Crafted for immersive, high-definition gaming, the 17.3" Alienware 17 R4 Laptop from Dell is a VR-ready system that has passed Oculus Ready and Vive Optimized certifications. It is equipped with a 2560 x 1440 120 Hz G-Sync display and a NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 graphics card with 8GB of GDDR5X VRAM. With a dedicated graphics card, you'll be able to crank up in-game visual settings and enable additional graphical eye-candy options to enjoy your games at their best. Balancing out the rest of the system is a 2.9 GHz Intel Core i7-7820HK Quad-Core processor and 32GB of 2400 MHz DDR4 RAM that'll allow you to efficiently multitask and quickly access frequently used files and programs.
For storage, the Alienware 17 R4 has a 256GB PCIe SSD, which serves as the boot drive, and a 1TB 7200 rpm SATA hard drive, which is used for general storage, for an overall capacity of 1.256TB. Should you need more room, you can connect external storage solutions with two 5 Gb/s USB 3.0 Type-A ports, one of which features PowerShare technology, one 5 Gb/s USB 3.0 Type-C port, and one 40 Gb/s Thunderbolt 3 port. Furthermore, using its HDMI 2.0, mini-DisplayPort 1.2, and Thunderbolt 3 ports, you can connect external displays for extensive multitasking. Other integrated features include a Full HD webcam with Tobii IR Eye-tracking presence detection, Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.1, a headphone jack (retaskable for mic/line-in analog audio), an audio out jack (compatible with inline mic headsets), and RGB lighting. The installed operating system is Windows 10 Home (64-bit).
General Features
Performance
Built with a 2.9 GHz Intel Core i7-7820HK Quad-Core processor, the Alienware 17 provides high-performance gaming technology. Utilizing magnesium alloy for rigidity, copper for improved performance, anodized aluminum for extra protection, and steel for tactile comfort, it is also equipped with an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 graphics card with 8GB of GDDR5X VRAM, a max CPU burst frequency of 3.9 GHz, and 32GB of 2400 MHz DDR4 system memory, allowing you to experience gaming on a whole new level.
Gaming Functions
Armed with knowledge about your presence, eye movement, and corresponding head movement, Tobii eye tracking enhances your games, including Tom Clancy's The Division, Watch Dogs 2 and Assassin's Creed Syndicate, so you can input commands that are more in tune to real life. Aim where you look, signal teammates with a glance, and navigate a cockpit freely.
120 Hz G-Sync TN Anti-Glare Display
NVIDIA G-Sync technology syncs the display's refresh rate with the graphics card's frame rate output to reduce screen tearing and ghosting. Combined with a 120 Hz refresh rate, which helps to eliminate stuttering and jitters, you'll be able to react instantly to your game.
System Intelligence
Armed with more information about you, including your attention and position in front of the laptop, your machine can now optimize power usage and even trigger more advanced security profiles. This feature is exclusive to Alienware machines.
Game Coaching
With Overwolf apps, replay your gaze pattern and see where you went wrong. Learn from your mistakes, find new opportunities, and defeat the competition.
Windows Hello
An HD resolution camera with an IR sensor and facial recognition technology allows you to log in with just a look.
Keyboard
With an upgraded Alienware TactX keyboard, N-key rollover is now supported, enabling over 108-key commands for more actions per minute. The keyboard also features 2.2mm of key travel, allowing for rapid response for most keystrokes. A reinforced steel back plate provides rigidity and uniform feedback and helps provide a life of up to 10 million keystrokes.
Additionally, you can create a more personalized look for your machine with improved AlienFX, which is designed with optimized RGB-LED enabled lighting and supported on over 130 games. You'll also have the option to create and download unique themes.
Additionally, you can create a more personalized look for your machine with improved AlienFX, which is designed with optimized RGB-LED enabled lighting and supported on over 130 games. You'll also have the option to create and download unique themes.
Designed to Keep Cool
Higher maximum thermal design power (TDP) support means that your system can handle a higher total wattage for internal components, enabling a higher level of performance. With the entire ventilation system upgraded, your system can stay cool even under extreme graphics pressure.
Hear Every Battle Cry
The upgraded design features a larger speaker box that helps to improve audio output, delivering a clearer and more dramatic gaming experience.
Clear the Desktop
Avoid excess cables and embrace the "desktop mode" design, where most of your critical connections and ports are in the back and out of the way.
Killer Wireless
Killer DoubleShot Pro provides wired and wireless networking setups that prioritize Internet traffic and stream data to the applications most important to you.
Alienware Graphics Amplifier Port
This enables future-proofing of upgradeable, full-length, dual-wide graphics and an additional four-port USB 3.0 hub for added peripherals. Dell has also added a PCIe Gen3 x4 connection with dedicated throughput for connectivity that rivals Thunderbolt. Please note that the Alienware Graphics Amplifier is sold separately.
Thunderbolt 3
Thunderbolt 3 is a hardware interface that utilizes the reversible USB Type-C connector. Doubling the speed of its predecessor, Thunderbolt 3 features a maximum throughput of 40 Gb/s when used with compatible devices. The connector also transmits data via USB 3.1 at up to 10 Gb/s, and dual-bandwidth DisplayPort 1.2 allows you to connect two 4K displays simultaneously. Additionally, you can daisy chain up to six devices from a single Thunderbolt 3 port.
AlienFX
AlienFX uses 20 different colors to create over 80 quadrillion unique themes to give your machine a more personalized look. Supported on over 130 titles, lighting zones can be customized to react to things like in game actions, powering on and off, and notifications by pulsing, morphing, or simply holding a solid color. Once you've finished your theme, you can save and upload it to the Alienware Arena community site where you can share your custom creation with others and download any you find. And for times when you want a little less visual stimulation, AlienFX allows you to "go dark" by disabling all lighting effects until you're ready to turn them back on.
AlienFusion
The Always Ready Mode puts your system in a state in between sleep and awake, allowing core programs to run in the background while the machine runs quietly and in a lower power mode.
AlienAdrenaline
Featuring customizable game and application options, a system performance optimizer, and a performance monitoring tool, AlienAdrenaline provides users with the tools they need to keep one step ahead of the competition.
Thermal Controls
Change settings and monitor internal temperatures and speeds of certain fans within your PC using the Active Thermals module.
OC Controls
Take control of overclocking levels for your memory and CPU with OC controls. Monitor memory activity levels, change settings on the fly, and turn on/off auto start in one convenient place. With customer OC, you can create your own OC mode by making choices in your settings located in the "Customer Menu" section of the BIOS OC screen.
Windows 10
Start Menu
After its hiatus in Windows 8, the Start Menu has returned. Utilizing a combination of the traditional menu system and Windows 8's Live Tiles, the improved Start Menu gives you more information at a glance, showing notification information alongside your applications and other pinned items.
Cortana
Microsoft's digital personal assistant, Cortana, can answer your questions with information gleaned from both your device and the Internet at large. You can type or even talk with her, if your system has a microphone. Using her Laptop, Cortana keeps track of your needs and wants, and she learns over time to improve her information-gathering skills.
Microsoft Edge
After nearly 20 years, Microsoft has finally replaced its Internet Explorer web browser. With Microsoft Edge, users can write directly on web pages and share notes with friends and colleagues. It also improves the online reading experience by adding a distraction-free mode and read-it-later functionality. Edge also has built-in Cortana integration; you can have her help you find a restaurant, make a reservation, and pull up directions without leaving your browser.
Windows Store
For Windows 10, Microsoft has unified the Windows Store. Now, apps for PCs, tablets, and phones will all be accessible from one place. And with support for Universal Apps, one version of an app can work across all your compatible devices automatically.
Windows Continuum
Windows 10 was designed for a variety of screen sizes and input styles, and with its Continuum feature, it automatically adapts to fit your needs. A Windows 10 tablet on its own requires a touch-centric approach, but attaching a mouse and keyboard will shift everything to a more traditional interface. You can even attach an external monitor to your Windows 10 phone for a near-desktop experience. But it's not just the operating system; Windows Universal Apps take advantage of Continuum as well.
Xbox on Windows 10
Gaming is a big focus of Windows 10. Xbox integration allows for PC players to match up against Xbox One players on supported games, and if you have an Xbox One, you can even stream compatible titles to your PC. Native support for recording with the new Game DVR feature makes it easy to capture and share your gameplay. The new DirectX12 takes better advantage of multi-core processors, giving games a performance boost, even on older hardware. Windows 10 also features native support for virtual reality headsets, such as the Oculus Rift.