Good-bye, Max-Q: Dell Alienware m17 R3 GeForce RTX 2080 Super Laptop Review

Much like the jump from the Alienware m15 R2 to the m15 R3, the jump from the Alienware m17 R2 to the m17 R3 includes mostly internal changes to address the super-high core temperatures that plagued previous models. Most notably, Dell has added vapor chamber cooling to the m17 R3 series to allow for faster GeForce 2070 Super and 2080 Super GPU options whereas the m17 R2 was limited to "only" the GeForce 2070 Max-Q or 2080 Max-Q.
Our unit today has been fully configured with the Core i9-10980HK CPU, GeForce RTX 2080 Super GPU, 32 GB of RAM, and 300 Hz 1080p display for about $4000 USD. Lesser SKUs are available starting for about half the price. We recommend taking a look at our Alienware m17 R2 review since the m17 R3 shares the same physical features.
Competitors in this space include other high-performance ultra-thin 17.3-inch gaming laptops like the MSI GS75, Razer Blade 15, Asus ROG GX701, or the Acer Predator Helios 700
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Rating | Date | Model | Weight | Height | Size | Resolution | Best Price |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
85.3 % | 09/2020 | Alienware m17 R3 P45E i9-10980HK, GeForce RTX 2080 Super Mobile | 3 kg | 20.7 mm | 17.30" | 1920x1080 | |
84.3 % | 08/2020 | Eluktronics RP-17 R7 4800H, GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile | 2.6 kg | 30 mm | 17.30" | 1920x1080 | |
83.7 % | 07/2020 | MSI GS75 10SF-609US i7-10875H, GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q | 2.3 kg | 18.9 mm | 17.30" | 1920x1080 | |
82.7 % | 07/2020 | Asus Strix Scar 17 G732LXS i9-10980HK, GeForce RTX 2080 Super Mobile | 2.9 kg | 26.5 mm | 17.30" | 1920x1080 | |
85.1 % | 07/2020 | MSI GE75 Raider 10SE-008US i7-10750H, GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile | 2.6 kg | 27.5 mm | 17.30" | 1920x1080 | |
87.4 % | 06/2020 | Razer Blade Pro 17 RTX 2070 Max-Q 300 Hz i7-10875H, GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q | 2.7 kg | 19.9 mm | 17.30" | 1920x1080 |
Case
The chassis remains nearly identical to the Alienware m17 R2 and so all of our previous comments apply here on the m17 R3. A notable difference is that the m17 R3 is roughly 400 g heavier (3 kg vs. 1.6 kg) without being any larger meaning that this is a very dense system. The weight gain is largely attributed to the new vapor chamber cooler that was not present on last year's model.
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Connectivity
An easy way to distinguish the Alienware m17 R3 from the m17 R2 is by looking at the right edge of the system. If you see a MicroSD slot, then it is the m17 R3 as the m17 R2 has no SD card reader at all.
All other physical ports remain the same gen-to-gen including the Graphics Amplifier Port. The practicality of such a port is questionable when the internal GPU is already a GeForce 2080 Super.
SD Card Reader
SD Card Reader | |
average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs) | |
Alienware m17 R3 P45E (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 UHS-II) | |
Razer Blade Pro 17 RTX 2070 Max-Q 300 Hz (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II) | |
MSI GS75 10SF-609US (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 UHS-II) | |
Eluktronics RP-17 (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II) | |
MSI GE75 Raider 10SE-008US (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II) | |
maximum AS SSD Seq Read Test (1GB) | |
Alienware m17 R3 P45E (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 UHS-II) | |
MSI GS75 10SF-609US (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 UHS-II) | |
Razer Blade Pro 17 RTX 2070 Max-Q 300 Hz (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II) | |
Eluktronics RP-17 (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II) | |
MSI GE75 Raider 10SE-008US (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II) |
Communication
The Killer AX1650w comes standard on all configurations. Unlike the Intel AX200/201 on most other gaming laptops, the AX1650W is compatible with certain gaming-specific network features from Killer.
Webcam

Maintenance
The bottom panel is easy to remove for quick access to the drives and battery. Note the completely different motherboard design and internal features when compared to the Alienware m17 R2. RAM, however, remains soldered.
Accessories and Warranty
There are no extras in the box outside of the AC adapter and paperwork. The standard one-year limited warranty applies with many extension options as is common from Dell.
Input Devices
Keyboard and Touchpad
Key layout and feedback haven't changed from the m17 R2 which is a good thing since we find the quiet clatter and firm feedback comfortable for typing. The dense base makes for a smoother typing experience when compared to most Ultrabooks and some ultra-thin gaming laptops like the MSI GS65.
Display
The high quality AU Optronics B173HAN IPS panel here is similar to the one on the Dell G7 17 7790 but at a higher 300 Hz native refresh rate. It's difficult to move back to 60 Hz once you spoil yourself with monitors capable of both fast refresh rates and fast response times. Dell recently announced 360 Hz options coming to future Alienware laptop models.
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Brightness Distribution: 91 %
Center on Battery: 338.3 cd/m²
Contrast: 1253:1 (Black: 0.27 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 1.88 | 0.55-29.43 Ø5.1, calibrated: 1.32
ΔE Greyscale 2.4 | 0.57-98 Ø5.4
97.8% sRGB (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
64.7% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
71.4% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
97.9% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
69.2% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.39
Alienware m17 R3 P45E AU Optronics B173HAN, IPS, 17.30, 1920x1080 | Eluktronics RP-17 BOE NV173FHM-N44, IPS, 17.30, 1920x1080 | MSI GS75 10SF-609US Sharp LQ173M1JW05, IPS, 17.30, 1920x1080 | Asus Strix Scar 17 G732LXS LQ173M1JW03 (SHP14DC), IPS, 17.30, 1920x1080 | MSI GE75 Raider 10SE-008US Chi Mei N173HCE-G33, IPS, 17.30, 1920x1080 | Razer Blade Pro 17 RTX 2070 Max-Q 300 Hz Sharp LQ173M1JW02, IPS, 17.30, 1920x1080 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Display | -7% | 5% | 1% | -3% | 2% | |
Display P3 Coverage | 69.2 | 64.7 -7% | 75.6 9% | 71 3% | 65.6 -5% | 72.2 4% |
sRGB Coverage | 97.9 | 92 -6% | 99.8 2% | 99 1% | 98.1 0% | 98.5 1% |
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage | 71.4 | 65.8 -8% | 75.1 5% | 71.6 0% | 67.8 -5% | 73 2% |
Response Times | -10% | 62% | 53% | 49% | 49% | |
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% * | 16.8 ? | 22.4 ? -33% | 5 ? 70% | 5.8 ? 65% | 6.8 ? 60% | 5.6 ? 67% |
Response Time Black / White * | 14 ? | 12 ? 14% | 6.6 ? 53% | 8.4 ? 40% | 8.8 ? 37% | 9.6 ? 31% |
PWM Frequency | 943 | 25000 ? | ||||
Screen | -43% | -10% | -33% | -5% | -59% | |
Brightness middle | 338.3 | 311.5 -8% | 299.4 -11% | 310 -8% | 337.9 0% | 328 -3% |
Brightness | 325 | 301 -7% | 299 -8% | 311 -4% | 305 -6% | 329 1% |
Brightness Distribution | 91 | 91 0% | 84 -8% | 82 -10% | 81 -11% | 78 -14% |
Black Level * | 0.27 | 0.31 -15% | 0.31 -15% | 0.41 -52% | 0.29 -7% | 0.35 -30% |
Contrast | 1253 | 1005 -20% | 966 -23% | 756 -40% | 1165 -7% | 937 -25% |
Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 1.88 | 4.13 -120% | 1.82 3% | 2.41 -28% | 2.18 -16% | 4.74 -152% |
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 3.23 | 7.32 -127% | 3.91 -21% | 8.59 -166% | 3.9 -21% | 8.99 -178% |
Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated * | 1.32 | 2.93 -122% | 1.59 -20% | 1.13 14% | 0.69 48% | 2.12 -61% |
Greyscale dE 2000 * | 2.4 | 3.3 -38% | 2.7 -13% | 4.3 -79% | 3.1 -29% | 6.8 -183% |
Gamma | 2.39 92% | 2.17 101% | 2.18 101% | 2.149 102% | 2.07 106% | 2.2 100% |
CCT | 6572 99% | 7157 91% | 6837 95% | 7059 92% | 6882 94% | 6446 101% |
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998) | 64.7 | 59.5 -8% | 67.1 4% | 72 11% | 62 -4% | 64.8 0% |
Color Space (Percent of sRGB) | 97.8 | 91.6 -6% | 99.8 2% | 94 -4% | 98.2 0% | 98.6 1% |
Total Average (Program / Settings) | -20% /
-32% | 19% /
2% | 7% /
-16% | 14% /
2% | -3% /
-34% |
* ... smaller is better
X-Rite colorimeter measurements show a well-calibrated display out of the box with very low grayscale and color deltaE values. Calibrating the panel ourselves would improve these values only marginally meaning that an end-user calibration is not really necessary.
Display Response Times
↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
---|---|---|
14 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 7.6 ms rise | |
↘ 6.4 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 (22.3 ms). | ||
↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
16.8 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 11.6 ms rise | |
↘ 5.2 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 0.25 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 22 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (35.1 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 19035 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured. |
Display brightness hasn't changed by all that much from the m17 R2 and so outdoor visibility remains essentially the same. You're going to want to avoid sunlight to reduce glare as much as possible.
Performance
Alienware laptops target enthusiasts and the m17 R3 is no different as even the lowest-end configuration comes with a 10th gen Core i7-10750H CPU and Radeon RX 5500M graphics. However, keep in mind that the vapor chamber cooling is only available on the GeForce SKUs.
There are a couple of things to remember when configuring your m17 R3. Unlike on most other gaming laptops, RAM is soldered meaning that you'll have to choose between 16 GB or 32 GB DDR4-2666 very carefully. Secondly, Optimus is not included which will impact battery life and power consumption as we will demonstrate below.
We set the system to Turbo mode via Dell Command Center prior to running any performance benchmarks for the best possible scores.
Processor
CPU performance is excellent and faster than the average Core i9-10980HK in our database by about 15 percent. This is due to the excellent Turbo Boost sustainability of the Alienware m17 R3 as CineBench R15 xT scores remain relatively consistent even after 50 consecutive loops as shown by our graph below.
Still, raw performance is only a bit better than the Core i9-9980HK on the older Alienware m17 R2 by about 12 percent.
See our dedicated page on the Core i9-10980HK for more technical information and benchmark comparisons.
Cinebench R15: CPU Multi 64Bit | CPU Single 64Bit
Blender: v2.79 BMW27 CPU
7-Zip 18.03: 7z b 4 -mmt1 | 7z b 4
Geekbench 5.4: Single-Core | Multi-Core
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2: 4k Preset
LibreOffice : 20 Documents To PDF
R Benchmark 2.5: Overall mean
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2 / 4k Preset | |
Intel Core i9-10900K | |
Alienware m17 R3 P45E | |
Eluktronics RP-17 | |
Average Intel Core i9-10980HK (12 - 14.6, n=13) | |
MSI GS75 10SF-609US | |
Asus Zephyrus G14 GA401IV | |
MSI GE75 9SG | |
MSI GE75 Raider 10SE-008US | |
Schenker XMG Pro 17 PB71RD-G |
LibreOffice / 20 Documents To PDF | |
Intel Core i9-10900K | |
Eluktronics RP-17 | |
MSI GE75 Raider 10SE-008US | |
Average Intel Core i9-10980HK (44 - 89, n=13) | |
MSI GS75 10SF-609US | |
Alienware m17 R3 P45E |
R Benchmark 2.5 / Overall mean | |
Schenker XMG Pro 17 PB71RD-G | |
MSI GE75 Raider 10SE-008US | |
MSI GS75 10SF-609US | |
Eluktronics RP-17 | |
Average Intel Core i9-10980HK (0.561 - 0.596, n=13) | |
Alienware m17 R3 P45E | |
Intel Core i9-10900K |
* ... smaller is better
System Performance
PCMark benchmarks are similar to last year's m17 R2 except in Digital Content Creation where the faster Core i9-10980HK and GeForce RTX 2080 Super can really shine.
We experienced issues with the pre-installed Alienware Command Center software. Not only does it load very slowly upon startup, but it would sometimes hang or not fully load at all. It's not very fast to start especially for a system of this caliber.
PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2 | 5881 points | |
PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2 | 6589 points | |
PCMark 10 Score | 6594 points | |
Help |
DPC Latency
DPC Latencies / LatencyMon - interrupt to process latency (max), Web, Youtube, Prime95 | |
Asus Strix Scar 17 G732LXS | |
MSI GE75 Raider 10SE-008US | |
Eluktronics RP-17 | |
Razer Blade Pro 17 RTX 2070 Max-Q 300 Hz | |
Alienware m17 R3 P45E | |
MSI GS75 10SF-609US |
* ... smaller is better
Storage Devices
(November 11, 2020 update: We previously stated that the laptop came with an internal M.2 2242 slot. However, the correct M.2 slot type is 2230. This error has been corrected.)
There are three internal storage options (2x M.2 2280, 1x M.2 2230) compared to just two on last year's M17 R2. Our unit comes with two 512 GB Micron 2200S SSDs in RAID 0 for a performance level rivaling a single Maixduino: A sub-US$25 Arduino Uno-sized single board computer that supports AI workloadsSamsung PM981. It's difficult to know exactly what SSD you will get since Dell likes to source from a handful of manufacturers including Toshiba, Micron, and SK Hynix.
See our table of HDDs and SSDs for more benchmark comparisons.
Alienware m17 R3 P45E 2x Micron 2200S 512 GB (RAID 0) | Eluktronics RP-17 Phison PS5013 PRO-X-1TB-G2R NVMe SSD | MSI GS75 10SF-609US WDC PC SN730 SDBPNTY-512G | Asus Strix Scar 17 G732LXS 2x Intel SSD 660p 1TB SSDPEKNW010T8 (RAID 0) | MSI GE75 Raider 10SE-008US Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ | Razer Blade Pro 17 RTX 2070 Max-Q 300 Hz Lite-On CA5-8D512 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
AS SSD | 23% | 17% | -2% | 21% | -10% | |
Seq Read | 2060 | 1689 -18% | 2327 13% | 2450 19% | 2036 -1% | 2019 -2% |
Seq Write | 2297 | 1695 -26% | 2479 8% | 1436 -37% | 1835 -20% | 1314 -43% |
4K Read | 35.39 | 50 41% | 45.46 28% | 49.48 40% | 60.6 71% | 46.61 32% |
4K Write | 63.1 | 182.9 190% | 157.4 149% | 119.4 89% | 127.2 102% | 90.2 43% |
4K-64 Read | 1337 | 1043 -22% | 1050 -21% | 1032 -23% | 1601 20% | 665 -50% |
4K-64 Write | 1307 | 1841 41% | 938 -28% | 1229 -6% | 1734 33% | 813 -38% |
Access Time Read * | 0.057 | 0.04 30% | 0.076 -33% | 0.145 -154% | 0.049 14% | 0.058 -2% |
Access Time Write * | 0.411 | 0.102 75% | 0.071 83% | 0.036 91% | 0.09 78% | 0.167 59% |
Score Read | 1578 | 1262 -20% | 1328 -16% | 1327 -16% | 1865 18% | 913 -42% |
Score Write | 1600 | 2194 37% | 1343 -16% | 1492 -7% | 2045 28% | 1034 -35% |
Score Total | 3997 | 4112 3% | 3366 -16% | 3456 -14% | 4863 22% | 2392 -40% |
Copy ISO MB/s | 1728 | 2124 23% | 3092 79% | 1900 10% | 1715 -1% | |
Copy Program MB/s | 727 | 579 -20% | 733 1% | 205.5 -72% | 622 -14% | |
Copy Game MB/s | 1585 | 1304 -18% | 1683 6% | 1419 -10% | 1506 -5% | |
CrystalDiskMark 5.2 / 6 | 21% | 25% | 8% | 12% | 11% | |
Write 4K | 68 | 226.1 233% | 177.9 162% | 125.8 85% | 139.2 105% | 119 75% |
Read 4K | 42.04 | 54.7 30% | 47.42 13% | 52.9 26% | 53 26% | 51.9 23% |
Write Seq | 2221 | 1868 -16% | 2707 22% | 1795 -19% | 1950 -12% | 2258 2% |
Read Seq | 2202 | 1648 -25% | 2369 8% | 2315 5% | 2328 6% | 2283 4% |
Write 4K Q32T1 | 494.5 | 429.9 -13% | 427.8 -13% | 407.1 -18% | 408.9 -17% | 491 -1% |
Read 4K Q32T1 | 540 | 521 -4% | 543 1% | 411.9 -24% | 551 2% | 540 0% |
Write Seq Q32T1 | 2623 | 2248 -14% | 2703 3% | 2844 8% | 1938 -26% | 2253 -14% |
Read Seq Q32T1 | 3159 | 2484 -21% | 3387 7% | 3130 -1% | 3467 10% | 3172 0% |
Total Average (Program / Settings) | 22% /
22% | 21% /
20% | 3% /
2% | 17% /
18% | 1% /
-2% |
* ... smaller is better
Disk Throttling: DiskSpd Read Loop, Queue Depth 8
GPU Performance
Graphics performance is only about 7 to 12 percent slower than a standard desktop GeForce RTX 2080. When compared to the GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q in last year's Alienware m17 R2, the RTX 2080 Super in our m17 R3 is about 15 percent faster.
The performance benefit may become larger in very demanding games. Final Fantasy XV, for example, shows our m17 R3 outperforming many Core i7-powered RTX 2070 Max-Q and RTX 2080 Max-Q laptops by wider margins of 20 to 40 percent.
See our dedicated page on the mobile GeForce RTX 2080 Super for more technical information and benchmark comparisons.
3DMark 11 Performance | 27300 points | |
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score | 54828 points | |
3DMark Fire Strike Score | 21102 points | |
3DMark Time Spy Score | 9921 points | |
Help |