Alienware 15.6-inch FHD Gaming Laptop (Intel i7-8750H, 16 GB RAM, 256 GB SSD + 1 TB HDD, nVidia GTX 1060 6GB, Window 10) - Silver

AW15 R4's model and lighting system is acceptable, even better than the NEW M15 series. The cooling system is acceptable, although there is relatively loud noise at full power operation, it is still better than the relatively thin and light design of the gaming notebook, but there is still room for improvement. It is recommended to use accessories such as an additional cooling base. The overall speed of the processor and SSD is satisfactory。 Battery life is not recommended for out-of-town use. If necessary, please switch to power save mode.

Having been interested in the brand for some time I was grateful for the opportunity to review this laptop. I’ve had high end MacBook Pro’s but my computing experience began with the Acorn Electron and BBC computers. What a difference between now and then. This R4 is well made. It feels like a solid lump and with good reason. It needs a big battery to power this beast. The finish on the machine when in use is like a rubberised surface which I really like. The keyboard is great too and is responsive. The outer shell is not as solid as my Mac but it has a aluminium feel. There is no doubt that the R4 is made for games. It’s screen is very good and affords a clear image when in use. I like the customisations you can do to the keyboard and track pad in terms of colours they will glow. When put to the test the R4 performs. I have been impressed with the range of games it plays with no hassle (old thief games) and newer games with equal ease. It just eats them all up and provides a really satisfying result. What is less satisfying is the windows 10 registration needed to get the annoying watermark off the screen. If you don’t it even affects gameplay. The OS is not good and buggy. The R4 has had a few temperamental moments because the OS is so poor. I don’t find it as intuitive as any iOS system although even they are getting annoying. The big battery doesn’t last overly long if you are full tilt in a game either. And although it’s portable it’s heavy for some. Overall though you have a machine that has far more positives than negatives. It’s supremely powerful with big amounts of ram and storage space (a Terabyte HDD & 256 SSD). It’s got a lovely screen and feels very solid and well made. It should too given the price. But you can be assured if you do take the plunge it’s quality is obvious. It delivers in gameplay too. Lovely graphics and within a portable unit. Yes battery life is relatively small (I got around 4 hours life out of it playing games constantly). But if you keep it plugged in then that isn’t a problem. This laptop is a class act. It isn’t perfect and it isn’t cheap but the quality is undeniable and it’s performance impressive. On that basis I have to recommend, it’s a superb laptop.

This is a great gaming laptop . I am not good at techno speak, but I do know this laptop is superb for all gamers . It’s quite heavy so not the best for carrying around, but it puts in an amazing performance.

I turned this on in a room full of people and everybody was amazed and delighted by the light show it provides, enough for my wife to demand it and she doesn't even use a laptop. The case has lights along each side of the base and lid and behind the keyboard and trackpad and they're all independently customisable. You can even set them to change colour continuously. And did I mention that the Alien head on the lid lights up as well? I would imagine that contributes substantially to the low battery life, you would not want to take this machine away from a power supply for a long time. However as I shall use it mainly at home that won't be an issue. Essentially this is a Dell laptop on steroids and Dell have long had a reputation for making substantive and heavy machines, this is no exception. Its about as thick as three MacBooks! It also gets uncomfortably warm when its sitting on your lap for any time. On the plus side being a Dell it is very well built and being Alienware it is very highly specified. It initiates from power off in seconds. It runs the current batch of games at their highest spec to which it automatically defaults on install. I tested it it with 'Overwatch', 'Destiny 2' and 'Skyrim' and it never faltered. I have also installed MS Office 2019 and it demonstrated that as a general purpose computer it shines as well. Multitasking is no problem for this beast at all thanks to its high end processor. Overall this is not a laptop for lightweights but if you're prepared to accept its weight and power demands its amazing.