pc first for that reason but each to their own !!
I got a M1 Macbook Air and a M17 R4. One for gaming, one for productivity and travel. The Air has better single core scores and multi score scores but gets shredded in openCL. Just curious as to why?
The m17 r4 just has so much better cooling than the m17 r2, the r2 s cpu will always hit 100c even with max fan, bear in mind that the r4 is more powerful too
In my experience the RAM modules are the least reliable component after the HD. I'll never get a laptop with soldered RAM because of that. If the RAM goes out, you're stuck with a lesser laptop or you gotta buy a new one.
I know this video is old now, but just wanted to check anyway - which one you'd suggest buying (price is the same) - M17 R4 RTX 3060, 32 GB RAM, 360 HZ screen vs M15 R4 RTX 3070, 16 GB RAM, 144 Hz screen. Main use would be a desktop replacement with light moving around the house, but don't really need a 360 Hz screen and wonder if I am not missing out on not having the RTX 3070 with the M17.. Thanks!
The 3060 is still a solid card especially at 1080p! I would personally take the 17” as I prefer the screen size especially if it is a desktop replacement
@@MashITTech Yes that's correct the 2021 version with 5800H. Legions seem to be the best overall laptops so I'm super excited. That mux switch for turning off optimus is awesome, apparently the legion 7 has advanced optimus like alienware
I have the m17 r4 i9 3080-16gb. Been running Cod warzone and pending the thermal settings I would get really hot cpu temp of 80-90 and throttling to 100. I not as avid with computers. I’ve followed some other RUclips videos. Currently dropped my bios TCC to 15 , downed the max performance of my battery to 95% (supposedly stops the cpu from throttling), placed it under balanced thermal profile with high performance in my alien command center, and placed my laptop on cooling fan. CPU temps are 85c running warzone. Been getting 140-150fps with warzone, 190-200fps with mw multiplayer. Really interested on your tweaking for this computer. You got a sub from me 👍🏽
Hi there, when you say "downed the max performance of my battery to 95%" do you mean you edited the advanced power profile to 95% on battery? did you also do that for mains? If so that effectively removes all turbo boost so your system will run cooler but also a lot slower! I will show you how to undervolt and adjust multipliers in my next video which massively reduces heat/temps without hurting performance
Well that's fine then but all that is doing is removing the turbo boost on battery which will improve the battery life so no harm in that. It is having no effect on your gaming temps or clocks so leave it as is and do not mess with the mains profile :) Will get the tweaking video out ASAP. I will get back in the office this evening and start putting it together but it will probably be tomorrow by the time I have edited it.
The 17 inch here in the States is not available with the RTX 3080. Only the 3070. That is a pity, I love the bigger laptop, but I need the gpu power to run my 4K external display on occasion
@@MashITTech I am trying to use this laptop with an external monitor and laptop cooler. Currently m15 is on sale. If I under-volt it and have custom fans is m15 better buy?.will it give me same performance as m17?
It will give exactly the same performance but will just be a little hotter. Once I undervolt the cpu it will easily hit its maximum clocks and the gpu never throttles.
Unfortunate that some customers will want the M17 for the cooling and some the M15 for the OLED, but there's no way to have both features in either model.
@@MashITTech No, I asked HIDevolution about it, and they have no info about any change in supply. A shame, because I'd happily put up with 60fps gaming away from home in exchange for the better movie-watching experience of an OLED, and then I could plug into my G-Sync LCD when at home for the better framerate/frame sequencing. I edited my comment because I thought they offered delidding and liquid metal for the Alienwares but it turns out they can't do that other (maybe the flipped mobo thing?).
It is a pig to repaste due to the flipped motherboard. I have done a few but I don't want to post a how to as I am worried about people damaging their machines (there are a lot of small connecters and zif sockets which can easily be snapped. I would hate for someone to break their $2k machine!
@@MashITTech Which is an issue in itself, since I've never seen a high-end laptop that hasn't begun to suffer high temps after a couple of years, signalling a need for thermal paste replacement. Not too bad if the CPU and GPU face downward, but this configuration makes me nervous.
@@MashITTech there are a couple of repaste videos on RUclips for the R3. It does look awkward, and the screws look cheap because they get stripped on removal. Would need to have spares handy before attempting it.
I went for the M15 R4. I recently tried the Strix Scar 17 with 1080P and could see the pixels, not ideal. If Alienware offered QHD 17” I’d have gone for that. Or 4K 120Hz.
just got the m17 r4 and the screens suck lmao. i haven’t gamed yet i’m sure the 144hz isn’t bad but coming from a qhd laptop wow. def need an external monitor
I had the r2 in lunar light and that thing discoloured if you looked at it funny! On the r3 and this r4 they have a new high endurance finish and so far it’s all been good (although the old finish felt nicer as it was more soft touch)
So would i have heat issues with the m17 if i game a few hours each session 2 or 3 times a day. the laptop would be max fan speeds on a high end laptop cooling pad with max fan speed and i would have it connected to an external monitor. 3070 M17
So what's the weight of the two laptops? Isn't measuring the weight of a laptop an essential step of doing a review? I have seen in another review that M17r4 weighs 3kg, which is different from the labeled weight on the Dell website. the labeled weight of m15r4 is thus unreliable. I wonder what's the weight of m15r4 since there are few reviews of this model.
I definitely needed a number pad on my laptop, but the M17 was a bit too heavy for me to carry it to my lab every day. I got the M15 and a separate wireless Numpad keyboard :-)
Does it work well as a work computer as well? Does using it for work activate the fan at an intense level or is is quite? Because I feel as if I’m in a similar boat. I wanted a new work computer (I’m a physicist who uses his computer for coding simulations) but I also wanted something which I can game on ocasión because I love gaming as well ahaha.
I ended up getting the M17 R3.. 144hz G Sync, 10980HK, 32GB ram, 2TB SSD, 2080 Super.. Was on a big sale.. and honestly it's a fantastic machine, but the FN+F7 gets broken by a windows update.. Basically it breaks the Alienware OSD.. I have had the laptop for all of a day and spent hours on the phone already to tech support and honestly, I was teaching THEM. LOL. The FN+F6 still disables and enables the win key, but no longer displays the action. But for switching to integrated graphics and vice versa with FN+F7, you need the action to be displayed via the OSD. First install I could not get out of G sync, then I restored from factory, and went into intel hybrid mode, then updated the system and could not get back into G Sync! I decided I wanted G Sync mode so restored it a third time and put it back into dedicated discrete GFX mode/G-Sync enabled, but the battery life is appalling. I mean I paid my money and I should be able to use the switching feature when I am on battery and vice versa. That's a shocking bug. (And yes, since windows update I am stuck in G-Sync mode permanently, the intel GPU is nowhere to be seen in device manager whereas it works perfectly in hybrid mode.. The problem is all updates are batch downloaded by windows and I have no idea which one breaks it). It's infuriating and just because of this I may have to return it, as battery life when just watching videos during travel will be abysmal...Also, the last update for the OSD App is 9 months ago, and I can't exactly halt windows updates forever. I just can't see dell updating that tiny little OSD app that would fix everything. My 10980HK is an average bin, system crash with a -0.80 undervolt, but -0.50 seems ok thus far. The fan profile is lazy to spin up and the alienware control center is buggy, for example changing some audio settings set the fans to hoover mode when the temps were like 38 and no cpu load and I hadn't touched the fan profiles! I had to restart and enter and exit the ACC.... I get 4478 in cinebench R20.. considering most 6 core laptops get between 2800-3300, my previous one getting 3169 (Aorus X5 V8), the improvement here is HUGE. That's more than 35% better performance, and all due to the fact it doesn't thermal throttle. That said, I wish it WOULD throttle at 95 instead of 100, as 100c is insane.. The R4 lets you put an offset in bios, and I would set it to 10 so it would throttle at 90.. I wish they would add it to the R3 in a bios update.. speaking of updates.. updating alienware software is buggy also, bios took repeated attempts and some apps just wouldn't update.. But the cooling is very reasonable for an 8 core cpu under load when the fans have spun up, and the noise is no worse than other gaming laptops. The vapor chamber obviously works. I just wish this OSD would work, and I'd be happy, even looking past my crappy 10980HK bin. The reason I am writing this here rather than your R3 vids is to recommend the R3 instad of the R4, as the R3 is on sale, and for those who don't care about the OSD, and those who want to save money (it was 2.5K cheaper than similarly specced R4, only difference being 2933 ram instead of 2667, and 3080 instead of 2080S.. sorry, but that's not worth 2.5K when a 2080S will play any game at 1080P for years to come)... And also to recommend it to audio professionals, as the lazy fan profile makes for a very quite laptop till it's really under high load, AND, the DPC latency (tested extensively via latencymon) is excellent for the R3.. It passes with flying colours, and I believe the R4 fails! this is why I am loathe to return it, cause despite the problems, the performance for both gaming and audio production is fantastic. Sigh, I will have to give it some thought.
Thanks for the info. What a nightmare about the AWCC! I have not come accross this bug yet! IMHO the AWCC is the worst aspect of the alienware laptops and even the old style Alienware was better. It frustrates me that it has been out for years and has had no development in that time and is still a clunk mess. As much as razer synapse annoys me at least it has a lot of useful features and more keep getting added
I have the M15 R4 I was curious I ordered another 16 GB of ram card because there is a second slot correct? What I didn’t see when you opened it was where the Ram was located I’m hoping when I pop of the bottom cover it will be accessible without removing anything else is that the case? Thank you
Not sure if you remember from your previous m17 video "deep dive" I just ordered mine yesterday. Config: i7, 3080, 32ddr , 360hz, 2tb ssd and I just saw that yesterday they released a new option for keyboard called CherryMX Ultra Low so I got that as well. I hope to see the throttlestop and msi software walkthrough in the future on your channel for best cooling and performance that you did in the video. I've done some research and none of the walkthroughs I found are recent at all. Loved the video and I love how quick you are to replying as well to everyone. Keep at it and do make that video! I've seen many comments on reddit and RUclips channels asking for a helping hand in using those 2 softwares.
Hi Conner, please let me know how you get on with the cheery mx keys! I am dying to try them but not available in U.K. yet 😭 haven’t forgotten the undervolt videos, started working on that yesterday but had to get today’s videos finished and out the door first 😀👍
@@MashITTech I'm so excited to see it. If you can, leave a link for where to get the software! Also, the keys sound like a super satisfying asmr video! I've got to try it on a different keyboard and they're so satisfying to feel, press, and listen to. 🎶
I will do, I did a similar video for razer blades a few months ago so shouldn't take me too long to recompile it to suit the alienware and its 8 core CPU! I am a massive mechanical keyboard hoarder and have about 15+ mech keyboards, I have been waiting for a laptop to have a decent mech keyboard for so long and you have no idea how jealous I am of you :) I will speak to the alienware guys to find out when we are getting the option over in the UK.
Sorry mate, did I miss a post? I can’t see the link. My favourite keyboard atm is my varmillo miya pro in cherry reds, I am currently looking for some decent pbt double shot keycaps in a particular blue and struggling.
Can we get a comparison between the M15r4 and the Razer Blade 15 advanced and maybe even the ROG Zephyrus g15? so many good 15in gaming laptops its so hard to pick one
Doing a razer blade advance vs m15 early next week. It will be the 2070 super blade because we haven’t got the new model here yet but other than being a little slower on the gpu they are essentially the same. Also got a g14 on order but not a g15 yet
Hi @mashit is there a big difference between the RTX 3080 16 VGR vs rtx3080 8 VGR as you know Alineware using the 8 for 15 inch and 16 for 17 inch kindly help thank you mash it
Mash need your advice, I want to pick up the M17 but max RAM on sale is only 16 GB. Bigger screen size and better thermals is why I want to go with M17 but the M15 is available with 32 GB RAM. Is 16 GB good enough for real world usage (the gazillion chrome tabs) and heavy gaming? or get M15 32 GB to future proof it? Also could you share the specs of the SSD you were showing on the video please.
I still use and recommend 16gb for most people. I can't see games benefitting from more than 16gb for a few years. I would only recommend 32gb if you heavily utilise VMs, photoshop or video editing. I can't remember which SSD I had in the video so I will watch it and let you know
Thank you for your videos, super useful and well done keep going! May i ask you the weight differences? Also how much different is the power adapter in watts, weight? Thank you in advance!
Man, how stupid of me! I meant to add the weights! As soon as I get back into the office later I will let you know the weights. With regards to the PSU's as both systems were similar configs they are issued with the dell 240w PSU (I detail it in the m15r4 review video if you want to see what it looks like (its timestamped so finding it should be easy)
Dear @Mash IT, can you please make a video to compare face-to-face the most important thermal aspect M17 R4 (cpu i7-10870H) vs previous M17 R3 (cpu i7-10875H or i7-10750H). This would be very intresting to find out does Dell improved the cooling system in R4 or not. Many thanks in advance!
Not sure if it's just me or does the rainbow wave on the keyboard doesn't look very seamless? Maybe the colours could be transitioning better from one key to the next one?
@@MashITTech its actually the red ones which stand out distinctly. Like..I have seen the keyboard of the rog strix series and they seem to transition much better. I just bought the M15 r4, 3070 model by the way for about 2000 dollars including taxes😁 so I am just noticing every single detail on these things
Well I have been staring at the keyboard for a while now and it looks good to me in person! Either you have much better eyes than me or it’s the video’s lower FPS 👍
@@MashITTech thanks for letting me know. Better check it in person when I receive mine. I am a sucker for cool lighting on laptop and it was killing me when I saw something off😆 hope it's fine
I've had both because I returned the M15 for the M17 and I can honestly say that I'm extremely happy that I did. While the M15 is still an amazing laptop, the M17 is just absolutely GORGEOUS.
@@MashITTech does dell or whatever comp give you these laptops for free or they give you something in return for reviewing their stuff? caz i see so many reviews of new phones and laptops and i know for sure yall dont keep all of them
Haha I don't get to keep any (unless it is the odd personal purchase) I run a small gaming shop so usually review new units before they go on sale, hopefully one day Dell will supply me with review units!
They are not horrendous but they can get loud if you put it on performance or full speed mode. This is why I leave it in balanced and tweak it rather than just put it in performance
These look like great machines. I'd go for the 17 inch too. Have the M line of Alienware been plagued with the same QC issues that the XPS 15 & 17 have? (Trackpad, speakers, display probs, etc)
I have been through about 8 units of r3 and r4 and havn't had anything untoward like the xps 9500 but another viewer received a m15 with a faulty trackpad :(
@@MashITTech ok thanks. The xps 17 is on a good special where I live but I can't bring myself to buy one. It's not for me, but I'll be the go to person if there are issues, so they want me involved in the buying choice too. I might see what they think of the m17, though I've a feeling they won't like the price even if they like like everything else. I'll send them to your channel for your reviews. Thanks!
Thanks mate, that is always appreciated 👍 the xps trackpad can easily be sorted with a bit of tape (not that you should have to but I have done a few customers as they didn’t want to return it) and other than that is is quite a solid machine
Hi! I’m really interesting to buy in this one 17inch... but could you tell me please if Does ram come split in two slot or all in one slot even they are soldering ? Thank you.
Quick questions love the comparison btw helping a lot in deciding what to buy. I’m I able to upgrade the ram on the m15 r4 or is it sorted to the motherboard? Also if I buy the m15 with the 32gb of ram version will I still get dual channel or will I loose? Lastly should I go with an ssd or a raid 0 don’t know what it is or what it does. Thank you
Hi Chacha, unfortunately ram is soldered to the motherboard so make sure you buy the amount you need. All Alienware m15/m17 models are in dual channel (so 8, 16 or 32 are all dual channel). Lastly don't waste your time with raid, it was no faster than 1 good SSD and if you buy a single SSD at least you can add another later
Hey man, does the M17 run quieter than the M15? I am thinking if returning my m15 and getting the m17 for better thermals and possibly better fan noise. Thanks!
In all honesty it doesn't run much quieter because of the way Dell runs the profiles but it does run a lot cooler. If you want it to be quiet you will need to switch it to the quiet profile.
Not really the m17 just has lower temps. If you put them in quiet more they stay really quiet for office use but when gaming both reach about 47db on quiet and 50db on balanced.
You get 2x m.2 80mm (one of which will be populated if you order a single drive configuration) and a m.2 30mm for the third slot (bit of an odd choice but its better than nothing!)
@@MashITTech thank you for the reply! Is there a way to message you personally with a question I have. Trying to make a decision and need an expert’s opinion.
The uhd is a great panel for content creation and non fast paced games. Unfortunately ram is soldered so you need to buy what you need when you configure it
Can these keyboard colors be configured in the r3 version? They are only loaded at the moment you turn on the equipment and I would like it to be always like that.
The difficulty with battery life is it depends on the panel you buy. Both these models are high refresh rate machines and have no Optimus so both are awful at about 3 hours! If you get the 144hz model it has advanced Optimus so lasts much longer
well the standard keyboard is already a great keyboard! I would love to be able to tell you about the the cherry switch but the m17 we ordered with the mech keyboard on the day of release still hasn't shipped! they just keep delaying our date 😭
Haha thanks mate, good to see you over here. You are not going to believe it but I was just over on your channel watching your x1 extreme video and was about to message you :)
@@MashITTech Oh I got two of them in and had them sitting on the shelf for 3 weeks just didn't have time to do the video with all the new Dell stuff arriving. I can give you quick cheat sheet summary since I've actually done all the testing already and filming for it too just need to do the brolls now for it. Background I use the Dell XPS 15 9500 as a daily (yep I got it same time as getting the XPS13 9310 just never got around doing the review video for it too) so I got some comparison data between X1Eg3 and XPS15 (both same spec i7,32gb,gtx1650). XPS15 smashes the X1Eg3 in performance in all departments; CPU,RAM,HDD and GPU. About 8-15% quicker the XPS15. What the X1Eg3 has better over the XPS15 is better port selection and keyboard and thats about it. XPS has better display, speakers, trackpad (when it doesn't have that common trackpad issue, lucky for me I haven't) and battery life. I won't put that comment on my channel yet haha.
haha thanks for the heads up! I love the XPS 9500, reviewed that and the 9700 and definitely preferred the 15" I know the feeling regarding having loads of machines to review but not enough time. I have loads of videos I wanted to do but just don't have enough hours in the day! BTW, you seem to have really upped your game lately, so nice to see you doing so well, those subs are rolling in :)
The battery life totally depends on the panel you order so it’s difficult to compare, if you buy the high refresh rate panels then battery is equally terrible on each 😂
Hey! please make videos on and/or do comparisons on any of these laptops: Asus RoG Zephyrus G15/M16/Strix Scar15/17, Lenovo Legion 5 Pro/7, Razer Blade 15 Base/Advanced/Pro 17.
I have a few of those laptops on my rader! Got the alienware content to finish plus the dell g15 range that just arrived then I will start looking at the next model to get in
i went withm15 but should i regret this. I like the bigger screen on m17 and thermals but the non centered keyboard was dealbreaker for me.as a firs time pc gamer is the m15 more suitable enough for my at home desktop pc i wont use it much for portabale. I just dont want know that m17 is better it is but i dont mind less bigger screen instead off and off cente rkeyboard
I got the 144hz panel for better battery time, but im wondering: will that have any effect on my actual gaming performance compared to the other panels??
None that you would ever notice, the laptop will rarely push games at over 300fps so you might as well stick with 144hz plus even on my desktop moving from a good 144hz panel to 240hz panel the difference was almost imperceptible unlike moving 60hz to 144hz
@@MashITTech wow thank you, that was probably my #1 worry about my choice, and now im happy i did it lmfao. Also, is the mux switch something i would use when i know im gonna need higher performance, and i can just watch netflix and stuff without that? Im not even sure if my understanding of the mux switch is correct, but thanks a lot for the help
Now, I am not 100% if it uses a MUX this year as I haven't received a 144hz yet (it says advanced Optimus so I am assuming its a mux like last years r3) but basically, you can leave it in Optimus and you will have good battery as it switches off the RTX card when not in use, when you fire up a game it enables the RTX card and passes the info through the intel gfx. For most people just leaving it on this mode will be fine as it will still perform well....but....in Optimus you will loose a few FPS in cpu bound games and esports titles like CSGO. By switching to dedicated RTX card using the MUX switch it disables the intel gfx and passes the signal straight from the RTX to the internal screen or external screens so you get maximum performance. Hope this makes sense :)
@@MashITTech okay yea im not super competitive when it comes to gaming, so a few fps lost isnt that big a deal to me. It sounds like i made the right choice for my gaming experience. Thanks a lot for all the info, and WOW your reply time is amazing, i hope you get the recognition you deserve on this platform
help!! ~ which do you think will perform better? the m15r5 ryzen or m17r4? the former is ryzen 7nm 240hz has optimus while the latter still intel 14nm 144hz without optimus,, also which one will suffer more from hotter temperature? (as hotter means slower)
At the moment this is pure speculation as we haven’t received ours yet but I imagine the m17r4 will be more powerful on the gpu but the r5 should be slightly better on the cpu. I will compare them when my r5 arrives 👍
Hi Michael, we sure will, there will be plenty of content when they arrive as we have a lot of people expecting it :) I also have the new G15 range on order so will compare those two to see if the r5 is much better than the G15 ryzen now available
It is a red switch so you will only hear it bottoming out so will be just a little louder than the standard keyboard, certainly not loud like a cherry blue switch which is my favourite switch, I love the noise :)
Right now my new laptop choice is the M17 R4 - I read that the keyboard can be upgraded to the cherry mechanical keyboard switches but cannot find that choice on the website
If you plan to be looking at the laptop screen for the work get the 17” if you plan on docking it to an external screen and want portability get the 15”
Will you get the Cherry keyboard version? The problem is, these laptops already had good keyboards, probably in the top 1% of all laptops. The Cherry keyboard is not necessarily better.
Hi Daniel, you are right, IMHO this is the best keyboard on a gaming laptop! But of course I have a cherry mx version on order, I couldn't help myself 🤣 (I am a massive mechanical keyboard fan so have to try it)
@@MashITTech Hi. It seems that standard "Alienware mSeries per-key AlienFX RGB keyboard with numeric keypad" are not mechanical, it's membrane keyboard?
I ordered alienware m15 r3 2080max Q core i9 300hz Waiting for ur next alienware video to set it up when it arrives And by the way ur video about alienware is awesome keep it up💪
I am over the moon being a big mech keyboard fan. I spoke to alienware today and they told me we are going to be able to order them in the U.K. tomorrow! Will be getting a unit in ASAP 😀
I haven't tested it but I am 95% sure it will have optimus with a MUX switch like the r3. If it isn't enabled by default try pressing fn+f7. I wish Dell were more clear with this information
@@MashITTech thanks a lot for replying mate. Mine will be delivered on 22 April and I didn't want to spend money on 360hz cause cyberpunk ain't hitting 300 fps lol
@@MashITTech Really disappointing for me as I was hanging on for this version. The Asus Scar 15 seems really appealing to me now but have read the performance is bottlenecked somewhat. Might wait on for the new Intel R5 of there will be one?
Cooling pads are a rip off and make a negligible difference. You’re better off just using a block or cheap laptop stand that elevates your computer to allow more airflow.
Plastic coolers made NO to little diff for me. Tried 2/returned. Then tried the coolermaster aluminum deck 140mm duel fans. Got minus 3--6 degrees. On low to med load. Med to high load minus 0 --3 degrees. Tested on dell g7 1060 & now m17 r4. Pretty much the same results on both. These numbers did fluctuate. Plus/minus on room temps and games played, even on hot days i could raise the laptop and put my hand on the aluminum deck it was always cold. laptop bottom always felt cool. For ME its a keeper for 40 bucks. Also put a 240mmx140mm fine screen underneath cooler/ fans to keep out dust. Milage will very. Probably just a feelgood scenario but ill take it and keeping dust out Big plus.
Amazing video mate. I think you should do a razerblade 17 pro4k120hz rtx 3080 (2021) review. Id love to see how compares. Hopefully alienware releases the r5 in a 17 model and also a 3080 in the ryzen based r5. Have you heard anything about alienware with the new X series?
Thank you mate. I am actually holding off on the Razer for the moment. There is just so little changed from last year that I cannot justify the expense. I think we will see refreshed models soon when intel 11th series are readily available and I will get them in then (plus alienware when refreshed)
@@MashITTech thanks I appreciate the insight. I will hold off for a refresh with the 11th gen Intel and also if alienware drops some new models with qhd and 4k 120hz displays.
Excellent, would it be possible to test productivity performance between them, I would love to see the performance difference with Blender with respect to how the GPU performs between lower and higher TDP variants. The same test can be done to multiple other productivity softwares :)
Hi mate, hope you are doing great. Could you kindly do a performance comparison with rendering in Blender to check how the GPU performs between lower and higher TDP, frequency etc
It’s releasing today. We wanted to drop it last night but time for the better of us. I was going to do one video to include throttlestop, afterburner and m15 performance but it was getting too long so will be breaking it into smaller videos
do you think it looks cheap with the lunar light design? mine hasn't arrived yet but i'm suddenly thinking i should've gotten the dark side of the moon
When they were initially announced I thought it was going to too so bought a black 51m avoiding the light, but in the UK they have more configs in the lunar light so I bit the bullet and ordered one and so glad I did! I love the colour and it actually makes the laptop stand out from the sea of black and silver laptops out there. I have now bought lunar light for the last couple of years
So, has anyone actually tried a 2242 M.2 NVMe SSD in the small SSD slot in the M15 R4? The price of a 2230 M.2 NVMe drive is significantly different than the equivalent 2242 version.
@@MashITTech Thanks, that would be awesome. I know for a 2230 M.2 drive, the biggest you can get is 1 TB, and those are exceedingly rare (people are buying CalDigit Tuf Nano 1TBs and taking them apart for the 1 TB 2230 M.2 drive inside). For a 2242 M.2 SSD, you can go up to 2 TB in size, and those are relatively cheap and easy to acquire, as there isn't a huge delta in price between 2242 and 2280 M.2 SSDs.
Yeah, completely. I just bought a 30mm to upgrade our surface pro 7+ for the review and I had a hard time getting a decent capacity and ended up just buying a 256gb. I am back in my office later and will have a dig around for a 42mm (there is a good chance I have an older one from previous laptop upgrades) but if not I will chuck a cheap one on an amazon order
Nice video! I have a problem with my new m15r4 though. Whenever I voice/video chat, there is this like electricity sound coming from the audio and it is high pitch. I don't really know how to describe the sound without showing a video. Hope you know what I'm talking about. Any solutions?
How loud is it? And is this through speakers or headset? I spent the evening last night gaming on the 15r4 with headset and the audio was flawless. I will get on a discord server later and see if I can reproduce your noise 👍
@@MashITTech Thanks for the reply! It's coming from the computer's speaker. This doesn't happen when I'm watching youtube. When I voice/video chat and when the other person speaks, the speaker will have this high pitch sound kind of like vibration coming out of it. It's annoying. Is there any way that I can send a video recording to you in private?
@@MashITTech Hi mash IT. Sorry for taking up your time but here is the reddit link. When I connect to a headset or a bose stereo this problem seems to disappear. So I think it is coming from the computer's speaker. www.reddit.com/r/AlienwareTechsupport/comments/mcd45o/need_help_with_m15r4_speaker/
It's crazy how much you sound like Gordon Ramsay. Great review, I just got my M17 R4 in today and love it so far.
haha thanks
Alienware should put small Rgb hexagon patterns on the panels of their next line
Great comparison and review. I have the older 17r4 with the GTX 1060. I bought it in Jan 2017 and sadly the GTX is starting to run hot with some games in the mid 90's (c) now even after very consistent care to clean out the dust. It's the best PC I've ever had and the first 17" laptop I've had and I much prefer it over the smaller 15" even with the higher cost. I'm trying to get through the rest of this year to take it to the 5 year mark before buying a new one but I'm leaning towards this M17r4. It looks oddly slim and light weight compared to the 17r4 which is a beast and very heavy. I'm surprised it can keep as cool as it does.
I was surprised to see how little HD/SSD space is provided though. My older 17r4 has a 100gb SSD boot drive and an additional 2TB HDD and I use most of it.
Thanks mate. OK, in answer to your comment, 1. Sounds like your thermal paste needs redoing if you are hitting mid 90s. If you are not happy re-applying thermal paste your other option is to undervolt the 1060 to keep the temps down, add me on instagram if you need help. With regards to the storages yes this is the difficulty moving to all ssd to make a slim laptop! SSDs are still so much more expensive. And lastly the system cools so well with the combination of vapour chamber and 4 fans!
@@MashITTech Thanks for the reply, I really appreciate the advice. I've been curious to re-apply paste, have never done it and it does make me a bit nervous. I've also never worked with clocks but I feel inclined to go down these rabbit holes. I might look for some tutorials and give it a go.
For now, I've ordered a laptop cooling pad. I know experts might scoff lol but it seems like a safe and easy way to reduce temps when gaming and I think that will buy me some time regardless of what I try. It's not even issue for all games, just some that are more demanding. At least the CPU is not over-heating.
Anything I can help with just ask. And the cooling stands can sometimes help so worth a shot but before you buy one just try lifting the rear up with a mask shift device (coasters, lego, anything that give the laptop more clearance as that also helps massively with temps)
thank you!! I want the 15, but that extra cooling on the 17 is probably worth it
Yeah but with a bit of tweaking you can still get the m15 running nicely, making a video on that soon
@@MashITTech I heard! I'm sub'd. looking forward to it! I just remember having a 15 alienware a long time ago and the cooling was not good on longer gaming plays. it got so bad that I couldn't play.
I ended up using an extra fan base AND cold packs from the freezer.. ... yes it was ridiculous, but it kept the machine cool. lol
I just don't want that to happen again
Haha I have had systems like that, I remember I had an old xps that you could literally fry an egg on the keyboard 😂
@@MashITTech lol
Please do I can use the help with the cooling!
Man, the temp difference was even greater than I thought it'd be. Glad I went with the m17 R4 instead of the m15. :-) I mean, they're both good, but I'm happy with the 17!
The 17” is a real beast! You are right, the 15” is still really good, especially if you need portability. But if gaming is your priority then it’s got to be the 17”
But what about the new ryzen cpu laptops??? This or wait for the asus rog strix
@@AJ-2-Toke i’m asking the same question. i have the 3080 32 go m17 and got it for a INSANE deal. but i’m wondering if it’s gonna be my long term workstation if i should go with the rog strix g17 for that amd processor. if you get any info lmk
@@AJ-2-Toke In game performance, from all the testing I've seen, Intel and Ryzen are pretty effing close :-)
If you want to also do video editing and what not on your laptop, then yeah, Ryzen, but for me . . . Intel made sense, since I typically have my laptop plugged into a Thunderbolt dock and the Flow 13 is smaller than I want in the actual laptop department.
@@bobjo932 that deal still up?
Hi, thanks a lot for all your work! I'd be interested in the fan noise difference between the two laptops while gaming in max speed, balanced, and quiet together the performance at each setting. That way we can infer loudness vs performance vs longevity compromises. Thanks again!
The fan noise is very similar between the two units so 57db on max fan and 49-50 on performance mode. Quiet mode is about 47db. The main differences between the two machines is the higher temps with the 15 and also a bit of throttling whereas my i7 3070 suffered no throttling at all.
Love number pads and love even more the fact that they are of the same size as the rest of the keyboard, unlike some other manufacturers
Yeah, it is a great keyboard! I still prefer the 15 keyboard (I am a TKL user so this is similar to me) but can appreciate it for any one that uses the num pad.
Back to Back!!
Busy morning 😂
When the Ryzen Edition launches this will become an interesting comparison, Intel verses AMD models.
It sure will and I will be doing that comparison :)
Sorry do u know when does it come out ? I’m considering buying a laptop first before building my pc and it would be good to know if I should wait. Thanks!
@@alejandrochara1156 it’s already out rn, but building a pc is going be much cheaper then a laptop, so I’d recommend the pc first for that reason but each to their own !!
I got a M1 Macbook Air and a M17 R4. One for gaming, one for productivity and travel. The Air has better single core scores and multi score scores but gets shredded in openCL. Just curious as to why?
Good Call on the 3rd bay, you are the only one that has mentioned that and just saved my butt with this!
Glad it helped :)
Great video thanks so much for doing this!
Hope it helps! 😀
Any way around undervolt when it's locked on TS ? R2 m15 oled latest bios ? Thanks
Great vid! Is it possible to do some more gaming benchmarks with the 17r4 to see its performance across multiple games?
I am currently doing that with the m15r4 so the scores would be incredibly similar but with better temps 👍
Thanks, This is very helpful for choice difficulties... I will chose 17 anyway...
Haha same as me but it is always my internal dilemma 😂
The m17 r4 just has so much better cooling than the m17 r2, the r2 s cpu will always hit 100c even with max fan, bear in mind that the r4 is more powerful too
Great video!
In my experience the RAM modules are the least reliable component after the HD. I'll never get a laptop with soldered RAM because of that. If the RAM goes out, you're stuck with a lesser laptop or you gotta buy a new one.
I know this video is old now, but just wanted to check anyway - which one you'd suggest buying (price is the same) - M17 R4 RTX 3060, 32 GB RAM, 360 HZ screen vs M15 R4 RTX 3070, 16 GB RAM, 144 Hz screen. Main use would be a desktop replacement with light moving around the house, but don't really need a 360 Hz screen and wonder if I am not missing out on not having the RTX 3070 with the M17.. Thanks!
The 3060 is still a solid card especially at 1080p! I would personally take the 17” as I prefer the screen size especially if it is a desktop replacement
We need to see a legion 5 review! Have just subbed with bell for that and comparisons
I have already done a legion 5 review did you mean comparison or the 2021 version with 5800h ryzen?
@@MashITTech Yes that's correct the 2021 version with 5800H. Legions seem to be the best overall laptops so I'm super excited. That mux switch for turning off optimus is awesome, apparently the legion 7 has advanced optimus like alienware
It was available in the U.K. for about 2 hours and sold out 😭 as soon as it’s up again I will order it 👍
I have the m17 r4 i9 3080-16gb. Been running Cod warzone and pending the thermal settings I would get really hot cpu temp of 80-90 and throttling to 100. I not as avid with computers. I’ve followed some other RUclips videos. Currently dropped my bios TCC to 15 , downed the max performance of my battery to 95% (supposedly stops the cpu from throttling), placed it under balanced thermal profile with high performance in my alien command center, and placed my laptop on cooling fan. CPU temps are 85c running warzone. Been getting 140-150fps with warzone, 190-200fps with mw multiplayer. Really interested on your tweaking for this computer. You got a sub from me 👍🏽
Hi there, when you say "downed the max performance of my battery to 95%" do you mean you edited the advanced power profile to 95% on battery? did you also do that for mains? If so that effectively removes all turbo boost so your system will run cooler but also a lot slower!
I will show you how to undervolt and adjust multipliers in my next video which massively reduces heat/temps without hurting performance
Thanks for replying so fast. Definitely interested and excited on your next video. Just looking to get the most I can get for this Laptop
I just did the maximum performance of the battery.. don’t know much. Maybe I’ll change it back to 100%. Will wait for your vid
Well that's fine then but all that is doing is removing the turbo boost on battery which will improve the battery life so no harm in that. It is having no effect on your gaming temps or clocks so leave it as is and do not mess with the mains profile :)
Will get the tweaking video out ASAP. I will get back in the office this evening and start putting it together but it will probably be tomorrow by the time I have edited it.
The 17 inch here in the States is not available with the RTX 3080. Only the 3070. That is a pity, I love the bigger laptop, but I need the gpu power to run my 4K external display on occasion
Dell cannot get 3080s at the moment :( hopefully they will get them in again soon
wow, I am amazed, what a gem of a channel I came across today. You are giving content many big channels are not giving. You have EARNED a sub in me!
Thank you that is always appreciated 😀👍
Will undervolted m15 will perform same as m17.
Do they save same tgp on gpu?
Yes it will although a little hotter. And yes they have the same tgp 👍
@@MashITTech I am trying to use this laptop with an external monitor and laptop cooler. Currently m15 is on sale. If I under-volt it and have custom fans is m15 better buy?.will it give me same performance as m17?
It will give exactly the same performance but will just be a little hotter. Once I undervolt the cpu it will easily hit its maximum clocks and the gpu never throttles.
I got the 15in primarily because I'm in love with OLED tech.
Once you go OLED it's hard to go back.
Unfortunate that some customers will want the M17 for the cooling and some the M15 for the OLED, but there's no way to have both features in either model.
Yeah it is a shame, I don’t think they make an oled 17” panel yet do they?
@@MashITTech No, I asked HIDevolution about it, and they have no info about any change in supply. A shame, because I'd happily put up with 60fps gaming away from home in exchange for the better movie-watching experience of an OLED, and then I could plug into my G-Sync LCD when at home for the better framerate/frame sequencing. I edited my comment because I thought they offered delidding and liquid metal for the Alienwares but it turns out they can't do that other (maybe the flipped mobo thing?).
It is a pig to repaste due to the flipped motherboard. I have done a few but I don't want to post a how to as I am worried about people damaging their machines (there are a lot of small connecters and zif sockets which can easily be snapped. I would hate for someone to break their $2k machine!
@@MashITTech Which is an issue in itself, since I've never seen a high-end laptop that hasn't begun to suffer high temps after a couple of years, signalling a need for thermal paste replacement. Not too bad if the CPU and GPU face downward, but this configuration makes me nervous.
@@MashITTech there are a couple of repaste videos on RUclips for the R3. It does look awkward, and the screws look cheap because they get stripped on removal. Would need to have spares handy before attempting it.
I went for the M15 R4. I recently tried the Strix Scar 17 with 1080P and could see the pixels, not ideal. If Alienware offered QHD 17” I’d have gone for that. Or 4K 120Hz.
Nice! Hope you enjoy it
just got the m17 r4 and the screens suck lmao. i haven’t gamed yet i’m sure the 144hz isn’t bad but coming from a qhd laptop wow. def need an external monitor
@@bobjo932 how come you didn’t go M15 or 4K?
FHD at 17” isn’t great.
@@kohaashi 3080 gpu lol. plus the cooling system is better since it’s a lot bigger
I was looking forward to this thanks
Hope it helps 👍
How is the Lunar Light holding up against finger oils and everyday handling? Love the look but nervous it’s going to be difficult to keep clean.
I had the r2 in lunar light and that thing discoloured if you looked at it funny! On the r3 and this r4 they have a new high endurance finish and so far it’s all been good (although the old finish felt nicer as it was more soft touch)
Alienware M17 R4, rocks got one just a gorgeous piece of tech.
It is a lovely machine! I have been so impressed with the 17 and the 15
So would i have heat issues with the m17 if i game a few hours each session 2 or 3 times a day. the laptop would be max fan speeds on a high end laptop cooling pad with max fan speed and i would have it connected to an external monitor. 3070 M17
M17 R4 is the model im looking to get. Really don't wanna pass up the deal considering i have a chance to get it for $1500
No, you should not have heat issues at all. Plus follow my performance tweak videos and it will run better and cooler than out of the box 👍
So what's the weight of the two laptops? Isn't measuring the weight of a laptop an essential step of doing a review?
I have seen in another review that M17r4 weighs 3kg, which is different from the labeled weight on the Dell website. the labeled weight of m15r4 is thus unreliable. I wonder what's the weight of m15r4 since there are few reviews of this model.
Doh what a school boy error! Sorry mate, I will get you the weights when in the office tomorrow
Why isn't there a overclock option in command center m17 r5 amd edition
does the raid 0 configuration in ssd means the two 2280 slots are already occupied?
Correct
I definitely needed a number pad on my laptop, but the M17 was a bit too heavy for me to carry it to my lab every day. I got the M15 and a separate wireless Numpad keyboard :-)
Does it work well as a work computer as well? Does using it for work activate the fan at an intense level or is is quite? Because I feel as if I’m in a similar boat. I wanted a new work computer (I’m a physicist who uses his computer for coding simulations) but I also wanted something which I can game on ocasión because I love gaming as well ahaha.
I ended up getting the M17 R3.. 144hz G Sync, 10980HK, 32GB ram, 2TB SSD, 2080 Super.. Was on a big sale.. and honestly it's a fantastic machine, but the FN+F7 gets broken by a windows update.. Basically it breaks the Alienware OSD.. I have had the laptop for all of a day and spent hours on the phone already to tech support and honestly, I was teaching THEM. LOL.
The FN+F6 still disables and enables the win key, but no longer displays the action. But for switching to integrated graphics and vice versa with FN+F7, you need the action to be displayed via the OSD. First install I could not get out of G sync, then I restored from factory, and went into intel hybrid mode, then updated the system and could not get back into G Sync! I decided I wanted G Sync mode so restored it a third time and put it back into dedicated discrete GFX mode/G-Sync enabled, but the battery life is appalling. I mean I paid my money and I should be able to use the switching feature when I am on battery and vice versa. That's a shocking bug. (And yes, since windows update I am stuck in G-Sync mode permanently, the intel GPU is nowhere to be seen in device manager whereas it works perfectly in hybrid mode.. The problem is all updates are batch downloaded by windows and I have no idea which one breaks it).
It's infuriating and just because of this I may have to return it, as battery life when just watching videos during travel will be abysmal...Also, the last update for the OSD App is 9 months ago, and I can't exactly halt windows updates forever. I just can't see dell updating that tiny little OSD app that would fix everything.
My 10980HK is an average bin, system crash with a -0.80 undervolt, but -0.50 seems ok thus far.
The fan profile is lazy to spin up and the alienware control center is buggy, for example changing some audio settings set the fans to hoover mode when the temps were like 38 and no cpu load and I hadn't touched the fan profiles! I had to restart and enter and exit the ACC....
I get 4478 in cinebench R20.. considering most 6 core laptops get between 2800-3300, my previous one getting 3169 (Aorus X5 V8), the improvement here is HUGE. That's more than 35% better performance, and all due to the fact it doesn't thermal throttle. That said, I wish it WOULD throttle at 95 instead of 100, as 100c is insane.. The R4 lets you put an offset in bios, and I would set it to 10 so it would throttle at 90.. I wish they would add it to the R3 in a bios update.. speaking of updates.. updating alienware software is buggy also, bios took repeated attempts and some apps just wouldn't update..
But the cooling is very reasonable for an 8 core cpu under load when the fans have spun up, and the noise is no worse than other gaming laptops.
The vapor chamber obviously works. I just wish this OSD would work, and I'd be happy, even looking past my crappy 10980HK bin.
The reason I am writing this here rather than your R3 vids is to recommend the R3 instad of the R4, as the R3 is on sale, and for those who don't care about the OSD, and those who want to save money (it was 2.5K cheaper than similarly specced R4, only difference being 2933 ram instead of 2667, and 3080 instead of 2080S.. sorry, but that's not worth 2.5K when a 2080S will play any game at 1080P for years to come)... And also to recommend it to audio professionals, as the lazy fan profile makes for a very quite laptop till it's really under high load, AND, the DPC latency (tested extensively via latencymon) is excellent for the R3.. It passes with flying colours, and I believe the R4 fails! this is why I am loathe to return it, cause despite the problems, the performance for both gaming and audio production is fantastic.
Sigh, I will have to give it some thought.
Thanks for the info. What a nightmare about the AWCC! I have not come accross this bug yet! IMHO the AWCC is the worst aspect of the alienware laptops and even the old style Alienware was better. It frustrates me that it has been out for years and has had no development in that time and is still a clunk mess. As much as razer synapse annoys me at least it has a lot of useful features and more keep getting added
Excellent video, simple, straight and clear and useful for buyers to choose between of those to beast of machine 👍
Glad you enjoyed it 👍
I have the M15 R4 I was curious I ordered another 16 GB of ram card because there is a second slot correct? What I didn’t see when you opened it was where the Ram was located I’m hoping when I pop of the bottom cover it will be accessible without removing anything else is that the case? Thank you
sorry to tell you this but the ram is soldered on the m15r4, it is the SSD's you can upgrade 😥
Not sure if you remember from your previous m17 video "deep dive" I just ordered mine yesterday.
Config: i7, 3080, 32ddr , 360hz, 2tb ssd and I just saw that yesterday they released a new option for keyboard called CherryMX Ultra Low so I got that as well.
I hope to see the throttlestop and msi software walkthrough in the future on your channel for best cooling and performance that you did in the video. I've done some research and none of the walkthroughs I found are recent at all. Loved the video and I love how quick you are to replying as well to everyone. Keep at it and do make that video! I've seen many comments on reddit and RUclips channels asking for a helping hand in using those 2 softwares.
Hi Conner, please let me know how you get on with the cheery mx keys! I am dying to try them but not available in U.K. yet 😭 haven’t forgotten the undervolt videos, started working on that yesterday but had to get today’s videos finished and out the door first 😀👍
@@MashITTech I'm so excited to see it. If you can, leave a link for where to get the software! Also, the keys sound like a super satisfying asmr video! I've got to try it on a different keyboard and they're so satisfying to feel, press, and listen to. 🎶
I will do, I did a similar video for razer blades a few months ago so shouldn't take me too long to recompile it to suit the alienware and its 8 core CPU!
I am a massive mechanical keyboard hoarder and have about 15+ mech keyboards, I have been waiting for a laptop to have a decent mech keyboard for so long and you have no idea how jealous I am of you :) I will speak to the alienware guys to find out when we are getting the option over in the UK.
@@MashITTech the one I posted in the link is called BananaSplit. I'm on a waiting list for it.
Sorry mate, did I miss a post? I can’t see the link. My favourite keyboard atm is my varmillo miya pro in cherry reds, I am currently looking for some decent pbt double shot keycaps in a particular blue and struggling.
Can we get a comparison between the M15r4 and the Razer Blade 15 advanced and maybe even the ROG Zephyrus g15? so many good 15in gaming laptops its so hard to pick one
Doing a razer blade advance vs m15 early next week. It will be the 2070 super blade because we haven’t got the new model here yet but other than being a little slower on the gpu they are essentially the same. Also got a g14 on order but not a g15 yet
@@MashITTech awesome!! Can’t wait 🙂 thanks for the reply
Hi @mashit is there a big difference between the RTX 3080 16 VGR vs rtx3080 8 VGR as you know Alineware using the 8 for 15 inch and 16 for 17 inch kindly help thank you mash it
Mash need your advice, I want to pick up the M17 but max RAM on sale is only 16 GB. Bigger screen size and better thermals is why I want to go with M17 but the M15 is available with 32 GB RAM. Is 16 GB good enough for real world usage (the gazillion chrome tabs) and heavy gaming? or get M15 32 GB to future proof it? Also could you share the specs of the SSD you were showing on the video please.
I still use and recommend 16gb for most people. I can't see games benefitting from more than 16gb for a few years. I would only recommend 32gb if you heavily utilise VMs, photoshop or video editing. I can't remember which SSD I had in the video so I will watch it and let you know
Thank you for your videos, super useful and well done keep going!
May i ask you the weight differences?
Also how much different is the power adapter in watts, weight?
Thank you in advance!
Man, how stupid of me! I meant to add the weights! As soon as I get back into the office later I will let you know the weights.
With regards to the PSU's as both systems were similar configs they are issued with the dell 240w PSU (I detail it in the m15r4 review video if you want to see what it looks like (its timestamped so finding it should be easy)
Dear @Mash IT, can you please make a video to compare face-to-face the most important thermal aspect M17 R4 (cpu i7-10870H) vs previous M17 R3 (cpu i7-10875H or i7-10750H). This would be very intresting to find out does Dell improved the cooling system in R4 or not. Many thanks in advance!
I haven't got an r3 in the office at the moment! I will try and get my hands on one and see what I can do.
@@MashITTech Amazing!! Thank you!!
Not sure if it's just me or does the rainbow wave on the keyboard doesn't look very seamless? Maybe the colours could be transitioning better from one key to the next one?
Hmm i don’t notice it in person, I wonder if it is the camera shooting at 50fps? I will take a good look in a sec
@@MashITTech its actually the red ones which stand out distinctly. Like..I have seen the keyboard of the rog strix series and they seem to transition much better. I just bought the M15 r4, 3070 model by the way for about 2000 dollars including taxes😁 so I am just noticing every single detail on these things
Well I have been staring at the keyboard for a while now and it looks good to me in person! Either you have much better eyes than me or it’s the video’s lower FPS 👍
@@MashITTech thanks for letting me know. Better check it in person when I receive mine. I am a sucker for cool lighting on laptop and it was killing me when I saw something off😆 hope it's fine
Also can you connect a ps5 controller to it with the charger
I've had both because I returned the M15 for the M17 and I can honestly say that I'm extremely happy that I did. While the M15 is still an amazing laptop, the M17 is just absolutely GORGEOUS.
Yep, the m17 is my favourite too! I love how much better the thermal solution is too
Could you please tell me how much M17 does weigh exactly?? The website says it ranges from 5.5-6.5, but that's just too much difference.
Ge66 Raider versus m17r4 bestbuy off the shelve. What would you take? ge66 32gb ram m17r4 16gb.
The GE66 also looks great (haven't got one in yet) but I will take a 17" every time if I am gaming!
What is the TGP of M17's 3070?
Also which SSD slots support only PCIe and which slots support both SATA and PCIe?
The TGP is 125 + 15w boost so 140w total.
And with regards with your second question, sorry I am not sure! I will see if I can find out
Were the fans in turbo mode in the game test?
Minor correction the m17 has a compact or 85% while the m15 has the 65% keyboard
nice. i got the 17 last week. should ship soon. 3080 all day baby
I haven't had a 3080 in yet! Got a 3060 on the way to see how that performs but at some point I am going to have to stump up for the 3080
@@MashITTech does dell or whatever comp give you these laptops for free or they give you something in return for reviewing their stuff? caz i see so many reviews of new phones and laptops and i know for sure yall dont keep all of them
Haha I don't get to keep any (unless it is the odd personal purchase) I run a small gaming shop so usually review new units before they go on sale, hopefully one day Dell will supply me with review units!
Great comparison! Thanks 😊 One question. I heard that the noise of the m15 fan was horrendous. Have you noticed anything similar during your test?
They are not horrendous but they can get loud if you put it on performance or full speed mode. This is why I leave it in balanced and tweak it rather than just put it in performance
These look like great machines. I'd go for the 17 inch too. Have the M line of Alienware been plagued with the same QC issues that the XPS 15 & 17 have? (Trackpad, speakers, display probs, etc)
I have been through about 8 units of r3 and r4 and havn't had anything untoward like the xps 9500 but another viewer received a m15 with a faulty trackpad :(
@@MashITTech ok thanks. The xps 17 is on a good special where I live but I can't bring myself to buy one. It's not for me, but I'll be the go to person if there are issues, so they want me involved in the buying choice too. I might see what they think of the m17, though I've a feeling they won't like the price even if they like like everything else. I'll send them to your channel for your reviews. Thanks!
Thanks mate, that is always appreciated 👍 the xps trackpad can easily be sorted with a bit of tape (not that you should have to but I have done a few customers as they didn’t want to return it) and other than that is is quite a solid machine
Hi! I’m really interesting to buy in this one 17inch... but could you tell me please if
Does ram come split in two slot or all in one slot even they are soldering ?
Thank you.
Yes the ram is soldered so you cannot add more but it is in dual channel
@@MashITTech Thank you for your answer, i dont ever care about soldered, but i wanted dual channel... Thanks.
Quick questions love the comparison btw helping a lot in deciding what to buy. I’m I able to upgrade the ram on the m15 r4 or is it sorted to the motherboard? Also if I buy the m15 with the 32gb of ram version will I still get dual channel or will I loose? Lastly should I go with an ssd or a raid 0 don’t know what it is or what it does. Thank you
Hi Chacha, unfortunately ram is soldered to the motherboard so make sure you buy the amount you need. All Alienware m15/m17 models are in dual channel (so 8, 16 or 32 are all dual channel). Lastly don't waste your time with raid, it was no faster than 1 good SSD and if you buy a single SSD at least you can add another later
Hey man, does the M17 run quieter than the M15? I am thinking if returning my m15 and getting the m17 for better thermals and possibly better fan noise. Thanks!
In all honesty it doesn't run much quieter because of the way Dell runs the profiles but it does run a lot cooler. If you want it to be quiet you will need to switch it to the quiet profile.
Is one much quieter than the other, both when working on productivity tasks and also when gaming?
Not really the m17 just has lower temps. If you put them in quiet more they stay really quiet for office use but when gaming both reach about 47db on quiet and 50db on balanced.
What is the sizes/kinds of the m2 in the m17? So that one has three spots and came with only one m2? So you can add two more?
You get 2x m.2 80mm (one of which will be populated if you order a single drive configuration) and a m.2 30mm for the third slot (bit of an odd choice but its better than nothing!)
@@MashITTech thank you for the reply! Is there a way to message you personally with a question I have. Trying to make a decision and need an expert’s opinion.
just add me on instagram and message me there :)
Hello, Thanks for the video. I wanted to take the 17 inch. What do you think of the UHD 60 hz screen? Is it possible to increase the ram later?
The uhd is a great panel for content creation and non fast paced games. Unfortunately ram is soldered so you need to buy what you need when you configure it
Can these keyboard colors be configured in the r3 version? They are only loaded at the moment you turn on the equipment and I would like it to be always like that.
Yes if you have the per key version not the 4 zone version. Once you set it within command centre it should stay even on reboot
Hi! Great video! I don’t know if I missed it but what is the battery life for each of them? Thank you!
The difficulty with battery life is it depends on the panel you buy. Both these models are high refresh rate machines and have no Optimus so both are awful at about 3 hours! If you get the 144hz model it has advanced Optimus so lasts much longer
Ordered m17 with i9 and 3080. Didn’t upgrade the keyboard to cherry. Wondering if it’s a missed opportunity.
well the standard keyboard is already a great keyboard! I would love to be able to tell you about the the cherry switch but the m17 we ordered with the mech keyboard on the day of release still hasn't shipped! they just keep delaying our date 😭
Is it possible to upgrade the rams of M15 R4 or they are binded to the motherboard?
unfortunately they are soldered to the motherboard so you cannot upgrade
Haven't watch it yet so I don't get bias on when I receive these two myself but just wanna support you still for those YT algorithms
Haha thanks mate, good to see you over here. You are not going to believe it but I was just over on your channel watching your x1 extreme video and was about to message you :)
@@MashITTech Oh I got two of them in and had them sitting on the shelf for 3 weeks just didn't have time to do the video with all the new Dell stuff arriving. I can give you quick cheat sheet summary since I've actually done all the testing already and filming for it too just need to do the brolls now for it. Background I use the Dell XPS 15 9500 as a daily (yep I got it same time as getting the XPS13 9310 just never got around doing the review video for it too) so I got some comparison data between X1Eg3 and XPS15 (both same spec i7,32gb,gtx1650). XPS15 smashes the X1Eg3 in performance in all departments; CPU,RAM,HDD and GPU. About 8-15% quicker the XPS15. What the X1Eg3 has better over the XPS15 is better port selection and keyboard and thats about it. XPS has better display, speakers, trackpad (when it doesn't have that common trackpad issue, lucky for me I haven't) and battery life. I won't put that comment on my channel yet haha.
haha thanks for the heads up! I love the XPS 9500, reviewed that and the 9700 and definitely preferred the 15"
I know the feeling regarding having loads of machines to review but not enough time. I have loads of videos I wanted to do but just don't have enough hours in the day!
BTW, you seem to have really upped your game lately, so nice to see you doing so well, those subs are rolling in :)
Hi did you get the result of the temp difference between 144hz version m15r4 and m17r4? Is m17r4 still better? Thank you.
The m7r4's are a lot better due to its larger fans and thermal system. I would say the cpu are 10-15c better without any tweaking.
@@MashITTech Thank you！Will go for m17 then
How’s the battery life of both the devices? A reply would be helpful!
The battery life totally depends on the panel you order so it’s difficult to compare, if you buy the high refresh rate panels then battery is equally terrible on each 😂
Can I enable Gsync via displayport with external monitor that support Gsync on the M15?
Yes you can 👍
How much ram is one each laptop? Dual channel vs single ?
Is ram soldered or upgradable?
What is the tdp of gpu on both ?
the m17 came with 16gb, the m15 came with 32gb, unfortunately it is soldered on but they always come in dual channel.
TGP for both is 140w with boost.
@@MashITTech
So M17 doesn’t have higher TGP that M15 ?
So they have same power brick ?
Can you kindly please perform gaming benchmarks?
Hey! please make videos on and/or do comparisons on any of these laptops: Asus RoG Zephyrus G15/M16/Strix Scar15/17, Lenovo Legion 5 Pro/7, Razer Blade 15 Base/Advanced/Pro 17.
I have a few of those laptops on my rader! Got the alienware content to finish plus the dell g15 range that just arrived then I will start looking at the next model to get in
i went withm15 but should i regret this. I like the bigger screen on m17 and thermals but the non centered keyboard was dealbreaker for me.as a firs time pc gamer is the m15 more suitable enough for my at home desktop pc i wont use it much for portabale. I just dont want know that m17 is better it is but i dont mind less bigger screen instead off and off cente rkeyboard
I got the 144hz panel for better battery time, but im wondering: will that have any effect on my actual gaming performance compared to the other panels??
None that you would ever notice, the laptop will rarely push games at over 300fps so you might as well stick with 144hz plus even on my desktop moving from a good 144hz panel to 240hz panel the difference was almost imperceptible unlike moving 60hz to 144hz
@@MashITTech wow thank you, that was probably my #1 worry about my choice, and now im happy i did it lmfao. Also, is the mux switch something i would use when i know im gonna need higher performance, and i can just watch netflix and stuff without that? Im not even sure if my understanding of the mux switch is correct, but thanks a lot for the help
Now, I am not 100% if it uses a MUX this year as I haven't received a 144hz yet (it says advanced Optimus so I am assuming its a mux like last years r3) but basically, you can leave it in Optimus and you will have good battery as it switches off the RTX card when not in use, when you fire up a game it enables the RTX card and passes the info through the intel gfx. For most people just leaving it on this mode will be fine as it will still perform well....but....in Optimus you will loose a few FPS in cpu bound games and esports titles like CSGO. By switching to dedicated RTX card using the MUX switch it disables the intel gfx and passes the signal straight from the RTX to the internal screen or external screens so you get maximum performance. Hope this makes sense :)
@@MashITTech okay yea im not super competitive when it comes to gaming, so a few fps lost isnt that big a deal to me. It sounds like i made the right choice for my gaming experience. Thanks a lot for all the info, and WOW your reply time is amazing, i hope you get the recognition you deserve on this platform
did you notice fan whine in the 17? had trouble with it on R3 so i had to return it :-(
Mine was good but when I had a few r3 machines through the office it was hit and miss with the fans
help!! ~ which do you think will perform better? the m15r5 ryzen or m17r4? the former is ryzen 7nm 240hz has optimus while the latter still intel 14nm 144hz without optimus,, also which one will suffer more from hotter temperature? (as hotter means slower)
At the moment this is pure speculation as we haven’t received ours yet but I imagine the m17r4 will be more powerful on the gpu but the r5 should be slightly better on the cpu. I will compare them when my r5 arrives 👍
@@MashITTech hope you can review them soon side by side to know if alienware updated the cooling system on that r5! thanks!!
Hi Michael, we sure will, there will be plenty of content when they arrive as we have a lot of people expecting it :) I also have the new G15 range on order so will compare those two to see if the r5 is much better than the G15 ryzen now available
My m17 R4 arrives in a few days. At max brightness, is the 360hz panel bright? I hate dim and dull displays
Hi Tom, I would estimate it at 350nit, it was much brighter than the 240hz panel I have on my razer blade pro 17 which is 300nit
@@MashITTech perfect thanks.
Have you seen the new cherry mx keyboard that you can customize with the m17 and m15?
I have and I want them so badly! Unfortunately they are USA only at the moment :( hope we get them in the UK soon and I will get one in
@@MashITTech oh no! I was thinking in getting them but I’m afraid they would sound really loud because they are a mechanical keyboard.
It is a red switch so you will only hear it bottoming out so will be just a little louder than the standard keyboard, certainly not loud like a cherry blue switch which is my favourite switch, I love the noise :)
@@MashITTech huh thank you for the info 😄 btw I really like your content! You go so in depth into the products it’s awesome!
Thanks mate, just want to give something back to the community, tweaking and testing these machines is my passion :)
How many of hours of battery can I expect with 144hz display with optimus on the m17?
Sorry, I don’t know yet. I have one on the way from dell so look out for the review soon
@@MashITTech Waiting for your review. 😁
Right now my new laptop choice is the M17 R4 - I read that the keyboard can be upgraded to the cherry mechanical keyboard switches but cannot find that choice on the website
It depends on your region! I think it is only on the USA website atm, gutted as I want to order one ASAP and there is none in U.K. 😭
@@MashITTech Sorry about that - :) I am in USA but cannot locate it on the site so I emailed customer support
@@MashITTech I just went back and checked and they have the Cherry Switch option now online for $176.40 USD
That’s the one! I just expect some feedback on how good it is if you buy it so I can live vicariously through you 😂
@@MashITTech ha ha ha I'll try - you have my permission to follow up :)
I need it to run autocad software for 3d rendering. Which one do you suggest ?
If you plan to be looking at the laptop screen for the work get the 17” if you plan on docking it to an external screen and want portability get the 15”
what are the weight of the two laptops?
Damn, I meant to have that on the screen! sorry.
M15r4 - 2.5kg (5.5lb)
M17r4 - 2.97kg (6.55lb)
I'll be getting the m15 R4. It now has an option for the 3080 which is not available on the m17.
Just in case you weren't aware the m15 3080 has a lower TGP than the m17 3080 👍
@@MashITTech is it because of the screen difference or not? And how much lower?
It is because the 15” cooling solution is much worse than the 17” the 17” 3080 gets 165w the 15” 3080 gets about 125w
Will you get the Cherry keyboard version? The problem is, these laptops already had good keyboards, probably in the top 1% of all laptops. The Cherry keyboard is not necessarily better.
Hi Daniel, you are right, IMHO this is the best keyboard on a gaming laptop! But of course I have a cherry mx version on order, I couldn't help myself 🤣 (I am a massive mechanical keyboard fan so have to try it)
@@MashITTech Hi. It seems that standard "Alienware mSeries per-key AlienFX RGB keyboard with numeric keypad" are not mechanical, it's membrane keyboard?
Yes, the default model is membrane, the mechanical is a £100 up charge
I ordered alienware m15 r3 2080max Q core i9 300hz
Waiting for ur next alienware video to set it up when it arrives
And by the way ur video about alienware is awesome keep it up💪
Thanks a lot 😀 video should be up Monday or Tuesday 👍 only thing that will be different is the 2080 and I can help you with that over message
I'd love that 😊
Why would u get a 2080 with 3000 series cards
do they both come with a functional charger?
sorry, what do you mean? they both come with the usual alienware 240w or 330w depending on config you order
is it okay to use the m15 r4 while charging? will it damage the battery sir?
Yes that is totally fine it will just charge a bit slower 👍
What's everyone's thoughts on the cherry red switches announcement?
I am over the moon being a big mech keyboard fan. I spoke to alienware today and they told me we are going to be able to order them in the U.K. tomorrow! Will be getting a unit in ASAP 😀
It's not red. CHERRY MX ULTRA LOW PROFILE - CLICKY AND NOTICEABLE. Means, they are much closer to cherry MX Blue.
Hey did u check battery life with power bank and type c 60watt charging
Hey mate, so sorry! Been so busy I haven’t done that yet! If I get a few minutes spare tonight I will take a look for you
@@MashITTech may you get a million subs for your dedication keep going strong
Hey, you talked about optimus on 144hz. I ordered the m17r4 144hz non gsync. Do you know if it has optimus? Nobody has been able to tell me that
I haven't tested it but I am 95% sure it will have optimus with a MUX switch like the r3. If it isn't enabled by default try pressing fn+f7. I wish Dell were more clear with this information
@@MashITTech thanks a lot for replying mate. Mine will be delivered on 22 April and I didn't want to spend money on 360hz cause cyberpunk ain't hitting 300 fps lol
Hi, Just wandering if you know why the new R5 Ryzen edition only has the 8gb RTX 3070?
there is also a 3060 version but as far as I know they are not using the 3080, that seems to be reserved for the intel r4
@@MashITTech Really disappointing for me as I was hanging on for this version. The Asus Scar 15 seems really appealing to me now but have read the performance is bottlenecked somewhat. Might wait on for the new Intel R5 of there will be one?
Alienware is making an announcement on the 11th, but we don't know what it is but as it is the 11th I am hoping 11th gen (clutches at straws 😂)
@@MashITTech That would make sense 😃🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼
Im curious how much a laptop stand or cooling pad helps with temps.
Good idea! Let me look into that for you 👍
Cooling pads are a rip off and make a negligible difference. You’re better off just using a block or cheap laptop stand that elevates your computer to allow more airflow.
Plastic coolers made NO to little diff for me. Tried 2/returned. Then tried the coolermaster aluminum deck 140mm duel fans. Got minus 3--6 degrees. On low to med load. Med to high load minus 0 --3 degrees. Tested on dell g7 1060 & now m17 r4. Pretty much the same results on both. These numbers did fluctuate. Plus/minus on room temps and games played, even on hot days i could raise the laptop and put my hand on the aluminum deck it was always cold. laptop bottom always felt cool. For ME its a keeper for 40 bucks. Also put a 240mmx140mm fine screen underneath cooler/ fans to keep out dust. Milage will very. Probably just a feelgood scenario but ill take it and keeping dust out Big plus.
Amazing video mate. I think you should do a razerblade 17 pro4k120hz rtx 3080 (2021) review. Id love to see how compares. Hopefully alienware releases the r5 in a 17 model and also a 3080 in the ryzen based r5. Have you heard anything about alienware with the new X series?
Thank you mate. I am actually holding off on the Razer for the moment. There is just so little changed from last year that I cannot justify the expense. I think we will see refreshed models soon when intel 11th series are readily available and I will get them in then (plus alienware when refreshed)
@@MashITTech thanks I appreciate the insight. I will hold off for a refresh with the 11th gen Intel and also if alienware drops some new models with qhd and 4k 120hz displays.
Yeah, I was expecting 240hz qhd panels by now. I think the ryzen m15 r5 is getting the 240hz qhd and if so they will probably also add it to the r4
Excellent, would it be possible to test productivity performance between them, I would love to see the performance difference with Blender with respect to how the GPU performs between lower and higher TDP variants. The same test can be done to multiple other productivity softwares :)
I can certainly test that but it will be two weeks. Had to give the m17 back but have another with cherry mx mechanical keys on the way 👍
@@MashITTech Wow, thank you for your response, subscribed to the channel and will wait for the video:)
Hi mate, hope you are doing great. Could you kindly do a performance comparison with rendering in Blender to check how the GPU performs between lower and higher TDP, frequency etc
M17/15R4 have a mechanical keyboard option now🤔
I know! Gutted it wasn’t available when I ordered 😭
Subscribed! Will you do a video on tuning the m15 r4 using throttlestop! Thank you
It’s releasing today. We wanted to drop it last night but time for the better of us. I was going to do one video to include throttlestop, afterburner and m15 performance but it was getting too long so will be breaking it into smaller videos
Awesome! Thanks
do you think it looks cheap with the lunar light design? mine hasn't arrived yet but i'm suddenly thinking i should've gotten the dark side of the moon
When they were initially announced I thought it was going to too so bought a black 51m avoiding the light, but in the UK they have more configs in the lunar light so I bit the bullet and ordered one and so glad I did! I love the colour and it actually makes the laptop stand out from the sea of black and silver laptops out there. I have now bought lunar light for the last couple of years
@@MashITTech thanks for the reassurance, much appreciated! great job on the reviews, btw, you have a new sub from me!
Thanks Marco, always appreciated 😃👍
Can you buy an alienware laptop at Best Buy or any store
Sorry, I live in the U.K. so can’t answer that. In the U.K. we pretty much have to buy it online as the shops here only stock the cheap laptops
So, has anyone actually tried a 2242 M.2 NVMe SSD in the small SSD slot in the M15 R4? The price of a 2230 M.2 NVMe drive is significantly different than the equivalent 2242 version.
I only had a 30mm on hand, I will try and get a spare 42mm and update you
@@MashITTech Thanks, that would be awesome. I know for a 2230 M.2 drive, the biggest you can get is 1 TB, and those are exceedingly rare (people are buying CalDigit Tuf Nano 1TBs and taking them apart for the 1 TB 2230 M.2 drive inside). For a 2242 M.2 SSD, you can go up to 2 TB in size, and those are relatively cheap and easy to acquire, as there isn't a huge delta in price between 2242 and 2280 M.2 SSDs.
Yeah, completely. I just bought a 30mm to upgrade our surface pro 7+ for the review and I had a hard time getting a decent capacity and ended up just buying a 256gb. I am back in my office later and will have a dig around for a 42mm (there is a good chance I have an older one from previous laptop upgrades) but if not I will chuck a cheap one on an amazon order
@@MashITTech Please update I do wanna know this as well
Nice video! I have a problem with my new m15r4 though. Whenever I voice/video chat, there is this like electricity sound coming from the audio and it is high pitch. I don't really know how to describe the sound without showing a video. Hope you know what I'm talking about. Any solutions?
How loud is it? And is this through speakers or headset? I spent the evening last night gaming on the 15r4 with headset and the audio was flawless. I will get on a discord server later and see if I can reproduce your noise 👍
@@MashITTech Thanks for the reply! It's coming from the computer's speaker. This doesn't happen when I'm watching youtube. When I voice/video chat and when the other person speaks, the speaker will have this high pitch sound kind of like vibration coming out of it. It's annoying. Is there any way that I can send a video recording to you in private?
If you use reddit upload it there and I will look out for it 👍
@@MashITTech Hi mash IT. Sorry for taking up your time but here is the reddit link. When I connect to a headset or a bose stereo this problem seems to disappear. So I think it is coming from the computer's speaker. www.reddit.com/r/AlienwareTechsupport/comments/mcd45o/need_help_with_m15r4_speaker/
will take a look as soon as I get in the office
do you think the 144hz screen will do me good for gaming?
Yes for sure, it’s still a great screen
@@MashITTech ok thanks!