Update: This is the most deceptive laptop I have ever seen in my life. The CPU is not what it says, the GPU doesn't perform like it should, the display is not what it says, the keyboard is one of the worst it can be.... I guess more surprises later.
To put it in hindi: Jh***t bhar ka laptop nahi hain ye! Mat khareedo.
First time a Dell's Alienware(premium) laptop has been made for peasants. All other Dell's Alienware line has been out of reach of most people, this however has been done with some cost cuttings, the question is, are the cost cuttings something you can live with just to get something that has the brand name, "Dell".
Display's response time is slow so 120Hz doesn't mean anything, you can even assume that it's a 60Hz display.
Cheapest and Alienware doesn't sound right and sometimes it feels like even Dell was confused what they wanted to create for example, it's a heavy big bulky machine(even the lid is so heavy that it closes on it's own on small angles), but it doesn't have a full powered 5060 or an HX CPU to be able to use that extra room inside for ventilation.
It's my theory they probably wanted to put in an Intel HX CPU but seeing that the 240H that has a Tjmax of 100°C crossing 108°C on this machine, they scratched that idea completely. They should have atleast tried to go with AMD first but knowingn Dell and Intel, they love each other, through thick and thin.
It's hard to find a single laptop in this price range, gaming or thin gaming laptop with a dGPU that doesn't perform better than this.
Forget alienware, this laptop isn't even the same league as the four year old Dell G15.
This is laptop made to profit offline shop owners, Dell company, repair shops and youtubers but never the consumer who pays for it.
It makes me sad that someone is going to buy it just by seeing the brand name or the alienware tag thinking it's a great machine because it's from Dell. Try your best to return it if you did and are reading this review after getting the laptop. Pick any other brand laptop in the same price range, it will be better than this.
If you do buy it and can't return it, replace the thermal paste with something good and then cut holes in the bottom plate just opposite the fans, simple slanted cuts like it was in some old Asus TUF laptops will be fine just to give this laptop some breating room.
Laptop cooler wont' do shit unless there is an intake down there.
This is a very confusing laptop to recommend. The laptop makes sense when you want to use it mostly unplugged for that battery life but since the laptop and charger is bulky, large and heavy, you would not consider doing so in the first place. Why not get a smaller thinner laptop and go for battery life. The body is bade for high perofmrance workload and it can't deliver on that.
Who it's for?
Someone who is blinded by the brand name Dell and has not used a high refresh rate or a gaming laptop before because they are the ones who will love this laptop and judging from the postive reviews, there a lot of these people.
Cautions: VVI before you buy
DON'T BUY IT. Don't buy it even if the offline/online dealer gives you the laptop at half the normal price, yes, I am serious. That's why this is all red.
This laptop is a scam to make you think you're buying a good machine. I wasn't going to write this until I saw the back panel of the laptop. It has on purpose been made to look like an expensive Cryo Chamber on more expensive Alienware laptops so that people are tricked into buying this.
Slow display response time makes it so that anyone buying this laptop thinking it's for high FPS gaming should look somewhere else. Just assume it's a 60Hz display and make decision based on that because it certainly performns like them, check the ghosting images in pictures below.
Why am I even doing this review?
Two reasons:
1. The Asus ROG 5070Ti cheap laptop review I did whose display was bad, people still got the laptop after going through the review because it was something they could compromise on and they intend to use the laptop mostly with external displays anyways. So, I am assuming it's that sort of thing here also, but instead of getting extra perforamnce, you are getting the brand service of, "Dell" instead. The positive will soon be clear once I am done with this review.
2. It gives me a good work to figure out what response time means for an average user and I love learning and doing sort of this thing. Up until this time all laptops have good dispaly response time so I never got a chance to look into these things but now I have a chance to so we will go through them.
5060 is 80W but to run at 80W the fans are runnig all the time so realisticlaly it's a 70W 5060 actually and not the full 115W and is almost close to a full powered 5050, so assume you're getting a 5050 instead when you see this 5060 model.
Dell's website says 115W but in subnotes it's written it's only for 5070 variant.
Assume the CPU is 13620H. It's called Intel Core Ultra 7 240H. It's neither Ultra, nor 7, nor 200 series.
Dell is the only brand that can shove this old CPU into a new gaming laptop.
Dell is not the Dell you once knew. Stop drawing conclusions based on past performance, that's how most stock market losses happen.
Just like Apple, Dell suffers from 'brand-a**-licking' so you can't trust most of the positive reviews online or for that matter offline. I am not saying this is a bad or a good laptop, all I am saying is you can't trust the reviews completely online and you have to look deep through them, I guess that's where I come in.
P.S: Ironically enough, in the negative reviewes you will see the Dell-lovers actually turning Dell-haters after buying this laptop. It's heartbreaking to see those reviews those who paid for a lower spec laptop just because it was a "Dell," only to find out it means f**k-all.
Excellent example of just because a lapotp has four sided large sized vents doens't mean it will be a cool laptop.
Just like the sold old Dell gaming laptop, the thermal paste can leak out and you have to apply thermal paste properly yourself within just one month. The Alienware m16 r1 has the same issue wher due to the thermal module not being flat, the thermal paste slowly seeped out.
Extra Notes/To confirm later/FAQ for people who can't find something on it.
Please comment on youtube video if you have more.
Pros/Cons
Pros
Upgradable RAM.
Long battery life. ~10hrs in PCmark 10. Real world usage will be lower.
When CPU is running at mera mere 25W and GPU att 75W: The CPu and gpu temps are below 70°C and the keyboard doesn't get warm.
Don't get excited, check the cons.
Neutral
Neutral-Doesn't Matter
Just usable touchpad, external mouse will be needed.
Neutral-Bad
Premium laptops in this range will feel more premium like the Legion lineups
When closing at a very small angle(30°C) the lid closes on it's own. I know people don't care about such stuff but it goes to show that the lid is very heavy and thick like some age old laptop. Check pictuers below.
No high speed USB Ports. All are iether 5 or 10 Gbps which becomes
Cons
CPU:240H
Even though the name says 200, this CPU has nothing to do with the newer Intel CPUs like 275HX,255H,255H,225H that have made increadible leaps in terms of power effeciency and remaining cool when not pushed to their limit.
It's not 200 series, not 100 series, not the 14th gen but actually the 13620H.
Stabilies at 100°C(Yes, stabilizes, it hits 108°C when the CPU's max temp is 100°C. If there every was a contendor for dying CPU, this has to be it) and with non-HX CPU means you can't have that much finer control to fine tune the CPU for lower temps.
80W CPU has been pushed but it can't sustain that and drops to 70W
Thermal performance is like that of a thin and light 14" gaming laptop but it weighs like a thick 16" gaming laptop
Maybe it's because the bottom cut-outs are not directly below the laptop.
maybe it's the pathetic cryo design that is also in the 16X alienware laptop.
Whatever it is, it's not working.
Slow Display Response Time means:
Racing, FPS, and action games will look muddy, with long trails following fast-moving objects. It's not input lag — it's pixel smear.
Even just dragging windows or scrolling text will feel slightly “sticky” or smeary.
120 Hz gives the impression of being premium, but this panel's response behavior negates the benefit.
In markets where they ship with 2x8GB RAM(India), means you have to keep one aside for upgrade which you will need with how much bloated Windows 11 has become.
No Thunderbolt or high speed USB port so no docking will work. It was expected with Intel CPU.
Mediatek WiFi with laptop.
Display:
Even though it says 120Hz, you might as well assume it's a non-gaming 60Hz laptop display because it performs like that anyways.
It's the same chea display from the Inspiron 16 laptop. Yes, the exact one. Explains why it works like a non-gaming laptop's display.
No-Gsync.
Even the 7640HS from ages ago can beat this CPU.
GPU
80W GPU but under full fan blasting, otherwise it's more close to 70W 5060 at which point you might as well call it a 5050.
Older 4060 laptops can easily beat this 5060 laptop.
One of the worst keyboard Alienware has ever made and it's horribe compared to other budget laptops too.
Benchmarks
CPU
Cinebench R23: 1831 16588
Geekbench: 2601 13681
GPU
GPU Power Draw:
Balanced: 31W
Performance: 58W
Overdrive: 51W (Yes, it's lower than above, probably due to the CPU taking that extra power)
WiFi Websurfing: 7.5hrs.
Large 96Whr battery
Idle power draw is 20W
Tempareature/Stress Tests
IdleStress tests: 240H
CPU: 240H
CPU boosts to 120W and 4.3GHz when it's a 45W CPU which as expected makes it too hot.
Starts from 120W 4.3Ghz 102°C then stabilizes at 95W and 3.7Ghz 100°C
At 36W the CPU reaches 77°C while both CPU+GPU tests are running.
CPU+GPU Turbo Mode: CPU stays at 88°C at 57W and so around 60W is the max this CPU should have been pushed. 55W to stay under normal safe temps(around 85°C)
(10% perfomrance is lost when trying to run it cooler at around 50W but I have to confirm if it's possible since it's a non-HX CPU)
Notebookcheck→ What a stupid fucking review. Honestly I just go there for data. Calling 700gms charger and 2.5kgs laptop "portable" is just unaccepatable. Seems like just another ad site for Dell laptops.
