The Alienware x15 R2 is a gaming laptop that was designed with gamers in mind. It has an 11th Generation Intel Core i7 CPU and Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 GPU, which makes it a powerful machine. The x15 tops out at 5 pounds, while the x17 weighs 7.05 pounds. Although the x15 achieved some performance highs in AAA games, it had a lower frame-rate ceiling than some alternatives due to its 512GB of solid-state storage, which is somewhat meagre for the price.
The Alienware x15 is a powerful gaming laptop with cutting-edge features. The Blade 15 Advanced Edition is a nicer device with a longer battery life. Your gaming laptop will run hot if you want it to be thin.
Design
Alienware’s new x15 R2 gaming laptop is a sleek, all-white device with a modern appearance. The alien head on the lid and the bold “15” on the chassis are a reminder that this is a gaming laptop. The exterior is reversed from white on the lid to all-black on the inside when you lift the spacecraft hatch-shaped top, with a soft-touch wrist rest and thin bezels surrounding the 15.6-inch display. Along with the honeycomb ventilation cutouts, the keyboard has per-key RGB lighting, and the top-right corner of the laptop has a second alien head that lights up and serves as a power button. Additionally, there are two tiny vents that run the length of the keyboard on each side. ..
The Alienware x15 has a compact profile, four fans that operate at independently-controlled speeds, and a thermal interface material known as “Element 31.” This ensures players will experience constant frame rates throughout prolonged gameplay. Although Alienware does not sell Element 31 separately, we would love to be able to compare it to the best thermal paste and other thermal interface materials in our testing.
The Alienware x15 R2 is a gaming laptop that measures 14.16 x 10.97 x 0.62 inches and 5.18 pounds, respectively. The Acer Predator Triton 500 SE is a laptop that measures 14.11 x 10.3 x 0.78 inches and the Lenovo Legion 5i Pro is a laptop that weighs 5.49 pounds and measures 14.17 x 10.4 x 1.05 inches, while the Razer Blade 15 is 13.98 x 9.25 x 0.67 inches and weighs 4.4 pounds
The laptop has a large RGB light ring around the ports, which is convenient for using in dark rooms or when you want to show off your work.
Keyboard and touchpad
Dell’s new Alienware x15 R2 keyboard is nearly identical to the company’s previous model, the x15 R1. Both keyboards feature a 1.5 mm key travel, N-key rollover, and anti-ghosting capabilities. The only difference between the two models is that the R2 includes full-size arrow keys, which are a welcomed addition. It can be annoying to use the Function keys in dark because the secondary symbols on them continue to be unlit. ..
The 10.5 cm by 6 cm touchpad feels a little bit smaller, yet it provides a comfortable gliding experience. There is support for Windows Precision gestures. There are times when clicking does require some effort, and it can also use some extra feedback. The color scheme of the touchpad on the x15 R2 matches the rest of the keyboard deck, unlike the x15 R1, but it is still a fingerprint and grime magnet.
Alienware x15 R2 review: Display
The three resolutions available are 1080p 165Hz, 1440p 240Hz, or 1080p 360Hz. We really enjoy the 1440p 240Hz model that Dell supplied us. We believe that 1440p is the ideal resolution for a 15.6-inch display. Although the pixels at this size have a 1080p resolution, there are two reasons why you might still get an FHD image. One is that it is in the most affordable model with a refresh rate of 165Hz. The other is that it is a 360Hz refresh rate model.
We found that the Dell Inspirion 17-inch gaming laptop’s screen is unusually good for a gaming laptop. It provides excellent image quality and is very responsive, making it a great choice for those who want to play games on the go.
This laptop is great for photo and video editing because it supports 97% P3, 92% Adobe RGB, 90% NTSC, and 100% sRGB. Even for a laptop that isn’t used for gaming, those are extremely impressive results. This means that, at least in terms of the display, this is a great PC for creators who might be doing photo or video editing. The maximum brightness was 417.9, which is respectable, but the maximum contrast ratio was only 860:1, which is unquestionably inadequate.
The laptop has a 720p webcam and a thin bezel on three sides. It will be a problem if you want to conduct a lot of streaming or even if you use this laptop for video conversations. You won’t likely have different laptops for work and gaming, after all. Simply said, it always seems sad to see 720p webcams in laptops. However, it does have a fantastic IR camera for facial recognition that is encouraging to see biometric authentication because it often seems to be absent from gaming laptops.
Audio
The Alienware x15 R2’s speakers are great for music, but they can be a little too loud for other sounds. When we played Drake’s “Texts Go Green,” the vocals were considerably more prominent than normal, and the synths and percussion took a backseat. The remaining instrumentation lacked depth and variety. The vocals and kicks of Josh Gabriel and Winter Kills’ “Deep Down” were audible when we played it, but the song’s subtle ambient elements were less discernible.
Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness was a movie that I found to be interesting because it focused on the voices of its characters. The speakers became louder as the action did, but on occasion, audio became distorted or cracked. This made the movie seem theatrical to me.
Dolby Access’s presets are balanced, warm, and detailed, but they also have dynamic and voice options that make each individual effect sound worse. Additionally, no additional audio-enhancing software has been installed besides the Realtek Audio Console.
Graphic and gaming
The Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti laptop GPU in our Alienware x15 R2 unit has 16 GB of GDDR6 VRAM and 140 W of total graphics power (TGP). The Dynamic Boost wattage for this GPU is not provided by Dell. The MSI Raider GE66 (150 W) and the MSI Titan GT77 both perform similarly in terms of overall 3DMark performance to the RTX 3080 Ti in the x15 R2 (175 W). The somewhat lower score is a result of the thinner chassis requiring a lower wattage. Due to its low 110 W rating, the RTX 3080 Ti in the Razer Blade 15 Advanced performs poorly. We observe a considerable decline in 3DMark Time Spy results when using battery power. ..
The Asus ROG Strix Scar 15 leads with its 150 W RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU on very low quality settings, but the Alienware x15 R2 catches up once the graphics settings are turned up. ..
Alienware x15 R2 review: Performance
The Alienware x15 R2 is a gaming laptop that comes with features that improve gaming performance. Additionally, there is the Alienware Command Center, which offers a number of options for overclocking or power saving. Benchmark results show that the x15 R2 outperforms the majority of other gaming laptops in almost all categories, including Geekbench, Cinebench, the 3DMark tests, and the PCMark tests.
This laptop has a lot of features that are not found on gaming laptops with similar specifications. For example, it does not have a graphics card that is as powerful as the one on a gaming laptop. This means that the games that we tested on this laptop were much more difficult to play at high settings than games that are played on gaming laptops with similar specifications.
This gaming laptop has no issues with games that are popular on other platforms, such as Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered and Hitman 3. The display is sharp and clear, the sound quality is good, and the graphics are popping in color.
The keyboard has a reaction time of 1 millisecond to 3 milliseconds, and it has 1.5mm key travel. It also has N-key rollover, anti-ghosting technology, and convenient media keys on the right side. Although a numlock pad would have been great, it was a wise choice to install stereo speakers on either side of the keyboard.
Battery life
The Alienware x15 R2’s battery is not very good. It only lasts for five hours and forty minutes in our lightweight battery test, which loops a 4K Hollywood movie continuously until our review unit ran out of power.
Alienware x15 R2 review: Heat
Our Metro Exodus stress test found that the Alienware AW2518DW keyboard reached a temperature of 41.5 degrees Celsius (106.7 degrees Fahrenheit) at the centre of the keyboard, between the G and H buttons, while the touchpad was colder at 30.4 degrees Celsius (86.72 degrees Fahrenheit). A toasty temperature of about 46.7 degrees Celsius (116.06 degrees Fahrenheit) was reached at the bottom, where the hottest point was, and we could definitely feel it while playing Control.
configuration options
Alienware has announced that the x15 R2, their most powerful laptop yet, is now available in the US, UK, and Australia. The laptop comes with an Intel Core i7 processor and Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 graphics card. It also has 16GB of memory and 512GB of storage. The cheapest x15 R2 starts at $2,000 (£1,850/AU$2,960). ..
The x15 R2 is a powerful laptop that is widely accessible and available in many places, like the UK and Australia. However, the high price tag on this powerful laptop is completely justified, and it can be difficult to recommend it solely based on price. If you have money to burn on a pricey gaming laptop, then the x15 R2 is an excellent option.
Conclusion
The Alienware X15 R2 is a powerful and versatile gaming laptop that has a beautiful display, quick Intel i7-12700H processor, and Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti GPU. It also has a design that promises to never get stale, which makes it a good choice for those looking for a powerful and highly versatile gaming laptop that goes all out to impress. The Alienware X15 R2 excels on all counts, has a stylish design, a gorgeous screen, and incredibly powerful internals that will easily handle taxing AAA games for the foreseeable future. All things considered, the Alienware X15 R2 is an excellent gaming laptop that will let power users or die-hard gamers down in the least.
