Disclosure: We are a professional review site that receives compensation from the companies whose products we review. We test each product thoroughly and give high marks to only the very best. We are independently owned and the opinions expressed here are our own..
Its been almost almost 10 years since I had to purchase a high end computer or laptop. I have a 10 year HP desktop that was top of the line and built for video/image processing and ASUS ROG 17″ Gaming Laptop that I use for travel or when I want to setup shop in front of the TV and work will being with family. When they were new I use them for light gaming duties and they worked great for it. But over time the only gaming I could do is classic games and image processing on the desktop got difficult as parts started to wear out and need replacing. After realizing I spend more time on my laptop then my desktop I decided to get a new desktop. My decision was based on needs and those are image processing, light video editing, DVR services for my media center (until I can upgrade the desktop with a new video card), and a good travel computer. I decided on the Alienware m15 R2 . It has a lot of the features I wanted and the amount processing power it has should last me for years.
Alienware m15 R2 Gaming Laptop – Features
The new Alienware m15 R2 is a beast among gaming laptops. It has the power to play any game out there with power to spare. It comes in with all the neon lighting that modern gaming rigs come with and will be the star of any gaming party. Features copied directly from the Amazon Sales Page.
No products found.
-
- 9th Generation Intel Core i7 9750h (6 Core, 12MB Cache, up to 4. 5GHz w/ Turbo Boost)
- 15.6 inch Fhd (1920 x 1080) 144Hertz 9ms 300 nits 72 percent Color gamut + Tobii tracking technology
- Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 6GB GDDR6 (OC ready)
- 16GB, 2x8GB, DDR4 2666MHz
- 512GB PCIe M. 2 SSD
- Improved Alienware Series Keyboard with per key RGB LED AlienFX lighting English
- Includes 3x Type A USB 3.1, 1x Thunderbolt 3 port
- 76Wh battery (6 Cell)
- 7. 1 Digital audio Out using HDMI out connection/ No speaker
- Advanced eye tracking
Alienware m15 R2 – The Review
I’ve been using the Alienware m15 R2 since July 2019 and love it. Its a powerful beast and draws attention whenever I have the light show on.
First Impressions
The Alienware m15 R2 comes in a nice protective box with pictures and specs of the product. During the unboxing I found the laptop and includes to be nicely displayed, protected inside a bag or covered in protective plastic wrap. Everything came out with ease and none of it was damaged during shipping.
Alienware gives you two color choices to choose from. Dark gray or white body. I really like the modern look of the white computer but I can see it showing sings of dirt and other signs of wear faster than the darker body.
The body is matte and has a rubberized material over it. It shows smudges and grease spots if you have anything on your hands. But its easy to clean with lens cleaner. Just turn off and unplug the computer before cleaning it. I just add a little spray to a microfiber cloth and whipe it down while avoiding air vents and ports. From my understanding the lid and keyboard deck are made from magnesium alloy.
The honeycomb venting looks good and gives it a more modern industrial look. The base of the laptop extends out past the screen and is where the exhaust vents and is lined with LED neon style light. In between those vents you will find HDMI, Thunderbolt 3 port, power port, Alienware External Video Card Port, and another port of some sort.
On the sides, you will find more exhaust ports and 3 USB 3.0 Ports (3 total). What you won’t find is an SD card reader or optical drive. The SD card is surprising and I use these ports whenever I transfer photos from the camera SD card to the computer. But I have a work around for that I and will go into detail later.
On the bottom the rubber bumper feet extend the width of the base and along more venting. No way to easily change batteries. You will need to remove the back in order to replace battery and upgrade the hard drive.
On first impressing the screen looks good at boot up. The Tobii tracking system is at the bottom of the screen bezel under the Alienware logo and center top is the camera.
Alienware m15 R2 First Boot
Thanks to the SSD hard drive the computer boots and loads everything fast. After configuring everything and getting log in, boot up and loading everything takes less than a minute. As with all new computers I needed to update the computer. It took a few hours to update Windows 10, drivers and Alienware Command Center. Then I loaded all my required software and Xbox Live. I found all my programs loaded smoothly and quickly. Even with a handful of programs with some including load at login the computer still loads fast.
Testing the Alienware m15 R2
For testing purposes, I tested real life uses to see how well the computer holds up. I tested using Adobe Lightroom / Photoshop with hardware intensive AI processing software that requires the latest and greatest computers to use, playing Gears of War 5 and other classic games, watching movies, and testing features.
Processing Images
As a photographer I spend a lot of time processing images and over the last couple of years I realized what was slowing my productivity down was my old computer. So I purchased my buddy’s old ASUS ROG 17 Laptop and speed up the processing, sadly that computer was still to old to work with some of the AI software I use. So, when I got the chance to get my hands on the Alienware m15 R2 I had to jump on it. The hardware specs breakdown says that it was on the higher end of the recommended hardware specs. The only issue was the video card wasn’t the best card for the job, but still works good for the software needs.
After months of testing, I found the Allienware m15 R2 works greats for image processing. In general, Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop works faster than other computers I’ve used in the past. The previews, imports/exports, editing is fast. When using Topaz Labs AI Denois and AI Sharpen, the programs as designed the processing time is around 30 or 40 seconds per processing job.
The screen is beautiful and the images look good and show a ton of details. Its great for editing images but I haven’t testing the quality of the screen or even figured out if its possible to set the screen for editing images for print. If I need to send some images to the lab for print, I will hook the computer up to a screen setup for editing images for print. Once I can figure out to configure the screen for print or if its even possible to configure I will update the review.
Game Play
I’m not a hardcore gamer, I’m bad at it. But I love a good first person shooter and strategy games. Between horrible internet service and older computers I was stuck with older games or going over to friends and use their system.
When I first got the Alienware m15 R2, it got so hot that the keyboard was to hot touch! But I upgraded all the drivers and the heating issues were fixed. It still gets hot during heavy processing. But not so hot the keyboard heats up.
Gears of Wars has always been a favorite of mine and I have never been able to play all the way through and when I got my new computer, I got signed up for Xbox Live for PC and download Gears of War 5. The video scenes, game play, and the overall quality of the game is awesome. I never had any issues with lag, came freezing, or game slow down. This is a great portable gaming rig.
The laptop speakers are ok but it lacking. When I first played Gears 5 using the laptop speakers I thought it sounded good until I connect my Alienware 7.1 Gaming Headset or 5.1 computer speakers I noticed all sorts that the laptop didn’t catch.
Watching Movies
Watching movies are awesome. The screen is beautiful but once again the sound isn’t all that great. But watching movies and using headphones makes the experience much better. The only real issue I have during movies is the computer running so hot the exhaust fans start screaming and its hard to hear over it.
Casting to Chromecast works great. I watched movies, YouTube, and a few TV shows saved to my computer DVR. It works great but the fans got loud again. Luckily the home theater system blocks out the sound.
Battery Life
Battery life is ok. I get about 2 hours of battery life for game playing, watching movies, or working surfing the internet. I found I could push more life out of the system if I turned off the LEDs, turn off WIFI, Bluetooth, and under clock the system if I’m doing some word processing or other basic functions. I could get about 6 hours out of it with battery saver mode on and cutting brightness down.
Charging is on the slower side. I’ve never taken the time to time the charge, but while using the system plugged in, the charge time says 2 hours or more for 20% charge to full. At least the transformer doesn’t get to hot. It just gets warm. I try and keep it off the carpet and up on the desk to keep good air flow.
Keyboard and Trackpad
The keyboard is one the best keyboard I’ve used in years. Some of the Logitech gaming keyboards come close in my opinion. As to laptop keyboards its the best I tested in years. Its quick, accurate, and quiet clicking when needed. Its not silent, but good for typing in a lecture hall or the library. The color changing backlighting is fun and helps out when using the computer in low and no light places. But during the day I and when I don’t need them, I turn the lights off.
The trackpad works but I think the pad is a little on the small side compared to other computers. Its only used when I don’t have my mouse setup or doing a quick search and don’t really need the mouse. I find the trackpad is quick and responsive for most daily tasks, I prefer a good gaming mouse for longer periods of use.
Accessory Ports – More Details
The left side has a USB 3.1 Port, Ethernet jack, and a headset jack and on the right side has 2 more USB 3.1 Ports. Along the back side sites you find the USB Type-C port with Thunderbolt 3 support, an HDMI port, a mini DisplayPort connection, and the power connector. Plus for those that want to boost their graphics card there is a small more wide, skinny port that is for the proprietary Alienware Graphics Amplifier port.
All the ports are placed correctly. They aren’t to far apart to close that they block usage for other devices. The USB 3.1 ports are fast and use them daily. I connect an external hard drive that I use to store my audio, video, and pictures. I access these almost daily and I haven’t had a performance issue.
Docking the Alienware m15 R2 and Using External Lighting
I run a dual monitor production area for processing images and video and I’ve connected the laptop to the monitors but honestly I find the screen is perfect for my needs. Plus the Screen is newer and just better than my 10 year old 25 in screens. When docking my laptop I connect one monitor into the HDMI port and the other into my 7-and-1 USB-C Hub with Thunderbolt support. Then I plug my other HDMI cable into the HDMI port. Not only do I get 2 screens, I still get to use the Alienware m15 R2 screen!
When I need the extra screen for doing office work, web work, and some minor photography editing, I use this setup. All I need is a gaming keyboard to go along with my gaming mouse and I can game using my desktop setup.
For some reason I forgot to take pictures of the computer with its lights on and shot of the screen. When get some extra time I will add some more images.
Final Thoughts
As I mentioned before, the Alienware m15 R2 is a great light weight portable gaming computer. It has a beautiful screen and suits my needs perfectly. But it does have its issues that I need to address. The Pros and Cons below should help with your decision on purchasing this computer.
Pros
-
- Powerful and Fast
- Capable of 60fps gaming at resolutions below 4K
- Slim and light weight but solid
- Comfortable keyboard
- Minimal Bloatware
- Expandable with spare M.2 slot and Alienware Graphics port
- Good battery when you aren’t gaming
- RGB Keyboard looks and the lighting is highly customizable
- Redesign has modern look
- Can be ordered in black or white chassis
- Keyboard is comfortable and perfect for portable gaming and everyday use
Cons
-
- Tobii eye tracking hardware is not very useful for most users. its needed for certain display options.
- Computer runs hot
- Fans are loud and gets louder the more you use resources
- RAM is soldered down
- Display could be a little brighter
- Battery Life Could Better, not good for gaming
- Pricey
- Track pad is to small
- The rear ports are to close together and feel cramped
- When items are plugged into the rear ports the hot exhaust blows on your accessories
The pros and cons are just a few things you need to think about before purchasing. I don’t know why Alienware decided it was good idea to soldered down the RAM. From what I’ve read the motherboard can handle up to 32 gigs. Being able to upgrade to 32 gigs would keep this computer gaming for a few more years. But for now 16 gigs of RAM is a great option for gaming and non gaming work. But hardcore gamers and power users will want to upgrade after a few years of use. Hopefully, but doubtful, Dell will allow users to send the computer back up for upgrades or someone will figure out how to upgraded the memory.
I did not mention the hard drive size. I ended up with the 500 GB SSD option its great for everyday use but its limited if you have a large collection of games. With new games being released in the 150 GB range, you only keep a handful of games loaded. If you have the money I would try for a 1TB sized SSD drive. You can always add an external drive or another internal drive your configuration allows it.
This is a great computer and should make anyone from the causal gamer to the hardcore gamer that needs a portable game option happy. For the causal gamer that needs a high end computer for the processing power to complete their non game projects will be able to take advantage of this computer’s power and even make it their daily computer. Even with the limited upgrade options, I feel for me this is a desktop replacement.
I recommend adding the new Alienware m15 R2 to your short list when making a gaming and high end laptop purchase. You can purchase this computer from Alienware or from Amazon. Alienware will have full customization options. Amazon will have basic configuration options, but at times could be cheaper than Alienware.
Please Note: Alienware recently removed the Alienware m15 R2 from their website and replaced it with a new more powerful Alienware m15 R1. If you want to save money R2 is still a great option for those that want to save money. Its available on Amazon and other online electronics retailers. But if you are wanting m15 fully loaded with the latest and greatest specs, take a look at the R1 its available at Alienware and should be on Amazon soon.
About James
Leave a Reply