Alienware 13 (GTX 960M) Notebook Review

Despite being the same FHD panel of last year, the values are slightly different. For example, the 9T7WM-133HL display (monitor ID SDC4848) offered 997:1 contrast last year, whereas in our test model we measure a slightly higher contrast of 1,055:1. However, it is normal to see such small deviations in quality, even for supposedly identical panels.

The panel also offers a great black value of 0.31 cd/m² and a brightness of 305 cd/m².

Despite the CPU and GPU updates, we do not consider the Alienware 13 a member of the high-end class. Rather, we believe it places firmly in the middle-class. A dual-core processor or a graphics card with 2 GB VRAM is no longer appropriate for the high-end class in 2015. On the other hand, 16 GB DDR3 RAM and a M.2 format Solid State Drive (SSD) are definitely high-end.

Thankfully, the CPU does not display an erratic clock speed behavior. In the Cinebench R11.5 benchmarks (see screenshots), the Core i7-5500U operates at its maximum speeds of 2.9-3.0 GHz. Although, the CPU speed dropped briefly to the 2 GHz region during the 3D test of the Unigine Heaven 4.0 benchmark, we did not encounter any actual throttling. However at full load, which will never occur during everyday usage (not even when playing games), the processor throttles down.

The CPU benchmarks leave us with mixed feelings. The Core i7-5500U is 20% faster than the Core i5-4210U in single-core and multi-core tests. However, in comparison to the traditional 47 W quad-core CPU found in most gaming notebooks, our CPU stands no chance. In fact, the gaps are enormous when we run any test that uses more than one core: the Core i7-4720HQ can surpass our test model by 100% in a few tests. The Schenker XMG A305 (GTX 960M) and the Razer Blade 14 (GTX 970M) are proof that it is possible to have a powerful quad-core processor in a flat 13 or 14-inch chassis.

The weak processor of our test model performs clearly lower than the competition in system tests. The Alienware scores 5,238 points in PCMark 7, which is behind the gaming competition by about 20% (6,510 points @MSI GS30). Thankfully, the lower performance is not noticeable in everyday use.

The storage device of our test model is a 256 GB SSD from Samsung, the PM851. Instead of the mSATA format, the drive employs the M.2 format, which should theoretically allow the use of PCIe models. Sadly, the Alienware 13 uses a classic SATA III SSD, which limits speeds to about 500-550 MB/s. The Samsung Drive places at that level in the sequential test of CrystalDiskMark.

Sadly, the test configuration cannot perform as well in the sequential write test. The SSD offers a modest write speed of 242 MB/s. A lot of the competition can offer 300 or 400 MB/s (like the 256 GB Crucial M550 in the Schenker XMG C405). The PM851 performs well with compact 4K files, which are often found in everyday use. The access times of 0.118 ms (read) and 0.036 ms (write) are quite decent (AS SSD benchmark).

The GeForce GTX 960M is a slightly faster GeForce GTX 860M: instead of 1,029-1,097 MHz, the upgraded Nvidia GPU operates at 1,097-1,176 MHz (+7%).

The user should not expect massive performance increases as the rest of the specs have stayed the same. The GTX 960M uses 640 Unified Shaders (GTX 965M: 1,024 CUDA Cores) and a 2,048 MB GDDR5 memory which uses a 128-bit memory interface. Most gaming notebooks (see Asus G501) use the 4 GB version of GTX 960M, which offers more future security, but still has the 128-bit memory interface.

In our benchmarks, the Alienware 13 had to compete with other 13 and 14-inch gaming notebooks. One look at the table makes two things clear: 1) The gap between our test model and the more expensive GTX 965M and GTX 970M is quite large at 34% and 49% in 3DMark 11% and 27% and 45% in the Fire Strike test of 3DMark 13. 2) The weaker CPU of our test model places it far behind other gaming notebooks with identical hardware, but stronger processors. Thanks to the quad-core CPU, the Schenker XMG A305 is ahead by about 10% in the 3DMark graphics tests. At least, our test model can outperform the Alienware 13 of last year by about 10% (the gaps are much larger in overall and physics tests).

The GeForce GTX 960M tends towards middle-class performance, as is noticeable when running demanding games. Assassin's Creed Unity does not run fluidly at maximum or high details with the native resolution of 1920x1080 pixels. For a decent fps, the resolution has to be reduced to 1366x768 pixels and settings have to be dropped to medium. Far Cry 4 and Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare require far too much from the GTX 960M at high settings. Less demanding games, like Alien Isolation, FIFA 15 and The Sims 4, run beautifully at maximum settings (max details, AA). The GTX 960M is not appropriate for 4K gaming.

Unfortunately, as shown in the gaming benchmarks, the processor is the bottleneck of the system. Games that are not very demanding on the CPU run 10-20% smoother on a quad-core gaming laptop with a GTX 960M (see Schenker XMG A505). However, in extreme cases, the Alienware 13 falls behind by 30 to 40%. These extreme cases used low to medium settings, which are uncommon and unpopular on middle-class or high-end gaming laptops.

System Noise

Despite a conservative dual-core CPU, the fans are clearly audible at load. In the 3DMark 06 test, the noise emission varied dynamically between 39 dB(A) (CPU benchmarks) and 48 dB(A) (GPU benchmarks) with an average noise emission of 46 dB(A). The Alienware 13 is quieter than the MSI GS30 (~53 dB(A)), but far louder than the Alienware 13 of last year (Core i5-4210U and GeForce GTX 860M: ~38 dB(A)). After a stress test of 1 hour, the FurMark and Prime95 tools can get 52 dB(A) out of the system.

While idling, the notebook seems great: even when starting a browser or MS Office programs, the fans do not start up. At 29 dB(A), the system is as quiet as a mouse. Other gaming notebooks should learn from this test model.

Power Consumption

The power consumption of +20% is higher than the performance increase (relative to the model of last year). Instead of 5.1-11.2 W, the laptop now consumes 6.2-13.9 W when idle. In the first scene of 3DMark 06, the average consumption rises from 51.5 to 66.2 W. During the stress test, our laptop consumes a maximum of 123 W instead of 92.9 W. A typical GTX 960M notebook with a quad-core CPU requires about 50% more.

The battery life of a maximum of 11 hours (Battery Eater Reader's test, minimum brightness) is not bad. At high load and full brightness, the Battery Eater Classic test records a run time of around 2 hours. The competition dies out far earlier (48 minutes @MSI GS30, 66 minutes @Razer Blade 14).