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MagyarAlienware m18 R1 laptop review: Bigger and heavier than the MSI Titan GT77
Unveiled earlier this year alongside the mobile Intel Raptor Lake-H series and mobile Ada Lovelace GeForce RTX 40 series, the flagship Alienware m18 R1 is the first 18-inch model in its family since 2013. A lot has changed since then, of course, but performance hunters who want something larger than the usual 17-inch solution may find a lot to like from an 18-inch form factor where features and thermals can be maximized.
Our configuration in review is a higher-end specification with the 13th gen Core i9-13980HX CPU, 175 W GeForce RTX 4090, membrane-based RGB keyboard, and 1200p 480 Hz IPS display for approximately $2900 USD. Other SKUs are available from the RTX 4060, Core i7-13700HX, and 1600p 165 Hz display with CherryMX ultra low-profile mechanical keyboard. All configurations otherwise support G-Sync and full DCI-P3 colors.
Direct competitors include other 18-inch gaming laptops like the Razer Blade 18 or Asus ROG Strix Scar 18. MSI has yet to announce a new 18-inch model at the time of writing.
More Dell reviews:
Potential Competitors in Comparison
Rating | Date | Model | Weight | Height | Size | Resolution | Best Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 90.7 % | 04/2023 | Alienware m18 R1 i9-13980HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Laptop GPU | 3.9 kg | 26.7 mm | 18.00" | 1920x1200 | |
| 91.4 % | 02/2023 | Razer Blade 18 RTX 4070 i9-13950HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU | 3 kg | 21.9 mm | 18.00" | 2560x1600 | |
| 86.6 % | 02/2023 | Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 2023 G834JY-N6005W i9-13980HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Laptop GPU | 3.1 kg | 30.8 mm | 18.00" | 2560x1600 | |
| 88.3 % | 03/2023 | MSI GE78HX 13VH-070US i9-13950HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Laptop GPU | 3 kg | 23 mm | 17.00" | 2560x1600 | |
| 89.9 % | 03/2023 | Eluktronics Mech-17 GP2 i9-13900HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Laptop GPU | 2.9 kg | 27 mm | 17.00" | 2560x1600 | |
| 89 % | 02/2023 | MSI Titan GT77 HX 13VI i9-13950HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Laptop GPU | 3.5 kg | 23 mm | 17.30" | 3840x2160 |
Case — Legend 3 Design
Chassis impressions are similar to the recent Alienware x17 R2 since the Alienware m18 R1 uses similar materials. Its dense construction and tight alignment between materials show that you don't need a unibody design like the Razer Blade 18 for a high quality feel. Everything from the center of the keyboard to the outer lid are firmer and more resistant to any twisting or depressions than on many other gaming laptops including the MSI GE78.
The matte rubberized keyboard deck can be a mixed bag since it readily collects unsightly grease and fingerprints over time.
The Alienware model is significantly heavier than the 18-inch Blade 18 or ROG Strix Scar 18 by almost a full kilogram each to be one of the heaviest laptops of the year. In fact, our delivery courier even commented on how heavy the shipping box was relative to its small size. Much of the weight can be attributed to the extended rear, thicker profile, and vapor chamber cooler all intended to improve cooling. If you care about travel weight, then you might want to consider the MSI Titan GT77 instead which is actually lighter and thinner than our Alienware.
Connectivity — More Than Usual
There are more integrated ports on the Alienware than on the competing Razer Blade 18 or Asus ROG Strix Scar 18. The catch, however, is that most of the ports are tightly packed along the rear edge which makes them a bit more difficult to access.
USB-C monitors are only supported on the two rear USB-C ports as the third USB-C port along the right edge does not support video-out.
SD Card Reader
The integrated SD card reader is along the rear of the unit unlike on most other laptops. Transfer rates are nonetheless very fast at over 2x the speeds on the MSI Titan GT77.
| SD Card Reader | |
| average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs) | |
| Razer Blade 18 RTX 4070 (Angelibird AV Pro V60) | |
| Alienware m18 R1 (Angelibird AV Pro V60) | |
| Alienware x17 R2 P48E (AV Pro V60) | |
| MSI Titan GT77 HX 13VI (Angelibird AV Pro V60) | |
| Eluktronics Mech-17 GP2 (Angelibird AV Pro V60) | |
| maximum AS SSD Seq Read Test (1GB) | |
| Alienware x17 R2 P48E (AV Pro V60) | |
| Alienware m18 R1 (Angelibird AV Pro V60) | |
| Razer Blade 18 RTX 4070 (Angelibird AV Pro V60) | |
| Eluktronics Mech-17 GP2 (Angelibird AV Pro V60) | |
| MSI Titan GT77 HX 13VI (Angelibird AV Pro V60) | |
Communication
An Intel Killer 1675i comes standard for Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2 compatibility. Killer is an Intel sub-brand optimized for gaming laptops and so the Killer 1675i is essentially an Intel AX211 at heart. Performance is excellent and reliable when paired to our Asus AXE11000 test router.
| Networking | |
| iperf3 transmit AX12 | |
| Alienware x17 R2 P48E | |
| iperf3 receive AX12 | |
| Alienware x17 R2 P48E | |
| iperf3 transmit AXE11000 | |
| MSI Titan GT77 HX 13VI | |
| Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 2023 G834JY-N6005W | |
| Eluktronics Mech-17 GP2 | |
| Alienware m18 R1 | |
| Razer Blade 18 RTX 4070 | |
| iperf3 receive AXE11000 | |
| Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 2023 G834JY-N6005W | |
| MSI Titan GT77 HX 13VI | |
| Razer Blade 18 RTX 4070 | |
| Eluktronics Mech-17 GP2 | |
| Alienware m18 R1 | |
| iperf3 transmit AXE11000 6GHz | |
| Alienware m18 R1 | |
| Razer Blade 18 RTX 4070 | |
| iperf3 receive AXE11000 6GHz | |
| Razer Blade 18 RTX 4070 | |
| Alienware m18 R1 | |
Webcam
The 2 MP webcam is typical on most laptops these days, but we're slightly disappointed to not see a 5 MP sensor given how large the chassis is. IR comes standard while a webcam shutter is absent unlike on the Razer Blade 18.
Maintenance
The bottom panel comes off very easily with just a Philips screwdriver. In comparison, the bottom panel on the new MSI GE78 requires more fiddling and tearing of an anti-tamper sticker.
Users have direct access to the battery, removable WLAN module, 4x M.2 SSD slots, and 2x DDR5 SODIMM slots. This is one of the very few laptops with support for four internal NVMe SSDs (2x M.2 2230 + 2x M.2 2280). It would have been interesting to see CAMM instead of SODIMM here especially since Dell has been championing the faster RAM technology.
Accessories and Warranty
There are no extras in the box other than the AC adapter and paperwork. Note that Dell has dropped its proprietary Alienware docking port and so the older Alienware eGPU docking station is no longer supported.
The standard one-year limited warranty applies if purchased in the US.
Input Devices — Comfortable Keyboard, Spongy Touchpad
Keyboard
The membrane-based keys on our unit are probably the best we've used on any gaming laptop. Travel feels deeper and with firmer feedback than the keys on the MSI GE78 or Razer Blade 18. There's very little to complain about the keyboard here in terms of comfort.
The optional CherryMX mechanical switches are likely to be clickier but much louder. These switches are probably the same ones that Dell offers for the existing Alienware M15 and M17 series.
All key symbols are illuminated when the backlight is active unlike on older Alienware x15/x17 models where the secondary symbols are unlit.
Touchpad
Surface area is nearly identical to the clickpad on the MSI GE78 (13.2 x 8 cm vs. 13 x 8.2 cm) despite the larger 18-inch form factor of the Alienware. Though traction is smooth with minimal sticking when gliding, feedback when clicking is on the soft side which makes the experience unsatisfying. Double-clicking can feel tiring as well since each click requires a bit more force from the finger than on most other laptops.
Display — Extremely Fast 480 Hz Refresh Rate
The Alienware ships with a 1200p Chi Mei 180JME panel in contrast to the 1600p AU Optronics B180QAN01.0 or BOE NE180QDM panels on the Razer Blade 18 and Asus ROG Strix Scar 18, respectively. The unique characteristic separating this Chi Mei panel from the other two is its 2x faster native refresh rate of 480 Hz instead of 240 Hz. Otherwise, all three panels share similar color coverages, pixel response times, and contrast ratios. The full P3 colors and fast refresh rate make this particular Alienware model suitable for both gaming and graphics editing alike.
A second display option is available with a higher 1600p native resolution but lower 165 Hz refresh rate.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brightness Distribution: 97 %
Center on Battery: 372.8 cd/m²
Contrast: 1165:1 (Black: 0.32 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 1.92 | 0.55-29.43 Ø5.2, calibrated: 0.51
ΔE Greyscale 1.5 | 0.57-98 Ø5.4
89.8% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
100% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
97.7% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.34
| Alienware m18 R1 Chi Mei 180JME, IPS, 1920x1200, 18.00 | Razer Blade 18 RTX 4070 AU Optronics B180QAN01.0, IPS, 2560x1600, 18.00 | Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 2023 G834JY-N6005W NE180QDM-NZ2, IPS, 2560x1600, 18.00 | Eluktronics Mech-17 GP2 BOE NE170QDM-NZ1, IPS, 2560x1600, 17.00 | MSI Titan GT77 HX 13VI B173ZAN06.C, Mini-LED, 3840x2160, 17.30 | Alienware x17 R2 P48E AU Optronics B173HAN, IPS, 1920x1080, 17.30 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Display | -2% | -2% | -17% | 0% | -10% | |
| Display P3 Coverage | 97.7 | 96.9 -1% | 97.2 -1% | 69.1 -29% | 94.9 -3% | 79.2 -19% |
| sRGB Coverage | 100 | 99.8 0% | 99.9 0% | 99.7 0% | 99.9 0% | 99.8 0% |
| AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage | 89.8 | 85.3 -5% | 84.9 -5% | 69.8 -22% | 92.4 3% | 79.6 -11% |
| Response Times | -11% | -34% | -148% | -675% | -153% | |
| Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% * | 3 ? | 4.2 ? -40% | 5.41 ? -80% | 12 ? -300% | 38.4 ? -1180% | 12.4 ? -313% |
| Response Time Black / White * | 9.9 ? | 8 ? 19% | 8.62 ? 13% | 9.4 ? 5% | 26.6 ? -169% | 9.2 ? 7% |
| PWM Frequency | 2380 ? | |||||
| Screen | -68% | -141% | -17% | 57715% | -48% | |
| Brightness middle | 372.8 | 549.6 47% | 490 31% | 417.3 12% | 606 63% | 365.4 -2% |
| Brightness | 367 | 524 43% | 468 28% | 387 5% | 602 64% | 344 -6% |
| Brightness Distribution | 97 | 89 -8% | 86 -11% | 87 -10% | 93 -4% | 85 -12% |
| Black Level * | 0.32 | 0.53 -66% | 0.54 -69% | 0.42 -31% | 0.0001 100% | 0.29 9% |
| Contrast | 1165 | 1037 -11% | 907 -22% | 994 -15% | 6060000 520072% | 1260 8% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 1.92 | 3.32 -73% | 4.97 -159% | 2.14 -11% | 4.8 -150% | 3.17 -65% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 3.65 | 6.63 -82% | 11.02 -202% | 4.09 -12% | 8.2 -125% | 7.69 -111% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated * | 0.51 | 2.7 -429% | 2.97 -482% | 0.42 18% | 1.8 -253% | 0.51 -0% |
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 1.5 | 2 -33% | 7.2 -380% | 3.1 -107% | 6.5 -333% | 5.3 -253% |
| Gamma | 2.34 94% | 2.29 96% | 2.161 102% | 2.19 100% | 2.63 84% | 2.18 101% |
| CCT | 6607 98% | 6319 103% | 6515 100% | 6040 108% | 6596 99% | 5879 111% |
| Total Average (Program / Settings) | -27% /
-46% | -59% /
-96% | -61% /
-36% | 19013% /
37006% | -70% /
-55% |
* ... smaller is better
The display comes pre-calibrated for accurate colors and grayscale out of the box. Calibrating the panel further ourselves would not significantly improve average deltaE values and so an end-user calibration is not necessary.
Display Response Times
| ↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
|---|---|---|
| 9.9 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 5.4 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 4.5 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows fast response rates in our tests and should be suited for gaming. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 18 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (22.3 ms). | ||
| ↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
| 3 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 1.5 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 1.5 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows very fast response rates in our tests and should be very well suited for fast-paced gaming. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.25 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 5 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (35.2 ms). | ||
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
| 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 18889 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured. | |||
Outdoor visibility is average for the category as the displays on most gaming laptops typically range between 300 to 400 nits. Even so, the immense weight of the Alienware discourages outdoor usage. The Blade 18 and Titan GT77 are brighter for better visibility outdoors.
Performance — Intel 13th Gen + Nvidia Ada Lovelace
Testing Conditions
We set our unit to Performance mode via Windows, discrete GPU mode via Nvidia Control Panel, and Overdrive mode via Alienware Command Center prior to running any benchmarks below. Dell has completely refreshed the Command Center software this year to be easier to use and with larger font sizes than before. It still loads very slowly, however, especially when compared to the speedier MSI Center or the Schenker Control Center equivalents.
We experienced a couple of bugs with Alienware Command Center worth mentioning even after updating to the latest version at the time of writing. Firstly, the software fails to load if an external monitor is connected. Secondly, the internal fans would sometimes continue to run very loudly even when the system is sleeping or hibernating on Performance or Overdrive modes.
Advanced Optimus is supported meaning users can switch between discrete GPU and Optimus modes via Nvidia Control Panel without needing to reboot. G-Sync is available only on dGPU mode while Optimus automatically engages if an external monitor is connected.
Processor
Processor performance is one of the fastest of any mobile CPU currently in the market. Users can expect single-thread and multi-thread gains of about 10 percent and 75 percent, respectively, over the 12th gen Core i9-12900HK in the older Alienware x17 R2. AMD's top Zen 4 competitor the Ryzen 9 7945HX falls short in single-threaded loads by about 10 to 15 percent.
Despite the massive performance leap over Alder Lake-H, the performance gaps between the Core i9-13900HX, Core i9-13950HX, and Core i9-13980HX are very minor at under 5 percent. Thus, if given the choice between the three CPUs, you may want to save some dough by opting for the "slower" i9-13900HX.
The lowest CPU option available is the Core i7-13700HX which is slower than our i9-13980HX by about 33 percent.
Cinebench R15 Multi Loop
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 5.4: Multi-Core | Single-Core
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2: 4k Preset
LibreOffice : 20 Documents To PDF
R Benchmark 2.5: Overall mean
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 5.4: Multi-Core | Single-Core
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2: 4k Preset
LibreOffice : 20 Documents To PDF
R Benchmark 2.5: Overall mean
* ... smaller is better
AIDA64: FP32 Ray-Trace | FPU Julia | CPU SHA3 | CPU Queen | FPU SinJulia | FPU Mandel | CPU AES | CPU ZLib | FP64 Ray-Trace | CPU PhotoWorxx
| Performance Rating | |
| Alienware m18 R1 | |
| Eluktronics Mech-17 GP2 | |
| MSI Titan GT77 HX 13VI | |
| Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 2023 G834JY-N6005W | |
| Average Intel Core i9-13980HX | |
| Razer Blade 18 RTX 4070 | |
| Alienware x17 R2 P48E | |
| AIDA64 / FP32 Ray-Trace | |
| Alienware m18 R1 | |
| MSI Titan GT77 HX 13VI | |
| Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 2023 G834JY-N6005W | |
| Average Intel Core i9-13980HX (25064 - 29553, n=5) | |
| Eluktronics Mech-17 GP2 | |
| Razer Blade 18 RTX 4070 | |
| Alienware x17 R2 P48E | |
| AIDA64 / FP64 Ray-Trace | |
| Alienware m18 R1 | |
| MSI Titan GT77 HX 13VI | |
| Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 2023 G834JY-N6005W | |
| Average Intel Core i9-13980HX (13798 - 16325, n=5) | |
| Eluktronics Mech-17 GP2 | |
| Razer Blade 18 RTX 4070 | |
| Alienware x17 R2 P48E | |
| AIDA64 / CPU PhotoWorxx | |
| Alienware m18 R1 | |
| Razer Blade 18 RTX 4070 | |
| Eluktronics Mech-17 GP2 | |
| Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 2023 G834JY-N6005W | |
| Average Intel Core i9-13980HX (37069 - 52949, n=5) | |
| MSI Titan GT77 HX 13VI | |
| Alienware x17 R2 P48E | |
System Performance
PCMark 10 scores are comparable to other flagship gaming laptops with similar 13th gen Intel CPUs and GeForce 40 GPUs like the Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 or MSI Titan GT77 HX. Our Alienware also manages to edge out the older Alienware x17 R2 running on two Samsung PM9A1 SSDs in RAID 0.
CrossMark: Overall | Productivity | Creativity | Responsiveness
| PCMark 10 / Essentials | |
| Eluktronics Mech-17 GP2 | |
| MSI Titan GT77 HX 13VI | |
| Razer Blade 18 RTX 4070 | |
| Alienware m18 R1 | |
| Average Intel Core i9-13980HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Laptop GPU | |
| Alienware x17 R2 P48E | |
| PCMark 10 / Productivity | |
| Eluktronics Mech-17 GP2 | |
| Alienware x17 R2 P48E | |
| Alienware m18 R1 | |
| Average Intel Core i9-13980HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Laptop GPU | |
| MSI Titan GT77 HX 13VI | |
| Razer Blade 18 RTX 4070 | |
| PCMark 10 Score | 8758 points | |
Help | ||
* ... smaller is better
DPC Latency
LatencyMon reveals DPC issues when opening multiple browser tabs of our homepage. Additionally, the system has issues playing back 4K video content as we're able to record 37 dropped frames during our minute-long test video even after repeat testing. CPU and iGPU utilization are unusually high as well at 19 percent and 55 percent, respectively. These observations suggest poor handling of background processes that may impact the activity in focus.
For what it's worth, Nvidia has acknowledged a bug related to an increase in DPC latency with graphics driver 531.29. Hopefully a fix can come soon either way.
| DPC Latencies / LatencyMon - interrupt to process latency (max), Web, Youtube, Prime95 | |
| MSI Titan GT77 HX 13VI | |
| Alienware m18 R1 | |
| Razer Blade 18 RTX 4070 | |
| Alienware x17 R2 P48E | |
| Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 2023 G834JY-N6005W | |
| Eluktronics Mech-17 GP2 | |
* ... smaller is better
Storage Devices — Four M.2 Drives Total
Our unit comes configured with an SK Hynix PC801 PCIe4 x4 NVMe SSD for sequential read and write rates of up to 7000 MB/s and 6500 MB/s, respectively. Performance is competitive against the Samsung PMA1 series and our drive exhibits no issues maintaining maximum speeds with no throttling.
The Alienware does not support PCIe5 NVMe SSDs unlike on the MSI GE78 or GT77 series. Nonetheless, it supports more internal SSDs than on most other laptops.
| Drive Performance Rating - Percent | |
| Alienware m18 R1 | |
| MSI Titan GT77 HX 13VI | |
| Razer Blade 18 RTX 4070 | |
| Alienware x17 R2 P48E | |
| Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 2023 G834JY-N6005W | |
| Eluktronics Mech-17 GP2 | |