Alienware 15 Review: Strong Gaming Performance, With A Few Compromises

A good entry point into the world of Alienware. That’s one way to sum up this review. Yes, Alienware launched its budget gaming laptop a while back, and I must say I’ve been impressed.

Consumers buying an Alienware laptop know about the legacy and goodwill of the company. Buying an Alienware laptop means preconceived notions and hefty expectations. With the Alienware 15 and the current climate (RAM prices have gone through the roof), the goalposts may have shifted a little bit.

For Alienware, this was a chance to put out a well-built laptop for a larger audience, with a premium design and hardware good enough for 1080p gaming. With a price tag of ₹1.5 lakhs, can the Alienware 15 stand the test of time?

What I Really Liked

For starters, I liked that this is an affordable entry point into the world of Alienware. Yes, it’s probably their first-ever ‘true budget gaming laptop’, and it has taken us all by surprise. Alienware, known for its striking designs, has taken a restrained approach this time around. It’s a plain design that doesn’t get in the way of your daily gaming sessions. The Alienware 15 has swapped the metal chassis for black plastic, without the RGB lighting (not even on the alien logo on the lid).

For me, what struck me the most was just how good the build quality was. There was no flex, and the keys had a nice amount of firmness to them. There is a numpad, which I didn’t think was necessary, making the keyboard a little cramped.

But, the good thing is that the laptop comes loaded with ports. There are two USB-A 3.2 slots, two USB-C connections (one supports PD and DisplayPort 1.4), an HDMI 2.1 port and a 3.5mm audio jack. There’s even a 1GB Ethernet port, though most people won’t be using it.

Performance is another area where the laptop shines. The Alienware 15 comes with a Ryzen 7 260 processor and is paired with 16GB of DDR5 RAM. There’s an Nvidia RTX 5050 GPU (95W TGP) paired with it. It’s good enough for a laptop in this segment.

The RTX 5050 is a good enough GPU for 1080p gaming. Couple that with a 165Hz display, and you’ve got one powerful machine. I tried Valorant, even though I’m not a huge fan of the game, but it ran smoothly and took advantage of the display.

At the other end of the spectrum was Cyberpunk 2077. At max settings, it won’t play well. But fiddle around with the settings and you can get up to 75fps. All your EA Sports titles and other medium level games will play even better. My favourite game, Trackmania Nations Forever, ran like a dream.

What I Didn’t Like

Weighty. Yes, the Alienware 15 clocks in at 2.25 kg, and it’s much heavier than I had expected for a 15-inch gaming laptop.

Display: An LCD display at ₹1.5 lakhs? Yeah, that’s something something I, as a reviewer and a consumer, cannot swallow. It’s a 15.3-inch LCD panel (1920x1200) that is probably the weakest of all the components on the laptop. Alienware should have at least added an option to upgrade the display for an additional price.

With that said, it does have a 165Hz refresh rate and can take advantage of Nvidia’s multi-frame generation tech. With a maximum brightness of 300 nits, it’s only suitable indoors, and usually, away from the windows.

Last but not least, the laptop isn’t suited for editing photos or videos as the panel is ultimately just dull-looking. Yes, it only covers 62.5% of the sRGB spectrum.

Fans: Yes, under heavy load (playing games), the fans can get quite loud. With the vents being at the bottom, you can already tell how it’s going to feel if you’re gaming on your lap.

Battery life: Yes, the Alienware 15 comes with a 54Wh battery, and a hefty charger. The laptop will barely last a few hours on a single charge, even less so if you’re gaming while on battery power. But almost no one games without being plugged in, so that’s mostly a moot point.

Verdict

We all know that the industry has gone for a toss thanks to the world’s RAM supply being taken by the AI-overlords. With that context set, let me tell you that the Alienware 15 is a solid choice for a budget gaming laptop.

Sure, the screen should have been better, but that’s about the only major complaint I have with this budget gaming laptop.

The Alienware 15 is a solid entry point into the world of Alienware, and despite being chunky and a little bit plain, it does appeal very well to its target audience.

One other suggestion for Alienware. Please include some different colours next time you’re launching a budget gaming laptop.