Alienware M16 R2 review: The new gaming laptop to beat

It’s refreshing to see a gaming laptop computer that isn’t wholeheartedly set on beating Apple on the subject of making the thinnest product doable, and the Alienware M16 R2 is surprisingly thick compared to the vast majority of its rivals. That’s an enormous boon, maybe extra so than you may suppose, because it offers the M16 R2 a critical benefit on the subject of its cooling. Actually it’s so potent, that its Intel Core Extremely 7 processor really outcompetes the Core Extremely 9 present in MSI’s Stealth 16 AI Studio A1V.

Alienware has made a couple of design selections that appear a little bit misplaced within the trendy period, however this that is in any other case among the finest gaming laptops on the market proper now. Alienware was maybe one of many first devoted PC gaming producers on the market, and is definitely a subsidiary model of Dell at this level, predominantly specializing in gaming.

The M16 R2 is totally designed round that ethos. From its inside {hardware} to the 240Hz display, RGB illumination, and M16 engraving on the again, it’s a laptop computer that’s totally constructed round gaming, and it delivers on that entrance admirably. I’ve been testing the M16 for the final couple of weeks, seeing simply how properly it performs in video games, and as a day-to-day workbook as properly, to see if this might properly be your subsequent gaming laptop computer.

Specs

Alienware’s M16 R2 is very well geared up for the worth and construct, and the mannequin we’ve examined comes with an Intel Core Extremely 7 155H CPU, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 GPU, and 32GB of DDR5 RAM, though there are a number of variations of specs obtainable. The spec we’ve reviewed goes for $1,999 at MSRP, however you possibly can typically discover it discounted as little as $1,599.

The true show-stealer for the M16 R2 is the Intel Core Extremely 7 155H CPU at its coronary heart. It’s based mostly on the Meteor Lake structure that was first introduced in 2023, and in contrast to its desktop counterparts, the Extremely Core chips characteristic a modular processor design, permitting Intel to make use of a mess of various transistor sizes to get probably the most out of the chip, whereas protecting energy draw low.

This improves battery life while you want it, and permits the CPU to ramp up efficiency when beneath load as properly. On prime of that, it additionally contains a devoted NPU or Neural Processing Unit, designed particularly to spice up AI efficiency.

What makes the Core Extremely 7 155H attention-grabbing, nonetheless, is that it really contains a just about similar spec to the Core Extremely 9 185H, albeit with barely completely different clock speeds and TDPs. You get six P-Cores for efficiency, eight power-efficient E-Cores, and two low-power environment friendly (LPE) cores as properly, all working at barely completely different frequencies.

Nonetheless, the distinction between the Extremely 7 and the 9 is fleeting, with only a 300 MHz distinction between the efficiency core clock speeds. Every part else – cache, graphics cores, and even tha max TDP – stays the identical. The Extremely 9 does help extra enterprise-grade safety features, however that’s not essential for gaming.

As for graphics, properly Alienware has popped an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070l. That is the cell variant, which options 8GB of VRAM and comes as commonplace with 4,608 CUDA cores, putting it barely above a desktop RTX 4060 Ti by way of uncooked rasterization output, albeit with decrease clock-speeds because of a decrease TDP. That’s a implausible decide, notably when you’re all in favour of ray tracing and all the advantages that Nvidia’s DLSS and body era tech may give you, which we’ll discover later.

This machine may do with a contact extra storage, although. Getting only a 1TB SSD in a $2,000 laptop computer feels a little bit stingy, notably given it’s a Samsung PM9A1 OEM PCIe 4.0 drive that may solely write at as much as 5,100MB/s. Ridiculously, specifying the machine with 2TB of storage bumps up the worth by $300 on the Dell configurator too. On the plus facet, you possibly can add extra storage your self when you like, and also you’re capable of substitute this SSD as properly.

Options

Inside {hardware} apart, one of many extra stellar parts of the M16 R2 is its display. As commonplace, you get a 16-inch IPS show, with a 2,560 x 1,600 decision and a 240Hz refresh fee, mixed with a 3ms response time. It’s not OLED, no, however its coloration accuracy and coloration breadth is spectacular nonetheless.

Don’t get me flawed, the colours are nonetheless punchy too, and the 240Hz refresh fee makes for buttery-smooth gaming and desktop motion. The 3ms gray-to-gray response time isn’t as fast as what you get from an OLED display, however the Alienware’s display remains to be effective for most individuals’s gaming wants.

It additionally helps G-Sync, so it will probably synchronize the refresh fee with the body fee output of the GPU, eliminating tearing and stuttering results. Throughout my time testing, ghosting was non-existent even at 240fps, and the Blur Busters MPRT check positioned the panel at a phenomenally speedy 3.8ms response time. Not dangerous in any respect.

Alienware’s additionally packed an armada of connections into this rig. On the rear, there are two USB-C ports, supporting DisplayPort output, plus an HDMI output. On the suitable, you’ll discover two extra USB 3.2 Kind-A ports, and there’s even a full-sized 2.5Gbps Ethernet connection on the left as properly. Should you don’t have a wired community, the M16 additionally packs in Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 help, providing you with some critical wi-fi choices.

The trackpad and keyboard are additionally pretty stable. There’s not an enormous quantity to jot down residence about right here. Alienware’s key switches present a delicate and {smooth} typing expertise, they usually’re not too gentle or spongey. You additionally get per-key RGB lighting and N-key rollover tech as properly, though there are not any mechanical choices.

One helpful addition, nonetheless, is the inclusion of devoted media keys set off to the suitable of the enter button. This frees up among the operate keys, permitting Alienware to chuck in keybindings for a wide range of fan controls, efficiency modes, and DIY macro keys, that are additionally simple to configure in Alienware’s Command Heart software program.

Dell’s really additionally included a reasonably stable guarantee with the M16 R2. You get 12 months of off-site distant help, adopted by on-site restore if one thing does go flawed. Principally, if it’s coated by the restricted guarantee, and Dell/Alienware can’t restore your system remotely, a technician will likely be despatched out to you to restore your M16. It’s like automobile breakdown cowl, however on your laptop computer.

Design

From a bodily standpoint, the M16 R2 is a little bit of a beast, being rather a lot thicker than your common gaming laptop computer as of late. It additionally weighs 2.61kg, which isn’t enormously heavy in comparison with some laptops, however the Asus ROG Zephryus G16 weighs simply 2kg and feels considerably lighter while you’re carrying it in a bag.

There are not any sharp edges both, simply {smooth} well-rounded accents all through. It’s a plastic chassis, however the soft-touch rubber end is extremely satisfying on the fingertips. The monitor bezel can also be slim, and general construct high quality feels sturdy with minimal flex.

There’s an outstanding quantity of honeycomb air flow littered in regards to the place too, and all the important thing ports are in perfect places. Energy and show outs are situated on the rear, and all of the USB ports are situated on both facet. The Ethernet port even has its personal slim-line cowl, a characteristic I’d like to see on dearer choices.

It’s not totally flawless, although. The overabundance of RGB does lighting really feel considerably dated, the sunshine bar across the trackpad detracts from the general look, and the illuminated Alienware emblem makes it appear dated to me, though that is all down to non-public style.

Upgradability can also be top-tier. Flip over the M16 and also you’ll see various Phillips-head screws, permitting you to disassemble the undercarriage. Take that off, and you’ll simply entry the SODIMM DDR5 reminiscence slots, and the M.2 PCIe 4.0 slots as properly – the M16 R2 helps two SSDs complete, with one put in as commonplace.

Then we get on to the fan noise. Now, this machine is considerably loud. Should you’re gaming on inventory settings, you’re going to need to seize among the finest headsets you may get, that’s for positive. Nonetheless, the flipside is that this machine is an absolute unit on the subject of protecting your CPU and GPU chilled.

Actually, it does so properly on this regard, that it’s arduous to criticize it on this level. Alienware has not too long ago redeveloped its inside cooling within the M16, giving it a 15% smaller footprint general, whereas retaining its effectivity, and that basically does present by means of within the benchmarks.

Benchmarks

So, how spectacular is that cooling? Properly merely put, in comparison with the MSI Stealth 16 AI Studio A1V, which options the theoretically higher-clocked Core Extremely 9 processor, the M16 R2 runs rings round it. In Cinebench alone, though each laptops have shut scores within the single-core check, within the multi-core state of affairs, the M16 scored 981 in comparison with the Stealth’s 785.

That’s a 25% efficiency enhance from what ought to be a slower CPU. 3DMark’s CPU Profile benchmark reported comparable outcomes as properly, with the M16 touchdown a median rating of seven,972, versus the Stealth’s 6,329, once more touchdown round 26% extra efficiency.

With regards to gaming, nonetheless, the waters develop into considerably murkier than first predicted. I ran two units of benchmarks for our gaming assessments. One set was run at 1080p, and the opposite was run on the laptop computer’s native decision. This supplies a simple solution to examine laptops no matter decision, and to see how that specific {hardware} combo performs on the display’s native decision.

Working at 1080p, the RTX 4070 performs reasonably, relying on the title. Complete Warfare: Warhammer 3 landed a median of round 93fps, whereas F1 23, hit a median of 43fps, and Cyberpunk 2077 averaged a disappointing body fee of simply 29fps. Nonetheless, the latter was examined on the Extremely ray tracing preset with out DLSS. Should you allow DLSS and Nvidia’s body era tech, the typical body fee goes all the best way as much as 102fps.

Soar as much as that 2,560 x 1,600 decision, nonetheless, and the state of affairs will get murkier. Complete Warfare is actually playable with a median body fee of 56fps, however, Cyberpunk 2077 isn’t playable, even with some assist from DLSS. That isn’t the top of the world, although, as this 16-inch display nonetheless will get you an honest pixel density at 1080p, and video games look effective at this decision.

Battery

The M16 additionally places in a reasonably spectacular efficiency on the subject of battery life. In PCMark 10’s trendy workplace check, it landed an outstanding 387 minutes from 100% down to three% battery life. That’s over six hours of sensible real-world use earlier than a flat battery. It beat each the MSI Stealth, and the AMD Ryzen 7-powered Lenovo Legion Slim 5 as properly.

Nonetheless, it didn’t final anyplace close to as lengthy in our gaming battery check, coming in the place it lasted simply 51 minutes earlier than shutdown. We don’t typically see rather more than an hour in a laptop computer gaming battery check, so it is a typical consequence, nevertheless it reveals that you simply’re not going to get a lot gaming energy on the go.

The MSI Stealth did have the sting right here, touchdown a rating of 122 minutes, though this may occasionally very properly be right down to the CPU itself thermally throttling and lowering its complete energy draw consequently. By comparability, the AMD Ryzen 7 7840 HS and RTX 4060 discovered within the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 lasted 53 minutes.

Worth

With a beginning worth of $1,549, and $1,999 for the spec reviewed, the Alienware M16 R2 gives an honest spec for the cash, however nothing out of the abnormal. For a similar MSRP, you should purchase an Asus Zephyrus G16 with an OLED display and Core Extremely 9 CPU, for instance, though it solely has 16GB of soldered RAM which you could’t improve.

That’s an enormous deal, although. If you’re paying a big sum of money upfront, you’ll want to know that your machine will final a couple of years, and having the ability to improve the reminiscence and storage is an enormous tick within the Alienware M16 R2’s field.

Nonetheless, the Alienware M16 R2 is usually discounted, with this 32GB machine with an RTX 4070 and Core 7 Extremely CPU going for $1,599 for a interval whereas I used to be writing this evaluate, for instance. At this worth, it’s a implausible deal, providing a well-built and well-balanced laptop computer, with respectable {hardware} and an superior number of ports.

Alternate options

Razer Blade 16 (2024)

If in case you have cash to spend, and also you need a really luxurious 16-inch gaming laptop computer, then the Razer Blade 16 (2024) is implausible. Its slimline, anodized aluminum chassis is superbly made, and the 240Hz OLED display is simply attractive.

The Core i9 14900HX CPU can also be immensely highly effective in each video games and content material creation software program. You must pay a hefty sum of cash for it, although (The $3,000 choice nonetheless solely has 16GB of RAM), and its cooling system makes lots of noise when it will get going.

Learn our full Razer Blade 16 (2024) evaluate.

Asus ROG Zephyrus G16

Asus’ newest ROG Zephyrus G16 is a beautiful gaming laptop computer, with a superior OLED display to the Alienware M16 R2, and an honest spec in addition. It’s additionally surprisingly mild, weighing in at just below 2kg, and it’s keenly priced for the standard of its show.

Nonetheless, its use of soldered RAM is an enormous mark in opposition to it, with the $1,999 configuration coming with simply 16GB that may’t be upgraded. Should you purchase this machine, we advocate getting a spec with 32GB, as you received’t be capable of change it later.

Learn our full Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 evaluate.

Verdict

The Alienware M16 R2 is a implausible gaming laptop computer. It’s versatile and properly constructed, and it gives a well-balanced spec for the cash. Importantly, whereas the cooling system is noisy, it actually works, with this machine providing stable 1080p gaming efficiency from its RTX 4070 GPU and Core 7 Extremely CPU. Not like Asus’ newest ROG Zephyrus fashions, you too can improve the RAM, and it’s nice to have 32GB in a mannequin at this worth too.

It’s not flawless, after all. It might probably make a good bit of noise throughout video games, the keyboard isn’t spectacular, and among the design parts are a bit dated. The RTX 4070 GPU additionally struggles to play video games on the display’s native 2,560 x 1,600 decision, though it copes effective at 1,920 x 1,080, and also you don’t get an OLED panel both.

Alienware has nailed the necessities right here, although, and for an inexpensive worth, notably when you benefit from one of many common offers for this machine on each Greatest Purchase and Dell’s personal web site. Should you’re on the lookout for a 16-inch gaming laptop computer, the Alienware M16 R2 gives an incredible stability of specs, efficiency, construct high quality, and worth for cash.