When you think “gaming laptop,” it’s impossible not to think of Dell and Alienware. They set the gold standard for gaming rigs year after year, and the new AMD-powered Alienware m17 R5 and the more budget-friendly Intel-powered Dell G16 continue that trend.
Alienware m17 R5
On the Alienware side, there’s the new Alienware m17 R5. This is the most powerful 17″ AMD-powered laptop available, and Alienware has packed it full of features to let you take full advantage of that power.
Tucked inside are AMD Ryzen processors with AMD Radeon graphics cards along with AMD SmartShift Max, SmartAccess Memory, and AMD SmartAccess Graphics to create a system where everything works together to squeeze every drop of efficiency out of your gaming experience.
The Alienware m17 R5 also has five “Tailored Power States” of full speed, performance mode, balanced mode, battery save mode, and quiet mode, so you can adjust power based on your needs.
A vapor chamber that offers a 6% increase in airflow and thinner, less noisy fans will keep things nice and cool. You can also choose from three different keyboard options depending on your key travel and backlight preferences.
The Alienware m17 R5 with the R9X and RX8650MXT. is available today, starting at $2,799.99.
Dell G16
If that’s a little steep for your budget, there’s also the Dell G16. It sports a 16″ screen in a 15″ chassis, plus a 16:10 aspect ratio that offers 11% screen space with 3-sided narrow bezels and a QHD+ screen to ensure you fully enjoy that extra space.
You also get a 12th Gen Intel Core i7 processor and up to NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti graphics, and there’s even a special “Game Shift” function that automatically boosts cooling for those high-stress gaming moments.
Look for the Dell G16 on July 20th, starting at $1,399.99.
In addition, starting with the m17 R5, Dell and Alienware will offer an upgrade for the screen that brings it from the base 165Hz to a whopping 480Hz. The idea is that you’ll have faster screen refreshes, lower system latency, and better animation smoothness.
These upgrades will be available for both AMD Free-Sync and NVIDIA G-Sync laptops in the future, and the upgrade will cost $300 above the base screens. So far, these upgraded screens will be an option for the new m17 R5, but look for it as an option for more devices in the future!