Everyone that complains about the price of Alienware computers are annoying, high quality stuff cost more. Extra features cost more. Companies work for a profit, don't like the price? Can't afford it? Just don't buy it.
In Denmark Alienware is actually the cheapest options if you want a nvidia 10 series GPU in a laptop :D So unless you have a problem with it being deeper (in dimensions) its a no brainer..
Honestly, you don't have to pay the market value for them. I'm a Rep for Dell and we have a year round 10-15% off Alienware. I do custom quotes through emerald.lowe@mosaic.com or you can order on your own through Dell.com/CP.
I have the mid 2013 alienware 14 and really enjoy it. The killer wireless has a common issue with restricted bandwidth I had to figure out a solution for, but it's a sweet laptop with minimal/no issues that would be typically be found on laptops or gaming laptops (i.e. keyboard ghosting, overheating, hot lap, bad airflow, inability to easily disable touchpad, BAD/quiet sound, unintentional power cord unplugging, difficulty accessing components for upgrades, cpu/gpu temp throttling, etc.). My laptop has none of those issues. The sound is so loud and clear that I finally found a laptop I could use without my soundbar. I can keep it on my lap for hours and it never overheats. I cant say enough good things about it. I have personally fully disassembled probably 5+ laptops just to upgrade a cpu or reapply thermal paste in order to get acceptable temps, and this process essentially takes hours start to finish. However, my alienware 14 can have basically anything replaced just by removing 4 screws on a bottom panel. It's a beautiful thing in the laptop world. I recommend the 1080p resolution and the better gpu which is non-removable (765, not the 750). It's also possible to have a ssd in there, although it isn't the typical hdd slot ssd. It's one of the micro m.2 types of slots. I put a used 128gb in there for my more demanding games such as Path of Exile (free and highly recommended game on steam).
This is the exact model ive ordered in the dark and was waiting for a big review, thanks! Even on the AW subreddit we are all kind of anxious about how things are going over the release and these reviews help us out a lot.
Just bought an Alienware 15 R2 earlier this year. It pains me that I'm still paying it off while the new version is released, but I have to say that I really enjoy this system. Barely a single issue, really responsive, and runs like a dream. My major heartache is that I purchased JUST before they stopped bothering with mobile GPUs, and apparently the cooling is better in the new systems. But, then again, I can always shell out for the graphics amplifier and get a cooling mat, so I guess it's not all bad. I love your reviews, by the way!
I got the base model the cheapest one, i have a gaming desktop that i built with a gtx 1080 from evga, and didnt wanna spend to much on this but i did buy additional ram and an ssd from newegg. Thanks for the review lisa!
Me too...here in Sweden the cheapest one came with the 120Hz G Sync TN panel which is awesome and the 99 W battery both included...all in all 1300 dollars after the 14 percent discount...the Coffee Lake 8th Gen Epic Black Alienware 15 R4 is already selling in the US base model sells for 1450 USD and you have to add 150 to get the 120Hz G Sync TN panel and the battery is only available in 68 W. There was a solid 200 dollars discount available at amp.laptopmag.com/articles/200-alienware-laptops-includes-core-i9-rig?__twitter_impression=true bringing the price down to 1250 for the i5 8th Gen Coffee Lake R4 to 1250 dollars...
With my Kaby Lake Alienware 15" R3 I am getting CPU temps under full load of 80c and GPU temps of 63c... pretty cool running machine.. received it on 1-18-17 with the GTX 1070 video card and 120khz panel
As an owner of the previous AW15 model, it already itches to buy the new model. Alienware really hit a homerun with this laptop, the craftmanship looks excellent.
I had the i7 6820 HQ version and my temps reached CPU 98-100 when really pushing games like Metro Last Light, Crysis 3. Looks like Alienware fixed the thermal paste issue...
No they didn't fix it. It's a problem with the actual design of the laptop. I'm predicting a recall shortly. There's a review of the problem on over at notebookreview alienware 15r3 section.
That's a shame. I did a full review on my channel , got the temps down abit by tweaking using Intel's extreme tuning Utility. Bios 1.06 made it worse. How come Lisa's is so cool? Because of the i7 6700hq ?
OWNORDISOWN I actually watched all your videos in full and was a bit concerned but when mine arrived I ran several bench marks and even overclocked the gpu by 300mhz and the max temp I got was 63 degree! Gotta hand it to than sorted to the problem quick!
Thomas Downing Hi Thomas, I'm jealous! Glad you got a good one and am pleased that it looks like Alienware might have addressed the issue. Was yours the i7 6820hk or the i7 6700hq? I'll be doing an interview with the chap who did the repasting research in a week so stay tuned!
Great review, I had ordered 2 Alienware 15 models (cancelled both) but both (4K and TN panels) reported having light bleed issues in multiple social media channels (minus the regular IPS 1080.. which this was) and I ended up with 17 R4.. I loved it, even at 10LBs but the screen they use (along with all 3 other companies with 17" 120Hz 1440P TN Gsync) has these awful lines on static images that I could not deal with.(AU Optronics makes it). Ive also owned the 1070 ASUS in the video (3 days)and now ended up with new Razer Blade with less powerful 1060(arrives tomorrow)... which reportedly is under volted so... depending on results of testing it I may go back with the alienware. Anyway thanks for the great review, love your channel.. The ASUS plastic feel was just to much for me and like Lisa said it actually drains battery while gaming even plugged in so that's an issue and the battery of ASUS is just not good. Hey Lisa do a review of the new 1060 Razer... I have a feeling based on specs I'm seeing, as awesome looking and size as it is, its going back as that 1060 being under volted for cooling reasons is going to make it age quicker than most...
Please do this review Alienware 13 r3 and don't ignore the LCD display every review is OLED display this and that , thank you. Love your work, look forward to your reviews.
This laptop is awesome. I just wanted to point out that you said it has gtx 1070m in there. You may want to correct it because nvidia no longer manufactures "m" version if graphics card. It's just 1060, 1070 and 1080. Thanks! Awesome review btw!
Hi all. I just got an Alienware 15 R3 and Windows Hello has no problem recognizing me and the camera detects my presence. However it looks like Tobii eye tracking is not working. First of all, the intro shortcut is not present on the desktop and I have to navigate to Program Files in order to start it. However, eye tracking is not working there. Is this feature only available to AW 17 R4 or did I receive a faulty unit? Help would be much appreciated.
Hands down best Laptop for the money, I'm getting my hands on a Kaby Lake version this week, with G-Sync and Nvidia GTX 1070. Honestly it was between this, the predator 17, and Dominator Pro, after weeks of research I found that I could get this laptop for a great price compared to the others, and it's packed with features like a 120hz refresh rate ips display, graphics amplifier, and ease of upgrade. If you choose this laptop I recommend getting the cooler master u3 plus pad, a friend of mine has it and it keeps the temps down below 60c after running Witcher 3 on ultra for hours. Thanks for the review!
The enormous bezels really make it look antique, looks like an old CRT from the front. Unbelievable that this is from the same company that makes the lust worthy XPS13/XPS15. If you make the laptop so huge that you need huge bezels to fit the internals in the bottom, just use a bigger display to use the waisted space.
Looks to be a Very nice 'hybrid' machine filling an under-served niche providing both high end performance as well a useful option of long on-the-road battery life - finally with an adequate power supply. Well done. As always, a very complete excellent review!!!! Thanks Lisa!
Actually, some gaming laptops can actually use G-sync and Optimus, it just requires the manufacturer to plug both graphics card to the screen and give you the option on the bios to choose which card will run the screen, however you will have to shut down the pc everytime you want to change that. But the new alienware 15 r3 and 17 r4 can normally do that, at least thats what dell said on their webpage about optimus, both of those g-sync models are compatible normally
No overheating on ours. The 6700HQ usually isn't a thermal problem on gaming laptops, but the 6820HK can be (not particularly an Alienware issue, it's a general challenge with that hotter running CPU).
There's a hotfix 375.76 that I got from the nvidia forums that fixes the flickering with gsync. forums.geforce.com/default/topic/974536/geforce-drivers/announcing-geforce-hotfix-driver-version-375-76/
No overheating on mine (7700hq, GTX 1070) only got uncomfortable on Witcher 3 on ultra with hairworks on, and dying light enhanced edition. Yet still under the max temperatures for both cpu and gpu. Ran really cool on Doom, Rise of the Tomb Raider, Resident Evil 7, and Fallout 4.
To be fair 7lbs may be heavy, but I had a Alienware m15x that was 9lbs in college. If i could lug that 9 lbs laptop around the 7lbs should be no problem. In fact, even with the added backside, it is still close to m15x dimensions, which is pretty shocking to me that it isnt far off in size.
melvyn joseph for good reasons 😆 the wider lower bezel is good for your neck as you don't have to look down as much, and allows it to have more room for the internals for better temps and specs ! I doubt they could've put a 1070 in there if the bezels were smaller
Alienwares are starting to look quite decent. Only problem is the weight. But carrying it might be good exercise. I'd buy it if it had a numpad version.
Hey Lisa, first of all a great video about the alienware 15 R3. But a question is left I think. Do you know the core temperatures of CPU and GPU while gaming or while stress testing? Cause it would be a dealbreaker for me if the CPU runs higher then ~190 F. Thanks again for the vid!
Your reviews are just great, I'm considering to buy this because the stealth razer is not available in Europe, although thicker then the latter, it looks to be a very sturdy and resistant and quality built device, just not sure whether the OLED screen is worth the extra price or not =) any suggestions?
Hi Lisa! Great reviews, all of them really! Have been a big fan throughout. I was wondering what your estimate would be for when the Kaby Lake XPS 15 will be launched here in Canada? Have been desperately waiting for that one! Thanks again! :)
I was going to get this laptop, but it seems it is affected by a engineering floor that makes the cpu run at over 90 degrees in some cases. Also lots of people are reporting that the screen has serious backlight bleed. Shame, I thought this was the one. Thanks for the review!
The Core i7-6820HK model had a BIOS bug that incorrectly reported CPU temperatures. Dell has released an updated BIOS to fix temperature reporting. No more shutting down issues.
MobileTechReview Thanks for the reply! On the alienware subreddit, some people are still having the issue even with the 6700hq. Apparently the the CPU only has 3 screws mounting the cooler and so there is uneven pressure plus the thermal paste is low quality. Some are reporting bad backlight bleed as well. Alienware apparently fixed these issues during manufacturing so I am looking out for people who bought one in the last few days. Some are still reporting these issues with new revisions. :( Thanks again for your great reviews!
1. How are you able to overclock the display for higher refresh rates? 2. Have you had any CPU temperature issues during stress testing? I've read a lot of people posting on forums that one of the issues with the 15 R3 is that the CPU gets very hot, in the 80-90C range and some people have to undervolt the cpu or replace the stock thermal paste. Although your temperatures during gamign are pretty good.
I'm not a gamer - writer - but I plan to purchase the 17" as my sole workstation. I'm wondering whether I'm better off with the UHD or QHD display, as I spend as many as 18 hours a day reading and viewing images. In current configurations, the UHD only works with a 1060 card. The 1070 is g-sync compatible, but that's not meaningful unless you're gaming. In terms of future-proofing I sense I'm better off w/1070, but for everyday visual work, the UHD display might prove valuable. Any advice welcome.
MobileTechReview Hello Lisa! Love your reviews! I just would like to ask what material is the palm rest made of as well as the case of the i/o ports and vents at the back of the laptop. Thanks a lot!
Lisa, I have a question about the notebook. On battery, does the CPU or GPU power throttle like in many other notebooks? (Test by launching a game and looking for a noticeable frame drop when unplugging the charger.)
Would love to see a review of the new Medion Erazer X7849. i7 -6700, 32gb DDR4, 256gb ssd, 1tb 7200, Gsync laptop with a gtx1070 that retails for £1649. Crazy good value.
Hi Lisa, could you please make a comparison with the R2 model in terms of overall size, thickness and weight? I've got the R1 with the 4720HQ and a GTX 980m and am thinking about upgrading, especially if the new model has an over all smaller footprint.
Thanks for doing such an awesome review of laptops! I ended up ordering this but maxed out, with 1070, and 6820hk OC 4.1ghz! note: Dell on the other hand is terrible, and its taking 2 weeks to get, after they screwed up the order. They didn't even catch their mistake until I called and raised hell.
The sku for the battery was wrong and would have either shipped with the wrong hardware or gotten canceled at the time it was supposed to be shipped. This is according to the sales rep I spoke to. And it took calling more than once and telling them to cancel my damn order to figure things out. Which they did end up doing, and having to reorder and recharge my CC. The complete runaround... Again, dell is terrible. Also, according to their site from order date to shipped with expedited should've only been 4-6 days. I ordered the first time on the 26th, and it wasn't going to be shipped until dec 5th? So just a heads up, it comes into play AFTER the production is done on the system, and if you receive a email saying its been built and waiting to be shipped, its probably not...as was my case.
If you're still worried PM me and I can give you contact info to make sure your order is correct. Note: I did a custom build of 6820hk OC, 512gb ssd, 32gb ram, killer 1535 wifi, and UHD screen... so not sure if base models require the same amount of time to build or are built in bulk?
Lisa, can you do a smackdown between this (or the Alienware 13 R3) and the Razer Blade 14 with the GTX 1060? Those are probably the only two I'm considering at the moment unless ASUS adds Thunderbolt 3 to the ROG GL502
Watching this on my new alienware 15 r3 with 1070, 256g pcie and 16 g ram , i7 6700hq. It is amazing . The cpu temperature is a little bit high 80 ℃ when I am playing csgo, but the building quality and design is amazing
I have just ordered this exact laptop same specs with 6700HQ and 1070, but reading all the comments about overheating problems has gotten me worried, is there anyone that could tell me if the laptops that are shipping now have been fixed, or if the laptops that people are receiving now are still having the same issues? Great review by the way Lisa, thank you!
According to the posts I've been seeing on r/Alienware, these machines are still prone to overheating. Seems re-pasting it yourself is the only solution, along with undervolting. I'm still hesitant to pick this laptop up myself because of this. Afraid I'd fuck it up trying to fix it on my own.
I used to haul around the 17 R3 EVERYWHERE, with me up until UPS killed it shipping it back to geeksquad.. I'll be using the 15R3 with the i7 7700HQ and 1070 GTX. I'm sure it will be much easier to haul it around over the nearly 10lb behemoth of my 17 R3.
I'd ruled out Alienware, but now I'm torn between the 17" R4, the Acer Predator 17 when it comes out and the 17" Asus ROG with a 1070. More thinking to do, I guess. :)
Is it worth the money to get the i7 over the i5? it's a 200 upgrade here in Canada. I will game on it every now and then, maybe some GTA or Fifa and will use it mostly in my mobile dj set up running only recordbox dj and video. I just like how it's built like a tank
Another thing I have to commend Alienware for is that all their QHD and 4K screens are 100% honest true-resolution displays. Manufacturers like ASUS and MSI have a tendency to use Pentile screens to cheat the ability to advertise high resolutions. Pentile screens downsample their purported resolutions onto only about half the number of actual pixels, and tend to look grainy and worse than lower-resolution true-resolution displays. The only reason Pentile displays exist is for deceptive advertising, and I'm glad Alienware doesn't stoop that low.
The Aw15-R3 unit I am lookin to purchase is equipped with the i7-6th gen processor. (GTX1060, 1TB SSD, FHD IPS, 8GB RAM = USD 1,360) 1. Read the comments in your site about the thermals, should I wait for a unit with a i7-7th gen processor instead? The retailer says I need to wait for 4-5 weeks for the unit to arrive, and I am not sure how much emotional and mental stress I could handle without having to use a workhorse(graphic design) 2. Performance wise, will the money be better off spent on the 7th gen processor? in comparison of course with the 6th gen i7 This is the specs im getting if I wait for 1 month AW15-R3 - USD1,500(+/-) i7 7700HQ GTX1050Ti 8GB RAM 1TB 7200rom HDD 15.6in IPS 1080p thank you
GgYyGame for the 15" the two cheapest models offer 60hz IPS (that can be overclocked to 100 if youre into that), next up is the 120hz gsync 1080p, and finally a 4k gsync if i remember right. Gsync is connected to your gpu so you get substantially worse battery life, though usually its an hour above competitor gaming laptops based on prev gens.
So I am thinking about getting this laptop. Two questions, first one is, as far as I know they will announced one of this with the 1080 GC right? How much of an improvement will it be from this 1070? (I am looking to buy a laptop to stream on medium quality and play games in medium quality, my friend always complains about me buying overpriced stuff, but I want to buy an Alienware before I die, so yeah) And my second question is, dell has this preferred accounts (which are kind of like a credit account), is that the best way to finance one of this? Thank you in advance! :)
I purchased a m14x a few years ago and the keyboard was terrible... not sure if I'd take another chance on another one... I do like my apache pro though...
Great review as always, love the Alienware design especially...but, Asus offers some pretty hard to compete with packages right now, for way less on Amazon. 17" 32 gig RAM with the 1060, includes games and hardware for just over and grand. (Strix) illuminated colors also. Can't justify the Alienware. Damn.
Everyone that complains about the price of Alienware computers are annoying, high quality stuff cost more. Extra features cost more. Companies work for a profit, don't like the price? Can't afford it? Just don't buy it.
Mike Castillo yessss! I don't understand why so many people complain, no one is forcing them to buy this
In Denmark Alienware is actually the cheapest options if you want a nvidia 10 series GPU in a laptop :D So unless you have a problem with it being deeper (in dimensions) its a no brainer..
Mike Castillo Plus there are Dell discount offers everywhere.
Honestly, you don't have to pay the market value for them. I'm a Rep for Dell and we have a year round 10-15% off Alienware. I do custom quotes through emerald.lowe@mosaic.com or you can order on your own through Dell.com/CP.
Love Lisa's reviews. Her voice is so relaxing, she does detailed, great reviews on tech and she remains totally unbiased
Can you do a review of the Alienware 13 r3? litteraly, no one has done a review on that except for dave lee.
Agreed. I'm really entertaining the thought of buying the 13. Would like to see more videos on it.
We've asked Alienware for a review loaner. I hope they come through!
Top Dawg +David Lee is a really great reviewer.
Top Dawg +HotHardware has done one too
Yeah... I'm kind of torn, right now, between the Razer Blade (with Pascal), the Alienware 13r3, and the Asus Strix gl502vm....
I have the mid 2013 alienware 14 and really enjoy it. The killer wireless has a common issue with restricted bandwidth I had to figure out a solution for, but it's a sweet laptop with minimal/no issues that would be typically be found on laptops or gaming laptops (i.e. keyboard ghosting, overheating, hot lap, bad airflow, inability to easily disable touchpad, BAD/quiet sound, unintentional power cord unplugging, difficulty accessing components for upgrades, cpu/gpu temp throttling, etc.). My laptop has none of those issues. The sound is so loud and clear that I finally found a laptop I could use without my soundbar. I can keep it on my lap for hours and it never overheats. I cant say enough good things about it.
I have personally fully disassembled probably 5+ laptops just to upgrade a cpu or reapply thermal paste in order to get acceptable temps, and this process essentially takes hours start to finish. However, my alienware 14 can have basically anything replaced just by removing 4 screws on a bottom panel. It's a beautiful thing in the laptop world. I recommend the 1080p resolution and the better gpu which is non-removable (765, not the 750). It's also possible to have a ssd in there, although it isn't the typical hdd slot ssd. It's one of the micro m.2 types of slots. I put a used 128gb in there for my more demanding games such as Path of Exile (free and highly recommended game on steam).
This is the exact model ive ordered in the dark and was waiting for a big review, thanks! Even on the AW subreddit we are all kind of anxious about how things are going over the release and these reviews help us out a lot.
Just bought an Alienware 15 R2 earlier this year. It pains me that I'm still paying it off while the new version is released, but I have to say that I really enjoy this system. Barely a single issue, really responsive, and runs like a dream. My major heartache is that I purchased JUST before they stopped bothering with mobile GPUs, and apparently the cooling is better in the new systems. But, then again, I can always shell out for the graphics amplifier and get a cooling mat, so I guess it's not all bad. I love your reviews, by the way!
I got the base model the cheapest one, i have a gaming desktop that i built with a gtx 1080 from evga, and didnt wanna spend to much on this but i did buy additional ram and an ssd from newegg. Thanks for the review lisa!
Me too...here in Sweden the cheapest one came with the 120Hz G Sync TN panel which is awesome and the 99 W battery both included...all in all 1300 dollars after the 14 percent discount...the Coffee Lake 8th Gen Epic Black Alienware 15 R4 is already selling in the US base model sells for 1450 USD and you have to add 150 to get the 120Hz G Sync TN panel and the battery is only available in 68 W. There was a solid 200 dollars discount available at amp.laptopmag.com/articles/200-alienware-laptops-includes-core-i9-rig?__twitter_impression=true bringing the price down to 1250 for the i5 8th Gen Coffee Lake R4 to 1250 dollars...
With my Kaby Lake Alienware 15" R3 I am getting CPU temps under full load of 80c and GPU temps of 63c... pretty cool running machine.. received it on 1-18-17 with the GTX 1070 video card and 120khz panel
Love how she says- "We're gonna look at it now!" 1:12
with a small grin!
As an owner of the previous AW15 model, it already itches to buy the new model. Alienware really hit a homerun with this laptop, the craftmanship looks excellent.
OMG.. thank you for the review!! I've been waiting for a professional review for this 15 R3 before deciding between it or the 13 inch.
First proper review I have seen of this laptop with some great insight into the specs and functionality! Keep it up Lisa!
I had the i7 6820 HQ version and my temps reached CPU 98-100 when really pushing games like Metro Last Light, Crysis 3. Looks like Alienware fixed the thermal paste issue...
No they didn't fix it. It's a problem with the actual design of the laptop. I'm predicting a recall shortly. There's a review of the problem on over at notebookreview alienware 15r3 section.
That's a shame. I did a full review on my channel , got the temps down abit by tweaking using Intel's extreme tuning Utility. Bios 1.06 made it worse. How come Lisa's is so cool? Because of the i7 6700hq ?
OWNORDISOWN I actually watched all your videos in full and was a bit concerned but when mine arrived I ran several bench marks and even overclocked the gpu by 300mhz and the max temp I got was 63 degree! Gotta hand it to than sorted to the problem quick!
Thomas Downing Hi Thomas, I'm jealous! Glad you got a good one and am pleased that it looks like Alienware might have addressed the issue. Was yours the i7 6820hk or the i7 6700hq? I'll be doing an interview with the chap who did the repasting research in a week so stay tuned!
OWNORDISOWN hey mate love your channel , im pretty sure it ran cooler because of the i7 6700hq , the 6820 has overheating issues in several laptops.
Great review, I had ordered 2 Alienware 15 models (cancelled both) but both (4K and TN panels) reported having light bleed issues in multiple social media channels (minus the regular IPS 1080.. which this was) and I ended up with 17 R4.. I loved it, even at 10LBs but the screen they use (along with all 3 other companies with 17" 120Hz 1440P TN Gsync) has these awful lines on static images that I could not deal with.(AU Optronics makes it). Ive also owned the 1070 ASUS in the video (3 days)and now ended up with new Razer Blade with less powerful 1060(arrives tomorrow)... which reportedly is under volted so... depending on results of testing it I may go back with the alienware. Anyway thanks for the great review, love your channel.. The ASUS plastic feel was just to much for me and like Lisa said it actually drains battery while gaming even plugged in so that's an issue and the battery of ASUS is just not good. Hey Lisa do a review of the new 1060 Razer... I have a feeling based on specs I'm seeing, as awesome looking and size as it is, its going back as that 1060 being under volted for cooling reasons is going to make it age quicker than most...
Great review. I hope you review the Alienwear 13 R3 with the oled screen, I want to know your thoughts and opinions on that model.
Pleeeeeeaaseee pleeeeasee don't slabber about it I literally just bought one, arrived yesterday pleaseeeeee be nice 😂😂😂😂😂
Please do this review Alienware 13 r3 and don't ignore the LCD display every review is OLED display this and that , thank you. Love your work, look forward to your reviews.
Just ordered one yesterday so glad to hear such a positive review, wooo!
Luke Danby when do you get it? I am getting mine the 16 😁
I watch a lot of reviews. This is really well done and very informative.
If you're not gonna use that laptop after reviewing, I'll take it off your hands :)
This laptop is awesome. I just wanted to point out that you said it has gtx 1070m in there. You may want to correct it because nvidia no longer manufactures "m" version if graphics card. It's just 1060, 1070 and 1080. Thanks! Awesome review btw!
4:23 Hugh Mungus what?
Mikko Haavisto Hugh mungus bezels 😂
I was just gonna comment that lol
*Screams in back* WHAT? OH MY GOD!
Dark Knight did you just assumed gender?
Gaming laptops are getting exiting, aren't they?!
Please review the aw 17 as well!
Hi all. I just got an Alienware 15 R3 and Windows Hello has no problem recognizing me and the camera detects my presence. However it looks like Tobii eye tracking is not working. First of all, the intro shortcut is not present on the desktop and I have to navigate to Program Files in order to start it. However, eye tracking is not working there. Is this feature only available to AW 17 R4 or did I receive a faulty unit? Help would be much appreciated.
seriously the kind of review am looking for, thanks alot for the effort
Hands down best Laptop for the money, I'm getting my hands on a Kaby Lake version this week, with G-Sync and Nvidia GTX 1070. Honestly it was between this, the predator 17, and Dominator Pro, after weeks of research I found that I could get this laptop for a great price compared to the others, and it's packed with features like a 120hz refresh rate ips display, graphics amplifier, and ease of upgrade. If you choose this laptop I recommend getting the cooler master u3 plus pad, a friend of mine has it and it keeps the temps down below 60c after running Witcher 3 on ultra for hours. Thanks for the review!
Always enjoy your detailed and wonderful reviews Lisa. Very well done :)
The enormous bezels really make it look antique, looks like an old CRT from the front. Unbelievable that this is from the same company that makes the lust worthy XPS13/XPS15. If you make the laptop so huge that you need huge bezels to fit the internals in the bottom, just use a bigger display to use the waisted space.
Looks to be a Very nice 'hybrid' machine filling an under-served niche providing both high end performance as well a useful option of long on-the-road battery life - finally with an adequate power supply. Well done.
As always, a very complete excellent review!!!! Thanks Lisa!
Actually, some gaming laptops can actually use G-sync and Optimus, it just requires the manufacturer to plug both graphics card to the screen and give you the option on the bios to choose which card will run the screen, however you will have to shut down the pc everytime you want to change that. But the new alienware 15 r3 and 17 r4 can normally do that, at least thats what dell said on their webpage about optimus, both of those g-sync models are compatible normally
How portable is it?
Amazing review by the way!
I heard it was overheating
No overheating on ours. The 6700HQ usually isn't a thermal problem on gaming laptops, but the 6820HK can be (not particularly an Alienware issue, it's a general challenge with that hotter running CPU).
mine overheats only when im playing overwatch....it does it a lot though if im playing on Epic...if i drop it to high it doesnt overheat
I've been having issues with G-Sync Screen flickering when running games on mine. I'm running version 375.70.
There's a hotfix 375.76 that I got from the nvidia forums that fixes the flickering with gsync.
forums.geforce.com/default/topic/974536/geforce-drivers/announcing-geforce-hotfix-driver-version-375-76/
No overheating on mine (7700hq, GTX 1070) only got uncomfortable on Witcher 3 on ultra with hairworks on, and dying light enhanced edition. Yet still under the max temperatures for both cpu and gpu. Ran really cool on Doom, Rise of the Tomb Raider, Resident Evil 7, and Fallout 4.
How is the fan noise when gaming?
Can you review the new Alienware 17 R4? Really interested in that one!
Is it possible to compare this to the Razer Blade late 2016? Thanks! Love the videos! Keep up the good work!
Can you guys do Alienware 17 R4?!?!?! PLLLZZZZ!!!
HERES A JOKE: When you download more games your hard drive gets heavier
To be fair 7lbs may be heavy, but I had a Alienware m15x that was 9lbs in college. If i could lug that 9 lbs laptop around the 7lbs should be no problem. In fact, even with the added backside, it is still close to m15x dimensions, which is pretty shocking to me that it isnt far off in size.
loving the intro music again!😉
They upgraded the Alienware R3 with an I7-7700HQ last January 5th. Anyway you can do an updated review with the new CPU?
The design language is not up to the mark, that is, this lap has thick bezels.
melvyn joseph agreeeeeed
melvyn joseph for good reasons 😆 the wider lower bezel is good for your neck as you don't have to look down as much, and allows it to have more room for the internals for better temps and specs ! I doubt they could've put a 1070 in there if the bezels were smaller
Alienwares are starting to look quite decent. Only problem is the weight. But carrying it might be good exercise. I'd buy it if it had a numpad version.
Hey Lisa, first of all a great video about the alienware 15 R3. But a question is left I think. Do you know the core temperatures of CPU and GPU while gaming or while stress testing? Cause it would be a dealbreaker for me if the CPU runs higher then ~190 F.
Thanks again for the vid!
Your reviews are just great, I'm considering to buy this because the stealth razer is not available in Europe, although thicker then the latter, it looks to be a very sturdy and resistant and quality built device, just not sure whether the OLED screen is worth the extra price or not =) any suggestions?
Hi Lisa! Great reviews, all of them really! Have been a big fan throughout. I was wondering what your estimate would be for when the Kaby Lake XPS 15 will be launched here in Canada? Have been desperately waiting for that one! Thanks again! :)
I was going to get this laptop, but it seems it is affected by a engineering floor that makes the cpu run at over 90 degrees in some cases. Also lots of people are reporting that the screen has serious backlight bleed. Shame, I thought this was the one. Thanks for the review!
The Core i7-6820HK model had a BIOS bug that incorrectly reported CPU temperatures. Dell has released an updated BIOS to fix temperature reporting. No more shutting down issues.
MobileTechReview Thanks for the reply! On the alienware subreddit, some people are still having the issue even with the 6700hq. Apparently the the CPU only has 3 screws mounting the cooler and so there is uneven pressure plus the thermal paste is low quality. Some are reporting bad backlight bleed as well. Alienware apparently fixed these issues during manufacturing so I am looking out for people who bought one in the last few days. Some are still reporting these issues with new revisions. :( Thanks again for your great reviews!
Without the Bezel and just a full nice screen this would be the perfect laptop
hey Lisa noticed you said about overclocking the display, you made this sound very simple is it just a setting in a bios or..?
The NVIDIA control panel allows you to set a custom refresh rate. Try raising it there, but back off once you see display artifacts.
1. How are you able to overclock the display for higher refresh rates?
2. Have you had any CPU temperature issues during stress testing? I've read a lot of people posting on forums that one of the issues with the 15 R3 is that the CPU gets very hot, in the 80-90C range and some people have to undervolt the cpu or replace the stock thermal paste. Although your temperatures during gamign are pretty good.
thanks for the great review! what length is the "one half height" m.2 drive bay? 2242 or 2260?
Thanks for this review, was waiting for this video.
Will you guys being doing a review on the 17? Everywhere I look I can't find a full review on the system. Great review of the 15 though!
Shadowaries1 I'll be doing one next week. Just got one in..
OWNORDISOWN Sweet, I'll be looking out for it.
Spoiler alert.. it is looking good !
I'm not a gamer - writer - but I plan to purchase the 17" as my sole workstation. I'm wondering whether I'm better off with the UHD or QHD display, as I spend as many as 18 hours a day reading and viewing images. In current configurations, the UHD only works with a 1060 card. The 1070 is g-sync compatible, but that's not meaningful unless you're gaming. In terms of future-proofing I sense I'm better off w/1070, but for everyday visual work, the UHD display might prove valuable. Any advice welcome.
MobileTechReview Hello Lisa! Love your reviews! I just would like to ask what material is the palm rest made of as well as the case of the i/o ports and vents at the back of the laptop. Thanks a lot!
Lisa, I have a question about the notebook. On battery, does the CPU or GPU power throttle like in many other notebooks? (Test by launching a game and looking for a noticeable frame drop when unplugging the charger.)
Would love to see a review of the new Medion Erazer X7849. i7 -6700, 32gb DDR4, 256gb ssd, 1tb 7200, Gsync laptop with a gtx1070 that retails for £1649. Crazy good value.
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Hi Lisa, could you please make a comparison with the R2 model in terms of overall size, thickness and weight? I've got the R1 with the 4720HQ and a GTX 980m and am thinking about upgrading, especially if the new model has an over all smaller footprint.
Does the 300 nits IPS has G sync Display? Or is it only available for 120hz TN?
Hey. How big do you think is the difference between an Alienware 15r3 with g sync and one without? Is it worth?
can you do a review on kitchen accessories and laundry stuff instead
Thanks for doing such an awesome review of laptops! I ended up ordering this but maxed out, with 1070, and 6820hk OC 4.1ghz!
note: Dell on the other hand is terrible, and its taking 2 weeks to get, after they screwed up the order. They didn't even catch their mistake until I called and raised hell.
The sku for the battery was wrong and would have either shipped with the wrong hardware or gotten canceled at the time it was supposed to be shipped. This is according to the sales rep I spoke to. And it took calling more than once and telling them to cancel my damn order to figure things out. Which they did end up doing, and having to reorder and recharge my CC. The complete runaround... Again, dell is terrible. Also, according to their site from order date to shipped with expedited should've only been 4-6 days. I ordered the first time on the 26th, and it wasn't going to be shipped until dec 5th? So just a heads up, it comes into play AFTER the production is done on the system, and if you receive a email saying its been built and waiting to be shipped, its probably not...as was my case.
If you're still worried PM me and I can give you contact info to make sure your order is correct.
Note: I did a custom build of 6820hk OC, 512gb ssd, 32gb ram, killer 1535 wifi, and UHD screen... so not sure if base models require the same amount of time to build or are built in bulk?
I'd call and make sure that battery is marked with the correct sku, since its the primary thing that was the issue
Lisa, can you do a smackdown between this (or the Alienware 13 R3) and the Razer Blade 14 with the GTX 1060? Those are probably the only two I'm considering at the moment unless ASUS adds Thunderbolt 3 to the ROG GL502
Most laptop panels are 60Hz, but you should still mention this, since gamers might assume that the panel is capable of higher FPS.
Sooooooo G-Sync Vs Optimus... Smooth turnarounds vs battery life.... What do you guys think?
As a laptop Optimus is more important.
As a gaming laptop g-sync is more important.
But a gaming laptop is also a laptop..
optimus for the win. home you can have a gsync 24inch monitor for serious business:D
Yeah I think so too. Thanks guys
Can we have a smackdown between Lenovo Yoga 910 and X1 Yoga?
Was the 6 hours of battery life with the 68 watt hour battery or with the upgraded 99 watt battery? Thanks!
Watching this on my new alienware 15 r3 with 1070, 256g pcie and 16 g ram , i7 6700hq. It is amazing . The cpu temperature is a little bit high 80 ℃ when I am playing csgo, but the building quality and design is amazing
Lei Wang How long(hours) do you game?
I have just ordered this exact laptop same specs with 6700HQ and 1070, but reading all the comments about overheating problems has gotten me worried, is there anyone that could tell me if the laptops that are shipping now have been fixed, or if the laptops that people are receiving now are still having the same issues? Great review by the way Lisa, thank you!
According to the posts I've been seeing on r/Alienware, these machines are still prone to overheating. Seems re-pasting it yourself is the only solution, along with undervolting. I'm still hesitant to pick this laptop up myself because of this. Afraid I'd fuck it up trying to fix it on my own.
I used to haul around the 17 R3 EVERYWHERE, with me up until UPS killed it shipping it back to geeksquad.. I'll be using the 15R3 with the i7 7700HQ and 1070 GTX. I'm sure it will be much easier to haul it around over the nearly 10lb behemoth of my 17 R3.
Could you do a review on the Clevo P650RS with the GTX 1070 please?
I can't find a decent review on it anywhere online.
Thanks!
Are you gonna do a review of the kaby lake xps 13? Im thinking of getting it and would love your opinion on it.
I have one of these and still working like new
hows the color accuracy on the 4k display? is it the same as the r2 4k display you reviewed ? ( aka is it 99%adobe rgb) thanks
I'd ruled out Alienware, but now I'm torn between the 17" R4, the Acer Predator 17 when it comes out and the 17" Asus ROG with a 1070. More thinking to do, I guess. :)
Lisa! hey just a small question, are the 2 RAM slots being used ? can i replace them if i want to get a higher capacity ram ? thnx!
Always enjoy your reviews ^^
Is it worth the money to get the i7 over the i5? it's a 200 upgrade here in Canada. I will game on it every now and then, maybe some GTA or Fifa and will use it mostly in my mobile dj set up running only recordbox dj and video. I just like how it's built like a tank
The Core i5 would be fine for that.
Thank you so much! Greatly appreciated :)
Would a 1060 have some lower temps?
Don't follow her advice dude. Games need a quad core this days and moving forward. You will need the quad core.
Isn't the i5 a quad core as well?
Subscribed. I like your reviews!!
Another thing I have to commend Alienware for is that all their QHD and 4K screens are 100% honest true-resolution displays. Manufacturers like ASUS and MSI have a tendency to use Pentile screens to cheat the ability to advertise high resolutions. Pentile screens downsample their purported resolutions onto only about half the number of actual pixels, and tend to look grainy and worse than lower-resolution true-resolution displays. The only reason Pentile displays exist is for deceptive advertising, and I'm glad Alienware doesn't stoop that low.
Should I get the new Acer Predator 15 & 17 with the 1070 and could you do a review on them?
The Aw15-R3 unit I am lookin to purchase is equipped with the i7-6th gen processor. (GTX1060, 1TB SSD, FHD IPS, 8GB RAM = USD 1,360)
1. Read the comments in your site about the thermals, should I wait for a unit with a i7-7th gen processor instead?
The retailer says I need to wait for 4-5 weeks for the unit to arrive, and I am not sure how much emotional and mental stress I could handle without having to use a workhorse(graphic design)
2. Performance wise, will the money be better off spent on the 7th gen processor? in comparison of course with the 6th gen i7
This is the specs im getting if I wait for 1 month
AW15-R3 - USD1,500(+/-)
i7 7700HQ
GTX1050Ti
8GB RAM
1TB 7200rom HDD
15.6in IPS 1080p
thank you
Thank u Lisa.. U helped me make the right choice.. Cheers!!
17" AW please. Really keen on one but no good reviews out yet.
Hey, which laptop do you recommend more: Alienware 15 R3 or MSI GS63VR or MSI GS73VR ?
Hi Lisa! Would you say the Lenovo Y700 has the best speakers in a laptop?
this laptop gave me goosebumps
So do you like this laptop more over the MSI GS60 GP?
Is the chin bar as big as it looks? Its really the only thing stopping me from getting this and going with the Aorus x5 v6 instead.
Please do an in depth comparison of the Alienware 15 R3 and the ROG GL502VS and is the alienware worth the 200$ difference ??
Tejas Singh Bedi much Better build Quality for 200 bucks ? hell yeah
What are compatible alternative internal 1TB SSD brands for this Alienware? Thanks
is all the R3 model's display are 120 hz or just some models ?
GgYyGame for the 15" the two cheapest models offer 60hz IPS (that can be overclocked to 100 if youre into that), next up is the 120hz gsync 1080p, and finally a 4k gsync if i remember right. Gsync is connected to your gpu so you get substantially worse battery life, though usually its an hour above competitor gaming laptops based on prev gens.
Please do review on lenovo 910?
So I am thinking about getting this laptop. Two questions, first one is, as far as I know they will announced one of this with the 1080 GC right? How much of an improvement will it be from this 1070? (I am looking to buy a laptop to stream on medium quality and play games in medium quality, my friend always complains about me buying overpriced stuff, but I want to buy an Alienware before I die, so yeah) And my second question is, dell has this preferred accounts (which are kind of like a credit account), is that the best way to finance one of this? Thank you in advance! :)
Alex Peralta it Will be between 20 to 40% Better performance
Alienware will offer the GTX 1080 in the 17" model, not in this 15" model.
which version is better the IPS 300-nits 60hz or the TN+WVA 400-nits 120hz? thinking about getting one but no idea which display to get
How is the fans under full load? Is it like playing on a vacuum?
do you know if you can connect a non-DELL graphic amp via the thunderbolt?
also, would really appreciate for a review on the 17 R4 version.
thanks.
I purchased a m14x a few years ago and the keyboard was terrible... not sure if I'd take another chance on another one... I do like my apache pro though...
Great review as always, love the Alienware design especially...but, Asus offers some pretty hard to compete with packages right now, for way less on Amazon. 17" 32 gig RAM with the 1060, includes games and hardware for just over and grand. (Strix) illuminated colors also. Can't justify the Alienware. Damn.