The Alienware m15 and m17 gaming laptops have been refreshed at Computex 2019 to include
Intel’s newest 9th generation CPUs, but they’re not just getting hardware upgrades,
the design has also been revamped to match the style of the larger Alienware 51m, so
let’s find out what’s new.
Dell are saying the entire machine has been redesigned to accomodate the new 9th gen CPUs
as well as Nvidia’s GTX 16 series and RTX 20 series graphics. They can be specced right
up to the 8 core i9, and like the last generation the 2070 and 2080 options are Max-Q while
the lower options are not.
Straight away we can see how they visually resemble the recent Alienware 51m, the back
of both the m15 and m17 have the same lighting and exhaust vents on the back.
The screen also has slimmer bezels now, no more huge top and bottom sections, however
it does still appear to be a glossy material like its predecessor. For the screen itself
in the m15 you’ll have the option of 1080p 60Hz, 144Hz, 240Hz, or 4K OLED, while the
m17 has the options of a 1080p 60Hz or 144Hz screen, so if you’re after 240Hz or OLED
the m15 is your only option at the moment until panel manufacturers release new 17 inch
options.
It does now include tobii eye tracking down the bottom, making the m15 the first 15 inch
laptop to feature it.
Dell claim that their latest Cryo-tech 3.0 cooling solution that these new models have
increases airflow by over 20% over the last gen m15 and 25% with the m17. The new design
uses new materials and wider fans with more blades. I’m very interested to see how this
holds out, as we’ve seen in my previous Alienware m15 and m17 testing they both ran
quite hot while under heavy load. I’m a little skeptical as they have made them thinner
as well, and generally less space means it’s going to be harder to cool. At their thickest
points, both versions are 20.5mm or 0.8 inches thick.
They’re made out of a magnesium alloy, so felt quite solid while also not being too
heavy, the maximum weight for the m15 is 2.1kg or 2.6kg for the m17.
Dell mentioned they’re using a hyper efficient voltage regulator design, with 6 phase CPU
voltage regulator and 8 phase for the GPU, more than the older models, and this applies
to the 1660 Ti and above configurations and should allow for higher performance over longer
sustained periods.
In terms of I/O on the left from the back is a Kensington lock, air exhaust vent, ethernet
port, USB Type-A port and 3.5mm audio combo jack. The right just has two USB Type-A ports
and air exhaust vent, while the back from left to right has HDMI and mini DisplayPort
outputs, Type-C Thunderbolt 3 port, Graphics Amplifier port, and the power input.
The lid is clean with just a 15 or 17 printed towards the bottom corner depending on which
model it is, with the Alienware logo in the center towards the top which lights up, matching
the power button on the top right above the keyboard.
Speaking of the keyboard, it’s got per key RGB lighting which looked a bit better when
compared to the older model, and it’s got a 1.7mm travel distance. The m15 doesn’t
appear to have a numpad, however that looks to be included with the larger m17. The touchpad
is glass and uses precision drivers and felt very smooth.
Underneath there are air vents towards the back, and just based on how they look I’d
expect these to provide better air flow when compared to the older model.
Apart from that, the Alienware 51m was also on display, and while I was at the event filming
I received an email about the 51m being available for me to review when I get back home, so
expect a full review on that soon.
In terms of pricing and availability, in the US both the new m15 and m17 will be available
from the 11th of June, starting at $1500 USD for both models.
I’m keen to hear what you guys think about the new m15 and m17 gaming laptops from Alienware
down in the comments, I think they look better but do you think they’ve improved the cooling
enough to take on the 9th gen 8 core Intel CPUs? We’ll find out once I get them in
for testing, so make sure you’re subscribed for future tech videos like that.