Alienware 15 Gaming Laptop - Sleek, Subtle and Speedy
There has been a recent trend in gaming laptops that I can’t get enough of. Gone are the chunky, bright LED-filled monsters and in their place are thin, light and subtle machines that could easily double as a work laptop if you didn’t know any better. This movement, through both technology and, I believe, an aging gaming population, has led to much more mobile gaming systems. Ones that fit nicely in a backpack and won’t blow out your carry-on baggage weight allowance. This trend, in my experience, has really matured with Alienware’s latest. The Alienware 15 Gaming Laptop has all the power for your gaming needs, while at the same time offering a practical work and travel solution.
Alienware’s move from the most obnoxious PCs on the planet into something more in keeping with modern tastes has been happening for years now, and this laptop is representative of that. It sports a look that would put it perfectly at home in a corporate boardroom, with only the iconic Alien head logo on the back giving away the fact that this simple look hides an absolute beast of a laptop.
The unit I reviewed sported a Core 7, 16 gig of RAM, and a 5060 video card. That will run just about any game in the laptop’s native resolution (1920X1200) at full settings. I gave it a good workout with titles like Forza Horizon 6, Indiana Jones, Blood of the Dawnwalker and Onimusha, and I didn’t have an issue at all. This is going to play anything you have and play it really, really well. The only time I had to play with the settings and turn them down was when I connected the laptop to a 4K display, but that is to be expected with a 5060. You really need a 5080 to get 4K resolutions. I am sure that is not an issue for anyone who is buying a laptop, though and only for tech nerds like me who like to see how much they can push it.
One of the simplest equations in tech is Power = Heat, and when a laptop has the power that this one does, that heat has to go somewhere. This is where I am super impressed with the Alienware 15. If you were to look at it, you would see vents both on the top and the bottom of the laptop. Pretty standard, really, but these vents are actually intake vents that bring cooling air into the laptop as opposed to pushing the hot air out. The exhaust is at the rear of the laptop, and this design forces all the warm air out the back and not onto the user’s lap. Gone are the days of burnt legs while gaming, it seems. I also have to say that even when under full load, the fans remained respectably quiet. Something I can’t say for a lot of laptops.
Using the laptop for more mundane tasks, such as writing this review, was comfortable too. This is a practical design that wants to make sure it can do everything and not just be a gaming beast. There is a quick button to toggle between power modes so you can get the most out of battery life, a full-sized keyboard including a number pad and all the media controls you would expect, so you can drown out your boss with some Metallica at loud volume. The keyboard, for me, a man with gigantic hands, felt a little cramped, but to be fair, there are very few laptops out there that I can comfortably type on. It is my curse, but I suspect most people with have no issues at all.
Perhaps the most impressive thing, at least for me, is that all this power and practicality fit in such a light package. 2.25 kg, to be exact. That is nothing, really, especially considering the sheer gaming potential that this laptop offers. Alienware has really put some thought into the practicality of this machine, and it shows. There is nothing worse than your laptop feeling like a big old slab of concrete in your backpack, especially if you do a lot of travelling. As it stands, I would be more than happy to take this bad boy on a round-the-world trip.
The battery life is also pretty impressive. Gaming, obviously, sucks the juice big time, so I can’t imagine anyone is playing games more complicated than Solitaire without plugging it in. For general activities, however, I got a good 6-9 hours with a mix of word processing and media consumption. I also think I could stretch that out with some playing around in the power settings and by being a bit more conscientious. That is more than enough for most people, and I imagine that having more battery life would have increased the weight significantly. Speaking of weight, the laptop’s power brick is reasonably big, but thankfully, it will charge on a fast USB-C connection. So if you are going on a work trip and you already have a good USB-C charger, there is no need to bring the power brick. Obviously, USB-C doesn’t draw as much power, so it won’t charge as fast, but it is more than enough to keep the battery from dropping in normal use or to charge the laptop overnight.
One thing that has always set Alienware apart from the pack is the customisation options at purchase, and the Alienware 15 is no different. Buyers can choose from a range of different components to build the laptop to their specs. This range starts around the $2000 mark and goes all the way up to $4200 for all the bells and whistles. The system I used is just shy of 3000 dollars on the Alienware Australia website, and honestly it does it all. The only change I would make is that the system I used only came with a 500 GB SSD, and that, my friends, is bugger all. The only upgrade I would make if I were buying one for myself is to get a bigger hard drive; otherwise, this system was fantastic.
In all, this generation of the Alienware 15 laptop is everything I could ask for in a portable computer. Gaming power, practicality and a subtle approach to its design. It would look equally at home in a boardroom or an office as it would on the lap of a gamer sitting in a beanbag, and it features a range of tech that is designed to make use more comfortable. There is a reason Alienware have, for as long as I can remember, been well respected in this space, and that respect has been earned here. What’s more, in this age of insanely overpriced components, Alienware has managed to keep everything on the reasonable side for costs, which is an achievement in itself. If you are looking for a gaming laptop that will also fit into your normal everyday life, you won’t go wrong with this fun and powerful model.
