Alienware x17 R2 evaluate: 480Hz? On a gaming laptop computer?

Alienware x17 R2

MSRP $2,250.00

“The Alienware x17 R2 is without doubt one of the quickest gaming laptops you should purchase, however you would possibly need to skip the 480Hz display.”

Professionals

• Wonderful gaming efficiency
• A number of thermal profiles obtainable
• Very skinny for a 17-inch laptop computer
• Implausible port choice
• Strong CPU energy

Cons

• Runs loud and sizzling at full energy
• Mechanical keyboard is not for everybody
• Grainy webcam

480Hz on a gaming laptop computer sounds loopy, and in equity, it’s. However Alienware pushed forward anyway, and we now have the Alienware x17 R2 — the primary laptop computer ever with a 480Hz show. It’s constructed with {hardware} worthy of our best gaming laptops roundup, and the display is configured for essentially the most aggressive gamers.

Sadly, the star characteristic of the x17 R2 isn’t the perfect factor about it. This is without doubt one of the best laptops in the marketplace proper now, and no a part of that evaluation comes from the refresh price. 480Hz is an achievement, completely, however Alienware’s glorious X-series design, extremely succesful {hardware}, and stellar software program options are what make the x17 R2 an amazing gaming laptop computer.

Alienware x17 R2 specs

The second revision of the Alienware x17 is actually made to accommodate Intel’s 12th-gen processors. You possibly can go from the 14-core Core i7-12700H as much as the 14-core Core i9-12900HK. Though I wasn’t capable of check the i9 configuration, I’d be shocked if it supplied a lot of a profit in video games, although it ought to present a lift in non-gaming apps.

In any other case, you’ll be able to go from an RTX 3060 as much as an RTX 3080 Ti, pack in as much as 64GB of DDR5-4800 reminiscence, and set up as much as 4TB of SSD storage in RAID 0. My precise configuration, which you’ll see within the spec desk above, clocked in at $3,550 on the time it was shipped. Costs all the time change, particularly for those who’re exterior of the U.S., so be certain that to test costs with Alienware’s configuration web page.

If it ain’t broke…

The Alienware x17 R1 was a smash hit, so it’s no shock that the R2 model sticks with the identical general design. Just like different X-series laptops just like the Alienware x14, the x17 R2 focuses on portability with a thickness of 0.84 inches on the thickest level and a most weight of seven kilos.

Sure, this can be a 17-inch gaming laptop computer, so portability takes on a unique definition. For a correct desktop alternative, this machine is actually way more transportable than one thing just like the MSI GE76 Raider. You received’t be throwing it in a backpack typically, although, as a result of measurement and weight, in addition to the chunky charger.

Nonetheless, I really like this design, and I’m glad Alienware caught with it. Just like the Lenovo Legion 5i Pro, all the ports are positioned across the again of the machine, and you’ve got connections like Mini DisplayPort and an Ethernet jack that you simply don’t sometimes discover on laptops. Alienware retains the whole lot decently cool as nicely, sticking with the Factor 31 thermal paste featured within the unique design and 4 cooling followers.

Alienware additionally stayed with the mechanical keyboard design it created with Cherry. The MSI GT77 Titan makes use of an identical keyboard, and I’m not a fan of it. It’s comfy to kind on, however there’s loud pinging and spring noise that makes lengthy typing classes tedious. A high quality membrane keyboard just like the one supplied on the Razer Blade 14 remains to be the best way to go. It’s price noting that Alienware affords a membrane keyboard as an choice, however I wasn’t capable of strive it out.

Though the switches aren’t my favourite, the keyboard format is nice. Specifically, the Web page Up and Web page Down keys are extra features on the arrow keys, and Alienware makes use of the additional area for full-size media keys as an alternative.

Most laptops reserve these for the operate keys on prime. Alienware caught with the identical full-size keyboard design, although, resulting in a smaller trackpad and no quantity pad. Let’s be trustworthy, although: You have to be utilizing this machine with a gaming mouse.

I like that Alienware caught with the identical design, however the one ache level is the webcam. It’s 720p, and even with direct daylight pouring via my home windows, it produced a darkish and grainy picture. The audio system may use some work, too. Though they’re very loud, the elevated bass resonance typically causes a slight rumbling on the chassis and a little bit of distortion at full quantity. In equity, I by no means needed to hear at full quantity, and Alienware contains some sound profiles to customise the response.

The Alienware Command Heart truly comes stocked with fairly a number of options, together with 5 thermal profiles. The Balanced and Efficiency profiles have been essentially the most comfy, whereas the Full Energy preset resulted in very loud fan noise however the perfect efficiency out of all of them.

Loads of CPU energy

The Core i7-12700H principally matches the 10-core M1 Professional obtainable within the 14-inch MacBook Pro, which few processors can obtain.

It is a testomony to the thermal design of the Alienware x17 R2 greater than anything, because the Core i9-12900H within the HP Envy 16 managed a decrease multi-core rating (although a barely greater single-core rating). The scale helps quite a bit, too, because the x17 R2 was capable of outpace the Alienware x14 with the identical processor in each single- and multi-core assessments.

It’s not excellent, although, significantly for those who work in artistic apps. The Asus ZenBook Pro 16X, for instance, was capable of outpace the Alienware x17 R2 in Pugetbench for Premiere Professional by practically 14%, regardless of utilizing the identical processor and a weaker GPU. The upper clock speeds from the Core i7-12800H contained in the Razer Blade 17 supplied a lift, too, although it’s small.

For players, the variations don’t matter an excessive amount of. Alienware’s design is extracting as a lot out of the half inside as it will possibly. For those who’re a creator that’s out and in of Premiere all day, although, otherwise you want sturdy encoding capabilities, springing for the upper clock speeds of Intel’s dearer Twelfth-gen processors can present some minor advantages.

A gaming monster

The Alienware x17 R2 is a gaming monster, even when it takes a slight backseat comared to bigger laptops. You’re getting the complete energy of the RTX 3080, as much as 150W with an extra 25W from Dynamic Enhance, however you’ll must run the machine with the loud Full Energy preset to get top-tier efficiency. I examined with the Efficiency preset, because it was essentially the most comfy when it comes to noise.

	Alienware x17 R2 (RTX 3080 Ti)	Razer Blade 17 (RTX 3080 Ti)	MSI GT77 Titan (RTX 3080 Ti)
3DMark Hearth Strike	26,224	26,661	29,419
3DMark Time Spy	13,131	12,634	13,361
Purple Lifeless Redemption 2	79 fps	90 fps	95 fps
Fortnite	106 fps	104 fps	138 fps
Civilization VI	176 fps	193 fps	N/A
Cyberpunk 2077	77 fps	72 fps	98 fps
Cyberpunk 2077 w/ RT	34 fps	44 fps	47 fps
Cyberpunk 2077 w/ RT + DLSS	61 fps	71 fps	N/A

Though it’s not peak efficiency, you’re nonetheless getting a laptop computer that may push above 60 fps in essentially the most demanding video games obtainable at present. The entire outcomes above are at 1080p with the very best high quality preset, and you may see the outcomes for video games like Cyberpunk 2077 and Purple Lifeless Redemption 2 that may convey a whole lot of desktops to their knees.

Ray tracing is feasible, too, although totally on the again of Nvidia’s Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS). You possibly can benefit from DLSS with this GPU, which is an enormous enhance for video games which are restricted by the capabilities of laptops like Cyberpunk 2077. 

There’s a small trade-off in efficiency for the thinness afforded by the x17 R2. However general, it’s nonetheless a extremely succesful laptop computer that may go toe-to-toe with essentially the most highly effective cell workstations obtainable at present.

Is a 480Hz display price it?

The large cope with the Alienware x17 R2 is that it’s the primary laptop computer to come back with a 480Hz display. That’s what I examined, but it surely’s not the one choice. Alienware affords 5 display choices, and the 1080p 480Hz mannequin is a $300 premium over the bottom 165Hz 1080p display. Sadly, most individuals received’t discover a distinction with 480Hz and, frankly, don’t want it.

I needed to see what video games may even benefit from 480Hz with out being CPU restricted, and I didn’t discover many. Rocket League and Counter-Strike: International Offensive cracked the ceiling, however even the very gentle Rainbow Six Siege solely managed 308 fps — and that was at 1080p with the bottom high quality setting. Equally, Fortnite didn’t even crack 150 fps, although it’s admittedly way more demanding than the opposite three video games.

You’re going from round 3ms for every refresh to 2ms when going from 360Hz to 480Hz. It’s past the purpose of diminishing returns.

I don’t need to write off 480Hz as nonsense. Like going from 60Hz to 144Hz, there’s an enormous distinction in really feel. It’s like watching a string of YouTube movies at 30 fps and instantly stumbling upon one at 60 fps — the whole lot simply feels impossibly easy, however just for a second. After you’re accustomed to the upper refresh, it doesn’t really feel as needed. I used to be completely superb going again to my 144Hz monitor after testing, by no means feeling the large distinction in refresh price even when I may spot it when the 2 screens have been side-by-side.

My challenge is that Alienware affords a 360Hz display for $200 much less, and that’s quite a bit nearer to 480Hz than it sounds. You’re going from round 3ms for every refresh to 2ms when going from 360Hz to 480Hz. It’s past the purpose of diminishing returns, even for essentially the most aggressive players on the planet. Examine that to going from 120Hz to 360Hz, the place round 8.3ms per refresh shrinks right down to round 3ms. That’s a way more vital distinction.

Outdoors of the refresh price, the panel is stable if unimpressive. I measured at peak brightness of 373 nits and a distinction ratio simply over 1,000:1, firmly inserting the show within the mainstream IPS class. The colour accuracy was stable out of the field, although, with a Delta E (distinction from actual coloration) of simply over 1.

That’s adequate for gentle coloration work, however I solely measured 98% of the sRGB coloration area. These colours are correct, however an expanded coloration vary just like the one supplied on the Acer Swift 3 OLED is healthier for extra intense coloration work.

Must you purchase the Alienware x17 R2?

For those who’re out there for a cell desktop alternative, and you’ve got the cash to spend for a high-end spec, the Alienware x17 R2 must be on the prime of your listing of choices. The design is hard to beat, and the {hardware} inside gives a few of the finest efficiency you will get out of a laptop computer at present.

I wouldn’t advocate going with the 480Hz display, although. It doesn’t do a lot over the 360Hz choice, and your cash is a lot better put towards the opposite {hardware} within the machine.

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