As I write this, I'm still debating whether or not to keep the laptop. I'll summarize my pros and cons so people know what they're getting into when considering the Alienware m15 2019 Edition.20 % off. For the specs, this was a very good price - Dual Channel Ram. Quite a few laptop manufacturers use single stick RAM, although in-game testing from multiple vendors has shown that dual channel RAM can be a real performance boost - Alienware Suite. Alienware bundles its machines with a very easy to use but helpful GUI for tracking hardware components and setting profiles for games. Also, the included bloatware was pretty much non-existent compared to many other vendors. - Case construction. It's a solid piece of mostly aluminum that offers very little flex (which is a good thing) and a lot of rigidity. Plus... it just looks good to me. - Easy to upgrade. Unlike several laptops with an inverted motherboard (making upgrades extremely difficult), the Alienware m15 puts its components within easy reach. Loosen 8 small screws, gently pry off the back panel and you have access to the Memory, the M.2 slots, and the battery. - The keyboard. Key travel is decent and the keyboard is ample size for all but the meatiest of fingers. Backlighting is great. There are six RGB zones, if that's your thing stand something. - It's 'Merican. Hey, Alienware is an American company (now owned by Dell). Supports the home team! Even though these are built in China anyway :( Cons - HEATING. Big con here folks. While the included i7- 8750H is rated for a maximum temperature of 100 degrees, far too often this comes far too close to this threshold.Also, after an intense gaming session, the Alienware logo (power) button can get extremely hot.Like me In Shadow of the Tomb Raider, this laptop achieves great FPS on a very demanding game, but at a rather high heating cost.This could degrade the laptop over time.- Screen Backlight Bleeding.Unfortunately, this is a common problem for many Laptop manufacturers The backlight bleeding is "just tolerable" enough for me that I'm hesitant to return the laptop as the screen itself doesn't show any noticeable dead pixels yet - Fingerprint -Magnet Holy crap...whatever the rubberized palm rest finish and air vents just above the CPU/GPU, it has to be every forensic scientist's dream. SoTTR on "Highest" settings easily surpasses 60+ FPS in every scene and 90+ at most. In other, less demanding games like Fortnite or Apex Legends, a user will see the true benefit of the 144Hz display. A couple of issues keep it from being a surefire win, and this is one very crowded thin and light category. Without the terrific selling price I wouldn't recommend this to any of the many similar devices like the Lenovo Legion Y740, Acer Triton 500 or HP Omen 15t.
