Alienware X17 evaluate | Laptop computer Magazine
“You might be so stunning to me/ Cannot you see/ You are every part I hoped for/ You are every part I want” Joe Cocker, “You Are So Stunning”
Alienware continues to lift the bar of what a gaming laptop computer can and must be. The newest addition to the household is the X17, an exquisite bruiser of a desktop substitute that’s solely 0.8-inches thick. The ultra-premium system comes with all of the fixings together with an Intel Core i7 processor, Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 GPU and twin SSDs. Want extra? How’s a 17.3-inch, 4K show, highly effective audio system and a Cherry MX keyboard sound?
After all, one thing this gorgeous and highly effective can be critically costly at $3,679 ($2,199 beginning), so it’s not for the faint of coronary heart or small of checking account. However in the event you can afford it, the Alienware X17 is a hell of a powerhouse that simply makes its manner onto our Greatest Gaming Laptop computer and Greatest Alienware laptop computer pages.
Alienware X17 pricing and configurations
One thing this gorgeous and badass goes to value a reasonably penny. I spent my time blasting enraged cultists and entitled Visionaries on the $3,679 mannequin of the Alienware X17 which has a 2.4-GHz Intel Core i7-11800H processor with 32GB of RAM, twin 1TB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSDs in RAID 0 configuration, an Intel UHD Graphics GPU, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 with 16GB of VRAM and a 17.3-inch, 4K, 120Hz 4-millisecond show.
The $2,199 base mannequin drops you all the way down to 16GB of RAM, a 256GB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD, an RTX 3060 GPU with 6GB of VRAM and a 17.3-inch, 1920 x 1080, 165Hz, 3ms panel. People seeking to go middle-of-the-road will wish to take a look at the $2,579 iteration which will get you a 512GB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD and an RTX 3070 GPU with 8GB of VRAM.
Alienware X17 design
Because the track lyric within the intro intimates, I did my finest Joe Cocker impression as I unboxed the Alienware X17. It truly is an exquisite piece of tech. Hell, even the field is fairly. Truthfully, I wouldn’t be mad if Alienware began utilizing the embossed patterns of the system’s inside on the lid much like how the corporate did with the field. However I digress.
The X17 is an intergalactic dream in Alienware’s Lunar Gentle end. The distinctive white end on the magnesium alloy chassis has a slight pearlescence that I simply can’t get sufficient of. Nevertheless, I’d completely like to see this within the charcoal Darkish Facet of the Moon end. Following Alienware’s Legend design, you’ll discover a backlit alien head centered on the high of the lid with a big 17 embossed in bone white within the decrease left nook. Take a gander within the again and you discover an ovular customizable LED strip outlining the honeycomb-pattern vents which home many ports (extra on that later).
Whereas I used to be anticipating extra Lunar Gentle after I opened the X17’s lid, I used to be shocked to see a black keyboard deck. Not precisely Darkish Facet of the Moon, however nonetheless good. And whereas I used to be anticipating the alien head posing as an influence button and the Chiclet keys glowing in turquoise, simply ready for me to vary their colour, I obtained an sudden, however welcomed shock. The touchpad additionally glowed knowingly, bringing again a vaunted favourite.
For a 17-inch desktop substitute packing oodles of energy, the X17 is tremendous slim. How slim? At 15.7 x 11.8 x 0.8 inches, this 6.7-pound magnificence is giving the Razer Blade Professional 17 (6.1 kilos, 15.6 x 10.2 x 0.8 inches) a run for its cash. Each techniques are a lot lighter and slimmer than the MSI GE76 Raider UH10 (6.4 kilos, 15.6 x 10.6 x 1.1 inches) and Origin Eon17-X (15.7 x 12.5 x 1.7 inches) which weighs a whopping 8.3 kilos.
Alienware X17 safety
Gaming laptops aren’t actually recognized for his or her safety features, however the Alienware X17 has a few measures to maintain issues protected. The webcam is Home windows Howdy suitable for face recognition logins. The system additionally has TPM 2.0 (Trusted Platform Module), a chip that could be a safe cryptoprocessor that makes use of a cryptographic key to maintain your system protected from all manners of malware and hackers.
Alienware X17 ports
Although the Alienware X17 is mighty slim, it nonetheless has a wholesome quantity of ports –– all of that are positioned within the rear of the system.
There are two USB 3.2 Gen 1 Sort-A ports, a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Sort-C port, a Thunderbolt 4 port, an HDMI 2.1 port, a mini DisplayPort 1.4, Gigabit Ethernet, a headset and the ability enter.
Alienware X17 show
Simply attempt to look away from the Alienware X17. You’ll be laborious pressed to drag your consideration from the 17.3-inch, 3840 x 2160 pixel show. Regardless of the matte anti-glare panel, the X17 is not at all dim or uninteresting. Watching the trailer for the On These Grounds documentary, I used to be impressed at how nicely it captured completely different pores and skin tones. In a scene with two Black ladies, applauding a speech, I took time to admire their clear, fresh-faced complexions. One younger woman’s ebony pores and skin completely glowed as did one other who possessed a pecan tone. Particulars had been clear sufficient that I might see the person plaits of their hair and the glint of their freshly manicured nails.
I performed by means of Deathloop and my oh my, it appeared completely beautiful. Sneaking by means of the darkish alleys of Updaam, I had time to note the intricate particulars of the random junk lining the road like a balding tire mendacity on a cobblestone avenue with sprigs of grass peeking by means of. Infiltrating the library, I took within the plush cherry purple carpeting as I grabbed an unsuspecting guard and snapped their neck leaving them sprawled out in an unnatural place.
I wasn’t too shocked on the X17’s 116.8% colour copy on the DCI-P3 colour gamut because it was way more vivid than the 86.9% premium gaming laptop computer common. The end result additionally stood head and shoulders over the competitors because the Blade Professional, Eon17-X and Raider solely managed 83.9%, 78% and 53.9%, respectively.
After we measured for brightness, the X17 averaged 438 nits, outshining the 330-nit common in addition to the Blade Professional (277 nits), Raider (276 nits) and Eon17-X (251 nits).
Alienware X17 audio
The Alienware X17’s outfitted with a pair of front-firing audio system, clearly nestled alongside the underside lip of the laptop computer. The 4-way audio system did an excellent job of filling my downstairs workplace with loud, comparatively clear audio. Not solely did it fill the workplace, it managed to drift as much as the highest ground to my kitchen because of my spiral staircase. Out of the six presets (Alienware, Com, Film, Racing, Position Play and Shooter), I favor Alienware because it offers probably the most balanced efficiency.
Listening to Kevin Ross’ “Trying For Love,” I swooned over the singer’s easy tenor because it grooved alongside a mattress of strings with a quick drum machine within the background. Nevertheless, as I listened to Chlöe’s “Have Mercy,” I used to be dissatisfied by the dearth of bass, which made me wish to attain for a pair of wi-fi headphones or a gaming headset.
Taut strings and delicate cymbals had been a relentless companion as I made my manner by means of Deathloop. Colt, the protagonist’s voice, was like a spiked scorching chocolate on a chilly winter day –– heat and welcoming with just a bit little bit of chunk. Gunfire had a pleasant weighty sound to it as did explosions. Nevertheless, listening to the meaty thunk of the machete being buried in an unsuspecting enemy gave me a visceral satisfaction each single time.
Alienware X17 keyboard and touchpad
It’s only a clickety clacking good time on the Alienware X17’s keyboard. Just like the Alienware 17 m4, you possibly can configure the X17 with Cherry MX’s ultra-low profile keys. Certain, it’s $50 additional, however that click-clack sound is so well worth the further scratch.
However the keys not solely sound good, they really feel good. Whether or not I used to be gaming or typing up this evaluate, my fingers felt like they had been leaping on tiny, colourful trampolines. The suggestions was agency and my fingers by no means bottomed out. I hit a straightforward 75 phrases per minute on the 10fastfingers typing take a look at, which is quicker than my normal 70 wpm common.
And it simply wouldn’t be a gaming laptop computer, nor an Alienware, if there wasn’t a mini gentle present to be configured. Though the default turquoise backlighting is sweet, I couldn’t wait to leap into Alienware Command Middle and fiddle with the lighting. I finally settled for the Rainbow Wave impact for the keys with the multicolor spectrum for the touchpad and lid alien head.
Talking of the touchpad, the light-up touchpad is the prodigal element. The enter module as soon as once more emits gentle when touched. It’s a cool impact that I actually missed. Flashing lights apart, the touchpad offered correct, speedy efficiency after I carried out Home windows 10 gestures similar to pinch-zoom and three-finger flick.
Alienware X17 graphics and gaming
The Alienware X17 is simply as highly effective as it’s stunning, because of it’s Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 GPU. The laptop computer completely shredded by means of every part I threw at it. I stealthily made my manner by means of the Updaam district in Deathloop, or at the least I used to be till I obtained noticed. Subsequent factor I do know, I’m operating and gunning by means of a number of Blackreef residents, taking a operating slide right into a protected place with the body fee sustaining a gentle 43 frames per second at 4K on Extremely. Switching the settings to Very Excessive raised the output to 48 fps.
After we ran the Murderer’s Creed Odyssey (1080p) benchmark, the Alienware dominated out the field with 83 fps. The laptop computer matched the Eon17-X (RTX 3080 GPU), trounced the 65 fps premium gaming laptop computer common in addition to the Raider (73 fps, RTX 3080 GPU) and the Blade Professional (68 fps, RTX 3070 GPU). Switching over to 4K, the X17’s body fee dropped to 50 fps.
The X17 hit a stumbling block on the Shadow of the Tomb Raider take a look at, solely notching 77 fps, simply lacking the 81 fps class common. The Blade Professional had barely greater outcomes at 87 fps whereas the Raider and Eon17-X knocked it out the park with 117 fps and 100 fps, respectively. At 4K, it matched the 38-fps common.
On the Grand Theft Auto V benchmark, the X17 pulled down 129 fps, shoving its well past the 97-fps class common, the Blade Professional (102 fps) and Raider (120 fps). Nevertheless, the Eon17-X obtained probably the most frames at 131 fps. Switching to 4K, the X17 reached 41 fps, sidling previous the 40-fps common.
In the course of the Metro: Exodus DirectX 11 take a look at, the X17 registered 81 fps, beating the 69 fps class common and the Blade Professional’s 71 fps. Nevertheless, it couldn’t overcome neither the Raider (85 fps) nor the Eon17-X (93 fps). On 4K, the X17 pulled 43 fps.
We noticed the X17 obtain 94 fps on the Far Cry New Daybreak benchmark. That was sufficient to surpass the typical, Blade Professional and Raider, which obtained 88, 89, 90 fps, respectively. The Eon17-X continued to rule the roost with a powerful 126 fps. Transitioning to 4K, noticed the X17’s body fee fall to 60 fps.
For the Borderlands 3 take a look at, the X17 notched 94 fps, dusting the 76 premium gaming laptop computer common and the Blade Professional’s 79 fps. Sadly, each the Raider and the Eon17-X hit greater at 100 fps and 108 fps. At 4K, the X17 produced 38 fps.
Operating the Pink Lifeless Redemption 2 benchmark, the X17 had a results of 81 fps, topping the 64-fps common and the Blade Professional’s 70 fps. Each the Raider and the Eon17-X carried out higher with body charges of 82 and 88 fps. Ramping as much as 4K, the X17 notched 33 fps, which is above our 30-fps playability fee.
While you’re not gaming or performing another GPU-taxing job, the X17 switches over to its built-in Intel UHD Graphics through Nvidia’s Optimus expertise.
Alienware X17 efficiency
Now it wouldn’t make a lot sense to scrimp on the processing energy with that RTX 3080 GPU. So the Alienware X17 comes out swinging with a 2.4-GHz Intel Core i7-11800H processor with 32GB of RAM and a pair of 1TB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSDs in RAID 0 configuration. All which means, is that the X17 is a multitasking beast. I launched 50 tabs in Google Chrome, a few of which had been operating YouTube and Twitch whereas others ran a mixture of Tweetdeck, Google Docs, Google Sheets, information and procuring websites. The pocket book confirmed no indicators of slowing, even after I began taking part in Deathloop.
The gaming laptop computer additionally confirmed its mettle on our artificial assessments, beginning with Geekbench 5.4, an total efficiency take a look at. The X17 scored 9,024, crushing the 6,783 premium gaming laptop computer common. Nevertheless, it wasn’t a match for the Eon17-X with its desktop Intel Core i9-11900K processor, which notched 10,575.
After we ran the Handbrake take a look at, the X17 took 5 minutes and 51 seconds to transcode a 4K video to 1080p. That’s second solely to the Eon17-X, which had a time of 5:27. As for every part else, the X17 demolished the 7:33 class common in addition to the 7:24 put up by the Raider (Core i7-10870H CPU) and the ten:10 from the Blade Professional (Core i7-10875H CPU).
These twin SSDs got here in helpful throughout our file switch take a look at, permitting the X17 to succeed in a switch fee of 1,226.7 megabytes per second. It scorched the 894.8 MBps common as nicely. The Raider (1,076.8 MBps, 1TB NVMe SSD) and Blade Professional (547.2 MBps, 512GB PCIe NVMe SSD) didn’t stand an opportunity. Nevertheless, the Eon17-X continued to be a thorn within the Alienware’s aspect with its 1TB SSD acquiring 1,288.5 MBps.
Alienware X17 battery life
Let’s face it, a Core i7 processor, paired with an Nvidia RTX 3080 GPU and a 4K show? The Alienware X17’s battery life wasn’t going to be anyplace close to what we’ve seen on among the AMD-powered gaming laptops we’ve reviewed as of late, such because the Asus ROG Zephyrus.
Nonetheless for all these power-consuming parts, I used to be happy to see the Alienware X17 lasted 4 hours and 31 minutes on the Laptop computer Magazine Battery Check (steady internet browsing over Wi-Fi at 150 nits of brightness). It outlasted the 4:07 premium gaming laptop computer common in addition to the Eon17-X (2:07). Each techniques had been outdone by the Blade Professional (5:58) and the Raider (6:06).
We additionally ran a gaming take a look at, which concerned operating a PCMark10 script till the laptop computer died. The X17 had a time of 1:19, edging out the Eon17-X’s 1:16.
Alienware X17 warmth
Whereas it’s all the time good to see a gaming laptop computer skim just a few tenths of an inch off its chassis, it comes at the price of the thermals. Within the curiosity of preserving all these highly effective parts cool, Alienware has retooled its proprietary Cryo-Tech system. X17 techniques configured with an RTX 3070 or 3080 GPU, get the Component 31 thermal interface materials comprised of a Gallium-Silicone matrix that in response to the corporate, delivers a 25% enchancment in thermal resistance over its predecessor.
You even have Alienware’s new Quad Fan design, which creates devoted airflow utilizing a system of evacuative followers and twin reverse outlet followers. Lastly, you will have the Sensible Fan management expertise the place every fan can independently alter its velocity in response to embedded system sensors.
So how did the X17 maintain up? Effectively, it nonetheless managed to surpass our 95-degree Fahrenheit consolation threshold in sure spots on our 15-minute gaming take a look at. Significantly, in the course of the keyboard (110 levels) and the undercarriage (120 levels). Nonetheless, I used the X17 fairly comfortably on my lap for over an hour with no sick results. The colourful touchpad managed to remain beneath the edge at 90 levels.
After letting the system cool, we ran a 15-minute, fullscreen video and remeasured. The touchpad, heart keyboard and backside registered 79, 87 and 92 levels, respectively.
Alienware X17 webcam
The Alienware X17 720p webcam is just a little little bit of a letdown, contemplating all of the highly effective specs it’s packing. It’s not a foul shooter. In reality, it’s par for the course. I simply want that it might match the Dell UltraSharp Webcam’s high quality or one of many different cams on our Greatest Webcams web page. Because it stands for my take a look at pictures, the webcam efficiently captured my pink tank high, however washed out the blue and purple in my locs. And though there’s fairly a little bit of visible noise, I might make out just a little of the lace element alongside the highest of my shirt.
Alienware X17 software program and guarantee
Alienware outfitted the pocket book with its normal suite of branded software program. Nevertheless, there are some notable tweaks, notably in Alienware Command Middle. Sure, you possibly can nonetheless toggle between audio and energy presets right here. You may as well overclock, create macros and make your personal private gentle present. Nevertheless, Alienware now allows you to management your thermals with 5 new presets (Full Velocity (max energy), Efficiency mode (graphics precedence), Balanced mode (balanced CPU/GPU), battery save mode, and Quiet mode (acoustics precedence)).
Just like different Alienware techniques, the X17 additionally has Alienware Cell Join, which helps you to entry your smartphone from the pocket book’s 17.3-inch display screen. Alienware Replace retains your BIOS, drivers and firmware up-to-date whereas Digital Supply retains your Alienware and Home windows 10 software program up to date. There’s additionally My Alienware, which has Alienware Assist, a device that places you in contact with a tech help consultant in case you want troubleshooting help.
Third-party gamer-centric apps Killer Management Middle and Nvidia GeForce Expertise spherical out the expertise and allow you to prioritize community bandwidth and optimize your video games’ settings for gameplay.
There are, after all, just a few items of bloatware, together with TikTok, Roblox, Dolby Entry, Hidden Metropolis: Hidden Object Journey and Adobe Photoshop Categorical.
The Alienware X17 comes with a one-year restricted guarantee. See how Alienware fared on Tech Assist Showdown and Greatest and Worst Manufacturers, our annual particular experiences.
Backside line
Each time I feel that Alienware has lastly hit the wall on its beautiful gaming laptops, I’m fortunately confirmed fallacious. The Alienware X17 is the top of what a desktop substitute may be. Because of its Core i7 processor, Nvidia RTX 3080 GPU and twin SSDs, the newest addition to the Alienware household is a critical pressure to be reckoned with – and I haven’t even talked about the head-turning 4K panel, Cherry MX keyboard and highly effective sound. The corporate managed to squeeze all of that ridiculous superior right into a chassis that’s solely 0.8-inches thick.
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