Sorry, this offer has expired. Set up a deal alert and get notified of future deals like this. Add a Deal Alert

Expired Hot Deals

Sorry, this offer has expired.
Set up a deal alert and get notified of future deals like this.
Set up a Deal Alert
Dell

Alienware M15 R5 Ryzen (5800H + 3070) less than $2k all-in

  • Last Updated:
  • Aug 17th, 2021 10:56 am
Deal Fanatic
User avatar
Feb 9, 2005
5634 posts
208 upvotes
Scarborough
HandleyX92208 wrote:
I asked them about the Rakuten difference. They could not change it, but they offered me $180. I ordered the higher 5900HX model. The ship date for that model seems to have pushed back into August so I'll just keep the order.
Yeah they gave me a credit for the difference for the promo. Good enough and less hassle then cancel and reorder.
RZ9 5900X|GB X570 Aorus Elite|CR 2x16Gb DDR4-3600 CL16|eVGA GF RTX 3080 10GB XCU|eVGA SN750 P2|Antec P183|LG WH14NS40|Intel 730 480GB SSD|CC MX500 2TB SSD|SS 1TB HDD|SoundBlaster Z|Logi Z-5500|LG 38WK95C/Len TV T22i-10|CS K100|HyperX PF Surge|Ocu. Rift S
Newbie
Feb 20, 2019
90 posts
73 upvotes
GVA, BC
Should I go for this or the G15? Price difference $450 for me.
Koodo $40/mo 12GB - S20 FE CPO
Fido $55/mo 11GB - S20 FE + $300 WM Gift Card
Telus $60 300/300MBPS + $400 Bill Credits
Jr. Member
Aug 9, 2012
177 posts
57 upvotes
ReginaldB13317 wrote: Should I go for this or the G15? Price difference $450 for me.
It probably depends on your usage. For me, I only really play WoW which isn't terribly demanding as far as graphics cards are concerned, but the extra juice in the gpu might be more important to you. I took a look at the mash-it video comparing the base M15 with the 3060 vs the 3070. It's not a perfect comparison to the G15, but would give you a rough estimate of the difference in performance. To me, it looked like for about 71-72% of the cost of the M15 , I could get 85%+ performance.

I'm plugged into an external monitor/keyboard most of the time. Ideally I would have liked more usb type c ports on the G15, but for the peripherals I use I think the G15 will be sufficient since I usually use a usb hub anyway.

You may get an extra year out of a 3070 or not depending on how picky you are with having the most recent hardware + performance. Chances are you could get slightly more resale for the M15 as well when the time comes. You could also take into consideration if the extra $450 makes much difference in your budget currently, and how much more enjoyment you may get out of the higher tiered laptop.


Deal Addict
User avatar
Apr 2, 2013
1000 posts
1213 upvotes
Barrie
I went with the 3070 and qHD display with mechanical keyboard. Will it be an upgrade to my Legion 7i? Don't know yet. Figure there's 30 days to find out and couldn't pass up the 10% Rakuten
Newbie
Apr 17, 2020
74 posts
113 upvotes
PappaJ wrote: It probably depends on your usage. For me, I only really play WoW which isn't terribly demanding as far as graphics cards are concerned, but the extra juice in the gpu might be more important to you. I took a look at the mash-it video comparing the base M15 with the 3060 vs the 3070. It's not a perfect comparison to the G15, but would give you a rough estimate of the difference in performance. To me, it looked like for about 71-72% of the cost of the M15 , I could get 85%+ performance.

I'm plugged into an external monitor/keyboard most of the time. Ideally I would have liked more usb type c ports on the G15, but for the peripherals I use I think the G15 will be sufficient since I usually use a usb hub anyway.

You may get an extra year out of a 3070 or not depending on how picky you are with having the most recent hardware + performance. Chances are you could get slightly more resale for the M15 as well when the time comes. You could also take into consideration if the extra $450 makes much difference in your budget currently, and how much more enjoyment you may get out of the higher tiered laptop.


Hey man, I also do WoWs everyday. Perhaps I will see you there? (I love my North Carolina). I agree that WoWs and other older MMO vehicular games are not very GPU-intensive. My own G5 SE handles it with ease. The same cannot be said for Flight Sim...

I also struggled with the same dilemma before I settled with 2 m15 for my sons (trusting that they are well built and will last for the next 4 to 5 years). I opted for the 3070, QHD, 512 GB but sticking with membrane keyboard.

I totally agree with your perspective. Although the G15 and m15 Ryzen edition are very similar on paper, it is still not a levelled comparison. The difference in raw performance may not be much, but the user experience is of two different target audiences.
FPS and graphics details are only two of the determinants of one's gaming experience, and that experience is highly subjective. If budget allows, the m15 will likely you give better gaming experience.
Member
Oct 20, 2010
298 posts
145 upvotes
BC
TheGuard wrote: I went with the 3070 and qHD display with mechanical keyboard. Will it be an upgrade to my Legion 7i? Don't know yet. Figure there's 30 days to find out and couldn't pass up the 10% Rakuten

I tried ordering one of these... Holy cow mid August ETA
Deal Addict
Apr 10, 2013
1124 posts
259 upvotes
Mississauga
Umrmp3 wrote: Hey man, I also do WoWs everyday. Perhaps I will see you there? (I love my North Carolina). I agree that WoWs and other older MMO vehicular games are not very GPU-intensive. My own G5 SE handles it with ease. The same cannot be said for Flight Sim...

I also struggled with the same dilemma before I settled with 2 m15 for my sons (trusting that they are well built and will last for the next 4 to 5 years). I opted for the 3070, QHD, 512 GB but sticking with membrane keyboard.

I totally agree with your perspective. Although the G15 and m15 Ryzen edition are very similar on paper, it is still not a levelled comparison. The difference in raw performance may not be much, but the user experience is of two different target audiences.
FPS and graphics details are only two of the determinants of one's gaming experience, and that experience is highly subjective. If budget allows, the m15 will likely you give better gaming experience.
I don't think there will be any gaming difference between g15 3060 and m15 306o. G15 is exact clone of M15 with plastic chassis. You can watch some of video on youtube, all internal are same even there is logo of alienware on MB of G15. M15 look more premium and has gamer look while g15 look more discrete and is better if you bring it to work or school.
Member
Aug 31, 2020
298 posts
452 upvotes
Mine is in my hands today. 3 Weeks earlier than expected.
Deal Addict
User avatar
Apr 2, 2013
1000 posts
1213 upvotes
Barrie
gbx555 wrote: Mine is in my hands today. 3 Weeks earlier than expected.
That's great to hear! Mine hasn't shipped yet. What specs did you go with?
Member
User avatar
Apr 22, 2010
310 posts
240 upvotes
Markham
Ordered June 11
Shipped today
Standard specs (5800/3070) except for 1TB hard drive
Member
Aug 31, 2020
298 posts
452 upvotes
TheGuard wrote: That's great to hear! Mine hasn't shipped yet. What specs did you go with?
standard 5800/3070/1080p however I realized I might have made a bit of a mistake. Apparently the 1080p 165hz base configuration display does not have advanced optimus/gsync meaning it automaticall has 20-40% less performance in games. Really miffed about that. proof:
Deal Addict
User avatar
Apr 2, 2013
1000 posts
1213 upvotes
Barrie
Ya that is one reason why I chose the QHD display. Definitely want to turn off the iGPU while plugged in. How are you liking it though?
Member
Aug 31, 2020
298 posts
452 upvotes
TheGuard wrote: Ya that is one reason why I chose the QHD display. Definitely want to turn off the iGPU while plugged in. How are you liking it though
its... alright I spent the few hours I had today just setting up and tweaking it and it is honestly performing very meh for a 3070 125W laptop compared to the competition. The build quality and feel is pretty nice, looks slick and isn't as bad as many make it out to be.

The thermals on the CPU is as horrendous as everyone says and thankfully I knew that going in and have applied an aggressive fan curve as well as throttled the CPU with ryzen master. I don't understand how anyone could use it stock as it hits 100C. Sometimes the cpu sits at 80C at a blank empty desktop and I am still trying to figure out why.

I am honestly pretty sad about that huge performance loss by going with the 1080p base display. I am setting this laptop up for a sister, who is still a kid so she wouldn't notice or care. But if this laptop was going to be my main I don't think I could live with those issues and I don't think I'm willing to wait 1+ month to exchange my unit for a QHD.


edit:

timeline was:
june 7 - placed order
june 18 - shipped
june 22 - arrived
Deal Addict
User avatar
Apr 2, 2013
1000 posts
1213 upvotes
Barrie
gbx555 wrote: its... alright
timeline was:
june 7 - placed order
june 18 - shipped
june 22 - arrived
Thanks for the mini-review there. I am definitely hoping with the tweaks by Mash IT it's reasonable. Honestly everything runs hot nowadays. Even my Legion 7i will spike to 94 but will settle high 80s without throttling; and that's with a vapour chamber. I will certainly update this post with a comparison and my take as well. I am looking forward to the QHD display though, that's for sure.
Deal Fanatic
User avatar
Jul 11, 2003
6788 posts
2103 upvotes
gbx555 wrote: standard 5800/3070/1080p however I realized I might have made a bit of a mistake. Apparently the 1080p 165hz base configuration display does not have advanced optimus/gsync meaning it automaticall has 20-40% less performance in games. Really miffed about that.
A workaround is to connect an external monitor via HDMI to get the full benefit of the dGPU.
------He who dares, Rodders, he who dares------

Heatware Feedback eBay Feedback
X360 Live Gamertag: Frenzied360
Sr. Member
User avatar
Apr 24, 2012
640 posts
1021 upvotes
Vancouver
How does this one compare to Legion 5 Pro with 3060 in terms of gaming performance? I read that Alienware cooling is crap, so I wonder if it's end up performing similarly to 3060 with better cooling.
Deal Addict
User avatar
Apr 2, 2013
1000 posts
1213 upvotes
Barrie
zaporozhets wrote: How does this one compare to Legion 5 Pro with 3060 in terms of gaming performance? I read that Alienware cooling is crap, so I wonder if it's end up performing similarly to 3060 with better cooling.

Seems like yes, the 3060 and R5 run about the same as the Alienware M15 R5 with 3070 and R7 and much cooler.
Deal Fanatic
User avatar
Feb 9, 2005
5634 posts
208 upvotes
Scarborough
Guess with customizations it takes longer to ship oh well!
RZ9 5900X|GB X570 Aorus Elite|CR 2x16Gb DDR4-3600 CL16|eVGA GF RTX 3080 10GB XCU|eVGA SN750 P2|Antec P183|LG WH14NS40|Intel 730 480GB SSD|CC MX500 2TB SSD|SS 1TB HDD|SoundBlaster Z|Logi Z-5500|LG 38WK95C/Len TV T22i-10|CS K100|HyperX PF Surge|Ocu. Rift S
Deal Addict
User avatar
Apr 2, 2013
1000 posts
1213 upvotes
Barrie
coldpower27 wrote: Guess with customizations it takes longer to ship oh well!
Ya mine hasn't shipped yet either... But all I am hoping for is decent quality after the first batch fiascos lol
Member
Aug 31, 2020
298 posts
452 upvotes
It seems I have a defective heatsink because I attempted liquid metal twice on this POS and both times only the GPU side obtained the benefits -------------- going go go in a THIRD time this weekend to apply traditional Gelid-Xtreme TIM and calling it a day. Then I think I'm going to decide to return this thing for a Lenovo 5 Pro or keep it. Strongly Leaning towards paying more for a better experience but I'm not sure if the lenovo 5 pro despite all the pluses on the alienware is worth 800~ more.

On the plus side, I'm probably one of the only few in Toronto that can reliable dismantle and re-paste this thing (the disassembly is like a 2 hour process). Might consider helping some people out :)

Top

Thread Information

There is currently 1 user viewing this thread. (0 members and 1 guest)