Alienware 17 R4 (2017) - Review 2022

The Alienware 17 R4 (starts at $ane,299.99; $3,118.99 as tested) combines the same tiptop-notch design as its 15-inch sibling with cutting-edge components, a larger screen, and plenty of extras for one of the most formidable gaming laptops on the market. With Nvidia GTX 1080 graphics and enough of processing power, the Alienware 17 is among the top gaming performers among single-card laptops. As tested, it's not cheap, but still costs less than the Editors' Pick Origin EON17-X ten Series, and Alienware's generous configuration options allow you to build the machine that fits your needs. While information technology's not whatsoever more travel-friendly than the EON17-X, the Alienware 17 R4 is our new Editors' Choice loftier-end gaming laptop for its features and most unmatched ability.

Heavy Duty Design

The 17 R4 looks a lot similar its recently launched stablemate, the Alienware 15 R3, in just virtually every way, including an excellent sturdy structure. Information technology's fabricated of solid anodized aluminum and magnesium alloy on the exterior, while the keyboard deck is rubberized for a soft experience. The lid is silverish, only the residuum of the laptop is blackness, a good contrast to the many LED light strips that adorn the chassis. These customizable lights are located on the sides of the body, lid, logos, ability button, keyboard, and even the touchpad. That sounds like a lot of lights, but Alienware has used simply enough restraint for it look striking rather than flashy.

In no manner svelte, the laptop measures one.18 by 16.vii by thirteen.ane inches (HWD) and weighs 9.77 pounds, with its chunky ability brick adding another 2.5 pounds, which is really pushing portability. Laptops with 17-inch screens are rarely meant as daily commute companions, but this 1 is peculiarly difficult to deport. The EON17-X x Serial measures i.6 by 16.4 past xi.6 inches and weighs even more at nine.91 pounds, so the R4's weight isn't unusual. The Razer Blade Pro fares much improve in this regard, at less than an inch thick with a premium look and feel thanks to its anodized aluminum body, simply at seven.72 pounds information technology isn't the apotheosis of portability, either. If you lot're looking to go lighter, merely proceed the 17-inch screen, the HP Omen 17 delivers solid gaming power that's not quite every bit heavy at 6.3 pounds, but its plastic trunk isn't as high end.

You might be asking, why not just get a desktop? Every bit someone who has opted for gaming laptops for years, the option of moving them around, and the instances you do take them with you lot—even if infrequent—make information technology worth it. Even if the laptop isn't the about travel-friendly, as is the case with the Alienware 17, a built-in screen and smaller form still go far infinitely more portable than a desktop for switching rooms, bringing to a friend's place, or staying away from home for a few days and wanting to play during your downwardly fourth dimension. Yes, y'all tin build a PC on your ain with individually purchased parts, and a desktop is more powerful, simply it'due south prissy not to have your main gaming car tied to i location. The Alienware fifteen R3'southward smaller sibling, the Alienware 13, is a great option for gaming on the get, merely you'll need to brand some sacrifices in performance and screen quality.

One of my issues with the 15-inch unit is the maximum 1080p screen resolution. While our 17-inch examination model's screen doesn't become all the style to UHD (though the option is bachelor when ordering), it does bump upward to QHD (2,610 past one,440). The screen is sharp, every bit you'd expect at that resolution, and the picture quality is skilful. Yous get wide viewing angles since information technology'due south an In-Plane Switching (IPS) panel, and color reproduction is solid. It's just that the overall motion picture isn't particularly remarkable where some gaming screens are stunning, like those in the Razer Blade laptops.

The keyboard and touchpad are too-synthetic every bit the laptop'southward frame, and perform reliably. The keyboard isn't chiclet-style, so the keys are packed closely together rather than slightly spaced. The latter is more common with modern laptops, so it will probably have a little while to get used to, simply it's no problem once you adjust. The keys accept a squeamish bounce to them that facilitates speedy typing, and there's plenty room for a number pad on the 17-inch model, unlike the 15-inch version. There's a macro cardinal column on the left, which is customizable using the included Alienware Control Center software, where you can as well detect the lighting options. The colors of the keyboard and touchpad can be changed in a different tab there, along with the remaining lighting strips and buttons on the laptop. There are 12 locations total.

As with the Alienware 15 R3, the sound quality isn't the greatest. The speakers get quite loud at full volume, but the larger laptop doesn't make way for deeper bass or richer sound. Output isn't tinny, just voices in particular sound somewhat muted or recessed, and the front end-facing speakers sound less powerful if you're not directly in forepart of them. I was absolutely listening critically to encounter if in that location'south an comeback over the xv-inch model. Yet, these speakers won't probable wow y'all, and you'll be improve served by some nice headphones.

Features and Customization

Given the plentiful physical real estate, the Alienware 17 R4 offers plenty of connection options. The correct side holds a USB-C port, a USB 3.0 port, headphone and mic jacks, and a Noble Lock slot (the cable and lock are not included). There's some other USB 3.0 port on the right side, while the rear holds the rest of the ports, including a Killer Ethernet jack, an HDMI port, a USB-C port with Thunderbolt iii, the power adapter connection, and a proprietary port for the Alienware external graphics amplifier, into which you can place a desktop graphics card for the laptop to utilize.

The laptop also features Tobii eye-tracking applied science and, unlike the fifteen-inch model's pared-downwardly version, information technology's the full suite. A shiny bar runs forth the bottom bezel, behind which is the eye-tracking camera that determines where you are looking. As with the Alienware 15, this can be used to dim the display or put the computer to sleep when you don't await at the screen after a certain (customizable) corporeality of fourth dimension, just in that location'due south more to the total version. It'due south integrated into a variety of standard retail games, including big titles similar Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, The Division, and Rise of the Tomb Raider.

Depending on the title, Tobii enhances certain elements of the gameplay, only the virtually common is locking or applying aim assist to the target yous're looking at. In games similar Elite: Dangerous, it gives you a wider range of vision, and you can employ it to look effectually your ship'due south cockpit. The Tobii site has a list of games that make use of Tobii, and clicking each will explain how it works in that particular scenario. I tried the demo that comes with the software subsequently calibrating it to my eyes, and while it was straining and a flake tiring to look around the environment to blast asteroids, information technology generally worked. Tobii is optional in the Alienware 17 R4, simply it may be appealing enough to add to your order.

In that location's plenty of storage in this sizable system in the form of a 512GB SSD and a 1TB 7,200rpm hard drive. That's the same amount as in the fifteen-inch unit we tested, then you could contend the larger model should accept more, merely information technology's already quite a bit of space and calculation to information technology would only farther increase the toll. To compare, the Origin EVO15-Southward manages to pack in a 512GB SSD and a 2TB HDD. Either fashion, this is an area where the Alienware excels over the Razer Bract Pro, which only includes a 512GB SSD, and calculation more storage is very pricey since in that location'south no hard drive option.

You lot can configure the R4 as yous order, a boon for gamers who can't justify the most expensive build and need to tweak some options to observe the sweet spot between performance, features, and price. Yous can change the storage, memory, graphics menu, display resolution, and alter a few other extras. At the everyman capacity, you tin order but the 1TB HDD, while the lowest dual-drive solution is the 1TB HDD with a 128GB SSD and the highest is a 1TB HDD and 1TB SSD. You lot can even opt for a triple drive of two 1TB SSDs and a 1TB HDD. The display options range from 1080p up to 4K, graphics cards range from the 1050Ti to the GTX 1080, and RAM goes from 8GB to 32GB. Not every option is available with every other combination of spec, so choose carefully as you club, just the flexibility allows you to build the right system for your needs. Alienware supports the laptop with a one-year warranty.

Pure Ability

The Alienware 17 R4 is, in no uncertain terms, a blazing fast laptop. The ii.9GHZ Intel Core i7-7820HK processor is fast and can be overclocked upwards to 4.4GHz. Information technology's also packed with 16GB of memory, and an Nvidia GTX 1080 graphics card practically ensures a polish gaming experience. Full general operation is splendid, right in line with the EON17-Ten 10 Series across the board, and ahead of the Blade Pro on a few fronts, meaning it can crunch through any productivity task or multimedia projection without much trouble.

That speed translates to stellar 3D and gaming functioning. On the Sky and Valley gaming tests at native QHD resolution and Ultra-quality settings, the 17 R4 averaged 75 frames per second (fps) and 84fps, respectively. Since 60fps is the target for smooth functioning, those are great results, and it soared to an boilerplate of more than than 120fps when running the aforementioned tests at 1080p. I confirmed the results with some real-globe testing using Doom running in QHD at the Ultra graphics preset. It ran far over 60fps, often settling betwixt 110 and 130fps depending on the action, with no noticeable hang-ups during frenetic gainsay. During gaming sessions and the more intensive benchmark tests, the fans did spin loudly while working to absurd the system. They weren't abnormally loud for a gaming laptop, merely the book is abiding nether load, hopefully your game sounds can help drown out the dissonance.

Battery life is, not surprisingly, a weak point. Even as the average bombardment life for laptops overall has slowly merely markedly improved over fourth dimension, massive, power-packed gaming laptops are the exception. The high resolution and powerful components drain the R4'south bombardment speedily. It managed iii hours and thirty minutes on our rundown test, and so it won't final too long abroad from the charger, especially when you're playing games. The EON17-X ten Series only lasted 2:07, while the Blade Pro was slightly amend at 3:48, which is the same time as the Asus ROG G752VS-XB78K Overclocked Edition.

Pricey, Premium Performance

The revamped 17-inch Alienware flagship laptop delivers on the expectation of loftier-end performance, coupled with some premium extras and a sturdy only fashionable pattern. You'll accept to cough upwards for the fastest components, but the price falls in line with similarly equipped gaming laptops, and features similar customizable lighting, Tobii centre tracking, and a total suite of ports sweeten the pot. Y'all tin can society a configuration that meets your needs and upkeep, simply since our test unit offers nearly unmatched performance and plenty of futurity-proofing while nevertheless costing a few hundred dollars less than the top competitors, the Alienware 17 R4 is our new top pick for high-end gaming laptops.