Alienware recently introduced its creme de la creme in India — the X17 R1 gaming laptop that promises to offer crazy desktop-replacement performance in a sleek and portable form factor, along with a crazy large 17-inch full-HD display.
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We got to take it for a spin for a few weeks and here’s what we truly loved about this gaming laptop.
Really sleek for a gaming laptop
The first thing that you’ll notice when you look at the pristine white storm-trooper aesthetics of the X17 R1, it’s that the machine is large, but not large enough to look like a bulky, chunky gaming laptop — something that’s pretty common in the 17-inch display category.
Instead, you get a machine that still fits all of its high-performance goodness in a 0.84-inch thin form factor. This along with the all-matte trim on the machine makes it one of the most subtle yet impressive looking gaming machines on the market.
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Subtle RGB elements
Unlike some gaming laptops that are known to barf RGB elements at every nook and cranny of the laptop, Alienware’s implementation is by far the most impressive in my opinion. Whether it’s the halo-like RGB ring that covers the ports at the back or the tiny alien head on the lid and the power button, or the flat, matte black keyboard array — the RGB execution is truly spot on.
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Moreover, the Alienware control panel is by far one of the most user-friendly software for RGB configuration. If you’re someone who often games in a dark room on your desk, the RGB halo lights at the back add a cool yet subtle vibe to the entire desk and room.
An impressive port selection to choose from
In case you thought that Alienware X17 R1 might miss out on all the ports with its sleek avatar, you’d be surprised to know that it has quite a collection, all neatly tucked at the back or spine of the laptop.
We’ve got two USB 3.1 Type-A ports, two USB-C ports (one with Thunderbolt 4 support and both with power delivery), HDMI and mini DisplayPort video outputs, a microSD card slot, and a Killer Ethernet jack.
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Reaching to the back every time for plugging something in surely gets cumbersome, but if you’re someone who sees this machine as a desktop replacement, the rear orientation offers great wire-management capabilities, which is perfect for a machine of this size.
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Packs quite a punch under the hood
Despite the sleek design, the X17 R1 isn’t backing down in terms of performance. We’re looking at Intel’s eight-core Core i7 11800H paired with 32GB of DDR4 memory. This is alongside a laptop-grade Nvidia RTX 3070 which offers 8GB of GDDR5 memory.
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The benchmarks reveal that the hardware is clearly shining bright. 3DMark 11 scores clearly show the machine can handle any game you throw at it, at the highest possible settings.
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It ran a smooth 67fps while running Cyberpunk 2077. Control, a game that truly shines the ray-tracing capabilities of the GPU, stood stable at 80 fps. Online multiplayer Rainbow Six Siege ran at a good 340fps.
A 360Hz refresh rate monitor
The X17 R1 also sports a bright and large 17-inch full-HD VA panel sporting a resolution of 1920×1080 pixels. However, what truly makes the display shine is the 360Hz refresh rate that truly makes the animations look smooth AF.
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In case you ever thought 144Hz was a big jump over standard 60Hz, 360Hz will truly blow your mind. Whether it was playing esports titles like Valorant, Rocket League, or simply cruising the streets of Mexico in Forza Horizon 5, the panel looked mind-blowing at every move. Definitely one of the best monitors on a gaming laptop today.
Alienware X17 starts at a price tag of Rs 290,990, based on the hardware you choose.
What do you think about the x17 R1? Tell us in the comments below and keep reading Indiatimes.com for science and technology stories
