Notebookcheck Logo

Alienware m17 R5 laptop review: All-AMD gamer with great potential, but driver problems

The AMD mothership is yet to take off. In the new m17 R5, Dell bets fully on AMD, both for the processor (Ryzen 9 6900HX) and the graphics card (Radeon RX 6850M XT). We take a look at whether the components work well together in the 17-inch gamer and whether the AMD combo can stand up to its Intel/Nvidia rivals.

In 2021, we reviewed the predecessor Alienware m17 R4 with its Comet Lake CPU and RTX 3080. In doing so, some weaknesses were uncovered, which were well reflected in the review title ("Burned up in the atmosphere"). We now have the m17 R5, but complete with AMD hardware this time, in the test lab and we are naturally interested in whether the successor has finally gotten the temperature problems of the predecessor under control.

Our all-AMD model is heavily equipped with a Ryzen 9 6900HX, a Radeon RX 6850M XT and 32 GB of RAM, and costs an equally strong US$2550. For this price, you can certainly expect various optimizations. Of course, we are also interested in how the combination of AMD CPU and AMD GPU performs against various Intel/Nvidia combinations.

We compare the R5 against its predecessor, the R4, but also against similarly equipped competitors such as the Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 SE, the Acer Predator Helios 300, the Schenker XMG Neo 17 M22 and the Gigabyte Aorus 17X XES.

m17 R5 (m17 Series)
Processor
AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX 8 x 3.3 - 4.9 GHz, Rembrandt-H (Zen 3+)
Graphics adapter
AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT - 12 GB VRAM, Core: 2419 MHz, Memory: 2250 MHz
Memory
32 GB 
, 2x 16 GB SK Hynix DDR5-4800
Display
17.00 inch 16:9, 3840 x 2160 pixel 255 PPI, AU Optronics AUODBA3, IPS, AMD FreeSync, glossy: no, 120 Hz
Mainboard
AMD Promontory/Bixby FCH
Storage
SSSTC CA6-8D1024, 1024 GB 
, 960 GB free
Soundcard
AMD Zen - Audio Processor - HD Audio Controller
Connections
3 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, 1 USB 3.1 Gen2, 1 HDMI, 1 DisplayPort, Audio Connections: Headset
Networking
Realtek RTL8125 2.5GBe Family Ethernet Controller (10/100/1000/2500MBit/s), MediaTek MT7921 (a/b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/ac = Wi-Fi 5/ax = Wi-Fi 6/), Bluetooth Bluetooth 5.2
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 26.7 x 397.3 x 298.71 ( = 1.05 x 15.64 x 11.76 in)
Battery
97 Wh Lithium-Ion
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 11 Home
Camera
Webcam: 720p
Primary Camera: 1 MPix
Additional features
Speakers: Stereo Speakers 2x 2,5 W, Keyboard: Alienware RGB AlienFX per key mSeries, Keyboard Light: yes, 12 Months Warranty, Premium Support and Onsite Service
Weight
3.384 kg ( = 119.37 oz / 7.46 pounds), Power Supply: 994 g ( = 35.06 oz / 2.19 pounds)
Price
3599 Euro
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

 

Possible Competitors in Comparison

Rating
Date
Model
Weight
Height
Size
Resolution
Best Price
86.1 %
01/2023
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT)
R9 6900HX, Radeon RX 6850M XT
3.4 kg26.7 mm17.00"3840x2160
85.3 %
04/2021
Alienware m17 R4
i9-10980HK, GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU
3 kg22 mm17.30"1920x1080
86.9 %
11/2022
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 SE G733CX-LL014W
i9-12950HX, GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU
2.9 kg28.3 mm17.30"2560x1440
86.5 %
11/2022
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti)
i7-12700H, GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU
3 kg27.65 mm17.30"2560x1440
87.6 %
08/2022
SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 M22
R9 6900HX, GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU
2.8 kg27 mm17.00"2560x1600
83.7 %
08/2022
Aorus 17X XES
i9-12900HX, GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU
2.7 kg30 mm17.30"1920x1080

Case - Revamped design in the m17 R5

The case has been heavily revamped, even if the difference is only visible at first glance from the color scheme and the underside. After the white R4, the new m17 now once again has a dark grey metal body, and the grilles on the baseplate are now honeycomb instead of striped. Overall, the design is almost plain for an Alienware, at least when switched off. If you switch it on, various LEDs remind you that you have an Alien gaming laptop before you.

On the other hand, the internal layout is also new, the keyboard no longer has a numpad, the arrow keys no longer protrude downwards, the ports have been changed and so on.

m17 R4
m17 R4
m17 R5
m17 R5

As before, the outer case is made of sturdy metal, while the edges of the display are made of plastic. The baseplate is also made of plastic, but has also been rubberized as an addition.

Overall, the laptop is very torsion-resistant and cracks only slightly when placed under torsional stress. The lid is also unusually stable and the overall build quality is on a high level.

It is well known that Alienware laptops are quite large due to their expansive cooling system, although competitors such as the Acer Predator have meanwhile "followed suit" in this regard.

What is striking, however, is that the m17 R5 has gained a lot of weight. The gamer now weighs a full 400 g more than its predecessor, making it the heaviest device in the comparison field. The predecessor was also thinner, even if many competitors are thicker.

Overall, the m17 is very large and, above all, heavy for its class.

Size Comparison

398 mm / 15.7 inch 258 mm / 10.2 inch 30 mm / 1.181 inch 2.7 kg6.04 lbs399.3 mm / 15.7 inch 295.5 mm / 11.6 inch 27.65 mm / 1.089 inch 3 kg6.6 lbs397.3 mm / 15.6 inch 298.71 mm / 11.8 inch 26.7 mm / 1.051 inch 3.4 kg7.46 lbs395 mm / 15.6 inch 282 mm / 11.1 inch 28.3 mm / 1.114 inch 2.9 kg6.45 lbs399.8 mm / 15.7 inch 294.3 mm / 11.6 inch 22 mm / 0.866 inch 3 kg6.61 lbs381.7 mm / 15 inch 272.8 mm / 10.7 inch 27 mm / 1.063 inch 2.8 kg6.15 lbs297 mm / 11.7 inch 210 mm / 8.27 inch 1 mm / 0.03937 inch 5.7 g0.01257 lbs

Equipment - Fewer ports on the m17 R5

The variety of ports has by no means developed in a positive way; various ports of the R4 have simply been omitted in the R5. These include the Alienwareport for external graphics cards, the microSD reader, and the dedicated DisplayPort. Dell simply "squeezes" the latter into the functionality of the one USB-C port. This port, in turn, does not yet support Thunderbolt or USB 4 in this year's AMD version.

The fact that there are no USB ports on the left side and that you have to connect all USB devices to the mouse side quickly proved annoying during our review. Otherwise, most of the ports are at the back with enough space between them.

Right: 2x USB-A 3.0
Right: 2x USB-A 3.0
Left: RJ45 LAN, headset
Left: RJ45 LAN, headset
Rear: USB-C 3.2 Gen2, USB-A 3.0 with PowerShare, HDMI 2.1, power connector
Rear: USB-C 3.2 Gen2, USB-A 3.0 with PowerShare, HDMI 2.1, power connector

Communication

Instead of an Intel AX or Killer Wireless module, typical for this class, Dell uses a MediaTek MT7921. Its possibilities are exhausted by the m17, but are generally limited. Rival laptops are mostly faster.

Networking
iperf3 receive AXE11000
Average of class Gaming
  (685 - 1890, n=159, last 2 years)
1417 MBit/s +46%
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT)
MediaTek MT7921
968 MBit/s
SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 M22
MediaTek RZ608
967 (949min - 978max) MBit/s 0%
Average MediaTek MT7921
  (104.2 - 968, n=16)
800 MBit/s -17%
iperf3 transmit AXE11000
Average of class Gaming
  (636 - 1780, n=153, last 2 years)
1291 MBit/s +32%
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT)
MediaTek MT7921
981 MBit/s
SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 M22
MediaTek RZ608
936 (898min - 971max) MBit/s -5%
Average MediaTek MT7921
  (47.8 - 985, n=16)
820 MBit/s -16%
iperf3 transmit AXE11000 6GHz
Aorus 17X XES
Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX211
1648 (1133min - 1711max) MBit/s
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 SE G733CX-LL014W
Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX211
1645 (1589min - 1741max) MBit/s
Average of class Gaming
  (648 - 1878, n=75, last 2 years)
1483 MBit/s
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti)
Killer Wi-Fi 6E AX1675i 160MHz Wireless Network Adapter
1350 (1269min - 1405max) MBit/s
Average MediaTek MT7921
  (829 - 1116, n=5)
938 MBit/s
iperf3 receive AXE11000 6GHz
Aorus 17X XES
Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX211
1755 (1679min - 1765max) MBit/s
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 SE G733CX-LL014W
Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX211
1732 (1685min - 1744max) MBit/s
Average of class Gaming
  (853 - 1857, n=77, last 2 years)
1513 MBit/s
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti)
Killer Wi-Fi 6E AX1675i 160MHz Wireless Network Adapter
1416 (680min - 1453max) MBit/s
Average MediaTek MT7921
  (609 - 1245, n=5)
894 MBit/s
050100150200250300350400450500550600650700750800850900950100010501100115012001250130013501400145015001550160016501700Tooltip
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT) MediaTek MT7921; iperf3 transmit AXE11000: Ø976 (930-1012)
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT) MediaTek MT7921; iperf3 receive AXE11000: Ø968 (947-983)
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 SE G733CX-LL014W Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX211; iperf3 transmit AXE11000 6GHz; iperf 3.1.3: Ø1645 (1589-1741)
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti) Killer Wi-Fi 6E AX1675i 160MHz Wireless Network Adapter; iperf3 transmit AXE11000 6GHz; iperf 3.1.3: Ø1341 (1269-1405)
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 SE G733CX-LL014W Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX211; iperf3 receive AXE11000 6GHz; iperf 3.1.3: Ø1732 (1685-1744)
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti) Killer Wi-Fi 6E AX1675i 160MHz Wireless Network Adapter; iperf3 receive AXE11000 6GHz; iperf 3.1.3: Ø1393 (680-1453)

Webcam

This is not due to the privacy settings.
This is not due to the privacy settings.

While many competitors have a Full HD webcam installed, users of the m17 have to make do with a 720p camera.

In our review model, this does not work properly. When we start it up, we get the message that no webcam is found, we click around senselessly, then suddenly a video image appears, then the error message pops up again, later another image.

On the other hand, the webcam works on another m17-R5 model, which is currently enjoying a film career with our YouTuber Alex. We suspect that something is loose in the hardware of our review model. At least we were lucky enough to be able to take our two test photos.

ColorChecker
16.9 ∆E
17.6 ∆E
19.8 ∆E
20.2 ∆E
24.5 ∆E
24 ∆E
11.4 ∆E
27.7 ∆E
14.9 ∆E
17.5 ∆E
17.3 ∆E
12.5 ∆E
22 ∆E
22.6 ∆E
19 ∆E
12.7 ∆E
24 ∆E
23.4 ∆E
3.4 ∆E
11.7 ∆E
20.6 ∆E
21.1 ∆E
19.5 ∆E
6.4 ∆E
ColorChecker Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT): 17.95 ∆E min: 3.43 - max: 27.69 ∆E

Security

Gaming laptops often skimp on security features, and so does the Alienware. A fingerprint sensor is missing, and you won't find a Kensington slot here either. The 720p camera is capable of IR for facial recognition in Windows Hello.

Accessories and Warranty

Dell does not pack any accessories in the box.

The warranty in Germany only amounts to 12 months. This may differ depending on your location, so interested buyers should double-check before purchase.

Maintenance

2 screws are much longer.
2 screws are much longer.

To loosen the underside, 8 cross-head screws need to be unscrewed. Two of them are much longer, so you should remember which screws go into which thread.

Once unscrewed, the underside can be levered open almost without tools. You then have access to the fans, two RAM slots, two M.2 SSD slots, the battery, and the replaceable Wifi module.

Inside the m17 R5
Inside the m17 R5
Cooling pads on the baseplate
Cooling pads on the baseplate
M.2 SSD and replaceable Wifi module
M.2 SSD and replaceable Wifi module
2 RAM slots
2 RAM slots

Input Devices - 17 inches without numpad

Keyboard

The keyboard layout has also been revamped. Despite the 17-inch size, the numpad has been dropped, but the arrow keys are now of normal size and the layout looks very tidy. The enter key is now also normal in size, but the shift keys are somewhat shorter.

Old layout (R3, R4)
Old layout (R3, R4)
New layout without numpad (R5)
New layout without numpad (R5)

The keys themselves have a medium travel and the feedback is clearly noticeable. Overall, the typing experience is very good and typing noise is moderate.

Nowadays, a backlight is indispensable and it has to be colorful in a gaming laptop. And so the m17 allows all kinds of LED gimmicks. In addition to the RGB-per-key effects, you can also configure the Alien logos on the front and back as well as the LED bar on the back.

Adjusting the lighting
Adjusting the lighting
LED bar on the cooling system
LED bar on the cooling system

Touchpad

Touchpad
Touchpad

The average-sized (11.5 x 8 cm) touchpad has good gliding properties; it only falters slightly during very slow movements. 

The integrated click buttons have a good pressure point and provide clear feedback. In our review model, however, clicks occasionally became "stuck", i.e. a button did not spring back up after being clicked down. The clicking noise is moderate.

Display - Bright 4K panel in the Alienware

Grainy subpixels due to matte overlay
Grainy subpixels due to matte overlay
Minimal screen bleeding in the bottom right
Minimal screen bleeding in the bottom right

Dell installs a matte UHD IPS panel (3,840 x 2,160 pixels) from AU Optronics with a refresh rate of 120 Hz.

There are numerous alternative options, starting with three Full HD displays, which differ primarily in the refresh rate (165, 360, 480 Hz!), but also in the support of FreeSync vs G-Sync. Then there is a QHD display (2,560 x 1,440) with 165 Hz.

Our measurements are somewhat far removed from the advertised 3 ms response time; we measured between 11.6 and 16.4 ms. Screen bleeding is minimal, especially on the lower right edge. PWM is not used.

In a class comparison, the brightness of almost 450 nits is very good, and the illumination is also good. The black level, on the other hand, drops sharply, which means the contrast suffers somewhat.

449
cd/m²
431
cd/m²
443
cd/m²
442
cd/m²
484
cd/m²
421
cd/m²
450
cd/m²
486
cd/m²
435
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
AU Optronics AUODBA3 tested with X-Rite i1Pro 3
Maximum: 486 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 449 cd/m² Minimum: 21.228 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 87 %
Center on Battery: 481 cd/m²
Contrast: 880:1 (Black: 0.55 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 4.8 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5, calibrated: 4.74
ΔE Greyscale 5.5 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
88.4% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
99.6% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
97.2% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.42
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT)
AU Optronics AUODBA3, IPS, 3840x2160, 17.00
Alienware m17 R4
AU Optronics AUOEC91, IPS, 1920x1080, 17.30
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 SE G733CX-LL014W
NE173QHM-NZ2, IPS, 2560x1440, 17.30
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti)
BOE0A1A, IPS, 2560x1440, 17.30
SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 M22
BOE0A99, IPS, 2560x1600, 17.00
Aorus 17X XES
Sharp SHP1563, IPS, 1920x1080, 17.30
Display
-16%
-1%
-1%
-17%
-16%
Display P3 Coverage
97.2
69.8
-28%
97.1
0%
96.8
0%
69
-29%
70.1
-28%
sRGB Coverage
99.6
99.7
0%
99.9
0%
99.9
0%
99.8
0%
99.9
0%
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage
88.4
71.6
-19%
84.8
-4%
84.8
-4%
69.6
-21%
71.9
-19%
Response Times
21%
39%
2%
41%
65%
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% *
16.4 ?(7.8, 8.6)
13.2 ?(6.4, 6.8)
20%
5.7 ?(2.7, 3)
65%
16.4 ?(7.8, 8.6)
-0%
10.8 ?(5.1, 5.7)
34%
3.4 ?(1.4, 2)
79%
Response Time Black / White *
11.6 ?(6.2, 5.4)
9.2 ?(4.8, 4.4)
21%
10.1 ?(5, 5.1)
13%
11.2 ?(5.8, 5.4)
3%
6.1 ?(2.5, 3.6)
47%
5.8 ?(2.5, 3.3)
50%
PWM Frequency
Screen
41%
28%
17%
33%
1%
Brightness middle
484
305
-37%
320
-34%
366
-24%
415
-14%
278
-43%
Brightness
449
301
-33%
303
-33%
340
-24%
399
-11%
273
-39%
Brightness Distribution
87
93
7%
87
0%
85
-2%
90
3%
79
-9%
Black Level *
0.55
0.19
65%
0.3
45%
0.31
44%
0.43
22%
0.26
53%
Contrast
880
1605
82%
1067
21%
1181
34%
965
10%
1069
21%
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
4.8
1.31
73%
1.1
77%
3.56
26%
1.44
70%
3.96
17%
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. *
7.48
2.32
69%
2.7
64%
5.66
24%
2.33
69%
10.78
-44%
Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated *
4.74
0.91
81%
3.31
30%
0.89
81%
1.07
77%
Greyscale dE 2000 *
5.5
2.3
58%
1.1
80%
2.84
48%
1.8
67%
6.8
-24%
Gamma
2.42 91%
2.281 96%
2.13 103%
2.29 96%
2.132 103%
2.224 99%
CCT
6148 106%
6449 101%
6599 98%
6835 95%
6327 103%
7651 85%
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998)
72
Color Space (Percent of sRGB)
94
Total Average (Program / Settings)
15% / 26%
22% / 23%
6% / 11%
19% / 23%
17% / 7%

* ... smaller is better

The Alienware offers decent color space coverage: sRGB is fully reproduced, DisplayP3 is 97 percent and AdobeRGB 88 percent. This makes the screen suitable for professional image- and video editing. 

sRGB
sRGB
DisplayP3
DisplayP3
AdobeRGB
AdobeRGB

Despite the good colour space coverage, the DeltaE values are not particularly low. A DeltaE value of close to 5 is a little too high for both the colors and the grayscales.

Our manual calibration brings the DeltaE value down to 0.46 for the grayscale and the color deviations to 3.06. The profile can be downloaded above.

Grayscale
Grayscale
Saturation
Saturation
ColorChecker
ColorChecker
Grayscale calibrated
Grayscale calibrated
Saturation calibrated
Saturation calibrated
ColorChecker calibrated
ColorChecker calibrated

Display Response Times

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
11.6 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 6.2 ms rise
↘ 5.4 ms fall
The screen shows good response rates in our tests, but may be too slow for competitive gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 26 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (21.6 ms).
       Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey
16.4 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 7.8 ms rise
↘ 8.6 ms fall
The screen shows good response rates in our tests, but may be too slow for competitive gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.2 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 25 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (33.9 ms).

Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)

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: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 18071 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured.

Outdoors, the 450 nits together with the matte surface are helpful in reducing most reflections. However, the weak contrast prohibits use in direct sunlight.

Outdoors on a cloudy day.
Outdoors on a cloudy day.
Outdoors at a steep viewing angle.
Outdoors at a steep viewing angle.

The viewing-angle stability is acceptable, but not great compared to the IPS standard. When viewed from extreme angles, a considerable amount of brightness is lost.

Performance - Drivers hinder true potential

Both the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX with its eight cores and the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT as well as the generous 32 GB of RAM place the device in the high-performance gamer category. This means that the device should be able to run all current games smoothly on the integrated display, even if not always in native 4K resolution.

Alternatively, you can go one size smaller in the configurator with the Ryzen 7 6800H and a Radeon RX 6700M. The RAM can be varied between 8 and 64 GB.

Testing Conditions

Unfortunately, Dell always has two manufacturer apps pre-installed on Alienware laptops, namely "My Alienware" and the "Alienware Command Center". While the former is primarily dedicated to support, the latter is the control center. In the Command Center, you set the lighting and the performance modes, of which there are a total of five. In addition, certain values can be overclocked manually.

Preconfigured system does not open Radeon software.
Preconfigured system does not open Radeon software.
The dreaded blue screen.
The dreaded blue screen.
System hangs during GPU switching.
System hangs during GPU switching.

We chose Performance mode for the benchmarks. Only Full Speed squeezes out even more performance, but here the fans are always maxed out.

During testing, we repeatedly encountered problems with the all-AMD configuration. At first, we couldn't access the Radeon software in the Dell preconfigured system.

Installing the latest drivers led to considerable stability issues, whereupon we installed an older, stable driver on Dell's advice. Nevertheless, a blue screen occurred once on our review model and the m17 crashed completely during a standard gaming benchmark. The same occured also in sleep mode. And this was a replacement device!

Moreover, AMD's automatic graphics switching doesn't seem to work perfectly. Unlike Nvidia's Optimus, AMD's SmartAccess always caused the system to hang for a few seconds when switching between the integrated and dedicated GPU, which was really annoying. Hopefully, more stable driver solutions will appear for this soon.

My Alienware
My Alienware
The Command Center often hangs after the system starts up.
The Command Center often hangs after the system starts up.
Performance profiles
Performance profiles

Processor

TDP CB-15 loop: Performance mode
TDP CB-15 loop: Performance mode
TDP CB-15 loop: Balanced mode
TDP CB-15 loop: Balanced mode
TDP CB-15 loop: Full Speed mode
TDP CB-15 loop: Full Speed mode
100°C on CB15 run
100°C on CB15 run
30W in battery mode
30W in battery mode

The AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX has 8 Zen3+ cores that clock from 3.3 to 4.9 GHz and can process 16 threads simultaneously.

In our CPU tests, the AMD processor performs pretty much as expected. It always remains within the 1-2 percent deviation range compared to the average of all tested laptops with the same CPU.

The Cinebench R15 loop shows that performance is very consistent. However, it fall short of its Intel i9-12900HX counterpart, and the i7-12700H in the Acer Predator Helios 300 is also faster.

Performance mode in the Control Center hardly makes a difference. Whether Balanced, Performance or Full Speed, the TDP is almost the same in all CB-15 runs.

According to HWinfo, the CPU almost constantly reached 100 °C during a Cinebench run, which is very high.

Away from the power socket, CPU performance drops by about 38 percent in Cinebench R15. Here the TDP is only a maximum of 32 W.

Cinebench R15 Multi Sustained Load

01452904355807258701015116013051450159517401885203021752320246526102755Tooltip
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT) AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX: Ø2287 (2247.19-2314.81)
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti) Intel Core i7-12700H: Ø2840 (2810.77-2881.01)
SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 M22 AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX: Ø2230 (2203.37-2292.39)
Aorus 17X XES Intel Core i9-12900HX: Ø2729 (2696.14-2830.06)
CPU Performance Rating: Percent
Cinebench R23: Multi Core | Single Core
Cinebench R20: CPU (Multi Core) | CPU (Single Core)
Cinebench R15: CPU Multi 64Bit | CPU Single 64Bit
Blender: v2.79 BMW27 CPU
7-Zip 18.03: 7z b 4 | 7z b 4 -mmt1
Geekbench 5.5: Multi-Core | Single-Core
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2: 4k Preset
LibreOffice : 20 Documents To PDF
R Benchmark 2.5: Overall mean
CPU Performance Rating
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 SE G733CX-LL014W
Intel Core i9-12950HX
86.7 pt
Aorus 17X XES
Intel Core i9-12900HX
82.9 pt
Average of class Gaming
 
80.3 pt
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti)
Intel Core i7-12700H
71.3 pt
SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 M22
AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX
67.5 pt
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT)
AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX
66.3 pt
Average AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX
 
65.2 pt
Alienware m17 R4
Intel Core i9-10980HK
55.2 pt
Cinebench R23 / Multi Core
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 SE G733CX-LL014W
Intel Core i9-12950HX
19965 Points +44%
Average of class Gaming
  (2435 - 34613, n=239, last 2 years)
19100 Points +38%
Aorus 17X XES
Intel Core i9-12900HX
18337 Points +32%
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti)
Intel Core i7-12700H
17133 Points +24%
SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 M22
AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX
14152 Points +2%
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT)
AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX
13872 Points
Average AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX
  (9709 - 15100, n=19)
13307 Points -4%
Alienware m17 R4
Intel Core i9-10980HK
11641 Points -16%
Cinebench R23 / Single Core
Aorus 17X XES
Intel Core i9-12900HX
1928 Points +24%
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 SE G733CX-LL014W
Intel Core i9-12950HX
1903 Points +22%
Average of class Gaming
  (527 - 2235, n=237, last 2 years)
1799 Points +16%
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti)
Intel Core i7-12700H
1750 Points +13%
Average AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX
  (1516 - 1616, n=19)
1565 Points +1%
SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 M22
AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX
1557 Points 0%
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT)
AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX
1554 Points
Alienware m17 R4
Intel Core i9-10980HK
1305 Points -16%
Cinebench R20 / CPU (Multi Core)
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 SE G733CX-LL014W
Intel Core i9-12950HX
7511 Points +42%
Average of class Gaming
  (930 - 13769, n=237, last 2 years)
7255 Points +37%
Aorus 17X XES
Intel Core i9-12900HX
7037 Points +33%
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti)
Intel Core i7-12700H
5846 Points +10%
SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 M22
AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX
5549 Points +5%
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT)
AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX
5306 Points
Average AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX
  (3742 - 5813, n=19)
5162 Points -3%
Alienware m17 R4
Intel Core i9-10980HK
4456 Points -16%
Cinebench R20 / CPU (Single Core)
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 SE G733CX-LL014W
Intel Core i9-12950HX
741 Points +21%
Aorus 17X XES
Intel Core i9-12900HX
740 Points +21%
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti)
Intel Core i7-12700H
697 Points +14%
Average of class Gaming
  (169 - 855, n=237, last 2 years)
693 Points +13%
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT)
AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX
612 Points
Average AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX
  (595 - 631, n=19)
610 Points 0%
SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 M22
AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX
605 Points -1%
Alienware m17 R4
Intel Core i9-10980HK
506 Points -17%
Cinebench R15 / CPU Multi 64Bit
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 SE G733CX-LL014W
Intel Core i9-12950HX
3101 (2605.18min - 3101.02max) Points +34%
Average of class Gaming
  (400 - 5663, n=242, last 2 years)
3024 Points +31%
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti)
Intel Core i7-12700H
2886 Points +25%
Aorus 17X XES
Intel Core i9-12900HX
2830 (2696.14min - 2830.06max) Points +22%
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT)
AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX
2315 (2247.19min - 2314.81max) Points
SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 M22
AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX
2296 Points -1%
Average AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX
  (1588 - 2411, n=19)
2163 Points -7%
Alienware m17 R4
Intel Core i9-10980HK
1853 (1809.95min - 1853.31max) Points -20%
Cinebench R15 / CPU Single 64Bit
Aorus 17X XES
Intel Core i9-12900HX
276 Points +10%
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 SE G733CX-LL014W
Intel Core i9-12950HX
274 Points +10%
Average of class Gaming
  (79.2 - 318, n=241, last 2 years)
266 Points +6%
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti)
Intel Core i7-12700H
254 Points +2%
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT)
AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX
250 Points
Average AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX
  (241 - 261, n=19)
250 Points 0%
SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 M22
AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX
248 Points -1%
Alienware m17 R4
Intel Core i9-10980HK
209 Points -16%
Blender / v2.79 BMW27 CPU
Alienware m17 R4
Intel Core i9-10980HK
247 Seconds * -12%
Average AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX
  (212 - 357, n=21)
239 Seconds * -8%
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT)
AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX
221 Seconds *
SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 M22
AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX
216 Seconds * +2%
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti)
Intel Core i7-12700H
213 Seconds * +4%
Average of class Gaming
  (87 - 1259, n=235, last 2 years)
205 Seconds * +7%
Aorus 17X XES
Intel Core i9-12900HX
201 Seconds * +9%
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 SE G733CX-LL014W
Intel Core i9-12950HX
175 Seconds * +21%
7-Zip 18.03 / 7z b 4
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 SE G733CX-LL014W
Intel Core i9-12950HX
77003 MIPS +24%
Average of class Gaming
  (11386 - 140932, n=236, last 2 years)
75363 MIPS +22%
Aorus 17X XES
Intel Core i9-12900HX
69778 MIPS +13%
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti)
Intel Core i7-12700H
67427 MIPS +9%
SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 M22
AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX
64439 MIPS +4%
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT)
AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX
61988 MIPS
Average AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX
  (49526 - 65336, n=20)
60091 MIPS -3%
Alienware m17 R4
Intel Core i9-10980HK
49275 MIPS -21%
7-Zip 18.03 / 7z b 4 -mmt1
Aorus 17X XES
Intel Core i9-12900HX
6343 MIPS +11%
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 SE G733CX-LL014W
Intel Core i9-12950HX
6255 MIPS +9%
Average of class Gaming
  (2685 - 7581, n=236, last 2 years)
6062 MIPS +6%
SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 M22
AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX
5872 MIPS +2%
Average AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX
  (5090 - 6070, n=20)
5799 MIPS +1%
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti)
Intel Core i7-12700H
5760 MIPS 0%
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT)
AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX
5734 MIPS
Alienware m17 R4
Intel Core i9-10980HK
5463 MIPS -5%
Geekbench 5.5 / Multi-Core
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 SE G733CX-LL014W
Intel Core i9-12950HX
15144 Points +51%
Aorus 17X XES
Intel Core i9-12900HX
15116 Points +51%
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti)
Intel Core i7-12700H
13414 Points +34%
Average of class Gaming
  (1946 - 22200, n=241, last 2 years)
13326 Points +33%
SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 M22
AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX
10126 Points +1%
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT)
AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX
10021 Points
Average AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX
  (8313 - 10490, n=21)
9642 Points -4%
Alienware m17 R4
Intel Core i9-10980HK
8135 Points -19%
Geekbench 5.5 / Single-Core
Aorus 17X XES
Intel Core i9-12900HX
1902 Points +21%
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 SE G733CX-LL014W
Intel Core i9-12950HX
1868 Points +19%
Average of class Gaming
  (158 - 2193, n=241, last 2 years)
1795 Points +14%
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti)
Intel Core i7-12700H
1723 Points +9%
SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 M22
AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX
1590 Points +1%
Average AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX
  (1523 - 1652, n=21)
1589 Points +1%
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT)
AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX
1575 Points
Alienware m17 R4
Intel Core i9-10980HK
1351 Points -14%
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2 / 4k Preset
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 SE G733CX-LL014W
Intel Core i9-12950HX
22.5 fps +34%
Average of class Gaming
  (3 - 37.6, n=239, last 2 years)
20.8 fps +24%
Aorus 17X XES
Intel Core i9-12900HX
19.6 fps +17%
SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 M22
AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX
17.5 fps +4%
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT)
AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX
16.8 fps
Average AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX
  (12.6 - 18.7, n=20)
16.7 fps -1%
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti)
Intel Core i7-12700H
16.5 fps -2%
Alienware m17 R4
Intel Core i9-10980HK
14.3 fps -15%
LibreOffice / 20 Documents To PDF
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti)
Intel Core i7-12700H
95.3 s * -66%
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT)
AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX
57.3 s *
SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 M22
AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX
56 s * +2%
Average AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX
  (44.8 - 81.7, n=20)
53.1 s * +7%
Alienware m17 R4
Intel Core i9-10980HK
51.5 s * +10%
Average of class Gaming
  (32.8 - 332, n=233, last 2 years)
49.1 s * +14%
Aorus 17X XES
Intel Core i9-12900HX
37.7 s * +34%
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 SE G733CX-LL014W
Intel Core i9-12950HX
34.7 s * +39%
R Benchmark 2.5 / Overall mean
Alienware m17 R4
Intel Core i9-10980HK
0.574 sec * -18%
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT)
AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX
0.486 sec *
Average AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX
  (0.4627 - 0.4974, n=20)
0.483 sec * +1%
SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 M22
AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX
0.4808 sec * +1%
Average of class Gaming
  (0.3609 - 4.47, n=236, last 2 years)
0.4734 sec * +3%
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti)
Intel Core i7-12700H
0.4556 sec * +6%
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 SE G733CX-LL014W
Intel Core i9-12950HX
0.4251 sec * +13%
Aorus 17X XES
Intel Core i9-12900HX
0.4159 sec * +14%

* ... smaller is better

Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64Bit
2315 Points
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64Bit
204 fps
Cinebench R15 Ref. Match 64Bit
97.9 %
Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64Bit
250 Points
Help
Performance Rating
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 SE G733CX-LL014W
Intel Core i9-12950HX, GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU
93.9 pt
Average of class Gaming
 
90.4 pt
SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 M22
AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX, GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU
86.5 pt
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti)
Intel Core i7-12700H, GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU
86.3 pt
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT)
AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX, Radeon RX 6850M XT
83.7 pt
Aorus 17X XES
Intel Core i9-12900HX, GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU
83.7 pt
Average AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX
 
82.9 pt
Alienware m17 R4
Intel Core i9-10980HK, GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU
68.5 pt
AIDA64 / FP32 Ray-Trace
Average of class Gaming
  (2585 - 60169, n=232, last 2 years)
17811 KRay/s +10%
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 SE G733CX-LL014W
Intel Core i9-12950HX, GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU
17542 KRay/s +8%
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti)
Intel Core i7-12700H, GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU
17329 KRay/s +7%
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT)
AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX, Radeon RX 6850M XT
16202 KRay/s
SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 M22
AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX, GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU
16115 KRay/s -1%
Average AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX
  (10950 - 17963, n=20)
15327 KRay/s -5%
Aorus 17X XES
Intel Core i9-12900HX, GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU
15255 KRay/s -6%
Alienware m17 R4
Intel Core i9-10980HK, GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU
14726 KRay/s -9%
AIDA64 / FPU Julia
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT)
AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX, Radeon RX 6850M XT
104841 Points
SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 M22
AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX, GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU
98800 Points -6%
Average AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX
  (71414 - 110797, n=20)
96546 Points -8%
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti)
Intel Core i7-12700H, GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU
90760 Points -13%
Average of class Gaming
  (12439 - 252486, n=232, last 2 years)
89327 Points -15%
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 SE G733CX-LL014W
Intel Core i9-12950HX, GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU
86936 Points -17%
Aorus 17X XES
Intel Core i9-12900HX, GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU
78356 Points -25%
Alienware m17 R4
Intel Core i9-10980HK, GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU
72636 Points -31%
AIDA64 / CPU SHA3
Average of class Gaming
  (629 - 10389, n=232, last 2 years)
4191 MB/s +21%
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 SE G733CX-LL014W
Intel Core i9-12950HX, GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU
4179 MB/s +21%
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti)
Intel Core i7-12700H, GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU
4002 MB/s +16%
Alienware m17 R4
Intel Core i9-10980HK, GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU
3562 MB/s +3%
Aorus 17X XES
Intel Core i9-12900HX, GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU
3559 MB/s +3%
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT)
AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX, Radeon RX 6850M XT
3457 MB/s
SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 M22
AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX, GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU
3422 MB/s -1%
Average AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX
  (2471 - 3804, n=20)
3301 MB/s -5%
AIDA64 / CPU Queen
Average of class Gaming
  (15371 - 200651, n=232, last 2 years)
107789 Points +2%
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT)
AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX, Radeon RX 6850M XT
105169 Points
Aorus 17X XES
Intel Core i9-12900HX, GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU
104457 Points -1%
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 SE G733CX-LL014W
Intel Core i9-12950HX, GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU
104422 Points -1%
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti)
Intel Core i7-12700H, GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU
102178 Points -3%
SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 M22
AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX, GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU
102167 Points -3%
Average AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX
  (84185 - 107544, n=20)
100656 Points -4%
Alienware m17 R4
Intel Core i9-10980HK, GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU
92961 Points -12%
AIDA64 / FPU SinJulia
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT)
AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX, Radeon RX 6850M XT
12918 Points
SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 M22
AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX, GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU
12783 Points -1%
Average AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX
  (10970 - 13205, n=20)
12630 Points -2%
Average of class Gaming
  (2137 - 32988, n=232, last 2 years)
11928 Points -8%
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 SE G733CX-LL014W
Intel Core i9-12950HX, GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU
11502 Points -11%
Aorus 17X XES
Intel Core i9-12900HX, GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU
10475 Points -19%
Alienware m17 R4
Intel Core i9-10980HK, GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU
10333 Points -20%
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti)
Intel Core i7-12700H, GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU
9939 Points -23%
AIDA64 / FPU Mandel
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT)
AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX, Radeon RX 6850M XT
57695 Points
SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 M22
AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX, GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU
54060 Points -6%
Average AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX
  (39164 - 61370, n=20)
52842 Points -8%
Average of class Gaming
  (7135 - 134044, n=232, last 2 years)
45987 Points -20%
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti)
Intel Core i7-12700H, GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU
44760 Points -22%
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 SE G733CX-LL014W
Intel Core i9-12950HX, GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU
42613 Points -26%
Aorus 17X XES
Intel Core i9-12900HX, GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU
39016 Points -32%
Alienware m17 R4
Intel Core i9-10980HK, GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU
36621 Points -37%
AIDA64 / CPU AES
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 SE G733CX-LL014W
Intel Core i9-12950HX, GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU
167077 MB/s +204%
SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 M22
AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX, GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU
135833 MB/s +147%
Aorus 17X XES
Intel Core i9-12900HX, GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU
134645 MB/s +145%
Average AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX
  (54613 - 142360, n=20)
115891 MB/s +111%
Average of class Gaming
  (19065 - 328679, n=232, last 2 years)
104954 MB/s +91%
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti)
Intel Core i7-12700H, GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU
81465 MB/s +48%
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT)
AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX, Radeon RX 6850M XT
54897 MB/s
Alienware m17 R4
Intel Core i9-10980HK, GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU
39087 MB/s -29%
AIDA64 / CPU ZLib
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 SE G733CX-LL014W
Intel Core i9-12950HX, GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU
1205 MB/s +41%
Average of class Gaming
  (150.9 - 2409, n=232, last 2 years)
1184 MB/s +39%
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti)
Intel Core i7-12700H, GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU
1159 MB/s +36%
Aorus 17X XES
Intel Core i9-12900HX, GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU
990 MB/s +16%
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT)
AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX, Radeon RX 6850M XT
854 MB/s
SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 M22
AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX, GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU
845 MB/s -1%
Average AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX
  (578 - 911, n=20)
803 MB/s -6%
Alienware m17 R4
Intel Core i9-10980HK, GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU
767 MB/s -10%
AIDA64 / FP64 Ray-Trace
Average of class Gaming
  (1437 - 31796, n=232, last 2 years)
9669 KRay/s +10%
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti)
Intel Core i7-12700H, GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU
9589 KRay/s +9%
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 SE G733CX-LL014W
Intel Core i9-12950HX, GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU
9507 KRay/s +8%
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT)
AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX, Radeon RX 6850M XT
8777 KRay/s
SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 M22
AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX, GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU
8529 KRay/s -3%
Aorus 17X XES
Intel Core i9-12900HX, GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU
8518 KRay/s -3%
Average AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX
  (5798 - 9540, n=20)
8175 KRay/s -7%
Alienware m17 R4
Intel Core i9-10980HK, GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU
7861 KRay/s -10%
AIDA64 / CPU PhotoWorxx
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 SE G733CX-LL014W
Intel Core i9-12950HX, GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU
42438 MPixel/s +40%
Aorus 17X XES
Intel Core i9-12900HX, GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU
40386 MPixel/s +33%
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti)
Intel Core i7-12700H, GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU
38193 MPixel/s +26%
Average of class Gaming
  (11451 - 60161, n=233, last 2 years)
36304 MPixel/s +20%
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT)
AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX, Radeon RX 6850M XT
30343 MPixel/s
SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 M22
AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX, GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU
30226 MPixel/s 0%
Average AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX
  (26873 - 30604, n=20)
29389 MPixel/s -3%
Alienware m17 R4
Intel Core i9-10980HK, GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU
21176 MPixel/s -30%

System Performance

Performance in PCMark 10 is also nearly exactly as expected. In the "Productivity" section, AMD cards generally perform worse than laptops with Nvidia GPUs, but overall the m17 R5 falls in the middle between its competitors.

PCMark 10
PCMark 10
PCMark 10 / Score
Aorus 17X XES
GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU, i9-12900HX, Gigabyte AG470S1TB-SI B10
7899 Points +8%
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti)
GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU, i7-12700H, Samsung PM9A1 MZVL21T0HCLR
7899 Points +8%
Average of class Gaming
  (5235 - 9852, n=203, last 2 years)
7573 Points +4%
Average AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX, AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT
  (7292 - 7377, n=2)
7335 Points +1%
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT)
Radeon RX 6850M XT, R9 6900HX, SSSTC CA6-8D1024
7292 Points
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 SE G733CX-LL014W
GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU, i9-12950HX, Samsung PM9A1 MZVL22T0HBLB
7208 Points -1%
SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 M22
GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU, R9 6900HX, Samsung SSD 980 Pro 1TB MZ-V8P1T0BW
6966 Points -4%
Alienware m17 R4
GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU, i9-10980HK, 2x Micron 2300 512 GB (RAID 0)
6684 Points -8%
PCMark 10 / Essentials
Average of class Gaming
  (8300 - 12334, n=202, last 2 years)
10701 Points +4%
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti)
GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU, i7-12700H, Samsung PM9A1 MZVL21T0HCLR
10679 Points +4%
Aorus 17X XES
GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU, i9-12900HX, Gigabyte AG470S1TB-SI B10
10589 Points +3%
Average AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX, AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT
  (10250 - 10521, n=2)
10386 Points +1%
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 SE G733CX-LL014W
GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU, i9-12950HX, Samsung PM9A1 MZVL22T0HBLB
10306 Points +1%
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT)
Radeon RX 6850M XT, R9 6900HX, SSSTC CA6-8D1024
10250 Points
SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 M22
GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU, R9 6900HX, Samsung SSD 980 Pro 1TB MZ-V8P1T0BW
9740 Points -5%
Alienware m17 R4
GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU, i9-10980HK, 2x Micron 2300 512 GB (RAID 0)
9529 Points -7%
PCMark 10 / Productivity
Aorus 17X XES
GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU, i9-12900HX, Gigabyte AG470S1TB-SI B10
10237 Points +13%
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti)
GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU, i7-12700H, Samsung PM9A1 MZVL21T0HCLR
9984 Points +10%
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 SE G733CX-LL014W
GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU, i9-12950HX, Samsung PM9A1 MZVL22T0HBLB
9856 Points +8%
Average of class Gaming
  (7244 - 11833, n=202, last 2 years)
9729 Points +7%
SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 M22
GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU, R9 6900HX, Samsung SSD 980 Pro 1TB MZ-V8P1T0BW
9564 Points +5%
Average AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX, AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT
  (9090 - 9097, n=2)
9094 Points 0%
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT)
Radeon RX 6850M XT, R9 6900HX, SSSTC CA6-8D1024
9090 Points
Alienware m17 R4
GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU, i9-10980HK, 2x Micron 2300 512 GB (RAID 0)
8798 Points -3%
PCMark 10 / Digital Content Creation
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti)
GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU, i7-12700H, Samsung PM9A1 MZVL21T0HCLR
12546 Points +11%
Aorus 17X XES
GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU, i9-12900HX, Gigabyte AG470S1TB-SI B10
12342 Points +9%
Average of class Gaming
  (6462 - 18475, n=202, last 2 years)
11407 Points +1%
Average AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX, AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT
  (11296 - 11385, n=2)
11341 Points 0%
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT)
Radeon RX 6850M XT, R9 6900HX, SSSTC CA6-8D1024
11296 Points
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 SE G733CX-LL014W
GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU, i9-12950HX, Samsung PM9A1 MZVL22T0HBLB
10003 Points -11%
SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 M22
GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU, R9 6900HX, Samsung SSD 980 Pro 1TB MZ-V8P1T0BW
9848 Points -13%
Alienware m17 R4
GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU, i9-10980HK, 2x Micron 2300 512 GB (RAID 0)
9666 Points -14%
CrossMark / Overall
Aorus 17X XES
GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU, i9-12900HX, Gigabyte AG470S1TB-SI B10
2155 Points +35%
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 SE G733CX-LL014W
GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU, i9-12950HX, Samsung PM9A1 MZVL22T0HBLB
2112 Points +32%
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti)
GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU, i7-12700H, Samsung PM9A1 MZVL21T0HCLR
1879 Points +18%
Average of class Gaming
  (974 - 2334, n=173, last 2 years)
1870 Points +17%
SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 M22
GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU, R9 6900HX, Samsung SSD 980 Pro 1TB MZ-V8P1T0BW
1699 Points +6%
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT)
Radeon RX 6850M XT, R9 6900HX, SSSTC CA6-8D1024
1597 Points
Average AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX, AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT
  (1596 - 1597, n=2)
1597 Points 0%
CrossMark / Productivity
Aorus 17X XES
GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU, i9-12900HX, Gigabyte AG470S1TB-SI B10
2030 Points +30%
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 SE G733CX-LL014W
GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU, i9-12950HX, Samsung PM9A1 MZVL22T0HBLB
1966 Points +26%
Average of class Gaming
  (907 - 2204, n=173, last 2 years)
1782 Points +14%
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti)
GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU, i7-12700H, Samsung PM9A1 MZVL21T0HCLR
1767 Points +13%
SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 M22
GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU, R9 6900HX, Samsung SSD 980 Pro 1TB MZ-V8P1T0BW
1646 Points +5%
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT)
Radeon RX 6850M XT, R9 6900HX, SSSTC CA6-8D1024
1565 Points
Average AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX, AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT
  (1551 - 1565, n=2)
1558 Points 0%
CrossMark / Creativity
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 SE G733CX-LL014W
GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU, i9-12950HX, Samsung PM9A1 MZVL22T0HBLB
2336 Points +34%
Aorus 17X XES
GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU, i9-12900HX, Gigabyte AG470S1TB-SI B10
2304 Points +33%
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti)
GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU, i7-12700H, Samsung PM9A1 MZVL21T0HCLR
2057 Points +18%
Average of class Gaming
  (1027 - 2514, n=173, last 2 years)
2029 Points +17%
SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 M22
GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU, R9 6900HX, Samsung SSD 980 Pro 1TB MZ-V8P1T0BW
1867 Points +7%
Average AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX, AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT
  (1738 - 1754, n=2)
1746 Points 0%
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT)
Radeon RX 6850M XT, R9 6900HX, SSSTC CA6-8D1024
1738 Points
CrossMark / Responsiveness
Aorus 17X XES
GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU, i9-12900HX, Gigabyte AG470S1TB-SI B10
2113 Points +61%
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 SE G733CX-LL014W
GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU, i9-12950HX, Samsung PM9A1 MZVL22T0HBLB
1936 Points +47%
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti)
GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU, i7-12700H, Samsung PM9A1 MZVL21T0HCLR
1724 Points +31%
Average of class Gaming
  (1029 - 2327, n=173, last 2 years)
1703 Points +30%
SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 M22
GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU, R9 6900HX, Samsung SSD 980 Pro 1TB MZ-V8P1T0BW
1405 Points +7%
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT)
Radeon RX 6850M XT, R9 6900HX, SSSTC CA6-8D1024
1315 Points
Average AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX, AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT
  (1310 - 1315, n=2)
1313 Points 0%
PCMark 10 Score
7292 points
Help
AIDA64 / Memory Copy
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 SE G733CX-LL014W
Intel Core i9-12950HX, GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU
63831 MB/s +27%
Aorus 17X XES
Intel Core i9-12900HX, GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU
62852 MB/s +25%
Average of class Gaming
  (23850 - 92565, n=232, last 2 years)
58650 MB/s +17%
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti)
Intel Core i7-12700H, GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU
56902 MB/s +13%
Average AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX
  (47938 - 53345, n=20)
50405 MB/s 0%
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT)
AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX, Radeon RX 6850M XT
50334 MB/s
SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 M22
AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX, GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU
50231 MB/s 0%
Alienware m17 R4
Intel Core i9-10980HK, GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU
37200 MB/s -26%
AIDA64 / Memory Read
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 SE G733CX-LL014W
Intel Core i9-12950HX, GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU
69256 MB/s +36%
Aorus 17X XES
Intel Core i9-12900HX, GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU
68051 MB/s +33%
Average of class Gaming
  (24879 - 90647, n=232, last 2 years)
62444 MB/s +22%
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti)
Intel Core i7-12700H, GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU
59391 MB/s +16%
SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 M22
AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX, GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU
51403 MB/s +1%
Average AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX
  (43892 - 53321, n=20)
51062 MB/s 0%
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT)
AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX, Radeon RX 6850M XT
50996 MB/s
Alienware m17 R4
Intel Core i9-10980HK, GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU
40708 MB/s -20%
AIDA64 / Memory Write
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 SE G733CX-LL014W
Intel Core i9-12950HX, GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU
65800 MB/s +19%
Average of class Gaming
  (21619 - 103259, n=232, last 2 years)
60999 MB/s +10%
Aorus 17X XES
Intel Core i9-12900HX, GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU
60001 MB/s +9%
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti)
Intel Core i7-12700H, GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU
56791 MB/s +3%
SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 M22
AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX, GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU
55263 MB/s 0%
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT)
AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX, Radeon RX 6850M XT
55214 MB/s
Average AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX
  (51085 - 57202, n=20)
55188 MB/s 0%
Alienware m17 R4
Intel Core i9-10980HK, GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU
41392 MB/s -25%
AIDA64 / Memory Latency
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT)
AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX, Radeon RX 6850M XT
94.6 ns *
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti)
Intel Core i7-12700H, GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU
91.3 ns * +3%
SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 M22
AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX, GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU
90.8 ns * +4%
Average AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX
  (80.7 - 120.6, n=20)
88.7 ns * +6%
Aorus 17X XES
Intel Core i9-12900HX, GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU
87 ns * +8%
Average of class Gaming
  (59.5 - 152.5, n=229, last 2 years)
85.8 ns * +9%
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 SE G733CX-LL014W
Intel Core i9-12950HX, GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU
85.2 ns * +10%
Alienware m17 R4
Intel Core i9-10980HK, GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU
56 ns * +41%

* ... smaller is better

DPC Latency

The Alienware didn't break a sweat when opening the Edge browser, but even opening our Notebookcheck homepage led to latencies on the laptop. The kernel and the DirectX drivers seem to be to blame, among other things. Then again, some competitors have even higher latency values.

When playing our 4K/60 fps YouTube video, there were 2 dropped frames and quite a high load on the internal GPU.

YouTube video test.
YouTube video test.
LatencyMon main
LatencyMon main
LatencyMon drivers
LatencyMon drivers
DPC Latencies / LatencyMon - interrupt to process latency (max), Web, Youtube, Prime95
SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 M22
GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU, R9 6900HX, Samsung SSD 980 Pro 1TB MZ-V8P1T0BW
4362 μs * -219%
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 SE G733CX-LL014W
GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU, i9-12950HX, Samsung PM9A1 MZVL22T0HBLB
3413 μs * -150%
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti)
GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU, i7-12700H, Samsung PM9A1 MZVL21T0HCLR
1527.7 μs * -12%
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT)
Radeon RX 6850M XT, R9 6900HX, SSSTC CA6-8D1024
1366.3 μs *
Aorus 17X XES
GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU, i9-12900HX, Gigabyte AG470S1TB-SI B10
1115 μs * +18%
Alienware m17 R4
GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU, i9-10980HK, 2x Micron 2300 512 GB (RAID 0)
585 μs * +57%

* ... smaller is better

Storage Devices

Dell installs a 1 TB NVMe Gen4 SSD from Solid State Storage Technology Corporation (SSSTC). It ranks 20th in our HDD/SSD best list, so it should be fast enough.

SSD temperature in Diskspd loop
SSD temperature in Diskspd loop

However, the installed unit does not come close to the performance of the reference model. It remains clearly below its capabilities, and the storage devices of competitors mostly run much faster.

An unsteady progression during the sustained load test reveals that the drive cannot maintain the strong performance of which it is theoretically capable. According to HWinfo, cooling is not the problem.

Storage Devices
Crystaldiskmark 6
Crystaldiskmark 6
AS SSD
AS SSD
AS SSD Copy
AS SSD Copy
SSSTC CA6-8D1024
CDM 5/6 Read Seq Q32T1: 6917.1 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Write Seq Q32T1: 4965.4 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Read 4K Q32T1: 355.65 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Write 4K Q32T1: 308.74 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Read 4K: 55.19 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Write 4K: 118.53 MB/s
CDM 6 Write 4K Q8T8: 306.7 MB/s
CDM 6 Read 4K Q8T8: 991.67 MB/s
Drive Performance Rating - Percent
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 SE G733CX-LL014W
Samsung PM9A1 MZVL22T0HBLB
80 pt
Aorus 17X XES
Gigabyte AG470S1TB-SI B10
75.8 pt
SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 M22
Samsung SSD 980 Pro 1TB MZ-V8P1T0BW
75.4 pt
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti)
Samsung PM9A1 MZVL21T0HCLR
70.3 pt
Average of class Gaming
 
60.7 pt
Average SSSTC CA6-8D1024
 
59.3 pt
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT)
SSSTC CA6-8D1024
44.6 pt
Alienware m17 R4
2x Micron 2300 512 GB (RAID 0)
33.6 pt
DiskSpd
seq read
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 SE G733CX-LL014W
Samsung PM9A1 MZVL22T0HBLB
5568 (5541.55min - 5568.34max) MB/s +62%
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti)
Samsung PM9A1 MZVL21T0HCLR
4272 (1951.61min - 4271.9max) MB/s +25%
SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 M22
Samsung SSD 980 Pro 1TB MZ-V8P1T0BW
3872 (3855.82min - 3871.97max) MB/s +13%
Aorus 17X XES
Gigabyte AG470S1TB-SI B10
3871 (2700.14min - 3870.94max) MB/s +13%
Average SSSTC CA6-8D1024
  (3428 - 4119, n=6)
3772 MB/s +10%
Average of class Gaming
  (1291 - 7045, n=202, last 2 years)
3524 MB/s +3%
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT)
SSSTC CA6-8D1024
3428 (3412.07min - 3428.49max) MB/s
Alienware m17 R4
2x Micron 2300 512 GB (RAID 0)
2198 (2154.08min - 2198.45max) MB/s -36%
seq write
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 SE G733CX-LL014W
Samsung PM9A1 MZVL22T0HBLB
7531 (7479min - 7530.7max) MB/s +132%
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti)
Samsung PM9A1 MZVL21T0HCLR
4394 (4343.95min - 4393.95max) MB/s +35%
SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 M22
Samsung SSD 980 Pro 1TB MZ-V8P1T0BW
4242 (4225.7min - 4241.7max) MB/s +31%
Aorus 17X XES
Gigabyte AG470S1TB-SI B10
4224 (3372.85min - 4224.08max) MB/s +30%
Average of class Gaming
  (535 - 9307, n=202, last 2 years)
3796 MB/s +17%
Average SSSTC CA6-8D1024
  (3242 - 4167, n=6)
3689 MB/s +14%
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT)
SSSTC CA6-8D1024
3243 (3188.93min - 3243.04max) MB/s
Alienware m17 R4
2x Micron 2300 512 GB (RAID 0)
2794 (2773.48min - 2793.75max) MB/s -14%
seq q8 t1 read
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 SE G733CX-LL014W
Samsung PM9A1 MZVL22T0HBLB
12556 (4870.54min - 12556.3max) MB/s +83%
Aorus 17X XES
Gigabyte AG470S1TB-SI B10
6921 (6272.83min - 6920.6max) MB/s +1%
Average SSSTC CA6-8D1024
  (6810 - 6921, n=6)
6867 MB/s 0%
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT)
SSSTC CA6-8D1024
6861 MB/s
SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 M22
Samsung SSD 980 Pro 1TB MZ-V8P1T0BW
6384 (5573.36min - 6384.17max) MB/s -7%
Average of class Gaming
  (1983 - 16089, n=202, last 2 years)
6335 MB/s -8%
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti)
Samsung PM9A1 MZVL21T0HCLR
6319 (1848.3min - 6318.66max) MB/s -8%
Alienware m17 R4
2x Micron 2300 512 GB (RAID 0)
2957 (2704.91min - 2957.4max) MB/s -57%
seq q8 t1 write
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 SE G733CX-LL014W
Samsung PM9A1 MZVL22T0HBLB
10261 (10045.2min - 10261.4max) MB/s +112%
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti)
Samsung PM9A1 MZVL21T0HCLR
5259 (5245.4min - 5258.61max) MB/s +9%
SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 M22
Samsung SSD 980 Pro 1TB MZ-V8P1T0BW
5043 (5032.12min - 5043.21max) MB/s +4%
Aorus 17X XES
Gigabyte AG470S1TB-SI B10
4852 (4198.71min - 4852.39max) MB/s 0%
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT)
SSSTC CA6-8D1024
4831 (4610.18min - 4830.79max) MB/s
Average of class Gaming
  (539 - 14571, n=202, last 2 years)
4758 MB/s -2%
Average SSSTC CA6-8D1024
  (4244 - 4831, n=6)
4578 MB/s -5%
Alienware m17 R4
2x Micron 2300 512 GB (RAID 0)
3255 (3119.98min - 3255.2max) MB/s -33%
4k q1 t1 read
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti)
Samsung PM9A1 MZVL21T0HCLR
86.5 (85.74min - 86.52max) MB/s +65%
SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 M22
Samsung SSD 980 Pro 1TB MZ-V8P1T0BW
79.1 (78.08min - 79.08max) MB/s +51%
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 SE G733CX-LL014W
Samsung PM9A1 MZVL22T0HBLB
79 (77.42min - 79.03max) MB/s +50%
Aorus 17X XES
Gigabyte AG470S1TB-SI B10
74.1 (64.69min - 74.09max) MB/s +41%
Average of class Gaming
  (30.6 - 95.9, n=202, last 2 years)
68.3 MB/s +30%
Average SSSTC CA6-8D1024
  (52.5 - 79.6, n=6)
63.8 MB/s +22%
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT)
SSSTC CA6-8D1024
52.5 (50.71min - 52.46max) MB/s
Alienware m17 R4
2x Micron 2300 512 GB (RAID 0)
37.2 (36.5min - 37.15max) MB/s -29%
4k q1 t1 write
Aorus 17X XES
Gigabyte AG470S1TB-SI B10
319 (315.54min - 318.7max) MB/s +152%
Average SSSTC CA6-8D1024
  (126.7 - 280, n=6)
227 MB/s +79%
Average of class Gaming
  (66.6 - 421, n=202, last 2 years)
227 MB/s +79%
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 SE G733CX-LL014W
Samsung PM9A1 MZVL22T0HBLB
221 (218.91min - 220.66max) MB/s +74%
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti)
Samsung PM9A1 MZVL21T0HCLR
213 (195.99min - 212.69max) MB/s +68%
SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 M22
Samsung SSD 980 Pro 1TB MZ-V8P1T0BW
195.1 (194.02min - 195.09max) MB/s +54%
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT)
SSSTC CA6-8D1024
126.7 (123.88min - 126.69max) MB/s
Alienware m17 R4
2x Micron 2300 512 GB (RAID 0)
95.3 (94.79min - 95.27max) MB/s -25%
4k q32 t16 read
SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 M22
Samsung SSD 980 Pro 1TB MZ-V8P1T0BW
4483 (4465.42min - 4482.78max) MB/s +432%
Aorus 17X XES
Gigabyte AG470S1TB-SI B10
3564 (3554.96min - 3563.6max) MB/s +323%
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti)
Samsung PM9A1 MZVL21T0HCLR
3222 (3204.74min - 3221.65max) MB/s +282%
Average SSSTC CA6-8D1024
  (843 - 3203, n=6)
2780 MB/s +230%
Average of class Gaming
  (313 - 6172, n=202, last 2 years)
2581 MB/s +206%
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 SE G733CX-LL014W
Samsung PM9A1 MZVL22T0HBLB
2148 (1952.04min - 2148.3max) MB/s +155%
Alienware m17 R4
2x Micron 2300 512 GB (RAID 0)
1650 (1311.12min - 1650.22max) MB/s +96%
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT)
SSSTC CA6-8D1024
843 (833.55min - 843.1max) MB/s
4k q32 t16 write
SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 M22
Samsung SSD 980 Pro 1TB MZ-V8P1T0BW
4383 (4358.15min - 4383.06max) MB/s +1422%
Aorus 17X XES
Gigabyte AG470S1TB-SI B10
3570 (3534.41min - 3570.18max) MB/s +1140%
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti)
Samsung PM9A1 MZVL21T0HCLR
2623 (2563.77min - 2622.75max) MB/s +811%
Average of class Gaming
  (162.3 - 4869, n=202, last 2 years)
2173 MB/s +655%
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 SE G733CX-LL014W
Samsung PM9A1 MZVL22T0HBLB
2101 (1969.73min - 2101.4max) MB/s +630%
Average SSSTC CA6-8D1024
  (288 - 2213, n=6)
1710 MB/s +494%
Alienware m17 R4
2x Micron 2300 512 GB (RAID 0)
1524 (1317.89min - 1523.66max) MB/s +429%
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT)
SSSTC CA6-8D1024
288 (123min - 287.76max) MB/s
AS SSD
Score Total
Aorus 17X XES
Gigabyte AG470S1TB-SI B10
9242 Points +131%
SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 M22
Samsung SSD 980 Pro 1TB MZ-V8P1T0BW
9218 Points +130%
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 SE G733CX-LL014W
Samsung PM9A1 MZVL22T0HBLB
7498 Points +87%
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti)
Samsung PM9A1 MZVL21T0HCLR
7306 Points +82%
Average SSSTC CA6-8D1024
  (4008 - 7821, n=6)
6829 Points +70%
Average of class Gaming
  (1923 - 13854, n=190, last 2 years)
6821 Points +70%
Alienware m17 R4
2x Micron 2300 512 GB (RAID 0)
4184 Points +4%
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT)
SSSTC CA6-8D1024
4008 Points
Score Read
Aorus 17X XES
Gigabyte AG470S1TB-SI B10
3629 Points +190%
SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 M22
Samsung SSD 980 Pro 1TB MZ-V8P1T0BW
3428 Points +174%
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 SE G733CX-LL014W
Samsung PM9A1 MZVL22T0HBLB
3012 Points +141%
Average SSSTC CA6-8D1024
  (1250 - 3587, n=6)
2986 Points +139%
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti)
Samsung PM9A1 MZVL21T0HCLR
2837 Points +127%
Average of class Gaming
  (528 - 4721, n=190, last 2 years)
2508 Points +101%
Alienware m17 R4
2x Micron 2300 512 GB (RAID 0)
1706 Points +36%
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT)
SSSTC CA6-8D1024
1250 Points
Score Write
SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 M22
Samsung SSD 980 Pro 1TB MZ-V8P1T0BW
4113 Points +86%
Aorus 17X XES
Gigabyte AG470S1TB-SI B10
3877 Points +75%
Average of class Gaming
  (515 - 7208, n=190, last 2 years)
3097 Points +40%
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 SE G733CX-LL014W
Samsung PM9A1 MZVL22T0HBLB
3013 Points +36%
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti)
Samsung PM9A1 MZVL21T0HCLR
2964 Points +34%
Average SSSTC CA6-8D1024
  (2211 - 2566, n=6)
2419 Points +9%
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT)
SSSTC CA6-8D1024
2211 Points
Alienware m17 R4
2x Micron 2300 512 GB (RAID 0)
1598 Points -28%
Seq Read
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 SE G733CX-LL014W
Samsung PM9A1 MZVL22T0HBLB
9971 MB/s +111%
Aorus 17X XES
Gigabyte AG470S1TB-SI B10
5715 MB/s +21%
Average SSSTC CA6-8D1024
  (4716 - 5771, n=6)
5475 MB/s +16%
SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 M22
Samsung SSD 980 Pro 1TB MZ-V8P1T0BW
5157 MB/s +9%
Average of class Gaming
  (1759 - 12763, n=190, last 2 years)
4916 MB/s +4%
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT)
SSSTC CA6-8D1024
4716 MB/s
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti)
Samsung PM9A1 MZVL21T0HCLR
3431 MB/s -27%
Alienware m17 R4
2x Micron 2300 512 GB (RAID 0)
2733 MB/s -42%
Seq Write
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 SE G733CX-LL014W
Samsung PM9A1 MZVL22T0HBLB
8590 MB/s +222%
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti)
Samsung PM9A1 MZVL21T0HCLR
4370 MB/s +64%
SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 M22
Samsung SSD 980 Pro 1TB MZ-V8P1T0BW
3733 MB/s +40%
Average of class Gaming
  (495 - 11316, n=190, last 2 years)
3632 MB/s +36%
Average SSSTC CA6-8D1024
  (2671 - 4201, n=6)
3518 MB/s +32%
Aorus 17X XES
Gigabyte AG470S1TB-SI B10
3218 MB/s +20%
Alienware m17 R4
2x Micron 2300 512 GB (RAID 0)
2822 MB/s +6%
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT)
SSSTC CA6-8D1024
2671 MB/s
4K Read
Aorus 17X XES
Gigabyte AG470S1TB-SI B10
94.04 MB/s +91%
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti)
Samsung PM9A1 MZVL21T0HCLR
80.14 MB/s +63%
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 SE G733CX-LL014W
Samsung PM9A1 MZVL22T0HBLB
72.43 MB/s +47%
SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 M22
Samsung SSD 980 Pro 1TB MZ-V8P1T0BW
68.93 MB/s +40%
Average of class Gaming
  (30.4 - 112.1, n=190, last 2 years)
67.6 MB/s +38%
Average SSSTC CA6-8D1024
  (49.1 - 69.7, n=6)
58.7 MB/s +19%
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT)
SSSTC CA6-8D1024
49.14 MB/s
Alienware m17 R4
2x Micron 2300 512 GB (RAID 0)
45.04 MB/s -8%
4K Write
Aorus 17X XES
Gigabyte AG470S1TB-SI B10
256.3 MB/s +113%
Average of class Gaming
  (96.3 - 512, n=190, last 2 years)
212 MB/s +76%
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 SE G733CX-LL014W
Samsung PM9A1 MZVL22T0HBLB
204.33 MB/s +70%
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti)
Samsung PM9A1 MZVL21T0HCLR
196.06 MB/s +63%
Average SSSTC CA6-8D1024
  (120.1 - 242, n=6)
189.1 MB/s +57%
SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 M22
Samsung SSD 980 Pro 1TB MZ-V8P1T0BW
157.01 MB/s +31%
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT)
SSSTC CA6-8D1024
120.14 MB/s
Alienware m17 R4
2x Micron 2300 512 GB (RAID 0)
88.4 MB/s -26%
4K-64 Read
Aorus 17X XES
Gigabyte AG470S1TB-SI B10
2963 MB/s +307%
SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 M22
Samsung SSD 980 Pro 1TB MZ-V8P1T0BW
2842.96 MB/s +290%
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti)
Samsung PM9A1 MZVL21T0HCLR
2413.38 MB/s +231%
Average SSSTC CA6-8D1024
  (729 - 2959, n=6)
2379 MB/s +226%
Average of class Gaming
  (312 - 3475, n=190, last 2 years)
1943 MB/s +167%
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 SE G733CX-LL014W
Samsung PM9A1 MZVL22T0HBLB
1942.29 MB/s +167%
Alienware m17 R4
2x Micron 2300 512 GB (RAID 0)
1388 MB/s +90%
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT)
SSSTC CA6-8D1024
728.79 MB/s
4K-64 Write
SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 M22
Samsung SSD 980 Pro 1TB MZ-V8P1T0BW
3582.58 MB/s +96%
Aorus 17X XES
Gigabyte AG470S1TB-SI B10
3299 MB/s +81%
Average of class Gaming
  (277 - 5909, n=190, last 2 years)
2524 MB/s +38%
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti)
Samsung PM9A1 MZVL21T0HCLR
2331.1 MB/s +28%
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 SE G733CX-LL014W
Samsung PM9A1 MZVL22T0HBLB
1949.41 MB/s +7%
Average SSSTC CA6-8D1024
  (1712 - 1944, n=6)
1872 MB/s +3%
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT)
SSSTC CA6-8D1024
1824.12 MB/s
Alienware m17 R4
2x Micron 2300 512 GB (RAID 0)
1227 MB/s -33%
Access Time Read
Aorus 17X XES
Gigabyte AG470S1TB-SI B10
0.085 ms * -174%
Alienware m17 R4
2x Micron 2300 512 GB (RAID 0)
0.079 ms * -155%
Average of class Gaming
  (0.02 - 0.379, n=188, last 2 years)
0.05335 ms * -72%
SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 M22
Samsung SSD 980 Pro 1TB MZ-V8P1T0BW
0.034 ms * -10%
Average SSSTC CA6-8D1024
  (0.023 - 0.059, n=6)
0.03233 ms * -4%
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT)
SSSTC CA6-8D1024
0.031 ms *
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 SE G733CX-LL014W
Samsung PM9A1 MZVL22T0HBLB
0.022 ms * +29%
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti)
Samsung PM9A1 MZVL21T0HCLR
0 ms * +100%
Access Time Write
Alienware m17 R4
2x Micron 2300 512 GB (RAID 0)
0.095 ms * -197%
Average SSSTC CA6-8D1024
  (0.032 - 0.154, n=6)
0.07283 ms * -128%
Average of class Gaming
  (0.011 - 1.028, n=190, last 2 years)
0.04879 ms * -52%
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT)
SSSTC CA6-8D1024
0.032 ms *
SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 M22
Samsung SSD 980 Pro 1TB MZ-V8P1T0BW
0.025 ms * +22%
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 SE G733CX-LL014W
Samsung PM9A1 MZVL22T0HBLB
0.023 ms * +28%
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti)
Samsung PM9A1 MZVL21T0HCLR
0.022 ms * +31%
Aorus 17X XES
Gigabyte AG470S1TB-SI B10
0.014 ms * +56%

* ... smaller is better

Sustained Read Performance: DiskSpd Read Loop, Queue Depth 8

035070010501400175021002450280031503500385042004550490052505600595063006650Tooltip
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT) SSSTC CA6-8D1024: Ø4118 (1511-6910.52)
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti) Samsung PM9A1 MZVL21T0HCLR: Ø2976 (2200.96-6860.11)
Aorus 17X XES Gigabyte AG470S1TB-SI B10: Ø6907 (6282.04-6938.39)

Graphics Card

A dedicated AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT aims to provide gaming pleasure, and its performance is generally classified between that of an RTX 3070 and an RTX 3080.

The GPU does a decent job in the 3DMark tests and leaves its competitors with the RTX 3070 Ti behind by a significant margin. The m17 R4 predecessor with its RTX 3080 is more or less on par with the R5 and even the competition with RTX 3080 Ti is within reach.

In battery mode, 3D performance drops by 43 percent.

Once again, similar to Cinebench, the performance modes in the Control Center don't seem to have any effect on the Fire Strike score (see images below). Whether Balanced, Performance or Full Speed, the score remains almost identical. Possibly, the drivers are not interacting with the settings in the Control Center here either.

3DMark 11
3DMark 11
3DMark Time Spy
3DMark Time Spy
3DMark Fire Strike
3DMark Fire Strike
3DMark Cloud Gate
3DMark Cloud Gate
3DMark Fire Strike in battery mode
3DMark Fire Strike in battery mode
3DMark Fire Strike in Balanced mode
3DMark Fire Strike in Balanced mode
3DMark Fire Strike in Full Speed mode
3DMark Fire Strike in Full Speed mode
3DMark Performance Rating - Percent
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 SE G733CX-LL014W -1!
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU, Intel Core i9-12950HX
97.7 pt
SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 M22 -1!
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU, AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX
97.7 pt
Alienware m17 R4
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU, Intel Core i9-10980HK
97.4 pt
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT)
AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT, AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX
93.8 pt
Average AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT
 
93.6 pt
Average of class Gaming
 
84.3 pt
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti)
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU, Intel Core i7-12700H
83.6 pt
Aorus 17X XES
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU, Intel Core i9-12900HX
75.3 pt
3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance GPU
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 SE G733CX-LL014W
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU, Intel Core i9-12950HX
44134 Points +5%
SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 M22
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU, AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX
43823 Points +4%
Alienware m17 R4
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU, Intel Core i9-10980HK
43077 Points +3%
Average AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT
  (41942 - 42089, n=2)
42016 Points 0%
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT)
AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT, AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX
41942 Points
Average of class Gaming
  (1029 - 72070, n=241, last 2 years)
39928 Points -5%
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti)
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU, Intel Core i7-12700H
38883 Points -7%
Aorus 17X XES
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU, Intel Core i9-12900HX
32001 Points -24%
3DMark
1280x720 Cloud Gate Standard Graphics
Alienware m17 R4
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU, Intel Core i9-10980HK
192950 Points +15%
Average AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT
  (168293 - 177650, n=2)
172972 Points +3%
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT)
AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT, AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX
168293 Points
Aorus 17X XES
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU, Intel Core i9-12900HX
151618 Points -10%
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti)
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU, Intel Core i7-12700H
149796 Points -11%
Average of class Gaming
  (15902 - 193851, n=150, last 2 years)
135325 Points -20%
1920x1080 Fire Strike Graphics
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT)
AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT, AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX
34948 Points
Average AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT
  (32853 - 34948, n=2)
33901 Points -3%
SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 M22
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU, AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX
33120 Points -5%
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 SE G733CX-LL014W
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU, Intel Core i9-12950HX
32505 Points -7%
Alienware m17 R4
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU, Intel Core i9-10980HK
32366 Points -7%
Average of class Gaming
  (781 - 53059, n=245, last 2 years)
29195 Points -16%
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti)
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU, Intel Core i7-12700H
28088 Points -20%
Aorus 17X XES
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU, Intel Core i9-12900HX
25538 Points -27%
2560x1440 Time Spy Graphics
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 SE G733CX-LL014W
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU, Intel Core i9-12950HX
12791 Points +7%
Alienware m17 R4
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU, Intel Core i9-10980HK
12718 Points +7%
SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 M22
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU, AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX
12684 Points +6%
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT)
AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT, AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX
11912 Points
Average of class Gaming
  (224 - 22547, n=243, last 2 years)
11907 Points 0%
Average AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT
  (11762 - 11912, n=2)
11837 Points -1%
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti)
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU, Intel Core i7-12700H
11316 Points -5%
Aorus 17X XES
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU, Intel Core i9-12900HX
9834 Points -17%
3DMark 11 Performance
30432 points
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score
60255 points
3DMark Fire Strike Score
28368 points
3DMark Time Spy Score
11666 points
Help
Blender
v3.3 Classroom HIP/AMD
Average of class Gaming
  (51 - 668, n=14, last 2 years)
285 Seconds * -270%
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT)
AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT, AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX
77 Seconds *
Average AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT
  (51 - 77, n=2)
64 Seconds * +17%
v3.3 Classroom OPTIX/RTX
Aorus 17X XES
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU, Intel Core i9-12900HX
25 Seconds *
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti)
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU, Intel Core i7-12700H
24 Seconds *
Average of class Gaming
  (9 - 142, n=173, last 2 years)
23.3 Seconds *
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 SE G733CX-LL014W
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU, Intel Core i9-12950HX
23 Seconds *
v3.3 Classroom CUDA
Aorus 17X XES
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU, Intel Core i9-12900HX
41 Seconds *
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti)
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU, Intel Core i7-12700H
40 Seconds *
Average of class Gaming
  (16 - 175, n=178, last 2 years)
39.7 Seconds *
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 SE G733CX-LL014W
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU, Intel Core i9-12950HX
34 Seconds *
v3.3 Classroom CPU
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti)
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU, Intel Core i7-12700H
379 Seconds * -3%
Average AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT
  (369 - 372, n=2)
371 Seconds * -1%
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT)
AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT, AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX
369 Seconds *
Aorus 17X XES
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU, Intel Core i9-12900HX
358 Seconds * +3%
Average of class Gaming
  (138 - 962, n=191, last 2 years)
318 Seconds * +14%
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 SE G733CX-LL014W
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU, Intel Core i9-12950HX
301 Seconds * +18%

* ... smaller is better

Gaming Performance

In gaming, the AMD Alienware's performance depends heavily on the game played. In CPU-heavy games, the entire Intel competition is ahead, such as in DOTA 2 Reborn.

Sometimes the GPU switching does not work properly.
Sometimes the GPU switching does not work properly.

In GPU-heavy games, the tides can turn and the m17 R5 can be found in the top positions (Witcher 3), despite strong competition from the RTX 3080 Ti. However, there are always games (GTA V) in which the performance is below average. This may also be due to the drivers.

The results in X-Plane indicate that the graphics switching did not work. The results are reproducible.

Ray tracing performance in Dying Light 2 and Cyberpunk 2077 is weaker than competing Nvidia 3000 series cards.

Performance Rating - Percent
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 SE G733CX-LL014W
Intel Core i9-12950HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU
97 pt
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti)
Intel Core i7-12700H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU
87.8 pt
Average of class Gaming
 
87 pt
SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 M22
AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU
84 pt
Aorus 17X XES
Intel Core i9-12900HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU
82.8 pt
Alienware m17 R4
Intel Core i9-10980HK, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU
81.7 pt
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT)
AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX, AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT
76.3 pt
The Witcher 3 - 1920x1080 Ultra Graphics & Postprocessing (HBAO+)
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT)
AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX, AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT
126.2 fps
SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 M22
AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU
121 (98min) fps -4%
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti)
Intel Core i7-12700H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU
119 fps -6%
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 SE G733CX-LL014W
Intel Core i9-12950HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU
118.8 (111min, 113P1) fps -6%
Average of class Gaming
  (8.61 - 216, n=238, last 2 years)
115.1 fps -9%
Alienware m17 R4
Intel Core i9-10980HK, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU
115 (84min) fps -9%
Aorus 17X XES
Intel Core i9-12900HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU
93.7 (80min) fps -26%
GTA V - 1920x1080 Highest Settings possible AA:4xMSAA + FX AF:16x
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 SE G733CX-LL014W
Intel Core i9-12950HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU
126.7 (9.75min, 76.9P1) fps +37%
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti)
Intel Core i7-12700H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU
112.9 (6.2min, 76.9P1) fps +22%
Aorus 17X XES
Intel Core i9-12900HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU
110.9 (6.17min, 76.9P1) fps +20%
Average of class Gaming
  (6.38 - 167.7, n=227, last 2 years)
106.3 fps +15%
SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 M22
AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU
101.8 (18.4min, 71.4P1) fps +10%
Alienware m17 R4
Intel Core i9-10980HK, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU
93.9 (6.12min, 62.5P1) fps +1%
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT)
AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX, AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT
92.6 (7.62min, 55.6P1) fps
Final Fantasy XV Benchmark - 1920x1080 High Quality
SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 M22
AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU
122.8 fps +8%
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 SE G733CX-LL014W
Intel Core i9-12950HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU
118.5 fps +4%
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti)
Intel Core i7-12700H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU
116.8 fps +3%
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT)
AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX, AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT
113.6 fps
Average of class Gaming
  (9.13 - 194.9, n=237, last 2 years)
109.6 fps -4%
Alienware m17 R4
Intel Core i9-10980HK, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU
98.2 fps -14%
Aorus 17X XES
Intel Core i9-12900HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU
94.7 fps -17%
Strange Brigade - 1920x1080 ultra AA:ultra AF:16
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT)
AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX, AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT
230 (121.4min, 165.6P1) fps
Alienware m17 R4
Intel Core i9-10980HK, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU
212 (79.6min, 151P1) fps -8%
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 SE G733CX-LL014W
Intel Core i9-12950HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU
211 (14.1min, 155.4P1) fps -8%
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti)
Intel Core i7-12700H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU
209 (59min, 156.2P1) fps -9%
Average of class Gaming
  (14.6 - 421, n=235, last 2 years)
203 fps -12%
SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 M22
AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU
201 (41.3min, 148.1P1) fps -13%
Aorus 17X XES
Intel Core i9-12900HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU
163.2 (82.8min, 122.4P1) fps -29%
Dota 2 Reborn - 1920x1080 ultra (3/3) best looking
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 SE G733CX-LL014W
Intel Core i9-12950HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU
169.8 (147.2min) fps +81%
Aorus 17X XES
Intel Core i9-12900HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU
148 (121.3min) fps +57%
Average of class Gaming
  (26.9 - 220, n=248, last 2 years)
141.2 fps +50%
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti)
Intel Core i7-12700H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU
132.8 (108.1min) fps +41%
Alienware m17 R4
Intel Core i9-10980HK, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU
132 (114.9min) fps +40%
SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 M22
AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU
121.4 (106.8min) fps +29%
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT)
AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX, AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT
94 (75.5min) fps
X-Plane 11.11 - 1920x1080 high (fps_test=3)
Aorus 17X XES
Intel Core i9-12900HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU
116.9 fps +170%
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 SE G733CX-LL014W
Intel Core i9-12950HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU
116.2 fps +168%
Average of class Gaming
  (12.4 - 166.2, n=253, last 2 years)
100.8 fps +133%
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti)
Intel Core i7-12700H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU
92.4 fps +113%
Alienware m17 R4
Intel Core i9-10980HK, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU
88 fps +103%
SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 M22
AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU
80.3 fps +85%
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT)
AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX, AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT
43.3 fps
Far Cry 5
1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:T
Aorus 17X XES
Intel Core i9-12900HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU
135 (112min) fps +32%
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti)
Intel Core i7-12700H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU
126 fps +24%
Average of class Gaming
  (14 - 218, n=129, last 2 years)
125.8 fps +23%
Alienware m17 R4
Intel Core i9-10980HK, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU
121 (93min) fps +19%
SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 M22
AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU
113 (81min) fps +11%
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT)
AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX, AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT
102 fps
Average AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT
 
102 fps 0%
2560x1440 Ultra Preset AA:T
Average of class Gaming
  (14 - 194, n=93, last 2 years)
113.4 fps +15%
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti)
Intel Core i7-12700H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU
111 fps +12%
SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 M22
AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU
110 (82min) fps +11%
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT)
AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX, AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT
99 fps
Average AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT
 
99 fps 0%
3840x2160 Ultra Preset AA:T
Average of class Gaming
  (39 - 113, n=34, last 2 years)
79.5 fps +17%
SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 M22
AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU
70 (62min) fps +3%
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT)
AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX, AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT
68 fps
Average AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT
 
68 fps 0%
Dying Light 2
1920x1080 High Quality
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT)
AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX, AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT
86 fps
Average AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT
 
86 fps 0%
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti)
Intel Core i7-12700H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU
85.5 fps -1%
Average of class Gaming
  (35.8 - 174, n=26, last 2 years)
83.9 fps -2%
3840x2160 High Quality
Average of class Gaming
  (20.8 - 62, n=9, last 2 years)
43.4 fps +45%
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT)
AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX, AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT
30 fps
Average AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT
 
30 fps 0%
1920x1080 High Quality Raytracing
Average of class Gaming
  (19.8 - 83.9, n=21, last 2 years)
42.2 fps +83%
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti)
Intel Core i7-12700H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU
37.4 fps +63%
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT)
AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX, AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT
23 fps
Average AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT
 
23 fps 0%

In our one-hour long Witcher 3 loop, the overall frame rate is quite stable, with performance values that rival the RTX 3070 Ti in the Acer Predator and even the RTX 3080 Ti in the XMG Neo 17.

The GPU clock is almost constant at 2.4 to 2.5 GHz, and the card heats up to around 75 °C. GPU power consumption is around 164 W.

GPU clock
GPU clock
GPU temperature
GPU temperature
GPU power consumption
GPU power consumption

Witcher 3 FPS chart

0102030405060708090100110120Tooltip
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT) R9 6900HX, Radeon RX 6850M XT: Ø114.1 (101-125)
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti) i7-12700H, GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU: Ø108.7 (103-115)
SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 M22 R9 6900HX, GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU: Ø119.7 (105-125)
low med. high ultraQHD4K
GTA V (2015) 173.2 168.3 152 92.6 88.7 98.5
The Witcher 3 (2015) 222 198.2 188.6 126.2 72.2
Dota 2 Reborn (2015) 134.7 116.5 112.5 94 77.5
Final Fantasy XV Benchmark (2018) 113.6 84.5 48.8
X-Plane 11.11 (2018) 66.9 51 43.3 27.5
Far Cry 5 (2018) 126 109 105 102 99 68
Strange Brigade (2018) 375 291 256 230 171 92.1
Assassin´s Creed Valhalla (2020) 87 47
Dying Light 2 (2022) 136 107 86 60 30
Cyberpunk 2077 1.6 (2022) 57 26
Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 2022 (2022) 86 54

Emissions - High CPU core temperatures, otherwise inconspicuous

Noise

In idle, the fans remain mostly silent outside Full Speed mode. However, they periodically rev up briefly for one to three seconds, which makes no sense. This even happens in sleep mode with the screen closed, which is quite annoying. So here, too, the drivers are not perfectly adjusted.

When gaming in Performance mode, the new m17 becomes slightly louder than its predecessor, but remains relatively quiet compared to the rest of the competition, making it one of the quietest high-performance gamers.

Noise Level

Idle
23 / 28.11 / 28.11 dB(A)
Load
30.62 / 50.17 dB(A)
  red to green bar
 
 
30 dB
silent
40 dB(A)
audible
50 dB(A)
loud
 
min: dark, med: mid, max: light   Earthworks M23R, Arta (15 cm distance)   environment noise: 23 dB(A)
dB(A) 0102030405060708090Deep BassMiddle BassHigh BassLower RangeMidsHigher MidsLower HighsMid HighsUpper HighsSuper Highs2034.228.134.22537.838.937.83136.942.436.94029.730.129.75024.829.524.86331.223.131.28025.922.825.910032.821.532.81252518.72516030.317.730.320032.120.932.125033.518.733.531530.516.330.5400319.83150034.210.234.263037.21137.280036.19.836.110003710.2371250399.239160038.49.138.4200039.49.339.4250039.69.839.6315040.39.940.34000401040500040.210.340.2630036.410.436.4800030.710.530.71000025.410.625.4125002010.5201600015.49.715.4SPL50.222.950.2N7.10.57.1median 34.2median 10.3median 34.2Delta5.42.25.43230.73235.736.235.737.140.337.128.829.228.826.224.726.227.317.727.324.417.124.433.716.633.728.216.628.232.717.332.736.522.836.538.81838.837.413.837.436.713.236.737.411.337.441.710.241.744.510.544.5469.84647.89.347.852.810.152.851.310.351.351.310.651.353.910.953.953.811.153.851.311.351.350.611.650.649.311.649.348.511.848.545.911.745.940.710.740.762.723.562.715.40.515.4median 45.9median 11.3median 45.97.32.57.3hearing rangehide median Fan NoiseAlienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT)Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti)
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT)
Radeon RX 6850M XT, R9 6900HX, SSSTC CA6-8D1024
Alienware m17 R4
GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU, i9-10980HK, 2x Micron 2300 512 GB (RAID 0)
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 SE G733CX-LL014W
GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU, i9-12950HX, Samsung PM9A1 MZVL22T0HBLB
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti)
GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU, i7-12700H, Samsung PM9A1 MZVL21T0HCLR
SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 M22
GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU, R9 6900HX, Samsung SSD 980 Pro 1TB MZ-V8P1T0BW
Aorus 17X XES
GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU, i9-12900HX, Gigabyte AG470S1TB-SI B10
Noise
-9%
3%
-18%
-20%
-25%
off / environment *
23
24
-4%
23.9
-4%
23
-0%
26
-13%
26
-13%
Idle Minimum *
23
24
-4%
23.9
-4%
23
-0%
26
-13%
28
-22%
Idle Average *
28.11
25
11%
23.9
15%
25.92
8%
29
-3%
32
-14%
Idle Maximum *
28.11
36
-28%
23.9
15%
40.67
-45%
40
-42%
38
-35%
Load Average *
30.62
45
-47%
34.3
-12%
42.7
-39%
47
-53%
53
-73%
Witcher 3 ultra *
49.75
47
6%
62.48
-26%
52
-5%
54
-9%
Load Maximum *
50.17
50
-0%
45.9
9%
62.67
-25%
54
-8%
55
-10%

* ... smaller is better

Temperature

The m17 always stays cool when idling, so the unusually high idle temperatures of its predecessor are a thing of the past.

The palm rests also remain cool under load. However, hot spots of up to 56 °C develop, especially on the underside in the center towards the display. There are competitors that keep a little cooler, but the Alienware doesn't fall behind either; at least one device (Aorus 17) reaches similar temperatures.

Max. Load
 47 °C
117 F
53 °C
127 F
46 °C
115 F
 
 42 °C
108 F
42 °C
108 F
37 °C
99 F
 
 28 °C
82 F
27 °C
81 F
29 °C
84 F
 
Maximum: 53 °C = 127 F
Average: 39 °C = 102 F
43 °C
109 F
56 °C
133 F
46 °C
115 F
43 °C
109 F
52 °C
126 F
43 °C
109 F
26 °C
79 F
27 °C
81 F
25 °C
77 F
Maximum: 56 °C = 133 F
Average: 40.1 °C = 104 F
Power Supply (max.)  52 °C = 126 F | Room Temperature 18 °C = 64 F | Fluke t3000FC (calibrated), Fluke 62 Mini
(-) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 39 °C / 102 F, compared to the average of 33.8 °C / 93 F for the devices in the class Gaming.
(-) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 53 °C / 127 F, compared to the average of 40.4 °C / 105 F, ranging from 21.2 to 68.8 °C for the class Gaming.
(-) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 56 °C / 133 F, compared to the average of 43.2 °C / 110 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 25.3 °C / 78 F, compared to the device average of 33.8 °C / 93 F.
(±) Playing The Witcher 3, the average temperature for the upper side is 36.4 °C / 98 F, compared to the device average of 33.8 °C / 93 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are cooler than skin temperature with a maximum of 29 °C / 84.2 F and are therefore cool to the touch.
(±) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 28.9 °C / 84 F (-0.1 °C / -0.2 F).
Witcher 3 - top side
Witcher 3 - top side
Witcher 3 - underside
Witcher 3 - underside
Witcher 3 - power supply unit
Witcher 3 - power supply unit
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT)
AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX, AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT
Alienware m17 R4
Intel Core i9-10980HK, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 SE G733CX-LL014W
Intel Core i9-12950HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti)
Intel Core i7-12700H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU
SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 M22
AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU
Aorus 17X XES
Intel Core i9-12900HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU
Heat
-25%
-1%
6%
0%
-16%
Maximum Upper Side *
53
58
-9%
48.8
8%
35
34%
49
8%
54
-2%
Maximum Bottom *
56
46
18%
52.4
6%
53
5%
52
7%
58
-4%
Idle Upper Side *
30
45
-50%
30.4
-1%
29
3%
30
-0%
37
-23%
Idle Bottom *
29
46
-59%
34.1
-18%
34
-17%
33
-14%
39
-34%

* ... smaller is better

Stress Testing

The cores start our stress test at around 4.3 GHz. Over time, this clock is maintained quite well, dropping only minimally. Core temperatures repeatedly reach the high 100 °C!

The GPU has somewhat more tolerable temperatures of around 75 °C. The GPU clock rate is 1.6 GHz on average.

CPU clock
CPU clock
GPU clock
GPU clock
CPU temperature
CPU temperature
GPU temperature
GPU temperature
CPU power consumption
CPU power consumption
GPU power consumption
GPU power consumption
CPU Clock (GHz) GPU Clock (MHz) Average CPU Temperature (°C) Average GPU Temperature (°C)
System Idle
Prime95 + FurMark Stress 4 1,6 94 75
Witcher 3 Stress 0,71 2,4 70 75

Speakers

The stereo speakers are comparatively loud and have balanced highs and mids. The bass is clearly underrepresented, which is why connecting external audio devices via headset jack, Bluetooth or HDMI is recommended.

dB(A) 0102030405060708090Deep BassMiddle BassHigh BassLower RangeMidsHigher MidsLower HighsMid HighsUpper HighsSuper Highs2031.827.931.8253532.7353137.535.437.5402824.7285033.222.533.26332.122.932.18024.218.924.21002816.8281252516.42516042.814.442.820055.419.355.425061.315.661.331565.410.265.440066.99.666.9500708.27063076.57.576.580074.98.274.9100072.38.372.31250758.775160070.49.570.4200066.49.666.4250068.910.468.9315064.710.564.7400068.810.968.8500066.211.166.2630066.811.366.8800068.81268.81000068.912.168.91250058.911.958.91600054.31154.3SPL82.622.682.6N570.457median 66.8median 10.9median 66.8Delta6.11.56.132.830.732.840.436.240.441.640.341.632.529.232.529.624.729.632.717.732.727.717.127.72716.62734.216.634.245.817.345.850.922.850.953.81853.857.613.857.655.313.255.351.511.351.558.510.258.563.910.563.9669.86664.19.364.166.410.166.46210.36259.910.659.96010.96056.211.156.257.111.357.159.111.659.160.111.660.161.511.861.555.611.755.652.810.752.873.823.573.832.90.532.9median 57.6median 11.3median 57.652.55hearing rangehide median Pink NoiseAlienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT)Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti)
Frequency diagram (checkboxes can be checked and unchecked to compare devices)
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT) audio analysis

(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (82.64 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 20.5% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (14.1% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 4.8% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (5.9% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 1.6% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (4.1% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (15.7% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 33% of all tested devices in this class were better, 7% similar, 60% worse
» The best had a delta of 6%, average was 18%, worst was 132%
Compared to all devices tested
» 19% of all tested devices were better, 4% similar, 76% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti) audio analysis

(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (73.83 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(±) | reduced bass - on average 12.7% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (11.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | higher mids - on average 5.5% higher than median
(±) | linearity of mids is average (7.9% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 2.1% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (3.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (15.8% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 34% of all tested devices in this class were better, 7% similar, 59% worse
» The best had a delta of 6%, average was 18%, worst was 132%
Compared to all devices tested
» 20% of all tested devices were better, 5% similar, 76% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Power Management - Average runtimes

Power Consumption

The m17 R5 is quite economical when idling and is also "outperformed" by most of the competition during peak loads. However, the laptop is less economical when gaming: in Witcher 3, it consumes the most of all comparison devices. This is hardly surprising, since it also performs the best in our Witcher 3 stress test.

The flat but wide power supply unit is designed for an output of 240 W and is thus practically maxed out. The difference in input/output power should ensure that it does not become overwhelmed and can cope with the occasional 250 W load peak.

Power Consumption
Idledarkmidlight 13 / 16.5 / 17 Watt
Load midlight 93 / 251 Watt
 color bar
Key: min: dark, med: mid, max: light        Metrahit Energy
Currently we use the Metrahit Energy, a professional single phase power quality and energy measurement digital multimeter, for our measurements. Find out more about it here. All of our test methods can be found here.
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT)
R9 6900HX, Radeon RX 6850M XT, SSSTC CA6-8D1024, IPS, 3840x2160, 17.00
Alienware m17 R4
i9-10980HK, GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU, 2x Micron 2300 512 GB (RAID 0), IPS, 1920x1080, 17.30
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 SE G733CX-LL014W
i9-12950HX, GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU, Samsung PM9A1 MZVL22T0HBLB, IPS, 2560x1440, 17.30
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti)
i7-12700H, GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU, Samsung PM9A1 MZVL21T0HCLR, IPS, 2560x1440, 17.30
SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 M22
R9 6900HX, GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU, Samsung SSD 980 Pro 1TB MZ-V8P1T0BW, IPS, 2560x1600, 17.00
Aorus 17X XES
i9-12900HX, GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU, Gigabyte AG470S1TB-SI B10, IPS, 1920x1080, 17.30
Average AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT
 
Average of class Gaming
 
Power Consumption
-119%
-40%
-21%
11%
-49%
-6%
-19%
Idle Minimum *
13
42
-223%
19.3
-48%
15
-15%
7
46%
18
-38%
11.5 ?(9.9 - 13, n=2)
12%
13.8 ?(2 - 64, n=184, last 2 years)
-6%
Idle Average *
16.5
48
-191%
26.5
-61%
20
-21%
11
33%
28
-70%
19.3 ?(16.5 - 22, n=2)
-17%
19.1 ?(8 - 67, n=184, last 2 years)
-16%
Idle Maximum *
17
58
-241%
27.1
-59%
22.3
-31%
17
-0%
36
-112%
20.1 ?(17 - 23.1, n=2)
-18%
26.6 ?(9 - 101.1, n=184, last 2 years)
-56%
Load Average *
93
124
-33%
141
-52%
133
-43%
92
1%
153
-65%
93.7 ?(93 - 94.4, n=2)
-1%
111 ?(32.1 - 202, n=184, last 2 years)
-19%
Witcher 3 ultra *
239
219
8%
225
6%
231
3%
221
8%
221
8%
Load Maximum *
251
337
-34%
307.9
-23%
290
-16%
306
-22%
290
-16%
264 ?(251 - 276, n=2)
-5%
250 ?(64.5 - 418, n=183, last 2 years)
-0%

* ... smaller is better

Power consumption Witcher 3 / Stress test

0153045607590105120135150165180195210225240255270285Tooltip
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT) R9 6900HX, Radeon RX 6850M XT; Witcher 3 ultra: Ø241 (213.58-245.63)
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti) i7-12700H, GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU; Witcher 3 ultra: Ø231 (219.64-251.66)
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT) R9 6900HX, Radeon RX 6850M XT; 1280x720 Prime95 28.10 and Furmark 1.25: Ø245 (232.92-250.74)
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti) i7-12700H, GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU; 1280x720 Prime95 28.10 and Furmark 1.25: Ø253 (215.17-290.16)
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT) R9 6900HX, Radeon RX 6850M XT; Idle 150cd/m2: Ø16.5 (14.286-35.838)

Power consumption with an external monitor

0153045607590105120135150165180195210225Tooltip
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT) R9 6900HX, Radeon RX 6850M XT; Prime95 V2810 Stress (external Monitor): Ø115.5 (112.08-117.88)
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti) i7-12700H, GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU; Prime95 V2810 Stress (external Monitor): Ø187.7 (168.54-215.43)
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT) R9 6900HX, Radeon RX 6850M XT; Cinebench R15 Multi (external Monitor): Ø114.3 (112.5-116.18)
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti) i7-12700H, GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU; Cinebench R15 Multi (external Monitor): Ø181.6 (178.45-185.55)
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT) R9 6900HX, Radeon RX 6850M XT; 1280x720 FurMark 1.19 GPU Stress Test (external Monitor): Ø230 (219.96-237)
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti) i7-12700H, GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU; 1280x720 FurMark 1.19 GPU Stress Test (external Monitor): Ø200 (193.51-205.81)
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT) R9 6900HX, Radeon RX 6850M XT; 1920x1080 The Witcher 3 ultra (external Monitor): Ø223 (218.7-227.89)
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti) i7-12700H, GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU; 1920x1080 The Witcher 3 ultra (external Monitor): Ø215 (210.4-226.36)
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT) R9 6900HX, Radeon RX 6850M XT; Idle 1min (external Monitor): Ø16 (14.306-17.775)

Battery Life

Unfortunately, the m17 does not automatically switch to 60 Hz to save energy when you pull the power plug out of the socket. This applies to all modes, but hardly had a negative impact in our battery test.

With a capacity of 97 Wh, the battery is one of the larger ones compared to the competition. Nevertheless, two rivals perform better. The Schenker XMG Neo 17 in particular is able to squeeze even more time out of its battery of roughly the same size, thanks to clever energy-saving modes. Perhaps the urgently needed driver improvements described above will make a difference for the m17.

The laptop lasted between 3.7 to 4.7 hours in the WiFi test, depending on the display brightness. A movie night can be planned for just under 5 hours. These are solid values for a 17-inch device.

Battery Runtime
WiFi Websurfing
4h 50min
WiFi Websurfing max. Brightness
3h 47min
Big Buck Bunny H.264 1080p
4h 54min
Load (maximum brightness)
1h 47min
Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT)
R9 6900HX, Radeon RX 6850M XT, 97 Wh
Alienware m17 R4
i9-10980HK, GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU, 86 Wh
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 SE G733CX-LL014W
i9-12950HX, GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU, 90 Wh
Acer Predator Helios 300 (i7-12700H, RTX 3070 Ti)
i7-12700H, GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU, 90 Wh
SCHENKER XMG Neo 17 M22
R9 6900HX, GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU, 99 Wh
Aorus 17X XES
i9-12900HX, GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU, 99 Wh
Average of class Gaming
 
Battery Runtime
-46%
-14%
14%
41%
-17%
13%
H.264
294
133
-55%
354
20%
398
35%
226
-23%
391 ?(56 - 747, n=95, last 2 years)
33%
WiFi v1.3
290
141
-51%
250
-14%
362
25%
537
85%
266
-8%
364 ?(57 - 745, n=188, last 2 years)
26%
Load
107
74
-31%
105
-2%
109
2%
86
-20%
85.5 ?(36 - 173, n=150, last 2 years)
-20%
Reader / Idle
722
541 ?(57 - 1290, n=87, last 2 years)

Pros

+ sturdy metal case
+ easy maintenance
+ bright UHD display with 120 Hz & DisplayP3
+ strong 3D performance
+ mostly silent without load, also relatively quiet under load

Cons

- large and heavy
- no USB 4, TB, SD reader, DP
- comparatively slow WiFi
- no more numpad
- CPU performance weaker than Intel competition
- high CPU core temperatures
- weak SSD performance
- fans whine briefly/bad fan control

Conclusion: Incomplete AMD gamer with great potential

The Alienware m17 R5 in review, provided by Dell.
The Alienware m17 R5 in review, provided by Dell.

Overall, the all-AMD system in the Alienware m17 R5 is impressive, especially the graphics performance. However, various driver issues and unnecessary inconsistencies prevent us from truly enjoying such a potent gaming machine.

In addition to strong 3D performance, we particularly like the build quality, the fairly bright UHD display with high color space coverage, and the fact that the gamer is often quiet when not under load and also rather quieter than some competitors under load.

But this is where the (driver) problems start, because even in sleep mode, the fans suddenly rev up for 1-3 seconds for no reason. The SmartAccess graphics switch always freezes the system for several seconds, random crashes occur, the performance modes in the Control Center hardly bring about any changes in performance and could certainly squeeze a little more battery life out of the Alien in energy saving mode.

The Alienware m17 R5 with AMD CPU and GPU is a strong gamer, but unfortunately still has a lot of untapped potential and need for optimization when it comes to the drivers.

A real pity that the otherwise powerful gamer is currently being thwarted in its potential by such problems. If you are looking for a stable alternative until these are fixed, you have wide selection before you: The Razer Blade 17 is also a solid machine, while the XMG Neo 17 offers high performance in combination with liquid cooling. The Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 provides better hardware as well as brute performance.

Price and Availability

In Dell's USA shop, the configurations of the Alienware m17 R5 start at US$1399,99. A configuration identical to our review device costs US$2549.99. 

Alienware m17 R5 (R9 6900HX, RX 6850M XT) - 01/13/2023 v7
Christian Hintze

Chassis
85 / 98 → 87%
Keyboard
89%
Pointing Device
85%
Connectivity
59 / 80 → 73%
Weight
54 / 10-66 → 79%
Battery
61 / 95 → 64%
Display
87%
Games Performance
94%
Application Performance
96%
Temperature
82 / 95 → 87%
Noise
83 / 90 → 92%
Audio
81%
Camera
35 / 85 → 41%
Average
76%
86%
Gaming - Weighted Average

Pricecompare

Read all 8 comments / answer
static version load dynamic
Loading Comments
Comment on this article
Please share our article, every link counts!
> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > Reviews > Alienware m17 R5 laptop review: All-AMD gamer with great potential, but driver problems
Christian Hintze, 2023-01-16 (Update: 2023-01-18)