Dell Just Killed Alienware

[00:02] launches we've ever seen. Their new Alienware 15 is billed as an entry-level gaming laptop where you can access Alienware performance and quality for a fraction of the price. But guys, this laptop starts at $1,500 here in the USA

[00:18] and that config it only comes with a low-end underfed RTX 5050 with a single stick of memory. It's going to perform terribly and if you want it with a 5060, you're looking at $2,300 which is atrocious given the cheap components in

[00:33] this laptop. The math just ain't mathing. So, today I'm going to walk you you what laptops you should actually buy. Now, all the laptops I recommend, So, if you just want to save time and buy one, they're down there. Let's start

[00:49] which you probably won't want to because it's so bad. Its colors are way off. I mean, 63% of sRGB. Brightness is really low maxing out at 300 nits and viewing angles, according to Hardware Canucks who do have a unit, are dreadful.

[01:04] washed out unless you're sitting right in front of the laptop. But, my biggest concern here is ghosting. A lot of these super cheap panels just have ghosting issues. We actually found that with Dell's own Alienware Aurora which we

[01:19] entry-level laptop, at least that's what they told us. But, we'll get back to that conundrum in a second. Anyway, in fast-moving games, ghosting just makes everything look a bit blurry. Now, Dell's tech spec page, it should show

[01:31] you what response time the display has, at least that's what they do if their display is good. They don't even list the panel specs here at all. So, I'm definitely fearing the worst. Now, the next big issue with this laptop is its

[01:43] performance. Its CPU may sound modern, but that's because it's branded that way, but it actually isn't. It's a Raptor Lake CPU and that architecture, it came out in 2022. These CPUs have horrifically bad power

[01:57] they just tend to run hotter, have louder fan noise, and dreadful battery life. I can't, of course, speak to how loud or hot this new Alienware gets. Obviously, we'll have to order one in to determine that. But, having such an old

[02:11] CPU inside your laptop, it just isn't going to help things. On the GPU side, here in the USA, this laptop comes with either an entry-level 5050 or a 5060, like I said. But, apparently, they're only fed 85 W, which is well below the

[02:25] only fed 85 W, which is well below the 115 W these GPUs are capable of. So, throttled compared to laptops with full wattage versions of these GPUs. That, by the way, you can absolutely buy at this price point. Adding to the Alienware's

[02:39] woes, it only comes with a single stick of memory. This halves the memory bandwidth, and from our testing, it does noticeably reduce performance. In prior single stick of memory. Not a good one, but it was there. You could save money

[02:53] when upgrading to 32 gigs by buying a single stick of 16. But, right now, given the current memory prices, this just doesn't really make sense, especially as this new Alienware, it's supposed to be a budget gaming laptop.

[03:07] performance of the components inside even warrants 32 gigs to begin with. Overall, the 5050 version of this laptop, it's probably going to give you similar gaming performance as Intel's integrated B390, which is what's in

[03:21] their new Path Lake X chips. And by the way, you can buy one of those laptops for the same money as this. ASUS Swift 16, great example. The Swift, it is a much more premium laptop with a much better display. It is significantly more

[03:35] and it will definitely have longer battery life. Now, if you think this unacceptable, apparently, it's going to get even worse in some other regions.

[03:47] Supposedly, Dell are including an even worse 4050 or even 3050 with it. Anyway, adding insult to injury, this new Alienware comes with a MediaTek new Alienware comes with a MediaTek Wi-Fi 6 card, not Wi-Fi 6E or Wi-Fi 7.

[04:01] You're getting a 720p webcam, which has such a low resolution, you're just going to look like a potato. And Hardware Canucks, who as I said, they had that that it is an absolute fingerprint magnet. Look, we've seen laptops like

[04:15] this Alienware before with cheap components, Gigabyte's gaming A60. But those ones cost between $800 to $1,000. And if this one did, we wouldn't be having this conversation. But this is just far more expensive, and it's just

[04:29] damaging to the Alienware brand. I mean, guys, we actually like some Alienwares. We like the Alienware 18, the Area 51. Tony uses it as his video editing laptop every day. You've probably seen it in the closing screens of our videos. But

[04:42] in this case, you're paying top dollar but getting a really cheap product. Plus, it's just confusing. Like as I said, I thought the Aurora was meant to be Alienware's entry-level laptop. Right now, that one is actually $300 cheaper

[04:55] than this new one with similar components. What is going on? Anyway, here is what laptop you should actually buy right now. If you're shopping around $1,000, Lenovo's 2025 LOQ is just better built, has a much

[05:09] better display, and it feeds its GPU more power. It's a better laptop for less. In fact, you can get the 5060 version of that LOQ for less than the 5050 version of this new Alienware, which is absolutely ridiculous. Now, if

[05:24] point, which is where this laptop actually starts, you can get something absolutely amazing. If you prioritize performance right now, get the ASUS Strix G16. That has a much more powerful AMD HX processor and a full wattage 5070

[05:41] Ti. That's just going to deliver monstrously better gaming performance. It's not even close. And it costs around the same money. Or if you want a premium thin and light gaming laptop like I do, you could get the Legion 7i. The Legion

[05:53] 7i, it is so much better than this Alienware. It's just beyond a joke. Just take a look at the Legion 7i's display specs by comparison. It is much much more color accurate, it's got an OLED panel. There's no comparison.

[06:08] Look, as you can clearly see, you've got to be extremely careful right now when you're shopping for a laptop. There are massive differences in what you can get if you know what you're shopping for and you understand what deals are happening.

[06:21] bestlaptop.deals. You see, over there we track prices right across retailers and we specifically call out when a laptop's current price legitimately makes it a good or great deal. Now, to find laptops

[06:34] just click shop laptops, filter for gaming, and click good or great deal. deals are on prior year's models. Stocks probably won't last, so don't dilly dally. But at the same time, buy responsibly. A gaming laptop is a want,

[06:50] it is not a need. Do not use a buy now, pay later scheme or go into debt to buy a gaming laptop. There are plenty of older gaming laptops that would love a good home. And funnily enough, many of those will probably perform better than

[07:04] those will probably perform better than this new Alienware. Josh out.