Alienware m17 assessment: a genuinely moveable 17-inch gaming laptop computer

Launched again at CES, this 17-inch powerhouse from Alienware is ready to ship the products for each avid gamers and content material creators. The Alienware m17 squeezes a complete lot of energy right into a slimline chassis, taking the crown because the gaming model’s thinnest and lightest 17-inch laptop computer to this point – weighing in at simply 2.6kg and solely 23mm thick. But you wouldn’t guess that from its totally loaded specs sheet.

Long in the past now Alienware ditched its over-the-top fashion, and luminous inexperienced colourway, in favour of one thing a little bit extra reserved. In truth, the corporate has distanced itself so drastically from its conventional druthers with its newest design language, Legend, that it now sits as one of many extra svelte and grown-up of all the key gaming manufacturers. The firm has virtually solely ditched its famed alien head insignia altogether.

This extra distinguished fashion pays dividends with the m17. This laptop computer is an awfully highly effective machine for many avid gamers, which is improbable when you have the money to spare, however all that energy additionally makes it a mighty software within the fingers of most professionals. With the rising prevalence of content material creators, streamers, and part-time editors all requiring moveable energy, the seasoned design of the m17 makes for a good selection amongst a sea of purple, inexperienced, and blue lights.

But the innards of this rig are removed from wise. Within its chassis lies an Intel Core i9 8950HK: a six-core, 12-thread, 4.8GHz cell monstrosity moulded from the 14nm Coffee Lake structure. A chip that warrants the very tippy high of Core branding round. This i9 designated chip is saved considerably cool with the corporate’s Cryo-Tech v2.zero thermal expertise, able to conserving its eight cores inside operational limits beneath load at full chatter.

But the m17 is definitely not lap-friendly. It can get excruciatingly scorching beneath some CPU intensive workloads, with loads of that warmth exuding from beneath the operate keys and energy button. To maintain all that cool, the followers are working additional time. Often fluctuating in pace and decibel to keep up acceptable temperatures.

That’s little doubt because of the Nvidia RTX 2080 Max-Q additionally crammed into its 23mm chassis. With Max-Q conserving the GPU in examine, this card doesn’t hit temperatures fairly as tall because the CPU beneath load – however that comes with some drawbacks in means of efficiency. The Alienware m17 tops our efficiency charts in gaming and straight Cinebench R15 CPU testing, however solely manages to outperform the full-fat RTX 2070 by a small margin in gaming.

That’s none too stunning, both. Nvidia’s Max-Q expertise trades off uncooked energy for thermal and noise restrictions. That’s what permits for laptops like this one to cut back z-height drastically with out inciting a fireplace danger. And there’s one thing to be mentioned for a desktop alternative you possibly can transfer with out a winch.

The Alienware m17 provided to us comes outfitted with a 4K, 60Hz panel. It’s a vibrant 100% sRGB IPS with nice distinction and saturation, what’s to not love? Well, there’s definitely a case to be made for ditching 4K altogether.

Content creators will possible really feel grateful for the additional actual property on provide, particularly with artistic apps comparable to Adobe Premiere or After Effects. However, a 17-inch panel filled with 8,294,400 pixels feels awfully tiny when you flip down Windows’ famously tripe scaling and try to make use of the decision. Some icons very practically stop to exist on the panel’s native decision and scaling.

But there are applied sciences throughout the Turing architecture able to decreasing the 4K workload throughout gaming. While awfully restricted in scope proper now, DLSS could make for a really playable and beautiful 4K gaming expertise. Even with a laptop computer as small of stature because the m17.

And that’s how the Alienware stands its floor amongst a sea of RTX 20-series/Intel i9 laptops. It’s remarkably slender and light-weight for the efficiency on provide, delivering gaming and content material creation chops inside a laptop computer that’s really moveable. Dell’s manufacturing ranks amongst the most effective too, so you understand you’re getting a lappy that may face up to a little bit tough and tumble.

And you’d hope so given this specific mannequin’s £3,349 price ticket. That’s full with RTX 2080 Max-Q, i9 8950HK, and a 4K display screen. Although with solely a 512GB SSD because the sole storage choice, this configuration is slicing it advantageous for avid gamers. And that’s nigh-on unworkable for professionals working with mammoth 4K video recordsdata or RAW photos. You can at the least entry the underside of the m17 by eradicating a few cross head screws, making a stable state storage transplant simple sufficient. But an added expense nonetheless.

If you’re pursuing moveable efficiency in any respect prices, and have the cash to again it up, you’re looking at lasting high quality, help, and responsiveness from the Alienware m17. The laptop computer’s fairly body does often home sufficient thermal vitality to warmth the Empire State’s 102 flooring, however for those who’re not afraid to maintain these followers screeching it would keep efficiency beneath heavy load. There are undoubtedly operationally sounder laptops, however few that incorporate a lot into so little.