Alienware 18 Gaming Notebook Review
by Dustin Sklavos on September 16, 2013 12:00 PM ESTLet's get it out of the way: the Alienware 18 is an expensive, niche product. It's a giant, beastly notebook that uses high-powered CPUs and can't be configured with anything less than two GPUs. It has an IPS display and it starts at a pretty intimidating $2,099. That means that while something like the Alienware 17 may be somewhat within reach for most end users and thus worthy of at least some consideration, the Alienware 18 is most definitely one of those products you pretty much have to be specifically looking for.
From there you have to decide whether or not this particular monster is really what you're looking for and really fulfills your needs. If you feel like a single 780M is inadequate for your gaming needs, the Alienware 18 is the way to go, but from there I have a hard time recommending doing anything other than tricking it the hell out. The Alienware 17 is for people who want a gaming notebook tailored to their needs, but anything other than a seriously high end configuration of the Alienware 18 is a waste.
Here's the deal: unless you want a notebook that's running an LGA2011 CPU alongside your SLI video cards, the Alienware 18 is basically the top of the mountain. It's not perfect, but the only real competition Alienware has to contend with is Clevo, and Clevo seems to be content to show up with their B game every year. You can get a better display out of Clevo and some extra juice out of the CPU, but that's mitigated by the lack of switchable graphics (a minor loss), utterly mediocre keyboard (a major hit), and inferior build quality.
At the same time, with the popularization of mini-ITX, the Alienware 18 can't help but seem at least a little bit silly. You could build a system as fast or faster than the Alienware 18 with your own monitor in half to two thirds the price, or any of the boutiques we've reviewed would be more than happy to perform that service for you. You lose a healthy amount of portability, but we're talking about thousands of dollars, too.
It boils down to whether or not the Alienware 18 is successful at what it was intended for, since price really can't be an object for anyone who's buying it. I think it is. Alienware has plenty of room for improvement, but you're not going to be able to do better anywhere else. As for the rest of us, the Alienware 17 continues to be the weapon of choice.
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scook9 - Tuesday, September 17, 2013 - link
Was wondering where you were ;)Ya, it is apples and oranges. But with the expensive desktop replacements people always make the comparison. He left out the screen, UPS, mouse, keyboard, speakers, lighter weight, can be started up anywhere not just at a wall, etc. The list goes on and on. Can you carry on a Mini ITX desktop and use it in flight? There is also a nice benefit to not having to sync your digital life between a laptop and desktop (assuming that most people still want/need some element of mobility) since you can have one high power system that is also mobile.
It is actually surprisingly easy to make the choice to spend $4k on a laptop :)
cjb110 - Tuesday, September 17, 2013 - link
For a certain market (that your obviously not in) its a valid comparison point.Also utterly harmless to the review as a whole.
Trippynet - Tuesday, September 17, 2013 - link
Glad to see I'm not the only one who's disappointed by the appearance of a glossy panel. Matte panels FTW!Pathfindercod - Tuesday, September 17, 2013 - link
I am a photographer and use the 18 for gaming and photo editing. I generally hate glossy screens. But this one on the 18 really isnt that bad. its glossy but not over the top wet paint type gloss. It actually is nice IMO and im coming back over from the Mac side back to windows 7.....Maiphet - Friday, September 20, 2013 - link
It would be more applicable to most people if manufacturers sent review configurations that were more in the middle of the spectrum. There's a huge gap between the base model's $2k and the review model at almost $4k. Manufacturers want people to know what their high end systems can do, but most buyers won't spend that high. Maybe companies could send 2 models, and the reviewer could touch on all the same points, but include the second set of benchmarks for anyone without $4,000 burning a hole in their pockets.Wolfpup - Wednesday, September 25, 2013 - link
Man, if I win the lottery I'm getting an 18 lol. Sooo crazy but I can barely afford the 17.Wolfpup - Friday, November 8, 2013 - link
Ugh, I'm soooo tempted by this. Obviously cost is the main factor (might as well get two GTX 780s if you're doing it) but also I'm worried about finding a bag that fits it. My M17x-R4 was tough enough to find a bag for. And the thing is, mine is perfectly portable, it's not the size or weight, it's just most bags fit 15" and that's about it...So awesome to see that a second 780 can actually come close to doubling performance in some games. That's sure different from how SLI started out!
orlbuckeye - Monday, February 10, 2014 - link
Dell has a bag specifically desinged for the Alienware 18. It's also desinged to be TSA security friendly.squidsurprise - Wednesday, October 8, 2014 - link
So it's been about a year - they are already putting 880s instead of 780s.... will there be a refresh? Or just throw in the new 990s? Is there any news?frodbonzi - Wednesday, October 15, 2014 - link
I assume you meant 980s.... and yeah, wonder if there will be a refresh soon...