Need one of the best VR ready laptops, but do not want to spend a ridiculous amount of cash? The Alienware M17 has you covered. You get a snazzy RTX 2070 (w/ Max-Q design) and a 10th gen Intel Core i7. It rides a fine line between power and price. Its incredible features makes it one of the best gaming laptops on the market.
Why We Like It – Alienware M17
Dive right into just about any VR title you want with the Alienware M17, thanks to the power of its RTX 2070 w/ Max-Q design and 10th Gen intel Core i7. Even popular titles like Half-Life: Alyx are well within your reach.
- Powerful RTX 2070 Max Q GPU
- Speedy 10th gen Intel Core i7
- Fair pricing
- Abysmal battery life
- May need another 16GB of RAM
Power & Performance
If you’re VR gaming, chances are you’ll be using Intel core processors, so the Alienware M17 17.3 inch Laptop was fitted with a 10th gen Intel Core i7-10750H. That’s six cores and 12 threads, with a base frequency of 2.6GHz, peaking at 5GHz. In the GPU department, you’re wielding an RTX 2070, equipped with 8GB of GDDR6, backed by 16GB of RAM. With specs like that, you can expect to run VR titles like Half-Life: Alyx at 30+ FPS on ultra-high settings. It’s a huge step up from an MSI Stealth GS65, and an even bigger upgrade from its predecessor, the Alienware M15.
Related: Also, browse to our Alienware M15 gaming laptop review.
Battery
It isn’t uncommon for powerful gaming laptops to be battery hogs, but come on—only 2.5 hours? You’ll have to do some tweaking in your battery settings, like reduce the flashiness of Windows 10 if you want to reach 3 or more hours.
Ports & Expandability
VR titles can be demanding. While 16GB is usually the maximum games ask for, it’s better to be on the safe side and add another 16GB; the new Alienware M17 laptop can handle 32GB. Ports included are: two USB 3.1 Gen 1 and another with PowerShare, USB Type-C w/ Thunderbolt 3, Ethernet, audio jack, HDMI 2.0b, and a mini DisplayPort 1.4.
Related: Open our Alienware new M15 review.
Build Quality
The new M17 Alienware gaming laptops moved away from plastic and went with magnesium alloy. It provides better durability and ultimately better cooling, too. Additional vents were also added in the back to prevent overheating.
Value
Dropping $2000 on a laptop seems too much, but most, if not all VR titles are within reach, a must-have for the best VR gaming experience. And its performance, build quality, and versatility warrant its price. However, you may want to consider the MSI GT76 Titan instead. It’s expensive, but ultimately opens up future VR titles thanks to its RTX 2080 Super, 10th Gen Intel Core i9 and 64GB of RAM.
Alienware M17 Wrap Up
VR titles can be taxing, so a high performance laptop like the Alienware M17 is necessary, and it’s hard to ignore that it offers some of the best gaming performance Alienware has to offer. An RTX 2070 and 10th Gen Intel Core i7 can take you far in the world of VR, though upgrading RAM is a must.
