Display, Keyboard and Trackpad

The Alienware xv comes equipped with a fifteen.6-inch brandish that differs in resolution depending on the model you opt for. Base units come with a 1080p IPS LCD at 141 PPI, while meridian-end models pack a 4K UHD IGZO IPS LCD for 282 PPI; both displays are 60 Hz. There's also a mid-tier option available with select models: a 1080p TN panel with G-Sync and a 120 Hz refresh charge per unit, and this is the variant I have with me to review.

It's disappointing that the 4K variant does non come equipped with 1000-Sync, which would help with the lower framerates you'll attain at that panel's native resolution. I'd advise confronting purchasing the 4K brandish if you're only opting for a GTX 1060 GPU, however GTX 1070 models should be fine.

The 1080p TN model I received isn't fantastic from a quality perspective. The display is bright, achieving just over 400 nits in my testing, nevertheless a contrast ratio of simply 800:1, due to poor black levels, is below boilerplate. Viewing angles are terrible, which is to exist expected of a TN brandish; you lot'll desire to view this screen from dead center for the all-time experience.

Default colour performance is bad. The display's gamut is a decent 96.8% sRGB, even so colors beyond the board are distorted and simply incorrect. The display is not oversaturated, but a dE2000 value of viii.0 in our custom color functioning tests indicates this panel is far off displaying accurate colors. If you value color quality, it'd be a good idea to stay away from this display option.

Using CALMAN 5 to calibrate the Alienware fifteen's display I was able to attain far better color functioning, although this came at the expense of brightness. Pulling back this display'due south dE2000 value in our custom exam to under 1.0 (which is an first-class result) reduced maximum brightness to just 352 nits and the contrast ratio to just 680:ane.

All the same, the main benefit to purchasing this brandish over the basic 1080p IPS model (which presumably boasts superior colors) is its performance in games. Having a 120 Hz refresh rate significantly improves the smoothness and responsiveness of games compared to a basic sixty Hz panel. The difference is especially noticeable in fast-paced games such as first-person shooters, where the extra frame rate tin help you react to enemies more quickly.

One thousand-Sync is also a significant factor here, equally it eliminates all screen tearing and makes frame rates as low as 40 FPS experience smooth and stutter-free. The GTX 1060 in particular is not always capable of pushing 60 FPS in demanding titles with quality settings maxed out, and this is where beingness able to comfortably play in the 40-60 FPS zone is advantageous.

The keyboard on the Alienware fifteen is typical of a gaming laptop, opting for standard full-width keys rather than an ultraportable-style chiclet design. The layout is decent, with large shift, tab, command and backspace keys, too as full-sized arrow keys. Travel distance is very proficient, although the keyboard has a slightly mushy feel from its rubber dome keycaps; luckily y'all won't notice this while gaming.

On the left of the keyboard are v programmable macro keys that will be useful particularly for MMO players. The F-keys double equally system role keys, and include useful toggles for things such as enabling/disabling the trackpad, switching between integrated and discrete graphics, and changing the AlienFX lighting modes.

The trackpad is small just serviceable, offering a practiced tracking and gesture feel, forth with solid physical mouse buttons. You'll want to use an actual mouse for most gaming anyway and then the trackpad is of footling importance hither.