Alienware M16 R2
Best gaming laptop for most
| CPU | Intel Core Ultra 7 155H |
| GPU | Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 |
| RAM | 32GB (2 x 16GB) 5,600MHz DDR5 SODIMM |
| Display | 16-inch 2,560 x 1,600, 240Hz, IPS |
| Storage | 1TB Samsung PM9A1 PCIe 4.0 M.2 SSD |
| Battery | 90WHrs |
| Size | 36.4 x 24.9 x 2.4cm |
| Weight | 5.75lbs (2.61kg) |
Pros
- Solid 1080p gaming performance
- Great 240Hz IPS screen
- Decent build quality
Cons
- Screen isn’t OLED
- Chunky chassis
- Can’t handle 1600p gaming
The Alienware M16 R2 is now the gaming laptop to beat, offering a decent spec, a great screen, and upgradable parts, all in a well-built chassis that keeps the machine cool. We tested the RTX 4070 spec with a Core Ultra 7 155H CPU and found it to be seriously potent for 1080p gaming, averaging 102fps in Cyberpunk 2077 with the Ultra ray tracing preset with some help from DLSS.
While you don’t get an OLED screen with this machine, as you do on the Asus ROG Zephyrus G16, the supplied 240Hz panel is still excellent and has a pin-sharp 2,560 x 1,600 resolution. The RTX 4070 model struggles with games at high settings at this resolution so you’ll need a model with an RTX 4080 if you want to push the resolution beyond 1,920 x 1,080.
We particularly like that this machine uses standard SODIMM slots for memory, and has two M.2 SSD connectors (one of which is free), rather than soldering these parts to the motherboard, meaning you can upgrade them. It’s also great to see 32GB of RAM in the standard $1,999 spec. It’s not quite a slam dunk – it’s disappointing that there’s no OLED screen on a laptop at this price, for example, but Alienware has otherwise struck the balance just right.
Even the price is reasonable, particularly if you look out for deals on Best Buy or Dell’s website, where you can regularly save a few hundred bucks on this machine.
