The m-series from Alienware has stood for potent gaming in a comparatively thin design for years. The devices have always been very popular due to their good portability and the lack of the clunky design typical for gaming notebooks. Alienware is also aware of this. Accordingly, the new generation presented at this year’s CES also gets massive upgrades. The uncompromising performance of the notebooks is supposed to be even more convincing thanks to a powerful Nvidia GeForce RTX 3000, among other things.
Not much new at first glance
Alienware remains true to its design in the new edition of the slim gaming notebooks. Thus, the lightest and thinnest notebooks of the gaming expert by and large come with the same look as the predecessor models. Some components inside are also identical to the predecessor. Alienware still relies on a Core i7-10870H or a stronger Core i9-10980HK. Surprisingly, the manufacturer does not jump on the increasingly crowded bandwagon of notebooks with Intel’s Tiger Lake chips. Why should it? After all, the two proven processors with clock rates of up to 5.0 GHz and 5.3 GHz, respectively, provide decent power under the hood.
You also have freedom of choice when it comes to the working memory. The maximum equipped version offers 32 GB of DDR4 RAM. On top of that, both gaming machines offer the option of being equipped with a total of three M.2 PCIe SSDs. Then the notebooks offer an impressive 4.5 TB of storage space, which should not only provide enough room for games, but is also blazingly fast. We do not yet know exactly which graphics chips Alienware will use in the m15 and m17 R4. However, there are increasing indications that the latest generation of GeForce GPUs from Nvidia could be used. If you take a look at the models of the last generation, the features of an extremely powerful GeForce RTX 3080 are quite realistic.
Features make gamers’ hearts beat faster
A feel that immediately makes PC gamers feel at home. Alienware can simply do that. This doesn’t seem to be any different with the latest generation of the m15 R4 and m17 R4. Thus, both notebooks come with a high-quality keyboard, which is supposed to have a fancy RGB illumination on board. Those who opt for the basic version can control the illumination via four different zones. If that’s not enough, the notebooks can also be equipped with a keyboard where each key can be controlled individually. The ports, on the other hand, are identical for each feature. Both gaming notebooks come with Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.1, Thunderbolt 3, Mini-DisplayPort 1.4, HDMI 2.1, three USB-A ports, a microSD card reader and Killer Ethernet E3100X with up to 2.5 Gbps. The webcam is also the same in all features. Alienware installs a camera with a resolution of 1080p here. The battery with 86 watt hours of power is pleasingly large, but it should quickly run out during extensive gaming sessions.
Optional OLED display with 4K possible
When it comes to the display, you can also let your imagination run wild when configuring your dream gaming notebook. The m15 R4 features a 15.6-inch display. This can be configured in two different variants. In the basic version, we find a 1,080p-resolution LCD, which has a refresh rate of 300 Hz on board and reaches a maximum brightness of 300 nits. If that is not enough, you can choose the premium display. This is an OLED panel that resolves with razor-sharp 4K. Alienware quantifies the brightness here with a maximum of 400 nits.
In terms of refresh rate, however, this one “only” offers 60 Hz. The m17 R4 offers more choice. The somewhat larger gaming notebook offers three different displays. The cheapest version is a 1,080p LCD that offers 300 nits brightness and 144 Hz refresh rate. If the refresh rate is too low, you can choose the slightly more expensive option with 360 Hz. OLED is also used in the most expensive version. This also offers 400 nits, 4K and “only” 60 Hz here.
Prices and availability
While both notebooks are Alienware’s slimmest and lightest, it’s important to remember that these are still gaming notebooks. The m15 R4 comes in at a thickness of 20.5 mm. How heavy the notebook is depends partly on the features. In the basic version, the notebook weighs 2.11 kg. With a lot of power under the hood, it weighs 2.5 kg. The m17 R4 is correspondingly thicker and heavier. It is characterized by a thickness of 22 mm. The features also play an elementary role in terms of weight. With few features, the gaming notebook weighs 2.5 kg. With the maximum features, the 17-incher weighs 2.97 kg. When and at what price we will be able to enjoy the new slim gaming notebooks from Alienware in this country is still unknown. The manufacturer has only revealed a release date in the US. Overseas, the two new models should be available starting January 26. The prices are supposed to start at a proud 2,149.99 Euros.
