The latest 17.3-inch Alienware is going all-in with hardware and features not found on almost any other gaming laptop. Not only does the Area-51m leapfrog over the 45 W Core H-series for full-fat 95 W Core K-series CPUs, but it also sports removable graphics and Tobii eye-tracking all in a narrow-bezel chassis. Is this $3000+ portable powerhouse really comparable to a desktop PC of similar specifications?
https://www.notebookcheck.net/Alienware-Area-51m-i9-9900K-RTX-2080-Laptop-Review.414667.0.html
Very good review,
But it's really bizarre, my own Alienware 51m with exactly the same spec, has a different panel than yours.
It's an AU Optronics B173HAN, but i can't determine which version is it, maybe 3.0 same as Eurocom Sky X7C or 4.0... I think that the AUO panel provide better contrast than LG one.
I think it's kind of lottery.
Excellent review indeed. As an Alienware fan, I bought the Area 51M as soon as it was out for order, but I appreciate the drawbacks listed here.
An addition to the review that would help people make a purchase decision would be some overclock/underclock tests as well. I run my beast with a -0.1V undervolt and 4.7 GHz (down from 5.0 GHz) clock, and must say that gaming is super top notch still.
Great laptop, nice to see manufacturers finally adding low-noise options (even at the cost of performance).
But 2 hours battery runtime... how is this better than a RTX2080-based desktop with 27" screen + a cheap ULV laptop, that cost the same together?
Are you sure the clevo model can hold the 9900K without throttling turbo rates? The CB15 scores are very similar and those ~1800 scores are typical for a 9900K power throttled at 95 W - it should be above 2000 if not throttled.
Therefore there actually not much difference between the two.
Are you going to review the 2.6kg version, Alienware m17?
its super slim and comes with i9-9900 45w, wonder what's the performance difference...
Just as an FYI (good review BTW) but you can disable (or should be able to disable) the auto dimming in the Tobii Eye Tracking Software.
My 17 R4 used to turn off when it detected I wasn't in front of it for more than 30min, but you can change it in that settings. Just wanted to advise since it was a source of frustration.
All the reviews I've read or watched on the Area 51M point to a subpar display at in a premium gaming laptop bracket. Contrast ranges from 500:1 to 800:1, HORRIBLE ratio. Response times from 10 to 20 ms which is not responsive enough for 140 fps, not matched for that 144hz refresh rate.
LG laptop displays are just bad for gaming...
ASUS has dibs on best AUO Optronics gaming displays; contrast ratio always above 1000:1 and response times from 7 to 10, which is matched to a refresh rate upwards of 130hz/fps.
This laptop costs 8000 Australian Dollar, who buys this even ?
i can get two RTX Titan with this price tag and they will laugh at the Alienware ~_~ i wish they would have included normal RTX 2080 in the M17 not the MAX-Q,
Me - I bought one.
4100 USD, Hyper X 64GB, dual 256GB SSDs, 1TB SSHD included, 9900K, 2070M, 144Hz G-sync screen, Win 10 Home. It will be more expensive when the 7xx GB 905p is released by Intel, but that will be the final config / upgrade and cost for this machine - so who knows, an extra 650 USD?
That included shipping to Asia. So if they are charging $8k AUS, you need to shop around.
3dmark.com/3dm11/13295720
Quote from: bodayw on March 22, 2019, 13:36:18
Are you sure the clevo model can hold the 9900K without throttling turbo rates? The CB15 scores are very similar and those ~1800 scores are typical for a 9900K power throttled at 95 W - it should be above 2000 if not throttled.
Therefore there actually not much difference between the two.
My 51M R15 scores beat their Desktop 9900K machine.
I had only selected overclock level 2. No other changes.
Quote from: Severous on March 22, 2019, 10:42:12
Very good review,
But it's really bizarre, my own Alienware 51m with exactly the same spec, has a different panel than yours.
It's an AU Optronics B173HAN, but i can't determine which version is it, maybe 3.0 same as Eurocom Sky X7C or 4.0... I think that the AUO panel provide better contrast than LG one.
I think it's kind of lottery.
Mine says AUO409D. I think this is the AUO B173HAN04.0 (AUO409D).
1000:1 contrast ratio.
I bought mine, fully loaded, to replace an aging M18xR2 with 2 X 980's in SLI. It's a very fast machine, but seriously? $5K and it has a single audio jack and no 4K display built in? I have to BUY an external sound card for my ancient, but much loved A995 THX speakers. FO, Dell. The Alienware apps are redundant and unreliable. The power requirements are ridiculous...traveling internationally with 2 power bricks is going to be a nightmare.
You must add the room temperature in your stress test. If not, all your compared results is wrong. in fact, you have got too many wrong conclusions when comparing the temperature of 51m with x7c