Alienware 51m OR razer blade pro 17 ? (two kinds of beasts)

Hello

Yes i know , one is a DTR with desktop performance , the other is a more of a mobile powerhouse, the RTX 2080 maxq in the razer blade doesn't come close in performance to the area 51M desktop 2080,
however , price wise the difference is not too big , one sacrifices performance for mobility the other is exactly the other way around.
I don't plan on moving too much with either laptops, mainly around the house from one table to another , maybe once in a very long while going to a coffee shop. I wont game in a coffee shop, will mainly do basic work (surfing web/office) outside the house.

QA (quality assessment ) wise , is razer and Dell alienware are parallel to one another? (heard many bad things when it comes to malfunctions in razer blade laptops).

Does the slim form factor of a razer blade and a very hot combination of a RTX 2080 maxq design can make it be less future proof / having thermal issues in the future with battery bloating etc ? unlike the alienware 51m that has a bigger chassis for heat dispense ?

really debating which machine to get...
i Do have a 4k TV i might hook up either machines to game on 4k just for the fun of good visuals.
if I don't carry laptops too much outside the house, which should i go for ? based on the alienware 51m community perspective here.

thanks!

 

Why not the m17?

Do you expect to find power points at your coffee shop tables? In case something goes wrong (we are talking RTX here) are you happy to RMA and wait for ages (Razer) instead of having Dell repair the machine I a few days onsite (with premium service)? Why not the m17? It should handle 4k gaming quite well, my m15 does.

 

yes, will have power points where i go.
yes the service indeed is an issue, im guessing Dell's service is faster.
i wont take the m17 because it is bigger and thicker and heavier than the razer blade. and the maxq performance on the razer blade is better than the maxq performance on the alienware 17m (from benchmarking tests ive seen anyway).
this is why im in great debate with myself in the past weeks on which machine to get.

 

But you would take Area 51M? Hmm. Perhaps the slightly larger laptop would have more storage space and/or cooling capacity?

Really? Quite surprising, given how the m15 is much faster than the Blade 15 Advanced in both the CPU and GPU departments.

 

regarding the alienware 17m , ya , it surprised me as well regarding the benchmark tests, how the razer blade 15 with 2080 maxq outperformed the alienware 17m.
i would rather take the bigger area 51 once in a long while and have much better performance than take the alienware 17m once in awhile and have just laptop performance.

its either go mobility small like razer blade 15/pro , or behemoth desktop future proof experience with alienware 51m ?
im also guessing that out of all the model we stated, the alienware 51m would last the longest ?

 

Just checked the Blade 17 Pro review (prev version).

https://www.notebookcheck.net/Razer-Blade-Pro-2017-i7-7820HK-GTX-1080-4K-Laptop-Review.253308.0.html

Ridiculous mouse pad, RAM soldered to the motherboard? WTF? I would not for a second worry about any performance delta between the m17 and the Razer.

The Area seems like a better choice between the two IMHO IF you don't need any reasonable battery life at all. If you get a Dell, do budget for premium service and extended warranty - it's their USP and well worth it (will protect the longevity/upgradeability you are counting on).

 

BTW there is a third option: get a light and powerful m15 with 2070 (90W, same as the 2080 Max-Q) at half the price of the 51M, and, in the currently unlikely case you decide you need more power, use the saved cash to build yourself a proper desktop that will run faster, cooler, and be way more configurable than the Area.

 

razer blade pro prev version is not so hot anymore , i agree. new models have upgradable ram and ssd.
but ya, battery life is not so much important for me, not as much as i thought it would. found myself rarely in need of seating without a power outlet for 4-5 hours in a session...
worst case was watching movies at home in netflix and was too lazy to plug my Mackbook pro to its power adapter

i think like 1-2 times a week going to a coffee shop with the area 51m isnt too bad ? especially if i leave the 330w power adapter at home and take the smaller one ?

im ordering from HIDevolution.com , so no dell extended warranty there =/

 

thanks for the advice, but still either the design and thinnest of a razer blade with mobility, or extreme performance to justify bulkiness and weight and poor battery life

 

Np, hope you are happy with your choice since these are pretty disparate priorities. Obviously check out reviews and user forums to find out how that "extreme performance" works out in practice in terms of temps and throttling for instance. In contrast, the i9-9900K under load runs at 65C in a desktop with a Noctua DH15 cooler (weighs the same as my m15 lol).

 

How do you get an m15 with a 2070 that isn’t Max-Q? I’ve never seen this as an option.

 

Sorry tired of typing Max-Q. It is Max-Q but with TDP set to 90W (most 2070 MQs on the market are 80W).

 

The m15 and m17 run extremely hot. Much hotter than the Razer blade with its vapor chamber cooling. The thin alienwares seem to thermal throttle often as well.

I'd stay clear of the m series. The Area 51M is also experiencing failures so there's that.

 

Must be why Blade 15 gets wrecked in benchmarks by the m15!
My m15 temps are fine just after undervolting, and I can still repaste which isn't an option with the Blade.

 

The Razer Blade does not have better cooling at all. Razer throttles everything so that the heat stays under control so your performance drastically suffers.

 

My answer is the Razer Blade if you plan to take it on trips, and the Alienware 51m if it will sit on the desk 99% of the time. Desktop if it sits at a desk 100% of the time.

Razer Blade is a very nifty piece of tech, it’s more for Mac types that desire a sleek aluminum unibody design. I’m intrigued about the Razer blade but seeing that this thing would throttle the etc 2070 Razer Blade Pro 17 version makes a lot more sense if you go that route.

 

You said you had a 4K screen and maybe play some games on it.

In most cases, I think you aren't going to take advantage of the power a RTX 2080 can provide.

Maybe a i9-9900K and RTX 2080 mini PC, and your Macbook Pro( or a $500 i5 with 8GB of RAM and SSD)? Provided you aren't a hardcore professional pf course.

 

The fanspeeds are by default incredibly low on the blade. But Dell dropped the ball with a fairly good heatsink but too small laptop feet..... The M15 could have been much more.

 

Yeah, Ailenware laptops recently have had severe thermal issues, caused by Dell's ignorant decisions and god knows what designing.
Like applying cheap thermal paste that can get the machine incredibly hampered in terms of performance.

 

LOL, what is this? Just play any modern game and it's going to be GPU bound. i7-8750H is more than enough to drive RTX 2080.

 

I mean, I really had no idea what program OP uses, and since the A51 was recommended, which has an i9 so....

As for the unharvested power, maybe OP only plays old titles or lightweight ones, and so that power and money will be wasted. Not until when I play Metro Exodus did I cherish the GTX 1060.

 

Just how portable and pragmatic is the 51m anyway?

I have both (razer 15 and 51m) with me right now and trying to decide which to keep. Similar priced.

 

Craigery, very curious which you decide on

 

Depends your use case. I had 3 alienwares in a row. 15inch models, and those where already on the limit of what i considered portable. Now a blade 15. The blade 15 is so convenient of you travel a lot. But if your laptop lives on yoir desk, i would say the m51 no doubt.

 

Can you post your Blade 15 benchmark results (and temps)?

 

I do not have a screenshot of my Firestrike run but I do know that my total score was 16120 on the 2070 max q in gaming mode with a -140 UV.

Temps never crossed 82C


Edit: on the 51m 2070 i7 9700K, I got a total score of 19007 on Firestrike. Stock I believe. That's roughly 15% better than the razer blade and its max q variant.

 

Still havent decided lol. It's the age old struggle of power vs portability. When I use a laptop I mostly set it up on a desk or table, plug it in and game.

I've rarely been the type to do actual work on it in my lap but maybe its because I've never had a thin and light before. I've had the m17xr3 and the AW15, not quite as portable as the blade.

I will say the 51m is the biggest laptop I've ever had. The two power bricks and their cords are a huge pain in the ass and the #1 reason why I havent completely been sold on the machine yet.

 

The FireStrike score is much better than expected. Is your 2070 90W too? I got 16150 in High Performance mode, with -170 UV but without any GPU driver tweaks or undervolting (17150 with GPU UV, but the driver craps out and needs to be reinstalled within a day of use in this state). The temps, well... CPU max 75C, average 57C, GPU average 52C, max 62C Doesn't seem like FiresStrike is pushing the system that much, TimeSpy is tougher.

 

On your Blade?

 

Apologies, the m15, I assumed it would be obvious based on earlier discussion.

For completess, I get 7150 in TimeSpy on vanilla GPU driver settings and no UV.

 

No worries between all the threads here and reddit I cant keep up with them all haha.

Those are really good temps for the m15. How are your temps while gaming?

I agree about Firestrike, it seems to run easier and cooler than other benchmarks or even games!

 

The temps are slightly higher but similar, depending on the game (GPU is in low 60Cs, CPU is sleeping in most games). I run pretty much everything in 4K on max settings. CB20 is the toughest on the CPU, 78C avg, 92C max. Generally the laptop is lukewarm and quiet in most games. I'm very happy with this machine, so far (coming from the much bulkier, louder AND hotter AW 15 R2).

 

How was it adjusting from the older style AW keys to the new style in the m15?

 

Come to think of it, the old AW keyboard was more comfortable, but haven't had any trouble adjusting to the new one, and I guess the numpad comes I handy from time to time.

The one noticeable design fail of the m15 are the shiny bezels (especially in daylight / outdoors), they are a bit of a dust magnet too.

On the flip side, the internal design is great: removing the sink or even replacing the mobo is a doodle.

 

So i ended up getting the alienware 51m, got it 3 days ago. and yesterday it burned from the inside, guessing its the known GPU issue (there was actual fire and smoke coming out of it).

I spoke with HIDevolution and was given a choice to return it for a new unit/refund or razer blade 15.

But how inlucky was i with this choice ? And who promises me that it wont happen again if i take a new machine..?

 

You couldn't make this up! Did you really need that much computing power in a package that's only slightly more portable than a desktop (and as it turns out - hazardous)? Even if so, consider an m15 with a well priced GPU (I'd recommend the 2070) + AGA so you can put in that 2080Ti or RTX Titan in when needed.

 

How much % in performance reduced from the AGA? Compared to a regular desktop build

 

No hands-on experience, but apparently 5% ish, generally minimal. Check the AGA users forum.

 

Correction, minimal performance hit if using an external display connected to the graphics card (which is what you want to do anyway). If AGA has to start pumping data back to the laptop there is some cost.

 

This machines from Hidevolution seems to burning out too frequently for my liking. I've one under production and I hope it's not going to burn in just 2 days man. They've assured me that's it's the updated motherboard and gfx cards but reading reviews from actual users makes me a little skeptical.
I hope your replacement/refund goes well there brother and how satisfied are you about Hidevolution customer support after you informed them about the fire?

Sent from my SM-G965F using Tapatalk

 

Im satisfied, as they offered to pay for the shiping one way. Though sending it to them from Israel, will cost me 300$.. for a machine i have for 3 days..

 

Wait, your machine caught fire due to a faulty graphics card, that has been known for sometime but they still sold their old stock instead of sending it back, and they’re only covering shipping one way?!? That’s ridiculous lol

 

This! It's unacceptable really.

I've a Area 51m on it's way from Hidevolution and they've assured me multiple times that will send the one with revised motherboard and gfx card but I'm still a bit skeptical about the whole thing. Reading posts like this doesn't raise my confidence even one bit because I'm absolutely not ok to spend $4000 on a system, paying $300 for international shipping and then when it breaks down with minimal usage, spending $300 more for return shipping costs too. It's unacceptable!

I'll keep you guys posted about how it goes.

Sent from my SM-G965F using Tapatalk

 

Apparently Dell israel covering warranty here for this system, so i can other fix it in my country for free, or spend 300$ to ship it back to hidevolution and get a new system ?

 

I'm sure Dell Israel will replace your system as well, you just have to convince them with a little anger and some in depth system knowledge. Also, don't forget to ask for upgrades if you go this route because more often than not, Dell always throws in some upgrades in my on personal experience of 10+ years with AW.
Keep us posted.

Sent from my SM-G965F using Tapatalk

 

You paid a premium to get a non crappy laptop from HIdevolution. This is a cost of doing business when something goes wrong. You need to tell them to fully cover the cost; this isn’t a normal warranty claim, your computer caught fire. If anything would have happened, that would be lawsuits galore. The fact that they knew there were older ones that had issues and still sold you it is the problem.

You need to tell hidevolution to fully cover you getting a new one, from them, or to give you money back so that you aren’t paying a premium, and you’ll work with Dell. They are clearly not taking this as seriously as they should and are basically treating you like a normal warranty claim. It’s freaking pathetic and you shouldn’t just go with what they say so easily.

 

How can you be so sure it’s the “old stock”?

 

Then it would be even worse that HIDevolution is still selling them without knowing if the problem is corrected. They’ve even told other people that are concerned to not worry as they’re only selling the “corrected” systems.

 

So called “corrected” systems can still go up in smoke. And from what I know the owners haven’t confirmed/checked what he got.

 

I’m not sure where you’re going with your statements? Regardless if every single one goes up in smoke, they should cover the costs to get you a new one lol