Our 3 picks for the best Alienware gaming laptop for you

Ever since the original Alienware Area 51-M dropped over 20 years ago, the best Alienware laptops have impressed multiple generations of gamers. Though the pricing of its gaming laptops continues to be a bit on the higher side, there’s still something for a variety of different shoppers within the current lineup — and options to make sure you’re investing in a high-performing machine.

With names and looks that seem straight out of your favorite science-fiction novel, it can be difficult to tell the difference between Alienware’s latest models at a quick glance. There’s the m16 R2, x14 R2,? m18 R2 and a few more ready to push everything from screen resolution to frame rates to the limit. Oh, and there’s even an Alienware laptop with a mechanical keyboard!

Since finding which Alienware laptop is best for you can be a difficult decision-making process, we’ve found the company’s best and most worthy notebooks to make shopping easier for those who want gaming PC brawn on the go.

Alienware m16 R2

A powerhouse made more portable

When Alienware rolled out its 2024 laptops, we immediately said, “Let’s make sure to do an Alienware m16 R2 review.” Why? Because this model increased its portability and desk-friendliness when Alienware chopped off the bump on its backside.

But that loss of space didn’t result in a decrease of torque, as the model I tested — running an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H CPU with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 — ran Baldur’s Gate 3 at 2560 x 1600 resolution with ultra graphics and only rarely dipped below 60 frames per second (fps). On top of that, it fared well in a head-to-head benchmark competition with the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14.

That dominance on one of the latest top PC games with gorgeous visuals and chaotic battles will ensure you play to your own skill level in whatever competitive games you choose, from Rocket League to Overwatch. Also, the m16 R2’s RGB-lit keyboard will help it aesthetically blend in among fellow gamers and the subtle shell won’t stand out if you bring it to work. Oh, and speaking of the keyboard, the Alienware m16 R2 is a joy to type on, with keys that provide a lot of tactile feedback.

The m16 R2 starts at $1,399, and we tested it at $1,849, so there’s plenty of room for customization. We recommend focusing your upgrades on the GPU, as the laptop defaults to a decent 16GB of memory. You should check your current stack of installed games to see if you need more than its standard 1TB of space.

The one thing that got in the way of the m16 R2 getting a truly strong endorsement was its battery life, which was shorter than the Zephyrus G14 by a substantial amount. But since gaming laptops don’t spend a whole lot of time untethered from their power supplies, this shouldn’t be a deal breaker for most. The m16 R2 could also stand to have an OLED display option, but its 16-inch, QHD+ 240Hz screen provided accurate colors and bore no real flaws.

Alienware x14 R2

Smaller but still capable

But what if 16 inches is too much machine for your space? Meet the Alienware x14 R2, which measures in at a shocking 0.57 inches thick — a bit thinner than even the most portable gaming laptops we’ve seen. This metallic beast sports a Lunar Silver lid with a white rear exhaust, allowing you to game in style.

Available with a starting price of $1,500 at the time of publishing, the x14 R2 starts with an RTX 4060 GPU, 16GB of memory and a 1TB SSD. All configurations run on a 13th Gen Intel Core i7 CPU, so you should get decent all-around performance. That said, we wouldn’t expect all games to play at its native 2560 x 1600 resolution.

The x14 R2’s 14-inch panel should be good for most gaming, thanks to its 165Hz refresh rate and support for G-Sync to cut down on screen tearing in games. Everything you play, watch and listen to should sound fairly good too, thanks to support for the immersive Dolby Atmos audio tech. Other gaming laptop standards are here as well, such as an RGB backlit keyboard and light-up logo.

I’ve only got one annoyance with the x14 R2: It only sports one USB-A port. For those of us with multiple accessories (especially wireless keyboards and mice), that slot gets taken up far too quickly.

Alienware m18 R2

This battleship is your ultimate gaming station

With this 18-inch laptop, you can go big and game anywhere. The Alienware m18 R2 packs up to an 14th-Gen Intel Core i9 CPU and even the RTX 4090 GPU, and that’s just the start of what makes this behemoth the ultimate Alienware machine. While it’s the largest and heaviest notebook in the lineup, it’s also arguably the most attractive Alienware laptop, thanks to its dark anodized aluminum chassis.

Even cooler, though, is that you can order the m18 R2 with a CherryMX ultra-low-profile mechanical keyboard that should draw the envy of other Alienware owners. With those switch mechanisms, you’re sure to get pleasing tactile feedback as you move around with the W, A, S and D keys, as well as while writing when you’re not murking the competition.

The Alienware m18 R2 does provide an interesting choice for its 18-inch display, as you can either get a nice 2560 x 1600 panel with a 165Hz refresh rate or a 1920 x 1200 screen with a blazing fast 480Hz rate. The former is more ideal for those who want sharper image quality, while the latter is optimal for those playing shooting games where the action is extremely fast and furious. Both ways, though, you get Dolby Vision support for premium HDR. You’ll also get a bevy of input and output options, with trios of USB-C and USB-A ports, plus Ethernet, HDMI and Mini DisplayPort.

With a starting price of $1,900, which goes up pretty quickly once you start playing with GPU upgrades, the m18 R2 can definitely be a costly beast.

How our recommendations compare

How to choose the right Alienware laptop for you

Displays: As you’ve seen above, the decision for a laptop screen now extends far beyond resolution. While Alienware may not offer OLED panels, it does offer screens with varying refresh rates. The higher the rate is, the smoother your games should look, which is crucial for shooting games such as Fortnite and Counter-Strike (and other esports titles too). So, for those who want smoother frames, you’ll likely want the 240Hz panel in the Alienware m16 R2 or the optional 480Hz screen of the m18 R2, as the x14 R2 packs a 165Hz panel. And while that screen isn’t slow compared to most computers, it’s the slowest of the bunch. Just make sure to avoid that option when buying the m18 R2, as it’s the default panel.

The 480Hz panel, though, means you’ll be downgrading your resolution from QHD+ (2560 x 1600) to FHD+ (1920 x 1200), so only pick the latter if you’re trying your best to future-proof your rig for the future of esports. Going just off present-day content, the m16 R2’s 240Hz panel with QHD+ resolution is more of a solid mid-ground that should suffice for most.

Processors: If you want the latest and greatest Intel engine powering your Alienware laptop, you’re going to want the m16 R2, as its Intel Core Ultra chips are the newest of the bunch and target improved battery life with AI-based efficiency optimizations. A lot of that work is driven by a new neural processing unit (NPU), along with low-power cores that handle less intensive processes. That said, the m18 R2’s 14th-Gen Intel Core i7 and i9 chips aren’t that far behind. It’s the x14 R2 that speed snobs might want to watch out for, as it’s rocking a previous generation CPU.

Graphics: When I tested the m16 R2 with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 GPU, I found it capable enough to run Baldur’s Gate 3 at QHD+ resolution and ultra graphics. But that’s just one of many potential games and settings, with many other possible variables. So, for this case, we recommend figuring out which GPU you can afford. Going from 4060 to 4090, you’ll generally get better visuals as the model number goes up, but there will be a ceiling for older games. You’d be wise to make your decision based around whether or not your frequently played titles are on the bleeding edge or not.

Ports: Alienware laptops are more or less similar on ports, though you get more input and output options as you go for a larger chassis. Only the m16 R2 and m18 R2 pack Ethernet ports for stable streaming, which could be key for those online gamers trying to reduce lag. The x14 R2 also lacks a dedicated power port, so don’t be fooled by its trio of USB-C ports — one of those will be used for staying powered.

Keyboard: If you want your Alienware laptop to always pack a mechanical keyboard, then the m18 R2 is the only model for you. All of the other options we recommend feature membrane key mechanisms that are pleasing enough but a far cry from a true mechanical keyboard. Otherwise, know that the x14 R2 features a RGB keyboard that has only one lighting zone for fewer options and that you want the m16 R2 with the AlienFX keyboard for per-key backlighting.

Storage: My current rule of thumb for selecting a laptop hard drive is to take your current laptop’s internal storage and, unless you’re barely using it, upgrade to the next tier. Games will only get larger over time, and cloud streaming is definitely not an option that you want to rely on if you’re buying a seriously beefy gaming machine.

Memory: Are you a tab hoarder? Do you run a lot of memory-intensive applications outside of gaming? If you answered no to both, the 16GB default on these notebooks may prove enough for you. However, content creators, especially those doing live-streaming, will probably want 32GB or more, depending on how much they’re doing simultaneously.

Bottom line

While we look for a more modern 14-inch Alienware laptop to upgrade from the 13th-Gen Intel CPUs that launched in 2022, all three of these notebooks provide a good to excellent way to game on the go. At the end of the day, your budget may prove the most important factor to your decision because you know major games you’ll need to play are on the horizon.

While those looking for the best GPU may be drawn to the m18 R2 and its dark anodized aluminum frame, it weighs in at a massive 9.3 pounds, which will make you reconsider how mobile it actually is. So, our current pick of the three is the m16 R2, the middle child of the pack that offers a good range of graphics options, plus a revised design that’s easier to carry around than before.