Alienware m18 R2 Review
It ’s an absolute powerhouse with cheek - melting performance for both work and wreak that stays nerveless under pressure .
The Alienware m18 R2 is plan with one affair in idea : mightiness . Whether you ’re mash number or wave and waves of maraud orcs , this play laptop seldom discover out in a sweat or loses frame rate . But a premium laptop demands a premium toll , with the groundwork model start at $ 1,899 ( brush up at $ 3,299 )
Photo: Sherri L. Smith
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Cons
One thing has been laughably clear in my 15 - plus - year vocation reviewing consumer technical school . I ’m a size queen when it comes to laptop computer , particularlygaming laptops . I was bereft when Dell put the original Alienware 18 out to forage and spent a number of years requesting its return . So , I was ecstatic to see the colossus return to the marketplace in the anatomy of the Alienware m18 R2 .
Photo: Sherri L. Smith
And you might ask , what ’s so great about a monumental gaming laptop ? Unlike the 14 and 15 - in machines , an 18 - inch laptop computer gives OEMs a licence to get extravagant with the specification offering . Intel Core i9 processor ? Yes , please . Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 GPU with 16 GB of GDDR6 VRAM ? Gimme . All of this and more awaits in the second loop of Alienware ’s modern 18 - column inch notebook , the Alienware m18 R2 .
Starting at $ 1,899 but reviewed at $ 3,299 , theAlienware m18 R2satisfies my need for outlandish , kitchen - sink - esque glasses in a nomadic package . And okay , I know the whole mobility matter is up for debate . But as I write this review in my sustenance elbow room , off from my desk with this laptop computer in my lap , I do n’t listen move it from room to board in my house ; set it on my back in a backpack is a totally different story .
And despite all those eminent - powered specs , the m18 R2 remain signally cool thanks to Alienware ’s proprietary cool organization . And you ’ve got that clicky ultra - modest profile Cherry MX name with that mesmerizing , customizable RGB lighting .
Photo: Sherri L. Smith
However , this laptop computer has a few caveat in terms of exhibit and audio . The flatness panel is n’t as brilliant and vibrant as some gamers would expect , and the speaker unit do n’t pump out the weighty boom you want to hear when you swash up a cluster of explosive canisters in a game . But if you want jaw - dropping power , you ’ll be firmly - press to outperform the Alienware m18 .
Alienware m18 R2 Design
Sporting Alienware ’s Legend 3.0 design language , the m18 looks every bit the Destroyer in your sci - fi , space opera house fantasy armada . But unlike its small brethren , theAlienware m16 R2 , the m18 retains the large protruding butt ( BBLs need not apply ) . It ’s necessary for venting purpose as well , as this is where you ’re go to find the majority of your ports when it ’s meter to progress out your mobile battle station , including a full HDMI 2.1 ports , a mini DisplayPort , two Thunderbolt 4 , a USB - A 3.2 Gen 1 port , a power arranger interface .
There ’s also an Coyote State card reader back there , which I would have preferred to sit along one of the sides , but hey , its inclusion is such a rarity these days , I ’ll take it . The rest of the portage on the laptop includes two USB - A 3.2 Gen 1 ports , an RJ-45 port , a headset jackstones on the left , and a USB - deoxycytidine monophosphate 3.2 Gen 1 on the right wing .
But enough about ports , let ’s talk about the factual design . The legal age of the m18 R2 ’s chassis is made of anodized aluminum in gloss Alienware called Dark Metallic Moon , with a big 18 stamped into the lower - impart niche of the lid . It ’s nice and definitely stately , but I wish the society also offer a Lunar White variation , as it well emphasise all the firing , in my public opinion .
Photo: Sherri L. Smith
Ah , the lighting was one of the first things that drew me to Alienware systems , hell , bet on laptops in general . It ’s been toned down for my tastes in the modern earned run average . I miss have got the ALIENWARE on the bottom bezel , and the touchpad welcomes me with a quick luminescence when I afford the lid . But you still have some zones and 16.8 million RGB colors to flex your creativity . The m18 R2 ’s ovular tooshie is wrapped in a light strip , and you still have the two alien heads on the lid and the mogul button . And finally , there ’s the keyboard with its full num pad await for a splash of colour outside of the nonpayment turquoise .
The Alienware CherryMX ultra - low - visibility mechanical keyboard , the m18 R2 ’s rocking , is a clicky delight to typecast on . With a 1.8]-mm key travel , it ’s loud enough to satisfy that ASMR spot but quiet enough that it wo n’t inevitably disturb anyone sitting next to you .
At 9.3 Lebanese pound , 16.2 x 12.6 x 0.95 ~ 1.1 inches , the m18 R2 is n’t something you ’re give out to project in a backpack . For that , you ’ll require to look at the Razer Blade 18 , which calculate midget by compare with its 6.8 - British pound , 15.7 x 10.8 x 0.86 - inch dimension .
Photo: Sherri L. Smith
To keep this thing cool , Alienware has utilize its CryoTech cooling system , which lie in of four ultra - slender fans , seven pig heat pipes , a large redesigned vapor chamber to keep the CPU and GPU cool , and the company ’s proprietary Element 31 thermal spread , which also help dissipate heat on the processor and graphics chip . The honeycomb - shaped vents along the top of the keyboard deck , as well as the rear and undercarriage of the organisation , refer the position of line intake and outtake . However , there are also some vents along the sides of the notebook .
After an time of day of playing Warhammer 40 K : Darktide , the hot percentage point of the laptop computer was the left rear outlet , which my heat gun measured at 123 academic degree Fahrenheit . It ’s a bit warm , but it ’s nowhere near where your hand would normally be on a unconstipated basis . The undercarriage outlet hit 105 degrees , which let me comfortably diddle on my lap . Be cognisant that the rooter will immediately whir to life when the game start and do their good impression of a jet turbine .
Alienware m18 R2 Display and Sound
lustrous or matte ? It ’s an years - older battle for laptop users . Do you go with the vivacious colouring material , potentially mar by the glare of a glossy panel , or do you peradventure give color with a matte video display ? Alienware pick out the latter pick with its 18 - in , 2560 x 1600 , 165Hz refresh rate , 3 - millisecond response rate panel . I get an norm of 376 nits with my light metre , which is all right , but I would have preferred a turn more luminance .
Speaking of smoothness , the display also uses Nvidia G - Sync DDS technology to cut down or downright eliminate any simulacrum tearing or fragments . It work in bicycle-built-for-two with Nvidia ’s Advanced Optimus mode , which , when enable , allows you to choose which GPU the laptop will use between the incorporated and discrete GPUs .
Even as I was fighting my way through gangs of hostile in CyberPunk 2077 , I never experienced any stuttering or retardation . However , the lurid atomic number 10 of Night City that I ’ve get along to hump and beloved were nowhere nearly as vivacious on the m18 R2 ’s display , which was disappointing . It also affected the contrast in darker scenes , making it heavy to see some of the o.k. details in the environs .
A pox on bottom - mounted speakers ! For a laptop with the liberal proportion of the m18 R2 , I ’d expect a second more oomph in the audio section . Even with the pre - installed Dolby Atmos software , the distich of 2W talker did n’t properly transmit the bass on Janelle Monae ’s “ Lipstick Lover . ” The artist ’s vocals had a hint of tinniness at maximal mass , but the percussion and guitars were cleared .
The choral vocal and dialogue sounded great on Warhammer 40 K : Darktide sounded great . The audio frequency was copious and full , but I wanted more from the factual combat . Hitting enemies with a serrate shovel did n’t give that meaty thunk that I was expect for . And gunfire was quieter than expected .
Either way , whether you ’re gaming or listening to medicine , you ’re going to want to gift in a honorable gaming headset .
The 1920 x 1080p webcam on the m18 R2 is one of the better - mix shooters I ’ve seen this class . I was impressed with the colour reproduction capabilities which did a great job of becharm my skin tone and the various colors in my locs . detail were crisp enough that the camera actually enchant the distinct white , grey , and black thread formula in my sofa instead of turn it into a gray blob . You could also learn the text on my t - shirt without issue .
Alienware m18 R2 Performance
Alienware reaffirmed my making love of big - ass gaming laptops , outfitting my reappraisal unit with a 2.2 - gigacycle per second Intel Core i9 - 14900HX mainframe ( which can be clocked to 5.2GHz ) with 32 GB of DDR5 RAM , a 2 TB M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD and an Intel UHD Graphics GPU , and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 GPU with 16 GB of GDDR5 VRAM . However , if that ’s not enough power , you’re able to further upgrade the RAM and SSD up to 64 GB and 4 TB , respectively . Either agency , my limited review unit of measurement can play any AAA title at high frame rate and smooth rendering .
With a Core i9 CPU , it ’s almost a foregone conclusion that you ’re going to see great outcome on man-made benchmark . The central processing unit gave excellent results on both single and multi - core tests such as Geekbench 6 and Cinebench . The CPU will have no job outperforming most Core i7 C.P.U. as well as AMD Ryzen 7 8700 thousand processors and below . I ’d get laid to see how Alienware would fare against the Razer Blade 18 or theAcer Helios 18 .
As expected from its 4090 GPU , the laptop demolish the 3DMark tests , foreshadowing the beat my tangible - world examination was about to take . The m18 R2 hold back up the pressure sensation on the Blender bench mark , average 89 seconds after three runs .
But how does it translate to actual games ? Well , I cranked up Warhammer 40 K : Darktide to maximal setting withray tracingenabled and see the frame pace top out at 114 fps . But more often than not , the fps counter stay in the 92 - 97 fps chain of mountains . That ’s not too moth-eaten . I also attempted to put the m18 R2 through its paces with Cyberpunk . Despite crank every circumstance to Ultra or High , admit ray tracing and Nvidia DLSS , the Alienware punch through those graphics like wet toilet tissue paper . The frame charge per unit topped out at 113 Federal Protective Service and maintain a easy frame charge per unit compass of 95 – 102 fps .
All in all , the M18 R2 is an absolute beast whether you ’re using it for employment or play .
Alienware m18 R2 Battery life
Yes , the Alienware m18 R2 has a 6 - cell , 97Wh stamp battery . It also has the aforesaid Intel Core i9 CPU and Nvidia RTX 4090 GPU . As such , it goes without saying that this laptop needs to be secure in at all meter , especially when play . I force 3 hours and 17 minutes of barrage life out of the m18 R2 with both the Windows 11 and Alienware Command Center force configurations on Balanced with about 40 % brightness . During that time , I wrote this recap in Google Docs , browsed the web , did a little social media doom scrolling , and fell into an“X - Men ‘ 97”theory hole on YouTube .
The laptop did n’t fare so well when I played Cyberpunk , tapping out after 1 minute and 21 minutes .
Verdict
“ act time ’s over ! concede me Powweeeeerrr ? ! ” Dracula in Castlevania : Symphony of the Night ”
Seriously , this play tricks - out version of the Alienware m18 R2 makes me feel like a supervillain who ’s about to drip the hottest monologue . With all that power under the hood , there ’s very piddling that can stop this colossus , and believe me , I tried . No matter what literal - world or synthetic tests I threw at this beast , the laptop computer did its best Christian McCaffrey impression , remains - arming everything . And while it ’s promiscuous to get intoxicated with big businessman , the m18 R2 has a draw of other unspoiled thing going for it , such as that ace clicky , ultra - comfortable keyboard and the CyroTech cool off organization that spread out fire up well enough to use the laptop in your circle .
However , power like this does n’t come cheap , and with the laptop starting at $ 1,899 , you definitely have to find fault and choose where you ’re cash in one’s chips to upgrade , if at all , since the base example comes out swing with a Core i7 CPU , and RTX 4060 , 16 GB of RAM and a 1 TB SSD . Other business organization let in a rather dim display and frail sound . But if you ’re looking for unmitigated performance with keen chilling , fun customizable inflammation , and a clicky keyboard , theAlienware m18 R2is the echelon of high - power play .
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