Alienware 15 R3 Review: Now with GeForce 10 graphics

[Scorpus]

Like most gaming laptop manufacturers Alienware has updated their line-up to take advantage of Nvidia’s excellent GeForce 10 series graphics chips. Significantly faster than their predecessors, GeForce 10 mobile chips are as capable as their desktop counterparts, which makes modern gaming laptops first-class citizens. If you’ve steered clear of mobile gaming machines in the past due to performance concerns, now is the time to jump right in.

For 2016-2017, Alienware has stuck with a simple gaming laptop selection which we appreciate. There are just three models on the market: the Alienware 13, the Alienware 15, and the Alienware 17. As you can guess, the key difference between these products is the display size, though the larger models tend to have more powerful internals as well.

Up for review today is the latest Alienware 15, which sits in the middle from both a size and price perspective. The Alienware 15 is fully configurable with a wide range of hardware, with prices ranging from $1,350 for the base model to $2,700 for the top-spec system. Regardless of what model you choose, you’ll be receiving the same chassis with a 15.6-inch display.

Read the complete review.

 

[Squid Surprise]

So sad to see the once mighty Alienware turning out mediocre hardware. Once they discontinued the 18, it became obvious that Dell was only using them for their name recognition and didn't actually care about cutting edge performance. If you want the extreme performance that Alienware used to take pride in, you'll have to go Asus ROG... And if you just want a "regular" good gaming laptop, MSI is clearly the better option... This leaves us with no real reason to buy an Alienware....

 

[SurrealShock]

So sad to see the once mighty Alienware turning out mediocre hardware. Once they discontinued the 18, it became obvious that Dell was only using them for their name recognition and didn't actually care about cutting edge performance. If you want the extreme performance that Alienware used to take pride in, you'll have to go Asus ROG... And if you just want a "regular" good gaming laptop, MSI is clearly the better option... This leaves us with no real reason to buy an Alienware....

Yes, also stiff competition from Razer and their ultra-thin gaming laptops (compared to other gaming laptops) as well.

 

[Theinsanegamer]

This is an interesting review. A few people on the notebook review forums have reported far lower temperatures (as in 67C) on the 1070 model.

Perhaps the review model here had a bad paste job from the factory? Also, why no battery life numbers? The great thing about the 15r2 (which only hits about 62C with a 970m) was that it got 6-7 hrs of battery life for non gaming. But the new 13 apparently has far worse battery life then the old 13, is the new 15 the same way?

 

[Scorpus]

This is an interesting review. A few people on the notebook review forums have reported far lower temperatures (as in 67C) on the 1070 model.

Perhaps the review model here had a bad paste job from the factory? Also, why no battery life numbers? The great thing about the 15r2 (which only hits about 62C with a 970m) was that it got 6-7 hrs of battery life for non gaming. But the new 13 apparently has far worse battery life then the old 13, is the new 15 the same way?

Yeah bad paste could be an issue with the temperatures being so high. I'll admit I was surprised when it reached above 90C when the thin MSI GS63VR barely reached 80C in intense games. I'll have a chat to Alienware about it.

As for battery, I ran into a few issues running tests so I decided to publish the review on time but without this data. I'll be updating the review soon with battery data, once I hear back from Alienware about what size battery is in my review unit.

 

[Theinsanegamer]

This is an interesting review. A few people on the notebook review forums have reported far lower temperatures (as in 67C) on the 1070 model.

Perhaps the review model here had a bad paste job from the factory? Also, why no battery life numbers? The great thing about the 15r2 (which only hits about 62C with a 970m) was that it got 6-7 hrs of battery life for non gaming. But the new 13 apparently has far worse battery life then the old 13, is the new 15 the same way?

Yeah bad paste could be an issue with the temperatures being so high. I'll admit I was surprised when it reached above 90C when the thin MSI GS63VR barely reached 80C in intense games. I'll have a chat to Alienware about it.

As for battery, I ran into a few issues running tests so I decided to publish the review on time but without this data. I'll be updating the review soon with battery data, once I hear back from Alienware about what size battery is in my review unit.

Good to hear. It sounds like you may have gotten a lemon. It wouldnt be the first time a reviewer model performed way worse then the ones forum members have (alienware 13, clevo W230ss, ece.)

Same goes for the noise. Other review sites not only ran much cooler, but also reported that the fans were whisper quiet.

 

[Scorpus]

Good to hear. It sounds like you may have gotten a lemon. It wouldnt be the first time a reviewer model performed way worse then the ones forum members have (alienware 13, clevo W230ss, ece.)

Same goes for the noise. Other review sites not only ran much cooler, but also reported that the fans were whisper quiet.

I talked to another guy with an Alienware 15 R3 review model and he said it was very loud too. And past Alienware laptops I've looked at haven't exactly been quiet.

But the temperature issue is strange

 

[Kibaruk]

I thought the cooling solution with the new design -besides looking sexy, I can't be the only one- would surprise us more yet it's pretty much the same as with the R2's, which get really hot and really loud too although not an issue with the headphones. At one point I tried underclocking the cpu a bit and it helped quite a lot, but then remembered this notebooks are designed to operate under those conditions so I stopped worrying =)

Still... disappointing, I thought it would achieve better temps.

 

[Whack Tack]

On page http://www.notebookcheck.net/Mobile...060-Laptop-Benchmarks-and-Specs.169547.0.html GTX 1060 is below GTX980 ...so do not understand your numbers.

 

[amstech]

Aesthetically it looks cool.
Those pretty lights can be annoying at night.

I pretty much agree with Scorpus on every point, and once again Dell expect people to dish out for for the Alienware name. Get a nice XPS if going Dell, my old L702X is still rocking along like the day it was new, just clean out the fans good every few months. This old 144 Cuda Core GT550M still impresses at 900p.