Custom PC - UK (2020-02)

A

lienwarelaptopsarewell-knownfor
theirgregariousdesign,andthem17
is noexception,withitsboldRGB
LEDsandhoneycomb-styledairventand
speakergrilles.It looksmoreeye-catching
thanthemodestChillblastandoutdatedMSI.
Buildqualityis goodtoo,withsturdymatt
magnesiumalloyusedthroughout,andthem17
hasgreatsoftware,eye-trackingandloadsof
RGBLEDs.It’sa goodstart,butthe£2,599price
is highand,at2.6kg,them17is theheaviest
systemontest.
Ergonomicsaresolid.Thetrackpadhas
snappybuttons,andthechicletkeyboardhas
1.7mmoftravel,a rock-solidbase,RGBLED
backlightingandanti-ghostingalongsidefour
macrokeys.TheChillblast’smechanical
keyboardis better,buttheAlienwarehasthe
bestchicletunitintheLabs.
Graphicspowercomesfroma GeForceRTX
2080 Max-Qalongsidea Corei7-9750HCPU,
16GBofmemoryanda 256GBSSD,although
there’snosecondarystorageunlessyoupay

ALIENWAREM17/£2,599 inc VAT

SUPPLIER dell.com

extra, and you’ll definitely want more than

that 256GB SSD for today’s game installs.

Meanwhile, networking is covered by dual-

band 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Killer-branded Gigabit

Ethernet, but there’s no sign of Wi-Fi 6. The

speakers aren’t bad either - the bass is

overwhelming but this can be altered in

software, and the mid-range and treble

frequencies sound crisp and clear.

In terms of gaming performance, the

Alienware’s Shadow of the Tomb Raider frame

rate was the fastest on test, never dropping

below 78fps, and its 67fps minimum in Total

War: Warhammer II is great – it’s faster than the

MSI, which has the same GPU. Meanwhile, in

Battlefield V with High DXR, the Alienware

returned a solid minimum of 54fps. That’s

faster than the MSI, although the Chillblast’s

non-Max-Q RTX 2070 was slightly quicker in

this test. The Alienware’s overall RealBench

result of 148,927 is also solid, falling between

the slower MSI and the faster Chillblast.

Meanwhile, the Alienware’s gaming

batterylifeofjustoveranhourisn’tgreat

comparedwiththeMSI,butit’sbetterthan

theChillblast.However,theAlienware’s

applicationbatterylifespanofnearlyfour

hoursislongerthanbothrivals.It’ssolidin

thermalteststoo,withnotemperature

issuesandconsistentlyquietfannoise.Only

theChillblastwasquieter,andnotbymuch.

Alienware’smachinefalters

hescreendepartment

ugh.ItsdeltaE of1.97is

atandit handled95.2per

t ofthesRGBcolour

mut,butthecontrastlevel

59:1is low,sogameslack

pthandpunch.It’salsothe

y panelontesttorunat

Hz.That’ssmoothenough

mostgaming needs, but

mpetitive esports players

won’tbe satisfied and a

144Hz screen will cost

an extra £249.

Conclusion

Alienware’smachinelooksfantasticand

hasgoodgamingandapplicationpace.It’s

comfortablybetterthanthepricierMSI.In

termsofperformance,it strugglesagainstthe

Chillblastthough.Thatlaptopmaynothave

extravagantdesign,butit offerscomparable

gamingspeed,extraapplicationpower,a better

screenanda mechanicalkeyboardfor£1,949.

TheAlienwareis bold,butit’snotquitegood

enoughtojustifyitshighprice.

VERDICT

An eye-catching design, but the m17 can’t

outpace cheaper competitors.

ROSWELL

• 
  

  Great physical design

  
  


• 
  

  Solid gaming
  performance

  
  


• 
  

  Best chiclet keyboard
  on test

  
  

NOT WELL

• 60Hz screen with
  poor contrast


• Pricier than rivals


• Not always the fastest

LABS TEST / GAMING LAPTOPS

A

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of 7

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SPEC

CPU 2.6GHz Intel Core i7-9750H

Memory 16GB 2666MHz DDR4

Graphics Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q 8GB

Screen 17.3in 1,920 x 1,080 IPS 60Hz

Storage 256GB SK Hynix PC601 M.2 SSD

Networking Gigabit Ethernet,

dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi

Weight 2.6kg

Ports 3 x USB 3.1 Gen 1, 1 x Thunderbolt 3/USB

3.1 Gen 2 Type-C, 1 x mini-DisplayPort, 1 x HDMI

2, 1 x audio jack, 1 x Alienware Graphics Amplifier

Dimensions (mm) 400 x 296 x 21 (W x D x H)

Operating system Windows 10 Home 64-bit

Extras Bluetooth 4.2

Warranty One year parts and labour on site

PERFORMANCE

22 / 25

HARDWARE

19 / 25

DESIGN

23 / 25

VALUE

17 / 25

OVERALLSCORE

81 %