Dell Alienware m17 R4 Gaming Laptop: Complete Review

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Dell Alienware 17 R4 Gaming Laptop: Complete Review

Credit: Tech Advisor

Verdict

There are more cheap budget gaming laptops that are more portable than the Dell Alienware m17 R4, but they lack high-end performance. If you need a gaming setup with a lot of horsepower that you can carry with you wherever you go, the premium builds of the Alienware m17 R4 are worth considering.

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Pros

  • Multiple display options are available (FHD, QHD, UHD, 120 Hz, G-Sync, IPS, TN)
  • Support for 2x USB Type-C, Thunderbolt 3, and Graphics Amplifier
  • Extreme performance with no CPU or GPU throttling
  • Chassis of exceptional quality; sturdy base and lid
  • Display response times are extremely fast
  • AlienFX is software that is easy to use
  • Backlight for a bright display
  • Macro keys with dedicated keys

Cons

  • When gaming, the CPU and GPU get quite hot
  • When gaming, fans are always active and quite noisy
  • When opening and shutting the lid, there is a small squeaking
  • Few internal storage bays as compared to 17 R3
  • Fingerprints and oil rapidly build
  • There are no independently illuminated keys, and there are only 20 color keys
  • There are only a few USB Type-A connectors and no SD reader
  • Soldered GPU that can’t be upgraded
  • 17 R3 is bigger and heavier.
  • Battery life is so poor
  • Trackpad with a small size

Alienware has released many stylish laptops in 15 inch and 17-inch screen sizes with the makeover of their flagship gaming laptops in 2019. In line with the 17-inch design that we had previously seen, the new Dell Alienware m17 R4 adds two essential features: a GPU Nvidia GeForce RTX 30 Series and an optional mechanical, low profile keyboard co-developed with leading Cherry. 

They are both a success and a unique enjoyable type-experience that boosts gaming performance up to an astonishing new level. Battery life is still deceiving and you will have to configure a system with all the accessories, but the fundamental design is superb and there are several alternatives. Also, you can see a Full Review of the HP Victus 16.1” Gaming Laptop


Dell Alienware 17 R4 Gaming Laptop: Complete Review


Specifications: Dell Alienware m17 R4 Gaming Laptop

Display17.3-inch FHD LCD 160Hz (1920 x 1080)
Processor10th Gen Intel Core i9-10980HK 2.4GHz (16M cache, 5.3GHz Max Turbo)
GraphicsNvidia GeForce RTX 3080 GPU with 16GB GDDR6
Memory32GB DDR4 2933MHz
OSWindows 10 Home
Storage1TB PCIe SSD + 512GB PCIe M.2 SSD
Webcam1080p
Ports1 x microSD card reader, 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, 1 x HDMI 2.1b, 1 x miniDisplayPort 1.4, 1 x Thunderbolt 3, 1 x Alienware Graphics Amplifier Port, 1 x Gigabit Ethernet, 1 x 3.5mm audio port
Refresh Rate144 hz
ConnectivityWiFi 6 802.11ax, Bluetooth 5.1
Dimensions15.74 x 11.59 x 0.87-inches (WxDxH)
Weight6.55-pounds
Price$3,609.99


Design

The Dell Alienware m17 R4 gaming laptop looks shouldn’t come as a shock if you saw a newly-made Alienware laptop, such as the 15-inch Alienware 15 R3 or the 13-inch Alienware 13 R3.

While Max-Q laptops such as the Asus ROG Zephyrus may otherwise make you believe, it is because of what Del calls its Hinge Forwards design that the Alienware m17 R4 has an even smaller chassis. The design moves the heatsinks to the back of the instrument from underneath the keyboard. Also, you can see a full review of the Acer Chromebook Spin 713 Price, Specification 

Design of Dell Alienware 17 R4

Credit: Amazon

This option also loads up the Alienware m17 R4, even though it allows for greater thermal design strength and a smaller profile, without a better description. The fan’s loudness may be quite annoying, especially without the use of noise-canceling headphones, while playing more challenging triples, like Deus Ex: Mankind Divided and Nier: Automata.

Otherwise, all ingredients from an Alienware laptop you have expected would be kept intact. With twelve LED-backlit areas in total, all slender edges of the Alienware m17 R4 may be customized in one of 20 different colors and shades.

The tri-sectional etching on the machine’s lid, where the Alienware m17 R4 most closely resembles Dell’s monolithic Alienware Area 51, is very appealing. The main letdown is that, aside from the menacing alien on the back, most of the glitter from the front doesn’t carry over.

There’s a lot to like about the Alienware m17 R4’s inputs. The updated Alienware TactX keyboard makes the most of what it has to offer, despite the lack of mechanical switches on the table.

Design of Dell Alienware 17 R4

Credit: Amazon

For example, N-key roll-over will attract anybody interested in pulling complicated computers and Shortcuts without the need to recognize their keyboards. Moreover, Dell says it’s the only laptop keyboard with a key travel of 2,2 mm. Simply said, you should not worry about inadvertent key presses or the failure to recognize your orders.

For a gaming laptop, the keyboard and trackpad are really comfortable. If it does not matter how portable and small the Alienware m17 R4 is due to its large weight and size, you may easily relax, knowing that it is equally well suited for play and work.


Dell Alienware m17 R4 Performance

There’s a lot to discuss, but the starting point definitely is what makes the m17 R4 distinct from almost every other gaming laptop on the market. The 360Hz 17.3-inch screen.

Multiple display possibilities exist for the R4, but I’d drive right by the 144 Hz HD and the 4K UHD option to have a 360Hz GSync HD monitor if you’re interested in this notebook. It’s absolutely amazing and covers 100% of SRGB and 80% of the DCI-P3 range, creating 300 nits of vibrant and easy-to-read light.

Performance of Dell Alienware 17 R4

Credit: BestBuy

Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 3080 complements the 360Hz display. It’s worth noting that this is the full mobile version of the GeForce RTX 3080, not a truncated Max-Q model and that it’s combined with Alienware’s improved cooling system to keep temperatures under control.

The review model was equipped with performance components and is the finest way to experience the R4 yet it costs a premium. This setup is the one I’d buy if I had the money. Intel Core i9-10980HK 10th generation has 8 cores and a cache of 16MB and is prepared to overclock the desktop software straight from the Alienware Command Center. It has also been equipped with 32GB DDR4 RAM and 1.5TB of SSD storage—a pair of RAID0-configured drives and one 3rd 512GB SSD on the drive. Whatever storage settings you choose, ensure that this is the capacity you desire because the discs will be soldered down.

Performance of Dell Alienware 17 R4

credit: Dell

You would expect experiences severe with all this technology, which are what you get; in a few standard benchmark tests, the Alienware m17 R4 produced good scores. The CPU’s focus was on the Cinebench R20, which got 3,993. The Razer Blade Pro 17, which was 2’566 owing to its small Intel Core i7 processors, is comparable to another of our best consoles.


Display of Laptop

You’ve probably seen before — we’ve all seen — a display of 17.3 inches, 1920 x 1080 pixels. Have you ever seen a 1080p 17.3-inch display with a 360hz cooling rate? It’s unlikely. Alienware is one of the first companies to commercialize this technology. You receive the quickest, smoothest visual rendering with Nvidia’s G-Sync technology, which synchronizes the screen’s refresh rate with the graphics card. The faster reproduction reduces latency and can significantly increase accuracy.

Display of Dell Alienware 17 R4

Credit: 01 Net

I wasn’t able to help but appreciate the golden Jesse suit flashing against the red mint-and-rust wallpapers and red checkerboards when I made my way inside the Ashtray Maze in Control. I rose with gladness as the shot of my Shatter gun connected, and one of my adversaries shattered in dazzling blue energy spheres, as I battled through, flew up to the next part of the level, and fighter of the blazing reddish and orange Hiss.

The black complexion of the actor Daniel Kaluuya, paired with a caramel corduroy blazer, appears to be radiating from the screen when I look at the Judas and the Black Messiah on the m17 matte display. Different elements like the jacket’s ribbing and the little stubble of an actor beside Kaluuya were strikingly visible.

Just when you thought you couldn’t get any better with a computer laptop, Alienware comes to refute you. The m17 R4 is one of the first 360Hz refreshable laptops. When you couple it with G-Sync software from Nvidia which syncs the GPU with the display, you have a super-smooth gaming experiment. It pays off tremendously in shooters, providing for more accurate images which might distinguish between a good victory and a disgusting derailment in a PvP situation.

Display of Dell Alienware 17 R4

The panel m17 R4 has reached 80,6 percent of DCI-P3 color range as a result of color reproduction measurement. The range of premium gaming laptops and Blade Pro 17 was 88% short and 84,1% short. However, the Raider, Aorus 17G, and Legion respectively put up 79% and 71.8% were better than 80.5%.

The average luminosity of the R4 m17 was 316 nits, outstanding the Aorus 17G, the Raider and the Blade Pro 17. However, at 445 nits, the legion was much brighter.


KeyBoard and Touchoad 

The island-style keyboard of the Alienware m17 R4 with Numpad is quite solid. The big keys are spaced out nicely and provide a convenient and precise typing experience. In the 10fastfingers test, I reached 76 words per minute, above my normal 70 wpm with 99 percent accurateness.

The 3.1 x 4.1-inch Precision touchpad is nice and quick and precise at my fingertips. As I walked about my regular work habits I had no issue performing 2-finger scrolling, 3-finger tapping, or zooming. 

If you’re not using your cups of tea in a default turquoise lighting, extraterrestrial heads, and the back vent, you always have the AlienFX program in the Alienware Command Center Hub to paint your system in your preferred colors. There, you may set RGB lighting to some 16.8 million colors and add some flair to one of the 5 effects offered.


Battery life of Dell Alienware m17 R4: Review

My life expectancy was poor with that much strength. And my assumptions have been verified once I had tested the Dell Alienware m17 R4 normally. Not all battery life during PCMark 10’s battery benchmark lasts 1 hour and 55 minutes. That’s sufficient to look at a film, and it’s all about that.

In contrast, the Razer Blade 15 Advanced edition lasted five hours and 52 minutes in similar configurations, while the original EVO15-S was almost equivalent in 1 hour and 56 minutes to the m17.

This means you want to have your wall adapter ready if you want to travel with the Alienware m17 R4 gaming laptop. And if your power adaptor is optional, be sure that your bag has plenty of room and your back is ready for additional weight.


Upgradebility of Laptop

Upgradability of Dell Alienware 17 R4

Credit: Future

The Alienware m17 R4 features have three different M.2 SSD slots that are accessible to everybody and upgradable for the user. The first slot has a short length of 2230 while the remaining two have the regular size of 2280. Unfortunately, the RAM is soldered and hence not changeable on the motherboard.

It should be easy to open the Alienware m17 R4: there are eight Philips head shoes on the bottom panel. Some of these shoes are coming out and some are merely being loosened. When our tests were conducted, it was difficult to loosen the screws by removing the lower panel and it took a spudger many minutes. After the panel is off, you can see all three SSDs.

Reviews
  • Dell Alienware m17 R4 Gaming Laptop
4.3

Summary

Alienware has released many stylish laptops in 15 inch and 17-inch screen sizes with the makeover of their flagship gaming laptops in 2019. In line with the 17-inch design that we had previously seen, the new Dell Alienware m17 R4 adds two essential features: a GPU Nvidia GeForce RTX 30 Series and an optional mechanical, low profile keyboard co-developed with leading Cherry.

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