Originally Alienware was not part of Dell and their laptops were for enthusiasts with separate plug-in MXM CPU and GPU cards. Currently Dell's Alienware Area-51m (R1), Alienware Area-51m R2 and legacy Alienware 17 (R1) are for enthusiasts. Desktops in a large enclosure provide more room for expansion, and usually provide for plug-in of a different CPU (and its cooling system). Thin Notebooks usually have no room for expansion and the CPU and GPU and other parts are now soldered directly onto the system board (aka motherboard).
Dell have provided community forums for free user-to-user discussion.
My most expensive laptop is an Alienware 17 R5 (4/16/2018) MLK refresh, with per-key RGB lighting: Alienware 17 R5 (i7-8750H, GTX 1070, QHD) Laptop Review - NotebookCheck.net Reviews. This legacy Alienware 17 R5 gaming laptop is now relatively very old and Dell has withdrawn their extended warranty support. Gaming notebooks are evolving so fast that their specifications become outdated within four years.
I have other notebooks and workstations that are not Dell.
The only opinion that matters is yours, but it needs to be implemented in light of the fact that that most of the competition's systems are designed exactly the same way - with soldered-in GPUs. And even among those that still offered a separate GPU card, most new systems no longer do.
The one thing to think about is that the fact that two of the most expensive components in a new gaming system - the CPU and GPU - are no longer replaceable, means the cost of a mainboard replacement is so high that it's not really an option any longer, and that's assuming you can even find the repair parts when you need them. Translation: if you plan to keep the system for three years, be sure you purchase the system with a warranty that covers it for that long.
crimsom
7 Technologist
•
6.1K Posts
0
June 10th, 2023 15:00
Hi @Stefos1 welcome to this free user-to-user Alienware laptop discussion forum.
Buying from the Dell shop provides the Alienware m18 R1 Intel or the Alienware m18 R1 AMD base configuration. Alienware m18 Gaming Laptop - Laptop Computers | Dell Shop USA.
The Dell Support reveals hardware remove/install options for the Alienware m18 R1 Documentation and the Alienware m18 R1 AMD Documentation.
The two DDR5-5800 Memory RAM slots and the four M.2 PCIe Gen 4x4 NVMe SSD slots are available for upgrade. Alienware m18 R1 laptop review: Bigger and heavier than the MSI Titan GT77 - NotebookCheck.net Reviews. SK hynix PC801 HFS001TEJ9X101N SSD Benchmarks - NotebookCheck.net Tech.
Alienware Alienware m18 R1 | Memory RAM & SSD Upgrades | Crucial.com.
Alienware Alienware m18 R1 AMD | Memory RAM & SSD Upgrades | Crucial.com.
The CPU and GPU are soldered to the system board (aka motherboard) and not user replaceable.
Alienware m18 specifications (image via Dell)
Stefos1
1 Rookie
•
33 Posts
0
June 10th, 2023 15:00
Hi Crimson,
Thank you again
Question: Many people have said, "look I can't upgrade the graphics card."
In your opinion, is this a make break for a laptop?
I've only used desktops really so my real word/work laptop experience is not huge.
Stefos1
P.S. Do you own an Alienware M18?
crimsom
7 Technologist
•
6.1K Posts
0
June 10th, 2023 21:00
Hi @Stefos1 thankyou for asking questions.
Originally Alienware was not part of Dell and their laptops were for enthusiasts with separate plug-in MXM CPU and GPU cards. Currently Dell's Alienware Area-51m (R1), Alienware Area-51m R2 and legacy Alienware 17 (R1) are for enthusiasts. Desktops in a large enclosure provide more room for expansion, and usually provide for plug-in of a different CPU (and its cooling system). Thin Notebooks usually have no room for expansion and the CPU and GPU and other parts are now soldered directly onto the system board (aka motherboard).
Dell have provided community forums for free user-to-user discussion.
My most expensive laptop is an Alienware 17 R5 (4/16/2018) MLK refresh, with per-key RGB lighting: Alienware 17 R5 (i7-8750H, GTX 1070, QHD) Laptop Review - NotebookCheck.net Reviews. This legacy Alienware 17 R5 gaming laptop is now relatively very old and Dell has withdrawn their extended warranty support. Gaming notebooks are evolving so fast that their specifications become outdated within four years.
I have other notebooks and workstations that are not Dell.
ejn63
10 Elder
•
30.7K Posts
0
June 11th, 2023 04:00
The only opinion that matters is yours, but it needs to be implemented in light of the fact that that most of the competition's systems are designed exactly the same way - with soldered-in GPUs. And even among those that still offered a separate GPU card, most new systems no longer do.
The one thing to think about is that the fact that two of the most expensive components in a new gaming system - the CPU and GPU - are no longer replaceable, means the cost of a mainboard replacement is so high that it's not really an option any longer, and that's assuming you can even find the repair parts when you need them. Translation: if you plan to keep the system for three years, be sure you purchase the system with a warranty that covers it for that long.