NOVEMBER 2019 • TECH ADVISOR 89GAMING SPECIALsort of form factor (and besides, most of us really don’t
need them anyway).
As you’d expect, all that power does take a serious
toll on battery life though. The m15 lasted just over
five hours in our continuous video playback test, and
that’s roughly how long we’ve been able to use it for
basic word processing or Internet browsing when it isn’t
plugged in. That’s bad for a laptop, but actually pretty
good for something this powerful.
You won’t want to get caught without your charger,
but at least it won’t be the end of the world if you
are. There’s also the option for a fairly cheap upgrade
from a 60Wh battery to a larger 90Wh one, which will
probably be worth it if you expect to try and use this
for non-gaming stuff on the go – not least because the
power brick alone is heavy enough that you might not
always want to carry it around with you.
One quick caveat: the big downside of form factors
like this is always the heat. And yeah, this thing runs
hot, and loud. There are fan exhausts dotted all
around the body, which should give it away, but even
playing Total War: Warhammer II on Medium was
enough to see the fans crank up and the body get
hot to the touch.
I’m not too worried about longevity here, but it’s
worth noting that if you’re playing on any serious
settings you will have to get used to a toasty keyboard.Verdict
If you don’t mind paying for portability, the Alienware
m15 is one of the best light(er) gaming laptops around
right now. The slimmer, lighter design hasn’t broughtNOVEMBER 2019 • TECH ADVISOR 89GAMING SPECIALsortof form factor (and besides, most of us really don’t
need them anyway).
As you’d expect, all that power does take a serious
tollonbatterylifethough.Them15lastedjustover
fivehours in our continuous video playback test, and
that’s roughly how long we’ve been able to use it for
basic word processing or Internet browsing when it isn’t
plugged in. That’s bad for a laptop, but actually pretty
good for something this powerful.
You won’t want to get caught without your charger,
but at least it won’t be the end of the world if you
are. There’s also the option for a fairly cheap upgrade
from a 60Wh battery to a larger 90Wh one, which will
probably be worth it if you expect to try and use this
for non-gaming stuff on the go – not least because the
power brick alone is heavy enough that you might not
always want to carry it around with you.
One quick caveat: the big downside of form factors
like this is always the heat. And yeah, this thing runs
hot,andloud.Therearefanexhaustsdottedall
aroundthe body, which should give it away, but even
playing Total War: Warhammer II on Medium was
enoughtoseethefanscrankupandthebodyget
hotto the touch.
I’m not too worried about longevity here, but it’s
worth noting that if you’re playing on any serious
settings you will have to get used to a toasty keyboard.
Verdict
If you don’t mind paying for portability, the Alienware
m15 is one of the best light(er) gaming laptops around
right now. The slimmer, lighter design hasn’t brought