ZDNET’s key takeaways
- The Alienware m18 R2 is a top-tier gaming laptop computer obtainable now for a beginning value of $1,899.
- It has a commanding presence, is extremely customizable, and is highly effective sufficient to deal with nearly any sport you wish to play.
- It is a massive, costly laptop computer that requires loads of juice, and when the followers are cranking, it may well get fairly loud.
Weighing almost 9 kilos and measuring 16 inches, Dell’s Alienware m18 R2 is a beast. It is massive, it is thick, and it in all probability will not slot in your laptop computer bag. It simply feels highly effective, and if you open it up, it seems like a high-end machine. Given its $1,899 price ticket (with my assessment unit clocking in at nearer to $3,000,) it positively ought to.
As we speak’s Alienware laptops are just a little extra grown-up than again within the day. They’ve left the lime inexperienced aesthetic from the 2010s the place it belongs, and as a substitute give shoppers the choice for extra subdued exteriors and typical laptop computer colours. It is a laptop computer you can positively take into the workplace (although it nonetheless would possibly appeal to some seems) and, with the press of 1 button, can flip off all of the RGB lighting — like placing on a swimsuit and tie.
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That being mentioned, that is completely a gaming laptop computer. Because the refresh of final yr’s m18 r1 mannequin, the R2 is a robust, top-of-the-line gamer’s paradise stacked with a 14th-generation HX Intel 24-core 5.8 GHz max increase processor, high-end graphics capabilities, a classy cooling system, and extra ports than you will know what to do with.
If you wish to go loopy with the RGB lighting, the Alienware Command Middle utility allows you to customise lighting nevertheless you want, key by key. There’s additionally a number of settings and configurations which will or might not be helpful to the common consumer, together with operation profiles equivalent to “Efficiency”, “Battery”, or “Quiet”, in addition to a clickable MUX swap. That is additionally the place you’ll be able to overclock your machine.
Regardless of its colossal dimension, the m18 R2 may be very comfy to make use of. The touchpad is minimalistic and responsive, and simply massive sufficient. The remainder of the feel on the keyboard is roofed in matte black, which feels luxe and virtually delicate to the contact.
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Very similar to a desktop, the rear of the laptop computer is the place many of the ports are on this laptop computer, together with the facility jack, an HDMI port, a full-sized reminiscence card slot, and two Thunderbolt 4 ports. This a part of the laptop computer additionally has a statement-making RGB gentle strip (when you have it turned on) that appears nice.
The m18 R2 can include both a standard or mechanical keyboard, and I used to be fortunate sufficient to get my arms on one with the Cherry MX mechanical. It feels precisely as satisfying as you’d count on, with every key getting the right tactile “click on” that feels the identical irrespective of the place on the important thing you press, and with a complete key-travel distance of 1.8mm. This keyboard is not exceptionally loud as mechanicals go, however they do make just a little extra noise than an everyday keyboard.
The m18 R2’s show is commanding. It feels sturdy — monolithic, even — and the V-rail edges at its base are framed by the keyboard’s backside plate in a method that makes it really feel safe but in addition well-designed and attribute.
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The 16:10, 18-inch panel has choices for 165Hz QHD+ or a blazing 480Hz FHD+ with low blue gentle expertise. The display just isn’t the brightest on the market, maxing out at 300 nits, however even at 165hz, it offers a really quick, crisp show fully freed from blurring or movement artifacts.
Throughout my testing, I fired up Helldivers 2, and it performed like a dream. With the graphics turned up and with a most draw distance, it felt immersive and responsive, with minimal lag or stuttering.
I did discover some slight efficiency adjustments when the laptop computer was plugged in or operating on battery, notably instantly after disconnecting the facility adapter, as this appeared to set off completely different actions equivalent to disabling RGB lighting or the efficiency increase, relying in your settings.
Talking of battery energy, this laptop computer, as anticipated, may not be successful any endurance marathons. It is a massive machine with 270W whole energy efficiency, so it’ll work finest when it is juiced up. That being mentioned, it appears to be designed with this in thoughts. When left unplugged and idle, it shortly shuts down non-essentials like lighting and the show. In testing, I unplugged the machine and ran a stay stream on YouTube at 50% brightness, and it lasted simply wanting six hours.
The m16 R2 comes with a number of preset multimedia features sure to the F keys. For instance, urgent F1 activates the laptop computer’s efficiency increase preset, whereas urgent F2 immediately turns off all of the flashy RGB lighting by activating “Stealth Mode”.
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Personally, I’ve blended emotions when producers add a number of recent capabilities to the keyboard’s operate keys. When you study what they do, they are often handy. However however, you need to really take the time to determine this out, after which resolve if you wish to hold the presets as-is or customise them.
Whereas I used to be testing the m18 R2, one of many video games I attempted was Guild Wars 2, a title that makes use of the operate keys extensively for gameplay. With the operate keys enabled and sure to the multimedia presets, urgent them within the sport did nothing; it did not activate the related Alienware operate (F1 to activate the efficiency increase, for instance), nor was it acknowledged by the sport. This was clearly an issue, as I needed to lookup how one can toggle off the multimedia performance.
You are able to do this within the BIOS, however a a lot simpler method is to only press the Perform + Esc keys. With it toggled off, you then simply press Perform + F1 to activate the multimedia operate. After they have been toggled off, I had no additional points, however once more, this comes down to private desire.
As a devoted gaming machine, this laptop computer is well-equipped to remain cool; the followers right here are not any joke. There are 4 of them that transfer air via the cooling system effectively, though they’re not at all quiet. I would not say they’re unacceptably loud, however they do compete with sound coming via the laptop computer’s audio system, which would require headphones if you wish to hear sound results clearly whereas gaming.
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There are a complete of 5 vents on the m18 R2, permitting for max inside airflow. Moreover, the massive vapor chamber that homes the CPU and GPU retains the most popular elements of the machine inside a secure temperature vary, whereas the followers expel scorching air out via the perimeters. This scorching air can generally be felt if, for instance, you are utilizing a mouse, nevertheless it wasn’t a hassle for me, even when the followers have been cranking.
In actual fact, one factor I observed concerning the m18 R2 is that it by no means actually felt scorching to the contact in any respect. Each the keyboard and the wrist relaxation (above the place the battery is housed) remained solely barely heat, suggesting that the followers have been the truth is doing their job successfully, which I am glad for, given the sound they generate.
ZDNET’s shopping for recommendation
Dell’s Alienware m18 R2 is correct on the prime of the road in the case of the best gaming laptops. It is a highly effective machine with a definite id that may deal with nearly any sport you need with vibrant graphics, blazing quick speeds, and might even dress for the workplace on the press of a button.
Nevertheless, that is additionally fairly a big laptop computer, so though it is moveable, it is not precisely carry-and-go, and it is not a machine that you would be able to go away unplugged for hours at a time. Pricing can simply rise towards the upper finish too, however the cutting-edge expertise solidifies the m18 R2 as one thing that will probably be close to the highest of the laptop computer marketplace for some time.
