Alienware x17 R2 Review | PCMag

The Alienware x17 R2 (starts at $2,249.99; $3,999.99 as tested) is a revision of last year's original that focuses on adding even more firepower to this premium gaming laptop. Our ultra-expensive review configuration boasts an Intel “Alder Lake” Core i9 CPU and Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti graphics, literally going for broke on its two key components. The x17 R2 delivers undeniable performance, but no more than some competitors: As with the original, the laptop's marquee thinness doesn't really make it much more portable, and in fact limits its power potential while adding cost. Some deep-pocketed shoppers may love the Alienware aesthetic enough to snap this one up, but more-appealing options, to our eyes, are the Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 and the Origin EVO17-S.

The x17 R2: A Mostly Internal Upgrade

Alienware debuted its X Series design last year, deploying slimmer new-look versions of its famous M Series laptops at various screen sizes. The x17 is the largest of the X Series laptops, and version two brings the design back with some internal and feature updates. The laptop's dimensions are unchanged and uncommonly thin for a 17-inch gaming rig.

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(Photo: Molly Flores)

To be specific, the R2 measures 0.82 by 15.7 by 11.8 inches (HWD) and weighs 6.82 pounds. While that's definitely thin, it's not exceptionally light; as with the original, we find ourselves questioning how useful a slightly slimmer design is if the laptop remains big and heavy. Among gaming notebooks, thinner design usually just means more difficult cooling and diminished performance, since weight and bulk are much greater portability factors. Even the Asus Strix Scar 17 (which is on the thicker side by today's gaming laptop standards) is 1.11 inches thick, but lighter at 6.39 pounds.

Alienware's build quality and visual design remain strong, however. The sci-fi style is quite pleasing, especially in white. The x17 R2 looks futuristic, gaming-focused without being overbearing, and fitting for the brand. In a crowded field, the premium design certainly stands out.

(Photo: Molly Flores)

We said the same about the original x17, though, so let's run through what's new with the R2. The main draw is easily the component upgrade. We'll dig deeper below, but the upshot is that the x17 now features Intel's 12th Generation processors with DDR5 memory and Nvidia's latest RTX 30 Ti Series GPUs. For a top-end gaming rig, these are plenty appealing. The “Alder Lake” CPUs have brought Intel back to level with or ahead of AMD (depending on the specific tier and workload you're talking about).

All x17 R2 configurations now come with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos, as well, offering an enhanced sound and visual experience. Your mileage may vary on how much you notice these features, but they're known quantities in the multimedia space for improving both audio and images—many modern high-end TVs advertise both.

(Photo: Molly Flores)

Our x17 R2's full HD (1080p) display did in fact look great, with vivid colors and sharp text. While Alienware offers 165Hz full HD and 120Hz 4K panels, our model's ultra-high 360Hz refresh rate is great for enthusiasts whose GPUs can push frame rates that high and who play the types of games that can benefit from such speed.

Other premium features are carried over from the first x17. This includes the low-profile Cherry MX mechanical keyboard, which Alienware has offered as an optional upgrade on its last few elite laptops. It may not be new, but it's still nice to have, mimicking the clicks and tactile feedback of desktop mechanical keyboards. It doesn't quite deliver the full experience, but is much closer than pseudo-mechanical solutions of the past.

(Photo: Molly Flores)

The keyboard's RGB lighting, as well as the sci-fi rear ringed LED and alien-head power button, are customizable via the included Alienware Command Center software. The AlienFX lighting controls 100 micro LEDs in the rear ring (relevant for effects, but all controlled as one zone), while the keys are individually customizable.

Also returning in Command Center is a choice of several performance modes. We've experimented with these plenty in the past, and found the highest Full Speed mode does improve frame rates slightly but brings much louder fan noise. Generally, we haven't found the improvement worth the racket, but if you're looking to squeeze all of the power you can out of this laptop, the option is yours.

(Photo: Molly Flores)

Alienware’s efficient voltage regulation is still deployed, too, capable of up to 12-phase graphics regulation. Essentially, this means the system is able to stay at or near full throttle for longer, resulting in high frame rates more consistently across long gaming sessions. This technology combines with the company's proprietary Element 31 thermal material to cool high-end components as efficiently as possible, squeezing more performance out of the thin frame. We'll see the results in the benchmarks below.

Also unchanged from the first x17 are the input/output ports, almost all located on the rear edge. There, you'll find two USB-C connectors (one with Thunderbolt 4 support), two USB 3.1 Type-A ports, a microSD card slot, HDMI and mini DisplayPort video outputs, and an Ethernet jack. The only other ports are the power jack, located on the left side of the chassis, and the headphone jack on the right edge. The laptop also features Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2, and a 720p webcam with Windows Hello face recognition.

(Photo: Molly Flores)

Components and Testing: All-Out Power

Having said all this, it should come as no surprise that the Alienware x17 R2 has both a high starting price and component baseline. The base model costs $2,249.99, a starting price as high as many gaming laptops top out, and combines a Core i7-12700H processor, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 GPU, 16GB of memory, and a 512GB solid-state drive. Alienware's stylish design and elaborate lighting is a considerable part of the price, since you can find RTX 3060 gaming rigs that cost $1,000 less.

Our review configuration we’re testing raises the stakes to a nosebleed-high $3,999.99 with an Intel Core i9-12900HK, the GeForce RTX 3080 Ti, 32GB of RAM, and a 2TB SSD. It's no wonder the price is so high—these are virtually the most expensive options in each category. It doesn't get more potent than the RTX 3080 Ti for laptop gaming, and the blistering CPU can take on all comers.

To see just how fast these components are together, we put the Alienware x17 R2 through our benchmark test suite, comparing its results to those of not only last year's Alienware x17 but three other 17-inch gaming titans with a range of RTX 30 Series GPUs and comparable 12th Gen (and one 11th Gen) Intel processors. None costs less than $2,499.

Productivity Tests

The main benchmark of UL's PCMark 10 simulates a variety of real-world productivity and content-creation workflows to measure overall performance for office-centric tasks such as word processing, spreadsheeting, web browsing, and videoconferencing. We also run PCMark 10's Full System Drive test to assess the load time and throughput of a laptop's storage.

Beyond those, three benchmarks focus on the CPU, using all available cores and threads, to rate a PC's suitability for processor-intensive workloads. Maxon's Cinebench R23 uses that company's Cinema 4D engine to render a complex scene, while Primate Labs' Geekbench 5.4 Pro simulates popular apps ranging from PDF rendering and speech recognition to machine learning. Finally, we use the open-source video transcoder HandBrake 1.4 to convert a 12-minute video clip from 4K to 1080p resolution (lower times are better).

Our final productivity test is workstation maker Puget Systems' PugetBench for Photoshop, which uses the Creative Cloud version 22 of Adobe's famous image editor to rate a PC's performance for content creation and multimedia applications. It's an automated extension that executes a variety of general and GPU-accelerated Photoshop tasks ranging from opening, rotating, resizing, and saving an image to applying masks, gradient fills, and filters.

Considering its slim design, the x17 R2 did well in these tests. It didn't set any records, but the baseline is so high that any of these machines will obliterate everyday productivity and creative tasks. With a Core i9 CPU and tons of RAM, it shouldn't be a surprise that the new Alienware is more than ready for Word, Excel, and Photoshop.

Graphics and Gaming Tests

We test Windows PCs' graphics with two DirectX 12 gaming simulations from UL's 3DMark: Night Raid (more modest, suitable for laptops with integrated graphics) and Time Spy (more demanding, suitable for gaming rigs with discrete GPUs). Two more tests from GFXBench 5.0, run offscreen to allow for different display resolutions, wring out OpenGL operations.

In addition, we run three real-world game tests using the built-in benchmarks of F1 2021, Assassin's Creed Valhalla, and Rainbow Six Siege. These represent simulation, open-world action-adventure, and competitive esports shooter games respectively. We run Valhalla and Siege twice at different image quality presets and F1 with and without Nvidia's performance-boosting DLSS anti-aliasing. We run these tests at 1080p resolution so results can be compared between systems.

As with our CPU tests, the x17 R2 was at or near the top in the graphics benchmarks, delivering frame rates that are high for a laptop (or most desktops) by any standard. Achieving triple-digit frame rates in F1 2021 and Valhalla (the latter at 1080p/Medium), and surpassing 200fps in Siege are strong results for any enthusiast gamer.

That said, considering it's the most expensive laptop here by several hundred bucks, it wasn't the top performer in any title. In this price range, bang for the buck does to some extent go out the window, but it's still worth noting that you're paying for stylish, slim design and sophisticated features as much as for high frame rates.

It's no surprise that this thin system pushes its thermal limits as well, getting quite hot with audible fans during testing (and even somewhat when idling) despite Alienware's advanced cooling systems.

Battery and Display Tests

We test laptops' battery life by playing a locally stored 720p video file (the open-source Blender movie Tears of Steel) with display brightness at 50% and audio volume at 100% until the system quits. We make sure the battery is fully charged before the test, with Wi-Fi and keyboard backlighting turned off.

These notebooks' battery life is respectable, avoiding the meager two- or three-hour runtimes of many gaming rigs. You can use the x17 R2 unplugged in your living room or elsewhere without having to constantly monitor the battery, even though gaming off the charger will drastically reduce battery life. The Alienware's display brightness and color coverage are about average, but also avoid falling short, and the display is quite bright at maximum.

The Verdict: Great Performance Comes at Great Cost

The Alienware x17 R2 is not a reinvention of the original, but a significant component upgrade that pushes the top tier of performance ever higher. Its 12th Generation Intel processor and GeForce RTX 3080 Ti GPU are clear improvements over the already formidable parts of the first x17 and join its otherwise advanced build and features. If money is truly no object, this machine will impress with both style and performance. Its slim build and standout look are admirable, while extras like its mechanical keyboard are satisfying.

But that said, other 17-inch gamers offer equal or better portability and performance. Shoppers who love the design will gladly pay the Alienware's price premium, but it's not a uniquely portable system, and some of its advanced features go mostly toward maintaining (but not setting records in) performance in a slim chassis. Without a clear edge in any area, the x17 R2 trails the slightly thicker Origin and Asus laptops.