Since mid-March, the Alienware brand has offered the m15 and m17 gaming laptops, which can optionally be equipped with the new low-profile Cherry MX switches. And now they also ship with AMD Ryzen 5000 processors, at least the younger series. A division of Dell announced this at a press briefing.
A special edition of the Alienware m15 Ryzen Edition laptop will be released, powered by Ryzen 5000 processors and discrete GeForce RTX 30 graphics; it will continue to target hardcore gamers. Under the hood of the 15-inch model, depending on the trim, you can choose between the AMD Ryzen 7 5800H or Ryzen 9 5900HX, both of which have eight Zen 3 cores and clock speeds up to 4.4 or 4.6 GHz. As before, the series will ship with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 or GeForce RTX 3070 with high TGP. Both Ampere chips operate with a 115W thermal package plus 10W through Dynamic Boost. This means that even the most demanding games can run smoothly even with the highest settings.
| PROS | CONS |
| Solid Gaming Performance | Heavy, loud, and warm |
| Stellar mechanical keyboard | Too few ports |
| Excellent QHD screen | |
| Long battery life |
General Info
| Alienware M15 R5 | |
| $ | CHECK PRICE |
| Brand | Dell |
| Model | Alienware M15 R5 |
| Release Date | 7th April 2021 |
| Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 5800H, octa-core 3.2 GHz (4.4 GHz boost) |
| OS | Windows 10 Home/Professional 64 Bit |
| Weight | 2.54 kg (5.6 lbs) |
| Display | 15.6 inch, 2560 x 1440 px, IPS equivalent, 240 Hz, matte, Advanced Optimus |
| Dimensions | 13.94 x 10.2 x 1.07 inch |
| Type | Laptop |
The Alienware m15 Ryzen Edition R5 measures 356.2 x 272.5 x 22.85mm, while the front is only 12mm thinner than the back. The weight is 2.69 kg, probably due to the powerful cooling system. Of course, the laptop is not left without RGB lighting and optional new Cherry MX switches.
Display
| Display Type | IPS LED |
| Display Size | 13.3 inches |
| Display Resolution | 1920×1080 |
| Dimension | 310 x 209.35 x 15.55 mm |
High graphics performance is really a must as high resolution and refresh rate options are available for the display. Even the base model Alienware m15 Ryzen Edition R5 has a Full HD (1920 x 1080) panel with 165Hz refresh rate. Faster panels with 360Hz and NVIDIA G-Sync and Advanced Optimus are available at an additional cost. The flagship model has a QHD (2560 x 1440) panel with a 240Hz refresh rate and supports G-Sync and Advanced Optimus.
The set of displays available for the model is slightly different compared to the m15 R4. Available in 165 Hz and FHD resolution options, as well as a 240 Hz QHD option with G-Sync support. For the previously mentioned Alienware m15 R6 on Intel, a 360Hz FHD display is also available.
Performance
| Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 5800H, octa-core 3.2 GHz (4.4 GHz boost) |
| Graphics | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 with 8GB GDDR6 VRAM 115W + 10W dynamic boost |
| RAM | 16 GB DDR4-3200 (2×8 GB DIMMs upgradeable) |
| Storage | 512GB M.2 NVMe (Samsung PM991a) |
There are also innovations in the case. Alienware has dramatically improved Cryo-Tech cooling with multiple copper heat pipes and separate cooling chambers for the graphics card and processor, each with its own fans. The manufacturer claims a 12% increase in airflow. There is also a new design called “Legend 2.0” and a new color scheme called “Dark Side of the Moon.
In terms of memory, the laptop also has a large number of configurations. Namely, up to 32 GB of DDR4 memory with a frequency of 3200 MHz and up to two NVMe drives with a total capacity of 4 TB. According to Alienware, the RAM can be swapped out if desired, thanks to two SODIMM slots.
Multimedia
| Webcam | Above the display |
| Speakers | 2.0 |
| Network | Intel Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX1650x, Realtek 2.5Gb Ethernet |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth 5.2 |
| Ports | 3x USB-A 3.2 gen2, 1x USB-C 3.2, HDMI 2.1B, mic/earphone, ethernet |
| Keyboard Numpad | No |
In terms of interfaces, the laptop supports Wi-Fi 6 and 2.5Gbps Ethernet with Killer support. There is HDMI 2.1, two USB 3.2 Gen1 ports, and two USB 3.2 Gen2 ports, one of which is Type-C. The built-in 86 Wh battery is charged via a 240 W external power supply, connecting to the laptop with a separate slot.
The 15-inch panel offers QHD resolution at 240Hz, and there is also an option with FHD resolution at 360Hz. The laptop uses a Cherry MX keyboard with RGB backlighting for each key.
Battery
| Battery Type | 6-Cell |
| Battery capacity | 86 Wh |
| Fast charging | 240 W charger |
The new Alienware m15 Ryzen Edition R5 is available in stores worldwide from May 4th. For now, the Alienware m15 R5 Ryzen Edition is available in the US from April, starting at $ 1,793.98.
