Verdict
The Alienware x17 R2 delivers arresting gaming and processing speeds , a top - snick projection screen and a stout , good - look material body , and it ’s only hindered by an expected high cost and unsurprisingly poor battery life . It ’s one of the honest 17.3 in play notebooks on the grocery today .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
The Alienware x17 is the brand ’s large gambling laptop computer , and this supersized notebook combine Alienware ’s familiar design with incredible constituent .
On the exterior the x17 serves up its arresting , black and white Legend 2.0 aesthetic , on the interior it ’s contract an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti alongside anIntel Alder Lakeprocessor and a 360Hz display .
Alienware laptop computer are rarely cheap , though , and the model I ’ve reviewed costs £ 3149 / $ 3499 / € 3849 , and you ’ll still have to pay £ 2149 / $ 2249 / € 2399 for even the entry - story mannequin .
The Alienware x17 is impressive but expensive – can it peradventure be worth it ?
Design and Keyboard
There ’s no denying that Alienware leads the market for high-pitched - conclusion gaming laptop design . The black and bloodless outside is in force wait and has immaculate physique quality ; the RGB LED logo and honeycomb vent all look excellent .
The Alienware x17 R2 is 21 millimetre blockheaded , which is decent for a large and powerful notebook computer – that human body sit around between the slimmer Razer Blade 17 and the thicker Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 , which are the x17 ’s principal rivals . Bear in mind , though , that the x17 weighs 3 kg and is heavier than both .
The x17 – like the belittled x15 – has all its ports along the back boundary . While that make cabling neater , it also means the port are trickier to hit when compared to side - mounted socket , and the ring of burnished RGB light-emitting diode make them unmanageable to see .
Get past that brightness level and you ’ll find oneThunderbolt 4port , a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type - C port with power deliverance , and two USB 3.2 Gen 1 connectors . The x17 also has a future - proofed HDMI 2.1 output , a microSD slot and a mini - DisplayPort socket , and internal connectivity comes from dual - bandWi - Fi 6and Gigabit Ethernet .
The Alienware ’s 720p webcam support Windows Hello , but the x17 misses a fingermark proofreader .
open up the Alienware x17 R2 and you ’ll happen a per - key RGB lead keyboard with N - key rollover , anti - ghosting and 1.5 mm of travel . There ’s an extra column of media Key on the right - mitt edge , but there ’s no numberpad .
It ’s an excellent keyboard . The clitoris are fast and curt , with dashing move reminiscent of low - profile mechanical hardware , and it ’s preferred to Razer ’s shallower gear .
As common , the x17 can be upgraded with CherryMX mechanical ironware that offers even more speed and weight , but the Alienware ’s received unit is easily good enough for hardcore gamers .
If you do want to elevate , determine the cost . It ’s $ 150 extra in the US , which is reasonable , but at the time of writing it ’s € 300 in Europe and a whopping £ 600 in the UK – too much for any mechanical keyboard .
The trackpad is fine , if unsurprising , but anyone who wants to revel play will be using a USB computer peripheral . The speakers are hunky-dory , too : bassy and loud , albeit with a cheap top - destruction . They ’re serviceable for gaming but a headset would be far better .
Screen
The Alienware x17 I ’ve review has a 1080p IPS dialog box with a 360Hz refresh rate and 1ms response fourth dimension , and it ’s stunning . The refresh charge per unit pairs with Nvidia G - Sync to provide butter - smooth brio , and that think of it ’s suited for top - tier up eSports . It ’s also a bit better than the Asus and Razer machines , which have 3ms response times .
The smooth , snappy gaming yield is bolstered by bully quality . The 1,153:1 contrast ratio ensures mickle of punch , and the delta E of 1.78 means colours are accurate . The CRT screen renders 98.1 % of the sRGB gamut , so it bring forth every shade needed by mainstream plot .
There are no liberal issues . The panel ca n’t give more than 80 % of the Adobe and DCI - P3 gamuts , so it ’s not suitable for content creators , and it could be a little vivid – it ’s fine indoors , but it ’ll struggle in unobstructed sunlight .
It ’s also a shame that Dell does n’t have more upgrade options . Buyers can save £ 250 / $ 100 / € 250 on a Full HD screen at 165Hz , and undivided - instrumentalist gamers can pass £ 650 / $ 200 / € 350 on a 4K/120Hz control panel , but there are no 2560 x 1440 or 240Hz board useable . You ’ll find out both on the Asus and Razer notebooks if you ’d like that middle ground .
Performance
This gamey - ending Alienware x17 R2 has an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti nontextual matter inwardness with 16 GB of memory and a monster 175W power limit . A 20 - train of thought Intel Core i7 - 12700H joins this mighty GPU , 32 GB ofDDR5 memoryand a 1 TB SSD with sensory read and drop a line speeds of 6318MB / sec and 4155MB / sec . If you want to promote , the base is easily removable and the x17 has pairs of memory and M.2 SSD sockets .
It ’s a formula for incredible functioning . The x17 romped through Horizon Zero Dawn at Ultimate options at 120fps , which is 24fps upright than the RTX 3080 and the same distance in the lead of the RTX 3070 Ti laptop computer inwardness . The x17 maintained a likewise all-inclusive gap in Borderlands 3 , and its 226fps average in Rainbow Six Siege is 31fps onward of the RTX 3070 Ti .
There are n’t many biz this laptop wo n’t toy . It ’ll scythe through every eminent - oddment undivided - player plot , no matter its demands . Ray tracingandDLSSwon’t be a problem . The x17 never struggles with eSports titles ; most are less demanding than Rainbow Six , so hitting 360fps wo n’t be an issue .
The only disappointing government note right now is the Alienware x17 R2 ’s overclocking performance . The Alienware seemingly has two overclocking modes , but neither improved gaming swiftness . Indeed , the motorcar ’s superb 3D Mark Time Spy result of 12,486 pretermit slightly to 12,434 . I can only hope Dell improves this feature of speech with microcode and software update .
Those overclocked modes did n’t boost CPU performance , either , but the i7 - 12700H does n’t necessitate any assistance there . In Geekbench ’s single- and multi - core tests the fourteen - nitty-gritty chip hand over scores of 1686 and 12,040 , with the latter importantly quicker than the Core i7 - 12800H and i9 - 11900H used in many other laptop . It ’s also quicker than the AMD Ryzen 7 6800H and Ryzen 9 6900HX that are useable in the thicker , gruelling m17 , and there ’s scarcely any Mary Leontyne Price difference between the two .
That Core i7 bit will handle nigh anything , from involve content - creation apps to intense multi - tasking , and you ’ll only need to pay for the Core i9 if you desire every drib of processing power . The lofty performance is testament to the x17 ’s impressive temperature reduction , and indicates that the CPU is n’t hindered as badly by throttling evident on minor notebook .
The x17 performs reasonably well in most caloric tests . The x17 ’s fan interference is present during normal gaming situations , but it ’s modest – for sure quieter than most other high - end play notebook computer . And while the area above the keyboard does become passing toasty , the rest of the machine is warm rather than annoyingly hot .
There ’s no doubt that the x17 is telling , but it ’s pretty expensive too . An Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 at this storey uses a 240Hz , QHD exhibit and Core i9 - 12900H , and it cost £ 3399 / $ 3212 / € 3737 – and in some markets you get a backpack , headset and mouse in the boxful .
If you face at other brands that offer 17.3 in , 360Hz displays with RTX 3080 Ti graphics you ’ll spare a little more . The only dear challenger is the Razer , which costs £ 4099 / $ 3999 / € 4299 for tantamount hardware .
astonishingly , though , the x17 is reasonably good economic value when compared tothe x15 . For an equivalent stipulation it ’ll cost you £ 3349 / $ 3399 / € 3949 , and it does n’t have a CherryMX keyboard rise pick .
Battery life
As ever , do n’t expect this large machine to last long aside from the mains . You ’ll get about an 60 minutes of lifespan from the bombardment while gaming , and that ’s with reduced graphic power .
The Alienware x17 R2 live for 2hrs 13mins in a work trial with the silver screen at 150 nits , which is a poor answer even among gambling notebook computer , and it play video for 3hrs 46mins . This , even more than most gaming machines , is a laptop computer that bank on a mains connexion .
Latest deals
Should you buy it?
Alienware ’s x17 R2 has unbelievable gaming and lotion tread inside a stout , good - looking chassis – with a gravid screen and keyboard . It ’s an eye - captivate , market - leading laptop computer .
The Alienware is not a unsure and retiring notebook , and its sheer size and power means it does n’t last long aside from a plug .
Final Thoughts
The Alienware x17 R2 delivers sensory speed , outstanding design , a top - notch screen and good connectivity alongside a solid keyboard , so it ’s one of the well large play laptop computer around anywhere – although be aware of its gamy cost , low battery life story and its potentially cheaper contender .
Trusted Score
How we test
Every gaming laptop computer we review goes through a serial of uniform checks designed to gauge fundamental thing admit build quality , carrying out , screen character and barrage fire life .
These include formal synthetic benchmarks and written trial , plus a series of real man checks , such as how well it runs when running a AAA game .
FAQs
Yes , although the main 330W power brick delivers far more juice at a greater speed .
