If you have got even somewhat little bit of curiosity in both gaming or computing or laptops generally, you should have heard of Alienware. Dell’s gamer-oriented line of laptops has been on the block since transportable computer systems have existed.
My first expertise with an precise laptop computer was with an Alienware. These huge cumbersome laptops are constructed like a tank, and supply efficiency like a very few different manufacturers can. This efficiency comes at a sacrifice although, that sacrifice is portability.
Anyone who owns or ever owned an Alienware can attest to the truth that carrying round one is like carrying a ton of bricks. But not anymore. Alienware has give you its thinnest line of laptops but, and they’re smooth and fairly transportable.
This is a game-changer for the corporate who is known for its cumbersome but sturdy gaming laptops. In my opinion, we may have seen this from a mile away. When each laptop computer producer goes for slimmer profiles, Dell thought it wanted to do the identical with Alienware.
The M15 is the corporate’s lightest 15-inch laptop computer but, coming in at simply 2.16 kg. Dell calls it the “the lightweight champion of the world.” It sounds actually cute, that’s as a result of it’s. But regardless of this seemingly light-weight, it’s nonetheless heavier than a razor blade 15.
It is even lighter than the Alienware 13 R3 OLED. The Alienware M15 begins at $1379 for the bottom mannequin and can go as much as $3749.
Don’t let the bottom mannequin idiot you. It affords fairly beefy specs.
Key Specifications
| Display | Up to fifteen.6-inch HD |
| Processor | Up to eighth Generation Intel® Core™ i7-8750H |
| Memory | Up to 32GB 2x16GB DDR4-2666MHz |
| Battery | Lithium Ion (60 Wh) Battery |
| Operating System | Up to Windows 10 Home 64bit English |
| Video Card | Up to NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1070 Max-Q design with 8GB GDDR5 |
| Hard Drive | Up to 1TB PCIe M.2 SSD + 1TB PCIe M.2 SSD |
| Colors | Nebula Red, Epic Silver |
| Price | Starting at $1379.99 |
It offers you the Core i7-8750H CPU, 8GB of RAM with a 1TB regular laborious disk with an 8GB SSD. This makes it a Hybrid Drive. It additionally has an Intel UHD Graphics 630 GPU, a Nvidia GeForce GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q GPU with 8GB of VRAM and a 60Hz 1920 x 1080 display screen.
Not to say, it’s nonetheless a bit thicker and wider than the RazerBlade. So let’s take a peek into the world of aliens, I imply Alienware. Here’s a evaluate of Dell Alienware M15.
Build Quality
With Alienware, you’ll be able to count on two issues; nice efficiency and distinctive construct high quality. The M15 is not any exception. Despite its slim profile, the M15 is constructed like a tank, a smaller, however equally robust tank.
The all metallic physique makes it really feel extraordinarily premium and easy. It doesn’t give a touch of that ugly plasticky low cost laptops. The cute little alien face continues to be there, which is one in every of my favourite issues about Alienware.
It makes it actually distinctive and offers the laptop computer its personal persona. It is offered within the typical silver shade that all of us are acquainted with, and a brand new purple end. The purple end appears to be like merely out of this world. It appears to be like like one lower out a bit of a Ferrari.
Many of my friends who’ve dropped their Alienware declare it didn’t even catch a scratch.
Screen
The M15 doesn’t have a 4K show, however man is it fairly, shiny and vivid. Colors appear to pop proper out of the display screen and burst in entrance of our eyes. The joyous feeling of watching such a lovely display screen is difficult to explain. One has to look at it for themselves to actually take within the expertise.
The refresh price can also be probably the greatest issues about this display screen. 144 Hz is a superb refresh price for any hardcore gamer who desires to utilize the laptop computer’s graphics potential. Sadly it is just obtainable on the costlier fashions.
It is loads shiny as properly, having a mean brightness of 284 nits.
Speakers
Alienware has a fame for having probably the greatest sounding audio system. Its audio system are wealthy, vibrant and have a full bass sound. This is partly as a result of thick chassis the audio system are available. The greater physique case permits sufficient room (literally) for the audio system to achieve their full potential.
Sadly this isn’t the case with the M15. The audio system on the m15 sound drastically tinny in comparison with its greater brothers. Gamers, nearly on a regular basis choose utilizing headphones whereas gaming. So the tinny audio system shouldn’t be a lot of an issue. But for everybody else, the audio system could be an enormous disappointment.
Keyboard
If one desires a really desktop keyboard like typing expertise on a laptop computer, Alienware is the right match. Their keyboards are dependable, clicky and have a pleasant ergonomic form. The RGB lighting and backlit keyboard simply make it the right pair for gaming.
You can customise the RGB lighting to your coronary heart’s want. Alienware claims the laptop computer has an eye-watering 16.8 million colours on the consumer’s disposal. Users have entry to 12 obtainable results and can map them throughout the six designated zones on the keyboard.
Users can spend days on finish customizing to their coronary heart’s content material, and they might nonetheless not run out of choices.
Touchpad
Alienware made a change with the touchpad as properly. The 4.1 x 2.5-inch touchpad performs very well, with none noticeable lag. The firm eliminated the discrete buttons in favor of a unified pad. Windows 10 gestures comparable to two-finger, two-finger scroll, three-and-four finger faucet have been quick and correct.
The backside corners of the pad had a reasonably good clicky really feel to it. But as a gaming laptop computer, customers will most positively hold a mouse with them anyhow.
Ports
There is not any lack of ports in relation to the M15. There are two USB 3.0 ports on the proper facet of the laptop computer, with a single USB 3.0 port on the left facet. M15 additionally a Gigabyte Ethernet jack, a 3.5 mm headphone jack, and a Noble lock slot.
On the laptop computer’s again, there may be an HDMI 2.0 port, a mini DisplayPort, a Thunderbolt 3 for connecting an exterior graphics card, and an influence socket that connects to a 180W brick charger. There can also be a port to attach an Alienware Graphics Amplifier.
Performance
Now comes the crux of the Alienware M15 gaming laptop computer, the efficiency. Popular titles like Fortnite, Overwatch and Black Ops 4 ran fairly easily, as anticipated from a laptop computer of this worth, all getting above 60 FPS.
When one will not be engaged on any graphics intensive activity, the M15 will swap to the Intel UHD 630 Graphics GPU.
However, in an Adobe render take a look at, the GTX 1060 GPU on the Razer Blade 15 beat out the one on the M15, however solely by somewhat bit. An enormous problem with this laptop computer is thermal throttling. The laptop computer will get fairly hot with out even overclocking the CPU.
My largest concern is that the keyboard will get extraordinarily hot across the center proper space (across the P and O keys). The temperature goes round 54 to 60 levels Celsius. This makes it nearly insufferable to play.
So one might want to connect an exterior keyboard to the sport with out the danger of burning one’s fingers off.
Luckily the fan noise doesn’t get too loud, even throughout the occasions of full load.
Conclusion
It is a superb try by Alienware at making a thinner and lighter gaming laptop computer. The construct high quality and chassis design are out of this world (like an alien itself). But a number of the points can actually irk many customers and would possibly put them off of shopping for a gaming laptop computer altogether.
The floor temperatures reaching as much as 60 levels Celsius is completely unacceptable, particularly when one is paying prime greenback for such a tool. It’s scary to suppose what the temperatures could be on a GTX 1070 Max-Q.
Maybe Alienware would possibly repair this with a software program replace or two. But one must wait a couple of months if the corporate even acknowledges this problem. You should purchase Alienware m15 from official Dell web site.
This publish was orginally printed on: December 10, 2018 and was up to date on: January 17, 2020.