Alienware M17 R3 Review RTX 2080 Super + i9 10980HK = BEAST MODE
Alienware M17 R3 Review - Intro
The Alienware M17 R3 packs the highest end components (RTX 2080 Super + i9-10980HK) that money can buy into the sleekest, lightest profile it can… Alienware’s goal: To make the supercar of gaming laptops. Did they succeed? Well, I can tell you it’s a high performance monster, but some odd design decisions can really dampen the fun on some configurations.
PRO: Lots of Configuration Options
First, I love that you can order this laptop in so many different configurations. It gives consumers a lot of flexibility to treat this device as a mid-tier to ultra-high end notebook depending on how fat of a wallet they have. The unit I tested comes with their highest end components with the i9-10980HK and RTX 2080 Super (Non-Max-Q 150W version), so just know that if you get the less expensive GPU’s you’re likely to get better bang for the buck because you typically pay a premium for the most powerful GPU configurations.
CON: Nvidia Optimus Doesn’t Come with All Configs
Arguably, the most important hidden option that Alienware hides is whether each configuration comes with Nvidia Optimus. Sadly, the configuration that I have does not. As far as I can tell any model that has a 300hz display does not come with it. The models that should have Optimus would be the 144 hz non-gsync version and the 4K display option (according to a reddit thread of other users reporting whether they had Optimus or not), but I would confirm with Alienware on your specific configuration before ordering.
PRO: 150W RTX 2080 Super Provides Excellent GPU Performance
There's no beating around the bush. This machine gets the job done when it comes to GPU performance, especially for it's slim profile. Let's take a look at some benchmarks and see how the M17 R3 stacks up to the competition.
It still doesn’t beat out the thicker Alienware Area 51M with RTX 2080 (200W) from last year, but its really close, which is impressive considering how much thinner and lighter this machine is.
Another interesting comparison is with the Razer Blade Pro 17, which is the Max-Q variant of the RTX 2080 Super. The M17 outclasses the Razer in every test, which makes sense because of the increased power limits. That said, in my opinion, the Razer does hold it own since it has a slightly smaller profile compared to the M17, especially when you look at real game benchmarks, the Razer only lags a few frames behind the M17 in Far Cry 5 and Shadow of the Tomb Raider.
PRO: The i9-10980HK Provides Top tier Performance for M17's Class
While the CPU does run quite hot, the M17 R3 was able to maintain a very high clock speed while rendering out 4k video file, outperforming other high end 8-core thin systems, such as the Razer Blade Pro 17.
Alienware has clearly improved their thermals since I tested the original M15 R2 from last year. The CPU was able to handle a sustained load of about 100W of power without dropping clock speeds, which is really impressive. With a laptop cooler, repasting CPU, and tweaking the undervolt--I'm sure even more performance could be pulled from this system. I love that Alienware is giving their customers the ability to maximize their performance. I would, however, be cautious with these really hot temps. If you plan on extended rendering non-stop, I would recommend keeping the temps 90C or lower, which can be achieved through a number of methods such as slightly reducing the power limit.
I do want to mention that its only able to push 100W under a CPU only load. While running dual CPU/GPU load in my stress test, the power limit is much lower. See stress test below for exact numbers (45W, depending on power profile).
CON: The Price to Performance Is Just Okay for CPU and GPU
Considering this is the RTX 2080 Super, the highest end configuration, I wouldn’t expect great bang for the buck, but considering the high end components and premium fit and finish, I don’t think the bang for the buck is too bad. You’ll see a lot more performance for the money with the 1660 TI, RTX 2060, and 2070 configurations—but if you’re on a budget and want the most performance for your money, you might want to look at less flashy options that cut the fancy lights and saves you a few bucks.
PRO: The Performance Per Pound is Excellent for GPU/CPU
Considering the overall form factor of the M17 R3, it delivers excellent performance on a per lb basis, better than most laptops. That said, the M15 R3 will likely deliver very similar performance in an even lighter form factor. I also have to point out that the new Ryzen CPU’s with 7 nm are much more power efficient so laptops like the Zephyrus G14, which I also reviewed (link), will provide more performance on a per pound basis for CPU’s at least.
Mixed: GPU/CPU Stress Test Reveals Power Limits
My mixed CPU/GPU stress running Firestrike CPU test and the Heaven Benchmark is designed to push gaming laptops to the limit and see what sustained performance looks like under heavy extended gaming loads. The M17 R3 clearly shines the brightest when under the Full Speed fan mode setting, but even under that setting we're seeing reduced CPU clock speeds down to 3.65 ghz. This wasn't because of thermal throttling, with an average temp of only 87 degrees. What we're seeing here is a 45 watt power limit under extended dual loads. This same CPU power limit doesn’t exist when running solo CPU loads like when rendering video in the Handbrake test or Cinebench R15, where we saw the power limit rise up to 100W and have a much higher sustained CPU clock speed.
PRO: Great Selection of Ports, But Not Perfect
The port selection on this machine is nearly perfect, but unfortunately it is still missing a full-size SD card. While the Alienware Graphics Amplifier port does provide slightly more performance than running an eGPU through Thunderbolt 3, if they removed it, they would be able to fit a Full Size SD card reader instead, which I believe more users would use.
PRO: 300 hz Display is Gold Standard for Competitive Gaming
While many people will scoff at the idea of 300 frames per second, the simple fact is some games can actually get that many frames per second because they were built from the ground up to be light weight and maintain high FPS. Think Fornight, Countr-Strike: GO, Overwatch, and Valorant. These are competitive shooter titles, which can all pretty much easily hit above 200+ FPS regularly, if not straight up average 300 FPS consistently, depending on what settings you play with. That said, many games will never reach that high of frame rates. I think its just nice to have the option. If you don’t feel like you need the 300hz, Alienware offers a 144hz option as well which will save you a few bucks.
CON: Display Resolution, Colors, and Brightness are Nothing Special
My Spyder 5 Elite tested it at 294 nits in the center, with 93% sRGB and 76% AdobeRGB, which means that this display, while it is extremely responsive for gaming, simply doesn't make colors pop like more colorful and brighter displays. This isn't so much a criticism of the M17 as it is a criticism of the gaming laptop industry as a whole. There is only a handful of gamers out there that crave a 300 hz display with only a 76% AdobeRGB. I think about 95% of gamers would much prefer a 1440P, 144hz, 100% AdobeRGB display over the 300hz lower color displays that are gaining momentum right now.
If you sit this display next to the 4K 120hz 100% AdobeRGB display Razer Blade Pro 17 has, you can immediately tell a difference in detail from the resolution, overall brightness, and increased colors making the your gaming experience that much better.
Alienware does offer a 4K 60hz option with increased brightness and color range, but unfortunately, this display is clearly inferior to the Razer display in response time and at only 60hz and 25 ms you'll be at a disadvantage in competitive shooters. I want to see more manufacturers go the route of higher resolution, high color gamut, and good response time.
PRO: Keyboard Has Excellent Feel, Great Layout, and Deep Key Travel
I have no complaints about the keyboard. Not everyone will love the feel of it, but I do. It’s a really impressive keyboard and one of the best around. We have a full size number pad, arrow keys, home/end/page up/down keys, and the keys have a satisfying feel in my opinion.
PRO: Touch Pad Works Great
The glass touchpad feels great and the Microsoft Precision drivers do it justice, but it is not clickable at the top of the touchpad.
PRO: Lighting On this Machine Looks INSANE
I love the TRON lights on the back and the fully backlit keyboard, every symbol and cutout is illuminated. Even the power button and alienware logo on the back. Colors everywhere! Not everyone wants that, so you can always turn the lights off if needed.
PRO: Webcam Included!
I can’t believe I have to point this out, but the webcam is a small but welcome feature. I am still not a fan of some manufacturer's skipping out on it, especially during this pandemic where video calls are more prevalent.
PRO: Build Quality is High, Materials are High Quality, Generally Rigid
The keyboard has some flex, especially above the touchpad, but generally the build quality is very good with a rigid body.
CON: White Exterior Might Suffer from Discoloration After Extended Use
I've been using an Alienware Area 51M, and I've experienced some discloration of the wrist rests since I bought it 15 months ago. Alienware claims to have fixed this with a "high endurance clear coat", but only time will tell if it's going to completely prevent discoloration.
CON: Speakers Get Loud, but Are Muddled
The speakers can get loud and you can feel the base thump a bit, but unfortunately, the mids and highs do not maintain clarity at loud volumes. The audio profiles in the Alienware Command Center do help improve the audio, but EQ profiles can only help so much. There is also not enough right/left audio separation for clear spatial tracking in games without headphones in my experience, which was much better on the Razer Blade Pro 17.
CON: Battery Life Without Optimus is Terrible
The laptop comes with a 86 WH battery and when its paired up with this ultra high end hardware, but without power savings like Nvidia Optimus, the battery life becomes straight up abysmal. As I mentioned earlier, some configurations have been confirmed to come with Nvidia Optimus, but the model I have does not. With Optimus, the battery in last years M17 R2 was quite good, getting about 5 hours of web browsing. I would expect similar battery life in this years model, if not a little more since the battery size has increased just slightly from 76wh to 86wh. Without Optimus, the M17 R3 is the bottom of its class. The power brick is also quite large and heavy, so you should factor that into your overall carry weight when compared with competitors.
The terrible battery life can be alleviated some with a USB-C battery bank, but even with a battery bank don’t expect great battery life when the default battery dies so quickly. See this comparison review of USB-C battery banks that I recently did.
CON: No Biometric Sign Options
There’s no Windows Hello or fingerprint sensors for those of you that like those conveniences. I have kind of fallen in love with WIndows Hello personally.
CON: Alienware Command Center is Lackluster
The Alienware Command Center is touted as a powerful overclocking tool, but I’ve had lots of issues with it in the past. I hope that recent updates permanently fix the problems I’ve had with it. Mainly, the software would not save my lighting profile on my Area 51M, and from my experience, overclocking with the software was not great. The other issue is the forced updating that software goes through regularly. If you want to quickly adjust fan profiles, sometimes you’ll have to wait for lengthy updates to finish first.
Is the Alienware M17 R3 Worth Buying?
Yes, absolutely this machine is worth buying if you can get past a couple negatives. In summary, the Alienware M17 R3 delivers excellent performance for its size and weight. Alienware allows for higher power limits, increasing performance, compared to rivals like the Razer Blade Pro 17. It has a variety of configuration options to meet different budgets. The keyboard and touchpad a great. The Alienware M17 R3 is a bit on the expensive side, but I would argue that because there are so many configuration options, customers can spend what they want to spend and get a configuration that meets their needs, though you will be paying a bit extra for the fancy lights. Be sure to buy a Nvidia Optimus enabled configuration, unless you really want the 300 hz display. Overall, many gamers are going to fall in love with this beautiful machine because of its high level of performance in such a slim package.