Like nearly gaming laptop manufacturers Alienware has updated their line-up to take advantage of Nvidia's first-class GeForce 10 series graphics chips. Significantly faster than their predecessors, GeForce ten mobile chips are as capable as their desktop counterparts, which makes mod gaming laptops first-form citizens. If you lot've steered clear of mobile gaming machines in the by due to performance concerns, at present is the time to jump correct in.

For 2016-2017, Alienware has stuck with a simple gaming laptop selection which we appreciate. There are just three models on the market: the Alienware xiii, the Alienware 15, and the Alienware 17. As yous can guess, the key divergence between these products is the display size, though the larger models tend to have more powerful internals as well.

Upwards for review today is the latest Alienware xv, which sits in the middle from both a size and price perspective. The Alienware fifteen is fully configurable with a wide range of hardware, with prices ranging from $1,350 for the base model to $2,700 for the pinnacle-spec system. Regardless of what model you cull, you'll exist receiving the same chassis with a 15.6-inch display.

The model we received for testing is close to the basic model which is actually well equipped for the price. Inside is a Core i7-6700HQ processor, 16GB of RAM, a GeForce GTX 1060, and a 256GB SSD combined with a 1TB hard drive. The brandish is 1080p, although at that place is a 4K pick. You tin can purchase this model for $i,574.99 from Dell.

For gamers who want more functioning in the same class cistron, the Alienware 15 is also available with a GeForce GTX 1070 within. This option adds $225 onto the toll and should boost frame rates by around xl percent.

Watch the video review

Like many of Alienware's past laptops, the Alienware 15 is a massive unit. At 25.4mm thick it's like in thickness to other fifteen-inch gaming laptops, however the interesting swivel assembly that'due south prepare back several inches from the rear edge adds considerably to the size of the unit. The Alienware 15 is also very heavy: at 3.49kg (7.7 pounds) it's more than 1kg heavier than its some of its competitors, and that's partially due to a massive cooling solution and a larger-than-average battery.

The size of the Alienware fifteen is immediately apparent in the amount of bezel around the fifteen.half dozen-inch display, particularly along the bottom edge. This is a design trend that many other gaming laptop manufacturers use, but information technology'due south not i I'm a fan of, every bit slimmer bezels create a more bonny design. With only a few minor alterations, the Alienware xv could have included a 17-inch display in chassis that'south no larger.

The angular chassis is complemented by Alienware's signature Y-shaped hat design, complete with the alien head logo. Aside from the silver metal lid, most of the Alienware 15 is constructed from soft-bear on blackness plastic, which looks slick and gives the laptop a clean await. This is i of the better-looking gaming laptops I've reviewed, as Alienware has toned downward the level of terrible 'gamer style' that tends to plague these systems. Information technology is, yet, a fingerprint magnet.

Of grade, the Alienware 15 only lacks 'gamer' elements when yous plow off the ludicrous amount of LED lighting around its body. This laptop features 12 multi-colour lighting zones: four in the keyboard, four on the edges of the base of operations and lid, one for each alien head logo, one for the large Alienware text, and one for the unabridged trackpad surface. Y'all tin customize each of these zones with whatever colour you want, which allows for a decent level of personalization, and with so many LEDs y'all certainly won't exist left out of electric current PC gaming pattern trends.

While I'm typically non a fan of gamers just putting LEDs wherever they tin can possibly fit them, the Alienware 15's LED lighting is more often than not quite tasteful, so long as you utilise a decent color scheme. The laptop besides looks bully in a stealth manner of sorts, with all the LEDs disabled.

The Alienware 15'southward heavy build is sturdy, and includes a smooth yet stable swivel that exhibits only slight wobble when tapped. There is a small amount of flex in the lid, however the chassis seems strong enough to resist harm from any transportation. For the most part, though, I expect this creature of a laptop will stay tethered to a desk.

To adapt the beastly cooling solution in this laptop, the base of operations sits several millimeters to a higher place your desk on plastic stands. Along the bottom of the Alienware 15 is a massive array of cooling vents that intake air, exhausting out through ii large heatsinks along the rear border. There are two additional vents to aid with cooling every bit well: an intake on the right edge, and an exhaust on the left edge. The front end edge is occupied by higher up boilerplate but non spectacular laptop speakers; at to the lowest degree they are loud.

The ports on the Alienware xv have been cleverly bundled for using this laptop primarily at a desk. Along the dorsum edge are ports you'd normally leave connected, such every bit the proprietary ability connector, Gigabit Ethernet, HDMI ii.0, mini-DisplayPort 1.two and the proprietary Graphics Amplifier port. At that place'south also a unmarried USB Type-C port that supports Thunderbolt 3 on the rear.

The left side is where yous'll discover an additional USB-C port, although this port only supports USB 3.0. There's also a Type-A USB 3.0 port and two audio jacks on this border, positioned for peripherals you might want more frequent access to. On the right edge is an additional USB 3.0 Type-A port, which leaves the Alienware fifteen with but two total-sized USB ports. When combined with the USB-C ports this should be plenty for virtually users.

There's one other key feature on the Alienware 15 that makes information technology stand up out from other gaming laptops: full Windows Hello support through a depth-sensing facial recognition webcam above the display. Windows x's facial recognition is fast and accurate, making this a fantastic way to secure your laptop. Raise the chapeau of the Alienware 15 and yous'll exist logged in and gear up for activeness substantially instantly.