Back to School DealsSavings is one of our best subjects.Shop now

Skip to content
Main Content

Customer Ratings & Reviews

Your price for this item is $1,479.99
Clearance
Save $370
The comparable value price is $1,849.99

Customer reviews

Rating 4.5 out of 5 stars with 294 reviews

Rating Filter

Rating by feature

  • Value

    Rating 4.3 out of 5 stars

  • Quality

    Rating 4.6 out of 5 stars

  • Ease of Use

    Rating 4.5 out of 5 stars

Pros mentioned filter

Cons mentioned filter

90%would recommend to a friend

Customers are saying

Customers frequently mention the exceptional gaming experience, fast performance, and excellent build quality of the 17.3" Laptop. It is also praised for its multitasking capabilities, quiet operation, and ample storage space. However, some users find it to be heavy and bulky, with a limited battery life and occasional freezing issues.

This summary was generated by AI based on customer reviews.

The vast majority of our reviews come from verified purchases. Reviews from customers may include My Best Buy members, employees, and Tech Insider Network members (as tagged). Select reviewers may receive discounted products, promotional considerations or entries into drawings for honest, helpful reviews.
Page 1 Showing 1-20 of 294 reviews
  • Pros mentioned:
    Gaming

    Rated 5 out of 5 stars

    Best darn laptop that we have ever had!!!

    |
    |
    Posted .
    This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.

    The Alienware - 17.3" Laptop - Intel Core i7 - 16GB Memory - NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 - 1TB Hard Drive + 128GB Solid State Drive - Silver is the best laptop that we have ever had. It's fast, pleasant to look at and is a great gaming computer. The quad-core Intel Core i7 chip provides fast processing and accommodates all of the games that we ever want to play, some being very complex.

    I would recommend this to a friend
  • Rated 5 out of 5 stars

    Excellent Value for price paid

    |
    |
    Posted .
    This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.

    A long time Apple Customer, but was surprised how new Macbook Pro was priced for what I needed $2700 for features that were at best minimum. So what Alienware was offering for a thousand $ less. And more horsepower. A no brainer. 17 R4 an excellent purchase. Boot speed excellent.

    I would recommend this to a friend
  • Rated 4 out of 5 stars

    The Beast

    |
    |
    Posted .
    This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.

    I have wanted an Alienware computer since before Dell purchased the company. Of course, I couldn't afford one back then, and now that I could I decided to buy one. I suppose I'm on the fence about whether or not it was a good decision. It is a good computer, don't get me wrong... but the power to price ratio is a little high. It is hard to feel like I'm not paying to have light up edges and logos. (Which is super cool...but easily forgotten since you can't see them while you are using it.)

    I would recommend this to a friend
  • Rated 1 out of 5 stars

    I want my money back!

    |
    |
    Posted .
    This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.

    I bought it in aug 2017. Within 1 month, the one of the 8 GB RAM stick got corrupt. Another problem is that the system keeps crashing to windows blue screen errors after few hours of use. Every time it is a different error.

    No, I would not recommend this to a friend
    • Brand response from YourDellTeam
      Posted .

      - HJK1194, Thanks for letting us know about the issues that you're having with your new laptop. Perhaps you could run a couple of error diagnostics to see what may be causing the issues. We'd recommend the following steps:
      1. At the desktop, click the Search the web and Windows box and type "problem reports".
      2. Select View all problem reports to view a list of errors that have occurred on your computer and possible solutions for them, such as updating drivers, flashing your system BIOS, or checking for updates to the software.
      3. Under the Source column, look for Windows and under Summary, look for Shut down unexpectedly.
      4. Right-click the line item and select Check for a solution.
      You can read the full article here - http://dell.to/2u98Cct.
      We hope this helps your computer perform the way that it should be. - Bryan Dell

  • Rated 1 out of 5 stars

    Not worth your money

    |
    |
    Posted .
    This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.

    I have taken this back to geek squad 3 time I bought in March of 2018

    No, I would not recommend this to a friend
  • Pros mentioned:
    Fast
    Cons mentioned:
    Heavy

    Rated 4 out of 5 stars

    One of the best laptops ever

    |
    |
    Posted .
    This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.

    Yes it's as heavy as a mandatory marriage, and bulky as a 3rd world country debt. Those are the only downsides. This laptop takes just 35 seconds (approximately) from fully off to ready to use. I bought it for work more than the occasional gaming, and it excels at both. At work I have to use about 16 different systems at once, no including office, web browser and email, and my AW takes it like I just opened a notepad. It is not 4K (that was going to set me back a few hundred more) and the speakers are not great either, but who uses laptop speakers to watch videos or gaming? Not me. All in all, I'm extremely happy with my purchase. Also, it's an Alienware, so, what's not to like?

    I would recommend this to a friend
  • Pros mentioned:
    Build quality, Performance

    Rated 5 out of 5 stars

    Powerful Laptop with Impressive Build Quality

    |
    |
    Posted .
    This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.

    I purchased the Alienware 17 R4 as an open box unit from my local Best Buy. I imagine that someone had buyers remorse and gave it up for something more important such as their rent (it is a somewhat pricey unit). I consider myself to be a very well informed and particular person when it comes to electronics. I spend hours and hours scouring the internet for reviews from popular websites and YouTube channels just for the fun and entertainment of it all. I don't take the decision lightly. It is with that mindset that I approach this review and recommendation for an Alienware laptop. Any bit of research of available gaming laptop options will lead you to several separate categories - "Thin and Light with entry level performance" - GTX 1050/1050Ti (aka HP Omen, Lenovo Y520, Dell Inspiron 7567) - "Thin and Light with dense performance" - GTX 1060/1070 (aka Razer Blade, MSI Stealth Pro, or Asus ROG Strix GL series) - "Who cares about size, give me performance!" - GTX 1070/1080 (aka Alienware 17, MSI Dominator, Asus ROG G series) After trying to decide what I really wanted for the better part of a year, I settled on the fact that I wanted 1060/1070 performance, but wouldn't be satisfied with a loud/hot, thin and light package over the long term. Fast forward to after I made my purchase and Nvidia announced their new Max-Q system design specifications, which might allow for significant performance increase with adequate thermals and acoustics in upcoming thin and light designs. That is something worth keeping your eyes on. The reasons I bought the Alienware 17 R4 (other than the great price and immaculate condition of the open box unit): - i7-7700HQ and GTX 1070 deliver excellent performance. - Upgradability is 10/10. Support for more RAM, M.2 NVMe PCIe ssds, and even the Alienware Graphics Amplifier or similar Thunderbolt 3 enclosures. - Build quality is top notch. If you drop it, be afraid for what it hits. - 99Wh battery (legal limit for portable devices to be brought on planes). Since this unit has Nvidia Optimus and a FHD display panel, you can expect better than average battery life out of it when compared to the competition. - Aesthetics are very well done and professional without being overly "kid racer." - You can choose to make it "kid racer" with all the awesome lighting control (or turn it right off and go incognito). - Thermals and acoustics are under control given the sizable package. I know the thin and lights stay within the design spec of the chips, but I couldn't bring myself to play games with the fans sounding like a jet engine and chips running just below the thermal throttle limit. You can undervolt CPUs which is known to drop temperatures by several degrees if you must have a thin and light unit with 1060/1070 performance. That wasn't my chosen path though. Things I considered as cons but that didn't sway me from the purchase: - It's a heavy unit and not incredibly mobile. This is a desktop replacement unit and I came to terms with that with my decision to buy. I am fortunate to have other computers, including another laptop (Lenovo Thinkpad Yoga) that is my portable companion for work travel and general browsing. This Alienware laptop is solely meant to travel to friends houses for gaming fun or remain on a desk at home for stationary use. Granted, I have used it on my lap while browsing online and it was perfectly functional. Hours of that might strengthen your legs though (fringe benefit?). - The screen on my model is the FHD IPS panel from Chi Mei. Dell also offers QHD and UHD options from AUO if you build to order and Best Buy has some SKUs with those panels as well. If I had to do it again, I would really like the QHD panel given the 120Hz refresh rate and G-Sync capability. I have a 144hz G-Sync panel for my gaming desktop and it really is a dramatically improved experience. It is hard to go back to a standard 60hz panel after you have seen the light. I have tried to get in touch with Dell and procure the parts to convert my unit to the QHD panel, but the parts have so far been out of stock. Rest assured that it is possible though with relatively minimal effort. Forums can show you the way and you of course proceed at your own risk. - The internal deck and wrist rest surface has a rubberized coating. This coating, while soft and supple, retains the oils from your hands/arms and displays them for the world to see. Being a bit of a perfectionist, I keep a cloth and cleaning solution nearby to wipe it down when I'm done. Otherwise, the use of brushed aluminum and matte plastic is tasteful and inspires confidence. In conclusion, I don't think you can really go wrong with this unit, provided you are decided on the type of laptop you want. The Alienware 17 R4 competes with the best of them with regard to performance and price. I would argue that it is leading the class with regard to build quality and that is very impressive.

    I would recommend this to a friend
  • Pros mentioned:
    Build quality, Performance

    Rated 5 out of 5 stars

    A Beast of a Laptop

    |
    |
    Posted .
    This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.

    Did a lot of research on a good performance gaming laptop and finally decided to get this. The build quality is superb and the specs on this laptop make it run any current game with high setting with ease. Would not hesitate to buy another Alienware.

    I would recommend this to a friend
  • Pros mentioned:
    Fast

    Rated 4 out of 5 stars

    Great for programming.

    |
    |
    Posted .
    This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.

    It was open box so I restored image from Dell. It is fast, although have got a couple of the blue scenes. It said it was power related but it was plugged in. Overall, good but it could have had a card reader onboard.

    I would recommend this to a friend
  • Pros mentioned:
    Build quality, Gaming

    Rated 5 out of 5 stars

    Great laptop for gaming a video/photo editing

    |
    |
    Posted .
    This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.

    I use this computer for photo editing and gaming on the side. I got the AW17R4 since it's nicely build for gaming laptop (very professional looking with the right amount of bling. It works with my adobe lightroom photoshop flawlessly and able to play games on high settings. The fan are a bit loud but the computer didn't slow down from multiple tasks I performed. (watch 1080p FHD video while playing video games and exporting photos from lightroom at the same time.) Highly recommended

    I would recommend this to a friend
  • Pros mentioned:
    Gaming

    Rated 5 out of 5 stars

    good

    |
    |
    Posted .
    This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.

    good Alienware Laptop: Enjoy powerful gaming wherever you go with this Dell Alienware notebook computer. It has 16GB of DDR4 RAM to handle complex video game software, and its quad-core Intel Core i7

    I would recommend this to a friend
  • Pros mentioned:
    Fast

    Rated 4 out of 5 stars

    Short hard drive, but really good!

    |
    |
    Posted .
    This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.

    This is one of the best laptops that I ever have. The only problem is the hard drive. There is 1T SATA, and 256Gb Solid state. The solid state is the C: partition, and if you are thinking to install a lot of software in C:, then you have a problem. The solution for me is to have the Geek Squad to install a new Solid state 1T hard drive and format the computer, and have installed the operative system in the new 1T drive. Now I have a 1T Solid state drive and another 256Gb Solid state drive. This computer is the fastest thing you will ever find. And the graphic card is excellent. I am very happy with the overall quality of the product, even when this laptop was an open box. Good job Geek Squad!

    I would recommend this to a friend
  • Pros mentioned:
    Fast

    Rated 5 out of 5 stars

    great unit

    |
    |
    Posted .
    This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.

    this unit fast and give me plenty of room to store vidio music as well of all my files for my business so that nI can go back and find what I have suggest for each of my clinet

    I would recommend this to a friend
  • Cons mentioned:
    Warranty

    Rated 3 out of 5 stars

    we'll see

    |
    |
    Posted .
    This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.

    Originally purchased this as a Christmas gift for my son thank goodness I purchase the extended warranty because the system stopped working they sent it away and it was a way for almost two months before they finally said it couldn't be repaired and they exchanged it for another one which was identical. Got home took it out of the box the speakers were screwed up but my son had to work with it for a week because he had a term paper due took it back they didn't have any more in stock we had to wait another week and they shipped another one into the store for us to pick up so my son is now on his third one and hopefully the third time's a charm

    No, I would not recommend this to a friend
    • Brand response from YourDellTeam
      Posted .

      jute101 - We're so sorry to hear about everything you've been through in the process of getting a new laptop for your son. Please be assured that Dell's products come with a One Year Limited Warranty. You can read more about this policy here -  http://dell.to/2tNsVOs.
      If your son is still experiencing problems with his speakers he may want to check our drivers page to make sure that the audio drivers on his computer are up to date - http://dell.to/2zSV49P.
      We hope this helps his computer operate the way that he had planned. - Bryan Dell

  • Pros mentioned:
    Fast

    Rated 5 out of 5 stars

    Spectacular Performance

    |
    |
    Posted .
    This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.

    This is my 1st Alienware laptop. I have seen them over the years and always wanted to get one. I'm not a gamer, but I wanted something high end. Something fast enough to run my computer forensic software, graphics editing programs, DB's, etc.. and this does everything quickly with no glitches. I got the 17" screen simply for the real estate. Yes, it's heavier, but I'm not traveling with it so no problems. I'd definitely buy it again!

    I would recommend this to a friend
  • Pros mentioned:
    Build quality

    Rated 4 out of 5 stars

    Impressed

    |
    |
    Posted .
    This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.

    I have never purchased an Alienware laptop before. I saw this one in the store and after comparing it's hardware and price point, I decided to buy it. I love the sturdy construction when compared to my MSI Dominator and Samsung G7C. It feels like a quality build. I also like the IR camera that is built in. Designed with Windows Hello in mind, it was the first gaming rig I found that was equipped with it. It is also outfitted with16gb of ram and a NVidia 1070 graphic card. I have not seen any stress on performance to date with that configuration. For years I stayed away from this particular brand. But, this one has won me over. The things I wish that should of come with it, was a 2k or 4k 120hz screen. The one that it has is not as bright as I would prefer. In addition, the paltry 128gb M2 SSD was another downside to this model. I will install a large drive at some point in the near future. These are the reasons I don't give it five stars. Overall, I am quite satisfied.

    I would recommend this to a friend
  • Pros mentioned:
    Fast, Gaming

    Rated 5 out of 5 stars

    Excellent Laptop for Gaming

    |
    |
    Posted .
    This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.

    Excellent Laptop for Gaming. Speed, display and quality are also top notch!

    I would recommend this to a friend
  • Rated 5 out of 5 stars

    Good gaming PC

    |
    |
    Posted .
    This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.

    I've had other gaming PCs in the past, most recently a Lenovo. This is by far and wide a better computer for gaming. Loading from Steam, Origin, or Blizzard is infinitely faster, the games don't take as long to load or render, and the systems don't tend to freeze up as much. The resolution took a little getting used to at first, but it's great. There's good customizability with the keyboard backlighting colors and settings, I'll always appreciate a laptop that lets me turn off the annoying touchpad, and the keyboard is neither stretched to fight the width of the laptop but does still have the number pad on the side, unlike the MSI I considered instead of this. Also much appreciate that it's not a touch screen, I couldn't stand that the Lenovo I'd had was. Only real complaints I've had so far is that the battery heats up pretty quick playing some games and you can feel it on the keyboard, and that the speakers are directly in the front of the laptop where your arms/wrist is if you're typing or using WASD for games, so sound is blocked or a little distorted. The webcam also never turns off and always has a blinking light even if you disable it, so I had to tape over it with dark masking tape so it stops drawing my eye.

    I would recommend this to a friend
  • Pros mentioned:
    Build quality

    Rated 5 out of 5 stars

    Its Alienware!

    |
    |
    Posted .
    This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.

    Great system, as expected. I have owned an Alienware desktop for many years now, so expected top notch quality. So far, this laptop is providing quality performance. Haven't played games on it yet, but it handles my engineering applications great. The look and feel is fantastic. This system will be noticed (not just because it is huge).

    I would recommend this to a friend
  • Rated 5 out of 5 stars

    Great machine, but mind the size and weight.

    |
    |
    Posted .
    This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.

    This is a fantastic all-around laptop with great expandability. I'll be swapping the 128GB SSD for a larger NVMe in mine. It's also remarkably quiet, even under load, given what it is. Just bear in mind that it is not only heavy but physically MUCH larger than average. You'll have a hard time finding a bag that holds it.

    I would recommend this to a friend
Sponsored