When it comes to massive gaming laptops in 2023, the Alienware M18 and Razer Blade 18 are the strongest newcomers to consider this year. And honestly, I think they're arguably the most advanced gaming laptops ever.
It's a hard choice when deciding between the two most powerful gaming computers yet, but overall I think the Alienware does feel like a bargain here. It has similar specifications and performance to the Razer, but at a much lower price.
So, let's break them down:
Resolution and Frame Rates
Price and Specifications
Winner: Alienware M18
True to its name, Alienware's latest release feels other-worldly. And it's not just its giant 18-inch display, but also its the state-of-the-art components under the hood.
Price ranges from $2,099 to $3,999 on the higher end. For the more expensive model, you'll be looking at Intel Core i9-13980HX CPU and Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 graphics card, along with 32GB of RAM and a 2TB solid-state drive.
By contrast, to get somewhat similar specs and a 4090 GPU on the Razer Blade 18, you'll be shelling out almost a thousand dollars more, ringing in at $4,999.
At the lowest end of the price range, the Alienware 18-inch model includes an Nvidia 4060 GPU, 16GB of RAM and a single 512GB SSD — which is a bit less compelling, and more expensive than other gaming laptops with similar specs (though smaller displays).
Really, the only edge the Razer Blade 18 has here is on RAM, which you can max out at 5200 vs 4800 on the Alienware, but I think this is more of a marketing selling point and less of a noticeable performance difference between the two.
The Razer 18 could start going on sale as Alienware eats into their marketshare for the remainder of 2023 — so check for the latest deals on the Razer.
Keyboard
Winner: Razer Blade 18
The Alienware M18 has a CherryMX RGB keyboard, and 1.8mm of key travel. This means that often it's pretty audible when typing or gaming, and it'll just come down to personal preference here. I'm not really a fan of the CherryMX and so I'll give an edge to the Razer here, which has 1.1mm of key travel and an anti-ghosting feature — it's definitely less audible and feels a bit more natural to me.
Resolution and Frame Rates
Winner: Alienware M18
With the Alienware, you can choose either a 2,560x1,600-pixel panel with a 165Hz refresh rate, and a 1,920x1,200-pixel one at a whopping 480Hz.
By comparison, the Razer Blade 18 has only a 2560 x 1600 with a 240Hz refresh.
Personally, I don't care a lot about the quickest frame rate possible when gaming, but I know others strongly prefer that. I will say, a 1600p resolution does look beautiful with a 4090 GPU.
Even with ray-tracing effects cranked up on the 1600p, you can still hit around 120 frames per second, which is far superior to other laptops on the market, and the resolution feels a lot more smooth than the Razer here.
Look and Feel
Winner: Razer Blade 18
The other Alienware laptops I've had in the past have had one major design flaw — they can run incredibly hot. However, the M18 is actually much improved in this regard, A with quad internal fans, heat pipes and a vapor chamber keeping the system cool and not hot to the touch.
Yet the Alienware M18 has some serious bulk to it, weighing 8.7 pounds and 12 pounds with the power brick. The Razer Blade 18, while still a bit hefty, is significantly lighter — weighing just 7.05 pounds.
The Razer also does a nice job of cooling, with their largest vapor chamber yet and also a 3-fan system.
2 great gaming laptops!