Skip to main content

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

This is the best Alienware gaming laptop you can buy

The world of the best gaming laptops is constantly evolving, presenting enthusiasts with an ever-expanding array of powerful, sleek, and innovative choices. Among these, Alienware stands out as a popular brand name renowned for its cutting-edge technology, performance-driven hardware, and futuristic design.

As gaming becomes increasingly immersive and demanding, choosing the right gaming laptop can significantly impact your experience. In this article, we delve into what we think is the best Alienware gaming laptop that you can buy today, the Alienware x16.

Diablo 4 running on the Alienware x16.
Jacob Roach / Digital Trends

First showcased at CES 2023, the Alienware x16 is sort of an alternative to the x17. It features a sleek and futuristic design that the company calls Legend 3 and is available in a Lunar Silver color scheme. The lid and bottom chassis are now made out of solid metal with a silver finish that looks really clean, while the inside (keyboard deck and bezels) is all black. It almost seems like Alienware parent Dell wanted to add a hint of its XPS lineup, but at the same time didn’t want to wander away from Alienware’s well-known space age-inspired design language. There’s also a neat-looking loop of RGB lights powered by 100 micro-LEDs surrounding the rear ports.

Despite being a 16-inch power-packed gaming laptop, the Alienware x16 has a pretty slim profile, making it one of the thinnest in its category. It has a thickness of 0.73 inches and weighs around 5.9 pounds, which makes it easier to carry around in a backpack.

Alienware x16 hanging out of the backpack.
Jacob Roach / Digital Trends / Digital Trends

Like the previous-gen X-series laptops, the Alienware x16 continues to have all of its I/O ports at the rear. While that is great to manage cables, it can be cumbersome in certain situations. There’s a headphone jack, microSD card slot, two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports, two USB-C ports with Thunderbolt 4, a HDMI 2.1, and a mini-DisplayPort 1.4 connector. Notably, there is no Ethernet jack, but you do get Wi-Fi 6E for fast internet connectivity.

In terms of display, Dell is offering three configurations on the Alienware x16. You can get the laptop with a 1200p 480Hz refresh rate, but there is also the option of 2560 x 1600 resolution available with either 165Hz or 240Hz, which is probably the better choice if you are looking for a sharper gaming experience. All three display options incorporate both Nvidia G-Sync and Advanced Optimus, enabling the system to seamlessly alternate between discrete and integrated GPUs automatically.

The Alienware x16 boasts a sizable touchpad, while the compact palm rest is intentionally designed to create additional space above the keyboard for improved ventilation. The touchpad is equipped with customizable RGB lighting, allowing users to personalize it to illuminate in their preferred pattern or color scheme.

Keyboard and trackpad on the Alienware x16.
Jacob Roach / Digital Trends / Digital Trends

The Alienware x16 comes with a comfortable keyboard featuring 1.8mm key travel and top-tier functionalities such as N-Key rollover, anti-ghosting, and per-key RGB backlighting. For those seeking a more tactile experience, there’s also the choice of a Cherry MX ultra-low-profile mechanical keyboard.

As for performance, the Alienware x16 comes with Intel’s 13th-gen mobile CPUs ranging from the Core i7-13620H all the way to the powerful Core i9-13900HK. It can be configured with up to 32GB of LPDDR5 6000 MT/s memory and dual 2TB PCIe Gen 4 SSDs in RAID configuration. Graphics duties are handled by Nvidia’s latest GeForce RTX 40-series mobile GPUs and can be configured up to the RTX 4090, with 175 watts of graphics power. The RTX 4050, 4060, 4070, or 4080 are also options.

Dell continues to use its Alienware Cryo-tech cooling technology, which includes a special Thermal 31 thermal compound on the CPU and GPU for enhanced cooling. There’s also a vapor chamber and dual cooling fans that have been improved to deliver better airflow. Do note that the special thermal compound is available in a few select configurations.

Pricing starts at $1,799 for the base configuration, while the top-end model is going to set you back $3,799.

While the Alienware x16 is the sweet spot for most, there are two other laptops in the lineup that are worth considering before pulling the trigger. First, there’s the Alienware x14. This 14-inch gaming laptop is remarkably smaller than the 16-inch model, and though its performance is more limited, the compact size of this device is incredible.

On the other end of the spectrum, there’s the Alienware m18, which is currently the most powerful offering from the company. It can be configured with the latest Intel or AMD mobile CPUs, the RTX 4090, up to 8TB of storage, and 64GB of DDR5 memory.

Editors' Recommendations

Kunal Khullar
A PC hardware enthusiast and casual gamer, Kunal has been in the tech industry for almost a decade contributing to names like…
The 5 weirdest laptops ever made that you forgot existed
The HP OmniBook 800CT on a table with Civilization loaded up on it.

In the past couple of years, laptops have been released that I never thought would be possible. Whether it's a foldable laptop like the ThinkPad X1 16 Gen 1, a fully modular gaming laptop like the Framework 16, or a laptop with a glasses-free 3D display, we're in a golden era of design experimentation right now.

But there's a long legacy of experimentation with laptop design, and as I looked back, I came across plenty of older machines from the 1990s and 2000s that are every bit as strange and conceptual.
HP OmniBook 800CT
Exploring the HP Omnibook 800CT

Read more
4 gaming monitors you should buy instead of the Alienware 34 QD-OLED
Cyberpunk 2077 running on the Alienware 34 QD-OLED.

The Alienware 34 QD-OLED is one of the best gaming monitors you can buy. There's no doubt about that. It has exceptional image quality, an attractive price, and a suite of features that are actually useful. Even with such high praise, the Alienware 34 QD-OLED isn't for everyone, and there are some other great options available.

Maybe you're looking to spend a little more or a little less, or maybe the ultrawide form factor isn't for you. Regardless, we've rounded up four monitors that Digital Trends has reviewed and found to be great alternatives to the Alienware 34 QD-OLED.
Samsung Odyssey OLED G8

Read more
How buying the wrong gaming PC can go horribly wrong
A gaming PC on a carpeted floor.

We all have that one PC horror story. Maybe you can laugh about it now, or maybe it's just a lesson learned, but it probably wasn't all too funny at the time when everything broke down.

I have plenty of stories like that, but a few of the worst ones that come to mind are all related to prebuilt PCs. Here are some of the prebuilt disasters I've seen over the years, and what to look out for if you're trying to buy a desktop PC.
It's better to be patient
I'm no custom PC snob, or at least I try not to be, but that doesn't stop me from warning the people in my life when they decide to buy a prebuilt. This is because buying a good prebuilt PC is not as easy as just walking into a store and picking out the first thing that looks decent enough. Much like PC building, buying prebuilts requires a fair bit of research for things to end well.

Read more