Hands-On New Alienware m15 And m17 Gaming Laptops With 9th Gen Intel Core, OLED Panels, Sweet Thin Designs
Alienware has incorporated a 6-phase digital VRM for the CPU, and a separate "hyper efficient" 8-phase digital VRM for the GPU. The machines have an all-new cooling system with thick copper and zinc alloy heat pipes, new fans, and large air intake and air exhaust openings. Dell offers new display options for both machines.
The base m15 display is a 60Hz full HD unit, but there is a gorgeous optional 4K resolution OLED screen available (DCI-P3, HDR400). Another screen option is a full HD IPS panel with a 240 Hz refresh rate for those that want a buttery smooth experience while gaming. The m17 has fewer display options with full HD LCDs at either a 60Hz or a 144Hz refresh rate. The notebooks also support Tobii eye-tracking technology.
Both laptops can be fitted with up to 16GB of DDR4-2666 RAM and up to 4TB of NVMe storage with dual drive options. Killer 802.11ac WiFi is integrated along with Bluetooth 4.2. Connectivity options include Thunderbolt 3, USB 3.1 Gen 1, HDMI 2.0b, mini DisplayPort, and a 3.5mm port for headsets. Power for both machines comes from a 76Wh battery, while Dell uses a magnesium alloy chassis on both machines. Speaking of the chassis, Dell has redesigned both machines making them slightly thinner than before. However, make no mistake, these are still beefy machines that are more desktop replacement than something that's easily totable like an XPS 13. But when you're packing this much power under the hood, we're not going to complain.
The notebooks are set to launch on June 11, starting at $1,499. Base models include an Intel quad-core processor and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 graphics. You can expect that prices will increase significantly as options are added on to the machines. In addition, last month Dell unveiled an updated line of Latitude notebooks for the business crowd.
