The world of the best gaming laptops is constantly evolving, offering enthusiasts an ever-growing array of powerful, attractive, and innovative options. Among these, Alienware is a popular brand name that is famous for its cutting-edge technology, performance-driven hardware, and futuristic designs.
As gaming continues to grow in popularity and demand, choosing the right gaming laptop can significantly impact your experience. In this article, we will be discussing what we think is the best Alienware gaming laptop you can buy today, the Alienware x16.
First showcased at CES 2023, the Alienware x16 is a sort of alternative to the x17. It has a sleek and futuristic design which the company calls the Legend 3 and is available in Lunar Silver color scheme. The lid and bottom chassis are now made of solid metal with a silver finish that looks really clean, while the inside (keyboard deck and bezels) is completely black. It almost seems like Alienware’s parent company Dell wanted to add a hint of its XPS lineup, but also didn’t want to move away from Alienware’s famous space age-inspired design language. There’s also a neat-looking loop of RGB lights powered by 100 micro-LEDs around the rear ports.
Despite being a 16-inch power-packed gaming laptop, the Alienware x16 has a fairly slim profile, making it one of the thinnest laptops in its category. It has a thickness of 0.73 inches and weighs about 5.9 pounds, making it easy to carry in a backpack.
Like the previous generation X-series laptops, the Alienware x16 has all I/O ports on the back. Although managing cables is great, it can be cumbersome in some situations. It has a headphone jack, a microSD card slot, two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports, two USB-C ports with Thunderbolt 4, an HDMI 2.1, and a mini-DisplayPort 1.4 connector. Notably, there’s no Ethernet jack, but you do get Wi-Fi 6E for faster internet connectivity.
In terms of displays, Dell is offering three configurations on the Alienware x16. You can get the laptop with a 1200p 480Hz refresh rate, but there’s also the option of a 2560 x 1600 resolution with 165Hz or 240Hz, which is probably the better choice if you’re looking for a faster gaming experience. All three display options include both Nvidia G-Sync and Advanced Optimus, enabling the system to automatically and seamlessly alternate between discrete and integrated GPUs.
The Alienware x16 has a large touchpad, while the compact palm rest is intentionally designed to create extra space above the keyboard for better ventilation. The touchpad is equipped with customizable RGB lighting, allowing users to personalize it to illuminate in their favorite pattern or color scheme.
The Alienware x16 comes with a comfortable keyboard that has 1.8mm key travel and top-tier functionalities like N-key rollover, anti-ghosting, and per-key RGB backlighting. For those wanting a more tactile experience, there’s also the option of the Cherry MX ultra-low-profile mechanical keyboard.
As far as performance is concerned, the Alienware x16 comes with Intel’s 13th Gen mobile CPUs, ranging from the Core i7-13620H to the powerful Core i9-13900HK. It can be configured with up to 32GB of LPDDR5 6000 MT/s memory and dual 2TB PCIe Gen 4 SSDs in a RAID configuration. Graphics duties are handled by Nvidia’s latest GeForce RTX 40-series mobile GPUs and can be configured up to an RTX 4090 with 175 watts of graphics power. The RTX 4050, 4060, 4070, or 4080 are also options.
Dell continues to use its Alienware Cryo-Tech cooling technology, which includes a special Thermal 31 thermal compound on the CPU and GPU for better cooling. It also has a vapor chamber and dual cooling fans that have been improved to provide better airflow. Keep in mind that special thermal compound is available in select configurations.
Pricing starts at $1,799 for the base configuration, while the top-end model will cost you $3,799.
While the Alienware x16 is the sweet spot for most people, there are two other laptops in the lineup that are worth considering before pulling the trigger. First up, there’s the Alienware x14. This 14-inch gaming laptop is notably smaller than the 16-inch model, and although its performance is more limited, the compact size of this device is incredible.
On the other end of the spectrum, there’s the Alienware M18, which is currently the most powerful offering from the company. It can be configured with the latest Intel or AMD mobile CPUs, RTX 4090, up to 8TB of storage, and 64GB of DDR5 memory.