The Alienware x15 R2 is a great choice if you want a powerful gaming laptop that is also thin and light. It weighs five pounds and is less than two-thirds of an inch thick. It has a new thermal design with four fans but still comes with up to a Core i9 and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti.
It has a few problems; one is that it gets hot enough to slow down after a while of heavy use. Also, I love the design, but I don’t like how the ports are set up. They’re hard to see on the back because the lights are all around the edge.
But I really like that style. This gaming laptop feels modern and different, which is something I like to see. This seems to be the best choice if you want to take your games with you.
Alienware x15 R2 Pricing and Availability
The Alienware x15 R2 is now available and starts at $2,149.99
The Alienware x15 R2 is now out and can be found in the usual places. It’s clear that Dell.com sells it, but you can also get it at Best Buy and Amazon. But both Best Buy and Amazon have a much smaller number of SKUs than Dell.
It starts at $2,149.99, which gets you an Intel Core i7-12700H, 16GB LPDDR5 memory, a 512GB SSD, a 15.6-inch FHD 165Hz display, and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060. Even though the base model is pretty pricey, it is still pretty strong, which is a plus. Other gaming laptops will start with 8GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, and a GTX 1660, but not this one.
The model that Dell sent me has a Core i7, 32GB LPSSR5, a 2TB SSD, a 15.6-inch QHD 240Hz display, and an RTX 3070 Ti. The price for that model on Dell.com is $2,909.99.
Alienware x15 R2 Specs
| Processor | 12th Gen Intel Core i7-12700H (24 MB cache, 14 cores, 20 threads, up to 4.70 GHz Turbo) |
|---|---|
| Graphics | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti, 8 GB GDDR6 |
| Display | 15.6″, QHD 2560×1440, 240Hz, Non-Touch, 2ms, Advanced Optimus, ComfortView Plus, NVIDIA G-SYNC |
| Body | 359.7×277.33×15.9mm, 2.27kg |
| Memory | 32 GB, LPDDR5, 5200 MHz, integrated, dual-channel |
| Storage | 2 TB, M.2, PCIe NVMe, SSD |
| Ports | 1 USB 3.2 Gen 1 port with PowerShare 1 USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port with DisplayPort and Power Delivery 1 Thunderbolt 4 port with DisplayPort and Power Delivery 1 Universal Audio Jack 1 HDMI 2.1 port 1 power-adapter port 1 microSD-card slot |
| Battery | 6 Cell, 87 Wh, Lithium Ion, Alienware Battery Defender |
| Camera | Alienware HD (1280×720 resolution) camera with dual-array microphones and Windows Hello IR support |
| Audio | Stereo speakers, stereo tweeter 2 W x 2 = 4 W total |
| AlienFX Lighting Zones | Programmable with up to 16.8 million distinct colors |
| Input | Alienware xSeries keyboard with per-key RGB LED AlienFX lighting Includes N-key rollover technology Multi-touch gesture Premium Precision glass touchpad with integrated scrolling |
| Connectivity | Killer Wi-Fi 6 (6E* Pre-certified) AX1675 802.11ax 2×2 Wireless LAN and Bluetooth 5.2 |
| Case and color | Lunar Light with High Endurance Clear Coat designed for stain resistance |
| OS | Windows 11 Home |
| Price | $2,909.99 |
These are the specs for the unit that Dell sent me. The base model is $2,149.99.
Design: Two-thirds of an inch thin
- The Alienware x15 is made to be compact and lightweight.
- The rear ports are framed by RGB lights.
The x15 R2 has a distinctive, cutting-edge feel, just like most of the Alienware series. It has an off-white lid and black sides and is available in the shade “Lunar Light.” On the bottom-right corner of the lid is a stenciled “15,” and an RGB-lit Alienware logo is directly in the center.
Thermals are considered in their design as well. This device is under five pounds thick and 0.63 inches thick, all without sacrificing power. It includes four fans behind the hood, each with a twin opposing output so air may flow from the internals to the chassis. A new Element 31 thermal compound is also available that promises to increase thermal resistance by 25%.
Two things remain ports and lights. So far, we’ve discussed how it’s fashionable, thin, light, and made for cutting-edge thermals. As you might expect, this gaming laptop has a lot of RGB lighting, but it’s not excessive, which is good. However, ports are equally important.
All of the ports are on the rear, except the power jack, which is on the right, and the headphone jack, which is on the left. One USB Type-A port, two USB Type-C ports, one of which is Thunderbolt, HDMI 2.1, and a microSD card slot are all that are available. The whole display is bordered by an RGB light strip that loops around it.
Returning to the ports on the back, the RGB lighting is an issue even though it is attractive. One drawback of a laptop with ports on the back is knowing where they are. To fix this, Lenovo has placed labels above the ports. Not only are there no labels to be seen, but the light also makes it difficult to view the ports. You simply need to feel back there to find the hole shaped like the one you’re looking for.
Display: 240 Hz, and QHD
- Excellent for a gaming laptop, the display
- Unfortunately, it has a 720p webcam.
There are three choices for the 15.6-inch 16:9 display. The resolutions available are 1080p 165Hz, 1440p 240Hz, or 1080p 360Hz. I absolutely enjoy the 1440p 240Hz model that Dell supplied me. I believe that 1440p is the ideal resolution for a 15.6-inch display. Although the pixels of this size have a 1080p resolution, there are two reasons why you might still get an FHD image. One is that it is the most affordable model, with a refresh rate of 165Hz. The other is that it is a 360Hz refresh rate device. It’s understandable why many serious gamers might choose to trade off resolution for frame rate.
Keyboard: RGB lighting
The keyboard has RGB lights for each key.
Standard 1.5mm Chiclet-style keys are used on the keyboard, which is OK. Even though I am typing this review on it, it doesn’t feel like it was made for typing as much as it was for gaming. It’s comfortable. The per-key RGB lighting is the main feature of the keyboard. Read More; Dell Updates Precision Laptops With Intel, Nvidia Hardware
The RGB lighting seems to be used sparingly, in just the right locations to feel comfortable about it. The keyboard, the border of the backports, and the lid all bear the Alienware logo. Oddly, the Alienware Command Center application didn’t come pre-installed, but you can control anything with it. It was only available through the Microsoft Store.
You can overclock the CPU and GPU using Alienware Command Center’s custom power profiles when playing power-hungry games.
The clickable touchpad is a little on the tiny side and seems undersized for a laptop this size. I love touchpads that utilize every square inch of space, but this one doesn’t really accomplish that. But it’s a good touchpad, and it works just fine.
Performance: Powerful for how thin it is
The Dell device I received has a Core i7-12700H, an RTX 3070 Ti, and 32GB RAM, but it can be upgraded to a Core i9 and an RTX 3080 Ti at its highest settings.
Under the hood of this laptop, there is a ton of power. And as I already mentioned, the Alienware Command Center allows you to increase performance even more. I’ll also add that this laptop performs actually better than other laptops with comparable specifications.
While wonderful tools for editing photos and videos, as you might imagine, I’ll talk about gaming. Forza Horizon 5 with the new Hot Wheels expansion pack was the major game I played on this device; it’s amazing, and you should play it. Sustained performance was my biggest problem. Given this laptop’s power, Forza Horizon 5 indicated exceptional graphics when it was first launched, and it was wonderful when I first started playing.
After about 30 minutes, I had serious problems. An important problem on a gaming laptop was that the game froze and informed me that it lacked the CPU capacity to play. After all, you don’t want this kind of interruption if you’re trying to win. I could drive again for a brief time after a screen freeze of maybe 30 seconds, but it didn’t stop once it started. By this time, touching any area of the laptop’s back makes it quite evident that the device is warm.
There were a few solutions. As I said, Alienware Command Center allows you to increase performance. The other is that you can lower the game’s visual settings.
I fairly quickly reproduced that problem in Forza, but I didn’t have that problem in other games until I repeatedly chose to play Halo: The Master Chief Collection’s missions.
Overall, performance is outstanding, but if you put it under a lot of stress for a while, you might need to adjust. Read Also; Acer Swift 3 (2022) vs Dell XPS 13: What’s the Best Laptop?
As you can see, it outperforms a similarly specced Lenovo Legion 5i by a bit.
Should you buy the Alienware x15 R2?
If you’re searching for a slim and light gaming laptop, the Alienware x15 R2 is a great choice.
Who should buy the Alienware x15 R2:
- Gamers who want power but are frequently on the go
- Gamers looking for a laptop with a distinctive and cutting-edge appearance
Who should NOT buy the Alienware x15 R2:
- Those who would like to play PC games but won’t be using their computers frequently on the go
- Anyone that doesn’t need this kind of power
The Alienware x15 R2’s main advantage is that it offers a lot of power in a compact and portable form factor. This signifies that this laptop is designed for mobile gaming. You’re probably more interested in a tower or structure if you always play video games from the same location.
The Alienware x15 R2's main advantage is that it offers a lot of power in a compact and portable form factor. This signifies that this laptop is designed for mobile gaming. You're probably more interested in a tower or structure if you always play video games from the same location.
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Specs
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Design
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Display
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Keyboard
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Performance
