Alienware m18 R2’s Quiet Mode Runs at 117W TGP for RTX 4070, Thanks to its FOUR Fans (But There’s More!)

LaptopMedia.com News Alienware m18 R2’s Quiet Mode Runs at 117W TGP for RTX 4070, Thanks to its FOUR Fans (But There's More!)

From: Severin Kolakov 08 May 2024 / 10:00 | 0

We don’t review Alienware products that often, however, when we do, there’s always some crazy surprise with these laptops. After we reviewed the Alienware m18 R2, we can say that it happened again.

The configuration we purchased and tested came equipped with a Core i7-14700HX and a 140W RTX 4070. Now, in our experience with the 140W RTX 4070, which spans 11 laptops total, when running in quiet mode, most GPUs run at around 50-60 Watts. This is where the M18 R2 goes in a different, very surprising path.

Despite the quiet mode being active, the M18 R2’s RTX 4070 reached the impressive 117 Watts. What’s even more remarkable is that it managed to maintain ~115W level while remaining decently quiet. We believe it’s because of the massive cooling solution, which includes 4 fans and 5 heat sinks. This is a significant achievement, as it allows for the GPU to run at high speeds, thus increasing gaming performance without the distracting noise often associated with powerful graphics cards.

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070	GPU frequency/ Core temp (after 2 min)	GPU frequency/ Core temp (after 30 min)
Alienware m18 R2	2550 MHz @ 68°C @ 132W	2550 MHz @ 72°C @ 133W

When it comes to running at full power, the RTX 4070 doesn’t reach its 140W power limit, however, the power limit is still reasonably high, at 133W after 30 minutes of stress testing, which makes the GPU run at 100%.

What about the RTX 4080 and RTX 4090

We have reason to believe that the RTX 4080 and RTX 4090 configurations can surprise us in the same way too, especially because Alienware has announced vapor chamber cooling for them. Vapor chambers have a bigger cooling capacity, so they can sustain the higher power loads and temperatures that the 4080 and the 4090 can output.

In conclusion, the Alienware M18 R2, with its powerful RTX 4070, has proven to be a silent and powerful laptop. The ability to deliver high performance while maintaining low noise levels is a welcome surprise to us experienced laptop testers. And with the promise of a better cooling system in the RTX 4080 and RTX 4090 configurations, it seems that what happened with the RTX 4070 won’t be a single event, bur rather the new norm for Alienware laptops.

Alienware m18 R2 in-depth review

The Alienware m18 R2 is another 18-incher that offers high-end hardware. Expectedly, we are talking about 14th gen Intel Raptor Lake-HX CPU options and GeForce RTX 4000 graphics cards with hefty TGPs. Wealthy enthusiasts could have fun with the 175W RTX 4090 or 4080. Still, if you don't need so much graphics power, the other video cards rely on 140W power limits which is more than enough for the AD107 and AD106 chips. Interestingly, the laptops with the top-tier GPUs have vapor chamber cooling, preapplied Element 31 liquid metal on the CPU and GPU, and two more M.2 slots. If you want these goo[...]

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Pros

Solid premium build
Thin profile for such a form factor
Capable thermal system
Stable and high CPU and GPU frequencies under any kind of load
Wide viewing angles (BOE HF1FV-NE18NZ1 (BOE0AFB; NE180QDM-NZ1))
Snappy pixel response times (BOE HF1FV-NE18NZ1 (BOE0AFB; NE180QDM-NZ1))
PWM-free (BOE HF1FV-NE18NZ1 (BOE0AFB; NE180QDM-NZ1))
98% sRGB coverage + accurate colors with our "Design and Gaming" profile (BOE HF1FV-NE18NZ1 (BOE0AFB; NE180QDM-NZ1))
2x SODIMM slots
Comfortable per-key keyboard and touchpad
Offers plenty of ports
The fans aren't that loud in "Overdrive" mode
Low noise and a 115W GPU TGP in "Quiet" mode
Good battery battery life given the 1600p display and the powerful hardware
The Alienware Command Center app is full of useful extras such as CPU undervolt
Offers NVIDIA Advanced Optimus, G-Sync + MUX switch

Cons

High price
Heavy
Only the RTX 4080 / 4090-based machines have four M.2 slots and a vapor chamber cooling
Too many Gen 1 ports + the Thunderbolts connectors support just a 15W charging
For such a pricey laptop, the 1600p display should offer better contrast ratio and max brightness

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