Dell’s refreshed Alienware m15 gaming laptop now comes with the latest silicon options from Intel, AMD, and Nvidia. The Alienware m15 R3– as well as the larger, 17-inch m17 R3 model — tops out with Intel’s eight-core 10th-gen processors and Nvidia’s GeForce RTX graphics or AMD Radeon graphics, making them ideal for enthusiast gamers who need performance on the go.
The Alienware m15 R3 and m17 R3 are constructed with a magnesium alloy shell that’s available in the same Lunar Light and Dark Side of the Moon hues that debuted on the company’s Legend design. These laptops start at $1,499 and will be available for purchase beginning May 21.
Both the m15 R3 and m17 R3 laptops start with a quad-core 10th-gen Intel Core i5-10300H processor, though enthusiasts can top out with a configuration equipped with an eight-core Intel Core i9-10980HK CPU. Graphics start with a GeForce GTX 1650 Ti, though you scale up to Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 2080 Super with a Max-Q design. Gamers on Team Red can opt for AMD’s Radeon RX 5500M graphics instead.
To help keep things cool under the lid, Alienware uses its custom Cryo-Tech cooling solution, comprising of copper heat pipes, vapor chambers, and fan systems with 66 blades dedicated to the CPU and GPU. Alienware says its tweaked power consumption to maximize overall efficiency.
To help you stay on top of the action, display options scale from FHD panels all the way to a 4K UHD option for those who need the resolution provided by the extra pixels. Screen options start with a 15.6-inch FHD panel with a 144Hz refresh rate and 7ms response time that can reach a brightness of 300 nits. Nvidia gamers can also opt for a panel that supports G-Sync technology, while enthusiasts can choose a model with a whopping 300Hz refresh rate that supports 100% of the sRGB spectrum. The fast refresh rate makes these new Alienware models competitive with rival mobile rigs from Razer, Asus, Acer, and others.
If you need your gaming laptop to double as a content-creation machine, choosing the Alienware m15 R3 configuration with a 4K UHD resolution will get you an OLED panel with a 60Hz refresh rate that supports 100% of the DCI-P3 wide color gamut.
For an immersive gaming experience, Dell claims its new two-way stereo speaker design delivers 2.5 times the bass and twice the treble over the prior generation. The speaker design is also said to deliver 30% louder audio. Given its gaming roots, both laptops come equipped with a robust selection of ports, with the m15 R3 shipping with Ethernet jack, a selection of USB-A ports, a USB-C over Thunderbolt 3 port, Alienware Graphics Amplifier, HDMI 2.0b, mini-DisplayPort 1.4, audio jack, Ethernet port, and microSD card reader.
Dell has also made some adjustments to the keyboard this time around as well. The standard keyboard accommodates 1.4mm key travel, while an upgraded option has even deeper 1.7mm key travel for more tactile keypresses. Even though Dell did not provide specifics on battery life, you can choose between 56 watt-hour and 86 watt-hour batteries on the both m17 and m17 R3 models.
The Alienware Area-51m R2 has also been updated. Like its predecessor, the second generation of this bulky laptop with desktop-class performance packs in a desktop Intel processor — up to a 10-core Intel 10th Gen Core i9-10900K — alongside Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 2080 Super graphics. Unlike the more mainstream m15 and m17 notebooks, the Area-51m goes full throttle with Nvidia’s RTX cards, and you won’t find any Max-Q design here for amped-up performance. The Alienware Area-51m R2 launches on June 9 with pricing starting at $3,050.
Lastly, Dell also updated its G3 and G5 gaming laptops, with prices as low as $779. Both G3 and G5 come in quad-core or six-core 10th-gen Intel configurations, topping out with a Core i7-10750H processor. These gaming notebooks come with a 15-inch FHD display with anti-glare coating that can be upgraded to a panel with fast 144Hz refresh. While not the lightest notebook on the market at 5.18 pounds, the G3 delivers plenty of performance with its discrete graphics, which tops out with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060. The G5 offers up to an RTX 2070 Max-Q.