- Dell Alienware m15 R3 Gaming and Entertainment Laptop (Intel i7-10750H 6-Core, 16GB RAM, 512GB PCIe SSD, 15.6' Full HD (1920x1080), NVIDIA RTX 2070 Super, Wifi, Bluetooth, Win 10 Pro) with D6000 Dock Graphic Type: Dedicated Card.
- Alienware Gaming Laptop, 15.6in Full HD, Intel Core i7-7700HQ, 16GB DDR4 RAM, 256GB SSD + 1TB HDD, GeForce GTX 1070, VR Ready, Silver AW15R3-7003SLV-PUS (Renewed).
- Industry leading innovators, Alienware, manufactures the best gaming laptops & desktops that provide users with immersive and exhilarating gaming experience.
Alienware has been a top name in PC gaming since the company’s launch in 1996. The alien theme and powerful specs have long been some of the most iconic on the market. Alienware has refined its lineup of gaming laptops since 2009 and currently offers just three models. We’ve broken down the best Alienware laptops you can get right now to help you choose the right one.
See also: The best gaming laptops you can buy right now
Jan 28, 2021 Alienware m17 R3 (2020): $3,309.99 $2,349.99 at Dell Save $960 - Alternatively, you could save even more by opting to go for this absolutely crazy top of the line spec at Dell this week.This. New Alienware m17 R3 17.3 inch FHD Gaming Laptop (Luna Light) Intel Core i7-10750H 10th Gen, 16GB DDR4 RAM, 1TB SSD, Nvidia Geforce RTX 2070 8GB GDDR6, Windows 10 Home 4.4 out of 5 stars 231.
Although there are just three models, each one is available in a few different configurations. We’ll touch on the differences and help to explain how to choose your next laptop.
Best Alienware laptops:
Editor’s note: We will regularly update our list of the best Alienware laptops as new devices launch.
1. Alienware Area 51m
If you want a desktop that’s disguised as a laptop, the Area 51m will give you the most bang for your buck. Just be ready to shell out quite a few thousand bucks. This redesigned powerhouse is the most advanced model in the Alienware lineup, and it pulls no punches in terms of hardware options.
The newest version of the Area 51m — the Area 51m R2 — is equipped with a 10th-generation Intel Core i9 10900K processor and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Super GPU. It’s not the Max-Q configuration either, these are full-blown desktop-grade graphics. Nvidia’s powerful GPU helps bring the large 17.3-inch Full HD 300Hz display to life for games and content creation. The base configuration is also ready for action with 32GB of DDR4 RAM and two 1TB SSDs.
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If the base specs aren’t enough, you can double the RAM to 64GB and double the storage to 4TB while you’re at it. The Alienware Area 51m R2 is truly a desktop in disguise and tips the scales at 9.04 lbs.
The Area 51m R2 is at the high end of most budgets, but the R1 is still available. It’s equipped with 9th-gen Intel hardware and up to an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 GPU. One of the biggest draws to the Area 51m R1 is the retail price starts at half the cost of the R2.
2. Alienware m15
If the Area 51m is out of your budget — honestly, it’s out of ours too — you might be more at home with the m15 line. It’s the smallest and most portable of the three devices, measuring in with a 15.6-inch display and weighing just 4.65 lbs.
With half of the weight, you might worry that the m15 packs half of the power, but you’d be wrong. The latest R4 model is equipped with an Intel Core i7 chip and up to Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 graphics. You also get up to 32GB of RAM and 4TB of SSD space along with 512GB of HDD storage if you choose the top-end configuration.
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Alienware’s Cryo-Tech cooling system keeps the m15 cool under pressure, so you can game or stream as hard as you want to.
If you’re looking to save a bit of cash, the R1, R2, and R3 configurations are also available. All three models are battle-ready with 9th-gen Intel hardware, though the R3 is the newest of the bunch. You can grab any of the three with an Intel Core i5 option that’s paired with Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti graphics. As always, you can configure the specs much higher — up to a Core i9 with GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q graphics for an increased price.
3. Alienware m17
It’s easy to think of the m17 as the larger, more powerful sibling of the m15. One of the main differences between the two is the larger 17.3-inch screen on the m17. If you want the full-size experience of the Area 51m without the extreme cost, this is the way to go.
Alienware Laptops & Desktops Drivers
As you’d expect from a larger laptop, the m17 weighs in at 5.56 lbs. Behind that weight, you’ll find a 10th-gen Intel Core i7 chip paired with Nvidia GeForce RTX 30 Series graphics. You can also select either 16GB or 32GB of DDR4 RAM and up to 4TB of SSD storage plus 512GB of HDD storage. Like all Alienware laptops, the m17 is equipped with an AlienFX RGB keyboard. You can customize four color zones from millions of colors.
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Cooling is next to godliness in gaming laptops, and Cryo-Tech keeps the Alienware m17 at the top of the pack. The laptop blends a vapor chamber, a high-voltage fan, and dense stacks of copper fins for performance under pressure.
The other versions of the Alienware m17 — the R1, R2, and R3 aren’t too much more affordable than the R4, though all three are powerful alternatives. Each is configurable with 9th-gen Intel hardware and up to an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 graphics card. If you opt for the R1, you can choose the RTX 2070 desktop version while the R2 is limited to the RTX 2070 Super Max-Q.
Hopefully, this helped you decide between the best Alienware laptops currently available. There aren’t many to choose from, but there are other important components if you’re setting up your battle station.
Check out a few of these other lists:
Dell’s Alienware division is refreshing its gaming computers with new Advanced Micro Devices, Nvidia, and Intel chips for the CES 2021 online-only tech trade show.
Alienware is equipping its Alienware m15 and Alienware m17 thin laptops with more powerful Nvidia GeForce RTX 30 Series graphics processing units (GPUs) and Intel Core processors.
The lineup illustrates that the competition among AMD, Intel, and Nvidia is still pretty fierce, and it certainly shows that AMD has made strides in the past few years in getting into high-end gaming computers.
The R4 generation laptops have 12-phase graphics voltage regulation for marathon gaming sessions, up to 4 terabytes of storage, and faster memory speeds up to 2933MHz.
Processor options include the 10th Generation Intel Core i7-10870H as well as other chips. The laptops stay properly cooled thanks to the vapor chamber and cryo-tech cooling in every configuration.
To boost framerates, the Alienware m17 R4 has an optional 360Hz FHD panel that delivers faster refresh rates and smoother gameplay. It’s targeted to play triple-A titles like Valorant and Cyberpunk 2077.
Above: The Alienware m15 laptop.
Both laptops are available in colors Lunar Light and Dark Side of the Moon, with a new matte finish front panel. You can export the graphics to big format screens like the Alienware 55-inch OLED screen with upgraded HDMI 2.1 cables. The laptops can deliver 4K resolutions at 120Hz.
Alienware Aurora Ryzen Edition R10 Desktop
Meanwhile, the Alienware Aurora Ryzen Edition R10 uses AMD’s latest Ryzen 5000 Series desktop processors, with up to 16 cores.
You can also use AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT series graphics or Nvidia GeForce RTX 30 Series GPUs.
It has a tool-less upgradeable chassis now supporting up to 128GB Dual Channel HyperX Fury DDR4 RAM — twice the memory of previous generations.
The airflow design uses vapor chamber technology that dissipates heat and gives players an extra performance boost.
It is available in colors Lunar Light and Dark Side of the Moon.
Pricing and availability
Above: Alienware m17
The Alienware m15 is available in the U.S. on January 26 starting at $2,150. The Alienware m17 is available in the U.S. on January 26 starting at $2,150.
The Alienware Aurora Ryzen Edition R10 is available today in the U.S. starting at $1,080.
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