You will hear mixed opinions about Alienware laptops depending on who you talk to, some people love them while others think they are a waste of money. Alienware’s inconsistent reputation leaves a lot of people asking themselves: Are Alienware laptops are worth it?
Creating a powerful gaming laptop will come with some small issues no matter what company is behind the wheel. That being said, there are no major deal-breaking flaws with Alienware laptops. Whether they are worth buying or not is subjective, it’s up to you to decide what you’re looking for in a gaming laptop. On this page I’ll try my best to lay out the pros and cons of Alienware laptops, if you personally think the pros outweigh the cons then yes, Alienware laptops are worth it!
The Pros of Alienware Laptops
Alienware prioritize performance
Alienware’s main focus is performance, they are willing to sacrifice the weight of their laptops if it means they could perform even faster. Their laptops are extremely powerful and they achieve this by having a larger than usual casing, allowing them to hold more hardware than their competitors. If a slim and portable design is important to you then this could be more of a con than a pro. Overall Alienware laptops are definitely on the thicker side compared to other brands like Razer. It’s up to you to decide if the increased performance is worth the extra weight.
Wide range of screen options
Another good thing about Alienware laptops is the wide range of screen options. There are a few ways you’re able to upgrade the screen including G-SYNC, 4K, and a higher refresh rate. The high refresh rate options are perfect for gaming, 120Hz screens provide extremely smooth gameplay for games that can run beyond 60fps. Not everyone will need or want these extra features but it’s nice having the option available.
Customer support
Alienware is now owned by Dell which is a huge computer company, this allows them to have round-the-clock customer support for all Alienware products. This also includes great warranty options which is a must-have for expensive products like gaming laptops. While their customer support is good, it may not always be enough. Luckily there are places like Reddit, Youtube, and forums where you can usually find the answers you’re looking for.
High-quality keyboard and touchpad
Having a high-quality keyboard and touchpad on a gaming laptop is crucial, luckily the keyboards and touchpads on Alienware laptops are always well designed and reliable. Newer Alienware laptops will have precision-point glass touchpads that are super satisfying to play with. You won’t have to worry about any keyboard issues when using Alienware laptops, they have anti-ghosting, RGB backlighting, and N-Key rollover.
Impressive backlighting
Alienware laptops have impressive RGB backlighting across multiple zones, all of them being fully customizable using the Alienware command center. Depending on the model you can expect RGB lighting on the keyboard, trackpad, Alienware logo, and the edges of the casing. Newer Alienware laptops like the m15 or m17 have individual lighting on the keys meaning you can customize each key separately, this opens up an endless realm of creativity.
The Cons of Alienware Laptops
Alienware laptops are expensive
The most common complaint you hear about Alienware is that their products are overpriced, while this is more of an issue with their desktop PCs, it’s still relevant to their gaming laptops. You end up paying a few hundred dollars extra when buying Alienware laptops compared to some of the cheaper brands. Although, Alienware laptops are not the most overpriced laptops out there and their pricing has improved over the years. It is possible to find reasonably priced Alienware laptops if you look for the right deals and specs.
Cooling issues when overspeced
Make sure to not go too crazy with the specs when buying an Alienware laptop. Maxing out the specs will eventually lead to cooling issues which will lead to a lot of problems. The issue here is that Alienware gives you the option to push the specs further than they should probably go. For each available spec upgrade, you should compare the performance gain versus the upgrade cost, sometimes it’s simply not worth it.
Thick casing
Like I said earlier, Alienware laptops have a thick casing making them pretty heavy in comparison to other gaming laptops. This could be a problem for people who plan on traveling with their laptops on a daily basis. Although this is not much of an issue with their newer models such as the m15 and m17 which are marketed as thin gaming laptops. It’s a good idea to compare the weight and size of their laptops with other brands to determine if it’s going to be an issue for you.
No SD card slot:
As of writing this, almost no Alienware laptops have an SD card slot whereas a lot of their competitors do. This is an issue for photographers, video editors, and anyone else who frequently uses SD cards. The best workaround would be buying a USB SD card reader which is pretty cheap, although it won’t be fun having to bring it around everywhere.
Alienware alternatives
Alienware is not the only company producing high-end gaming laptops, in fact, there are a tonne of reputable brands making gaming laptops in all shapes and sizes. In order to choose the right laptop for you, it’s best to compare all of the options available. Here are a few Alienware alternatives I would recommend checking out.
Conclusion
I hope this page has helped you understand the pros and cons of buying an Alienware laptop. Alienware laptops do not have any major deal-breaking issues and it’s up to you to personally weigh up the pros and cons. So yes, Alienware laptops are worth it as long as you’re content with the potential cons that come with them. Remember that there are a lot of high-end gaming laptops to choose from so it’s worth researching all of the options before diving in.
Thanks for reading : – )