Dell Alienware M15 Review – Is This A Good Gaming Laptop?

Dell Alienware M15 Review - Is This A Good Gaming Laptop
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The Dell Alienware M15 gaming laptop is one of the more famous higher-end laptops that you can buy right now in 2022. Sporting the latest 12th Generation Intel Core i7 processor and the beefy NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti.

But, how well does this laptop perform compared to competitors like the Lenovo Legion 5i and the Razer Blade 15? Read this Dell Alienware M15 review to get the full picture now!

Dell Alienware M15 Specifications

The primary specifications of the Dell Alienware M15 gaming laptop that I got to use are:

OSWindows 11 Home
Display15.6” screen with 2K resolution (2560×1440) and 240Hz Refresh Rate
Processor12th Generation Intel Core i7 12700H
Graphics CardNVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti 16GB
RAM32GB (2x16GB)
Storage1TB NVMe SSD
Keyboard And TrackpadAlienware M Series RGB KeyboardMultitouch Premium Precision Glass Touchpad
Camera720p @ 30fps
SpeakersRealtek ALC3254
Connectivity1x USB Type-A 3.2 Gen 1 5Gbps Port1x USB Type-A 3.2 Gen 1 5Gbps Port with Powershare1x Type-C port (Includes Thunderbolt™ 4, USB 3.2 Gen 2x DisplayPort 1.4, and Power Delivery (5V/3A) capabilities)1x USB Type-A 3.2 Gen 11x HDMI 2.1 with HDCP 2.3 support1x Power DC In1x RJ-45 Killer E3100 2.5Gbps Ethernet port1x Global headset jack (3.5mm)
DimensionsHeight: 23.95 mm (0.94”)Width: 356.2 mm (14.02”)Depth: 272.50 mm (10.73”)
Colors AvailableDark Side of the Moon (Glossy Dark Gray)
Price$1,649.99

Dell Alienware M15 Review

After spending around two weeks with this version of the Dell Alienware M15 R7, I made it suffer through various tasks and activities. All of these tasks that I have conducted were done to test the limits and full capabilities of the laptop. Here is what I found out:

Build Quality And Design

Build Quality And Design

When it comes to the build quality and design of the laptop, Dell laptops have always performed well here. The Dell Alienware M15 is no exception here, sporting a cool-looking chassis and solid build right out of the box.

One look and touch of this laptop will make you feel its premium attributes. It feels pretty sturdy to hold, weighing around 2.6kgs (5.8lbs). Plus, the design is pretty good, with a glowing Alienware logo at the back. This looks good above the glossy dark gray color of this laptop, dubbed the “Dark Side of the Moon.”

The display is pretty good, in my opinion, comparable to most other high-end gaming laptops in this price range. Even though it does not support 4K resolution, it still looks pretty good with bright colors and proper contrast adjustment. It also has a 240Hz refresh rate, which will turn out to be pretty significant for competitive eSports gamers.

What I really liked about this laptop are the cooling fans, which are directly above the keyboard area and closer to the base of the screen. The fans are pretty large and dissipate heat very quickly. However, the laptop definitely will get hotter after gaming for 3 or more hours constantly while on charge.

The keyboard is not a mechanical keyboard, but it definitely does have the feeling of one. It felt pretty good and sturdy to type and play games. However, I would any day personally prefer having an external RGB mechanical keyboard and a gaming mouse connected. 

Connectivity

Connectivity

As far as connectivity ports go, there are many in this laptop, similar to the Dell Alienware M15 R4 laptop. It has three different USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports, with one of them supporting Powershare for faster file transfers. In addition, it has one Type C port with Thunderbolt that acts as the USB 3.2 Gen 2 port for connecting additional devices.

Apart from these, it has the standard fare HDMI 2.0 port, along with a global 3.5mm headset jack. This headset jack serves as the connecting point for both audio output and input, supporting both headsets and microphones.

Performance

Performance

Coming to the main section of this Dell Alienware M15 review – is its performance. My tests involved conducting heavy gaming, along with non-gaming productive tasks as well. 

While gaming, this laptop proved to be an absolute beast here. I played both single-player and multiplayer games, the latter of which requires higher FPS as a bare necessity.

Here are the average frame rates while playing these games at maximum settings at 1080p resolution across various AAA titles. Also, keep in mind that RTX ray tracing was enabled here. Disabling it will give an increase of 10+ fps. In addition, all the multiplayer games were played at the lowest settings to maximize the FPS (for competitive purposes). 

TitleAverage FPS Range
Elden Ring70 – 80
God Of War80 – 90
Shadow Warrior 3140 – 160
Apex Legends130 – 150 (lowest settings)
Rainbow Six: Siege200 – 220 (lowest settings)
Ghostwire: Tokyo60 – 70
Valorant180 – 200 (lowest settings)
Call Of Duty: Warzone140 – 160 (lowest settings)

All these games have run pretty smoothly so far. However, I would definitely recommend turning RTX ray tracing and DLSS off for single-player gaming. This is because the increase in  graphical fidelity is not worth the 10 to 20 fps drop in-game. However, its battery life is not as good as expected in this price range, dropping below 20% in just 2.5 hours of gaming (unplugged).

Also, designing apps like Adobe Premiere Pro and After Effects ran pretty smoothly. I was able to edit 2K videos without any lag.

Dell Alienware M15 Customer Reviews

Dell Alienware M15 Customer Reviews

Here is what one of the customers had to say about the Dell Alienware M15 R7:

👩 Tasha Godspell:

As a long-time Alienware user (from the m17x R1 to the 13 r3 and a lot more in between to now having the privilege of owning the m15 r5 and m15 r7), I was initially disappointed with Alienware’s movement towards their parent company Dell. However, once I saw what they were brewing underneath, I felt very justified. Gone are the days of metal and anodized aluminum. No more free ProSupport warranty and no more long throw, excellent keyboard, and thick chassis with barely a fan noise. 

In return, we got a mind-blowing performance, one that can rival that of a desktop but on the go. A new somewhat mechanical keyboard from cherry, a flimsy but beautiful top cover on the bright, clear, and fast display. A cooling performance that is un-Alienware in its shortness and high pitch but is very Alienware in the way it pushes the next generation hardware inside to their absolute limit. And to the contrary, it is cheaper than its predecessor and if you don’t want the alien logo but still want the excellent performance, Alienware finally got a little brother that is more sensible in the form of the Dell G series.

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions):-

Here are some answers to the most frequently asked questions regarding the Dell Alienware M15 gaming laptop:

Q1. Is The Dell Alienware M15 Good For Gaming?

Ans: Yes, the Dell Alienware M15 is a fantastic laptop for gaming. Its specification is good enough to support all the latest games of 2022. You can play them all at medium to high settings at 60+ fps and multiplayer games at even 100+ fps at the lowest settings.

Q2. Is The Dell Alienware M15 Upgradeable?

Ans: Yes, the Dell Alienware M15 is upgradeable. When you first buy this laptop, it comes with Windows 10 preinstalled. You can upgrade this to Windows 11 for free. You can also increase the RAM of this laptop by attaching an extra RAM stick.

Q3. Is The Dell Alienware M15 R3 RAM Upgradeable?

Ans: Yes, the Dell Alienware M15 R3 is RAM upgradeable. While it comes out of the box with 32GB RAM, you can install an additional stick worth 32GB more.

Q4. Is The Dell Alienware M15 Good For Video Editing?

Ans: Yes, the Dell Alienware M15 is good enough for video editing. It will easily support Adobe Premier Pro and Adobe After Effects without any lag, even while editing 4K videos.

Final Verdict: Is The Dell Alienware M15 A Good Buy In 2022?

Judging by its performance over the two weeks I had it in my hand, I would say it’s a must-buy if you are a serious gamer and can afford it. It has some pretty killer specifications that are more than enough to run most games (and upcoming ones as well) pretty easily. 

Its heating was the only issue I had found, but that is to be expected from all gaming laptops, irrespective of how pricey they are. It performs better than the Lenovo Legion 5i but not almost as good as the Razer Blade 15. 

ProsCons
➼ Amazing gaming performance
➼ Great keyboard
➼ Solid build quality
➼ Sub-par battery life
➼ Cooling system looks cool but could have been better

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debamalya

Debamalya is a professional content writer from Kolkata, India. Constantly improving himself in this industry for more than three years, he has amassed immense knowledge regarding his niches of writing tech and gaming articles. He loves spending time with his cats, along with playing every new PC action game as soon as possible.

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