Alienware x15 R2 debuts 12th-gen Intel on laptops today

Alienware’s x15 R2 and x17 R2 laptops are available to purchase today, January 25. Announced at CES 2022, both machines are a showcase for Intel’s 12th-gen Alder Lake mobile platform, pairing the new processors with DDR5 memory and RTX 30-series graphics cards. After just a few weeks of waiting, you can finally pick them up.

The Alienware x15 R2 and x17 R2 are larger versions of the x14 R2 we had a chance to demo during CES 2022. X-series laptops are built for portable high-performance gaming, with the 15.6-inch x15 R2 measuring only 0.64 inches thick. The 17.3-inch x17 R2 clocks in at 0.84 inches.

Regardless of the screen size, you can stuff up to an RTX 3080 Ti in the R2 models. Alienware has dozens of configuration options available, featuring up to 32GB of LPDDR5-5200 memory, 4TB of SSD storage, Windows 11, and an Intel Core i9-12900H.

The focus for these machines is 1080p, either at a 165Hz or 360Hz refresh rate depending on the screen you choose. If you want to chase resolution, you can configure the x15 R2 with up to a 240Hz 1440p screen, or the x17 R2 with up to a 120Hz 4K screen. All screen options across both machines support Nvidia G-Sync, as well.

When trying out the smaller x14 R2, the size and weight stood out most. In the words of our computing editor Luke Larsen, the size “makes for a surprisingly portable laptop.” Combined with low0profile Cherry MX mechanical switches, these machines are among the best gaming laptops from CES 2022.

Intel showed off the Alienware x17 R2 during its CES 2022 keynote, but not as a showcase for its 12th-gen processors. The company announced that the x17 R2 would be among the first machines to have its Arc Alchemist discrete graphics. It doesn’t appear that the configurations launching on January 25 will support Intel Arc, but we’ve asked Alienware when they’ll arrive.

Also announced at CES, Alienware’s m15 R7 arrives next week, on February 1. M-series machines are cheaper overall, skipping features like mechanical switches to meet a lower price. The latest R7 model sports one of Intel’s new 12th-gen mobile processors and Nvidia RTX 30-series graphics.

The 17.3-inch model, the Alienware m17 R5, is an AMD Advantage laptop, meaning it sports the latest Ryzen 6000 CPUs and Radeon RX 6000 GPUs. Alienware has AMD options across both the 15.6-inch and 17.3-inch models, but only the Intel configurations are arriving on February 1. Alienware says the AMD models will be available in the spring.

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