Thinking About the Alienware m15 R3 with RTX 2060—Thoughts?
I recently bought an Alienware m15 R3, mainly because I wanted a sleek gaming laptop with decent specs. It came with an RTX 2060, which I thought would handle most modern games smoothly. But after a few weeks of use, I’ve run into some issues that I didn’t expect.
First off, the thermals seem pretty aggressive—fans ramp up constantly, and I’ve noticed some thermal throttling during intense gaming sessions. Plus, the battery life isn’t great; I get maybe 2 hours max when gaming unplugged. I also read that the display could be better for color accuracy, which is a bit disappointing since I do some creative work on the side.
Considering these points, I’m wondering if I should keep this laptop or look for something else in the same price range. Has anyone else experienced similar issues? Or maybe you think the performance justifies the drawbacks? Would love to hear your honest opinions before I make a final decision.
Discussion
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I have the same model, but I haven't noticed much throttling. Maybe it depends on the workload or ambient temperature?
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Battery life is always an issue with gaming laptops, but 2 hours seems low. Do you keep the power settings on max performance?
Emily, I think lowering the power limit can extend battery life a bit without hurting performance too much.
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What about the display quality? I’ve read some reviews saying the colors are a bit off. Is it noticeable?
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Yeah, I agree. The display isn’t the best for creative work, but it’s decent for gaming. Has anyone tried calibration tools?
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Lisa, I used a calibration tool and it helped improve the color accuracy a little. Still not perfect though.
Would you recommend this laptop for someone who also does light photo editing? Or is it better to look elsewhere?
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I think it’s okay for casual creative work, but if you’re serious about color accuracy, maybe consider a different model.
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Performance-wise, the RTX 2060 handles most games well, but I’ve noticed some frame drops in newer titles.
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Natalie, do you think upgrading to a higher-tier GPU would be worth it or just overkill for this model?
For the price, I expected better thermals and battery life. Do you think Alienware is cutting corners here?
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Sophia, it’s always a trade-off with gaming laptops. They tend to run hot and drain quickly, but performance is usually worth it.
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Has anyone tried external cooling solutions or undervolting? Do those really make a difference?
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Kevin, I’ve undervolted mine and it helped with thermals, but it’s not a huge difference. External cooling can help, but it’s not a magic fix.
I've got the same laptop and honestly, the thermals are a bit of a pain. I use a cooling pad to help. How bad are yours?
Mike, mine gets pretty warm too, especially during gaming. Do you think undervolting the GPU could help?