Why I still recommend this 2024 Dell laptop for work and productivity – even though it’s for gamers

ZDNET’s key takeaways

• Alienware m16 R2 goals to be the proper laptop computer for players and professionals alike, and it succeeds.
• It delivers high-level efficiency and a 2K show that’ll make each teams smile, whereas giving customers a solution to tone down the RGB lighting through Stealth Mode.
• You may have to hold that charger shut by, because the M16 R2’s battery does not final very lengthy.

extra shopping for decisions

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Gaming laptops are sometimes on the chopping fringe of know-how, housing among the trade’s greatest {hardware}. Highly effective Meteor Lake processors, visually gorgeous RTX 40-series GPUs, the works. With that in thoughts, you’d assume that professionals searching for high-end machines could be clamoring to purchase one among these machines for themselves, however that is not likely the case. 

Gaming laptops aren’t precisely ubiquitous, however why? Nicely, it might need to do with their flashy RGB lights that mild up like Disney’s Electrical Parade. 

Additionally: One of the best work laptops I’ve tested has MacBook written all over it (but it’s even better)

Gaming units typically come outfitted with RGB lighting, which appears cool, however will be fairly distracting, particularly whenever you’re in a piece assembly attempting to look severe and have a laptop computer lit up like a Christmas tree in entrance of you. Subtlety is the secret right here. 

Fortunately, producers are taking discover of this potential shift in buyer choice. Dell, for one, has give you an answer in a brand new gaming laptop computer that additionally has the working skilled in thoughts: the Alienware m16 R2.

I’m an enormous fan of Dell’s design decisions right here. The m16 R2 strikes a very good stability of trying aesthetically cool whereas additionally sustaining practicality. On the surface, you’ve gotten a shiny darkish grey exterior with a stylized quantity 16 and an Alienware brand on the prime. You may discover there is not an enormous thermal shelf jutting out; the warmth vents are flush with the show when positioned upright. 

Ditching the shelf makes this laptop computer simpler to hold in comparison with bulkier fashions. Homeowners will want all the assistance they will get because the m16 R2 is not straightforward to hold round; it weighs practically six kilos.

On the within is a matte black keyboard. The RGB lighting on this darkish background makes the colours stand out properly. Typing on the keyboard was a pleasure, too. The matte floor is clean to the contact, and the keys all have a springy really feel to them. I am a sucker for a comfortable keyboard, however the consolation degree is not what I like most concerning the m16’s keyboard. 

If you happen to look carefully on the operate keys, you will discover completely different icons than what you’ll see on a normal keyboard, as they’ve distinctive functionalities made particularly for this laptop computer.

Additionally: Finally, an ultraportable Windows laptop I’d use at the office (even though it’s for gamers)

F2 is essentially the most helpful in my view because it prompts Stealth Mode. The mode causes the RGB lights to immediately flip white, making the machine look extra like a generic work laptop computer. That is tremendous helpful for whenever you’re in a public setting and do not need to appeal to consideration to your self. Urgent F1, alternatively, prompts Efficiency Mode. 

Hitting the button whereas gaming forces the {hardware} to immediately carry out higher by defaulting the {hardware} to preset settings optimized for gaming. The issue with this mode is that it additionally instantly prompts the cooling followers, and so they’re fairly loud. At the least the followers do work effectively at protecting the laptop computer from overheating.

F4, F5, and F6 are for keybinds, letting you tie customized actions to them, with F3 reserved for saving your keybinds. All the same old audio management features have been moved to the far proper. Apart from the keyboard, I take pleasure in how the sting of the palm relaxation on the entrance of the machine is noticeably spherical. It is softer on the wrists when in comparison with different laptops, guaranteeing a cushty typing expertise. 

Options like these permit the m16 R2 to tug double obligation at being a gaming and work-centric laptop computer and point out that Dell put quite a lot of thought into designing the mannequin. 

One factor price noting, although, is that I did discover the trackpad to be a little bit small. Maybe they wished to make room for the audio system above the keyboard, during which case I say it was a worthwhile transfer because the audio sounds nice for a laptop computer. Simply take into account that they are not highly effective sufficient to fill a room.

Additionally: I tested Dell’s XPS successor, and it made my $3,000 Windows laptop look bad

The Alienware m16 R2 runs on an Intel Core Extremely 7 155H, a processor I discover is often discovered on many 2024 laptops. It is a good possibility because it gives stable efficiency whereas not inflating the value tag an excessive amount of. To see what it is able to, I ran it by way of the Geekbench check, the place the processor earned a rating of 12,725, outperforming the Extremely 9’s common rating of 12,611. So on the appropriate laptop computer, the Extremely 7 is usually a higher chip than the higher-end {hardware}. 

Alongside the CPU are the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 graphics card and 16GB of RAM, although it might’ve been good to have 32GB. I skilled a dip in efficiency once I was enjoying Helldivers 2 at excessive graphical settings. However 16GB is okay; it will get the job accomplished in most conditions.

Talking of video video games, the players on the market will love the system’s display screen. It is a 16-inch 2K decision show (2,560 x 1,600 pixels) with a refresh charge of 240Hz. A excessive refresh charge allows clean and responsive gameplay, making it a close to necessity for fast-paced titles.

All this {hardware} does include an influence price, nonetheless. Whereas it is unplugged from an influence supply, the battery on the m16 R2 does not final very lengthy regardless of all of the tech meant to help its longevity. I carried out my normal check of operating an endlessly enjoying YouTube stay stream at 720p and 50 p.c brightness, and it lasted 6.5 hours with Greatest Energy Environment friendly enabled.  

ZDNET’s shopping for recommendation

I like to recommend the Alienware m16 R2 to individuals who desire a laptop computer that may do double obligation. It excels at being an leisure/gaming machine, but it surely’s inconspicuous sufficient for the workplace. Costs for the laptop computer have risen in latest months. A construct carrying an Intel Core Extremely 7 processor, a GeForce RTX 4070 graphics card, and 16GB of RAM will be purchased for $1,900 at Greatest Purchase. A extra highly effective configuration with 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD is accessible for $2,479 at Amazon.

I ought to point out which you can customise sure components of the system even after you have bought it. For instance, you’ll be able to improve the SSD from 1 TB of storage to eight TB. To discover ways to do that, comply with the directions on pages 36 to 44 of the laptop computer’s Proprietor’s Guide, which yow will discover on Dell’s website.