Dell Alienware m17 R5 (2022)

Dell Alienware m17 R5 (2022)

Manufacturer	Dell
Product family	Alienware
Release date	2022 (2022)
Introductory price	USD 1500 to 3000
Discontinued	No
Operating system	Windows 11 Home (Can be configured with Windows 11 Pro)
CPU	AMD Ryzen 7 6800H AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX AMD Ryzen 9 6980HX
Memory	8, 16, 32, or 64 GB DDR5-4800 MHz
Memory slots	2 user accessible
Storage	256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB, 2 TB, or 4 TB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD
Storage slots	2 user accessible
Display	Screen size: 17.3 inch Panel type: IPS Coating: Matte (anti-glare) Resolution: 1920 x 1080 or 3840 x 2160 Refresh rate: 165, 360, or 480 Hz Brightness: 300 or 500 Nits sRGB: 100 % DCI-P3: 99 % VRR: G-Sync, FreeSync
Graphics	AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT 12 GB GDDR6 AMD Radeon RX 6700M 10 GB GDDR6 Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti 4 GB GDDR6 Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 6 GB GDDR6 Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 Ti 8 GB GDDR6 Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti 16 GB GDDR6
Sound	2 x 2.5 W stereo speakers w/ Realtek ALC3254 audio codec
Camera	Front: 720p at 30 fps HD camera (with 165Hz FHD panel) 720p at 30 fps HD RGB-IR camera (with 240 Hz QHD and 360 Hz FHD panel)
Touchpad	Multi-touch gesture Premium Precision glass touchpad
Connectivity	MediaTek Wi-Fi 6 MT7921, 2x2, 802.11ax, MU-MIMO, Bluetooth® wireless card Qualcomm WCN6856, 2x2, 802.11ax, MU-MIMO, Bluetooth® wireless card 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 (Type-A) 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 (Type-A, PowerShare) 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 (Type-C, DP 1.4, Power Delivery) 1 x HDMI 2.1 1 x Ethernet (RJ45) 1 x 3.5mm headphone/microphone jack
Power brick	240W AC adapter
Battery	4-cell 64 Wh or 6-cell 97 Wh
Keyboard	AlienFX RGB per-key or 1-zone
Chassis	Color: Dark Side of the Moon Materials:
Fingerprint reader	No
Facial recognition	Yes (with RGB-IR camera)
Website	Dell

All statements attributed to reviews are the reviewer's own opinion. Note that these claims were accurate at the time of publication and may be dated when you are reading this article. Read more.

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The Dell Alienware m17 R5 (2022) is a high-performance gaming laptop equipped with AMD Ryzen 6000 series mobile processors and a variety of discrete GPU options from both AMD Radeon and Nvidia GeForce. Available configurations vary by store and location.

Primary Hardware

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Processor

The Alienware m17 R5 (2022) can be configured with the following processors:

• AMD Ryzen 7 6800H with 8 cores, 16 threads, 20 MB cache, and a max boost clock of 4.7 GHz.
• AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX with 8 cores, 16 threads, 20 MB cache, and a max boost clock of 4.9 GHz.
• AMD Ryzen 9 6980HX with 8 cores, 16 threads, 20 MB cache, and a max boost clock of 5.0 GHz.

Dell supplies the processors with sufficient power and cooling for CPU-intensive tasks, resulting in average to above-average performance compared to other laptops with the same processors. In CPU-only tasks, SKUs with the Ryzen 9 6900HX and Ryzen 9 6980HX perform as expected. SKUs with Ryzen 7 6800H perform well, scoring on average 8-9% higher than the average Ryzen 7 6800H and only 4% behind the average Ryzen 9 6900HX. Performance sustainability is good but not perfect, with all processors losing about 5% performance in long stress tests.

Dell also supplies the processor with sufficient power in mixed CPU and GPU tasks like gaming, leading to noticeably better performance than competitors with the same configurations. In particular, the SKU with Ryzen 9 6980HX and Radeon RX 6850M XT performs better than most other laptops with this configuration and is only 10% behind the m17 R5 with Ryzen 9 6980HX and RTX 3080 Ti.

All SKUs lose a significant amount of CPU performance when running on the battery.

Benchmarks:

• Cinebench R23:
  • Ryzen 7 6800H: ~1800 pts (single-core), ~20000 pts (multi-core)
  • Ryzen 9 6900HX: ~1900 pts (single-core), ~22000 pts (multi-core)
  • Ryzen 9 6980HX: ~2000 pts (single-core), ~24000 pts (multi-core)

Graphics

In addition to the integrated AMD Radeon 600M Graphics, the Alienware m17 R5 (2022) ships with the following discrete GPUs:

• AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT with 12 GB GDDR6 memory.
• AMD Radeon RX 6700M with 10 GB GDDR6 memory.
• Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti with 4 GB GDDR6 memory.
• Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 with 6 GB GDDR6 memory.
• Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 Ti with 8 GB GDDR6 memory.
• Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti with 16 GB GDDR6 memory.

All configurations support Advanced Optimus, DLSS 3.5, Dynamic Boost 2.0, VR ready, and DirectX® 12 Ultimate technologies.

Dell supplies all GPU configurations with sufficient power, resulting in above-average performance in GPU-only benchmarks. SKUs with RTX 3060 perform slightly above average, while SKUs with RTX 3080 Ti perform impressively, with results that are up to 15% faster than the average laptop RTX 3080 Ti.

In gaming, the RX 6850M XT SKUs with the Ryzen 9 6980HX perform significantly better than the competition with the same GPU and are just 10% behind the RTX 3080 Ti m17 R5 with the better Ryzen 9 6980HX CPU. The RTX 3080 Ti and Ryzen 9 6980HX SKU also perform above average and outperform laptops with the same RTX 3080 Ti configured with a lower power processor.

All SKUs lose a significant amount of graphics performance when running on the battery.

Benchmarks:

• 3D Mark TimeSpy 2560 x 1440:
  • RTX 3060: ~10000 pts
  • RTX 3080 Ti: ~14000 pts
• 3D Mark Fire Strike 1920 x 1080:
  • RTX 3060: ~25000 pts
  • RTX 3080 Ti: ~32000 pts
• The Witcher 3 1920 x 1080 Ultra HBAO+:
  • Ryzen 9 6980HX and RX 6850M XT: ~120 fps
  • Ryzen 9 6980HX and RTX 3080 Ti: ~140 fps

Memory

The Alienware m17 R5 supports a maximum of 2 SO-DIMM sticks and the AMD Ryzen 6000 series processors support up to 64 GB DDR5-4800 MHz memory.

Pre-configured SKUs come with either 8 GB (1 x 8) DDR5-4800, 16 GB (2 x 8) DDR5-4800, 32 GB (2 x 16) DDR5-4800, or 64 GB (2 x 32) DDR5-4800 memory. These sticks perform identically even when paired with different CPUs.

Benchmarks:

• AIDA64 Memory Copy: ~75000 MB/s

Storage

The Alienware m17 R5 can ship with 256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB, 2 TB, or 4 TB M.2 NVMe SSD depending on the seller. The OEM SSD only uses 1 slot in all configurations, leaving the other slot open for upgrades.

Reviews of the Ryzen 9 6980HX + RTX 3080 Ti and Ryzen 7 6800H + RTX 3060 SKUs note that both came with the Samsung PM9A1 1 TB SSD, which is an OEM version of the popular 980 Pro. This is a downgrade from the SK Hynix PC801 used in the previous model since the transfer rates drop to 50% after some time in stress tests due to thermal throttling.

Benchmarks:

• CrystalDiskMark 8:
  • SEQ1M Q8T1 (Sequential 1MB blocks): ~6500 MB/s (read), ~4800 MB/s (write)
  • RND4K Q1T1 (Random 4 KB blocks): ~85 MB/s (read), ~240 MB/s (write)

Co-processors

The Alienware m17 R5 does not have a dedicated NPU to accelerate AI applications.

Input Devices

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Keyboard

The Alienware m17 R5 comes with a standard keyboard layout with various regional options. The keyboard offers 1.5 mm travel and 0.2 mm pitch. The RGB backlight has two modes - single zone or per-key. The refresh rate of the display can be changed using the Fn + R keys. The Fn + Q keys can be used to switch between the three performance modes - Quiet, Balanced, and Performance.

The typing experience is considered better than competitors like Razer Blade or Asus ROG Zephyrus due to the deeper travel and stronger feedback.

Touchpad

The Alienware m17 R5 comes with a Premium Precision glass touchpad.

The touchpad is spacious enough for simple tasks. The clicking is shallow and lacks enough feedback.

Webcam

The Alienware m17 R5 comes with a 720p at 30 fps HD camera (with 165Hz FHD panel) or a 720p at 30 fps HD RGB-IR camera (with 240 Hz QHD and 360 Hz FHD panel).

The webcam has poor color accuracy with a minimum DeltaE of 2.31 and a maximum DeltaE of 17.75. The webcam looks soft but is much sharper than 720p webcams that used to be common a few years back. The clarity is adequate for casual calls. The webcam also supports facial recognition with the RGB-IR camera.

Microphone

The Alienware m17 R5 comes with a dual microphone array.

Output Devices

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Display

Dell ships the Alienware m17 R5 with several display options:

• 17.3-inch, FHD 1920 x 1080, 165 Hz, anti-glare, non-touch, 100% sRGB, 300 nits, wide-viewing angle, Low Blue Light, FreeSync, Advanced Optimus
• 17.3-inch, FHD 1920 x 1080, 360 Hz, anti-glare, non-touch, 100% sRGB, 300 nits, wide-viewing angle, Low Blue Light, FreeSync, Advanced Optimus
• 17.3-inch, UHD 3840 x 2160, 120 Hz, anti-glare, non-touch, 99% DCI-P3, 500 nits, wide-viewing angle, Low Blue Light

The FHD 165 Hz panel reaches the rated 300 nits, has good screen uniformity, and has above-average contrast for an IPS panel at around 1200:1. It also covers almost 100% of sRGB as rated and covers around 88% of AdobeRGB. The screen is not well calibrated out of the box, and NotebookCheck records an average ColorChecker DeltaE of 4.3 on their unit. They also measure an average gray-to-gray response time of 4.8 ms.

The UHD 120 Hz panel is the highest-end panel offered by Dell on this unit. NotebookCheck records average contrast of 1500:1, which is above the rated 1200:1, and a gray-to-gray response time of 8 ms on their unit. The measured brightness is 8% higher than rated at around 540 nits with good screen uniformity. This panel is also calibrated better than the lower-end panel with ColorChecker DeltaE of 0.97 on the tested unit.

None of the tested panels exhibit any PWM flickering at any brightness level.

Audio

The Alienware m17 R5 comes with two bottom-facing speakers near the front corners in a stereo configuration.

The speakers have a low maximum volume around 75 to 80 dB for a 17-inch laptop. They produce balanced to high mids and balanced highs but lack any noticeable bass.

Connectivity

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WiFi

Dell equips the Alienware m17 R5 with either a MediaTek Wi-Fi 6 MT7921 or a Qualcomm WCN6856 Wi-Fi 6E WLAN module.

The Alienware m17 R5 performs well with both Wi-Fi modules, reaching decent transfer speeds for regular use. However, the Qualcomm WCN6856 module performs slightly better in terms of stability and range.

Benchmarks:

• iperf3 transmit AXE11000: ~650 Mb/s
• iperf3 receive AXE11000: ~1100 Mb/s
• iperf3 transmit AXE11000 6 GHz: ~850 Mb/s
• iperf3 receive AXE11000 6 GHz: ~1250 Mb/s

Bluetooth

The Alienware m17 R5 comes with a Bluetooth 5.2 module.

SD Card Reader

Dell does not include an SD card reader with the Alienware m17 R5.

USB

Dell equips the Alienware m17 R5 with the following USB ports:

• 2 x USB-A (USB 3.2 Gen 1, 5 Gbps)
• 1 x USB-A (USB 3.2 Gen 1, 5 Gbps) with PowerShare
• 1 x USB-C (USB 3.2 Gen 2, 10 Gbps) with DisplayPort 1.4 and Power Delivery (5V/3A)
• 1 x USB-C (USB4, DisplayPort 1.4, Power Delivery 5V/3A) available on AMD Radeon™ graphics or NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3060 graphics and above
• 1 x Headset (headphone and microphone combo) port
• 1 x HDMI 2.1 Output Port
• 1 x RJ45 Ethernet port
• 1 x Power-adapter port

Display Outputs

The Alienware m17 R5 comes with 3 display outputs:

• 1 x USB-C with DisplayPort 1.4
• 1 x USB-C with DisplayPort 1.4 (available on AMD Radeon™ graphics or NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3060 graphics and above)
• 1 x HDMI 2.1

The Alienware m17 R5 supports up to 4 displays simultaneously, including the built-in display.

Case

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The Alienware m17 R5 (2022) is available in one color: Dark Side of the Moon. The chassis features AlienFX lighting zones programmable with up to 16.8 million distinct colors. The display lid is made out of anodized matte aluminum alloy, while the keyboard deck and bottom cover are made out of PC-ABS plastic. The lid opens to the full 180 degrees, and the hinge rigidity is strong throughout the range. Surfaces are slightly roughened to reduce fingerprint buildup, but it still attracts dust and fingerprints.

The chassis has a more aggressive look compared to other gaming laptops, with sharp angles and prominent lighting accents.

Chassis rigidity is excellent with no audible creaking or weak points. The base and lid exhibit some twisting, but not enough to be concerning.

Maintenance

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The bottom panel is held on by 10 Philips-head screws. Four screws on the leading edge are shorter than the rest. There are clips securing the panel that must be popped up after removing the screws.

Upgradeable components:

• 64 WHr or 97 WHr battery.
• Two M.2 2280 PCIe4 x4 SSDs each covered by an aluminum heatsink (most configurations only have one slot filled from the factory).
• Two DDR5-4800 SODIMMs covered by a single plastic shield (most configurations only have one slot filled from the factory).
• M.2 2230 wireless card.

Cooling System

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The Alienware m17 R5 is equipped with dual 60mm fans connected to the core components with five copper heat pipes. There is one shared heat pipe for the CPU and GPU, one dedicated heat pipe for the CPU and GPU each, and another smaller heat pipe for the VRMs. The system intakes air from the side and bottom grilles and exhausts air through the back grilles.

Heat

Surface temperatures vary depending on the configuration.

The Ryzen 7 6800H + RTX 3060 SKU gets quite warm while idling, up to 38 °C on the bottom of the device. The left side with the WASD keys heats up more than the right side. Under heavy load, there is a hot spot of 55 °C on the bottom.

The Ryzen 9 6980HX + RTX 3080 Ti SKU is slightly cooler while idling across all areas, reaching up to 35 °C on the bottom. The palm rest and the WASD keys remain comfortable during intensive tasks.

Benchmarks:

• Ryzen 7 6800H + RTX 3060:
  • Maximum upper side: ~42 °C
  • Maximum bottom: ~50 °C
  • Idle upper side: ~29 °C
  • Idle bottom: ~33 °C
• Ryzen 9 6980HX + RTX 3080 Ti:
  • Maximum upper side: ~43 °C
  • Maximum bottom: ~54 °C
  • Idle upper side: ~32 °C
  • Idle bottom: ~35 °C

Noise

There is no electronic noise or coil whine. The laptop is effectively silent during undemanding loads like light browsing or video playback, hovering below 30 dB(A). During intensive tasks, the fans quickly ramp up even when set to balanced mode. Fan noise while gaming in balanced mode is identical to performance mode despite temperatures being noticeably lower in balanced mode. During intensive tasks, the laptop emits noise above 50 dB(A) and is louder than most other gaming laptops. Most variants emit the same amount of noise, with more powerful configurations being slightly louder.

Benchmarks:

• Ryzen 7 6800H + RTX 3060:
  • Load: > 50 dB(A)
• Ryzen 9 6980HX + RTX 3080 Ti:
  • Idle: ~23 dB(A) (min), ~23 dB(A) (avg), ~25 dB(A) (max)
  • Load: ~45 dB(A) (avg), ~53 dB(A) (max)
• Ryzen 9 6980HX + RTX 3080 Ti:
  • Idle: ~24 dB(A) (min), ~24 dB(A) (avg), ~29 dB(A) (max)
  • Load: ~46 dB(A) (avg), ~57 dB(A) (max)

Energy Management

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Power Consumption

The Alienware m17 R5 ships with a large 240 W AC adapter.

Dell remains very liberal with the power supplied to the CPU during combined CPU and GPU loads. Both the Ryzen 7 6800H + RTX 3060 and Ryzen 9 6980HX + RTX 3080 Ti SKUs consume around 200 W during load with temporary spikes to around 270 W.

The Ryzen 7 6800H + RTX 3060 Alienware draws around 45 W when idling for the most part, reducing to 15-20 W after waiting a very long time, and any minor input brings the consumption back up to 45 W.

Battery Life

All Alienware m17 R5 SKUs come with a 64 WHr or 97 WHr Li-Polymer battery that Dell claims can charge from 0-40% in 10 mins, 0-80% in 30 mins, and 0-100% in 60 mins using the provided power adapter.

The battery life during light tasks is slightly below average for this class of laptop. Many competitors now include 90+ WHr batteries. Reviews verify the charging claims to be accurate.

Benchmarks:

• Ryzen 7 6800H + RTX 3060:
  • WiFi Browsing (150 nits): 300 minutes
  • Load: 100 minutes
• Ryzen 9 6980HX + RTX 3080 Ti:
  • WiFi Browsing (150 nits): 280 minutes
  • Load (max brightness): 60 minutes

Biometrics

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The Alienware m17 R5 supports Windows Hello face recognition with the RGB-IR camera but does not have a fingerprint reader.

Software

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All SKUs ship with Windows 11 Home, but the laptop can be upgraded to Windows 11 Pro, either manually or when buying directly from Dell.

Preinstalled Software

Alienware Command Center

The Alienware Command Center program acts as the primary control center in the Alienware m17 R5. In addition to the performance profiles, the program also handles keyboard lighting, macro keys, hardware troubleshooting, always-on USB settings, toggling flip to start (opening the lid starts the laptop), battery conservation mode (limit charge to 80%), MUX switch, system updates, and other things.

There are three preset performance profiles - quiet, balanced, and performance. Dell supports adding an AI engine in balanced mode that automatically adjusts system parameters based on the context. There is also a customized mode where the user can manually set various parameters.

Most reviewers use performance mode for performance benchmarks and quiet mode for the battery tests unless otherwise stated.

Other Preinstalled Software

The Alienware m17 R5 also comes with other less useful software like Dell Digital Delivery, Dell Update, and My Alienware.

There is also unwanted software like a 30-day McAfee security trial.

Accessories & Warranty

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The Alienware m17 R5 comes with a 240 W AC adapter and paperwork.

There is a one-year limited manufacturer warranty if purchased in the US.

Reviews Summary

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Overall Sentiment

The Alienware m17 R5 is considered one of the best gaming laptops at its price with high CPU and GPU performance relative to competitors. Often found under $2000, the Alienware is suitable for people looking for a high-performance gaming laptop without breaking the bank. The laptop also comes with a decent screen for gaming and is highly upgradeable. The primary downsides are the poor battery life, large size, and weight, which make it unsuitable for portable use away from an outlet for a long time.

Problems Summary

• No SD card reader.
• Below average speakers given the form factor.
• OEM SSD loses 50% performance during sustained disk loads.
• Plastic touchpad does not provide the best tracking experience.
• High idle power consumption.
• Higher than average surface temperatures while idling and during intensive tasks.
• Below average battery life.
• Heavy.
• Large size.

Links

Ryzen 7 6800H, RTX 3060, 16 GB RAM, 512 GB SSD: TomsHardware,

Ryzen 7 6800H, RTX 3060, 16 GB RAM, 512 GB SSD: TechGuyBeau

Ryzen 9 6980HX, RX 6850M XT, 32 GB RAM, 1 TB SSD: NoteBookCheck,

Ryzen 9 6980HX, RTX 3080 Ti, 32 GB RAM, 1 TB SSD: NoteBookCheck