AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX performance debut: Alienware m16 R1 laptop review

After having launched the 15. 6-inch Alienware m15 , 17-inch Alienware m17 , and 18-inch Alienware m18 , Dell is now ready ship the 16-inch Alienware m16 complete with the newest Nvidia Ada Lovelace GPUs and the choice of either Intel 13th gen Raptor Lake or AMD Zen 4 processors. The Alienware m16 is distinct from the recent Alienware x16 which is an even thinner model with different specifications and features.

Our review unit is an upper-midrange AMD configuration with the Ryzen 9 7845HX, 175 W GeForce RTX 4080 GPU, and 1600p240 IPS display for approximately $2350 USD. Lesser SKUs come equipped with the Ryzen 7 7745HX CPU and Radeon RX 7600M GPU for $2150 while pricier ones with the Ryzen 9 7945HX and RTX 4090 can retail for over $3100+ depending on RAM and SSD preferences. Meanwhile, the Intel versions come with the same display and Nvidia GPU options but with the Core i7-13700HX or i9-13900HX instead.

Competitors include other flagship 16-inch gaming laptops like the HP Omen 16 , Lenovo Legion Pro 7 16 , Asus ROG Strix G16 , or the Razer Blade 16 . More Dell reviews: The chassis is essentially a thicker version of the Alienware x16 R1 as both models are based on the same Legend 3. 0 industrial design.

The rubberized perimeter foot, aluminum outer lid, hexagonal ventilation grilles, rear LED ring, and matte black keyboard deck are a combination not seen on any competing model. The base, lid, and hinges are all firm with no audible creaking when attempting to twist or bend them for stronger first impressions than an Asus TUF Gaming A16 or Lenovo Legion Pro 7 16. The black palm rests, clickpad, and keyboard keys continue to be fingerprint magnets.

Dell is not offering any other color options beyond Dark Metallic Moon at the moment. The Alienware m16 R1 is one of the heaviest 16-inch gaming laptops and also one of the largest in terms of length and width due to its extended rear. Its dense design makes for a very sturdy build albeit at the cost of portability.

The Legion Pro 7 , for example, is 400 g lighter and with a much smaller footprint while offering similar HX-class CPUs and high-end GPUs. Port options include everything found on the Alienware x16 R1 plus RJ-45 and a full-size SD reader instead of MicroSD. A few ports have also been relocated to the left edge whereas they are all crammed along the rear on the x16.

The mini-DisplayPort is notable as well since it is uncommon on newer gaming laptops. USB4 and Thunderbolt are not supported on our AMD model. Transfer rates from the SD card reader are faster than on most other gaming laptops which should satisfy content creators.

Moving 1 GB of pictures from our UHS-II test card to desktop takes just over 5 seconds. AMD SKUs come with the Qualcomm WCN685x while Intel SKUs come with the Killer AX1675 each with Wi-Fi 6E connectivity. Performance is both steady and reliable when paired to our 6 GHz network.

There is a 2 MP webcam with IR and no privacy shutter much like on the Alienware x16. The bottom panel is secured by 8 Phillips screws for easy servicing. Users have direct access to 3x storage bays, 2x SODIMM slots, and the removable WLAN module.

Note that the motherboard is upside-down meaning the processors are on the opposite side. The motherboard design is completely different from the Alienware x16 even though the two models share many external features. It is instead most similar to the Alienware m18.

The retail box includes two Alienware logo stickers alongside the usual AC adapter and paperwork. A one-year limited manufacturer warranty applies if purchased in the US. Users can configure with either a standard membrane-based keyboard or a CherryMX ultra low-profile mechanical keyboard with per-key RGB lighting.

The CherryMX keyboard was introduced a couple of years ago on the Alienware x17 R1 and it remains one of our favorite keyboards on any gaming laptop for its clicky feedback and deep travel. The main drawback, of course, is the sharp and very loud clatter. You may want to consider the standard keyboard option instead for noise-sensitive environments like libraries, classrooms, or dorm rooms.

The backlight illuminates all keys and symbols whereas this was not true on older models . The clickpad is relatively small (11. 3 x 6.

6 cm) since much of the keyboard deck is occupied by the large ventilation grilles. The clickpads on the HP Omen Transcend 16 and Razer Blade 16, for example, are more spacious at 12. 5 x 8 cm and 17 x 9.

7 cm, respectively. Traction is otherwise smooth and with firm and clicky feedback when pressed despite the cramped surface area. Three display options are available as follows: Our unit is configured with the bolded option above which we believe is the sweet spot for the model as it offers full P3 colors, fast refresh rates, and a high resolution all-in-one.

The 1200p option offers even faster refresh rates, but the benefits become increasingly marginal after 240 Hz. The Alienware m16 R1 utilizes the same BOE NE16NZ4 panel as found on the Alienware x16 R1 and so the viewing experience is essentially identical between the two models. This high-end panel is fit for both gaming and content creation with wider colors than the MNG007DA2-3 panel on the Legion Pro 7.

However, the displays on the Razer Blade 16 Early 2023 or Mini-LED-based H P Omen Transcend 16 are noticeably brighter which can come in handy for HDR content. The display is decently calibrated out of the box against the P3 standard with average grayscale and color DeltaE values of only 2. 2 and 3.

71, respectively. Calibrating the display ourselves with an X-Rite colorimeter would improve grayscale even further to an average deltaE of just 0. 4 for more accurate colors overall.

Our calibrated ICM profile is available to download above for free. Outdoor visibility is decent only when under shade. The Omen Transcend 16 and its mini-LED display is over 2x brighter if outdoor visibility is a concern.

We set our unit to Overdrive mode via Alienware Command Center and the GPU to dGPU mode prior to running the benchmarks below. Users should become familiar with Command Center as it is the control hub for system features related to Performance, vitals, and lighting. Command Center should not be confused with My Alienware which is the warranty and support software.

Advanced Optimus or MUX is supported. G-Sync, however, is not supported on the internal display for the AMD versions of the Alienware m16 as that feature is currently exclusive to the Intel versions. Instead, FreeSync is supported in its place.

The Ryzen 9 7845HX performs closer to the impressive Ryzen 9 7945HX than to the Ryzen 7 7745HX . Multi-thread performance is about 20 to 25 percent slower than the Ryzen 9 7945HX or roughly 50 percent ahead than the Ryzen 7 7745HX. The CPU is therefore just shy of the competing Core i9-13900HX but well ahead of the Core i7-13700HX .

The concept of settling for slower CPU performance by opting for AMD instead of Intel doesn’t apply to this generation. Performance sustainability is excellent as shown by the stable Cinebench R15 xT results below. PCMark scores are some of the highest of any gaming laptop.

The widest margin is in the Productivity subtest which focuses on CPU performance. Unfortunately, we experienced several wake-from-sleep issues on our test unit. The system would sometimes reboot for no reason when opening the lid or show the blue screen of death even after updating to the latest drivers from Dell and Nvidia at the time of review.

LatencyMon reveals slight DPC issues related to ntoskrnl. exe. Additionally, 4K video playback at 60 FPS is imperfect with 18 dropped frames recorded during a one-minute video test to suggest a potential bug in the AMD hardware acceleration.

Results would not improve even after repeat testing. Our unit ships with a high-end 1 TB Kioxia KXG80ZNV1T02 offering sequential read and write rates of up to 7000 MB/s and 5600 MB/s, respectively, according to the manufacturer. The drive is able to sustain maximum transfer rates of over 6500 MB/s for extended periods with no throttling issues.

Up to three M. 2 SSDs can be installed whereas the Alienware x16 and HP Omen 16 can only support up to two each. The third drive, however, must be 30 mm in length.

Graphics performance is about 5 to 10 percent faster than the average gaming laptop in our database equipped with the same RTX 4080 GPU as the Alienware targets a relatively high 175 W TGP. In fact, performance is only about 5 percent slower than the Asus Zephyrus Duo 16 running on the RTX 4090. Upgrading to the RTX 4090 SKU is expected to boost performance by just 10 percent over our RTX 4080 while downgrading to the RTX 4070 should decrease performance more significantly by up to 30 to 40 percent based on our time with the HP Omen Transcend 16 .

Enthusiasts should therefore consider SKUs with the RTX 4080 at the least. Interestingly, there are only minor performance differences between the Balanced, Performance, and Overdrive modes as shown by the Fire Strike scores in the table below. This is important to note as the modes differ significantly in terms of fan noise.

Performance in games is excellent with results that are 5 to 10 percent faster than other laptops with the same RTX 4080 GPU as predicted by 3DMark. The benefits extend into lower graphical settings as well which can help gamers who prefer maximizing frame rates over resolution. The mobile RTX 4080 is powerful enough to play any current title at the native QHD+ resolution at over 60 FPS even though it’s much weaker than a desktop RTX 4080 .

Performance stability is unfortunately imperfect. When idling on Witcher 3, for example, frame rates would occasionally stutter to 70 FPS before bouncing back up to the 150+ FPS range as shown by the graph below. This suggests poor optimization of background resources which may be interrupting the application in focus.

The fans are almost always active at just under 30 dB(A) against a silent background of 23 dB(A). While audible, the noise is at least steady as the fans don’t pulse any louder when running undemanding loads like browsers or video. Fan noise when gaming on Balanced, Performance, or Overdrive modes can be as loud as 49.

4 dB(A), 51 dB(A), and 54. 7 dB(A), respectively. Since the performance loss on Balanced mode is so minimal as mentioned above, users may want to consider gaming on Balanced mode instead of Performance or Overdrive mode for the noticeably quieter fan noise.

Other 16-inch gaming laptops like the Razer Blade 16 or Omen Transcend 16 tend to stabilize in the louder low-to-mid 50 dB(A) range when running games. Surface temperatures can be very warm at up to 50 C along the rear. Thankfully, the palm rests and keyboard regions remain cooler to the touch for better comfort due in part to the expansive ventilation grilles.

The keyboard center, for example, reaches 42 C when gaming compared to 46 C on the Lenovo Legion Pro 7 16. Initiating Prime95 causes the CPU to boost to 5 GHz, 132 W, and a toasty 99 C for several seconds before eventually stabilizing at 4. 6 GHz, 118 W, and 85 C.

Running Witcher 3 on Overdrive mode would see the GPU stabilize at 2430 MHz clock, 2263 MHz VRAM, and 158 W board power draw compared to 2415 MHz clock, 2250 MHz VRAM, and 156 W when on Balanced mode according to GPU-Z. The very slight performance differences between the two modes align with our Fire Strike observations mentioned above. Core temperatures would be a few degrees warmer on Balanced mode versus Overdrive mode since the fans are noticeably quieter on Balanced mode.

Note that while the GPU is rated for 175 W TGP, we’re only able to reach up to 160 W in real-world gaming conditions. Alienware laptops have always had some of the highest power consumption numbers and our Alienware m16 R1 is no different. Simply idling on desktop would draw between 39 W and 69 W compared to less than half on the Lenovo Legion Pro 7 or Asus ROG Strix G16.

These high idling levels are likely responsible for the underwhelming battery life results in the next section. Power consumption when gaming averages 285 W which is again more than most other gaming laptops including even Dell’s own Alienware x16. The 330 W AC adapter is large (~20 x 10 x 4.

5 cm) and bulky. In comparison, the GaN 330 W AC adapter currently shipping with the latest Razer laptops is noticeably more portable. Battery life remains poor at just under 4 hours of real-world WLAN browsing when on the Balanced power profile with the iGPU active.

We even tried using the special “Battery” power profile through Alienware Command Center and our results would still not improve. Competing models like the Lenovo Legion Pro 7 or Asus ROG Strix G16 are each able to last much longer. Charging from empty to full capacity takes a little over 2 hours.

The system can also be recharged via USB-C albeit at a slower rate. The Alienware m16 R1 crams an insane amount of power and features for a 16-inch laptop. We’re talking liquid metal, vapor chamber, four fans, 3x SSD bays, CherryMX mechanical keyboard, 175 W graphics, upgradeable RAM, and even CPU and GPU options from both Intel and AMD.

Competing 16-inch gaming models like the HP Omen Transcend 16 , Razer Blade 16 , or Asus Zephyrus M16 have comparatively smaller sets of features and are generally slower as well even when configured with the same GPU as our test configuration. The engineers at Alienware deserve a ton of credit considering how densely-packed the Alienware m16 R1 is. On the other hand, the long list of integrated features can also work against the laptop as the Alienware m16 is both heavier and larger than many alternatives by wide margins.

Battery life in particular suffers quite heavily no matter the power profile setting. If you value portability, then you might want to look elsewhere. Additionally, the model is still lacking a couple of popular features like OLED and mini-LED.

The Alienware m16 R1 is undeniably fast and feature-packed with above-average results all-around. However, the performance benefits come at the cost of heavier weight and a larger size. The bugs we encountered during our review deserve a mention.

The frame skips during 4K video playback, frame rate stutters when gaming, and wake-from-sleep issues are unfortunate to see considering that Alienware is supposed to be an enthusiast brand. Perhaps Dell is biting off a bit more than it can chew with its numerous Intel-Nvidia, AMD-Nvidia, and AMD-AMD configurations which can make troubleshooting quite tricky. Dell is now shipping its Alienware m16 model in both Intel and AMD versions.

The AMD version starts at $1700 USD up to over $3000 to $4000 if fully configured. .