One of the most popular gaming laptops and one of the newest is the Alienware M15 R2. It has a powerful Nvidia RTX 2060 GPU, an Intel Core i7-9750H CPU with 16GB RAM, and NVIDIA Max Q Design with four customizable RGB lights on each side. The Razer Blade 15 2019 will be released soon as well, but what’s better for 2020?
The “razer blade 15 advanced” is a gaming laptop that comes with an Intel Core i9-9900K, RTX 2080 Max-Q graphics card, and up to 64GB of DDR4 RAM. The laptop also has a 4K 144Hz display with G-Sync.
In terms of gaming performance, display quality, price, battery life, portability, and more, we put the Alienware M15 R2 up against the Razer Blade 15.
The Ranking with Results can be seen above, while the in-depth test report for the two Gaming Laptops can be found below.
Razer Blade 15 comes in first place.
- The most effective gaming performance
- 144 Hz display is fantastic.
- Long-lasting battery
With the blade, Razer changed gaming laptops a few years ago. Suddenly, a company that had never worked with laptops appeared on the scene and introduced a small and powerful gadget to the market.
Meanwhile, Razer has a strong presence in the gaming laptop market, and the Blade series has evolved significantly. As a result, the Razer Blade 15 model series has been separated into two parts: the Razer Blade 15 Base and the Razer Blade 15 Advanced (“Pro”).
The 2019 Razer Blade 15 Base will be the subject of this examination. Razer laptops are high-end gadgets with a high price tag. Users who cannot or do not want to spend more than $2000 on a laptop might choose the basic model.
But, can the 2019 Razer Blade 15 Base Model 2019 persuade you in any way, or is it just half-baked? Let’s put it to the test!
Razer sells the Blade 15 in a variety of configurations. It’s important to differentiate between the “Profi” and “Base” models.
The basic model, which we’re testing, is a little thicker and “only” works with current midrange GPUs. However, the professional model with the same equipment is around $400-$500 cheaper.
Design
The Razer Blade 15 basic model is also refreshingly tiny, measuring 355x235x19.9mm. It’s not ultra-slim, but it’s small enough to be carried on a regular basis. Despite the entire aluminum case, the weight of just 4.74 lbs suits this.
The Razer Blade 15 basic model’s standout is without a doubt this! On the one hand, the craftsmanship is outstanding! The Razer Blade variants are dubbed “black MacBooks” for a reason. When it comes to craftsmanship quality, we’re right up there with Apple.
But the design is also quite stylish! The Razer Blade 15 has a professional appearance thanks to its clean lines and straightforward design. You might quibble with the Razer branding on the rear, but I believe the Blade 15 is a huge success overall!
The extremely tiny display frames and the port equipment get additional bonus points.
The charging port, Gbit LAN, two USB 3.0 connections, and a 3.5mm headset jack are all located on the blade’s left side. A tiny display port, HDMI 2.0, another USB 3.0 connector, and Thunderbolt 3 are located on the right side.
Although a card reader would be preferable, the present port equipment should be enough for all probable users.
Fortunately, the accompanying power supply is both aesthetically pleasing and functional!
Touchpad and Keyboard
The Blade 15’s base model sports a basic RGB backlit keypad. We use a zone illumination system rather than a single LED per key. This shouldn’t deter people, particularly as the lighting seems to be decent!
But it’s the way the keyboard feels that matters the most. It gives a nice first impression in general. It has a great, sturdy feel about it. Nothing bends thanks to the aluminum shell, even if you pound the keys harder.
Although the pressure point is sharp and accurate, the keys themselves are relatively flat. This is my sole complaint as well.
A Dell XPS 15 seems to be a little superior in comparison, particularly if you are a regular typist. Regardless, we’re looking at one of the finest keyboards on the market.
I have even more nice things to say about the trackpad. This is top-notch! On front of us, we certainly have one of the nicest trackpads in a Windows laptop.
The tracking is really accurate, motions are clearly identified, and the surface feels valuable. Fantastic Razer!
Speakers
Two loudspeakers are situated on the side of the keyboard on the Blade 15. As a result, the loudspeakers are aimed directly towards the user, which is already ideal.
The sound quality of the loudspeakers is excellent! A little more depth would have been good, but the speakers sound full and crisp in overall.
Here, the Blade outperforms the competition.
Display
The Razer Blade 15 Base is available with two distinct display configurations. Both feature a 15-inch display with Full HD resolution. One only has 60Hz, while the other has 144Hz.
Of course, the 144Hz version is the most popular. Only the 60Hz option is available on my Blade 15.
Aside from that, the display is rather good! Subjectively, it is adequately crisp and clear, the colors seem to be clean, and the viewing angles are quite acceptable.
The readings seem to be accurate as well. The display covers 94 percent of the sRGB color palette (73 percent AdobeRGB) and has a 1:790 contrast ratio.
With 258cd/m2, the maximum brightness is just decent. As a result, the Blade 15 Base is not an outdoor laptop.
Benchmarks
My Blade 15 Base has an Intel Core i7-9750H processor and a GTX 1660Ti graphics card. As a result, although the Blade 15 Base is not a true high-end notebook, it does fall into the strong upper midrange tier of gaming laptops.
Let’s see how this combo fares in comparison tests.
Razer has reportedly reduced the i7’s power limit to 35W rather than 45W, as is typical for the i7-9750H.
I’m converting a 4K movie to a different format, which is a CPU-intensive operation. Due to its 6 cores, the Blade 15 Base is still much quicker than Intel “U” CPUs, however it is around 20% slower than a standard laptop with an Intel Core i7-9750H and 45W PowerLimit.
Gaming Capabilities
What about games, though?
The image begins to slant in this area. While the Razer Blade 15 Base Model has always been a little slower than the competition in previous benchmarks, it is even quicker than the average in games!
Even though it has an i7-9750H and a GTX 1660Ti, this can easily defeat the Acer Helios 300. Video editing apps, for example, do not put as much strain on the CPU as games do. As a result, the power restriction is mostly irrelevant.
In overall, the Blade 15 Base has the potential to impress in games. At maximum details and Full HD quality, most games easily surpass the 60 FPS limit.
There are a few games that barely hit 40-50 frames per second, but they are in the minority.
Storage
There are two speaker bays on the Blade 15 Base Model. One M.2 slot and one 2.5-inch slot are available.
A 128GB Liteon CV8 SSD and a 1TB Seagate ST1000LM048 HDD are included in my model.
Unfortunately, the SSD is a SATA-based type, with read and write speeds of just 555MB/s and 412MB/s, respectively. It’s adequate, but nothing exceptional.
The HDD has a transfer rate of 140MB/s.
Levels of noise
Razer Blade laptops aren’t recognized for having a particularly low loudness. The Blade 15 Base is no different. This isn’t as noisy as previous Razer Blades, but it’s not the quietest either.
In Windows mode, the fans are relatively silent. Under load, the fans rapidly increase in volume and become loud.
Temperature
I must say, I’m a bit taken aback. The Intel Core i7-9750H clocks at 2.5GHz under steady load due to the lower power restriction of 35W rather than the typical 45W.
This comes as no surprise. However, I believe Razer has decreased the PowerLimit to minimize overheating. The CPU, on the other hand, only reaches a comfortable 60 degrees, which is really low!
It’s possible that you’ll be able to manually boost the power limit once more (at your own risk).
What about games, though?
Exciting! The CPU in The Witcher 3 runs at over 4GHz all of the time, which is quite fast. The temperatures, though, are a little higher here. These can reach 7 degrees, but can also reach 8 degrees. However, for such a notebook, this is perfectly acceptable.
The GPU is a little hotter at 78 degrees, but it runs at 1500mHz all the time.
Life of the battery
Let’s return to the battery for a moment. This is a poor film. In regular usage, you may anticipate a runtime of 4-5 hours.
If you replace the HDD with an SSD, you may be able to get a bit more out of it. However, add +-4 hours to your calculations.
Verdict
Essentially, the Blade 15 Base is a stylish notebook with superb build quality and feel. Razer is just world-class in this area, and it can easily compete with Apple. However, the keyboard and trackpad are excellent, the display is excellent, and the overall equipment is impressive.
As a result, the Blade 15 has every port you might want, including Thunderbolt 3. Even the speakers are of good quality!
However, there are several flaws in the system. Unfortunately, Razer has set a 35W power restriction for the Intel Core i7-9750H. So, although the i7-9750H is still quite quick on the road, you may lose up to 20% speed while using CPU-intensive programs.
However, in gaming, this is hardly perceptible. The Blade 15 Base Model, on the other hand, is completely believable.
On the road, the GTX 1660Ti is really quick, and it often breaches the 60 FPS barrier in recent games. Many ESports games, on the other hand, run at 100 FPS or more without issue.
Super!
As a result, gamers seeking for a particularly valued notebook might choose the Razer Blade 15 Base.
However, it is important to remember that there are theoretically quicker laptops available for the same price. The Intel Core i7 throttling, in particular, is a bit of a pain.
You will, of course, forego the stylish design and superb craftsmanship in exchange. Unless you get the more costly Razer Blade Profi model, you can’t have it all.
Alienware M15 R2 is ranked second.
- Still a fantastic gaming experience
- Better Value
- Exceptional performance
They’ve arrived! New High-End Intel mobile CPUs and, as a result, a whole new generation of laptops.
There was a considerable increase in performance with the new Intel Ultrabook processors from the 7th to the 8th generation, and it seems that there is also a substantial leap in performance with the 8th Gen High End CPUs.
In the shape of the i9-8950HK, Intel has now delivered the i9 CPUs to laptops for the first time.
The Alienware M15 R2 is one of the first laptops to use the i9-8950HK. The Alienware M15 R2 is an improvement to the previously lauded R3 with better cooling and, more crucially, new Intel 8th Gen CPUs.
Let’s see whether the new Alienware M15 R2 can wow with the i9-8950HK and if there are any additional enhancements apart from the new CPU.
Design and Ports
However, I believe Dell/design Alienware’s is excellent. The Alienware 15 doesn’t strive to be thinner than it is, like many MSI or XMG laptops do. In the Alienware 15, Dell does not use bevelled edges, which make the laptop seem slimmer in images.
The Alienware M15 R2 seems larger than it is in actuality, particularly when compared to GTX 1080 laptops, due to its angular form.
Simply said, at a solid 5.8 lbs, the weight is pretty substantial!
However, the Alienware M15 R2’s considerable weight has an advantage: it seems to be enormous! This is the Thinkpad of gaming laptops, in my opinion.
The Alienware M15 R2 appears extraordinarily substantial and solid, despite the fact that Alienware/Dell employs plastic for the notebook’s interior and fundamental structure. It’s as though Dell had stuffed the laptop with lead.
This is in stark contrast to inexpensive gaming laptops, where the lid and cover are often unable to be pushed in all the way. The Alienware M15 R2 is the largest thoroughbred gaming laptop I’ve seen so far.
Of course, there is room for debate on the design, particularly when it comes to the LED lighting. Alienware, of course, employs a “gamer” design, which I believe is effective.
The Alienware 15 has an angular, large, “industrial” look to it, as well as a high-quality feel to it. This isn’t a brushed-lid 08/15 red lighted plastic gaming notebook. The Alienware 15 sticks out among the sea of laptops that I like.
The expanded rear, sometimes known as the “spoiler,” is a very divisive design element (or whatever you want to call it).
In the beginning, this troubled me a little. However, in reality, this is not a severe complaint. This spoiler, like the Notch on recent smartphones, is almost imperceptible in reality, particularly as the display hinge seems to be a little more gigantic.
What about the connectors on the Alienware M15 R2? In general, it’s excellent!
Two separate 3.5mm connectors for headphones/headsets, a USB 3.0 port with charging capability for cellphones, and a USB C 3.0 port are located on the notebook’s left side.
The majority of the connections, though, are on the back. Here’s the power supply connection, as well as a LAN port, a tiny Displayport 1.2, an HDMI 2.0 output, and a Thunderbolt 3 USB C port!
On the rear, there’s also a socket for Dell’s external GPU housing. Another USB 3.0 port may be found on the left side.
With that, the Alienware M15 R2 isn’t a connectivity marvel. Apart from an SD card reader, though, you’ll find everything you need in ordinary life.
Light Emitting Diodes
But there’s more: the trackpad and the keyboard are also illuminated! The trackpad has a “Plexiglas”-like surface that is illuminated by a single LED.
As a result, the whole Trackpad glows, making it very noticeable. It’s clear that all of the LEDs are RGB LEDs, which you may configure according to your preferences.
You could assign a different color to each LED zone, make them all the same color, modify the hues, or turn the entire thing off.
Alienware FX is also integrated in a number of games (over 150, according to Alienware), with the LEDs reflecting the game’s colors or your life energy, for example.
Opinions on LEDs will undoubtedly vary. But I believe the Alienware M15 R2’s illumination is so “exaggerated” that it’s already amazing!
The Alienware looks great, especially in the dark. The LED strips are bright enough to make a light pattern on a table, but not so bright that they blind you.
Software
For the Alienware M15 R2, Dell has opted for Windows 10 Home. But it’s the Alienware Control Center, which has been totally redesigned, that’s truly fascinating.
Alienware provides without a doubt the best elegant and up-to-date laptop control software on the market today! The design is incredibly clean, simple, and stylish. In terms of design, this Windows 10 app is outstanding.
The variety of functionality, on the other hand, is excellent. The Alienware Control Center also includes a fan control and the ability to overclock your laptop, in addition to customizable lighting.
However, utilizing predetermined profiles, the latter is only achievable in a very limited scope.
The fan control, on the other hand, is far more flexible, with a large number of pre-made profiles as well as the ability to construct your own.
You may also use specific profiles to connect games. So, if you wish to run your laptop in the “Silent” profile while playing a game on your desktop, but have the fans operate at full power automatically, you may do so.
However, not everything is ideal. Perhaps it was because I had rebuilt Windows and something wasn’t set up correctly, but the Alienware Control Center was a little sluggish in accepting the fan/OC configurations.
If you’re having troubles in general, consider updating your BIOS. The Alienware Control Center didn’t want to function with the BIOS in delivery condition (my Alienware M15 R2 arrived from the first shipment).
Hardware
Let’s begin with the Alienware M15 R2 at a crucial point: configuration! The Alienware M15 R2 comes in a variety of configurations, including CPU, RAM, GPU, memory, display, and even a WLAN card.
Keep a careful eye on Dell’s configurator! Both in terms of pricing and performance, the versions with the i5-8300H and GTX 1060 and the one with the i9-8950HK and GTX 1080 are poles apart!
All variants, however, have the same chassis and accompanying components like as the keyboard, battery, and so on.
Dell’s costs for memory and memory upgrades are quite reasonable. There is a slight fee, but it is within reason, particularly because Dell often uses high-quality Toshiba NVME SSDs.
In theory, though, this is not the design I would propose. A variant with an i7-8750H and a GTX 1070 OC would be my recommendation in terms of price/performance. This is rather expensive at $1600, but the performance difference is negligible.
With the Alienware M15 R2, you can easily increase your memory and hard drive! On the other hand, the processor and graphics card are permanently installed.
Display
With the Alienware M15 R2, you have numerous display options:
- 1920x1080p, 60Hz, IPS
- TN, 120Hz GSync, 1920x1080p
- GSync, 3840 x 2160, IPS, 60Hz
There is something in every display choice. The basic Full HD panel is something I’m familiar with from the Alienware 15 R3 and may persuade me there. The Full HD IPS panel is a fine all-arounder, but it isn’t exceptional.
The “TN” panel is one of the greatest TN panels on the market, and it can compete with the IPS panel in terms of quality. However, because of the 120Hz refresh rate, it is mainly intended at gamers. This is the display to get if you’re a true thoroughbred player.
I, on the other hand, have selected the UHD display. Was this a wise choice?
The Alienware M15 R2’s UHD display is quite good, even if it isn’t the highest resolution. Although Dell does not employ an ultra-high-end panel like the XPS 15, the display is already one of the best.
Colors are crisp and clean, even if they aren’t too saturated. However, this is due to the matt display finish. Colors and contrasts are sometimes a little more matte on matte panels because they are less reflecting.
Nonetheless, the moaning is at an all-time high. My measurements back this up as well.
The Alienware M15 R2 achieves a 96 percent sRGB color space coverage and a 74 percent AdobeRGB color space coverage. Furthermore, the UHD panel is well calibrated, making it ideal for picture and video editing!
For an IPS panel, the contrast is respectable at 1:850, and the maximum brightness is even more impressive at 304 cd/m2.
Although 304 cd/m2 isn’t very high, it’s more than enough for outdoor usage when combined with the matte display. Even in direct sunshine, the display is viewable.
In conclusion, I’d give the display almost full marks for all-around/content creation usage, but I’d dock a few points for the lighting. Above the two display hinges, there are two significantly brighter “light spots,” which may be bothersome with dark graphics.
Nonetheless, the UHD display comes highly recommended!
Touchpad and Keyboard
In the M15 R2, Alienware depends on a fantastic keyboard. It does not, for example, employ the now popular “Chiclet” or island keys.
The keys are rather close together, yet they are quite massive. As closely as possible, the layout follows the QWERTY standard.
Nonetheless, it took some time for me to become accustomed to being able to confidently and rapidly write in the notepad. This is due in part to the near proximity of the keys and in part to the presence of the Marko keys.
On the left side of the keyboard on the Alienware M15 R2, there is a row of macro keys that are barely a few millimeters apart from the rest of the keys. This makes it extremely simple to reach the Marko keys, although I use the lower left key as a reference point.
Because the Marko keys are so near to the keyboard, I was often confused, particularly with the Shift key.
However, with with practice, you can write pretty effectively on the Alienware M15 R2! In terms of pressure point and pressure felt, the keys themselves are excellent to very good.
The keys are soft, yet with a forceful stroke, they remain flowing. Alienware uses a “linear switch” here, if that’s what you want to call it. Because of this, the keyboard isn’t particularly “clicky,” but it is also rather quiet.
The 2.2 mm travel distance of the keys is really comfortable! This is a little more than a current Ultrabook, but not to the point where writing gets tedious.
The main resistance is also nice in my opinion. This is somewhat higher than with an Ultrabook, but not to the point where writing gets tedious.
In conclusion, a fine keyboard, though not exceptional for gamers!
What about the trackpad, for example? This is a sturdy piece of equipment in and of itself, although it is pretty little. The tracking is excellent and smooth. On the Alienware M15 R2, there is no pointer jumping or anything like that.
The laptop, on the other hand, can’t compete with an XPS, much alone a MacBook.
Nonetheless, the trackpad is rather useable; I’ve seen far worse in this area. However, with an R5, I’d want a bit greater surface area. The final useable space for a 15-inch laptop is a little limited, especially because the trackpad has two independent buttons on the bottom.
Speakers
The speakers are the only aspect of the Alienware M15 R2 that disappoints me. The two speakers on the front of the laptop are functional and sound well.
However, you will be disappointed if you anticipate a deep sound from such a huge laptop. Even a Dell XPS 13 or an Apple MacBook Pro have better bass than the Alienware 15, particularly when it comes to gaming.
To be honest, most gaming laptops from ASUS and MSI don’t have really excellent speakers.
The loudspeakers, on the other hand, are excellent. Watching films, listening to music, and so on, but the Alienware M15 R2 is more than capable. Just don’t expect too much in terms of sound from the laptop.
In this regard, the Alienware M15 R2 is quite ordinary. This holds true for the headphone output/microphone input as well. Here’s a decent Realtek sound card that doesn’t need any additional software.
And, yeah, Realtek sound cards have improved much in recent years. As a result, an external sound card isn’t required.
Performance
My Alienware M15 R2 has the latest Intel Core i9-8950HK processor and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 graphics card.
The Intel i9-8950HK is the i7-larger 8750H’s sibling. Both processors are based on the 8th Gen Coffee Lake architecture and include 6 cores Plus 6 virtual cores for the first time.
This alone represents a huge performance improvement over the previous i7-7700HQ, which only had four cores.
The i7-8750H has a clock speed of “up to 4.1GHz,” while the i9-8950HK has a clock speed of “up to 4.8GHz.” Dell even overclocks the i9-8950HK to “up to 5GHz,” presumably for the sake of selling it as the world’s first 5GHz laptop.
Off the clock, though, there are still distinctions between the i9-8950HK and i7-8750H. The cache is the most crucial.
The i9 has a level 3 cache of 12MB, whereas the i7 has “only” 9MB. In fact, there isn’t a significant difference (more on that later), but if you have programs that are CPU-intensive, such as photo/video editing, a few additional percent of speed may be beneficial.
Dell has a graphics card trick under its sleeve. The Alienware M15 R2 with GTX 1080 is available, however it is the MAX-Q edition, which is only available in extremely limited quantities.
MAX-Q graphics cards are “exceptionally high-quality” graphics cards that can operate at a lower voltage than their standard counterparts.
Aside from the voltage, the clock rate has been reduced somewhat. As a result, the GTX 1080 MAX-Q is more akin to a GTX 1070+.
The globe appears a little different whether you pick the GTX 1060 or GTX 1070 version.
Dell even tweaks the clock speeds of these two graphics cards. Unfortunately, I don’t have a test device with a GTX 1070 “OC,” but it’s probable that the GTX 1070 option achieves speeds close to those of the GTX 1080 MAX-Q.
Let’s talk about performance now. Let’s start with the most common standards.
The benchmarks already seem to be rather impressive! In the Cinebench test, the Intel Core i9 scores 1251 points. This is a 68 percent boost over the previous generation’s i7-7820HK! The gap is much greater when compared to the I7-7700HQ.
As a result, the i9-8950HK is comparable to the desktop Intel Core i7-8700K.
However, when compared to the i7-8750H, the difference is much lesser. In Cinebench, the i7-8750H scores roughly 1140 points, which is just around 9% less than the i7-8750.
However, the performance of a single core is also quite fascinating. The i9-8950HK can truly shine in this situation. The Single Core performance of 207 points is world-class!
The i7-7820HK receives 160 points, the Intel Core i7-7700HQ 145 points, and the i7-8750H 173 points in comparison.
As a result, the Single Core performance outperforms the desktop i7-8700K!
The results in the 3D Mark benchmarks are likewise quite impressive. The M15 R2 outperforms the R3 by roughly 10% in the Time Spy test, which is designed to stress the GPU.
It may not seem to be much, but it is!
But how does it appear in video games?
Gaming Capabilities
In terms of gaming performance, not much has changed from the predecessor, which was equipped with the i7-7820HK.
Even in complex titles like The Witcher 3 or Battlefield One, Full HD resolution allows you to witness three digit frame rates. As a result, I just grabbed an Overwatch or CS:GO benchmark, where we’d see 200+ or about 300 frames per second.
With the UHD resolution, this seems to be a little different. All games may be played at full quality, yet The Witcher 3 only got “only” 40FPS on average, whereas Battlefield 1 got 54FPS.
Even with a GTX 1080 MAX-Q, it’s a tight fit. If you intend to use your laptop mostly for gaming, one of the Full HD screens is the way to go. Full HD is also suitably crisp on a 15-inch screen, so you can be certain that you’ll be able to play current games in extremely high resolution in three years, although 4K is unlikely to be the case.
The Alienware M15 R2 can presently play 4K games, however the frame rate is barely in the green zone.
Temperature and Levels of Noise
Let’s start with a few of issues. Alienware promotes the M15 R2 with an i9-8950HK processor that runs at up to 5GHz. The i9-8950HK has a clock speed of 4.8GHz instead of 5GHz.
An OC mode is responsible for the missing 200Mhz. For some reason, the OC Mode did not function for me. The clock rate does not surpass 4.8GHz in any condition, however it is active in the Alienware control center.
Until then, 4.9GHz was visible after numerous reboots, but not the stated 5GHz. Perhaps it’s because I rebuilt Windows and there’s a problem somewhere, but I’ve come to the conclusion that these 200MHz don’t produce roast fat.
You must be extremely cautious with the clock, as with any recent laptop CPUs. The i9-8950HK has a clock speed of 2.9GHz instead of 4.8GHz.
Depending on how many cores you load, the temperature, and other factors, anything over 2.9GHz is a plus.
The 4.8GHz will be obtained if just single cores are loaded for a brief period of time. That’s why the Alienware M15 R2’s single-core performance is likewise exceptional.
The clock rate dips to 3.0-3.4GHz when all 6 cores are fully occupied at the same time, like with a video export. This is when the i9’s 45W power limit is reached.
Depending on the fan settings, the temperature settles between 78-84 degrees. However, during the jump to 4.8GHz, temperatures of slightly around 100 degrees are also attained for a brief period. In this case, however, there is no throttling!
Around games, however, the i9-8950HK frequently remains in the 4+GHz range since games seldom fully load the CPU.
For example, in The Witcher 3, the CPU hits 68-77 degrees, which is excellent given the GPU generates a lot of heat.
What are your thoughts on where we are with the GPU? The clock speed of the GTX 1080 MAX-Q is 1450MHz to 1505MHz. It reaches a temperature of little over 70 degrees.
What about the supporters?
In idle mode, the Alienware M15 R2 is generally quiet. It’s possible that the fan may turn on for a limited period of time when installing applications, however this can be avoided by using the “Silent” fan configuration.
Of course, the fans are noisy when the Alienware is fully loaded, but even so, the Alienware is a nice experience. The fans have a nice tone to them, so they aren’t as shrill as, say, a Razer Blade.
This makes the Alienware M15 R2 much more enjoyable to use than many other smaller gaming laptops. Furthermore, the fans aren’t very loud. The fans are hardly audible when the speakers are set to 50% volume.
Under full load, the Alienware M15 R2 isn’t quiet, but it’s not distracting.
Life of the Batteries
When purchasing a high-end gaming laptop, a lengthy battery life is typically not a priority. On the other hand, one could wish to use the laptop while relaxing on the sofa or in the garden without having to lug the charger about with them.
So, how does the Alienware M15 R2 do in this situation? Of course, this is dependent on the setup; I’m using the worst case scenario here, with a 4K monitor, a huge i9, and so on. The battery life will be much better if you pick the laptop with the i5, GTX 1060, and Full HD display!
The Alienware M15 R2 comes with a 99Wh battery, which is the largest size available. You wouldn’t be able to take the laptop on a flight, for example, if it had a bigger battery.
I was able to get roughly 3.5-4 hours of runtime in regular office work with a low to medium display brightness. The battery life may be enhanced to roughly 4.5-5 hours by turning on the different energy saving programs and turning off the LED illumination.
However, if you utilize an office/webbrowsing application, the battery life should be closer to 4 hours, particularly if other apps are still operating in the background.
You don’t want to be playing on a battery! Under maximum CPU+GPU use, the battery may be completely depleted in less than an hour.
As a result, the Alienware M15 R2’s battery life isn’t equal to that of an Ultrabook, but it’s enough for a high-end gaming laptop! Some models are far less successful.
Upgradability
The Alienware M15 R2 is simple to open. There are seven screws on the bottom side that you simply need to release.
Two RAM slots, one 2.5 inch slot, and three m.2 slots are accessible after removing the bottom.
Only two of the m.2 slots, however, are full length.
So, along with a RAM increase, installing three SSDs in the Alienware M15 R2 would be no trouble. Unfortunately, without further dismantling the laptop, I was unable to locate the WLAN card.
PS. If the m.2 SSDs are not detected during the Windows installation, change the “mode” in the BIOS from RAID to AHCI.
Verdict
The Alienware M15 R2 is a colossal machine! I’m referring to the hardware as well as the packaging.
Let’s begin with the outside. I believe the Alienware M15 R2’s design is divisive, particularly due of the excessive LED lighting. The design, on the other hand, is fantastic!
With its angular and aggressive, almost industrial-style look, the Alienware M15 R2 sticks out from the crowd. There are presently no other notebooks available from any other manufacturer, and I really enjoy this one-of-a-kind design. Also, particularly in the dark, the LED strips create a great ambience.
On a dark desk, the Alienware M15 R2 looks fantastic!
Furthermore, there is the enormous and high-quality craftsmanship. There aren’t any more large gaming notebooks that I’m aware of (with a plastic case). With this technological equipment, the size is likewise suitable for a laptop.
Only the weight, which is about 5.8 lbs, is quite excessive. I have no difficulty taking the Alienware M15 R2 to the sofa or to friends, but I wouldn’t want to take it to school or university every day.
The battery life is adequate, with the top model lasting roughly 4 hours. The smaller ones will very certainly be able to do a little more.
I’d give the keyboard and trackpad a decent rating, considering the pricing point. Which display you pick is, of course, dependent on your preferences. I went with the UHD display since I want to use the Alienware M15 R2 for both work and pleasure.
Dell’s UHD display is excellent! It’s even adequate for semi-professional picture editing, especially in terms of color accuracy and color space coverage! This presentation is very pleasing to the eye. The only difference is that the lighting is mild.
The Full HD IPS display and the 120Hz option, on the other hand, are both excellent screens. As a result, you can’t really go wrong.
The performance is significantly more dependent on the configuration you pick. Of sure, the i9-8950HK is a beast! Even in desktops, there are just a few CPUs that can keep up with the i9 in terms of single-core performance.
However, in comparison to the i7-8750H, the premium is only partly justified. The i7-8750H is superior from a price/performance standpoint if you aren’t searching for the absolute utmost in CPU performance.
Despite this, the i9-directly 8950HK’s predecessor (the i7-7820HK) already outperforms the i9-8950HK by around 70%. Don’t purchase a laptop that doesn’t have an 8th Gen Intel CPU, whether it’s an i7-8750H or an i9-8950HK!
The GTX 1060, 1070, or 1080 is utilized as the graphics card. In general, the GTX 1060 is sufficient for Full HD gaming, but if you already have a laptop, such as the Alienware M15 R2, go for the GTX 1070 “OC.”
The GTX 1080 MAX-Q, like the CPU, provides a significant performance boost over the previous generation. The GTX 1070 OC, on the other hand, is the better deal in terms of price/performance.
The Alienware M15 R2 is already near its maximum on the i9-8950HK and GTX 1080, despite Dell’s latest “Cryo-Tech 2.0” cooling. However, it does not exceed the limit. Turbo performance may be summoned by both the CPU and the GPU. I’d say the loudness under load is acceptable; I have no issues.
If I had to complain about anything other than the weight, it would most likely be the subpar speakers.
Apart from that, the Alienware M15 R2 comes close to becoming the ideal gaming laptop, while the Razer Blade 15 comes even closer.
That is why the Alienware M15 R2 ranks lower than the Razer Blade 15, but both are excellent gaming laptops, and the Alienware M15 R2 is less expensive, so if you want to save money, grab this one.
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