Alienware's first true budget gaming laptop in 30 years arrives at a crucial time, with RAM prices soaring across the industry. The Alienware 15 starts at $1,000, though the reviewed configuration with an Intel Core 7 240H, RTX 5050, 16GB RAM, and 512GB storage costs $1,200 — still well below premium alternatives like the Aurora 16.

The design trades flashy RGB for a stealthy, all-black plastic chassis with a firm keyboard, numpad, and excellent port selection including HDMI 2.1 and dual USB-C. However, the 15.3-inch 165Hz LCD is a weak point, covering only 62.5% of sRGB at 300 nits, making images look washed out. The 720p webcam is merely adequate for calls.

Performance is respectable for 1080p gaming: 78 fps in Cyberpunk 2077 (Ultra, no ray tracing) and 96 fps in Control (Epic). Fans get loud under load, and bottom vents make lap use uncomfortable. Battery life hit 8 hours in PCMark 10, decent for a discrete GPU notebook.

Despite display and webcam compromises, the Alienware 15 earns an 8.7/10 for delivering strong value when budget tech prices are skyrocketing. For buyers who can stretch to the mid-range config, it's a compelling entry point.