alienware 17 r3 ranger lcd panel factory

The two 60Hz displays are the anti-glare matte displays. I find the colours on these aren"t nearly as sharp and crisp as the glossy 120Hz display. I use the Parts-People to find most of the correct part numbers. They don"t always have stock but they have a good database for part numbers. I don"t see any of the glossy panels on their website right now though, nothing on ebay either so they must be getting hard to find. You cannot use an eDP cable on the LVDS connector or vice-versa so if you get the 120Hz panel then you need the 3D eDP cable. Some links below.

The 10 series cards will work with the 60Hz display but they don"t really like Optimus so it usually suggested to get the 120Hz as you will get better performance during games. You really just need to install the card and the modded driver. The HD Audio disabling was for the older M17x R3, not required on the 17. There are different version of the 1070 with the MSI version being the better one but it requires modifications to the chassis to make it fit and they are pretty hard to find. There are many threads on NotebookReview but here is one if you want a long read. Tenoroon went through a few trials and tribulations with his upgrade so he may be a good one to ask.

EDIT: I have a few 120Hz panels at home that have vertical lines through them. I can check the manufacturer part numbers on them as it will help finding them online rather than using the Dell Part#. Dell do not make the panels themselves and they are usually from Samsung.

Hi there! I"m using an Alienware 17 R3 Laptop with the IPS LCD Panel in 1080p. Unfortunately today I found out a dead pixel. The matter is not much for me at the moment because sometime I almost fogot about it. But I stil have a question: Is it possible to replace the curent panel with a new 4K panel? Because I know that someday I will replace the curent panel with a new one :D

Alienware is an American computer hardware subsidiary of Dell. Their product range is dedicated to gaming computers which can be identified by their alien-themed designs.corporate headquarters is located in The Hammocks, Miami, Florida.

Established in 1996 as Saikai of Miami, Inc. by Nelson Gonzalez and Alex Aguila, two childhood friends, Alienware assembles desktops, notebooks, workstations, and PC gaming consoles.Area-51, Hangar 18, and Aurora.

Initially, Dell maintained its competing XPS line of gaming PCs, often selling computers with similar specifications, which may have hurt Alienware"s market share within its market segment.

Alienware announced that it would be releasing a series of video game consoles starting in 2014, aiming to compete with the Sony PlayStation, Nintendo Wii U, and the Microsoft Xbox.Windows 8.1.eighth generation of video game consoles. At E3 2016, Alienware announced the second rendition of the Alpha, the Alpha R2. The R2 adds 6th generation Intel processors, a choice of either the AMD Radeon R9 M470X or Nvidia GeForce 960 graphics cards, and support for Alienware"s proprietary Graphics Amplifier. It also ships with Windows 10.

M18x (Discontinued) - Introduced in 2011, it is considered a replacement for the original M17x design, but with a bigger chassis, a screen up to 18.4 inches (47 cm), dual MXM 3.0B GPU support, special keyboard macros, and up to 32GB of DDR3-1600MHz RAM. Shipped with Intel Sandy Bridge processors and the option of single or dual AMD Radeon 6870M/6970M/6990M Radeon HD 6000 Series GPU(s), single or dual Nvidia GeForce 500 Series GPU(s). Factory CPU overclocking was also an available option.

M18x-R2 (Discontinued) - 2012 revision of the M18x; originally shipped with Intel Sandy Bridge processors, later shipped with updated with Intel Ivy Bridge processors, single or dual Nvidia GeForce 600 Series GPU(s), single or dual AMD Radeon HD 7970M Radeon HD 7000 Series GPU(s), up to 32GB of DDR3-1600MHz, and optional factory overclock.

Alienware 18 (Discontinued) - 2013 refresh of the M18x; updated with Intel Haswell Processors, single or dual Nvidia GeForce 700 Series GPU(s), single or dual AMD Radeon R9 M290X GPU(s), and up to 32GB of DDR3L-1600MHz RAM, and 1TB RAID 0 SSDs along with facelift with new design. Marketed as "Alienware 18" but listed in some countries as "M18XR3 Viking".

Alienware 18 R2 (2014) (Discontinued) - 2014 Updated version of the Alienware 18 or "M18x R3"; updated with Intel Haswell micro architecture processors, single or dual Nvidia GeForce 800 Series GPU(s), up to 32GB of DDR3-1600MHz, and optional overclock.

Alienware 18 R3 (2015) (Discontinued) - 2015 version was a limited re-release of the previous Alienware 18, with updated dual Nvidia GeForce 900 Series GPUs and up to 32GB of DDR3L-1600MHz.

M17x (Discontinued) - Introduced in 2009, it is the first laptop released by Alienware after the company was bought by Dell. The name and some of the design is based on the Alienware 17 inch laptop, the Alienware M17.

M17x-R3 (Discontinued) - 2011 Revision of the M17x, changes from aluminium chassis to a simplified plastic design, 3D Ready through a 120Hz screen. Removes Dual-GPU capability.

M17x-R4 (Discontinued) - 2012 Revision of the M17x, updated with Windows 8, Intel Ivybridge Processors and Nvidia GeForce 600 Series or the AMD Radeon HD 7970M.

Alienware 17 (Discontinued) - 2013 refresh of the M17x, updated with Intel Haswell Processors and Nvidia GeForce 700 Series GPUs or the AMD R9 M290X with new facelift and body design. Marketed as "Alienware 17" but listed in some countries and order details as "M17XR5 Ranger". Updated with Nvidia GeForce 800 Series in 2014

Alienware 17 R2 (Discontinued) - 2015 revision of the Alienware 17, updated with Nvidia GeForce 900 Series. Features FHD matte display or FHD touch display. A port on the rear for graphics amplifier. This model introduced BGA mounted CPU and GPU, removing the ability to replace the CPU or GPU without changing the entire motherboard.

Alienware 17 R3 (Discontinued) - 2015 refresh of the Alienware 17, Windows 10 available. Features FHD overclocking display. Ultra HD IGZO display also available, as well as a Nvidia GeForce 900 Series with 4GB GDDR5 and 8GB GDDR5 option.

Alienware 17 R4 (Discontinued) - 2016 Alienware 17 (2016), Windows 10. Features 6th / 7th generation Intel CPU, Tobii eye tracking, Ultra HD display also available, as well as a Nvidia GeForce 1000 series with up to 8GB GDDR5.

Alienware 17 R5 (Discontinued) - 2018 Alienware 17 (2018), Windows 10. Features Tobii eye tracking, Ultra HD display also available, as well as a Nvidia GeForce 1000 series with up to 8GB GDDR5, 8th / 9th generation of Intel processors.

Alienware M17(Discontinued) - 2018 Thin and light gaming laptop for 17" category. Comes with 8th Gen Intel CPU up to Core i9-8950HK, RTX 2070 Max-Q, 16GB of RAM and 17.3 inches (44 cm) 1080p display with optional 4K upgrade.

Alienware Area-51m (Discontinued) - 2019 desktop replacement gaming laptop with a desktop CPU, up to Intel Core i9-9900K (from i7 8700 to i9 9900K), 128GB of upgradeable memory, upgradeable GPU (ships with GTX 1080 but will be upgraded to RTX 2080) and overclockable as well. Also features two power adapters and new Legend design language for Alienware.

Alienware M17 R2 (Discontinued) - 2019 Thin and light gaming laptop for 17" category, replace the M17 after 6 months of announcing. Comes with 9th Gen Intel CPU up to Core i9-9980HK, up to RTX 2080 Max-Q, 16GB of RAM and 17.3 inches (44 cm) 1080p display with optional 4K upgrade. The Alienware m17 R2 will be based on the same design language and chassis material as the beefier 17.3-inch Area-51M.

Alienware Area-51m R2 (Discontinued) - 2020 Alienware took the world"s first fully upgradable gaming laptop and added the latest 10th-gen Intel processors and an optional 4K screen — a first for the Area-51 lineup.

Alienware M17 R3 (Discontinued) - 2020 Thin and light gaming laptop for the 17" category. Comes with 10th generation Intel CPU up to Core i9-10980HK, up to Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Super 8GB GDDR6, 32GB of RAM and 17.3-inch (44 cm) 3840 × 2160 60Hz 25ms 500cd/m2 100% Adobe RGB color gamut display with Tobii Eye tracking technology.

Alienware M17 R4 (Discontinued) - 2021 Thin and light gaming laptop for the 17" category. Equipped with 10th generation Intel CPU up to Core i9-10980HK, up to Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 16GB GDDR6 Graphics Card, 32GB DDR4 RAM at 2933MHz, 17.3-inch (44 cm) 3840 × 2160 60fps.ray tracing and DLSS.

Alienware X17 R1 (Discontinued) - 2021 Thin and light gaming laptop for the 17" category. Equipped with 11th generation Intel CPU up to Core i9-11900H, up to Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 16GB GDDR6 Graphics Card, 32GB DDR4 RAM at 3466MHz, 17.3-inch (44 cm) 3840 × 2160 60fps. Thinnest 17 inch Alienware laptop so far.

Alienware M17 R5 - 2022 Thin and light gaming laptop for the 17" category. Equipped with 6th generation AMD CPU up to Ryzen 9 6900HX, up to Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080Ti 16GB GDDR6 Graphics Card, 32GB DDR5 RAM at 4800MHz, 17.3-inch (44 cm) 3840 × 2160 60fps.

Alienware X17 R2 - 2022 Thin and light gaming laptop for the 17" category. Equipped with 12th generation Intel CPU up to Core i9-12900H, up to Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080Ti 16GB GDDR6 Graphics Card, 32GB DDR5 RAM at 4800MHz, 17.3-inch (44 cm) 3840 × 2160 60fps. Thinnest 17 inch Alienware laptop so far.

Alienware 15 (Discontinued) - 2015 revision of the M15x, updated with Intel Haswell Processors and Nvidia GeForce 900 Series. Features FHD matte display or UHD touch display. Features a port on the rear for graphics amplifier.

Alienware 15 R2 (Discontinued) - 2015 refresh of the Alienware 15, updated with Intel Skylake processors and using the same NVIDIA graphics chipsets. Uses same FHD and 4K UHD screens and graphics amplifier port on the rear.

Alienware 15 R3 (Discontinued) - 2016 Alienware 15 (2016), Windows 10. 6th / 7th gen Intel CPU, 1080p standard display and Ultra HD 4K display and 120Hz TN+WVA Anti-Glare 400nit NVIDIA G-SYNC Enabled Display also available, as well as a Nvidia GeForce 1000 series with up to 8GB GDDR5.

Alienware 15 R4 (Discontinued) - Early 2018 Alienware 15 (2018), Windows 10. Features Tobii eye tracking, Ultra HD Display also available, as well as a Nvidia GeForce 1000 series with up to 8GB GDDR5, 8th / 9th gen Intel CPU (i7 8750H or i9 8950HK)

Alienware M15 (Discontinued) - 2018 thin and light gaming laptop. 1080p standard display and Ultra HD 4K display and 144Hz IPS 1080p display also available, as well as a Nvidia GeForce 1000 series with up to a GTX 2070 Max-Q design.

Alienware M15 R2 (Discontinued) - 2019 thin and light gaming laptop. 1080p standard display and 60Hz Ultra HD 4K display, 144Hz IPS 1080p, and 240Hz IPS 1080p display also available, as well as a Nvidia GeForce 20 series with up to a RTX 2080 Max-Q, 9th gen Intel CPU.

Alienware M15 R3 (Discontinued) - 2020 thin and light gaming laptop. 1080p standard display and 60Hz Ultra HD 4K display, 144Hz IPS 1080p, and 240Hz IPS 1080p display also available, as well as a Nvidia GeForce 20 series with up to a RTX 2080 Super Max-Q, 10th gen Intel CPU.

Alienware M15 R4 (Discontinued) - Early 2021 thin and light gaming laptop. 1920 × 1080 standard display and 60Hz 3840 × 2160 display, 144Hz IPS 1920 × 1080, and 300Hz IPS display also available, as well as a Nvidia GeForce 30 series with up to a RTX 3080 mobile and Intel 10th generation CPU. Features Tobii eye tracking with 3840 × 2160 variant.

Alienware M15 R5 (Discontinued) - 2021 thin and light gaming laptop. 1920 × 1080 standard display and 60Hz 3840 × 2160 display, 144Hz IPS 1920 × 1080, and 300Hz IPS display also available, as well as a Nvidia GeForce 30 series with up to a RTX 3080 mobile and AMD Ryzen 5th generation CPU. Features Tobii eye tracking with 3840 × 2160 variant.

Alienware M15 R6 (Discontinued) - 2021 thin and light gaming laptop. 1920 × 1080 standard display and 60Hz 3840 × 2160 display, 144Hz IPS 1920 × 1080, and 300Hz IPS display also available, as well as a Nvidia GeForce 30 series with up to a RTX 3080 mobile and Intel 11th generation CPU. Features Tobii eye tracking with 3840 × 2160 variant.

Alienware X15 R1 (Discontinued) - 2021 thin and light gaming laptop, updated with Intel 11th gen Alder Lake processors and Nvidia RTX 30 series GPUs. Thinnest 15 inch Alienware laptop so far.

Alienware M15 R7 - 2022 thin and light gaming laptop. 1920 × 1080 standard display and 60Hz 3840 × 2160 display, 144Hz IPS 1920 × 1080, and 300Hz IPS display also available, as well as a Nvidia GeForce 30 series with up to a RTX 3080 mobile and Intel 12th generation CPU. Features Tobii eye tracking with 3840 × 2160 variant.

Alienware X15 R2 - 2022 refresh of the X15 R1, updated with Intel 12th gen Alder Lake processors and Nvidia RTX 30 series GPUs. Thinnest 15 inch Alienware laptop so far.

Alienware 14 (Discontinued) - 2013 refresh of the M14x, updated with Intel Haswell Processors and Nvidia GeForce 700 Series and Blu-ray slot drive with new facelift and body design. It also features an IPS display. Marketed as "Alienware 14" but listed in some countries and order details as "M14XR3".

Alienware X14 - 2022 refresh of the 14, updated with Intel 12th gen Alder Lake processors and Nvidia RTX 30 series GPUs. Thinnest 14 inch gaming laptop in the world!

Alienware 13 (Discontinued) - Introduced in 2014 as a replacement for the M11x, with Nvidia GeForce GTX 860M and ULV Intel Haswell and Broadwell i5 or i7 processors. Features HD or FHD matte displays or QHD touch display. Alienware"s thinnest gaming laptop to date. Updated with Nvidia GeForce GTX 960M in 2015. A port on the rear for graphics amplifier.

Alienware 13 R2 (Discontinued) - 2015 refresh of the Alienware 13 featuring ULV Intel Skylake processors. It retains the same Nvidia GeForce GTX 960M from the previous generation.

Alienware 13 R3 - Refreshed 2016 Alienware 13 featuring either a 13.3 inches (34 cm) FHD (1920 × 1080) IPS Anti-Glare 300nit display or a 13.3 inch QHD (2560 × 1440) OLED Anti-Glare 400cd/m2 Display with Touch Technology. It is equipped with a Nvidia GeForce 1000 series GTX 1060 with 6GB GDDR5. This generation also saw the use of the H-series quad-core CPUs as opposed to the ULV CPUs.

M11x (Discontinued) - First introduced in early 2010, it was the smallest-size gaming laptop from Alienware. It was equipped with 1GB DDR3 RAM and a Penryn dual-core processor, with a Pentium SU4100 at the entry-level and a Core 2 Duo SU7300 at the top. Driving the 11.6 inches (29 cm) screen were two video processors, a GMA 4500MHD integrated and a discrete Nvidia GeForce GT 335M.

M11x-R3 (Discontinued) - The 2011 revision, it added support for the second generation of Intel"s Mobility series Core i3, i5, and i7 processors. It also provided a 500GB 7200RPM HDD. It included the Nvidia GeForce GT 540M and integrated Intel HD Graphics 3000. A second revision of the motherboard design used on the R3 series came in Q4 2011, although on a limited amount of laptops. This version used the Nvidia GeForce GT 550M.

The Aurora R2 (Discontinued) - This was the second revision of the Aurora, and the first Alienware desktop to be sold in retail chains such as Best Buy. It was based on Intel"s P55 platform (LGA 1156 Socket). Processors include the Core i5 and i7 (first generation Lynnfield quad core only). In order of model number: i5-750, i5-760, i7-860, i7-870, i7-875 and i7-880. Sealed liquid cooling units for the processors came factory installed. The R2 used dual channel memory and had dedicated graphics card options including AMD Radeon HD 5000 Series, Nvidia GeForce 400 Series and Nvidia GeForce 500 Series. Power supply options were 525W or 875W. Both SLI and CrossFireX were supported.

The Aurora R3 (Discontinued) - This was the third revision of the Aurora. It was based on Intel"s P67 platform (LGA 1155 Socket). Processors included Core i5 and i7 processors only (second generation quad core Sandy Bridge). In order of model number: i5-2300, i5-2400, i5-2500, i5-2500K, i7-2600, i7-2600K. Sealed liquid cooling units for the processors came factory installed. The R3 used dual channel memory and had dedicated graphics card options including AMD Radeon HD 5000 Series and Radeon HD 5000 Series as well as Nvidia GeForce 400 Series and Nvidia GeForce 500 Series. Power supply options were 525W and 875W. Both SLI and CrossFireX were supported.

The Aurora R5 (Discontinued) - The fifth revision of the Aurora was announced on June 13, 2016 and was available to purchase June 14, 2016. The updated Aurora was given a facelift and ergonomic handle on the top of the case and is the first of its kind to offer tool-less upgrades to graphics cards, hard drives, and memory. The Aurora was being marketed as being VR ready out of the box, even so far as being HTC Vive Optimized and Oculus Certified. The base model was released with an MSRP of US$799.99 and adding all the extra hardware can cost the consumer up to US$4,189.99. The processor options are Intel based; i3-6100, i5-6400, i5-6600K, i7-6700, and i7-6700K. The Aurora R5 was released during the transitioning phase between the GeForce 900 series and GeForce 10 series graphics cards, and the list was extensive; GTX 950 with 2GB GDDR5, GTX 960 with 2GB GDDR5, GTX 970 with 4GB GDDR5, GTX 980 with 4GB GDDR5, and the GTX 980 Ti with 6GB GDDR5, all of which could also be put in SLI. Alienware, however, would only allow one GTX 1070 with 8GB GDDR5 or one GTX 1080 with 8GB GDDR5X to be installed at launch. Consumers were also allowed to purchase but one GPU from AMD, the Radeon R9 370 with 4GB GDDR5 (CrossFire R9 370 was optional). PSU choices were 460W or 850W, or a liquid cooled 850W PSU. Hard drive and SSD options ranged from 1TB and 256GB, respectively to 2TB and 1TB, respectively. RAM was available at launch between 8–64GB of DDR4 all clocked at 2133MHz.

The Aurora R6 (Discontinued) - The sixth revision was announced on February 22, 2017. According to Windows Central, "The Aurora R6 is only a mild refresh over the previous generation R5, with the main attraction being the new 7th Generation Kaby Lake processors from Intel."GB), Titan X (12GB), Dual RX 460 (Crossfire Enabled), Dual GTX 1070 (SLI Enabled), Dual GTX 1080 (SLI Enabled), Dual GTX 1080 Ti (SLI Enabled), Dual GTX Titan X (SLI Enabled). Memory options start at 8GB and max out at 64GB. Factory-installed storage can be a single drive (7200RPM drive or PCIe SSD) or dual drive including both. Standard PSU or one with liquid cooling in 450W or 850W is offered in Aurora R6.

The Aurora R13 - The Aurora R13 became available to purchase on October 27, 2021. It brought in several new features and specifications, including more decoration, a bigger chassis for more airflow, and higher available specs. The R13 has several options for design available, including a clear side panel on the left side of the machine, letting you view all the RGB inside, along with an added bar at the top of the panel inside, featuring the word "Alienware", in RGB. The R13 also made available the RTX 3070, 3070 Ti, 3080, 3080 Ti, and 3090, leading to increased performance, and bringing in the newer 12th gen Alder Lake intel core i9. This system also brought the CryoTech cooling option, which was influenced from an Alienware employees rant about the Intel chip"s heat problem, influencing the engineers to make a solution. (Default color is Static Blue)

ALX (R1) (Discontinued) - This model is based on the Intel"s X58 platform (LGA 1366 socket). This model shared the identical hardware with the Aurora R1. The ALX R1 is equipped with 1st generation Intel Core i7 and i7 Extreme processors. In order of model number: 920, 930, 940, 950, 960, 965, 975 (quad core), 980X, 990X (six core). Sealed liquid cooling units for the processors came factory installed. The R1 used triple channel memory and had graphics card options from AMD Radeon HD 5000 Series, Nvidia GeForce 400 Series and Nvidia GeForce 500 Series line. Power supply options included 525W or 875W. Power supply and motherboard supports both SLI and CrossFireX. The ALX (X58 platform) was offered from the beginning alongside the Aurora R1, R2 and R3. It offered thermal controlled venting, toolless/wireless hard drive bays, internal theater lighting and an extra array of external LEDs. Coupled with the TactX keyboard and mouse it offered up to 25 billion lighting color combinations.

Area-51 R1 (Discontinued) - This model is based on the Intel X58 platform (LGA 1366 socket). This model shares identical hardware with the Area 51 ALX. The Area-51 R1 is equipped with 1st Gen Intel Core i7 and i7 Extreme processors. In order of model number: 920, 930, 940, 950, 960, 975 (quad core), 980X, 990X (six core). The Area 51 used triple channel memory and had Graphics Card options from AMD Radeon HD 5000 Series, Radeon HD 6000 Series as well as Nvidia GeForce 400 Series and Nvidia GeForce 500 Series. Power Supply options included 1000W or 1100W. Power supply and motherboard supports both SLI and CrossFireX. The Area 51 was offered from the beginning alongside the Aurora R1, R2, R3 and the Aurora ALX (R1). It offered thermal-controlled active venting, tool-less hard drive bays, internal theater lighting and an array of external LEDs. Area-51 was offered in either semi-gloss black or lunar shadow (silver) finishes, with a non-motorized front push-panel. Command Center software and AlienFX features are offered via a discrete master I/O daughterboard.

Area-51 ALX R1 (Discontinued) - Alienware"s most expensive desktop to date ($5000–$7000 US fully equipped), ALX offered every available option as the standard model (see above); ALX is distinguished from the standard model by its matte black anodized aluminium chassis, and motorized front panel powered by a dedicated ALX-specific master I/O daughterboard.

Area-51 R4 (Discontinued) - The fourth revision of the Area-51 was announced at E3 2017. The base model was released with an MSRP of US$1899.99 and adding all the extra hardware can cost the consumer up to US$6,659.99. The Area 51 R4 is based on the Intel X299 chipset and the processor options include Intel based; Core i7-7800X, Core i7-7820X, Core i9-7900X Core i9-7920X, Core i9-7960X and Core i9-7980XE. Memory options include 8GB, 16GB, 32GB or 64GB DDR4 2400MHz memory or 8GB, 16GB or 32GB of HyperX DDR4 2933MHz memory (64GB kits sold separately). The Area-51 R4 was configurable with Nvidia GeForce 10 series, AMD RX Vega series or AMD Radeon 500 series graphics cards. Video cards offered include AMD RX 580, RX Vega 64, Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 Ti, 1060, 1070, 1080, 1080 Ti (11GB), liquid cooled 1080 (8GB), Dual GTX 1070 (SLI Enabled), Dual GTX 1070 Ti (SLI Enabled), Dual GTX 1080 (SLI Enabled), Dual GTX 1080 Ti (SLI Enabled), triple AMD Radeon RX 570 or RX 580. Available PSU choices were 850W or 1500W. Storage options ranged from a 2TB hard drive, 128GB M.2 SATA, or 256GB to 1TB M.2 PCIe SSD.

Area-51 R4 (Discontinued) - The fourth revision of the Area-51 was announced at E3 2017, and the first Area-51 model to be sold with AMD Ryzen Threadripper processors. The base model was released with an MSRP of US$2399.99 and adding all the extra hardware can cost the consumer up to US$5,799.99. The Area 51 R4 Threadripper Edition is based on the AMD X399 chipset and the processor options include Ryzen Threadripper 1900X, 1920X and 1950X. Memory options include 8GB, 16GB, 32GB or 64GB DDR4 2400MHz memory or 8GB, 16GB, 32GB or 64GB of HyperX DDR4 2933MHz memory. The Area-51 R4 was configurable with Nvidia GeForce 10 series or AMD RX 580 graphics cards, which include; GTX 1060 6GB, GTX 1070 8GB, GTX 1070 Ti 8GB, GTX 1080 8GB, GTX 1080 Ti 11GB, or an AMD RX 580 8GB. Available PSU choices were 850W or 1500W. Storage options ranged from a 2TB hard drive, 128GB M.2 SATA, or 256GB to 1TB M.2 PCIe SSD.

R3 (Discontinued) - This model is equipped with 6th Gen Intel Core processors and Nvidia GeForce 900 Series GPUs. Added port for graphics amplifier. The hard drive is 256GB M.2 SSD 6Gbit/s main plus 1TB 7200RPM storage.

Alienware Alpha (Discontinued) - A PC/console hybrid introduced in 2014. It contains a custom-built Nvidia GeForce GTX 860M; a Core i3, i5, or i7 Intel Processor, depending on what model is purchased, up to 8GB of RAM; and between 500GB and 2TB of hard drive space.

Alienware Alpha R2 (Discontinued) - Alienware"s update to the small form factor released on June 13, 2016. It contains (depending on customer choice) an AMD Radeon R9 M470X GPU with 2GB GDDR5 memory or an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 GPU with 4GB GDDR5. The processor line chosen this rendition are 6th generation Intel processors; the i3-6100T, i5-6400T, or i7-6700T. The RAM from factory comes in either 1 stick of 8GB or 16GB configurations of DDR4 memory clocked at 2133MHz, and the system comes with one SO-DIMM slot. Hard-drive options have been expanded to include a HDD, SSD, or both. The HDD comes in one size, 1TB at 7200RPM, whilst the SSD is available in the M.2 mini-PCIe standard ranging in sizes between 256GB to 1TB. The new console also has a Graphics Amplifier slot with all models except the AMD Radeon R9 M470X equipped variant. The console ships with Windows 10.

Gaming tank. Big, heavy and a case full of fast hardware describes the new Alienware 17. Especially hardcore gamers will be interested in the GeForce GTX 880M, which is one of the fastest single-chip GPUs. But can the overall package support the good initial impression?

Serious hardcore gamers want to get the maximum number of frames from their devices and enjoy a game in the native resolution and maximum details. Devices like the Alienware 17 are designed for this purpose. The Alienware 18 and the Asus G750 already convinced us as high-end gaming tools a couple of times.

Another highlight is the big and heavy case, which has configurable light effects that should attract the attention of some modding fans. The 17.3-inch Full HD panel and a large battery should provide a good mobility if it wasn’t for the enormous weight.

The Alienware 17 really fits the stereotype image of a bulky gaming notebook. The chassis with the dimensions 46 x 418 x 288 millimeters (height x width x depth) is not a very mobile companion. This impression is further supported by the weight of around 4.2 kilograms. Based on this information, the Alienware 17 is more of a desktop replacement than a mobile gaming notebook. However, the new Kepler version is 200 grams lighter than its predecessor.

The illumination is identical to the Alienware 17 with the GTX 780M. The update also has LEDs at the sides, underneath the touchpad and the keyboard. The Alienware branding on the display frame is illuminated as well. Modding fans will be very pleased. Especially impressive is the high quality and the timeless design of the case, despite the playful light elements.

The large and thick case of the Alienware 17 offers a lot of space for numerous ports, but Alienware does not use the full potential. The available ports of the Alienware 17 are pretty much standard equipment for a gaming notebook. Two USB 3.0 ports, one HDMI and one DisplayPort are at the left side of the case. You can also attach a sound system or a headset with the two stereo jacks. Further at the back is the power connector as well as the Kensington lock. Between these two areas is a gap of several centimeters.

Alienware equips the device with a Qualcomm Atheros Killer e2200 LAN chip to ensure a low ping. Thanks to the provided software, gamers can assign priorities to different applications. This is supposed to improve the latency during gaming. Besides the LAN chip, you also get a Broadcom 802.11 ac WLAN module.

The software equipment of the Alienware 17 is laudable, although a bit limited. However, there is no annoying bloatware on the system. Instead, the manufacturer equips its gaming notebooks with some of its own useful tools.

AlienAutopsy analyzes the system; AlienRespawn creates a backup and recovers the system partition; macro keys can be assigned with Alienware TactX. The tool AlienFX controls the illumination of the case, touchpad and keyboard.

The maintainability of the Alienware 17 is very good with a large maintenance cover at the bottom, which can be removed very easily. You just have to loosen two screws to access the hardware of the notebook. Two independent fans dissipate the heat and can easily be cleaned. The mSATA port and the two memory slots are noticeable and easy to access. You can also replace the DVD burner with a Blu-ray burner in a couple of steps.

Dell grants a warranty of 24 months. Optional extensions to 36 and 48 months are available and cost 180 Euros and 380 Euros (~$245 and ~$518), respectively. An accidental protection retails for 55 Euros (~$75) up to 175 Euros (~$238), depending on the runtime.

Real gamers also need the proper tools, and the keyboard of the Alienware 17 is definitely such a tool. Because of the large chassis, the keys have a lot of space at the top. The result is a very generous keyboard size that is easy to handle. The individual keys are conveniently sized as well, so even gamers with large hands should have enough room. Even hardcore and professional gamersdon’t have to worry about ghosting; there are no problems when you press multiple keys.

The touchpad is just as colorful as the keyboard and can be perfectly adjusted to the rest of the case. We really like the excellent gliding capabilities of the surface, even slightly sweaty fingers are no problem. The size of 10 cm x 5.7 cm, however, is not very generous, but that is caused by the dedicated mouse buttons. The sampling rate is also a bit low for a Full HD panel, but the precision is without criticism.

Alienware decided to use an AUO219D panel instead of an LG Philips, but the Full HD resolution of 1920x1080 pixels is identical. This display can eradicate all drawbacks of the predecessor and not only significantly improves the luminance but also the viewing-angle stability, too.

The contrast ratio hardly changed with 616:1 compared to 611:1 of the predecessor. We can also determine the blue cast and the very cool picture with slightly pale colors for the new Kepler model. With 78% sRGB and 57% AdobeRGB, the Alienware 17 is not really suited for professional picture editing. We also miss really deep blacks, which cannot be displayed because of the black value of 0.49 cd/m².

Another advantage of the new display is the improved viewing-angle stability. The performance of the predecessor was not very good, but you can hardly see any differences with different viewing angles on the new Alienware 17.

The Alienware 17 shows its muscles in terms of hardware equipment; the manufacturer equips the device with very powerful components. An Intel Core-i7 4700MQ handles all the calculations and can, thanks to the Hyper-Threading technology, execute 8 threads simultaneously. The processor also has the integrated Intel HD Graphics 4600, which handles the graphics during desktop operation and therefore reduces the power consumption.

The gaming performance of the Alienware 17 is provided by a GeForce GTX 880M, which is currently one of the fastest single-chip GPUs for notebooks. Thanks to the Nvidia Optimus technology, the dedicated GPU can be deactivated or overclock itself under load.

Our review unit has 8 GB memory, which can be upgraded during the configuration or by the user afterwards. With four memory slots, the Alienware 17 supports up to 32 GB RAM. Files are stored on a hard drive with a capacity of 1,000 GB.

The Core i7-4700MQ is the successor of the Core i7-3630QM and offers a convincing application performance. The Alienware 17 is at the top of the benchmark list with the Cinebench R15 multi-core test. 643 points is superior to the predecessor with 629 points, which uses the faster Core i7-4800MQ. Only the Toshiba Satellite P70-A-104 is superior with a hardly noticeable difference of 2 points. The Alienware 17 is between previously reviewed notebooks in Cinebench R11.5. With 6.96 points in the multi-core test, it is on a level with the Alienware 14 or the One K56-3F.

That an SSD always improves the performance is apparent when we look at the system performance of the Alienware 17. Thanks to the fast processor and the mSATA SSD, the notebook reacts quickly to inputs and there are no delays. The system start is also very fast and the desktop is ready after a couple of seconds. The results of the synthetic benchmarks support this impression. Our review unit manages a good score of 3,451 points in PCMark 8 Home, which is at the top of our charts. Only the Nexoc G728II is slightly faster with 3,581 points because it has a faster mSATA SSD. The LiteOn mSATA SSD shows small weaknesses in the cumulated PCMark 7 score, which only results in 5,464 points. Similarly equipped notebooks and a faster SSD (Asus G750JZ) manage slightly higher results with 5,746 points.

The hard drive of the Alienware 17 leaves a good impression, even though it cannot compete with the performance of an SSD. 108 MB/s reading and 98 MB/s writing are right between other fast hard drives like an HGST Travelstar 5K1000 or a Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500. The reaction times, however, are excellent and you get the feeling that you use a real SSD. This is the result of the mSATA SSD from LiteOn, which is used as a cache.

A real highlight is the graphics card. Alienware wants the 17 to be the fastest gaming notebook and uses one of the fastest components. The graphics during idle and with light workloads are handled by the Intel HD Graphics 4600 that offers a decent entry-level performance according to our benchmarks.

With 18,307 points in 3DMark 2013 Cloud Gate, our review unit is between the Schenker XMG P703 (18,258 points) and the Asus G750JZ (18,412 points). The graphics card can also show its performance in Fire Strike and gets higher scores than notebooks with a GeForce GTX 780M. The Alienware 17 is on a level with the Schenker XMG P704 and the MSI GT70 2PE with 5,252 points.

Theoretical benchmarks are obviously only suited for comparisons and do not represent the real gaming performance of a notebook. To test it, the Alienware 17 had to run our comprehensive gaming benchmarks.

The high-preset of Metro Last Light is a real joy, because the Alienware 17 gets to the top of the gaming notebooks with a GeForce GTX 880M GPU with 77 frames per second. Even the Full HD resolution and maximum settings result in a smooth 40 fps.

The situation is similar in Rome II Total War, which is pretty demanding for some notebooks. High settings and a resolution of 1366x768 pixels result in 146 frames per second for the Alienware 17 with the GeForce GTX 880M. Even the maximum resolution of 1920x1080 and the highest settings result in 36 fps, so it is one of the fastest notebooks we reviewed so far and on a level with the MSI GT70 2PE.

You could think that it isn’t a real gaming notebook if it isn’t loud. However, the Alienware is pretty restrained when you consider the hardware. It is audible with at least 30 dB(A) and up to 35 dB(A) during idle, but not too loud. The system noise in our simulated gaming test is also convincing with around 44 dB(A). The notebook only gets annoying in the stress test with FurMark and Prime95.

Compared to the predecessor, the idle consumption was improved but the stress test now consumes more power, which is a result of the powerful GPU. With up to 30 Watts during idle, the consumption of the Alienware 17 was reduced by around 6 Watts. The stress test, however, increases the consumption by 8 Watts from 204 to 212 Watts.

High-end gaming notebooks like the Alienware 17 are usually not designed for mobility, but our review unit manages decent idle and WLAN runtimes. 7 hours and 40 minutes during idle is a respectable result and 5 hours and 49 minutes web browsing is not bad, either. DVD playback is possible for 3 hours and 38 minutes. Only gamers will have to charge the notebook after around one hour. These runtimes are the result of the large 86 Wh battery, which is integrated into the chassis of the Alienware 17.

Attention hardcore gamers: The Alienware 17 is an excellent choice if you want to replace your heavy desktop PC with a heavy notebook, because it does not have any real drawbacks. The case is very good, the build quality is excellent and the design is timeless. Especially the matte surfaces offer sufficient grip. The display has a high resolution, nice although very cool colors and can even be used for outdoor gaming sessions.

However, the real highlight is the powerful hardware of the Alienware 17. The Core i7-4700MQ processor is fast enough for all applications and games, and the GeForce GTX 880M provides smooth gameplay for all games with high or even maximum details. In combination with an SSD and slightly more memory, every gamer gets a future-proof notebook with the Alienware 17.

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