Dell Alienware X17 R2
Dell Alienware X17 R2
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GENERAL USE: Good—7.9/10
GAMING/AI: Very Good—8.5/10
ENG/DESIGN: Very Good—8.6/10
SOFTWARE DEV: Good—7.5/10
CONTENT CREATION: Very Good—8.0/10
PORTABILITY: Fair—6.0/10
BATTERY: Poor—4.3/10
OVERALL SCREEN QUALITY: Very Good—8.0/10
OVERALL PERFORMANCE: Very Good—8.6/10
SIZE: 17.3"
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 is a premium gaming laptop on the upper end of the price range. It has a large 17.3-inch display with a high refresh rate. This laptop is powered by an Intel i7 processor and an Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti GPU, which provide strong performance for gaming, 3D rendering, and machine learning tasks. It comes with 16GB of RAM and a 1024GB storage capacity. This machine features an IPS panel and offers full HD resolution, but there's no touchscreen. The battery capacity is decent, but the battery life won't support long hours away from an outlet. It weighs over 6 pounds, which affects its portability. The keyboard and speakers are of high quality, and it manages heat well. Additional features include Thunderbolt ports, Ethernet, a backlit keyboard, and hardware ray tracing support. It's designed with a gaming laptop appearance and was released in December 2021. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Evaluation
Pros
- High screen refresh rate
- Powerful main processor
- Top-tier GPU for gaming
- Good build and heat management
- Has Thunderbolt and USB-C
Cons
- Low battery life
- Relatively heavy
- Not very portable
- No touchscreen functionality
Ratings by Category
Gaming & AI:4.6
PerfectRec’s Gaming and AI Score strongly emphasizes graphics processing capability as well as AI performance, while also taking into account other factors that impact suitability for gaming and AI work.
While performance (especially graphics performance) is the most important factor determining this score, we also give modest weight to screen quality, heat management, keyboard quality, and storage.
Engineering & Design:4.6
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 is equipped with a robust CPU, substantial RAM, and a high-end GPU, which are crucial for demanding engineering and design software that require significant computational power and graphics processing. Additionally, the laptop's high screen quality, including good color coverage and contrast, ensures detailed and accurate visual representation essential for precision tasks, although its portability is compromised due to its size and weight, and despite having quality keyboard and speakers, it emits noticeable operating noise.
Build Quality:4.6
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, chassis rigidity, and overall reliability. Our assessment of build quality includes many details that are difficult to quantify. Our laptop experts use their best judgment to produce the final score.
Keyboard Quality:4.6
The Keyboard Quality score is based on the PerfectRec experts’ assessment of tactile feedback, typing comfort, keyboard reliability and typing noise.
General Use:4.4
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 is well-suited for general use because it boasts a powerful CPU and ample RAM, ensuring smooth multitasking and quick application responsiveness. Its large screen with high refresh rate and excellent color coverage offers a crisp and vibrant visual experience, but its weight and modest battery life may limit portability for on-the-go usage.
Content Creation:4.4
PerfectRec’s Content Creation Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for photo editing, and video editing work.
In addition to a strong emphasis on overall performance, this score also places very high importance on screen quality. Heat management, storage, keyboard and speaker quality are also incorporated, with fan noise rounding out this score.
General Use Screen Quality:4.4
The general use screen score is based on the screen technology, contrast ratio, resolution, brightness, color gamut and color accuracy. This score does not take into account specialized display features for specific use cases, such as high refresh rate for gaming.
Software Development:4.2
PerfectRec’s Software Development Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for software development.
In addition to a strong emphasis on overall performance, this score also places very high importance on screen quality. Heat management, storage, keyboard and speaker quality are also incorporated, with fan noise rounding out this score.
Operating Noise:4.0
PerfectRec’s Operating Noise Score is based on fan noise measurements. Laptops with a fanless design, such as Macbooks, receive the maximum score.
Portability:3.1
PerfectRec’s portability rating takes into account the volume and thickness of the laptop as well as its weight.
Full Specs
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
| Price | $2,200 | ||
Release Date | December 1, 2021 | ||
Overall Dimensions | 15.7'' x 11.8'' x 0.82'' | ||
Weight | 6.82 lbs | ||
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | Intel i7-12700H | ||
Graphics | RTX 3070 Ti (150 W) | ||
Mux Switch / Advanced Optimus | Yes | ||
RAM | 16 GB | ||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | ||
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | 2 Hours | ||
Battery Capacity | 87 Wh | ||
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | 17.3" | ||
Display Technology | IPS | ||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | ||
Refresh Rate | 360Hz | ||
Display Brightness | 344 nits | ||
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score  | 8.5/10 | ||
Portability Score | 6.1/10 | ||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | Yes | ||
Fan Noise Score | 7/10 | ||
Keyboard Lighting Color | RGB | ||
Warranty Period | 1 year | ||
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | 8.5/10 | ||
Speaker Quality Score | 9.5/10 | ||
Webcam | 720p | ||
Fingerprint Reader | No | ||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | ||
Number Pad | No | ||
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | 2 | ||
USB-C ports | 2 | ||
USB-C Charging | Yes | ||
Display Outputs | 4 | ||
Thunderbolt Version | 4 | ||
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NotebookCheck
Allen Ngo | May 2022
"The Alienware x17 R2 recognizes targets a significantly higher TGP of 175 W for a roughly 30 percent performance boost over laptops running on the ~100 W GeForce RTX 3080 Ti like the Razer Blade 15 or Gigabyte Aero YE5. Similar results can be found through the CPU as well. This single aspect of the Alienware is perhaps the biggest differentiating factor between it and other ultrathin gaming laptops. Of course, the "performance at all cost" approach comes with drawbacks. Power consumption in particular is through the roof and battery life suffers because of it even when on the lowest performance settings."
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