BIG power, THIN package, : Alienware X16 with RTX 4080
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- čas přidán 8. 07. 2024
- I never thought I’d be the one to fall for a legacy mainstream gaming brand like Alienware. I mean it is the absolute obvious choice for those who don’t know any better right? However, they have been the only ones so far who still pursued mobility and performance together rather than the likes of Razer which made the “BLADE”.. fat. All is not so clean and simple though because there are still many things that are extremely irritating about the Alienware X16. This is my first impressions review of it and I am excited to share my thoughts with you about it. Being a laptop that costs more than CAD 4000 means that as consumers and gamers, we would demand perfection, which this actually shamelessly fails, But that did not stop me from making the X16 my daily driver for now.
The following are the specs of this machine (Alienware X16 R1 2023) I have shown:
Intel i9 13th Gen 13900HK - 14 Cores (8E/6P) | upto 5.4 Ghz
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 12GB GDDR6 @ 192 bits
16" QHD+ (2560 x 1600) 240Hz, 3ms, 100% DCI-P3 | ~350 nits 32 GB, LPDDR5, 6000 MHz, integrated
1 TB Gen 4
90Wh Battery
CherryMX ultra low-profile mechanical keyboard
The games I have benchmarked on this device includes:
Shadow of Tomb Raider
Horizon Zero Dawn
Division 2
Farcry 6
Red Dead Redemption 2
Gears of War
Guardians of the Galaxy
Cyberpunk 2077
God of War
Modern Warfare 2
3d Mark timespy DX12
I compare the performance with the 4070 in the Legion 7 Gen 8 2023 and the Asus ROG M16 2023, both with i9 13900HX
Timeline Tags:
0:00 Intro & setting the mood
1:30 Initial sentiments
2:20 Specs / Configuration: What you get for your money?
3:40 Display
4:22 Battery, Adapter
4:44 Mech keyboard, RGB trackpad, webcam
7:19 RTX 4080 and thermals
9:46 Thermal compromises
10:49 Build, Dimensions, looks
12:54 Untamable power and battery
15:38 RGB pains
17:16 Port Layout
18:24 Sound, speakers
19:07 Performance, Benchmarks, FPS, Games
23:27 Conclusion, Does the x16 choose you?
Hope you find my content to be useful. Please do consider liking and subscribing!
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Def agree with you on the color! As much as I love the looks it would have been much more amazing if it was all lunar light(rear end color) If the quiet mode performance is as good as I've been hearing I should hopefully get 70% of the performance in this mode vs the ultra mode.
Great unbiased review, thanks a lot
Thank you egorasmd! Were you considering the x16 as your potential buy?
Hi Ali, great video as always! Love how indepth you go into every review. I'm having a hard time deciding between the legion 7 amd advantage that you reviewed 3 months back with the same specs Vs. the new legion slim 5i with i7-13700H and RTX4060. both are the same price, for reference I'll be using the laptop for gaming and some solidworks and coding for uni.
Thank you harpxeal! I try to shove in key details for decision making. I do enjoy getting people to become more mobile with their tech. :) I think that is an excellent question and I am wondering the answer to that as well. I have the same 4060 laptop in sight for my next review. Ill probably give it a try soon and let you know. But on paper atleast, the slim 5i with the 4060 should be cheaper, slimmer and perform at par or slightly lower with the 6700m I think. However, less premium build and RGB to play around with. Otherwise, practically speaking, if you are thinking of making a decision soon, id side with intel/nvidia for your usecase and with the slim build, should be portable too!
In-depth review! I got what I think is a deal. I don’t follow laptop prices but I got the m16 with a 4090, i9-13900hx, 2tb nvme, 32gb 4800ghz, QHD screen with 240hz and 100 dci-p for $2942 including tax. After I receive my cash back, it will be about $2400 American dollar. The only issue is the keyboard is a 1 zone keyboard. If I tried changing to the mechanical keyboard or per key keyboard, the price shot up by hundreds. I was second guessing the purchase because of the 1 zone backlit keyboard but I feel I should be lucky to get the laptop for the price I got it (after Cashback)
Yeah I absolutely agree. One simplify does not get an Alienware for its RGB. The Alienware software(AWCC) to control it is unfortunely so sad that going for a single zone is genuinely less of a headache. Good deal man. Looking forward to hear more about your experiences. What was your previous laptop or device?
Really good review. Subscribing!
Thank you Sarrum!
Mine is on the way! This review came at a great time. But holy cow this machine is expensive in Canada. I called Dell's business end and was able to haggle a bit and get a little more off including the current dell discounts and 10% off new customer discount. I ended up getting the I9/4080/1TB/32 GB model for around $2,995 out the door. and that includes the 3 year Dell In-house warranty with accidentals. Probably the main reason I chose this over the Blade 16. I wanted was the Mercury edition glade would have costed me around 4k after taxes and before any kind of extended warranty. They are both equally gorgeous and full of charm! Not looking forward to command center tho lol.
Oh dang. That is a nice nice deal. I am excited for you. Looking forward to hearing about your experience. But yeah, the AWCC is not getting any better. :/
As always - an excellent, well researched, technically sound and a balanced review. Keep up the good work Ali.
Thank you Santhnu! Grateful for the encouragement!
Looks very nice and they improved some things and made them bigger, I’m glad they brought back the lighted touchpad. I just don’t see myself spending another $3k usd yet. Still very much happy with my x15 R1. The RTX 3080 might be older and aging, but still very much capable.
Overall i am so glad that Alienware brought out the X series. Performance and portability should go hand in hand. I love how the X16 was a step in that direction unlike Razer who thickened their blade and keep upping the price. Generally I think the last 3 years have been amazing for portable gaming
Great review, as always! ❤
Thanks bhuttzz!
I received mine a few days ago. What I don't like: all of the ports are on the bag. I wish I had thought about that before buying. Not only are they on the back, they are hard to see because the halo light makes it more difficult. Second, I added a second m.2 card and that worked OK. But then I replaced the 1tb card that came with the laptop and tried to do a clean install. Guess what? Can't do a clean install from a usb drive like I always could for years and years. Dell and others now sell computers that don't allow you to do a clean install. You could clone the 1tb m.2 to a 2tb m.2 but then you still get the crapware that they pack in to all computers as they try to get more money from you. Finally, the speed seems much slower than I would expect from a laptop that I paid $3500.00 for. PS: if anybody knows a way around the clean install block, please let me know.
Yeah the port situation is not that great. I also do feel another type A port would have worked. I actually did not know a clean install is not possible. Have to probably look into that. :/
I have a small docking station, about the size of a m.2 external and it has several ports. I can plug it in the back and then lay it on the desk to the right.@@kazmiee
Please dont buy this laptop everyone, it has so many issues
Thank you for a good review, with a m16, there is a possibility of a full amd build, any chance you will review that?
I think not unfortunately. I am actually pretty dissapointed with AMD's mobile line up this year; I have RARELY seen their newer 7000M series this year. But as soon as I find one, ill be sure to review it! Thank you for your kind words of encouragement though! :)
Although I really wanted the Razer Blade 16 in Mercury White, I went with the Alienware X16 to match my Samsung Odyssey G8 monitor.
Ooo nice. How has your experience been so far with the x16? Which device did you have before this?
Is there any downside on having onboard RAM? From My understanding is impossible to upgrade and if they go bad the laptop is basically garbage is this right or am wrong?
Yup, cant upgrade and if there are issues, either an electronics engineer will be able to make repairs or dell will have to replace the whole board. In my experience though, it is not common for RAM to go bad atleast in the first 3 years of use. But that is when manufacturers also plan to max out the life of other components as well unfortunately.
can you do a comparison video of x16 with lenovo legion 7 in terms of build, display, etc?
Thank you for the suggestion. I will actually try to get my hands on the Legion 9i for a comparison with the X16. It is currently not widely available unfortunately but it is on my list
Ali can you do a comparison vid between the new legion RTX4060 slim 7i and the previous gen slim 7 with the 6800s
It is actually on my list though that review might take a while since I have this x16 currently hitting my finances. :(
Hello, I have this question. Can you check if the BIOS allows me to run Windows from both SSD slots? I need to have two Windows systems - one on each SSD. I want to be able to run either of them at any time and switch between them.
That is an interesting question and use case, guess ill check and get back to you!
@@kazmiee thank you for your reply and I look forward to your next test
I want to buy a quality computer for gaming where such a feature is supported that I need
I love the idea of the X16 in theory but wish it had a brighter screen. I'd much prefer the Razer form factor but I am deathly afraid of the nightmares I have heard about Razer's support. Meanwhile with Dell I know they'll have someone to fix it in a day or two. I'm torn between the X16 and a Razer 14 2023.
I get what you mean. A 300-350 nits screen is pretty barebones nowadays. But if I have to decide between a brighter screen and a nice thermal system, naturally, thermals become very important. Even for me the blade presents a pretty cool concept, uber portable and still packs a punch. But a 14 inch screen I think can because a bit too small now. :/
Its a matte screen, so it is great for outdoors.
Great review, never had alienware but man, as an archi student I LOVE the design and what the x16 offers. If only they gave it
1) like legion, light symbols in the back for easy connect
2) aux at the side front (either works)
3) upgradeable RAM to 64GB
4) on/off button placed slightly away from the keyboard
5) added an extra line of 4-5 keybinds for shortcuts like for RGB on/off, and performance modes that would make this a must buy.
Edit 6) a better screen xD minimum 500 nits
Currently I'm torn between this one and the rog strix scar 18, but I'l wait to summer when the R2 version comes out.
Oh hey! Thank you! Glad you liked my content. And i completely agree with your design stories . On top of this, they HAAAVE to figure out their software man. It is just the worst amongst all competitors. The Strix series are just too loud for me, it just screams gamer gamer gamer and you could be solving the mystery of the universe in there but people would not believe it. Have you considered the 9i Legion btw?
@@kazmiee Yes I did, but sadly in my country those cost almost 1000k more. Many in my class have bought the more budget friendly legion 7 (slim and non slim) versions and are as far as I can tell they are quite pleased, HOWEVER almost none of them are gamers and have either a 4070 or 4060. I am a dedicated gamer whom play heavy games. Got a good desktop, but havent brought it with me (its back home and I cant exactly take it to school :D) and my old Lenovo from 2016 is really starting to affect my studies so I need an upgrade soon. I also looked at the 16 version of the rig Strix but sadly that too is close to 4500 dollars. With the legion 7 and a 4070 the price is around the 2700-3000 mark (depending on ram and storage) but I strongly feel I would need an 4080M to satisfy my gaming needs. But I wont have to buy until summer, so only time will tell. Even if I go with the x16 I have to wait as it currently cant be ordered with the specs I want (since they are updating the cou and other stuff for r2 release).
Agree with the looks, the Lenovo I own is the y700 which I bought because it didnt scream gamer, so getting the Strix would be an aesthetic downgrade for sure.
@@joffy9373 oh man. Yeah, I really did not like how they brought down that premium feel of the Legion 7 from 2022 just so they can charge us more for the 9 series legion with stuff that we used to get as standard for less. I still have the 2022 Legion 7 - AMD variant and I absolutely love it. It is just such a cool device. I really could use the money by selling it but I just dont want to. I used to have the Y740 and it is why I fell in love with Legion. Back from a time when NO ONE was talking about Legions. And I absolutely agree, the 4080 will give you a big leap over the 4070. If you somehow HAVE to drop your budget to fit a 4070, i would say save your cash and go for the 4060. The performance difference between the two really is marginal. Atleast for all the 2023 models. Perhaps they widen the performance gap between the two in 2024? I actually would prefer the slim 7 over the full 7 for now. It retains the premium details and features and costs a bit less too with similar display options. I am personally excited to get my hands on a full white legion slim 7. Maybe check if you can get that 4090 variant with the Asus M16?.. if it fits the bill? You get the understated looks but also get that really cool Animatrix display. And pretty decent thermals as well. These days my absolute favorite laptop has been the Asus Zenbook Pro 16x with the 4080. 5-10% less performance compared to my X16 Alienware but it has aaaal the bells and whistles. Hands down, I maintain best laptop. of 2023. Atleast for me. :) I had put down a review for that as well. Maybe that might suit you? Do let me know which device you eventually settle for :)
Been loving my x16 with 4090, just pure beast in all the games i play. The only gripe would be the command center but i just leave it on max fans, put on noise cancelling headphones, close it and never see it again.
Nice! Mine has actually been BSOD-ing. I have a feeling it might be connected to the second drive. But glad you're enjoying your device! These guys SERIOUSLY need to work on AWCC and fast!
@@kazmiee that's sad to hear, hope you fix yours soon. As for awcc at this point I'd say even using someone else's software would've been a lot better. For example clevo ones have great softwares.
@@4CETH4N i swear they got an intern to do it all. AWCC is so clunky and even looks amateur-ish. Something i would expect from a manufacturer that has never built a gaming laptop.
@kazmiee looks like Alienware paid $50 on Fiver to do AWCC
@@kazmiee it's probably just that the awcc team is offloaded to somewhere where the employee just plain doesn't care and just made a bunch of trash with it
Hi, thanks for your reviews, I like how you do the review from the user's perspective instead of just reading the specs from a piece of paper.
I own a Legion 7 2022, before that I had a Legion 7 2021, after buying the Legion 7 2022 I was very disappointed with the build (the keyboard flexed more and overall it seemed less solidly built)
What can you say about the build quality on the Alienware x16 and also tell me about the temperatures compared to the Legion 7 2022?
At the moment I can buy it for 2500$ with 4080 and Chery MX keyboard, I think this is a very good price, and also was there a huge difference in display, I mean display brightness compared to Legion 7 2022?
Im sorry to hear about your experience with your legion. The x16 is definitely a solid build. Overall aluminium magnesium plastic materials. Not alot of keyboard flex
Love it. Awesome hardware and performance, the software and alienware UI is just 10 steps behind Legion. If you know your way around a pc, you should be fine then :)
Oh also, though thr display is around 320 nits. I honestly did not fimd it objectionable at all
@@kazmiee Thank you for the quick response, it was very important to me
Ethernet adapter, does it comes with?
It suffers a stunning lack of ethernet adapters
I was going to jump on x16 when it came out but glad I didnt. Dell really seems not to listen with its continued software issues
I'm returning my x16. The thermal performance is scary. I want to be able to play new games like Starfield, but if older games, like Farcry 6 can't run 1080p 60fps without being at 97c-100c temp, then there's no way I am running Starfield on this thing.
@TraceguyRune I'd rather gave a thicker laptop and amazing cooling than an super thin one that you can fry an egg on 😆 I'm considering the razerblade 16
@@nigeljamalbrink😭 I'm new to this laptop stuff I just want to play battlefield, battlebit, warzone, and Fortnite... Idk which one to get.
@BenjuhminxD So for me I thought the alien ware just looked cool with the tron ring and the light up track pad. But then had to speak some sense to myself. The razer has a much much better mini led display. Razer outperforms the AW on gaming and benchmark tests, it has much better user-friendly software , and it's more compact for a laptop so won't be needing a ridiculous large bag to carry it in. The only thing about AW that's better is the customer support for when there is a problem and the cherry keyboard. Both machines are fine for gaming though I just feel AW needs to come down in price by about £1000 for it to be worth it
@@nigeljamalbrink 🥲 been up all night looking for a gaming laptop I got $3000 rn but bro lmao I thought this would be simple as buying a console.
Great review! So…. Alienware X16 or Asus M16????
Oh mate, you will probably pay a premium for the awx16. Hmm. Perhaps, a comparison of the highest speccd m16 with the animatrix lid can be made? I feel the m16 may be a better overall laptop package whereas the x16's primary pull would be the higher wattage maybe giving you 10-15 percent more performance. PERSONALLY, id go for the m16, save some cash. Get a brighter display, be able to fit it in my backpack, and get a properly functional command center, better battery life. Super cool animatrix display, id probably be okay compromising 10-15 pc performance. Its all pretty personal at the end of the day
@@kazmiee great response. I really can't go Alienware while they have such a weak screen. Even though Dell offers better warranty...
Can you review for x17 or x16. For how long the performance the battery finish for casual user, video editing+casual user, play game only without charger. Thanks
Honesly, with the current software / AWCC, the X16 is one of the worst I have experienced for battery life; you can get probably 2.5 hours with things configured at a low performance level which is not personally ideal for me. In my experience the Asus M16 can actually give great results for gaming battery even when compared to the Legion. The X16 especially I believe, is meant to be used mostly plugged in
@@kazmiee because i’ve plan change my m1 pro into gaming laptop. But not sure if worth or not. Since im not heavy gamer.
@@zios1525 usually i recommend mac users to go to razer if they seek to switch. Id say you should target the blade 18 maybe? You can spec it to a 4070 and should still be good for you if have the budget. The older blade 17, will be thinner and cheaper with the 3070ti and will be awesome for casual gamers.
@@kazmiee the new x series more thinner isnt?
@@zios1525 oh yes. One of the thinnest. At 0.73 inches
But bro why they never use HX chipset instead of HK? I loving my X16 4080. I was planning to get 4090 but after i went down and test their 4090 X16 realise just for extra 10 to 15 fps for $1000 i feel like not worth it so end up taking 4080. The quality of the product feel super premium. As usual AWCC is always a let down even though their design and hardware is top notch.
That is exactly it! 4090s are generally to flex on the numbers and to have some bragging rights I guess? But generally, an impractical choice except for maybe game developers / graphic modellers, who really need that extra VRAM. But I swear AWCC is just, i mean, it is shockingly and disgustingly bad. Alienware has literally no concept of user experience and if they dont take that seriously soon, it will just become one of those legacy brands. I already feel they have an aging customer base and younger gamers are going to the other more progressive brands. It just saddens me.
The rgb touch pad always puts me off
It will be much nicer if the rgb went around the axis of the touch pad instead of full touch pad
At first sight, I thought that RGB wave on the whole trackpad looked kinda cool but now after a while, It seems a bit much I suppose. I really like that idea, That would look a bit more premium and not too much in the face as well - I'd like the same treatment to be given to the Alienware head logo on the lid as well - just the outlines . though Alienware needs to FIRST improve its RGB software!
Me again. So sad the X16 R2 didn't get the display update we hoped for. Crazy we are still doing 240hz 300 nits IPS for a machine of this class.
Anyways, wondering if you still have your X16 out of curiosity. Also Alienware's brand promo material is super cringey. Great laptop though.
I honestly dont get where Dell is getting their research from? Who is their target group? E Sport enthusiasts would just get a desktop if they are THAT serious about getting 300 FPS at 0.0001 response time. These guys had once set the golden standard for offering customizations .. i remember supply chain case studies on Dell from my university days on how good they were. God, feels like there are only a handful of people left at Dell who still care about actual PC gamers rather than trying to just sell anything. I had zero interest in Alienware (not counting the time when Alienware was NOT under ownership pf Dell ) till the X16 came out. It is sad that the R2 will just be a simple refresh.
I just really dislike the wasted space in front. That's like 20% of the total body
Haha, I hear you. But if you see the Legion 9i that I have been testing lately, Alienware did a good job keeping the proportions sorted while having the intakes done from the top.
Friend if it's not too much trouble, give an answer to my two questions below❤
It fails to manage that power. It's flat out juicing 100c temperatures. Nonesense that it can't hold it self to 90c or lower
Im sorry to hear that. Did you manage to find a fix? perhaps ask Lenovo for a replacement? I have generally not seen temperatures averaging close to 100. Maybe its the ambient temps on my end which are generally 21-22 C.
I never buy first gen of anything.
Haha. I can certainly understand that. But honestly, when it comes to Alienware, theif approach to "progress" is a little.. traditional? Even take the x14 R2 as an example. But really, laptops in general are taking big leaps every year, how much are you willing to wait is the question I think. :)
Not worth it if you can build a gaming desktop setup yourself for less than $1,500. At $3,000+ in price, it just isn't worth it.
To each their own I guess. All depends on how much you value portability. I feel it changes from which phase of life and circumstances that gamers are in. If some have dedicated rooms in which they can go dissapear in, by all means, a desktop can offer more for less, heck, might even get a console then if short term value for money is all its about.But if a gamer needs to manage in shared spaces more often or has to move around alot, one has to respect the immense power you could get in such a portable format. Heck, its why portable hand helds are also becoming so popular now adaya. All about perspective I guess. For me, laptops are the sweet spot between all devices and I value flexibility alot because I can serve many many use cases. :)
@@kazmieehow do you get your 3Dmark time spy score so high I have the same laptop with 4080 & 13900hk and I ran the 3Dmark time spy test 4 times & every time I get a score of 14500-1500????? Please help me fix this 😢
@@kenneth5034 oh dang srsly? So, my only suggestion (and you may have already done this), go to alienware command center and set performance mode or the overclocked/unlockd home.
@@kazmiee every time I ran the tests the laptop was set on “overdrive” which is the highest overclock setting on my X16 laptop.
I even went to del support assist & updated all the drivers & ram the tests while the laptop was charging & it only got a score of 15350 with the time spy test
Would you rather live in America
Not really, why do you ask?
@@kazmiee im in canada now and even though i like canada more i can see how super sized the US is in a good way
@@petehboy2 of THAT.. I have no doubt at all. I usually joke about Canada being this neglected step child of North America at least when we consider purely the economics :)