CES 2022 | Alienware m17 R5 refreshed with AMD Ryzen 6000 series processors and new Nvidia graphics cards

Dell unveiled a host of new hardware powered by AMD's shiny new Ryzen 6000 series of mobile processors at CES 2022. The top-of-the-line Alienware m17 R5 model gets a fresh coat of paint, and it's not just the processor. The gaming laptop is available in a wide variety of configurations and can cater to the needs of everyone.

Users can configure their Alienware m17 R5 with an AMD Ryzen 9 6980HX, Ryzen 9 6900H or a Ryzen 7 6800H processor. There are both Nvidia and AMD graphics cards options available, including an AMD Radeon RX 6850MXT (175W max TGP), RX 6700M (125W max TGP), GeForce RTX 3060 (140W max TGP), GeForce RTX 3050 Ti (100W max TGP) and two unnamed Nvidia graphics cards, presumably the GeForce RTX 3080 Ti and RTX 3070 Ti. The choices should please Team Red enthusiasts who will finally be able to configure an all-AMD machine.

There are three screen configurations on the Alienware m17 R5. The first one packs an FHD (1,920 x 1,080) panel, which refreshes at 360Hz and has a response time of 1ms. Its lower-specced sibling has the same resolution (FHD+) but lowers the refresh rate to 165Hz and response time to 3ms. Its 4K UHD (3,840 x 2,160) variant has a 3ms response time and 120 Hz refresh rate. All three models are AMD FreeSync, Dolby Vision, and Nvidia G-Sync+ certified. The 4K variant also supports AMD's SmartAccess Graphics technology.

Given its king-of-the-hill status, Dell offers copious amounts of memory and storage with the Alienware m17 R5. System memory maxes out at 64GB of DDR5 4,800MT/s via SO-DIMM slots. Similarly, one can add up to 4TB of solid-state storage via a single or two NVMe SSDs. Only laptops with a GeForce RTX 3060 and higher can opt for a dual-drive variant. Dell says that RAID is supported, but users have to configure it on their own. Wireless connectivity options include Wi-Fi 6E (some models are only Wi-Fi 6, though) and Bluetooth 5.2.

The Alienware m17 R5 offers a wide selection of ports, including three USB Gen1 Type-A ports (one of which supports PowerShare), one USB 4 Gen2 Type-C port (supports 15W power delivery and display out), one HDMI port and an RJ45 Ethernet jack, an HDMI port and a 3.5mm combo audio jack. The notebook will run Windows 11 out of the box in most regions. It also includes proprietary software such as Alienware Command Centre, Overclocking Control and Game Centre. Per-key RGB is also included, with some models shipping with CherryMX switches.

Given the hefty hardware it packs, the Alienware m17 R5 isn't one of the most portable gaming laptops around. It measures 299mm x 378mm x 27mm (11.8in x 15.6in x 1.05in) and weighs 3.3kgs (7.3lbs). The high-end variants pack a 97Wh battery, while its lower-end siblings have to do with a 64Wh unit. The former uses a 240W barrel-pin charger, and the latter a 180W variant. Dell says that the Alienware m17 R5 will start at US$1,599 for the entry-level variant, and the laptop will hit shelves in Spring 2022.