5 Reasons To Buy Alienware M18 In 2024, And 3 Reasons You Shouldn't

Let me sum up the Alienware M18 R1 gaming laptop for you. A machine that’s stupidly powerful enough to run 3 AAA titles side-by-side, manage the heat, and has a spec sheet to put most desktops to shame. But before we dive into what it is like to have a Windows laptop that boots in seconds, we should also question what it is like to live with one that weighs over four kilos. Also Read: Amazon Prime Gaming Brings 11 Free PC Games In September 2025: Full Lineup And How To Claim

That said, this article will give you five reasons to buy the Alienware M18, and three reasons why you might not want to go with this laptop. A quick rundown at the specifications table below will make it amply clear that this is not something you will buy just because you need a laptop. So, once you’ve skimmed through the specs, let’s talk the reasons. Also Read: 7 Best Gaming Laptops Under Rs 1 Lakh With Up To RTX 4060 GPUs

Reasons to buy the Dell Alienware M18 in 2024

1. The Specifications

The SSD and RAM on the Alienware M18 R1 are upgradable, making it a long-lasting laptop that you can upgrade on your beck and call

Come on… it is mouth-watering for any gamer and enthusiast out there, that’s why this is the first reason. With a 13th gen Intel i9 HX chip, RTX4090, 64GB RAM, and 1TB high-speed SSD, it will last you as good as a new PlayStation 5 (no offense). Moreover, the specs are well-balanced by the other aspects of this machine as well. It has a well-built, durable chassis, a 165hz high refresh rate screen, Dolby Vision and Atmos, a mechanical keyboard with 1.8mm key travel, and sick, per-key customizable RGB lighting.

So even if you scratch the surface of this article, you have a no-brainer reason to buy this machine, and that’s the specs. It is amply future-proof and has enough power to run heavy games and tasks for years to come.

2. The display is a delight

The color separation and contrast look sharp. Also, the 18-inch screen size also contributes to a good gaming experience as you can clearly see the entire environment.

After getting my hands on laptops like the ROG Flow Z13 and the HP OMEN Transcend 16 last year, I believe I have a fair idea about how gaming laptop screens work. Taking those two as benchmarks, this display is in a completely different league. Firstly, the sheer 18-inch size gives it a lot of presence. Everything is easier on this almost desktop-like display. You can see more information while working, more environment while gaming, and more details while watching videos on this screen.

While the Alienware M18 employs a 165Hz display, this is still coming with just 300nits peak brightness, which isn’t suited for outdoor use. But to the laptop’s defense, you won’t be using this outdoors either, thanks to the battery-hungry performance and its 4-kilo chassis. So for the gamer, the enthusiast, and the executive reading emails, this is one of the most responsive screens you can buy on a laptop today. But don’t go buying it just yet, because the next reason is coming up now.

3. Quintessential gamer needs

The Alienware Command Center is a one-stop solution to fine-tune the performance of the M18 R1. The app also has a built-in launcher for Dolby Atmos and Vision, which can also be tuned to suit gaming, movie-watching or working scenarios.

Most gaming laptops have excellent granular controls to let you fine-tune the performance, and the Alienware M18 is no different story. The Alienware Command Center is a one-stop, no-nonsense solution to performance controls, custom game modes, and lighting. So the quintessential gamer dashboard part is sorted. But within the Alienware app, you’ll find a Dolby Vision/Atmos app that is specifically tuned for Alienware machines.

If you’re serious about sound, you can optimise the laptop to connect with your Dolby Atmos compatible headphones, speakers, and home theater systems. The app also lets you fine-tune the screen to suit whatever tasks you’re running. So customisation and control-wise, the Alienware M18 has its boxes checked.

4. Beat the heat

The large exhaust vent runs across the spine and rear-left and right sides of the laptop. So not only the top part remains cools, but any peripherals on the side also remain safe from the heat.

I know I know… gaming and heat go hand in hand. You can’t use these laptops on your lap per se, but Alienware has the heat issue sorted. Even after repeatedly running benchmarks, and playing RDR 2 while they ran, the Cryo-Tech cooling works like a charm. The sides and the spine of the machine get slightly hot, but in my testing, the heat never spilled onto the keyboard, trackpad, or palm rest areas.

I’m writing this article on the M18, along with multiple Chrome tabs open in the background, and the fan hasn’t even kicked in. For most light to medium tasks like watching a movie or writing something or browsing the web, the laptop is completely quiet, and the only sounds you’ll hear are the satisfactory clicks from the mechanical keyboard. And even when the fan comes on, the heat dissipation works so well, that I played RDR 2 and Farcry 6 for almost eight hours with this laptop plugged in, and there were no frame drops whatsoever.

5. Where is the devil?

Dell fitted this with a CherryMX keyboard. While it is far from the customizable tactile keys on a dedicated MX, the 1.8mm travel and fairly versatile keys can be used for quiet discreet typing and fast clicky typing alike.

It is in the detail. When you see the Rs. 3,74,000 price tag on this laptop, buying a PlayStation 5 with multiple AAA games seems more sensible. But if you look carefully, you’ll see why this laptop is priced so high. The eye-watering amount sounds absurd, but the sensibilities start right from the moment you open the back panel. The SSD and RAM are both upgradeable, and you can pretty much do it yourself too, if you’re not afraid of voiding the warranty.

Moreover, the keyboard is a CherryMX mechanical, which is gold-standard typing experience for laptops, giving 1.8mm key travel. Dolby Atmos and Vision optimizations also show real-world differences in the display and sound quality. And now to get back to the upgradeability point, you can max out this laptop to up to 9TB storage and 64GB RAM, but there’s a caveat to that which I’ve mentioned in reasons not to buy, point #2.

Reasons to not buy the Alienware M18 R1 in 2024

1. It’s outdated(ish)

2024 kicked off with CES, and our website has extensively covered the developments over there. From Dell’s own new XPS lineup, we can expect the Alienware to also get a spec bump that it pretty much deserves. And onto the non-Alienware front, the HP Omen Transcend 16, a laptop that we tested and liked, has already received the 14th Gen Intel chips.

Long story short, you get it for a big price cut, or you get a refurbished/used unit, then it’s a great option. However, if you’re someone who wants the latest and greatest specs and features, I suggest you wait for the year to unfold.

2. Choices choices

Dell for one loves to offer options. We’ve had the entire XPS lineup, the whole high-performance all-in-ones, and what not. But come to Alienware, and we don’t have the M18 R1 base or top spec variants here. We neither have the 16GB RAM version, nor the top 9TB variant. It would be really nice to see a more affordable 18-inch gaming beast from Dell.

3. 1 lakh rupees per kilo

The Alienware M18 R1 is over four kilos heavy and is priced at Rs 3,75,000. There are lighter and more affordable options available out there. For instance, the OMEN 17, with similar specs but 1-inch smaller screen is selling at Rs 2,69,99o, and weighs under 3 Kg. Even if you’re okay getting a 4.4kg Alienware, the price again has to be better than what it is right now.

Should I buy the Alienware M18 in 2024?

If you Googled that question and landed on that page, let me give you a short and quick answer. Buy the Alienware M18 R1 if you want a heavy-duty, high quality, work horse of a laptop. It is a versatile machine and the specs and upgradeability means you can keep it going for years to come.

And if you’re looking for Alienware M18 R1 limitations, there are three of them. First, 14th gen Intel chips are already out and the performance to power consumption is far better than the 13th gen in the Alienware. Secondly, we don’t have the maxxed out spec variant here, which means third-party parts if you want to upgrade And lastly, there are lighter laptops with similar screen size and specifications if you’re looking for a more portable option.

I think that should give you a clear idea of whether you are someone who should invest in the Alienware M18 R1 in 2024 or not. We’ve also done a video on this laptop, so if you skipped the whole article and came to the conclusion directly, maybe have a look at the video here.