Alienware m15 R3 Specifications

Connectivity	Killer Wi-Fi AX 1650 (2×2) 802.11ax + Bluetooth 5.1
Battery	Killer Wi-Fi AX 1650 (2×2) 802.11ax + Bluetooth 5.1
RAM	16GB DDR4 @3200MHz
Storage	512GB SSD PCIe M.2 SSD
Display	15.6″ FHD (1920×1080), 300Hz refresh rate, 300-nits brightness
Keyboard	Alienware mSeries keyboard with per-key RGB LED AlienFX lighting
GPU	NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER, with 8GB GDDR6 VRAM
Port	x Type-A USB 3.1 Gen1, 1 x Type-A USB 3.1 Gen1 with PowerShare
Processor	Intel Core i7-10750H

Price in Nepal – Rs. 310,000

In this Buyers Guide series, we will explore the Alienware Gaming laptop. Alienware m15 R3 architecture is still comparable to that of the m15 R2 laptop of last year, but this new version offers much more than just the normal upgrade to your processor. 

Design

• Minimalist but aesthetic for gaming
• Back panel immune to Smudge
• Lightweight for a laptop for gaming

The design hasn’t changed much compared to the last year’s model. There are two color options:

• the white Lunar 
• off-black Dark Side of the Moon

A black chassis meant that there were a lot of fingerprint smudges you would have to contend with. The exterior, however, makes use of a clear coat finish with high durability to help reduce the appeal of smudge. From time to time, you do get some, but it’s just a minor thing.

Sticking to the chassis, it is not made of metal, rather the keyboard and the lid are made of glossy plastic. The lid contains a small LED-lit Alienware logo. Similarly, which houses an air vent and a few ports is made up of black matte plastic.

Underneath, in a honeycomb pattern, you can see the bottom vents. In addition to the bottom one, the rear one and the one above the keyboard deck, all the air vents are in a honeycomb pattern.

Weighing about 2.1kg, the Alienware m15 R3 measures 14.2 x 10.9 x 0.8-inches. It is smaller, like the Helios 300 and the ROG Scar G15, than most rivals. Thus, for your everyday commute, you can conveniently bring this laptop around.

Connectivity

• Amazing port collection
• WiFi 6, 5.1 Bluetooth

There is a large range of ports on this laptop. There is a USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A port on the left, an RJ45 port, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and a stylish lock connector. Similarly, there are 2 extra USB 3.1 Gen1 Type-A ports and a MicroSD slot on the right. On the m15 R2, the MicroSD slot was missing, so this is a very welcome comeback.

Ports are not stopping here. You’ve got an AC adapter on the back, an HDMI 2.0 port, a mini Monitor 1.3 port, and a USB-C charging port for Thunderbolt 3.

 In addition, there’s also an Alienware Graphics Amplification port.

Display

• 1080p (FHD) 300Hz refresh rate IPS screen
• 100 percent sRGB, 77.4 percent color gamut from DCI-P3

You get a 300Hz 1080p screen which is surrounded on the side by thin bezels. In order to house the 720p webcam, which is mediocre at best, the upper one is slightly thick and the Alienware logo is included in the bottom bezel. 

On the hinges, the whole panel is lifted a little higher and the screen can be pulled down to a maximum angle of about 140 degrees.

The colors come out pretty good and it all seems so vibrant. While doing general tasks, you probably won’t need the 300Hz refresh rate, so better turn it to 60Hz to save some power.

In addition, the screen is also not that bright. The overall luminosity is 300 nits, and on a bright sunny day I had a hard time using it outside. In that case, the 60Hz 4K OLED version will do much better.

Keyboard

• 1.7mmIsland-style RGB-backlit keyboard
• Trackpad with Windows Precision Drivers

The keyboard comes with an island-style keyboard with an RGB backlight. You can customize the lighting from inside the Alienware Command Center. The keyboard itself does not, however, have a dedicated key for the command center to open. 

There is a power button shaped in the shape of an alien head just above the main key-deck, and it lights up too. In addition, the lighting on the alien head begins to flicker when the battery level gets critically low so that even if you’re immersed in a game, you get informed of the battery levels. 

The keys are spaced well and provide 1.7 mm of key movement. Typing on this one is a joy. Great for all, but when gaming, the keys get pretty wet. That’s a problem, then. Other than that, there’s nothing much about this keyboard that I have to complain about.

Performance

• Core i7-10750H CPU Intel 10th-gen (6C/12T)
• SUPER GPU for NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070
• 16GB RAM with DDR4 and 512GB M.2 NVMe SSD

Here, everything you throw at it with complete ease is done by the 10th Gen Intel Core i7-10750H processor coupled with 16 GB of RAM. This one has a 6-core CPU, but an unlocked 8-core i9-10980HK processor can be bought on the international market.

 The i7-10750H, however, is no slouch either. It scored in the Cinebench R20 test with Single Core 440. It is well above the normal 200 gaming laptop. Our review device comes with a single 512 GB NVMe SSD for storage. 

The performance is very good, as can be seen from the CrystalDiskMark scores. It also has strong read/write sequential ratings. So, don’t worry about this laptop’s speed. 

Audio and Battery Life

• Stereo 4-way (woofer/tweeter) speaker system
• The 86Whr Li-Ion 6-cell battery

The laptop has a 6-cell Li-ion battery as it gets to the batteries. It’s a sub-par battery because when literally web browsing at around 75 percent brightness, it lasted just below 3 hours. 

While gaming, the numbers get even smaller. But the catch is that the RTX 2070 SUPER graphics are exclusively used on the 300Hz panel.

You can read more about the best laptops for content creators, photographers, and graphic designers in Nepal” over here.