The Alienware x17: A Gaming Laptop That Almost Gets It Right

From the moment I started using this laptop, I couldn't help but feel a sense of disappointment. The 360 hertz panel is indeed impressive, and with this GPU and 4K resolution, it looks stunning. However, the lack of a MUX switch on this Alienware model is almost laughable.

But let's move on to some of the other features that make this laptop worth considering. The IO options are solid, but I do wish there was more flexibility in terms of ports and connectivity. Dell has already implemented a simple solution for this issue by adding some text that lights up, allowing users to easily identify where to plug in their devices.

I did manage to take apart the laptop to check out its innards, and I have to say, it's impressive. Eight Phillips head screws later, I had access to two RAM slots and two SSDs. This is realistically all that I would expect to be able to upgrade in a device like this. And let's not forget about the battery life - 87 watt-hours of power should provide around five hours of use, depending on usage patterns.

But what really caught my attention was the cooling system Dell had implemented. Four fans, heat sinks that go all the way along the side, and an optimized airflow design to cool even the most demanding components. This is seriously impressive crap. And yet...it's not quite right. The inclusion of 12 phase VRMs for the GPU is a nice touch, but the lack of a MUX switch on this model feels like a huge oversight.

It's almost as if Alienware took every aspect of this laptop and thought, "You know what would be great? If we just copied Dell's design, but with an AMD CPU instead." And then they did exactly that. I mean, where's the innovation? The creativity? It's clear that someone at Alienware was watching closely and thought, "Hey, this is a great laptop. Let's make it ourselves, but with some minor tweaks."

But despite all of this, the Alienware x17 still manages to be an impressive device. It has a beautiful keyboard, a stunning 360 hertz panel, and a chassis that looks like it was plucked straight from the pages of a sci-fi novel. And with its advanced cooling system, this laptop can handle even the most demanding tasks.

So what's the verdict? Is the Alienware x17 the best gaming laptop money can buy? In almost every way, yes. The keyboard is still one of the best I've ever used, and the screen is simply stunning. But if Dell had just included a MUX switch on this model, it would have been even more powerful.

And that's where things get really frustrating. I mean, come on Alienware. You're copying Dell's design and then not even bothering to give yourself a break by including an AMD CPU option. It's like you were so confident in your own product that you thought, "Oh, we don't need to put in any real effort." Newsflash: it shows.

But despite all of this, I have to admit that I'm impressed with the Alienware x17. It's a powerful device that can handle even the most demanding tasks. And if Dell had included a MUX switch on this model, it would have been even better.

In conclusion, if you're still unsure what laptop to get, check out the review of the Zephyrus G15. While it may not be as powerful as the Alienware x17, it's definitely easier to live with every day.

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"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: en- I almost titled this video,the best gaming laptop money can buy,but I just can't do that.It's infuriating becausethe cooling, the screen,the keyboard, and the build quality,almost everything aboutthis new Alienware x17is exceptional except for one massive flawthat makes it perform worsethan this Lenovo that's $600 cheaper.Do you know what neverunderperforms, though?My segues to our sponsor, Honey.Honey is the free to use shopping toolto help search for someof the best promo codeson loads of your favorite sites.Get it today at joinhoney.com/LTT.(upbeat music)Side-by-side, it is hardto tell the differencebetween the outgoing m17 and the new x17,but the first couple of thingsI noticed weren't great.The numpad is gone,which isn't fantastic on amodern desktop replacement,and the trackpad has become smaller.I was in the process of angrily typingabout how Alienware is going backwards,but then the fans on the m17 kicked inwhile I was installing a program,at which point I realized thex17 had yet to make a sound.This is when I started to appreciatejust how much coolingthere is in this laptop,Like, look, there's vents,vents, vents, vents back here,and vents down here.Like, how else are you goingto cool a 165 watt RTX 3080in a laptop that's this thinwithout starting a fission reaction?I've said in previous videosthat because Turbo Boosthas gotten so good,if your laptop isn't thermal throttling,you're leaving performance on the table.But Alienware has done somethingincredible with this x17,giving the RTX 3080 and the eight-core i7every single watt it possibly could,and we're still not seeing100 degrees on the CPU.Even more impressively,the x17 manages these tempswithout sounding likean audio immersion modfor flight simulators.I can confidently saythat this is the bestcool laptop on the marketthat isn't as chunky as Thicken Nugget.So it should be able to handily outperformthe identically speccedLenovo Legion 7, should.In practice, it's more of a mixed bag,with the Legion and theAlienware trading blowsin our gaming benchmarks.Even more humiliating,the x17 was unable toconsistently beat the m17it's supposed to be replacing.Now, to be clear, it isn'tlike the x17 is slow.The gaming experience onthis thing is sublime,but for the exact samespec, this one's $600 less.And I want the performanceto be able to back up theprice tag on this thing.So why isn't this laptopthat's clearly better cooledand just running faster,not running faster in games?Well, it all comes to a little doohickeycalled a MUX switch.See, in laptops with both a discrete GPUand a CPU with integrated graphics,the discrete GPU signalis routed through the IGPUbefore being routed to the display.This allows the CPU todecide whether or notit needs high efficiencyor high performance.But while this is greatfor saving battery life,it also results in a 5to 10% performance hit.A MUX switch performsthe same basic function,but without requiring the dedicated GPUto be routed through the GPU,eliminating that performance hitwhile keeping the battery life benefits,and also allowing you to useG-SYNC as a cherry on top.Clearly, you want a MUXswitch in your laptop.Not so clearly, Alienwarehas only included onein the 1080p 360 hertzscreen option for the x17,leaving the 165 hertz and 4Kpanel options high and dry.Normally, the reason to notinclude a MUX switch is cost,but Dell, this is a $3,600 laptop.Give it a (beep) MUX switch.I retested the games connectedto an external display,and yup, 5 to 10% more performance,making the x17 the undisputed king.By the way, if you wantto look like a king,check out our new dad hats.They're brand new,but they look like theywere dropped in the ocean.lttstore.comAnyway, the main reason I'm so annoyedabout a relatively smallamount of performanceis that everything else onthis machine is nearly perfect.The x17 is undeniably well-built.Magnesium chassis isjust incredibly stiff.And their silky smooth finish?Mm, it really lives up to its name,even if it is a bit ofa fingerprint magnet.Sure, rigidity alone doesnot justify the premium,but this keyboard just might.In here, we have the optionalCherry mechanical keyboardand it is fantastic.Like, it is a $50 add on,but if you're looking at this laptop,you're clearly not concernedwith getting the most bang for your buck.I've already done a fullvideo on this keyboard,so I won't rave about it fortoo long, but simply put,this is the first mechanicalkeyboard in a laptopthat is actually good.There's loads of travel, avery distinct, tactile bump,and the keys areshockingly well supported.Like, it's a gaming laptop,but you could totally write a novel on it.The trackpad on theother hand is just fine.It's glass topped, RGB, thefeel using it is credible,but I just wish we had more of it.I understand they had to dothis for the sake of cooling,but it just can't compareto the Zephyrus M16.Another area I was concerned Alienwarehad fallen behind the pack was the screen.I absolutely love 16 by 10displays for productivity,especially on smaller laptops,but the 17-inch size on heremore than makes up for it.And with a 4K 120 hertz panel,it is possibly the mostimmersive gaming experienceI've ever had on a laptop.There are only a handfulof laptops out therewhere this panel makes any sense.You need the grunt from aproper 165 watt RTX 3080to get modern games past60 FPS at 4K in a laptop.And if you plan on getting super sweaty,just get the 360 hertz panel.But man, with this GPU, this 4K panel,ugh, it looks so good.From here, we don't really have a script,but I wanna do crab rave.(lively music)Yeah, it's not as good.Yeah, that's way better.Dell, just take the speakers from this oneand put it in this one.What are you doing?I honestly thought it'd be better.Moving on, the IO that youget in this guy is very solid.Like, there's nothing thatI really want back here,except for just knowing what is back here.It's really difficult to reach aroundand plug in your stuff.And Lenovo has a reallysimple solution for this,where they just simply havesome text that lights upthat allows you to know exactlywhere to plug in your stuff.Excellent solution.I wanna take it apart now though.I haven't, 'cause I'm abit scared of the insides.The first bit ofdisassembly is super easy,eight Phillips head screws andboom, bottom panel comes offand we have access to twoRAM slots and two SSDs.Awesome, love to see it.That's realistically all that I'd expectto be able to upgradein something like this.Oh, and the battery.87 watt-hours,which is good for maybefive hours if you're lucky.I do wish that they had an AMD CPU option'cause then you'd probably get like two,maybe even three more hours.And like nine hours of battery lifeis way different feeling than five.Let's disconnect thebattery, speaking of that.Dell was so proud of thecooling that they put in this.Like, you can see these four fans,the heat sinks go allthe way along the sideand they're up here.And apparently with some CFD stuff,they optimized it so that the airflowwould not just go over these fins,but also around allthe components in here,so your RAM and SSDs and VRMs and suchare also pretty well cooled.Two more Phillips screwsand this comes off with a bit of effort.If the laptop is not on inall of the B-roll shots,you now know why.That was in no way easy,but it is really convenientthat Dell has only twotypes of screws in here,and it's M2X4 and M2X3 andall of them are marked.(laughs) We have done it.And oh, that's not whatI was expecting at all,but that is really impressive.Holy frig, look at those heat pipes.So I think that we have likevapor chamber, vapor chamber,and then Big Chungus.Maybe there's a reason, like12 millimeter heat pipes.One, two, three, four of them,plus five, one on the other side for some,probably VRMs.This is why I'm so annoyed.They have this beautifulcooling system, four fans,12 phase VRMs for the GPU.This is seriously impressive crap.And then they just don'thave a MUX switch on it.Alienware, come on. (sighs)So then, in almost every way,the Alienware x17 is the bestgaming laptop money can buy.And you can tell your friendsall about the keyboardand the screen and the chassisand the cooling system.But you'll have that onefriend that watched this videoand knows that you paid ametric buttload of moneyfor a laptopthat could have easilybeen 10% more powerfulif Dell had just simplyincluded a fricking MUX switch.What would be even more embarrassingis if this thing right hereends up being more powerful.It's a blatant Alienware rip-off,but it does have a MUXswitch and an AMD CPU.So get subscribed.I'm starting to work on this tomorrow.What can't wait until tomorrow though,is a segue to our sponsor, Micro Center.Micro Center is one ofthe best places to shopfor all of your technology needs.Get the best prices and the best selectionon computer hardware andeverything else technology relatedat one of Micro Center's25 locations across the US.Micro Center has a grownlineup of business solutionsfor small and medium-sized businessesfeaturing workstation computersfrom Dell Precision and Supermicro.They have experts on staff who will adviseand make recommendations as towhy a server business desktopor workstation is theright choice for you.They offer services aroundrepairing business systems,replacing components,and any related technical support issues.New customers can check thelink in the video descriptionfor a coupon code for afree 240 gigabyte SSD.No purchase necessary, in store only.Thanks for watching this video.If you're still unsure what laptop to get,check the review of the Zephyrus G15.It's not quite as powerful,but it's way easier tolive with every day.\n"