Alienware's m15 and m17 Pack RTX Max-Q, Core i9 into Slim Designs
The Alienware m15 and the newest member to the slim series, the m17, will be overhauled and join 2019 with all new RTX Max-Q GPUs and an overclockable 8th Gen Core i9 processor.
The new Alienware m15 and m17 will be available January 29, 2019 and start at $1,579 and $1,649, respectively.
Alienware m15 and m17: Specs and Price
Row 0 - Cell 0 | Alienware m15 | Alienware m17 |
Starting Price | $1,579 | $1,649 |
Display | 15.6-inch, 1920 x 1080, 300 nits: 60Hz or 144Hz 3840 x 2160: 60Hz, 300 nits or 60Hz, HDR-400, 500 nits | 17.3-inch: 1920 x 1080, 60Hz, 300 nits 3840 x 2160, 60Hz, 400 nits 2560 x 1440, 120Hz, 400 nits |
CPU | Intel Core i5-8300H, Core i7-8750H, Core i9-8950HK | |
RAM | 8GB, 16GB, 32GB | |
Graphics | GTX 1050Ti (4GB), RTX 2060 (6GB), RTX 2070 Max-Q (6GB), RTX 2080 Max-Q (8GB) | |
Storage | Up to 1TB SSD or up to dual 1TB SSDs | |
Ports | DC-in, three USB 3.0, one Thunderbolt 3, RJ45, Alienware Graphics Amplifier Port, one HDMI 2.0, one mini DisplayPort, wedge-shaped lock slot and headphone jack | |
Size | 14.3 x 10.8 x 0.71~0.83 inches | 16.1 x 11.52 x 0.73~0.91 inches |
Weight | 4.78 pounds | 5.79 pounds |
These sexy powerhouses will pack up to an overclockable Core i9-8950HK processor, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q GPU with 8GB of VRAM, 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD (or dual 1TB SSDs).
The new Alienware m15 and m17 look seemingly identical to the 2018 m15, which isn’t bad by any means, as they still sport a sleek and sexy design that measure just 0.7 inches thin on the front. At launch, you’ll have the choice between two stylish colors: Epic Silver and Nebula Red.
They also have the same ports as their predecessor, which includes a power jack, three USB 3.0 ports, one Thunderbolt 3 port, an RJ45 port, the Alienware Graphics Amplifier Port, an HDMI 2.0, a mini DisplayPort, a wedge-shaped lock slot and a headphone jack.
The Alienware m15 can now be outfitted with up to a 3840 x 2160, 60Hz, HDR-400 panel that averages 500 nits of brightness and has a 1200:1 contrast ratio, while the m17 gets options up to a 3840 x 2160, 60Hz screen that emits 400 nits and covers 100 percent of the sRGB spectrum. Although the m15 may come out to be brighter, the m17 has more natural looking bezels due to the way they stretch along the 17.3-inch panel.
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Alienware claims that both laptops will have 1.4 millimeters of key travel, which is quite an improvement from the 1.1 mm that the previous generation had. However, we do typically prefer key travel between the 1.5 to 2.0 mm range. The keyboard also features anti-ghosting technology and four-zone, AlienFX RGB backlighting.
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While Alienware hasn’t rated the battery life for the new m15 and m17, we’re anticipating it will land somewhere around the 6 hour mark, like their predecessor. However, we won’t know for sure until we get these babies through our lab.
Stay tuned for more CES 2019 coverage, as well as our full review and benchmarks of the new m15 and m17.
Rami Tabari is an Editor for Laptop Mag. He reviews every shape and form of a laptop as well as all sorts of cool tech. You can find him sitting at his desk surrounded by a hoarder's dream of laptops, and when he navigates his way out to civilization, you can catch him watching really bad anime or playing some kind of painfully difficult game. He’s the best at every game and he just doesn’t lose. That’s why you’ll occasionally catch his byline attached to the latest Souls-like challenge.