Alienware m15 R4 laptop in review: Now also with a mechanical keyboard

Hot flashes despite vapor chamber. How does the Alienware m15 R4 perform with the fastest laptop graphics card that's currently on the market? Is the upgrade from an RTX 3070 to an RTX 3080 worth it? What are the advantages of the new mechanical keyboard that is optionally offered by Dell? These and other questions are answered in our detailed review.

Christian Hintze, 👁 Florian Glaser (translated by Stephanie Chamberlain), 06/08/2021 🇩🇪 🇳🇱 ...

Yes, we already reviewed the Alienware m15 R4, but only with the RTX 3070 and a "normal" keyboard. This time, not only do we have the upgrade to a stronger RTX 3080, but Dell has also installed a mechanical keyboard. Since this is only a graphics card and keyboard upgrade, we'll skip various information regarding the case, maintenance, etc., which can be found in the review of the Alienware m15 R4 (RTX 3070) or its virtually identical predecessor, the m15 R3.

Among the competitors, we include other gaming laptops with the RTX 3080 such as the Razer Blade 15 Advanced Model, the Asus ROG Zephyrus G15, or the Schenker XMG Pro 15. In addition, we naturally make a comparison with the sibling configuration with the RTX 3070 (we'll just call it the sibling model) as well as with the direct predecessor, the m15 R3. Within this competition, the Alienware is one of the most expensive models, costing around 3,600 Euros (~$4,391) from Dell in our configuration.

Test device courtesy of Dell Deutschland

Download your licensed rating image as PNG / SVG

Possible contenders in comparison

Rating	Date	Model	Weight	Height	Size	Resolution
86.1 %	06/2021	Alienware m15 R4 RTX 3080 i9-10980HK, GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU	2.4 kg	20 mm	15.60"	1920x1080
85.4 %	04/2021	Alienware m15 R4 i9-10980HK, GeForce RTX 3070 Laptop GPU	2.3 kg	20 mm	15.60"	1920x1080
84.8 %	07/2020	Alienware m15 R3 P87F i7-10750H, GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile	2.3 kg	19.9 mm	15.60"	1920x1080
87.5 %	05/2021	Razer Blade 15 Advanced Model Early 2021 i7-10875H, GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU	2 kg	16.99 mm	15.60"	1920x1080
83.8 %	02/2021	Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 GA503Q R9 5900HS, GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU	2 kg	20 mm	15.60"	2560x1440
86 %	03/2021	Schenker XMG Pro 15 (Early 2021, RTX 3080) i7-10870H, GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU	2 kg	19.8 mm	15.60"	1920x1080

Case - Stylish Alienware design

The case has been adopted from the predecessor, which is why there is more information in the review of the Alienware m15 R3. Therefore, we'll only say this much: The case looks extremely stylish, and the designers have done a very good job.

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under 300 USD/Euros, under 500 USD/Euros, 1,000 USD/Euros, for University Students, Best Displays

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Smartphones, Phablets, ≤6-inch, Camera Smartphones

Images source: Dell

Due to its very special air vents, which protrude beyond the display at the rear end of the laptop, the device has significantly more depth than the competition, like most Alienware laptops. In terms of width and height, however, the m15 R4 is competitively small and thin.

Connectivity - Thunderbolt 3 in the m15 R4

Left: Kensington, LAN, USB-A 3.0, headset audio jack (image source: Dell)

Right: microSD, 2x USB-A 3.0 (image source: Dell)

Back: HDMI 2.1, Mini DP 1.4, Thunderbolt 3 with charging function, Alienware Graphics Amplifier Port, power supply (image source: Dell)

SD card reader

SD Card Reader
average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs)
Razer Blade 15 Advanced Model Early 2021 (AV PRO microSD 128 GB V60)	200 MB/s ∼100% +44%
Alienware m15 R4 (AV PRO microSD 128 GB V60)	190 MB/s ∼95% +37%
Alienware m15 R3 P87F (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 UHS-II)	189.3 MB/s ∼95% +36%
Alienware m15 R4 RTX 3080 (AV PRO microSD 128 GB V60)	139 MB/s ∼70%
Average of class Gaming (18 - 222, n=93, last 2 years)	117 MB/s ∼59% -16%
maximum AS SSD Seq Read Test (1GB)
Alienware m15 R4 (AV PRO microSD 128 GB V60)	237 MB/s ∼100% +6%
Alienware m15 R3 P87F (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 UHS-II)	225 MB/s ∼95% +1%
Alienware m15 R4 RTX 3080 (AV PRO microSD 128 GB V60)	223 MB/s ∼94%
Razer Blade 15 Advanced Model Early 2021 (AV PRO microSD 128 GB V60)	193 MB/s ∼81% -13%
Average of class Gaming (20.5 - 257, n=93, last 2 years)	131 MB/s ∼55% -41%

Communication

Networking
iperf3 Client (transmit) TCP 1 m 4M x10
Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 GA503Q Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX200	1360 MBit/s ∼100% +26%
Average Intel Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX1650w (597 - 1550, n=7)	1156 MBit/s ∼85% +7%
Average of class Gaming (338 - 1645, n=160, last 2 years)	1145 MBit/s ∼84% +6%
Alienware m15 R4 RTX 3080 Intel Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX1650w	1082 (597^min - 1270^max) MBit/s ∼80%
Schenker XMG Pro 15 (Early 2021, RTX 3080) Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201	833 MBit/s ∼61% -23%
Razer Blade 15 Advanced Model Early 2021 Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX210	675 MBit/s ∼50% -38%
iperf3 Client (receive) TCP 1 m 4M x10
Schenker XMG Pro 15 (Early 2021, RTX 3080) Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201	1650 MBit/s ∼100% +147%
Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 GA503Q Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX200	1410 MBit/s ∼85% +111%
Average Intel Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX1650w (633 - 1720, n=7)	1267 MBit/s ∼77% +90%
Average of class Gaming (90 - 1743, n=160, last 2 years)	1210 MBit/s ∼73% +81%
Razer Blade 15 Advanced Model Early 2021 Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX210	1130 MBit/s ∼68% +69%
Alienware m15 R4 RTX 3080 Intel Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX1650w	667 (627^min - 737^max) MBit/s ∼40%

Alienware m15 R4 RTX 3080 Intel Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX1650w; iperf3 Client (receive) TCP 1 m 4M x10; iperf 3.1.3: Ø667 (627-737)

Alienware m15 R4 RTX 3080 Intel Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX1650w; iperf3 Client (transmit) TCP 1 m 4M x10; iperf 3.1.3: Ø1062 (597-1270)

Webcam

ColorChecker Razer Blade 15 Advanced Model Early 2021: 20.7 ∆E min: 2.33 - max: 27.07 ∆E

<a href="https://www.notebookcheck.net/Razer-Blade-15-Advanced-Early-2021-Review-Now-with-a-360-Hz-screen.536335.0.html">Razer Blade 15 Advanced Model Early 2021</a> — Razer Blade 15 Advanced Model Early 2021

<a href="https://www.notebookcheck.net/Alienware-m15-R4-laptop-in-review-Now-also-with-a-mechanical-keyboard.543671.0.html">Alienware m15 R4 RTX 3080</a> — Alienware m15 R4 RTX 3080

Warranty

The manufacturer provides a 12-month warranty. Support extension is subject to additional costs; see below.

Input devices - The mechanical keyboard is able to convince

Keyboard

Unlike the sibling model with a "normal" chiclet keyboard, our test unit uses a mechanical keyboard, which is optionally available. However, it's not yet available on the German Alienware website, so we received a model with an English keyboard layout.

From a purely visual standpoint, however, you hardly notice a difference. The layout and design are completely unchanged compared to the normal keyboard, including the RGB lighting per key. It's only when typing that you notice significant differences. Feedback is considerably crisper than on the sibling model. The travel isn't particularly deep for a mechanical keyboard, but the typing experience is still very good, and it benefits from the pleasantly clear click feedback. However, it "clinks" and "clunks" when typing, so that entering text is considerably louder.

Furthermore, the upper row of keys, i.e. Esc, F keys, etc., doesn't seem to be mechanical; its keys feel much more muffled.

RGB per key such as red for WASD, for example

Touchpad

The touchpad isn't particularly large, but the mouse pointer can still be navigated well. The gliding capabilities of the pad's surface are also very good. It only gets a bit sluggish when it comes to extremely slow movements.

The integrated buttons are very hard, and you have to press them quite hard, but you get a good feedback after that. However, the click noise is also correspondingly quite loud.

Display - 300 Hz and good values

Minimal screen bleeding along the edges and corners

Unsurprisingly, the matte 15.6-inch Full HD IPS panel from LG Philips with a refresh rate of 300 Hz is exactly the same as the one in the sibling model that we already reviewed, so our measurements hardly differ. The brightness of just over 300 nits is on par with the competition, but its distribution could be a bit more uniform (86%).

Incidentally, Dell offers a total of three panels for the m15 R4. Besides this one, there is another Full HD IPS panel that "only" offers 144 Hz instead of 300 Hz and is supposed to be slightly slower (7 instead of 3 ms). The top choice is probably the more expensive 4K OLED version with higher color-space coverage, higher brightness (400 nits), and better contrasts. In return, however, you sacrifice the high refresh rate, which is 60 Hz in the 4K OLED panel. Furthermore, the IPS panel doesn't use PWM for brightness control.

Screen bleeding isn't particularly noticeable, but it's still minimally present, especially along the upper left edge.


321 cd/m²	316 cd/m²	328 cd/m²
321 cd/m²	347 cd/m²	324 cd/m²
297 cd/m²	298 cd/m²	310 cd/m²

Distribution of brightness

LG Philips LGD066E (156WFG)

X-Rite i1Pro 2

Maximum: 347 cd/m² Average: 318 cd/m² Minimum: 17 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 86 %
Center on Battery: 347 cd/m²
Contrast: 1119:1 (Black: 0.31 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 1.68 | 0.59-29.43 Ø5.5, calibrated: 1.08
ΔE Greyscale 1.8 | 0.64-98 Ø5.7
94% sRGB (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
71% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
71.47% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
99.77% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
70.09% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.262

Download ICC File (X-Rite i1Pro 2)

	Alienware m15 R4 RTX 3080 LG Philips LGD066E (156WFG), IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60	Alienware m15 R4 LG Philips LGD066E, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60	Alienware m15 R3 P87F AU Optronics B156HAN, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60	Razer Blade 15 Advanced Model Early 2021 TL156VDXP02-0, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60	Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 GA503Q CMN N156KME-GNA (CMN152A), IPS-Level, 2560x1440, 15.60	Schenker XMG Pro 15 (Early 2021, RTX 3080) AU Optronics AUO7A8C (B156HAN12.0), IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
Display		-1%	-2%	-5%	20%	-1%
Display P3 Coverage	70.09	69.38 -1%	68.63 -2%	65.88 -6%	97.25 39%	69.2 -1%
sRGB Coverage	99.77	99 -1%	98.94 -1%	96.38 -3%	99.92 0%	99.65 0%
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage	71.47	70.5 -1%	69.82 -2%	67.97 -5%	86.17 21%	70.83 -1%
Response Times		-1%	17%	-60%	-17%	25%
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% *	7.6 ?(2.4, 5.2)	7.4 ?(2, 5.2) 3%	4 ?(1.6, 2.4) 47%	16 ?(7.6, 8.4) -111%	8.8 ?(4.4, 4.4) -16%	3.6 ?(1, 2.6) 53%
Response Time Black / White *	9.6 ?(3.6, 6)	10 ?(4.4, 5.6) -4%	10.8 ?(5.2, 5.6) -13%	10.4 ?(6, 4.4) -8%	11.2 ?(6.8, 4.4) -17%	10 ?(5.2, 4.8) -4%
PWM Frequency
Screen		-6%	-26%	7%	-53%	-4%
Brightness middle	347	333 -4%	326.7 -6%	338 -3%	327 -6%	327 -6%
Brightness	318	303 -5%	316 -1%	334 5%	309 -3%	335 5%
Brightness Distribution	86	86 0%	87 1%	94 9%	89 3%	89 3%
Black Level *	0.31	0.29 6%	0.33 -6%	0.24 23%	0.33 -6%	0.22 29%
Contrast	1119	1148 3%	990 -12%	1408 26%	991 -11%	1486 33%
Colorchecker DeltaE2000 *	1.68	1.8 -7%	2.4 -43%	1.39 17%	4.49 -167%	2.18 -30%
Colorchecker DeltaE2000 max. *	3.03	4.49 -48%	6.06 -100%	3.31 -9%	8.42 -178%	4.24 -40%
Colorchecker DeltaE2000 calibrated *	1.08	1.13 -5%	1.51 -40%	0.97 10%	2.27 -110%	1 7%
Greyscale DeltaE2000 *	1.8	1.9 -6%	3.2 -78%	1.6 11%	4.2 -133%	2.6 -44%
Gamma	2.262 ^97%	2.265 ^97%	2.13 ^103%	2.291 ^96%	2.173 ^101%	2.123 ^104%
CCT	6592 ^99%	6840 ^95%	7129 ^91%	6626 ^98%	7014 ^93%	6815 ^95%
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998)	71	71 0%	63.7 -10%	68 -4%	86 21%	71 0%
Color Space (Percent of sRGB)	94	93 -1%	99.2 6%	89 -5%	99 5%	93 -1%
Total Average (Program / Settings)		-3% / -4%	-4% / -16%	-19% / -3%	-17% / -35%	7% / 0%

* ... smaller is better

The black level and contrast aren't spectacular, but they're acceptable. The color space displayed is also impressive: sRGB is almost completely covered, and AdobeRGB is still covered by 71%. The 4K OLED option provides an additional color-space boost for creators.

The display is already well calibrated out of the box, but a manual calibration will bring the color deviations down a bit. The corresponding ICC file can be downloaded above.

Display Response Times

ℹ

Display response times show how fast the screen is able to change from one color to the next. Slow response times can lead to afterimages and can cause moving objects to appear blurry (ghosting). Gamers of fast-paced 3D titles should pay special attention to fast response times.

↔ Response Time Black to White
9.6 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined	↗ 3.6 ms rise
9.6 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined	↘ 6 ms fall
The screen shows fast response rates in our tests and should be suited for gaming. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.8 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 13 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (23.8 ms).
↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey
7.6 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined	↗ 2.4 ms rise
7.6 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined	↘ 5.2 ms fall
The screen shows very fast response rates in our tests and should be very well suited for fast-paced gaming. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.8 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 8 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (37.7 ms).

Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)

ℹ

To dim the screen, some notebooks will simply cycle the backlight on and off in rapid succession - a method called Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) . This cycling frequency should ideally be undetectable to the human eye. If said frequency is too low, users with sensitive eyes may experience strain or headaches or even notice the flickering altogether.

Screen flickering / PWM not detected

In comparison: 52 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 17025 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 2500000) Hz was measured.

Outdoor use is only possible to a limited extent due to the short runtimes (see the section on battery life), but the display doesn't pose an obstacle here. The matte surface eliminates most reflections, while brightness and contrast are sufficient to still be able to recognize the screen's content well, at least in places in the shade.

As is typical for IPS, the panel is quite viewing-angle stable. Extreme viewing angles are only accompanied by minor losses in image quality.

Performance - Strong Alienware m15

Our test model is equipped with a strong Intel CPU belonging to the Comet Lake series (Gen 10), an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080, 32 GB of RAM, and a RAID 0 array consisting of two PCIe SSDs of 512 GB each. As a result, the Alienware's intended use is clearly focused on gaming, but it could also entice a creator or two - at least theoretically.

Processor

The TDP in Cinebench remains stable at around 122 watts

Two CPU options are offered for the m15 R4, both based on Intel's Comet Lake architecture. The Core i7-10870H and the Core i9-10980HK practically only differ by a few hundred MHz of clock rate. Moreover, the "K" in the i9 model indicates an open multiplier and consequently easier overclocking potential.

The potentially more powerful processor is installed in our test unit. Performance in the Cinebench R15 loop is quite consistent, and it does not drop significantly even after the first few runs, unlike in the XMG Pro 15, for example. The Core i9-10980HK proves to be a very strong CPU that is clearly better than the ones in most competitors with slightly weaker Intel CPUs. However, the AMD Ryzen 9 5900HS in the ROG Zephyrus is even faster; this is also true for the single-core tests of the various Cinebench versions.

The TDP remains constant at 122 watts throughout all runs, and the power limit is specified at 135 to 210 watts depending on the fan/power mode.

When the device is running on battery power, the CPU performance is limited despite the power mode being the same. Instead of 1,755 points, we only measured 1,255 points in the Cinebench R15 multi-core test.

Alienware m15 R4 RTX 3080 Intel Core i9-10980HK: Ø1659 (1601.67-1755.16)

Alienware m15 R3 P87F Intel Core i7-10750H: Ø1338 (1320.39-1347.39)

Razer Blade 15 Advanced Model Early 2021 Intel Core i7-10875H: Ø1091 (1047.89-1208.08)

Schenker XMG Pro 15 (Early 2021, RTX 3080) Intel Core i7-10870H: Ø1461 (1403.21-1720.43)

Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 GA503Q AMD Ryzen 9 5900HS: Ø1928 (1865.06-2020.1)

Cinebench R23
CPU (Single Core)
Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 GA503Q AMD Ryzen 9 5900HS	1483 Points ∼100% +21%
Average of class Gaming (1095 - 1619, n=86, last 2 years)	1367 Points ∼92% +11%
Average Intel Core i9-10980HK (1228 - 1305, n=4)	1277 Points ∼86% +4%
Alienware m15 R4 RTX 3080 Intel Core i9-10980HK	1228 Points ∼83%
Razer Blade 15 Advanced Model Early 2021 Intel Core i7-10875H	1216 Points ∼82% -1%
Schenker XMG Pro 15 (Early 2021, RTX 3080) Intel Core i7-10870H	1215 Points ∼82% -1%
CPU (Multi Core)
Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 GA503Q AMD Ryzen 9 5900HS	12333 Points ∼100% +13%
Alienware m15 R4 RTX 3080 Intel Core i9-10980HK	10947 Points ∼89%
Average of class Gaming (4621 - 14363, n=87, last 2 years)	10876 Points ∼88% -1%
Average Intel Core i9-10980HK (9597 - 11641, n=4)	10605 Points ∼86% -3%
Schenker XMG Pro 15 (Early 2021, RTX 3080) Intel Core i7-10870H	10172 Points ∼82% -7%
Razer Blade 15 Advanced Model Early 2021 Intel Core i7-10875H	6852 Points ∼56% -37%

Cinebench R20
CPU (Single Core)
Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 GA503Q AMD Ryzen 9 5900HS	560 Points ∼100% +17%
Average of class Gaming (312 - 634, n=190, last 2 years)	499 Points ∼89% +4%
Average Intel Core i9-10980HK (465 - 507, n=13)	488 Points ∼87% +2%
Alienware m15 R3 P87F Intel Core i7-10750H	479 Points ∼86% 0%
Alienware m15 R4 RTX 3080 Intel Core i9-10980HK	479 Points ∼86%
Alienware m15 R4 Intel Core i9-10980HK	477 Points ∼85% 0%
Razer Blade 15 Advanced Model Early 2021 Intel Core i7-10875H	476 Points ∼85% -1%
Schenker XMG Pro 15 (Early 2021, RTX 3080) Intel Core i7-10870H	468 Points ∼84% -2%
CPU (Multi Core)
Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 GA503Q AMD Ryzen 9 5900HS	4733 Points ∼100% +19%
Alienware m15 R4 RTX 3080 Intel Core i9-10980HK	3993 Points ∼84%
Average Intel Core i9-10980HK (3526 - 4487, n=13)	3933 Points ∼83% -2%
Alienware m15 R4 Intel Core i9-10980HK	3915 Points ∼83% -2%
Average of class Gaming (1397 - 6321, n=191, last 2 years)	3751 Points ∼79% -6%
Schenker XMG Pro 15 (Early 2021, RTX 3080) Intel Core i7-10870H	3414 Points ∼72% -15%
Alienware m15 R3 P87F Intel Core i7-10750H	3299 Points ∼70% -17%
Razer Blade 15 Advanced Model Early 2021 Intel Core i7-10875H	2632 Points ∼56% -34%

Cinebench R15
CPU Single 64Bit
Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 GA503Q AMD Ryzen 9 5900HS	211 Points ∼100% +7%
Average Intel Core i9-10980HK (198 - 219, n=15)	207 Points ∼98% +5%
Schenker XMG Pro 15 (Early 2021, RTX 3080) Intel Core i7-10870H	203 Points ∼96% +3%
Alienware m15 R4 Intel Core i9-10980HK	202 Points ∼96% +2%
Average of class Gaming (108 - 254, n=198, last 2 years)	202 Points ∼96% +2%
Alienware m15 R3 P87F Intel Core i7-10750H	201 Points ∼95% +2%
Razer Blade 15 Advanced Model Early 2021 Intel Core i7-10875H	199 Points ∼94% +1%
Alienware m15 R4 RTX 3080 Intel Core i9-10980HK	198 Points ∼94%
CPU Multi 64Bit
Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 GA503Q AMD Ryzen 9 5900HS	2020 (1865.06^min - 2020.1^max) Points ∼100% +15%
Alienware m15 R4 RTX 3080 Intel Core i9-10980HK	1755 (1601.67^min - 1755.16^max) Points ∼87%
Average Intel Core i9-10980HK (1606 - 1862, n=15)	1739 Points ∼86% -1%
Schenker XMG Pro 15 (Early 2021, RTX 3080) Intel Core i7-10870H	1720 Points ∼85% -2%
Alienware m15 R4 Intel Core i9-10980HK	1606 (1501.78^min - 1606.36^max) Points ∼80% -8%
Average of class Gaming (536 - 2804, n=209, last 2 years)	1594 Points ∼79% -9%
Alienware m15 R3 P87F Intel Core i7-10750H	1347 (1320.39^min - 1347.39^max) Points ∼67% -23%
Razer Blade 15 Advanced Model Early 2021 Intel Core i7-10875H	1208 Points ∼60% -31%

Blender 2.79 - BMW27 CPU
Razer Blade 15 Advanced Model Early 2021 Intel Core i7-10875H	411 Seconds * ∼100% -47%
Alienware m15 R3 P87F Intel Core i7-10750H	326 Seconds * ∼79% -16%
Average of class Gaming (179 - 555, n=172, last 2 years)	314 Seconds * ∼76% -12%
Schenker XMG Pro 15 (Early 2021, RTX 3080) Intel Core i7-10870H	309 Seconds * ∼75% -10%
Alienware m15 R4 RTX 3080 Intel Core i9-10980HK	280 Seconds * ∼68%
Alienware m15 R4 Intel Core i9-10980HK	279 Seconds * ∼68% -0%
Average Intel Core i9-10980HK (239 - 299, n=13)	277 Seconds * ∼67% +1%
Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 GA503Q AMD Ryzen 9 5900HS	249 Seconds * ∼61% +11%

7-Zip 18.03
7z b 4 -mmt1
Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 GA503Q AMD Ryzen 9 5900HS	5669 MIPS ∼100% +7%
Alienware m15 R4 Intel Core i9-10980HK	5437 MIPS ∼96% +2%
Average Intel Core i9-10980HK (5081 - 5542, n=13)	5386 MIPS ∼95% +1%
Alienware m15 R4 RTX 3080 Intel Core i9-10980HK	5313 MIPS ∼94%
Razer Blade 15 Advanced Model Early 2021 Intel Core i7-10875H	5310 MIPS ∼94% 0%
Schenker XMG Pro 15 (Early 2021, RTX 3080) Intel Core i7-10870H	5247 MIPS ∼93% -1%
Average of class Gaming (2945 - 6174, n=173, last 2 years)	5242 MIPS ∼92% -1%
Alienware m15 R3 P87F Intel Core i7-10750H	4504 MIPS ∼79% -15%
7z b 4
Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 GA503Q AMD Ryzen 9 5900HS	59680 MIPS ∼100% +23%
Alienware m15 R4 Intel Core i9-10980HK	48838 MIPS ∼82% +1%
Alienware m15 R4 RTX 3080 Intel Core i9-10980HK	48534 MIPS ∼81%
Average Intel Core i9-10980HK (43786 - 49275, n=13)	47126 MIPS ∼79% -3%
Schenker XMG Pro 15 (Early 2021, RTX 3080) Intel Core i7-10870H	45180 MIPS ∼76% -7%
Average of class Gaming (15146 - 75612, n=173, last 2 years)	44903 MIPS ∼75% -7%
Razer Blade 15 Advanced Model Early 2021 Intel Core i7-10875H	36430 MIPS ∼61% -25%
Alienware m15 R3 P87F Intel Core i7-10750H	35346 MIPS ∼59% -27%

Geekbench 5.3
64 Bit Single-Core Score
Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 GA503Q AMD Ryzen 9 5900HS	1410 Points ∼100% +9%
Average Intel Core i9-10980HK (1283 - 1401, n=12)	1339 Points ∼95% +3%
Alienware m15 R4 Intel Core i9-10980HK	1316 Points ∼93% +1%
Average of class Gaming (703 - 1777, n=171, last 2 years)	1308 Points ∼93% +1%
Alienware m15 R4 RTX 3080 Intel Core i9-10980HK	1299 Points ∼92%
Razer Blade 15 Advanced Model Early 2021 Intel Core i7-10875H	1296 Points ∼92% 0%
Schenker XMG Pro 15 (Early 2021, RTX 3080) Intel Core i7-10870H	1293 Points ∼92% 0%
Alienware m15 R3 P87F Intel Core i7-10750H	1269 Points ∼90% -2%
64 Bit Multi-Core Score
Average Intel Core i9-10980HK (7634 - 8666, n=12)	8175 Points ∼100% +4%
Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 GA503Q AMD Ryzen 9 5900HS	7910 Points ∼97% +1%
Alienware m15 R4 RTX 3080 Intel Core i9-10980HK	7850 Points ∼96%
Alienware m15 R4 Intel Core i9-10980HK	7789 Points ∼95% -1%
Schenker XMG Pro 15 (Early 2021, RTX 3080) Intel Core i7-10870H	7756 Points ∼95% -1%
Average of class Gaming (2783 - 11393, n=171, last 2 years)	7176 Points ∼88% -9%
Razer Blade 15 Advanced Model Early 2021 Intel Core i7-10875H	6586 Points ∼81% -16%
Alienware m15 R3 P87F Intel Core i7-10750H	6380 Points ∼78% -19%

HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2 - 4k Preset
Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 GA503Q AMD Ryzen 9 5900HS	13.8 fps ∼100% +5%
Alienware m15 R4 RTX 3080 Intel Core i9-10980HK	13.2 fps ∼96%
Alienware m15 R4 Intel Core i9-10980HK	13.1 fps ∼95% -1%
Average Intel Core i9-10980HK (12 - 14.6, n=13)	13 fps ∼94% -2%
Average of class Gaming (6.13 - 19.8, n=172, last 2 years)	12.4 fps ∼90% -6%
Schenker XMG Pro 15 (Early 2021, RTX 3080) Intel Core i7-10870H	11.5 fps ∼83% -13%
Alienware m15 R3 P87F Intel Core i7-10750H	11.1 fps ∼80% -16%
Razer Blade 15 Advanced Model Early 2021 Intel Core i7-10875H	9.82 fps ∼71% -26%

LibreOffice - 20 Documents To PDF
Alienware m15 R4 RTX 3080 Intel Core i9-10980HK	89 s * ∼100%
Schenker XMG Pro 15 (Early 2021, RTX 3080) Intel Core i7-10870H	60.5 s * ∼68% +32%
Alienware m15 R3 P87F Intel Core i7-10750H	60.1 s * ∼68% +32%
Razer Blade 15 Advanced Model Early 2021 Intel Core i7-10875H	55.8 s * ∼63% +37%
Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 GA503Q AMD Ryzen 9 5900HS	54.9 s * ∼62% +38%
Average of class Gaming (23.9 - 113, n=165, last 2 years)	54.6 s * ∼61% +39%
Average Intel Core i9-10980HK (44 - 89, n=13)	53.7 s * ∼60% +40%
Alienware m15 R4 Intel Core i9-10980HK	49.3 s * ∼55% +45%

R Benchmark 2.5 - Overall mean
Alienware m15 R3 P87F Intel Core i7-10750H	0.708 sec * ∼100% -20%
Schenker XMG Pro 15 (Early 2021, RTX 3080) Intel Core i7-10870H	0.601 sec * ∼85% -2%
Alienware m15 R4 RTX 3080 Intel Core i9-10980HK	0.592 sec * ∼84%
Average of class Gaming (0.4907 - 1.088, n=167, last 2 years)	0.581 sec * ∼82% +2%
Razer Blade 15 Advanced Model Early 2021 Intel Core i7-10875H	0.58 sec * ∼82% +2%
Alienware m15 R4 Intel Core i9-10980HK	0.578 sec * ∼82% +2%
Average Intel Core i9-10980HK (0.561 - 0.596, n=13)	0.576 sec * ∼81% +3%
Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 GA503Q AMD Ryzen 9 5900HS	0.538 sec * ∼76% +9%

* ... smaller is better

Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64Bit

1755 Points

Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64Bit

150 fps

Cinebench R15 Ref. Match 64Bit

99.6 %

Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64Bit

198 Points

Help

... in comparison

System performance

The m15 R4 only just takes the top position in PCMark 10, closely followed by the ROG Zephyrus G15. System performance is correspondingly excellent.

PCMark 10 | PCMark 8

PCMark 10
Score
Alienware m15 R4 RTX 3080 GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU, i9-10980HK, 2x WDC PC SN730 SDBPNTY-512G (RAID 0)	6988 Points ∼100%
Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 GA503Q GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU, R9 5900HS, SK Hynix HFM001TD3JX013N	6896 Points ∼99% -1%
Average Intel Core i9-10980HK, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU (6512 - 6988, n=3)	6728 Points ∼96% -4%
Alienware m15 R4 GeForce RTX 3070 Laptop GPU, i9-10980HK, Micron 2300 1TB MTFDHBA1T0TDV	6640 Points ∼95% -5%
Schenker XMG Pro 15 (Early 2021, RTX 3080) GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU, i7-10870H, Samsung SSD 970 EVO Plus 1TB	6333 Points ∼91% -9%
Alienware m15 R3 P87F GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-10750H, 2x Micron 2200S 512 GB (RAID 0)	6255 Points ∼90% -10%
Razer Blade 15 Advanced Model Early 2021 GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU, i7-10875H, Samsung PM981a MZVLB1T0HBLR	6167 Points ∼88% -12%
Average of class Gaming (3952 - 7884, n=177, last 2 years)	6118 Points ∼88% -12%
Essentials
Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 GA503Q GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU, R9 5900HS, SK Hynix HFM001TD3JX013N	10113 Points ∼100% +4%
Alienware m15 R4 RTX 3080 GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU, i9-10980HK, 2x WDC PC SN730 SDBPNTY-512G (RAID 0)	9709 Points ∼96%
Average of class Gaming (7148 - 11266, n=176, last 2 years)	9643 Points ∼95% -1%
Schenker XMG Pro 15 (Early 2021, RTX 3080) GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU, i7-10870H, Samsung SSD 970 EVO Plus 1TB	9624 Points ∼95% -1%
Alienware m15 R4 GeForce RTX 3070 Laptop GPU, i9-10980HK, Micron 2300 1TB MTFDHBA1T0TDV	9577 Points ∼95% -1%
Alienware m15 R3 P87F GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-10750H, 2x Micron 2200S 512 GB (RAID 0)	9540 Points ∼94% -2%
Average Intel Core i9-10980HK, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU (9312 - 9709, n=3)	9517 Points ∼94% -2%
Razer Blade 15 Advanced Model Early 2021 GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU, i7-10875H, Samsung PM981a MZVLB1T0HBLR	9150 Points ∼90% -6%
Productivity
Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 GA503Q GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU, R9 5900HS, SK Hynix HFM001TD3JX013N	9390 Points ∼100% +1%
Alienware m15 R4 RTX 3080 GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU, i9-10980HK, 2x WDC PC SN730 SDBPNTY-512G (RAID 0)	9337 Points ∼99%
Average Intel Core i9-10980HK, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU (8746 - 9337, n=3)	8960 Points ∼95% -4%
Alienware m15 R4 GeForce RTX 3070 Laptop GPU, i9-10980HK, Micron 2300 1TB MTFDHBA1T0TDV	8605 Points ∼92% -8%
Razer Blade 15 Advanced Model Early 2021 GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU, i7-10875H, Samsung PM981a MZVLB1T0HBLR	8422 Points ∼90% -10%
Schenker XMG Pro 15 (Early 2021, RTX 3080) GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU, i7-10870H, Samsung SSD 970 EVO Plus 1TB	8289 Points ∼88% -11%
Average of class Gaming (5813 - 10066, n=176, last 2 years)	8269 Points ∼88% -11%
Alienware m15 R3 P87F GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-10750H, 2x Micron 2200S 512 GB (RAID 0)	7860 Points ∼84% -16%
Digital Content Creation
Alienware m15 R4 RTX 3080 GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU, i9-10980HK, 2x WDC PC SN730 SDBPNTY-512G (RAID 0)	10217 Points ∼100%
Average Intel Core i9-10980HK, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU (9203 - 10217, n=3)	9695 Points ∼95% -5%
Alienware m15 R4 GeForce RTX 3070 Laptop GPU, i9-10980HK, Micron 2300 1TB MTFDHBA1T0TDV	9643 Points ∼94% -6%
Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 GA503Q GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU, R9 5900HS, SK Hynix HFM001TD3JX013N	9375 Points ∼92% -8%
Alienware m15 R3 P87F GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-10750H, 2x Micron 2200S 512 GB (RAID 0)	8855 Points ∼87% -13%
Schenker XMG Pro 15 (Early 2021, RTX 3080) GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU, i7-10870H, Samsung SSD 970 EVO Plus 1TB	8644 Points ∼85% -15%
Razer Blade 15 Advanced Model Early 2021 GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU, i7-10875H, Samsung PM981a MZVLB1T0HBLR	8262 Points ∼81% -19%
Average of class Gaming (3670 - 12250, n=176, last 2 years)	7916 Points ∼77% -23%

PCMark 8
Home Score Accelerated v2
Average Intel Core i9-10980HK, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU	6224 Points ∼100%
Alienware m15 R3 P87F GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-10750H, 2x Micron 2200S 512 GB (RAID 0)	5702 Points ∼92%
Average of class Gaming (2832 - 6277, n=87, last 2 years)	4572 Points ∼73%
Razer Blade 15 Advanced Model Early 2021 GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU, i7-10875H, Samsung PM981a MZVLB1T0HBLR	4090 Points ∼66%
Work Score Accelerated v2
Alienware m15 R3 P87F GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-10750H, 2x Micron 2200S 512 GB (RAID 0)	6224 Points ∼100%
Average of class Gaming (4265 - 7104, n=87, last 2 years)	5685 Points ∼91%
Razer Blade 15 Advanced Model Early 2021 GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU, i7-10875H, Samsung PM981a MZVLB1T0HBLR	5555 Points ∼89%
Average Intel Core i9-10980HK, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU	5555 Points ∼89%

PCMark 10 Score		6988 points
Help

DPC latencies

The first latencies already appear when opening our Notebookcheck page, and unfortunately, they increase even more when opening several tabs. The m15 R4 completes our YouTube test with a 4K/60 fps video with 42 dropped frames. We would expect more from a high-end gaming laptop. In comparison, the different Alienware models seem to suffer from the highest latencies.

An Nvidia driver and a network driver are mainly to blame here, and the infamous ACPI.sys can't be left out of this list either.

DPC Latencies / LatencyMon - interrupt to process latency (max), Web, Youtube, Prime95
Alienware m15 R4 GeForce RTX 3070 Laptop GPU, i9-10980HK, Micron 2300 1TB MTFDHBA1T0TDV	4199.3 μs * ∼100% -479%
Alienware m15 R3 P87F GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-10750H, 2x Micron 2200S 512 GB (RAID 0)	1206.3 μs * ∼29% -66%
Alienware m15 R4 RTX 3080 GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU, i9-10980HK, 2x WDC PC SN730 SDBPNTY-512G (RAID 0)	725.1 μs * ∼17%
Schenker XMG Pro 15 (Early 2021, RTX 3080) GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU, i7-10870H, Samsung SSD 970 EVO Plus 1TB	588.3 μs * ∼14% +19%
Razer Blade 15 Advanced Model Early 2021 GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU, i7-10875H, Samsung PM981a MZVLB1T0HBLR	545.5 μs * ∼13% +25%
Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 GA503Q GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU, R9 5900HS, SK Hynix HFM001TD3JX013N	355.1 μs * ∼8% +51%

* ... smaller is better

Storage

The two PCIe SSDs from Western Digital are combined in a RAID 0 array and offer a total storage capacity of 1 TB (2x 512 GB). The individual drive is ranked 102nd in our HDD/SSD Benchmarks article, which means that it theoretically doesn't stand out with turbo speeds. However, speed increases in a RAID configuration, so that the pair's rates end up in 18th place.

In this way, the drive can keep up with the competition, even though the SSDs in the Razer Blade, the Zephyrus, and especially the XMG Pro are slightly faster.

	Alienware m15 R4 RTX 3080 2x WDC PC SN730 SDBPNTY-512G (RAID 0)	Alienware m15 R4 Micron 2300 1TB MTFDHBA1T0TDV	Alienware m15 R3 P87F 2x Micron 2200S 512 GB (RAID 0)	Razer Blade 15 Advanced Model Early 2021 Samsung PM981a MZVLB1T0HBLR	Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 GA503Q SK Hynix HFM001TD3JX013N	Schenker XMG Pro 15 (Early 2021, RTX 3080) Samsung SSD 970 EVO Plus 1TB
CrystalDiskMark 5.2 / 6		-2%	-11%	1%	14%	14%
Write 4K	114.18	93.68 -18%	67.32 -41%	138 21%	156.4 37%	160.9 41%
Read 4K	43.77	48.1 10%	41.47 -5%	47.41 8%	66.69 52%	54 23%
Write Seq		2785	2239	1922	2318	2944
Read Seq		2598	2112	1673	2151	2781
Write 4K Q32T1	464.45	481.9 4%	488.9 5%	445.5 -4%	525 13%	495.2 7%
Read 4K Q32T1	546.4	520.9 -5%	556.7 2%	534.3 -2%	452.1 -17%	593.2 9%
Write Seq Q32T1	3233.3	3362 4%	2654 -18%	2976 -8%	3055 -6%	3283 2%
Read Seq Q32T1	3473.3	3200 -8%	3137 -10%	3232 -7%	3607 4%	3549 2%
Write 4K Q8T8	1374.88
Read 4K Q8T8	1446.67
AS SSD		-18%	-83%	6%	15%	28%
Seq Read	2888	2658.01 -8%	2058.19 -29%	2111.97 -27%	2949.59 2%	2959 2%
Seq Write	2786	2768.84 -1%	2315.59 -17%	2024.1 -27%	1600.23 -43%	2521 -10%
4K Read	41.98	46.07 10%	39.72 -5%	46.53 11%	53.56 28%	50.88 21%
4K Write	108.03	87.16 -19%	62.93 -42%	89.68 -17%	126.8 17%	141.06 31%
4K-64 Read	1396.13	1372.43 -2%	1334.41 -4%	1746.75 25%	1429.48 2%	2110.42 51%
4K-64 Write	1234.42	1247.32 1%	1270.68 3%	1962.08 59%	2177.16 76%	2329.04 89%
Access Time Read *	0.056	0.052 7%	0.062 -11%	0.052 7%	0.064 -14%	0.034 39%
Access Time Write *	0.035	0.098 -180%	0.388 -1009%	0.04 -14%	0.029 17%	0.026 26%
Score Read	1727	1684 -2%	1580 -9%	2004 16%	1778 3%	2457 42%
Score Write	1621	1611 -1%	1565 -3%	2254 39%	2464 52%	2722 68%
Score Total	4227	4166 -1%	3968 -6%	5280 25%	5090 20%	6412 52%
Copy ISO MB/s	1867.68		1684.53 -10%	2127.78 14%		2275.44 22%
Copy Program MB/s	811.63		668.95 -18%	706.65 -13%		592.72 -27%
Copy Game MB/s	1596.38		1492.7 -6%	1470.73 -8%		1407.7 -12%
Total Average (Program / Settings)		-10% / -12%	-47% / -62%	4% / 5%	15% / 14%	21% / 24%

* ... smaller is better

CrystalDiskMark 5.2 / 6

AS SSD

DiskSpd

2x WDC PC SN730 SDBPNTY-512G (RAID 0)

CDM 5/6 Read Seq Q32T1: 3473.3 MB/s

CDM 5/6 Write Seq Q32T1: 3233.3 MB/s

CDM 5/6 Read 4K Q32T1: 546.4 MB/s

CDM 5/6 Write 4K Q32T1: 464.45 MB/s

CDM 5/6 Read 4K: 43.77 MB/s

CDM 5/6 Write 4K: 114.18 MB/s

CDM 6 Write 4K Q8T8: 1374.88 MB/s

CDM 6 Read 4K Q8T8: 1446.67 MB/s

Continuous load read: DiskSpd Read Loop, Queue Depth 8

: Ø2935 (2610.77-3146.98)

Graphics card

The laptop with the alien head contains two GPUs, the UHD Graphics 630 that's integrated into the processor and the dedicated Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080, which is currently (still) the fastest graphics card for laptops. The maximum TGP is around 140 watts and consequently the same as in the sibling model with the RTX 3070; in the Alienware m17 R4, the TGP for the RTX 3080 is considerably higher at 165 watts.

Nevertheless, the m15 R4 takes the top spot in the 3DMark benchmarks, because the RTX 3080 models of the 15-inch competition use an even lower TGP (95 - 105 watts) and are therefore even beaten by the RTX 3070 in the sibling model. Overall, the m15 R4 is consequently still above the average of all laptops with the RTX 3080. It's about 8% to 10% ahead of its sibling model.

On battery power, a new 3DMark 11 run results in a graphics score of only 20,480 points instead of the previous 40,754 points that were obtained when plugged in. This means that performance is cut in half when you're on the move.

3DMark 11 | 3DMark

3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance GPU
Alienware m15 R4 RTX 3080 NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU, Intel Core i9-10980HK	40754 Points ∼100%
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU (31288 - 43744, n=31)	38767 Points ∼95% -5%
Alienware m15 R4 NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Laptop GPU, Intel Core i9-10980HK	37287 Points ∼91% -9%
Schenker XMG Pro 15 (Early 2021, RTX 3080) NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU, Intel Core i7-10870H	35513 Points ∼87% -13%
Razer Blade 15 Advanced Model Early 2021 NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU, Intel Core i7-10875H	32521 Points ∼80% -20%
Average of class Gaming (1925 - 43077, n=188, last 2 years)	26797 Points ∼66% -34%
Alienware m15 R3 P87F NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, Intel Core i7-10750H	26160 Points ∼64% -36%

3DMark
1280x720 Cloud Gate Standard Graphics
Alienware m15 R4 RTX 3080 NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU, Intel Core i9-10980HK	185701 Points ∼100%
Alienware m15 R4 NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Laptop GPU, Intel Core i9-10980HK	178400 Points ∼96% -4%
Schenker XMG Pro 15 (Early 2021, RTX 3080) NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU, Intel Core i7-10870H	141985 Points ∼76% -24%
Razer Blade 15 Advanced Model Early 2021 NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU, Intel Core i7-10875H	141372 Points ∼76% -24%
Alienware m15 R3 P87F NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, Intel Core i7-10750H	133502 Points ∼72% -28%
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU (38816 - 192950, n=28)	121247 Points ∼65% -35%
Average of class Gaming (23059 - 192950, n=164, last 2 years)	105225 Points ∼57% -43%
Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 GA503Q NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU, AMD Ryzen 9 5900HS	72702 Points ∼39% -61%
1920x1080 Fire Strike Graphics
Alienware m15 R4 RTX 3080 NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU, Intel Core i9-10980HK	31133 Points ∼100%
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU (20538 - 32366, n=34)	28057 Points ∼90% -10%
Alienware m15 R4 NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Laptop GPU, Intel Core i9-10980HK	27977 Points ∼90% -10%
Schenker XMG Pro 15 (Early 2021, RTX 3080) NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU, Intel Core i7-10870H	27122 Points ∼87% -13%
Razer Blade 15 Advanced Model Early 2021 NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU, Intel Core i7-10875H	25113 Points ∼81% -19%
Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 GA503Q NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU, AMD Ryzen 9 5900HS	22826 Points ∼73% -27%
Alienware m15 R3 P87F NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, Intel Core i7-10750H	20712 Points ∼67% -33%
Average of class Gaming (1360 - 34993, n=196, last 2 years)	20192 Points ∼65% -35%
2560x1440 Time Spy Graphics
Alienware m15 R4 RTX 3080 NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU, Intel Core i9-10980HK	11915 Points ∼100%
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU (8920 - 13210, n=33)	11051 Points ∼93% -7%
Alienware m15 R4 NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Laptop GPU, Intel Core i9-10980HK	11019 Points ∼92% -8%
Schenker XMG Pro 15 (Early 2021, RTX 3080) NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU, Intel Core i7-10870H	10071 Points ∼85% -15%
Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 GA503Q NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU, AMD Ryzen 9 5900HS	9439 Points ∼79% -21%
Razer Blade 15 Advanced Model Early 2021 NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU, Intel Core i7-10875H	9023 Points ∼76% -24%
Alienware m15 R3 P87F NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, Intel Core i7-10750H	7910 Points ∼66% -34%
Average of class Gaming (429 - 13210, n=200, last 2 years)	7709 Points ∼65% -35%

3DMark 11 Performance		28747 points
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score		57714 points
3DMark Fire Strike Score		23913 points
3DMark Time Spy Score		11542 points
Help

... in comparison

Gaming performance

The strong GPU in the Alienware laptop virtually runs all modern titles at high resolutions and detail levels, and it can easily exploit the Full HD resolution of the integrated display in all games.

The results of the synthetic benchmarks can be confirmed by our real-world gaming tests: In most games, the m15 R4 performs marginally above an average mobile RTX 3080 and consequently places itself at the top of the 15-inch competition. RTX 3080 models with higher TGPs are usually only found in 17-inch gaming laptops. Compared to the sibling model with the RTX 3070 and 140 watts as well, the RTX 3080 has a lead of about 10%.

Therefore, the overall gaming performance is beyond reproach, which puts the m15 R4 at the very top of the 15-inch gaming class.

The Witcher 3 | Far Cry 5 | GTA V

The Witcher 3
1920x1080 High Graphics & Postprocessing (Nvidia HairWorks Off)
Alienware m15 R4 RTX 3080 Intel Core i9-10980HK, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU	200 fps ∼100%
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU (151 - 242, n=25)	193 fps ∼97% -3%
Razer Blade 15 Advanced Model Early 2021 Intel Core i7-10875H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU	170 (48.6^min, 73.8^P0.1, 110^P1 - 296^max) fps ∼85% -15%
Schenker XMG Pro 15 (Early 2021, RTX 3080) Intel Core i7-10870H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU	165.2 fps ∼83% -17%
Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 GA503Q AMD Ryzen 9 5900HS, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU	155 (7.23^min, 58.3^P0.1, 107^P1 - 365^max) fps ∼78% -22%
Alienware m15 R3 P87F Intel Core i7-10750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile	149.8 (139^min - 156^max) fps ∼75% -25%
Average of class Gaming (42.1 - 242, n=155, last 2 years)	139 fps ∼70% -30%
1920x1080 Ultra Graphics & Postprocessing (HBAO+)
Alienware m15 R4 RTX 3080 Intel Core i9-10980HK, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU	112 (88^min) fps ∼100%
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU (87.7 - 123, n=32)	106 fps ∼95% -5%
Alienware m15 R4 Intel Core i9-10980HK, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Laptop GPU	101 (76^min) fps ∼90% -10%
Schenker XMG Pro 15 (Early 2021, RTX 3080) Intel Core i7-10870H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU	97.6 (80^min) fps ∼87% -13%
Razer Blade 15 Advanced Model Early 2021 Intel Core i7-10875H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU	93.2 (37.9^min, 45^P0.1, 61.6^P1 - 167^max) fps ∼83% -17%
Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 GA503Q AMD Ryzen 9 5900HS, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU	90.2 fps ∼81% -19%
Alienware m15 R3 P87F Intel Core i7-10750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile	81 (77^min - 86^max) fps ∼72% -28%
Average of class Gaming (24.3 - 123, n=197, last 2 years)	77.7 fps ∼69% -31%

Far Cry 5
1920x1080 High Preset AA:T
Alienware m15 R4 RTX 3080 Intel Core i9-10980HK, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU	129 fps ∼100%
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU (79 - 155, n=21)	121 fps ∼94% -6%
Razer Blade 15 Advanced Model Early 2021 Intel Core i7-10875H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU	109 (79^min - 137^max) fps ∼84% -16%
Average of class Gaming (13 - 155, n=65, last 2 years)	104 fps ∼81% -19%
1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:T
Alienware m15 R4 RTX 3080 Intel Core i9-10980HK, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU	120 fps ∼100%
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU (75 - 146, n=26)	113 fps ∼94% -6%
Alienware m15 R4 Intel Core i9-10980HK, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Laptop GPU	107 fps ∼89% -11%
Razer Blade 15 Advanced Model Early 2021 Intel Core i7-10875H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU	104 (80^min - 132^max) fps ∼87% -13%
Average of class Gaming (12 - 146, n=90, last 2 years)	97.8 fps ∼82% -18%

GTA V
1920x1080 High/On (Advanced Graphics Off) AA:2xMSAA + FX AF:8x
Alienware m15 R4 RTX 3080 Intel Core i9-10980HK, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU	165 (5.05^min, 100^P1 - 338^max) fps ∼100%
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU (137 - 176, n=25)	162 fps ∼98% -2%
Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 GA503Q AMD Ryzen 9 5900HS, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU	152 (50.3^min, 100^P1 - 254^max) fps ∼92% -8%
Average of class Gaming (10.2 - 179, n=91, last 2 years)	144 fps ∼87% -13%
1920x1080 Highest Settings possible AA:4xMSAA + FX AF:16x
Alienware m15 R4 RTX 3080 Intel Core i9-10980HK, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU	98.2 (6.52^min, 66.7^P1 - 198^max) fps ∼100%
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU (84 - 112, n=26)	97.9 fps ∼100% 0%
Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 GA503Q AMD Ryzen 9 5900HS, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU	90 (26.7^min, 66.7^P1 - 165^max) fps ∼92% -8%
Average of class Gaming (4.18 - 112, n=95, last 2 years)	83.7 fps ∼85% -15%

The frame rates observed when running The Witcher 3 for about an hour are relatively stable, so that major performance drops are not to be expected over prolonged periods of time.

Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64 Bit in comparison
Toshiba Satellite W30Dt-A-100 (min) A4-1200, Radeon HD 8180	33
...
Aorus 15G XC i7-10870H, GeForce RTX 3070 Laptop GPU	1740
MSI Bravo 15 A4DCR R7 4800H, Radeon RX 5300M	1741
Alienware m17 R2 P41E i9-9980HK, GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q	1754
Alienware m15 R4 RTX 3080 i9-10980HK, GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU	1755
Gigabyte Aero 17 HDR YC i9-10980HK, GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU	1761
Schenker XMG NEO 17 GM7TG8S i7-11800H, GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU	1767
Schenker XMG Focus 15 i7-11800H, GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Laptop GPU	1770
...
(max) TR Pro 3995WX, Radeon Pro W6800	9706

3DMark 11 in comparison
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex-1570 81CA000RUS (min) i5-8550U, GeForce MX130	28
...
Lenovo Legion 7 16ACHg6 R9 5900HX, GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU	28426
Aorus 17G YD i7-11800H, GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU	28733
MSI GE76 Raider 10UH i7-10870H, GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU	28737
Alienware m15 R4 RTX 3080 i9-10980HK, GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU	28747
R9 5980HS, GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU	28853
R3 3300X, NVIDIA Titan RTX	28884
Eurocom Sky X4C i9-9900KS i9-9900KS, GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile	28993
...
AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT (max) R9 5950X, Radeon RX 6900 XT	42418

Alienware m15 R4 laptop in review: Now also with a mechanical keyboard

Possible contenders in comparison

Case - Stylish Alienware design

Images source: Dell

Size comparison

Connectivity - Thunderbolt 3 in the m15 R4

SD card reader

Communication

Webcam

Warranty

Input devices - The mechanical keyboard is able to convince

Keyboard

Touchpad

Display - 300 Hz and good values

Display Response Times

Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)

Performance - Strong Alienware m15

Processor

System performance

DPC latencies

Storage

Continuous load read: DiskSpd Read Loop, Queue Depth 8

Graphics card

Gaming performance