Alienware m17-XW6MJ

Specifications

Pricecompare

Reviews for the Alienware m17-XW6MJ

Alienware m17 first look
Source: Trusted Reviews Archive.org version
The Alienware m15 was up there as one of my favourite gaming laptops of 2018. The m17 is essentially just a more powerful and bigger version, so I’m expecting a similar quality with the added bonus of a 17-inch display and support for ray tracing.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 01/18/2019

Comment

Model: The Alienware M17 defines the gaming laptop category. It offers the ultimate gaming experience in a laptop, made to replace gaming desktops. The laptop has an excellent build quality, as the device is built to last and is made out of magnesium alloy. In regard to the specs of the device, the M17 has an Intel Core i7-8750H, 16 GB of RAM, and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q with GDDR6 graphics card. The Alienware M17 is known to be one of the most powerful, lightest and thinnest notebooks, with a 17-inch screen. It weighs about 2.72 kg (6 pounds) and is also geared more for gaming. As for the ports of the laptop, users will be able to find 3 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, 1 Thunderbolt, 1 HDMI, 1 DisplayPort, 3,5 mm audio connections, and a USB-C. When it comes to the 17-inch screen, the M17 has amazing color production and resolution. The laptop has a 4k display with a 100 % SRGB and an extremely high Adobe RGB and NTSC coverage. In relation to the color gamut, the M17 is on the same level as a Macbook Pro and a Dell XPS. The screen of the device is relatively bright, as it has 400 nits of brightness.

The laptop's touchpad has a decent size and is relatively responsive. It uses the Microsoft Precision driver to provide users that smooth experience when browsing the Web. As for the keyboard, it has only 1.4 millimeter of travel. It is RGB backlit and has a numpad located towards the right side. According to some, Users will be able to get about 6 hours of battery life when unplugged. As for the fan noise of the laptop, unlike many laptops, it is non-existent when it is idling. But, when users use the M17 for gaming or doing intensive workload, then of course the fan of the laptop starts to kick in and gets relatively loud. The Alienware M17 offers diminished clock velocities to accomplish a much lower control utilization. These graphics cards can play the most recent and most requesting recreations in high goals and full detail settings with empowered Anti-Aliasing. The m17-XW6MJ is one of the best gaming laptops out there. Despite all the competition from other manufacturers such as Asus, MSI, Acer and Razer, Alienware has been the leading brand in the gaming industry. It may be priced on the higher side but for many reasons, its asking price is reasonable.

Hands-on article by Jagadisa Rajarathnam

The Alienware m17-XW6MJ is the brand’s thinnest 17-inch gaming laptop, coming in at only 23 mm and 2.63 kg (5.79 lbs). It’s packed with the latest Nvidia graphics for extreme gaming performance. As far as appearance goes, it has AlienFX Lighting, where users can personalize their machine by choosing from an array of color options and effects that correspond to different zones across their system. In addition, users can create custom themes, save those for later and then swap between them to help accelerate their editing. Built with high-end industrial materials like magnesium alloy, one of the lightest structural metals in the world, the Alienware m17 is carefully designed for a performance-driven user experience. The Alienware m17-XW6MJ’s main build materials, magnesium alloy, steel and copper improve the strength, comfortable usage and cooling for the graphics components. Users also get a choice of two lid colors with the m17, which is Epic Silver and Nebula Red. The m17 is designed for total immersion and maximum portability, with a larger 17.3 display to take users even deeper in the game. Besides that, a front-facing integrated camera offers FHD resolution for incredible clarity. Users can emphasize every battle cry with dual-array microphones featuring best speech support from Windows Cortana.

Engineered with Intel Core i7-8750H processor for CPU overclocking performance, the Nvidia GeForce RTX2070 graphics, and up to 16 GB of 2666 MHz DDR4 RAM, the Alienware m17 possesses powerful performance for uninterrupted gameplay and other activities. Users can also enjoy faster load times and a quieter system thanks to multiple storage options including 256 GB PCIe M.2 SSDs and 1 TB high-capacity hybrid HDDs with 8 GB solid-state memory. The inbuilt Alienware Graphics Amplifier supports both Nvidia and AMD graphics cards and includes a 4-port USB 3.0 hub to add other devices. For connectivity, it has a Killer E2500 Gigabit Ethernet Controller, which is designed to deliver incredible throughput and lower latency gameplay, heavily reducing any lagging or jitter. Users can access a variety of port options with the Thunderbolt 3 port. Its features include a USB 3.1 port, offering 10 Gbps of data transfer, a Thunderbolt connection capable of 40 Gbps, or a DisplayPort v1.2 output enabling various monitors supporting the Display Port protocol. Despite being a gaming powerhouse, the m17 is engineered for an amazing battery life with a 60 Wh battery and optional 90 Wh upgrade. Conclusively, the Alienware m17-XW6MJ is a powerful gaming laptop. It is slim for a 17-inch device, but it is still a wide laptop to bring on the go with the large display. It is designed to be stationed at a gamer’s desk for the majority of its lifespan.

Hands-on article by Jagadisa Rajarathnam

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q: High-End laptop graphics card based on the TU106 chip with 2,304 shaders and 8 GB GDDR6 VRAM. Offers reduced clock speeds to achieve a much lower power consumption.

With these GPUs you are able to play modern and demanding games fluently at medium detail settings and HD resolution.

» Further information can be found in our Comparison of Mobile Graphics Cards and the corresponding Benchmark List.

i7-8750H: On Coffee Lake architecture based processor for big and heavy laptops. Integrates six processor cores clocked at 2.2 - 4.1 GHz (4 GHz with 4 cores, 3.9 GHz with 6 cores) that support HyperThreading. Manufactured in an improved 14nm process (14nm++). » Further information can be found in our Comparison of Mobile Processsors.

17.30": This display size is a standard format for desktop replacements (DTR). The DTR laptops are heavier to carry, need more power, but texts are easy to read and high resolutions are no problem. DTR are mainly intended for stationary desk use, where weight and energy hunger don't matter. In return, you enjoy the advantages of high resolutions (more details, better legibility).» To find out how fine a display is, see our DPI List.

2.63 kg:

With this weight, a laptop is rather heavier than average. Devices in this range shine more with screen size and performance than with mobility.

Alienware: Alienware was founded in the USA in 1996. The European headquarters is located in Ireland. Alienware has been part of the Dell Group since 2006. The product range mainly focuses on gaming laptops and desktops, which are developed and manufactured by Dell. The trademark is a slightly futuristic design with an Alien as the logo. Additionally, workstations for private and business customers are sold.

As with every brand, there are also some points of criticism with Alienware. Some customers have complained about the high prices of the products, while others have criticized the quality of customer services. There have also been some reports of problems with the reliability and durability of some Alienware products. However, many customers have also had positive experiences with the brand and appreciate the powerful gaming computers.

» Further information can be found in our Notebook Purchase Guide.

Similar devices from a different Manufacturer

Devices from a different Manufacturer and/or with a different CPU

Devices with the same GPU and/or Screen Size

Devices with the same GPU