Alienware m17 Puts RTX Graphics In A Lightweight Gaming Laptop

Back in October, Alienware unveiled the m15, which it said at the time was the lightest 15-inch gaming laptop it's ever offered. It isn't wasting any time in following that notebook up, announcing the Alienware m17 at CES 2019. Just like the m15 before it, the primary goal of the m17 is to offer gaming-grade hardware in a package that's at least relatively lightweight.

It appears to succeed in that too, as Alienware says that the m17 weighs 5.79 pounds. That might seem like a lot for a notebook, but Alienware says that weight represents a 40% decrease over its predecessor. Considering the hardware inside, the fact that Alienware managed to get total weight under six pounds is fairly impressive as well.

When it comes to processors, m17 buyers will be able to choose from Intel's eighth-generation CPUs up to the Core i9-8950HK. GPU options consist of NVIDIA's RTX 20-series, ranging from the freshly-announced RTX 2060 up to the 2080 Max-Q. RAM tops out at 32GB depending on your configuration, and you'll have the choice of a 1920 x 1080 or 3840 x 2160 display, both with a 60Hz refresh rate.

With support for those RTX cards, the m17 becomes a laptop that can boast real-time ray tracing, assuming you don't mind the performance hit that comes along with it. If you do mind the framerate drop, however, then at least you'll be getting a powerful GPU out of the m17, which is never a bad thing.

In addition to the m17, Alienware also announced that the m15 will be updated with new configuration options that include the Core i9, RTX 20-series graphics cards, and even a 4K HDR display. This essentially brings m15 and m17 options to the same spot, so really you just need to decide what size display you want (along with the price you're willing to pay). Both laptops will be launching on January 29 with the updated m15 starting at $1,580 and the m17 – which will be available in silver and red – starting at $1,650.