Gaming laptops provide an immersive gaming experience in a portable package thanks to their powerful graphics, amazing displays, and great audio. For many years now, gamers have taken to investing in quality gaming laptops that are portable and can save on space more than a desktop can. At times, these laptops can cost as much as $1,000. Considering this price, it would be important to note that there are a lot of intricacies to mobile PC gaming. So, is this laptop good for gaming?
Alienware is one of the best gaming laptops out in the market. This line of gaming laptops is solely intended for gaming which makes them any gamer’s dream choice. The sublime gaming performance of Alienware laptops is unmatched, and it combines this performance with outstanding displays and proper, modern, eye-catching designs. Alienware laptops are some of the best, and they are guaranteed to provide you with the best portable gaming experience you could ever hope for. With the current Alienware gaming laptop lineup, you have a choice between three models; the Alienware m15, Alienware m17, and Alienware Area-51m. These come in different hardware configurations that are sure to suit your needs and make your gaming experience flawless.
If you are really looking to invest in a high-performance gaming laptop with amazing specs guaranteed to suit your gaming needs, then Alienware laptops are a good choice for you. What’s even better is that there are several Alienware laptops to choose from, and you have the option of picking one that has the hardware specifications you would require for your gaming endeavors. So while the price may be an issue, later on in this article, we will have a roundup of today’s best Alienware laptops that might just save you a few bucks. It’s definitely worth scoping out the lay of the land before committing to a specific one. This article will be the definitive guide for you if you wonder if Alienware laptops are good for gaming.
What’s So Special About Alienware?
Alienware laptops are one of the best high-end gaming laptops, with the machines often appearing on the yearly want lists for gamers and best-year-review lists from critics. But why are these gaming laptops so popular? What’s so special about them?
1. Proven reliability
Alienware has a reputation for producing powerful, reliable, durable, and configurable machines. Each gaming laptop model that Alienware produces shows an increase in gaming graphics performance and battery life. This is enough to keep the tongues of most gamers wagging.
2. Top tier specs and performance
Alienware machines give gamers a chance to put some of the best hardware on the market through its paces. Serious gamers will tell you that Alienware laptops are designed specifically for gaming, and the brand focuses most on performance to improve the gaming experience. The specs on these machines are to die for.
3. The little things
Alienware makes big leaps to make the machines top contenders among gaming laptops. For example, the Alienware 15 has a proudly tactile, quick-response keyboard that features built-in customizable lighting elements. This gives a unified flow to the hardware and software. The Alienware Command Center is also helpful to make sure gamers have total control over their experience. It’s the little things that make Alienware a special brand of gaming laptops.
4. Portability
You’d be surprised that not so many gaming laptops are portable and allow you to game on the go. One of the many reasons most gamers are obsessed with Alienware laptops is that they are portable, and you can game from anywhere.
What Makes Alienware Good for Gaming?
It is not the best-that coveted position goes for some other brand-but Alienware is certainly one of the best out there. For its price point, it’s one of the best combinations of expandability, build quality and design, and specs.
Alienware laptops do have the best build and performance among major competitors like Asus ROG, Razer, and MSI. The only issue with these laptops is that they don’t have the best thermals, battery life, or size.
All in all, what really determines whether you get the best Alienware laptop for your gaming needs is the choice of specs. Here are some of the specs that you should consider to get the most out of your Alienware gaming laptop purchase:
1. GPU
Games are GPU-dependent. Most of the time, replacing a GPU is impossible. Therefore if you want a good Alienware gaming laptop, go for one with a good GPU to ensure you can play your games for longer.
2. Display
When it comes to displaying, you have to pick between resolution and speed. The fastest displays available today can go up to 360 Hz, and they come at a resolution of 1920×1080. A 4K screen will be notably slower, but it will provide a more vivid gaming experience. So consider this when choosing an Alienware laptop.
3. Keyboard
A good gaming laptop should have a good keyboard. If the keyboard is stiff and difficult to use, you will ruin your entire gaming experience. So when choosing an Alienware laptop, consider the keyboard.
4. Battery Life
In any gaming laptop, the battery life will be inefficient. That’s a given with a good gaming laptop. So if you want to get the best out of your Alienware purchase, consider the battery life of the laptop you choose.
5. Upgradability
Is the Alienware model you are considering upgradeable? When talking about upgradability in gaming laptops, RAM and SSD upgrades are what is expected. A good Alienware gaming laptop will let you upgrade after a few years.
All in all, Alienware laptops are good for gaming, provided you make the right choice that has all the specs you’ll need for a fluid gaming experience.
Why Is Alienware So Expensive?
One major down-seller of Alienware laptops is the hefty price they attract. Despite their impeccable performance and top-of-the-line specs, most gamers still have a bone to pick with the price these machines fetch compared to their counterparts. Alienware laptops are priced from an average of $1,200-$2,500 or even more in some cases. Compared to other competitors, the price of Alienware laptops can be from $200-$300 more. So why is this the case?
Well, it’s because Alienware laptops are built with only the best components, and everything is tested well to make sure integrations are rock solid. Another reason for the expensive cost of Alienware laptops is their functioning, which is impossible to find in gaming desktops cheaper than Alienware. This culminates in pricier laptops compared to others in the market.
Is Alienware Really Worth It?
Alienware has been known to provide gamers with the ultimate gaming experience, and it doesn’t come cheap, as we have already seen earlier in this article. But one question that still lingers is whether Alienware laptops are any good. Are they worth it?
Alienware is worth it. Despite the at times crazy prices, this brand has firmly established itself as one of the best gaming laptop producers on the market. An Alienware laptop houses a powerful graphics processing unit (GPU), and it also has a powerful CPU. In addition to this, Alienware laptops also have a higher RAM than other laptops and desktop computers.
Alienware laptops come equipped with 10th gen Intel Core i7 or even an i9 processor. These come with up to 12-phase Hyper Efficient Voltage regulation. The processor enables up to 8 cores and 16 threads of multi-threaded performance. This means that these laptops can easily carry out multiple tasks, and you can play games fluently and smoothly.
Alienware laptops have a user-friendly keyboard and touchpad. The keyboard is featured with an optional 4-zone RGB N-Key rollover and anti-ghosting technology. It also has pre-key AlienFX lighting that allows you to customize each key separately. New versions of Alienware laptops have a precision point glass touchpad that gives a unique user experience.
The design of Alienware laptops also makes them unique as they feature a sci-fi styling outlook which is desirable for any gamer.
In addition to all this, the Dell support team gives considerate customer support, so you can always get help via email or phone if you run into any problems.
So as you can see, although Alienware laptops are quite pricey, for the most part, they are still very much worth it.
How Long Do Alienware Laptops Last?
At some point in time, all PCs go out of date. Usually, how long your PC lasts will usually depend on how you maintain your device and for what purpose you use your device. If your laptop performs basic operations, you can expect it to last for longer than performing complex tasks. And this logic is what informs how long we expect gaming laptops to last.
Gaming is a complex task and can overwork your PC. And if you are an avid gamer and you spend a lot of time on your PC, chances are that its lifespan will be significantly lower. Gaming PCs will last for several years before you start noticing a drop in their performance, especially in terms of battery life.
If you don’t overclock an Alienware laptop and maintain it well, it can last for at least five years or so, just like any other laptop. But this only holds if you use the laptop for basic tasks. But since we are talking about Alienware gaming laptops, these will usually last for 2-3 years before you start noticing a drop in performance. You can still use your Alienware gaming laptop for a year or more after the drop in performance before it becomes almost unusable.
Best Alienware Gaming Laptops
By now, you are probably already sold on the fact that Alienware laptops can be good for all your gaming endeavors. So you are probably already planning on getting one. To help out, we have rounded up a shortlist of Alienware gaming laptops so you can distinguish between them and make an informed decision.
1. Alienware Area-51m
The design of this machine is cool and out of this world. The machine is so powerful it requires two separate AC adaptors to run at full performance. Its CPU and GPU are both fully upgradeable, which isn’t the case for most laptops.
For the baseline RTX 2060, Intel Core i7-10700, 16GB RAM, and a 256GB SSD, the prices start at around $2,000. As you can expect, you can upgrade these components to an Intel Core i9 and RTX 2080.
You can get the Alienware Area-51m with a 9th generation i9 processor, with a 2080 graphics card and up to 64GB of RAM. This can devour any game or task that’s thrown at it. Even toned-down variations with i7 processors and 2060 graphics cards will allow you to game for hours on end with ease and incredibly smoothly.
2. Alienware m17 R3
If you are looking to save some cash on a premium gaming laptop, then this is a good choice. Here, you’re looking at a price of around $1,800. As the name suggests, this laptop boasts a 17-inch screen, making it a good choice if you value great visuals. You can fit the Alienware m17 R3 with an RTX 2080 graphics card, making it future-proof and guaranteed to improve your gaming experience.
3. Alienware m15 R3
It’s thin, light, and powerful thanks to the NVidia Max-Q graphics and up to the i9 processor. Although its design replaces older GPUs with newer ones, this doesn’t mean it’s pricey. It’s still a bit cheaper than its biggest competitors, and you get top-notch performance for your money. It will likely cost about $1,900. All in all, it’s a good gaming laptop that is reliable and has great performance.
There are several gaming laptops that offer stylish designs, quality keyboards, and the ability to use high-end VAR headsets. What’s even amazing is that a good gaming laptop can be double-duty and be used as a serious workstation. But all in all, gaming laptops are great for avid gamers. There are so many laptops to choose from, and things can get pretty complicated. One of the names that come up when it comes to gaming laptops is Alienware. As you would expect, Alienware laptops are not cheap gaming laptops by any stretch of your imagination. Most gamers have a problem with the way these devices are priced.
