Alienware m15 R3 wish list

It's been a while since the last weird and perhaps premature update of the m15 line happened in the middle of Frank Azor's departure (featuring the deal-braking soldered RAM), so the hope would be that despite the change of management and the inevitable turmoil that followed, Team Alienware have been finding some time to work on a new 15 inch model, probably due when 10th gen and Ampere come out. With that optimistic prospect in mind, I suppose it doesn't hurt to help the team with our thoughts on what the next model should look like. Here is my wish list:

* 4 SODIMM slots - supporting up to 128GB of RAM
* Real 99WHr battery (no more "8% battery use on arrival is OK" (C) Dell Support)
* 2x M.2 NVMe slots (don't pull a Razer on us with just 1 M.2 slot)
* Phobya Nanogrease Extreme paste or LM plus high quality pads out of the box
* A socketed / upgradeable CPU
* Obviously a better CPU cooling - my m15 R1 can only sustain around 58W of constant load (with Phobya NGE paste)
* AMD CPU options (Threadrippers are out of question due to TDP of 180W+, but perhaps Ryzen 9 3900X?)
* dGPU on a DXGF module and upgradeable
* Allow more than 90W of dGPU power - my 2070MQ is sitting at 68C under max sustained 90W load - wasted headroom!
* Keep the AGA port + mini DP + HDMI (and update AGA with bigger PSU, larger enclosure and support for virtually any card)
* PCH cooling (R2 already has it)
* SSD heatsink included with every unit - pretty much everyone these days uses SSDs!
* High quality FHD matte screen option at 60Hz + 144/240Hz for gamers + OLED
* Can be thicker/heaver if needed - a low priority consideration
* Good full size keyboard suitable for extended typing as well as gaming
* Large, high-quality trackpad
* Keep the design on the conservative/pro side
* Don't re-introduce the terrible rubberised chassis - the black one in m15 R1 is perfect
* Optimus configurable in BIOS / GSYNC screen option (GSYNC is already supported on external monitor)
* Linux support!
* No inverted motherboard

Thoughts?

If/when the m15 R3 comes out, we will be able to compare the product against the poll results

 

Voted. if only Dell would read this.

 

Thanks bro! Gosh, I forgot to add "Linux support", what's wrong with me lol

 

Voted, one can wish, right

Edit.. and forgot to cast the vote for the non soldered sodimm...

 

• Wide gamut 1920x1080 144hz or better IPS display
• PCIe 8x AGA that can be hot plugged
• iGPU only option (especially with that AGA above)
• Modular Wifi
• "Repair it yourself" warranty options
• Trackpad buttons
• More easily replaceable keyboard
• Less "gamery" look, even if it were optional
• Full bios control for anything that is configurable via their "Control Center" software
• Thicker and heavier so it is cooler and quieter

 

Thumbs up for all the above. Note that if the dGPU was provided on a DGXF module, there should be an option to either pick a really low cost module or none at all. One complication with that is the external monitor ports are exclusively driven by the dGPU and thus offer GSYNC, but presumably it wouldn't be too hard to add configurable rerouting to iGPU. I wouldn't completely get rid of onboard dGPU, because the AGA is not always l convenient to haul around, and some applications can utilise both the internal and external dGPUs.

 

AW are holding a community feedback event on Discord:

 

4 SODIMM slots (no more soldered RAM) - Won't happen. None of the modern thin&light notebook models have more than 2 slots. And there will come soldered ram specs above 16GB.

Phobya Nanogrease Extreme paste or LM plus high quality pads out of the box -- Won't happen. Dell use paste intended for max longeivity... Not for best performance.

A socketed / upgradeable CPU -- Won't happen. See link below

dGPU on a DXGF module -- Won't happen. The models will only be thinner.

Better cooling - settings optimised so no throttling out of the box
dGPU TDP > 90W -- Won't happen. Dell use thermal trip point below specs. Just look at todays models from AW and XPS.

SSD heatsink -- They already offer this.

Can be thicker/heaver if needed -- Won't happen. The treend go opposite.

Don't re-introduce the terrible rubberised chassis -- Won't happen. Aw have used rubberised chassis at least the last 7 years.

Optimus configurable in BIOS / GSYNC screen option -- Won't happen. Such features will add costs.



Dell could be adding AMD Radeon RX GPU options to Alienware m15 laptops

The first ever Alienware gaming laptop sporting an Intel 10750H CPU + AMD Radeon RX 5500M GPU combo was recently spotted in the 3DMark database, and it looks like Dell is looking to lower the price points on its mid-range variants. 5600M and 5700M models may also be in the cards.

Dell appears to be willing to mix things up fir its upcoming Alienware laptops with new combos that include more AMD products. Up until now we have seen AMD CPUs mixed with Nvidia GPUs, but AMD’s mobile GPUs were never an option for the gaming laptops. Until now, that is. Thanks to twitter user _rogame, we are now aware that Dell is already testing out systems that include Intel CPUs and AMD GPUs.

 

Flip that darn motherboard over so I can easily maintain my machine. I’d like to replace the thermal compound without having to do laptop surgery. And no more soldered anything. Just no.

 

Well, I'm just saying what I'd like to see in future products - you know, a change of management related miracle might happen lol

* SSD heatsink -- They already offer this. -> It's not always included, e.g. you have to buy SSD drives from them to get one.
* The chassis on my m15 R1 is not rubberised as far as I can tell, certainly not the same way as on the AW 15 R2 where it eventually got rubbed off
* dGPU TDP > 90W -- Won't happen. Dell use thermal trip point below specs. Just look at todays models from AW and XPS. -> Even more surprisingly, they limit Quadros in larger 17 inch Precisions to 80W. WTF?

They can throw an AMD GPU as an low-cost option, maybe there is a market for that, but clearly they must have Nvidia GPUs as the main/flagship options.
CPUs are another story, but that's mainly on the desktop side.

BTW I hope you will be joining the Discord with Umar Khan? I'd love to see/listen to that lol

 

Right, forgot about that - put it back as it was in m15 R1...

 

I was just referring to what the tread title say "you like to see in the m15 R3". I just posted what to expect from R3 I expect they will refresh it with the R3 moniker

I don't think Umar or Ernie would like that

 

Oh yeah, my expectations are so low it wouldn't be worth creating a thread on that lol This is a blue sky thread, meant to be more along the lines of "if you were the head of Alienware, how would you design the R3".

 

You just can't go back in time. The future won't be the past What they once were is difficult to reach.

 

There is always hope bro, but don't take my word for it - here is a former ISS Commander with a message for you

 

I already have made my perfect "Alienware M17 R3". The Precision 7740 with a 120hz LCD is a great no-gimmick gaming laptop. Maybe the Quadro drivers are not quite as updated as the Geforce edition for game release day fixes, but the raw performance is definitely there - easily between 2070 MaxP and stock 2080 territory.

 

I've recently had a chance to look at a Precision with 16GB Quadro RTX 5000 Time Spy score posted by @Ionising_Radiation and it was lower than what I get on my 2070 Max-Q (in a super-compact 15 inch laptop), never mind 2080 Max-Q or 2080.

I like the modular dGPU design of the Precision, the 4 SODiMM slots, Linux support and the keyboard, however, I don't like:
+ The lack of AGA port which provides the killer option to use things like 2080 Ti or the 24 GB RTX Titan (not sure if Quadro cards work, an option to use 48GB RTX 8000 would obviously be nice! ) in addition to the onboard GPU
+ The woeful GPU options, particularly on the 15 inch model
+ dGPU TDP of 80W in 15 inch models for no reason
+ Pricing

If I was being forced to buy something other than m15 R1 from Dell now, I would go with a 51M and a gigantic power pack. I hope they add Optimus support soon.

 

The Precision also has a MUX switch (fast sync does work on Quadros), a better BIOS, a better Control Center app, dedicated trackpad buttons, less of a theft magnet, cooler palm rest temperatures, Intel LAN and WLAN, more professional (in case you need to bring it to work).

The pricing is higher but if you add a 3 year warranty into the Alienware price is does close the gap a bit.

Honestly I think the Precision would make a pretty good gaming laptop for most people if it had only a non workstation GPU and a high refresh rate display. But that goes against what the Alienware brand currently means (thin and light mid grade gaming or DTR heavy high performance gaming) so things would have to change quite a bit at Dell before they would offer such a machine.

I wish the AGA were more popular, but I think these days people would rather just spend the cost of an AGA + desktop GPU towards a more powerful laptop GPU. It would certainly help if the AGA were 8x PCIe and hotplug capable! Then it would destroy any TB3 eGPU when paired with a 2080Ti.

 

A better BIOS is always good, but armed with TS, I'm not really held back by AW BIOS. Ditto the trackpad.
In the m15s palm rests are super-cool - it's the top of the laptop that gets hot for obvious reasons.
Theft magnet, and professional looks - hmm, I think that's very subjective, although personally I do prefer the more "professional" m15 R1 to the flashy R2 and 51M. Not a big factor for me anyway. What kind of dull office environment would frown upon the design of the 51M? AlienFX can be turned off.



The pricing is way higher:
7740 with 9880H with Quadro 5000, everything else on default: $4715
Area 51M with the equivalent 9700K and 2080, + win pro + 2Y extended support (weirdly there is no 3 year support option): $3888

Quite a bit of difference. Of course, there is the VRAM difference, so we could fall back to Quadro RTX 4000 ($3500) but that's way slower than the 2080, in fact that 110W RTX 5000 is much slower that the 180W 2080 to begin with.

Area 51M straight up wins in terms of specs with the 9900K+2080 combo, unless 16GB of VRAM is a requirement.
Consequently, the Precision is not competitive as either a mid-grade 15 inch gaming laptop, nor as a 17inch DTR. It's optimised for a different market sector, one that cares about single CPU Xeon processors, ECC memory in a laptop, a gazzilion of drive bays, WLAN or smart cards. I'd rather if Dell continued the AW brand as the go-to-place for pure performance whatever the form factor.

That said AW really has just two hard to beat USPs:
1. AGA
2. On-site service

Not sure why you think that AGA is not popular, many people seem to be using either from the get-go or later on in the lifecycle to boost the setup with a next-gen GPU. The solution is significantly more efficient than TB3 eGPUs. Sure, it could be further improved and I hope it will, but without it Dell would lose a huge selling point.

 

I would only go with a Quadro RTX 4000 on the Precision 7740 - the 5000 is very overpriced and they both have the same TDP making performance the same.

My wife has the M17 R1 with the 2070MQ and it performs very close the 7740 when gaming. The only difference is the top of the keyboard gets much warmer while under load and the fans are louder than the Precision even though its only a 90W TDP GPU (vs 110W TDP). The Precision heatsink is definitely thicker so it probably has an easier time dissipating heat. It's a shame the R1 isn't offered with the 9880H - technically the Dell G7 17 inch is but only with the 2080MQ which seems a bit overpriced.

 

Let me counter or agree, point-by-point:

1. The Precisions come with 2x USB-C Thunderbolt ports, which can be directly connected to any industry-standard eGPU enclosure, versus the proprietary AGA port. The Precision is not an Alienware product, so I don’t think it fits there, anyway.
   
2. The Precision 7540 goes up to the Quadro RTX 5000. I wouldn’t call that woeful. Even with Max-Q, it is roughly as fast as a desktop GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER, at half the power draw, at 80 W vs 175 W.
   
3. That said, a TGP of 120 W or so could have been easily achieved, because there is room to spare. I am trying to get around this, but I’m not sure if a VBIOS modified with the Pascal TDP Tweaker will work for a Turing card. My aim is 150 W, with a 240 W AC adaptor. I would rather let the GPU throttle thermally or with an EC-enforced power limit, rather than an artificially low 80 W.
4. The biggest factor is the warranty for these systems. It gives you next-business-day onsite support, and a 24/7 hotline for remote support. These machines are meant to be used in a time-critical business context, so the pricing is appropriate. Discounts can (apparently) be had with a quick chat with a Dell Sales rep.

I also personally feel the Precisions could be built a little better, because accessing the heatsink etc is a rather involved process of removing the bottom board, the keyboard, and then the palm rest. An extra heat pipe for the CPU would also be good. Narrower bezels, and a default 144 Hz 10-bit screen even at 1080p versus the 6-bit one that was provided.

 

Notebookcheck corroborates your info RTX 4000 and 5000 are supposed to pull the same TimeSpy scores as 90W 2070MQ: https://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-Quadro-RTX-4000-Laptop-Graphics-Card.423873.0.html

That's funny given the price deltas between these options as well as the form factor difference between the m15 and the 7740. Note that the TDP argument doesn't always hold, e.g. 2080MQ is ca. 15% faster than 2070MQ. Guess part of the reason could be that VRAM power supply doesn't count into GPU TDP.

Anyway, we've veered off into 17" laptops here. I understand the m17 design to be a bit of joke - apparently it has the exact same internal design as the m15, e.g. they make no use of the extra space to enhance cooling beyond the naturally larger vents for instance.

I have strong personal preference for the 15 inch form factor, and actually I'm quite amazed at how much power the m15 dishes out from its thin body after tweaking, and how sleek and convenient the form factor is. Unfortunately, the 15" line effectively ended at the R1 for me.

Yes, the m15/m17 line is in trouble - someone at Dell must have thought that a new design and CPUs with inverted mobo and soldered RAM/Wifi will be a winning combo, hence the thread.

 

1. I don't personally have a use case for 2 TB3 ports. The point is that AGA is unique to AWs, and that it's undoubtedly a much more efficient solution than TB3 eGPUs - hence the designation as an AW USP. I believe the point is a good fit here, because if I make a decision to go with a Precision rather than an AW laptop (the subject of this discussion), I will lose the benefit of having access to the AGA.
2. OK, not sure if this is a UK thing or a covid thing, but on the UK site, the top spec 7540 is offered with NVIDIA Quadro T1000 w/4GB GDDR5
3. Well, if there is a stable, safe and non-warranty-destroying OC trick to boost a Max-Q chip originally specced at 80W to 150W then fair enough, but that doesn't seem to be the case at this point, correct?
4. Agree, but the service level is still quite similar for the AWs - my m15 arrived with faulty GPU and mobo got replaced onsite 2 days later. I think the AW support here is local, although I am sure I could get through to someone in India if I really insisted at 3am

Agree on the build issue - the m15 R1 is phenomenally easy to repaste for example, but then in the R2 they went with this inverted design you're understandingly unhappy about.
The screen options are great on the AWs - personally I wouldn't want an OLED, because I don't need to watch movies on a 15" screen, but it's there alongside IPSes up to 240Hz. All the HDR screens I've seen so far turned out to be joke on Windows, my 144Hz IPS included. There is no WLAN but who needs that outside of some corporate/government use maybe?

 

How so? I fail to understand the efficiency here, primarily because it is proprietary. You mentioned that the AGA is the USP of AW systems; I disagree, because TB3 provides a similar, standardised solution that is portable across desktops and notebooks alike. The speed offering is the same, PCIe 3.0 x4 through the PCH, so there is no performance difference.

Furthermore, as already mentioned, the Precision and Alienware lines are thoroughly unrelated, so I 1) don't see a reason for the AGA to appear on the Precision line, and 2) don't see why Dell would put it there anyway.

Indeed. And yet, the P3200 was also rated at 80 W, and performed equal to a GTX 1060; at the same power draw, I now have 50% more performance. I am not complaining... for now. But I totally agree with you here: there is plenty of performance legroom that Dell could have taken advantage of. I really wish Dell had simply allowed a full-throttle RTX 5000 on both the 7740 and the 7540, and simply let thermal throttling take care of performance limits.

 

Empirically, people report something in the region of 5% performance loss vs desktop in the AGA, which is way better than the best eGPU results:



There is plenty of info in the AGA owners lounge.

Something to do with the way TB3 works internally I have to guess, despite the fact that it also connects to 4x PCIe. Also sometimes manufacturers cheat with their TB3 implementations by using fewer lanes. I the case of the two TB3 ports, I would be a bit worried what that means: shared, 2x2, or actually 2x4. The last point is tangential though, since even if it's 2x4, a single TB3 port-based eGPU will still be slower than AGA.

 

The AGA is a better choice if you want to use the internal display or a high end desktop GPU. It has the full 32Gb/s bandwidth of four PCIe lanes, while TB3 is limited to 22Gb/s by Intel.

Honestly though I still think the vast majority of Alienware laptop users prefer a more powerful built in GPU instead of an eGPU.

 

When I had an Alienware m15 R1, I bought the AGA and I never bothered to open it. When I saw how big the box was, I'm like what the heck did I do?!? This is way too much space on my desk. I like things to be neat and simple so I sold it although it was very hard to sell (sold for half the price) and I swore to only get a laptop that has the Graphics Card that I want and not to expect it to run for years with the help of anything.

Just my 2 cents.

 

Right, AGA will dampen the impact of using the internal display. But still, it's an excellent choice with an external display because there will be no bandwidth sacrifice due to driving the internal display via the same bus, and of course such sacrifice expressed as a percentage would get quite painful when running an expensive high-end graphics card, such as a $2500 RTX Titan..

Thanks, that explains the 4x PCIe != 4x PCIe phenomenon!

Sure, most people will initially be happy with the built in dGPU. In my mind eGPU/AGA has two main use cases:
1. Allows power users to utilise an additional high end desktop graphics card (in the case of AGA with very little perf penalty) and go far beyond what most DTR laptops can achieve, even with a thin and light laptop
2. Allows budget-conscious users to cost effectively upgrade their laptop's graphics to next gen etc, especially relevant to the soldered models

We note that in case someone doesn't need a maxed out internal dGPU on the go, they could save money by using a cheap one or none at all as you suggested earlier.
Additionally, the internal dGPU is not deactivated, so it can still be used by some applications in parallel to the external graphics card (I guess gamers could try assigning it as the PhysX processor). Pretty cool.

I think AGA/eGPU would be most useful to people who perform heavy computations or gaming on their laptop primarily when it's at the desk (and use the laptop for lighter tasks on the go). This is probably a broad category of users, since moving around with a gigantic charger or two is no fun, and an external monitor is always better. Heavy computing without AC power will be drastically limited by battery rather than the internal GPU anyway.

 

Well, you are in a category of your own bro

 

This looks like more of a wish list for an Area 51m R2 than a new m15. Most of the items listed here are completely unrealistic for the thin and light lineup; especially from Dell.

Sent from my SM-G970W using Tapatalk

 

I feel like an eGPU is a great option for people who have no other choice - like if you own a Macbook Pro and want to do some gaming in Windows.

An M15 R1 + AGA + 2060 Super would also make a good combo instead of spending money on a 2060MQ or 2070MQ upgrade. It would cost a little more, but would give you decent on the go gaming and high end at your desk gaming. The AGA box is huge but the cable is long enough you could hide it behind a house plant or something.

 

The point obviously is to gauge interest in various features that would require relaxation of the thin and light regime.

Arguably, the AGA box should be a bit larger to alleviate issues with some larger cards.

 

On second reading, that was a particularly poor comment. Most of the features requested can be realistically implemented even within the existing form factor. In fact, many are just requests to revert poor design decisions made in the R2... I even mentioned beloved existing features.

 

Okay, I disagree that it was a poor comment; this thread is based off a discombobulated list that would lead to something like Homer's car from The Simpsons. So I will break it down.

Realistic Wishlist Items:
* Real 99WHr battery (no more "8% battery use on arrival is OK" (C) Dell Support) - Agree with this one, but you're going to sacrifice a SATA slot.
* 2x M.2 NVMe slots (don't pull a Razer on us with just 1 M.2 slot) - Would prefer this and keeping it a 2282 instead of a second 2242 slot. This is possible.
* Keep the AGA port + mini DP + HDMI (and update AGA with bigger PSU, larger enclosure and support for virtually any card) - Given that they have invested this much into a proprietary port (which is actually better than Thunderbolt 3 since it runs 8x PCIe as opposed to 4x with TB3) this will continue and yes the size is a limiting factor.
* Obviously a better CPU cooling - my m15 R1 can only sustain around 58W of constant load (with Phobya NGE paste) - I would hope that they would go with vapor-chamber cooling like Razer did but with better engineering to have it actually do what it was intended to do.
* AMD CPU options (Threadrippers are out of question due to TDP of 180W+, but perhaps Ryzen 9 3900X?) - There are already benchmarks of AMD architecture in upcoming Alienware laptops, this is realistic given the R4000 series CPUs and upcoming M5700 GPUs. Threadripper would be interesting but it would not be desktop grade (think AMD version of a 9880HK).
* PCH cooling (R2 already has it) - I utilized graphite tape to create a modular heat pipe; this should not have been necessary and I agree this is a must.
* High quality FHD matte screen option at 60Hz + 144/240Hz for gamers + OLED - agreed but OLED would not be able to be matte and similar to the options they currently have. Perhaps with HDR and wide color gamut would be preferable.
* Large, high-quality trackpad - Agreed.
* No inverted motherboard - of all the things they copied MSI with, they insanely copied a widely-panned and criticized design. This must be rectified. Same goes with soldered RAM; a critical flaw in their internal design and no reasonable excuse for something catered to gamers.
* Good full size keyboard suitable for extended typing as well as gaming - While a full keyboard with NUMPAD is necessary, size sometimes necessitates the lack of inclusion. I agree that this needs to happen and macro keys need to be an afterthought, not designed around it though.

Things more likely to be with a 15" Area 51 (which is not likely to exist so they are outside the realm of realism):
* A socketed / upgradeable CPU - the whole point of giving people the option to upgrade was the Area 51m. Looking for this in a thin-in-light is just...no...
* 4 SODIMM slots - supporting up to 128GB of RAM - This one is just never going to happen. Don't know what laptop even has this as an option... perhaps commercial-based but certainly not gaming-based.
* dGPU on a DXGF module and upgradeable - Again, Area 51m...
* Allow more than 90W of dGPU power - my 2070MQ is sitting at 68C under max sustained 90W load - wasted headroom! - TDP is set by NVidia and enforced by the Max-Q architecture and nomenclature. This will not change without expressed permission by the manufacturer (AMD or NVidia). This was bypassed by the... wait-for-it...Area 51m as it utilizes a modified desktop architecture.
* Phobya Nanogrease Extreme paste or LM plus high quality pads out of the box - Dell will never do this. If you've been a customer for long enough (I had been since the M11x) they will never stray from their grey toothpaste; it means that it will last well enough for 3 months and enforce replacement or repair for those who do not re-paste.
* SSD heatsink included with every unit - pretty much everyone these days uses SSDs! - too expensive to use things like Gen4 m.2 like the Corsair Force MP600 for a mass-produced laptop. This would add hundreds of dollars.
* Can be thicker/heaver if needed - a low priority consideration - as well it should be since they would get crushed by the competition.
* Optimus configurable in BIOS / GSYNC screen option (GSYNC is already supported on external monitor) - Would increase the cost so this would likely not happen. This is a mass-produced laptop after all.
* Keep the design on the conservative/pro side - may wanna look elsewhere then; Alienware are easy to spot anywhere and are designed to stand out.
* Linux support! - they have licensing deals with Microsoft for Windows. Not gonna happen.

 

Just to be extra-clear for you: this thread is more about 15" AW laptop. Perhaps the "m15 R3" moniker threw you too far off. If they take a step towards Area 51, I'm all for it, it would kind of make sense since they converged on the design. Bear in mind, this thread is meant to blue-sky this, not just re-iterate all the uninspiringly grim experiences and expectations again.

* Socketed CPU - it's technically doable
* 4 SODIMM slots - Precision 7540 supports this, for example: https://www.dell.com/en-us/work/sho...bile-workstation/spd/precision-15-7540-laptop
* Modular dGPU - again - Precision 7540 - Dell's thin workstation
* Allow more than 90W of dGPU power - "Again, Area 51M" -> ROTFL, there are non-MaxQ laptop dGPUs with TDP of 100 or 110W ...
* Better paste - sure, unlikely but could easily be done
* SSD heatsink - "It would add hundreds of dollars" -> LOL, I'm talking about throwing the $10 part into the box!
* Can be thicker/heaver if needed - again, not impossible at all
* Optimus - at this point your comments suggest you are an Alienware-hating troll, because some completing laptops have this feature, but to be fair - I personally don't care if the Optimus is configurable or not as long as it's there
* Design - I've been fine with my AWs so far, A51M dark is fine by me too - hope they don't get carried away any further though
* Linux - again, the 15" Precision

 

As I had said before, some of those things are based from commercial-based laptops and not consumer gaming grade (as you had astutely pointed out from the Precision line, a commercial line).

I'm not Alienware hating at all; I've owned many of them in the past and indeed I do think the Area 51m is simply brilliant (may be my next laptop). I did forego the m15 R2 because there were too many compromises (soldered RAM, inverted MOBO, non-HDR and not bright enough screen) and the price premium wasn't worth it. Instead I went with the Lenovo Y740 15 inch (first one was i7-8750h with 2060 and now i7-9750H with 2070 Max-Q).
The Area 51m seems to be Dell going back in the right direction though.



Sent from my SM-G970W using Tapatalk

 

Not sure why this distinction and grading should matter w.r.t. to the features discussed (if we started talking WLAN or smartcard slots then sure). What's more relevant is that both laptop lines are premium/top of the range, and similarly priced. I didn't even bother mentioning the obvious that 2/3 of the "Precision features" are also present in the 51M, so it's clear that some healthy cross-pollination of ideas has been occurring at Dell.The main reason I gave the 7540 example was to demonstrate implementation in a 15" laptop at Dell, but of course there are examples elsewhere too (ok, probably just Clevo lol).

 

Precision is thicker. You can't add in suggested hardware in the thinner Aw15 model. One thing for sure... Dell won't make the Aw15 refresh thicker than it's already! Remember they worked hard to slim it down further vs. previous gen. They won't go back on this.



The Alienware m15 R3 wish list is nothing but dead end. Alienwares goal is making worlds thinnest gamingbook. As long they don't make a new 13 inch, the Aw15 will become what the 13 inch was. And all know 13 inch model won't come back. If they changed mind it would in short be a 12 inch in real size due the narrow bezels. Nope, AW15 will be as is or continue be thinner and lighter.

 

Yes, but the Precision looks like a thin and light next to Alienware 15, it's in-between.
We'll just see. Remember Niels Bohr's words of wisdom: "Prediction is very difficult, especially about the future".

Again, this is not even a prediction thread - it's a dream thread on purpose. We are still allowed to dream, aren't we?

 

Yeah it's allowed to dream, brother Maybe rename the thread to the "Alienware m15 R3 wish dream list"

 

Be happy you didn't spend money on a desktop card on top Too small? Maybe so but when the design is flawed as this mess below it will never be as you think.



https://www.reddit.com/r/Alienware/..._oc/flbsxne?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x

 

Introducing the new XMG APEX 15.

* Desktop Ryzen 3950X @65W - CHECK
* 64GB of 3200Mhz RAM - CHECK

Well, no AGA obviously and battery life not clear, but def a very promising 15 inch Alienware killer. Fingers crossed for Dell to beat that!

https://www.notebookcheck.net/Schen...ld-s-first-Ryzen-9-3950X-laptop.459563.0.html

https://www.notebookcheck.net/AMD-Ryzen-3rd-generation-signals-deep-trouble-for-Intel.422294.0.html

https://www.notebookcheck.net/AMD-R...-CPU-with-a-4-7-GHz-boost-clock.423653.0.html

https://www.notebookcheck.net/Intel...the-AMD-Ryzen-9-3950X-in-3DMark.439880.0.html

 

Well, I think it's no more a dream or wish list. We are getting much anticipated and improved m15 R3

 

In this day of more streaming and Zoom/Skype/Teams meetings it might be nice if we had at least the option to up the cam/mic levels at least to a decent quality 1080 level. If it were an option not everyone would have to buy in.

 

Unforntunately, they didn't do anything to it. The new refresh still has - Soldered RAM, inverted motherboard, expensive, thermals are unknown but I doubt it will be any different than the previous one.

 

That's right. Nothing more than a bunch of broken dreams. Time to start looking at other brands. XMG looks good on paper here in Europe.