Dell Alienware m15 R3 Laptop Review: Vapor Chamber Saves The Day

Now with beefed-up cooling. It may look the same on the outside, but it's a different beast on the inside. CPU temperatures are much cooler now to address one of our biggest concerns about last year's Alienware m15 R2.

Allen Ngo 👁, 07/31/2020 🇮🇹 🇵🇹 ...

Test device courtesy of Dell US

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Alienware m15 R3 P87F (m15 Series)

Processor

Intel Core i7-10750H 6 x 2.6 - 5 GHz, Comet Lake-H

Graphics adapter

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile - 8192 MB, Core: 1260 MHz, Memory: 1375 MHz, GDDR6, 442.94

Memory

16384 MB

, 1600 MHz, 19-19-19-43, Dual-Channel

Display

15.60 inch 16:9, 1920 x 1080 pixel 141 PPI, AU Optronics B156HAN, IPS, AUOB98C, Dell P/N: W8KKR, glossy: no, 300 Hz

Mainboard

Intel HM470

Storage

2x Micron 2200S 512 GB (RAID 0), 1024 GB

Connections

4 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, 1 USB 3.1 Gen2, 1 USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 20Gbps, 1 Thunderbolt, 1 HDMI, 2 DisplayPort, Audio Connections: 3.5 mm combo, Card Reader: MicroSD

Networking

Killer E3000 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet Controller (10/100/1000/2500/5000MBit/s), Intel Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX1650w (ax = Wi-Fi 6), Bluetooth 5.1

Size

height x width x depth (in mm): 19.9 x 360.3 x 276 ( = 0.78 x 14.19 x 10.87 in)

Battery

86 Wh Lithium-Polymer, 6-cell

Operating System

Microsoft Windows 10 Home 64 Bit

Camera

Webcam: 720p
Primary Camera: 0.9 MPix

Additional features

Speakers: Stereo, Keyboard: Chiclet, Keyboard Light: yes, Alienware Command Center, Update, 12 Months Warranty

Weight

2.266 kg ( = 79.93 oz / 5 pounds), Power Supply: 895 g ( = 31.57 oz / 1.97 pounds)

Price

1900 USD

Links

Alienware homepage
Alienware notebook section

Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

see all specifications

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Rating	Date	Model	Weight	Height	Size	Resolution
85 %	07/2020	Alienware m15 R3 P87F i7-10750H, GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile	2.3 kg	19.9 mm	15.60"	1920x1080
83 %	05/2020	Eluktronics RP-15 R7 4800H, GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile	1.9 kg	20 mm	15.60"	1920x1080
86 %	05/2020	Razer Blade 15 RZ09-0328 i7-10750H, GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q	2.1 kg	19.9 mm	15.60"	3840x2160
81 %	05/2019	Asus Zephyrus S GX502GW i7-9750H, GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile	2.1 kg	19 mm	15.60"	1920x1080
83 %	05/2020	MSI GS66 Stealth 10SFS i9-10980HK, GeForce RTX 2070 Super Max-Q	2.2 kg	20 mm	15.60"	1920x1080

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Case

The easiest way to identify an Alienware m15 R3 from the m15 R2 is by looking for the MicroSD card reader along the left edge. Otherwise, the systems share the same chassis design. The current look is barely a year old so it's not time for Dell to completely refresh the chassis just yet.

Another smaller exterior update is the use of a new "High Endurance Clear Coat" finish to reduce fingerprint buildup. We suspect that this will make a bigger difference on the black chassis option as fingerprints are already difficult to see on our white test unit.

Alienware m15 P79F Alienware m15 R3 P87F Eluktronics RP-15 Asus Zephyrus S GX502GW MSI GS66 Stealth 10SE-045 Razer Blade 15 RZ09-0328 ❌

Connectivity

Ports remain identical to the m15 R2 including the return of the proprietary Graphics Amplifier port. The USB-C port, however, can now recharge the laptop. We would have loved to see LED indicators for the rear ports much like on the older Lenovo Legion Y730 for easier access. As of now, they are hard to see without first getting up and reaching over.

Rear: HDMI 2.0b, mini-DisplayPort 1.3, Thunderbolt 3 w/ USB-C charging, Alienware Graphics Amplifier Port, AC adapter

Left: Noble Lock, Gigabit RJ-45, USB 3.1 Type-A, 3.5 mm combo audio

SD Card Reader

Transfer rates are extremely fast with our UHS-II test card. Moving 1 GB of pictures from card to desktop takes only about 6 seconds much like on the XPS series.

Fully inserted MicroSD card sits almost flush against the edge

SDCardreader Transfer Speed
average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs)
MSI GS75 10SF-609US (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 UHS-II)	204.8 MB/s ∼100% +8%
Dell XPS 15 9500 Core i7 4K UHD (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)	198.5 MB/s ∼97% +5%
Gigabyte Aero 15 OLED XA (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)	195 MB/s ∼95% +3%
Alienware m15 R3 P87F (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 UHS-II)	189.3 MB/s ∼92%
Eluktronics RP-15 (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)	36.4 MB/s ∼18% -81%
maximum AS SSD Seq Read Test (1GB)
Gigabyte Aero 15 OLED XA (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)	241 MB/s ∼100% +7%
Alienware m15 R3 P87F (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 UHS-II)	225 MB/s ∼93%
MSI GS75 10SF-609US (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 UHS-II)	209.7 MB/s ∼87% -7%
Dell XPS 15 9500 Core i7 4K UHD (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)	197.9 MB/s ∼82% -12%
Eluktronics RP-15 (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)	37.5 MB/s ∼16% -83%

Communication

The Killer AX1650w comes standard for Wi-Fi 6 connectivity and Bluetooth 5.1. It is essentially identical to the Intel AX201 but with gaming-specific enhancements.

WLAN module is soldered and cannot be removed

Networking
iperf3 Client (receive) TCP 1 m 4M x10
Eluktronics RP-15 Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX200	1447 (1179^min - 1507^max) MBit/s ∼100% +5%
Dell XPS 15 9500 Core i7 4K UHD Intel Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX1650s	1446 (653^min - 1555^max) MBit/s ∼100% +5%
Alienware m15 R3 P87F Intel Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX1650w	1375 (1240^min - 1425^max) MBit/s ∼95%
MSI GS75 10SF-609US Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201	1177 (773^min - 1353^max) MBit/s ∼81% -14%
Gigabyte Aero 15 OLED XA Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX1650x Wireless Network Adapter (200NGW)	682 MBit/s ∼47% -50%
iperf3 Client (transmit) TCP 1 m 4M x10
Eluktronics RP-15 Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX200	1408 (1199^min - 1516^max) MBit/s ∼100% +17%
MSI GS75 10SF-609US Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201	1270 (1080^min - 1388^max) MBit/s ∼90% +6%
Alienware m15 R3 P87F Intel Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX1650w	1202 (1013^min - 1346^max) MBit/s ∼85%
Dell XPS 15 9500 Core i7 4K UHD Intel Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX1650s	1049 (862^min - 1225^max) MBit/s ∼75% -13%
Gigabyte Aero 15 OLED XA Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX1650x Wireless Network Adapter (200NGW)	716 MBit/s ∼51% -40%

; iperf3 Client (receive) TCP 1 m 4M x10; iperf 3.1.3: Ø1374 (1240-1425)

; iperf3 Client (transmit) TCP 1 m 4M x10; iperf 3.1.3: Ø1202 (1013-1346)

Webcam

ColorChecker Alienware m15 R3 P87F: 9.14 ∆E min: 3.05 - max: 12.97 ∆E

<a href="https://www.notebookcheck.net/Dell-Alienware-m15-R3-Laptop-Review-Vapor-Chamber-Saves-The-Day.483238.0.html">Alienware m15 R3 P87F</a> — Alienware m15 R3 P87F

Maintenance

The bottom panel is secured by 8 Philips screws and it's relatively easy to remove. Users have access to three storage bays now, but WLAN and RAM remain soldered. Dell has upped the maximum configurable RAM to 32 GB when compared to the m15 R2.

Accessories and Warranty

There are no extras in the box other than the usual AC adapter and paperwork. The standard one-year limited warranty applies with extension options of up to 4 years.

Input Devices

Keyboard and Touchpad

Exact same keyboard and clickpad as on the Alienware m15 R2 including per-key RGB lighting. The Space key is not backlit

Clickpad (10.5 x 6 cm) is smaller than on the XPS 15, but its integrated keys are firmer and not as spongy

Key feedback is firmer than on the MSI SteelSeries keyboard with relatively quiet clatter save for the loud Space key

Arrow keys are smaller and more cramped than the main QWERTY keys. Feedback is otherwise similar despite the size difference

Display

The Alienware m15 R3 drops the 60 Hz and 240 Hz IPS options on last year's model in favor of 144 Hz as the new base option and 300 Hz as the new high-end option. The 300 Hz AUO B156HAN on our test unit is similar to the one found on the MSI GS66. Users can also configure with 60 Hz 4K OLED, but the ultra-smooth refresh rate of 300 Hz makes it tough to go back to 60 Hz unless if you really value the deeper colors and higher native resolution of OLED.

60 Hz, 144 Hz, 300 Hz, and 4K UHD OLED options

Very narrow side bezels relative to the thick bottom and top bezels

Matte panel is slightly grainier when compared to glossy

Moderate-heavy uneven backlight bleeding along the bottom right corner


304.1 cd/m²	317.1 cd/m²	294.2 cd/m²
323 cd/m²	326.7 cd/m²	311.6 cd/m²
321 cd/m²	338.5 cd/m²	307.2 cd/m²

Distribution of brightness

AU Optronics B156HAN

X-Rite i1Pro 2

Maximum: 338.5 cd/m² Average: 315.9 cd/m² Minimum: 15.13 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 87 %
Center on Battery: 326.7 cd/m²
Contrast: 990:1 (Black: 0.33 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 2.4 | 0.6-29.43 Ø5.7, calibrated: 1.51
ΔE Greyscale 3.2 | 0.64-98 Ø5.9
99.2% sRGB (Argyll 3D) 63.7% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 3D)
Gamma: 2.13

ICC File (X-Rite i1Pro 2)

	Alienware m15 R3 P87F AU Optronics B156HAN, IPS, 15.60, 1920x1080	Alienware m15 P79F Samsung SDCA029, 156WR04, OLED, 15.60, 3840x2160	Eluktronics RP-15 BOE NV156FHM-N4G, IPS, 15.60, 1920x1080	Razer Blade 15 RZ09-0328 Samsung SDCA029, AMOLED, 15.60, 3840x2160	Asus Zephyrus S GX502GW AU Optronics B156HAN08.2 (AUO82ED), IPS, 15.60, 1920x1080	MSI GS66 Stealth 10SFS AUO B156HAN12.0 (AUO328E), IPS, 15.60, 1920x1080
Response Times		57%	-163%	54%	-31%	-120%
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% *	4 (1.6, 2.4)	2.6 (1.2, 1.4) 35%	17.2 (6, 11.2) -330%	2.7 (1.2, 1.5) 32%	7.2 (3.8, 3.4) -80%	14 (6.8, 7.2) -250%
Response Time Black / White *	10.8 (5.2, 5.6)	2.3 (1, 1.3) 79%	10.4 (6, 4.4) 4%	2.6 (1.1, 1.5) 76%	8.8 (4.4, 4.4) 19%	9.6 (5.2, 4.4) 11%
PWM Frequency		60.24 (100)		59.52 (100)
Screen		-17%	-28%	-5%	-5%	5%
Brightness middle	326.7	452.1 38%	298.6 -9%	366.7 12%	286 -12%	316 -3%
Brightness	316	452 43%	289 -9%	371 17%	275 -13%	311 -2%
Brightness Distribution	87	90 3%	90 3%	91 5%	90 3%	92 6%
Black Level *	0.33		0.35 -6%		0.37 -12%	0.21 36%
Contrast	990		853 -14%		773 -22%	1505 52%
Colorchecker DeltaE2000 *	2.4	6.34 -164%	5.01 -109%	5.21 -117%	2.19 9%	3.03 -26%
Colorchecker DeltaE2000 max. *	6.06	12.97 -114%	7.06 -17%	7.92 -31%	4.4 27%	7.32 -21%
Colorchecker DeltaE2000 calibrated *	1.51		2.52 -67%		2.27 -50%	1.1 27%
Greyscale DeltaE2000 *	3.2	2.8 12%	5.4 -69%	2 37%	2.2 31%	3.9 -22%
Gamma	2.13 ^103%	2.21 ^100%	2.54 ^87%	2.17 ^101%	2.41 ^91%	2.42 ^91%
CCT	7129 ^91%	6114 ^106%	7461 ^87%	6514 ^100%	6405 ^101%	7439 ^87%
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998)	63.7	91 43%	59.1 -7%	86.6 36%	59 -7%	65 2%
Color Space (Percent of sRGB)	99.2	100 1%	91.6 -8%	100 1%	91 -8%	100 1%
Total Average (Program / Settings)		20% / -2%	-96% / -49%	25% / 7%	-18% / -9%	-58% / -15%

* ... smaller is better

Color space covers all of sRGB and approximately 64 percent of AdobeRGB much like most other fast refresh rate panels. Dell's OLED option promises DCI-P3 coverage with HDR playback compatibility at the cost of a slower 60 Hz refresh rate.

Measurements with an X-Rite colorimeter reveal color temperature to be slightly on the cool side. An end-user calibration addresses this to improve the average grayscale DeltaE value from an already low 3.2 to an even lower 1.8. Otherwise, colors are accurate out of the box with no real need for further calibration.

Display Response Times

ℹ

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

↔ Response Time Black to White
10.8 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined	↗ 5.2 ms rise
10.8 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined	↘ 5.6 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 0.8 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 13 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (24.4 ms).
↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey
4 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined	↗ 1.6 ms rise
4 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined	↘ 2.4 ms fall
The screen shows very fast response rates in our tests and should be very well suited for fast-paced gaming. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.8 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 2 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (38.7 ms).

Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)

ℹ

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

Screen flickering / PWM not detected

In comparison: 51 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 9717 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 142900) Hz was measured.

At 300 nits, the display is about average for its category. The OLED option will offer better outdoor viewability since it is both brighter and with higher contrast.

Wide IPS viewing angles. Colors and contrast shift if viewing from extreme angles

Performance

Users can choose between the 10th gen 6-core Core i7-10750H or unlocked 8-core Core i9-10980HK with no third option. A Core i7-10875H or even Ryzen 7 4800H would have been nice to see.

Graphics options range from the Radeon RX 5500M on the low end up to the GTX 1660 Ti, RTX 2060, RTX 2070, RTX 2070 Super, or RTX 2080 Super Max-Q. Mobile Nvidia GPUs have gotten out of control lately and so we recommend picking carefully.

Dell says Nvidia Optimus is not included on SKUs with the 300 Hz panel like the one we have here because the integrated UHD Graphics 630 would have issues running the 300 Hz display. However, Optimus *is* available on the OLED and 144 Hz SKUs which should lead to longer battery life on those configurations.

G-Sync is not supported on the internal 300 Hz display despite the lack of Optimus on our test unit. Fortunately, the feature is still available when connected to external monitors.

All benchmarks below were run on Turbo mode for the best scores possible.

Processor

CPU performance is excellent especially in regard to sustainability. When running CineBench R15 xT in a loop, results would be constant throughout without the usual dips over time that we normally see on most other laptops as shown by the chart below.

Upgrading to the Core i9-10980HK should bring roughly 30 percent faster multi-threaded performance. It's too bad that Dell doesn't offer the Core i7-10875H as that would have performed similarly to the Core i9-10980HK but for a cheaper price.

See our dedicated page on the Core i7-10750H for more technical information and benchmark comparisons.

Alienware m15 R3 P87F GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-10750H, 2x Micron 2200S 512 GB (RAID 0); CPU Multi 64Bit: Ø1338 (1320.39-1347.39)

Asus ROG Strix G15 G512LI GeForce GTX 1650 Ti Mobile, i7-10750H, Intel SSD 660p SSDPEKNW512G8; CPU Multi 64Bit: Ø1253 (1225.64-1341.61)

Razer Blade 15 RZ09-0328 GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-10750H, Lite-On CA5-8D512; CPU Multi 64Bit: Ø1069 (1047.18-1166.18)

Acer Nitro 5 AN515-44-R5FT GeForce GTX 1650 Ti Mobile, R5 4600H, SK Hynix BC511 HFM512GDJTNI; CPU Multi 64Bit: Ø1341 (1313.46-1397.77)

Maingear Vector 15 GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i7-9750H; CPU Multi 64Bit: Ø1181 (1168.74-1264.9)

Cinebench R20: CPU (Multi Core) | CPU (Single Core)
Cinebench R15: CPU Multi 64Bit | CPU Single 64Bit
Blender 2.79: BMW27 CPU
7-Zip 18.03: 7z b 4 -mmt1 | 7z b 4
Geekbench 5.3: 64 Bit Single-Core Score | 64 Bit Multi-Core Score
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2: 4k Preset
LibreOffice : 20 Documents To PDF
R Benchmark 2.5: Overall mean

Cinebench R20 / CPU (Multi Core)
Intel Core i9-10900K Intel Core i9-10900K	6381 Points ∼100% +93%
Dell G5 15 SE 5505 P89F AMD Ryzen 7 4800H	4396 Points ∼69% +33%
Asus ROG Strix Scar 15 G532LWS Intel Core i9-10980HK	3871 Points ∼61% +17%
Gigabyte Aero 15 OLED XB-8DE51B0SP Intel Core i7-10875H	3801 Points ∼60% +15%
MSI GE65 Raider 9SF-049US Intel Core i9-9880H	3505 Points ∼55% +6%
Alienware m15 R3 P87F Intel Core i7-10750H	3299 Points ∼52%
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-44-R5FT AMD Ryzen 5 4600H	3224 Points ∼51% -2%
Average Intel Core i7-10750H (2088 - 3325, n=32)	2950 Points ∼46% -11%
Maingear Vector 15 Intel Core i7-9750H	2784 Points ∼44% -16%
MSI GE63 Raider 8SG Intel Core i7-8750H	2142 Points ∼34% -35%
Asus Zephyrus GX501 Intel Core i7-7700HQ	1765 Points ∼28% -46%

Cinebench R20 / CPU (Single Core)
Intel Core i9-10900K Intel Core i9-10900K	532 Points ∼100% +11%
Gigabyte Aero 15 OLED XB-8DE51B0SP Intel Core i7-10875H	511 Points ∼96% +7%
Asus ROG Strix Scar 15 G532LWS Intel Core i9-10980HK	490 Points ∼92% +2%
Dell G5 15 SE 5505 P89F AMD Ryzen 7 4800H	482 Points ∼91% +1%
Alienware m15 R3 P87F Intel Core i7-10750H	479 Points ∼90%
MSI GE65 Raider 9SF-049US Intel Core i9-9880H	474 Points ∼89% -1%
Average Intel Core i7-10750H (431 - 504, n=32)	473 Points ∼89% -1%
Maingear Vector 15 Intel Core i7-9750H	432 Points ∼81% -10%
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-44-R5FT AMD Ryzen 5 4600H	428 Points ∼80% -11%
MSI GE63 Raider 8SG Intel Core i7-8750H	409 Points ∼77% -15%
Asus Zephyrus GX501 Intel Core i7-7700HQ	382 Points ∼72% -20%

Cinebench R15 / CPU Multi 64Bit
Intel Core i9-10900K Intel Core i9-10900K	2620 Points ∼100% +95%
Dell G5 15 SE 5505 P89F AMD Ryzen 7 4800H	1972 (1142.92^min - 1972^max) Points ∼75% +46%
Gigabyte Aero 15 OLED XB-8DE51B0SP Intel Core i7-10875H	1818 (1544.4^min - 1818.6^max) Points ∼69% +35%
Asus ROG Strix Scar 15 G532LWS Intel Core i9-10980HK	1733 (1604.75^min - 1733.1^max) Points ∼66% +29%
MSI GE65 Raider 9SF-049US Intel Core i9-9880H	1623 Points ∼62% +20%
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-44-R5FT AMD Ryzen 5 4600H	1398 (1313.46^min - 1397.77^max) Points ∼53% +4%
Alienware m15 R3 P87F Intel Core i7-10750H	1347 (1320.39^min - 1347.39^max) Points ∼51%
Average Intel Core i7-10750H (804 - 1418, n=39)	1286 Points ∼49% -5%
Maingear Vector 15 Intel Core i7-9750H	1280 Points ∼49% -5%
MSI GE63 Raider 8SG Intel Core i7-8750H	1016 Points ∼39% -25%
Asus Zephyrus GX501 Intel Core i7-7700HQ	735 Points ∼28% -45%

Cinebench R15 / CPU Single 64Bit
Intel Core i9-10900K Intel Core i9-10900K	224 Points ∼100% +11%
Gigabyte Aero 15 OLED XB-8DE51B0SP Intel Core i7-10875H	213 Points ∼95% +6%
Asus ROG Strix Scar 15 G532LWS Intel Core i9-10980HK	211 Points ∼94% +5%
Alienware m15 R3 P87F Intel Core i7-10750H	201 Points ∼90%
MSI GE65 Raider 9SF-049US Intel Core i9-9880H	198 Points ∼88% -1%
Average Intel Core i7-10750H (184 - 213, n=36)	196 Points ∼88% -2%
Dell G5 15 SE 5505 P89F AMD Ryzen 7 4800H	188 Points ∼84% -6%
Maingear Vector 15 Intel Core i7-9750H	186 Points ∼83% -7%
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-44-R5FT AMD Ryzen 5 4600H	178 Points ∼79% -11%
MSI GE63 Raider 8SG Intel Core i7-8750H	167 Points ∼75% -17%
Asus Zephyrus GX501 Intel Core i7-7700HQ	160 Points ∼71% -20%

Blender 2.79 / BMW27 CPU
Average Intel Core i7-10750H (322 - 531, n=32)	376 Seconds * ∼100% -15%
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-44-R5FT AMD Ryzen 5 4600H	345 Seconds * ∼92% -6%
Alienware m15 R3 P87F Intel Core i7-10750H	326 Seconds * ∼87%
Gigabyte Aero 15 OLED XB-8DE51B0SP Intel Core i7-10875H	285 Seconds * ∼76% +13%
Asus ROG Strix Scar 15 G532LWS Intel Core i9-10980HK	279 Seconds * ∼74% +14%
Dell G5 15 SE 5505 P89F AMD Ryzen 7 4800H	276 Seconds * ∼73% +15%
Intel Core i9-10900K Intel Core i9-10900K	167.3 Seconds * ∼44% +49%

7-Zip 18.03 / 7z b 4 -mmt1
Intel Core i9-10900K Intel Core i9-10900K	5954 MIPS ∼100% +32%
Asus ROG Strix Scar 15 G532LWS Intel Core i9-10980HK	5525 MIPS ∼93% +23%
Gigabyte Aero 15 OLED XB-8DE51B0SP Intel Core i7-10875H	5457 MIPS ∼92% +21%
Average Intel Core i7-10750H (4504 - 5470, n=32)	5087 MIPS ∼85% +13%
Dell G5 15 SE 5505 P89F AMD Ryzen 7 4800H	4666 MIPS ∼78% +4%
Alienware m15 R3 P87F Intel Core i7-10750H	4504 MIPS ∼76%
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-44-R5FT AMD Ryzen 5 4600H	4471 MIPS ∼75% -1%

7-Zip 18.03 / 7z b 4
Intel Core i9-10900K Intel Core i9-10900K	70968 MIPS ∼100% +101%
Dell G5 15 SE 5505 P89F AMD Ryzen 7 4800H	49685 MIPS ∼70% +41%
Asus ROG Strix Scar 15 G532LWS Intel Core i9-10980HK	47806 MIPS ∼67% +35%
Gigabyte Aero 15 OLED XB-8DE51B0SP Intel Core i7-10875H	47170 MIPS ∼66% +33%
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-44-R5FT AMD Ryzen 5 4600H	36693 MIPS ∼52% +4%
Alienware m15 R3 P87F Intel Core i7-10750H	35346 MIPS ∼50%
Average Intel Core i7-10750H (26040 - 37345, n=32)	34179 MIPS ∼48% -3%

Geekbench 5.3 / 64 Bit Single-Core Score
Intel Core i9-10900K Intel Core i9-10900K	1449 Points ∼100% +14%
Asus ROG Strix Scar 15 G532LWS Intel Core i9-10980HK	1368 Points ∼94% +8%
Gigabyte Aero 15 OLED XB-8DE51B0SP Intel Core i7-10875H	1347 Points ∼93% +6%
Alienware m15 R3 P87F Intel Core i7-10750H	1269 Points ∼88%
Average Intel Core i7-10750H (1114 - 1333, n=32)	1259 Points ∼87% -1%
Dell G5 15 SE 5505 P89F AMD Ryzen 7 4800H	1158 Points ∼80% -9%
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-44-R5FT AMD Ryzen 5 4600H	1108 Points ∼76% -13%

Geekbench 5.3 / 64 Bit Multi-Core Score
Intel Core i9-10900K Intel Core i9-10900K	11414 Points ∼100% +79%
Asus ROG Strix Scar 15 G532LWS Intel Core i9-10980HK	8586 Points ∼75% +35%
Gigabyte Aero 15 OLED XB-8DE51B0SP Intel Core i7-10875H	8087 Points ∼71% +27%
Dell G5 15 SE 5505 P89F AMD Ryzen 7 4800H	7775 Points ∼68% +22%
Alienware m15 R3 P87F Intel Core i7-10750H	6380 Points ∼56%
Average Intel Core i7-10750H (4775 - 6652, n=32)	6176 Points ∼54% -3%
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-44-R5FT AMD Ryzen 5 4600H	5260 Points ∼46% -18%

HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2 / 4k Preset
Intel Core i9-10900K Intel Core i9-10900K	21 fps ∼100% +89%
Gigabyte Aero 15 OLED XB-8DE51B0SP Intel Core i7-10875H	13 fps ∼62% +17%
Asus ROG Strix Scar 15 G532LWS Intel Core i9-10980HK	13 fps ∼62% +17%
Dell G5 15 SE 5505 P89F AMD Ryzen 7 4800H	12.6 fps ∼60% +14%
Alienware m15 R3 P87F Intel Core i7-10750H	11.1 fps ∼53%
Average Intel Core i7-10750H (7.11 - 11.6, n=32)	9.83 fps ∼47% -11%
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-44-R5FT AMD Ryzen 5 4600H	9.27 fps ∼44% -16%

LibreOffice / 20 Documents To PDF
Intel Core i9-10900K Intel Core i9-10900K	76.02 s * ∼100% -26%
Dell G5 15 SE 5505 P89F AMD Ryzen 7 4800H	69.1 s * ∼91% -15%
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-44-R5FT AMD Ryzen 5 4600H	64.1 s * ∼84% -7%
Alienware m15 R3 P87F Intel Core i7-10750H	60.1 s * ∼79%
Average Intel Core i7-10750H (43.1 - 99.2, n=32)	54.3 s * ∼71% +10%
Gigabyte Aero 15 OLED XB-8DE51B0SP Intel Core i7-10875H	52.4 s * ∼69% +13%
Asus ROG Strix Scar 15 G532LWS Intel Core i9-10980HK	48.4 s * ∼64% +19%

R Benchmark 2.5 / Overall mean
Alienware m15 R3 P87F Intel Core i7-10750H	0.708 sec * ∼100%
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-44-R5FT AMD Ryzen 5 4600H	0.626 sec * ∼88% +12%
Average Intel Core i7-10750H (0.578 - 0.708, n=31)	0.613 sec * ∼87% +13%
Dell G5 15 SE 5505 P89F AMD Ryzen 7 4800H	0.569 sec * ∼80% +20%
Asus ROG Strix Scar 15 G532LWS Intel Core i9-10980HK	0.565 sec * ∼80% +20%
Gigabyte Aero 15 OLED XB-8DE51B0SP Intel Core i7-10875H	0.547 sec * ∼77% +23%
Intel Core i9-10900K Intel Core i9-10900K	0.528 sec * ∼75% +25%

* ... smaller is better

Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64Bit

1347 Points

Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64Bit

135 fps

Cinebench R15 Ref. Match 64Bit

99.6 %

Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64Bit

201 Points

Help

... in comparison

System Performance

PCMark results are where we expect them to be for the high-end gaming category. We highly recommend that users become familiar with the pre-installed Alienware Command Center software as it directly controls the performance and fan behavior of the laptop more so than the default Windows power profiles.

PCMark 10 | PCMark 8

PCMark 10
Digital Content Creation
Alienware m15 R3 P87F GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-10750H, 2x Micron 2200S 512 GB (RAID 0)	8855 Points ∼57%
MSI GS66 Stealth 10SFS GeForce RTX 2070 Super Max-Q, i9-10980HK, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB1T0HALR	8819 Points ∼57% 0%
Alienware m15 P79F GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Toshiba XG5 KXG50ZNV512G	6998 Points ∼45% -21%
Asus Zephyrus S GX502GW GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-9750H, 2x Intel SSD 660p SSDPEKNW512G8 (RAID 0)	6936 Points ∼45% -22%
Eluktronics RP-15 GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, R7 4800H, Phison PM81000GPMQCN28BTF-E12S4 M.2 NVM SSD	6808 Points ∼44% -23%
Average Intel Core i7-10750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile (4872 - 8855, n=4)	6734 Points ∼43% -24%
Razer Blade 15 RZ09-0328 GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-10750H, Lite-On CA5-8D512	4926 Points ∼32% -44%
Productivity
MSI GS66 Stealth 10SFS GeForce RTX 2070 Super Max-Q, i9-10980HK, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB1T0HALR	8452 Points ∼76% +8%
Average Intel Core i7-10750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile (7860 - 8826, n=4)	8255 Points ∼74% +5%
Razer Blade 15 RZ09-0328 GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-10750H, Lite-On CA5-8D512	7954 Points ∼71% +1%
Alienware m15 R3 P87F GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-10750H, 2x Micron 2200S 512 GB (RAID 0)	7860 Points ∼70%
Asus Zephyrus S GX502GW GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-9750H, 2x Intel SSD 660p SSDPEKNW512G8 (RAID 0)	7661 Points ∼69% -3%
Eluktronics RP-15 GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, R7 4800H, Phison PM81000GPMQCN28BTF-E12S4 M.2 NVM SSD	7586 Points ∼68% -3%
Alienware m15 P79F GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Toshiba XG5 KXG50ZNV512G	7445 Points ∼67% -5%
Essentials
Razer Blade 15 RZ09-0328 GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-10750H, Lite-On CA5-8D512	9993 Points ∼87% +5%
MSI GS66 Stealth 10SFS GeForce RTX 2070 Super Max-Q, i9-10980HK, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB1T0HALR	9953 Points ∼87% +4%
Eluktronics RP-15 GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, R7 4800H, Phison PM81000GPMQCN28BTF-E12S4 M.2 NVM SSD	9765 Points ∼85% +2%
Average Intel Core i7-10750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile (9509 - 10017, n=4)	9735 Points ∼85% +2%
Alienware m15 R3 P87F GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-10750H, 2x Micron 2200S 512 GB (RAID 0)	9540 Points ∼83%
Asus Zephyrus S GX502GW GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-9750H, 2x Intel SSD 660p SSDPEKNW512G8 (RAID 0)	9231 Points ∼81% -3%
Alienware m15 P79F GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Toshiba XG5 KXG50ZNV512G	8599 Points ∼75% -10%
Score
MSI GS66 Stealth 10SFS GeForce RTX 2070 Super Max-Q, i9-10980HK, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB1T0HALR	6490 Points ∼74% +4%
Alienware m15 R3 P87F GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-10750H, 2x Micron 2200S 512 GB (RAID 0)	6255 Points ∼71%
Average Intel Core i7-10750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile (5179 - 6255, n=4)	5792 Points ∼66% -7%
Eluktronics RP-15 GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, R7 4800H, Phison PM81000GPMQCN28BTF-E12S4 M.2 NVM SSD	5706 Points ∼65% -9%
Asus Zephyrus S GX502GW GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-9750H, 2x Intel SSD 660p SSDPEKNW512G8 (RAID 0)	5654 Points ∼64% -10%
Alienware m15 P79F GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Toshiba XG5 KXG50ZNV512G	5485 Points ∼62% -12%
Razer Blade 15 RZ09-0328 GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-10750H, Lite-On CA5-8D512	5244 Points ∼60% -16%

PCMark 8
Work Score Accelerated v2
Alienware m15 R3 P87F GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-10750H, 2x Micron 2200S 512 GB (RAID 0)	6224 Points ∼91%
Eluktronics RP-15 GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, R7 4800H, Phison PM81000GPMQCN28BTF-E12S4 M.2 NVM SSD	5969 Points ∼87% -4%
Average Intel Core i7-10750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile (5678 - 6224, n=4)	5940 Points ∼87% -5%
Razer Blade 15 RZ09-0328 GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-10750H, Lite-On CA5-8D512	4705 Points ∼69% -24%
Alienware m15 P79F GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Toshiba XG5 KXG50ZNV512G	4465 Points ∼65% -28%
Home Score Accelerated v2
Alienware m15 R3 P87F GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-10750H, 2x Micron 2200S 512 GB (RAID 0)	5702 Points ∼92%
Eluktronics RP-15 GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, R7 4800H, Phison PM81000GPMQCN28BTF-E12S4 M.2 NVM SSD	4937 Points ∼80% -13%
Average Intel Core i7-10750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile (3372 - 5702, n=4)	4545 Points ∼73% -20%
Razer Blade 15 RZ09-0328 GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-10750H, Lite-On CA5-8D512	3696 Points ∼60% -35%
Alienware m15 P79F GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-8750H, Toshiba XG5 KXG50ZNV512G	3570 Points ∼58% -37%

PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2		5702 points
PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2		6224 points
PCMark 10 Score		6255 points
Help

DPC Latency

LatencyMon shows DPC latency issues when opening multiple tabs on our homepage. 4K UHD video playback on YouTube is otherwise smooth and with no dropped frames unlike what we observed on the recent Asus ROG G532.

DPC Latencies / LatencyMon - interrupt to process latency (max), Web, Youtube, Prime95
Dell G5 15 SE 5505 P89F Radeon RX 5600M, R7 4800H, Samsung PM991 MZ9LQ512HALU	2216 μs * ∼100% -84%
MSI GS66 Stealth 10SFS GeForce RTX 2070 Super Max-Q, i9-10980HK, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB1T0HALR	1916 μs * ∼86% -59%
Gigabyte Aero 15 OLED XB-8DE51B0SP GeForce RTX 2070 Super Max-Q, i7-10875H, Intel Optane Memory H10 with Solid State Storage 32GB + 512GB HBRPEKNX0202A(L/H)	1877.3 μs * ∼85% -56%
Asus ROG Strix Scar 15 G532LWS GeForce RTX 2070 Super Mobile, i9-10980HK, 2x Intel SSD 660p 1TB SSDPEKNW010T8 (RAID 0)	1474.8 μs * ∼67% -22%
Alienware m15 R3 P87F GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-10750H, 2x Micron 2200S 512 GB (RAID 0)	1206.3 μs * ∼54%
MSI GS66 Stealth 10SE-045 GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, i7-10750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB1T0HALR	1153.6 μs * ∼52% +4%
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-44-R5FT GeForce GTX 1650 Ti Mobile, R5 4600H, SK Hynix BC511 HFM512GDJTNI	1000.2 μs * ∼45% +17%
Razer Blade 15 RZ09-0328 GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-10750H, Lite-On CA5-8D512	905.1 μs * ∼41% +25%
Eluktronics RP-15 GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, R7 4800H, Phison PM81000GPMQCN28BTF-E12S4 M.2 NVM SSD	514.7 μs * ∼23% +57%
MSI GS75 10SF-609US GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-10875H, WDC PC SN730 SDBPNTY-512G	364 μs * ∼16% +70%

* ... smaller is better

Storage Devices

There are three M.2 storage slots compared to two on last year's model, but the third one only accepts shorter 2230 or 2242 drives. Our unit comes configured with two 512 GB Micron 2200S NVMe SSDs in RAID 0 configuration. Performance is close to a single 512 GB Lite-On CA5-8D512 SSD as found on the Razer Blade 15. It's possible that other SKUs and capacities will come from different drive manufacturers and not just Micron.

WLAN module sits in between the second and third M.2 slots

Copper heat spreaders for both our M.2 SSDs

	Alienware m15 R3 P87F 2x Micron 2200S 512 GB (RAID 0)	Alienware m15 P79F Toshiba XG5 KXG50ZNV512G	Razer Blade 15 RZ09-0328 Lite-On CA5-8D512	Asus Zephyrus S GX502GW 2x Intel SSD 660p SSDPEKNW512G8 (RAID 0)	MSI GS66 Stealth 10SFS Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB1T0HALR
AS SSD		-9%	4%	2%	25%
Copy Game MB/s	1492.7	1013.1 -32%	1037.41 -31%
Copy Program MB/s	668.95	452.77 -32%	678.61 1%
Copy ISO MB/s	1684.53	946.42 -44%	2474.39 47%
Score Total	3968	3168 -20%	3037 -23%	2896 -27%	4950 25%
Score Write	1565	1147 -27%	1351 -14%	1528 -2%	2176 39%
Score Read	1580	1366 -14%	1105 -30%	923 -42%	1790 13%
Access Time Write *	0.388	0.04 90%	0.111 71%	0.04 90%	0.034 91%
Access Time Read *	0.062	0.058 6%	0.052 16%	0.08 -29%	0.071 -15%
4K-64 Write	1270.68	937.85 -26%	1041.26 -18%	1253 -1%	1829.36 44%
4K-64 Read	1334.41	1140.11 -15%	855.64 -36%	623.93 -53%	1635.31 23%
4K Write	62.93	102.62 63%	101.08 61%	103.6 65%	110.7 76%
4K Read	39.72	31.76 -20%	47.71 20%	48.32 22%	48.09 21%
Seq Write	2315.59	1065.99 -54%	2090.14 -10%	1711.53 -26%	2359.82 2%
Seq Read	2058.19	1937.43 -6%	2020.65 -2%	2505.83 22%	1064.87 -48%
CrystalDiskMark 5.2 / 6		5%	13%	-6%	9%
Write 4K	67.32	148.4 120%	118.7 76%	97.04 44%	131.3 95%
Read 4K	41.47	49.65 20%	52.4 26%	49.58 20%	45.84 11%
Write Seq	2239	1139 -49%	2247 0%	1838 -18%	2370 6%
Read Seq	2112	2353 11%	2234 6%	2421 15%	1509 -29%
Write 4K Q32T1	488.9	484.7 -1%	514.9 5%	326.9 -33%	481.5 -2%
Read 4K Q32T1	556.7	541.9 -3%	583.8 5%	372.9 -33%	559.6 1%
Write Seq Q32T1	2654	1139 -57%	2235 -16%	1894 -29%	2392 -10%
Read Seq Q32T1	3137	3108 -1%	3171 1%	2828 -10%	3232 3%
Total Average (Program / Settings)		-2% / -4%	9% / 7%	-2% / -1%	17% / 18%

* ... smaller is better

CrystalDiskMark 5.2 / 6

AS SSD

DiskSpd

2x Micron 2200S 512 GB (RAID 0)

CDM 5/6 Read Seq Q32T1: 3137 MB/s

CDM 5/6 Write Seq Q32T1: 2654 MB/s

CDM 5/6 Read 4K Q32T1: 556.7 MB/s

CDM 5/6 Write 4K Q32T1: 488.9 MB/s

CDM 5 Read Seq: 2112 MB/s

CDM 5 Write Seq: 2239 MB/s

CDM 5/6 Read 4K: 41.47 MB/s

CDM 5/6 Write 4K: 67.32 MB/s

Disk Throttling: DiskSpd Read Loop, Queue Depth 8

: Ø1144 (833.2-2345.38)

GPU Performance

The GeForce RTX 2070 is performing where we expect it to be relative to other laptops in our database equipped with the same GPU. Raw performance is almost 20 percent faster than the RTX 2070 Max-Q version as found on the Razer Blade 15 to be on the same level as the RTX 2070 Super Max-Q. Upgrading to the RTX 2070 Super or RTX 2080 Super Max-Q will net users very marginal improvements in the one-digit range based on our experience with a range of gaming laptops.

Interestingly, Fire Strike scores between Balanced mode, Performance mode, and Turbo fan mode are very close between them despite the differences in fan noise. If you don't plan on overclocking and don't mind higher core temperatures, then you can game on Balanced mode or Performance mode for quieter fan noise without sacrificing all that much performance.

See our dedicated page on the mobile GeForce RTX 2070 for more technical information and benchmark comparisons.

3DMark | 3DMark 11

3DMark
2560x1440 Time Spy Graphics
Intel Core i9-10900K NVIDIA Titan RTX, i9-10900K	14857 Points ∼100% +88%
MSI GE63 Raider 8SG NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile, i7-8750H	9797 Points ∼66% +24%
Asus Strix Scar 17 G732LXS NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Super Mobile, i9-10980HK	9638 Points ∼65% +22%
Asus ROG Strix Scar 15 G532LWS NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Super Mobile, i9-10980HK	8389 Points ∼56% +6%
MSI GE65 Raider 9SF-049US NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i9-9880H	8028 Points ∼54% +1%
Alienware m15 R3 P87F NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-10750H	7910 Points ∼53%
Gigabyte Aero 15 OLED XB-8DE51B0SP NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Super Max-Q, i7-10875H	7829 Points ∼53% -1%
Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo 15 GX550LXS NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q, i9-10980HK	7665 Points ∼52% -3%
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile (7006 - 8028, n=18)	7651 Points ∼51% -3%
Razer Blade 15 RZ09-0328 NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-10750H	6722 Points ∼45% -15%
Dell G5 15 SE 5505 P89F AMD Radeon RX 5600M, R7 4800H	6312 Points ∼42% -20%
Eluktronics RP-15 NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, R7 4800H	6280 Points ∼42% -21%
Asus Zephyrus GX501 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ	5636 Points ∼38% -29%
Maingear Vector 15 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i7-9750H	5534 Points ∼37% -30%
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-44-R5FT NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti Mobile, R5 4600H	3773 Points ∼25% -52%
2560x1440 Time Spy Score
Intel Core i9-10900K NVIDIA Titan RTX, i9-10900K	14774 Points ∼100% +89%
Asus Strix Scar 17 G732LXS NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Super Mobile, i9-10980HK	9629 Points ∼65% +23%
Asus ROG Strix Scar 15 G532LWS NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Super Mobile, i9-10980HK	8531 Points ∼58% +9%
MSI GE63 Raider 8SG NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile, i7-8750H	8501 Points ∼58% +9%
MSI GE65 Raider 9SF-049US NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i9-9880H	8110 Points ∼55% +4%
Gigabyte Aero 15 OLED XB-8DE51B0SP NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Super Max-Q, i7-10875H	8066 Points ∼55% +3%
Alienware m15 R3 P87F NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-10750H	7818 Points ∼53%
Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo 15 GX550LXS NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q, i9-10980HK	7780 Points ∼53% 0%
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile (6890 - 8253, n=18)	7537 Points ∼51% -4%
Dell G5 15 SE 5505 P89F AMD Radeon RX 5600M, R7 4800H	6610 Points ∼45% -15%
Eluktronics RP-15 NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, R7 4800H	6600 Points ∼45% -16%
Razer Blade 15 RZ09-0328 NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-10750H	6527 Points ∼44% -17%
Maingear Vector 15 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i7-9750H	5697 Points ∼39% -27%
Asus Zephyrus GX501 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ	5390 Points ∼36% -31%
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-44-R5FT NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti Mobile, R5 4600H	4011 Points ∼27% -49%
1920x1080 Fire Strike Graphics
Intel Core i9-10900K NVIDIA Titan RTX, i9-10900K	35884 Points ∼100% +73%
MSI GE63 Raider 8SG NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile, i7-8750H	25432 Points ∼71% +23%
Asus Strix Scar 17 G732LXS NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Super Mobile, i9-10980HK	24416 Points ∼68% +18%
Asus ROG Strix Scar 15 G532LWS NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Super Mobile, i9-10980HK	22183 Points ∼62% +7%
Gigabyte Aero 15 OLED XB-8DE51B0SP NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Super Max-Q, i7-10875H	21121 Points ∼59% +2%
MSI GE65 Raider 9SF-049US NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i9-9880H	20997 Points ∼59% +1%
Alienware m15 R3 P87F NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-10750H	20712 Points ∼58%
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile (18169 - 21138, n=19)	20123 Points ∼56% -3%
Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo 15 GX550LXS NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q, i9-10980HK	19914 Points ∼55% -4%
Dell G5 15 SE 5505 P89F AMD Radeon RX 5600M, R7 4800H	18807 Points ∼52% -9%
Asus Zephyrus GX501 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ	18219 Points ∼51% -12%
Razer Blade 15 RZ09-0328 NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-10750H	18166 Points ∼51% -12%
Eluktronics RP-15 NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, R7 4800H	16808 Points ∼47% -19%
Maingear Vector 15 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i7-9750H	14718 Points ∼41% -29%
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-44-R5FT NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti Mobile, R5 4600H	10209 Points ∼28% -51%

3DMark 11
1280x720 Performance Combined
Intel Core i9-10900K NVIDIA Titan RTX, i9-10900K	22283 Points ∼100% +68%
Asus Strix Scar 17 G732LXS NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Super Mobile, i9-10980HK	17605 Points ∼79% +33%
MSI GE65 Raider 9SF-049US NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i9-9880H	16364 Points ∼73% +24%
Gigabyte Aero 15 OLED XB-8DE51B0SP NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Super Max-Q, i7-10875H	16347 Points ∼73% +23%
Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo 15 GX550LXS NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q, i9-10980HK	15885 Points ∼71% +20%
Asus ROG Strix Scar 15 G532LWS NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Super Mobile, i9-10980HK	15465 Points ∼69% +17%
Eluktronics RP-15 NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, R7 4800H	13824 Points ∼62% +4%
Alienware m15 R3 P87F NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-10750H	13239 Points ∼59%
Dell G5 15 SE 5505 P89F AMD Radeon RX 5600M, R7 4800H	13126 Points ∼59% -1%
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile (8716 - 16364, n=21)	12534 Points ∼56% -5%
Maingear Vector 15 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i7-9750H	12192 Points ∼55% -8%
Razer Blade 15 RZ09-0328 NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-10750H	11818 Points ∼53% -11%
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-44-R5FT NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti Mobile, R5 4600H	9885 Points ∼44% -25%
MSI GE63 Raider 8SG NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile, i7-8750H	9038 Points ∼41% -32%
Asus Zephyrus GX501 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ	8935 Points ∼40% -33%
1280x720 Performance GPU
Intel Core i9-10900K NVIDIA Titan RTX, i9-10900K	51146 Points ∼100% +96%
MSI GE63 Raider 8SG NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile, i7-8750H	34897 Points ∼68% +33%
Asus Strix Scar 17 G732LXS NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Super Mobile, i9-10980HK	34021 Points ∼67% +30%
Asus ROG Strix Scar 15 G532LWS NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Super Mobile, i9-10980HK	30568 Points ∼60% +17%
Gigabyte Aero 15 OLED XB-8DE51B0SP NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Super Max-Q, i7-10875H	28900 Points ∼57% +10%
Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo 15 GX550LXS NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q, i9-10980HK	27202 Points ∼53% +4%
Alienware m15 R3 P87F NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-10750H	26160 Points ∼51%
MSI GE65 Raider 9SF-049US NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i9-9880H	25845 Points ∼51% -1%
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile (23335 - 27298, n=21)	25775 Points ∼50% -1%
Dell G5 15 SE 5505 P89F AMD Radeon RX 5600M, R7 4800H	25706 Points ∼50% -2%
Asus Zephyrus GX501 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Max-Q, i7-7700HQ	23540 Points ∼46% -10%
Razer Blade 15 RZ09-0328 NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-10750H	23326 Points ∼46% -11%
Eluktronics RP-15 NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, R7 4800H	22629 Points ∼44% -13%
Maingear Vector 15 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i7-9750H	19670 Points ∼38% -25%
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-44-R5FT NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti Mobile, R5 4600H	13927 Points ∼27% -47%

3DMark | 3DMark 11

3DMark 11 Performance		21233 points
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score		41006 points
3DMark Fire Strike Score		18127 points
3DMark Time Spy Score		7818 points
Help

... in comparison

Shadow of the Tomb Raider | The Witcher 3

Shadow of the Tomb Raider - 1920x1080 Highest Preset AA:T
Intel Core i9-10900K Intel Core i9-10900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX	165 fps ∼100% +77%
Asus ROG Strix Scar 15 G532LWS Intel Core i9-10980HK, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Super Mobile	104 fps ∼63% +12%
MSI GE65 Raider 9SF-049US Intel Core i9-9880H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile	95 fps ∼58% +2%
Alienware m15 R3 P87F Intel Core i7-10750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile	93 fps ∼56%
MSI GS66 Stealth 10SFS Intel Core i9-10980HK, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Super Max-Q	91 (72^min) fps ∼55% -2%
MSI GS75 10SF-609US Intel Core i7-10875H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q	89 fps ∼54% -4%
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile (74.2 - 97, n=11)	88.7 fps ∼54% -5%
Razer Blade 15 RZ09-0328 Intel Core i7-10750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q	85 fps ∼52% -9%
Alienware m15 P79F Intel Core i7-8750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q	84 fps ∼51% -10%
Gigabyte Aero 15 OLED XA Intel Core i7-9750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q	80.6 fps ∼49% -13%
MSI GS66 Stealth 10SE-045 Intel Core i7-10750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile	77 fps ∼47% -17%
Eluktronics RP-15 AMD Ryzen 7 4800H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile	75 fps ∼45% -19%
Asus Zephyrus S GX502GW Intel Core i7-9750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile	74.2 fps ∼45% -20%
Dell G5 15 SE 5505 P89F AMD Ryzen 7 4800H, AMD Radeon RX 5600M	68 fps ∼41% -27%
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-44-R5FT AMD Ryzen 5 4600H, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti Mobile	51 (39^min) fps ∼31% -45%

The Witcher 3 - 1920x1080 Ultra Graphics & Postprocessing (HBAO+)
Intel Core i9-10900K Intel Core i9-10900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX	139 (129^min - 151^max) fps ∼100% +72%
Asus ROG Strix Scar 15 G532LWS Intel Core i9-10980HK, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Super Mobile	85.7 (80^min - 91^max) fps ∼62% +6%
Alienware m15 R3 P87F Intel Core i7-10750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile	81 (77^min - 86^max) fps ∼58%
MSI GE65 Raider 9SF-049US Intel Core i9-9880H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile	78.4 fps ∼56% -3%
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile (64 - 82.1, n=21)	74.3 fps ∼53% -8%
MSI GS66 Stealth 10SFS Intel Core i9-10980HK, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Super Max-Q	70.5 (55^min) fps ∼51% -13%
Asus Zephyrus S GX502GW Intel Core i7-9750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile	70.2 (58^min) fps ∼51% -13%
MSI GS75 10SF-609US Intel Core i7-10875H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q	67.5 (61^min - 75^max) fps ∼49% -17%
Dell G5 15 SE 5505 P89F AMD Ryzen 7 4800H, AMD Radeon RX 5600M	66.1 (62^min - 70^max) fps ∼48% -18%
Alienware m15 P79F Intel Core i7-8750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q	64.4 fps ∼46% -20%
Gigabyte Aero 15 OLED XA Intel Core i7-9750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q	63.5 fps ∼46% -22%
MSI GS66 Stealth 10SE-045 Intel Core i7-10750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile	63.4 (48^min) fps ∼46% -22%
Eluktronics RP-15 AMD Ryzen 7 4800H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile	62.4 fps ∼45% -23%
Asus Zephyrus GX501 Intel Core i7-7700HQ, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Max-Q	61.9 fps ∼45% -24%
Razer Blade 15 RZ09-0328 Intel Core i7-10750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q	61.9 (58^min - 69^max) fps ∼45% -24%
Maingear Vector 15 Intel Core i7-9750H, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile	61.3 fps ∼44% -24%
Asus ROG Strix G15 G512LI Intel Core i7-10750H, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti Mobile	40.1 (37^min - 44^max) fps ∼29% -50%
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-44-R5FT AMD Ryzen 5 4600H, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti Mobile	38.3 (29^min) fps ∼28% -53%

Shadow of the Tomb Raider | The Witcher 3

Alienware m15 R3 P87F GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-10750H, 2x Micron 2200S 512 GB (RAID 0); FPS: Ø70.8 (65-79)

	low	med.	high	ultra
The Witcher 3 (2015)	356.7	249.9	149.8	81	fps
Dota 2 Reborn (2015)	142	133	125	120	fps
X-Plane 11.11 (2018)	96.1	87.3	71.9		fps
Shadow of the Tomb Raider (2018)	138	111	103	93	fps

Emissions

System Noise

Perhaps the most important change between the m15 R2 and m15 R3 relates to the new Cryo-Tech cooling solution. The m15 R3 utilizes 39 percent more copper and 25 percent more fan blades over the m15 R2 for approximately 10 percent greater CFM air intake. To top it all off, the system now integrates vapor chamber cooling for all Nvidia GPU SKUs which Dell also recently embraced for its XPS 17 series. The vapor chamber applies only to the CPU and not the GPU, however.

While the vapor chamber has a significant impact on CPU temperature that our next section will demonstrate, fan noise and behavior hasn't changed by all that much gen-to-gen. Gaming, for example, still induces a fan noise of ~50 dB(A) much like most other high-performance gaming laptops in this size class. The Alienware is therefore not noticeably quieter or louder despite the cooling changes.

Fan noise will hover up to a maximum of 30.7 db(A) against a background of 26.3 dB(A) when set to Quiet mode while Turbo mode will instantly crank up the fans to their maximum of 59.7 dB(A) no matter the onscreen load. The fans will also pulse more frequently if set to Balanced mode and so it's recommended to run the laptop on Quiet mode if simply browsing or video streaming.

Evolution of Alienware m15 cooling from the R1 up to the R3 (Source: Dell)

twin ~55 mm to 60 mm fans. They are essentially silent when browsing on Quiet mode

Fan noise ramps up quickly when set to Balanced mode or higher. We're able to notice coil whine or electronic noise when placing an ear near the keyboard keys

Fan noise profile (White: Background, Red: System idle, Blue: 3DMark 06, Orange: Witcher 3 on Performance power profile, Green: Turbo mode)

	Alienware m15 R3 P87F GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-10750H, 2x Micron 2200S 512 GB (RAID 0)	Alienware m15 R2 P87F GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-9750H, 2x Toshiba XG6 KXG60ZNV512G (RAID 0)	Razer Blade 15 RZ09-0328 GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-10750H, Lite-On CA5-8D512	Asus Zephyrus S GX502GW GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile, i7-9750H, 2x Intel SSD 660p SSDPEKNW512G8 (RAID 0)	MSI GS66 Stealth 10SFS GeForce RTX 2070 Super Max-Q, i9-10980HK, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB1T0HALR	Asus ROG Strix Scar 15 G532LWS GeForce RTX 2070 Super Mobile, i9-10980HK, 2x Intel SSD 660p 1TB SSDPEKNW010T8 (RAID 0)
Noise		-13%	-3%	-14%	-15%	-10%
off / environment *	26.3	28.3 -8%	28.4 -8%	30 -14%	30 -14%	26.5 -1%
Idle Minimum *	26.7	28.5 -7%	28.4 -6%	31 -16%	32 -20%	27.1 -1%
Idle Average *	26.7	28.5 -7%	28.4 -6%	33 -24%	34 -27%	32.2 -21%
Idle Maximum *	30.7	49 -60%	31.7 -3%	38 -24%	39 -27%	34 -11%
Load Average *	40.2	49 -22%	47.7 -19%	50 -24%	53 -32%	52.4 -30%
Witcher 3 ultra *	51	49 4%	47.5 7%	53 -4%	48 6%	57.5 -13%
Load Maximum *	59.7	55 8%	49.5 17%	56 6%	53 11%	57.5 4%

* ... smaller is better

Noise Level

Idle		26.7 / 26.7 / 30.7 dB(A)
Load		40.2 / 59.7 dB(A)

	30 dB silent 40 dB(A) audible 50 dB(A) loud
min: , med: , max: Earthworks M23R, Arta (15 cm distance) environment noise: 26.3 dB(A)

Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64 Bit in comparison
Toshiba Satellite W30Dt-A-100 (min) A4-1200, Radeon HD 8180	33
...
Asus Strix G17 G712LWS i7-10750H, GeForce RTX 2070 Super Mobile	1344
Lenovo ThinkPad T14s-20UJS00K00 R7 PRO 4750U, Vega 7	1346
Asus ROG Strix G15 G512LW i7-10750H, GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile	1346
Alienware m15 R3 P87F i7-10750H, GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile	1347
MSI GE75 Raider 10SE-008US i7-10750H, GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile	1347
Asus Zephyrus M15 GU502LU-BI7N4 i7-10750H, GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile	1347
Acer Acer Predator Helios 300 PH315-53-77N5 i7-10750H, GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile	1356
...
(max) R9 5950X, NVIDIA Titan RTX	4492

3DMark 11 in comparison
Lenovo Flex 5-1570 81CA000RUS (min) i5-8550U, GeForce MX130	28
...
Asus ROG Strix G15 G512LW i7-10750H, GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile	20976
MSI GL75 10SFR i7-10750H, GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile	21006
MSI WT75 8SM E-2176G, Quadro P5200	21204
Alienware m15 R3 P87F i7-10750H, GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile	21233
Asus G703 i7-7820HK, GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile	21293
Asus Zephyrus S GX531GX i7-8750H, GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q	21324
Schenker XMG U727 2017 i7-7700K, GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile	21371
...
Zotac Gaming GeForce RTX 3090 Trinity (max) R9 3900X, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090	38743