Does a gaming laptop need good battery life? Dell doesn't think so, judging by the Alienware m15 R4

[Redaktion]

The Alienware m15 R4 we just reviewed offers gamers a strong performance, an RTX 3080, and a mechanical keyboard. But its battery life is downright abysmal. Is this an acceptable inconvenience for gaming laptops? Do gaming laptops even need good battery life? Yes!

https://www.notebookcheck.net/Does-a-gaming-laptop-need-good-battery-life-Dell-doesn-t-think-so-judging-by-the-Alienware-m15-R4.544552.0.html

[dende]

we are limited by maximum battery capacity, sub100Wh, because of plane regulations, and newer components being more power hungry than ever, and still falling behind desktop parts.

[DF]

While I'd love to have it all, if I am shopping for a very gaming laptop battery life would be nice but I'd have to take performance first.  We want fast screens, chips that rival desktops and all that doesn't translate well to things that save power.  Now mind you there are a range of devices that compromise some of that power for better battery life (like the xps series but many vendors have variations on this theme).  So really it's up to the buyer to figure out their checklist and prioritize and find the device that hits their highest priority items.  There are a slew of small portable long life devices that can't game.  If you want power hungry GPU's and CPU's you might cry at Intel AMD and Nvidia but they'll give you those at the expense of battery.

[SS]

A simple mux switch would solve the battery life issue. Alienware and Dell are just cheap bastards. The MSI GE66 and the Alienware M15 R4 both have comparable performances for the 3070, yet the GE66 has 6-7 hours of battery life during regular use.

[m00bee]

no it doesn't, at least for me. i used to have dell 7567, it always plug to power outlet all the time, the battery is expanded that pushing into touchpad. I need to disconnect the internal battery for long gaming session. Currently using scar 15 g533qr, i just set the battery max 60% for full charge.

[_MT_]

A simple mux switch would solve the battery life issue. Alienware and Dell are just cheap bastards. The MSI GE66 and the Alienware M15 R4 both have comparable performances for the 3070, yet the GE66 has 6-7 hours of battery life during regular use.

Slower displays do have Optimus. And yes, those versions did have MUX to bypass iGPU (don't know about R4, I would expect Advanced Optimus). Only the 300 Hz display comes without Optimus AFAIK. I guess they see no need for a MUX if there is no Optimus. The lack of Optimus itself shows they don't think endurance matters to the typical buyer of such a display who just wants the ultimate.

I like choices so I wouldn't do it this way but that's the way it is. If you want endurance, avoid the top refresh rate displays. It would be great if Dell was clearer about which versions have Optimus and which don't. That's what pisses me off.

[_MT_]

Dear author, which gaming laptop exactly allows you to play for hours on battery? That would only be possible by severely restricting performance. What you are asking for is impossible. Well, the way to do it would be through a huge battery (1 kWh should do it :D ) but that would be heavy and you'd hit air travel restrictions. Just like with workstations, such computers need an outlet to reach full performance and they won't last without severe throttling. They often don't even have the biggest batteries despite being big and heavy. They don't bother. If you are indeed willing to lug around that much electricity, just make it yourself. I have done it before. A trivial solution, although less efficient, is to just use an off-the-shelf inverter and stock PSU.

If you take 100 Wh as a maximum capacity for laptop's battery, two hours of gaming gives you roughly 50 W cap. That's practically ultrabook territory. Three hours would cap you at 33 W. For CPU, GPU, display, everything. 150 W TGP GPU doesn't fit into it. It makes no sense to pay for super powerful hardware unless you'll be spending enough time plugged-in.

Big gaming laptops just as workstations exist exactly because they are transportable. If you have ever tried to transport a complete desktop, even a compact one, you know the difference is big. Whether it's the space it takes up in a car or the time it takes to pack it up and set it up. A completely different experience. They really are mobile in the sense of being designed for transport.

[Dorby]

First, you shouldn't be playing "heavy" games on battery, that would dramatically reduce the life of the cells, and increase the chance of future power failure.

Second, yes absolutely gaming laptops need good battery life, they're called LAPTOPS. Desktop replacements that weigh 4 kilos and can't browse for 2 hours aren't laptops in my book. That's why laptops like Aero 15 and Zehphyrus G15 have always been the most popular choices despite whatever shortcomings they have.

Third, the 100Wh airline limit is a 100% complete BS. Not the limit itself, but their reasoning behind it. Technically it's possible to have a laptop with multiple divided cells in a laptop, that can be removed. The only issue is the cost associated with the engineering and high-capacity battery, not the "Legal Limit". Issue is lack of innovation.

MacBooks already do this, that's exactly how they can perform heavy sustained workloads like number crunching and video editing on battery power while every other laptop drops below half their performance on battery. Gaming laptops are workstations, Nvidia has freed their embargo on "Studio" drivers to the GTX and RTX consumer GPUs.
They should be able to perform like the MacBooks when unplugged.

[Markus]

Yes it needs good battery life. (5hours or so) but only while NOT gaming. Battery's for gaming 10h straight would weight 10kg

[Vuyo Ncube]

A laptop is supposed to be a multimedia and productivity powerhouse that's just fast enough for your personal needs when plugged in and doesn't instantly die when on the go. Gaming laptops, workstations, enterprise laptops, budget laptops, ultrabooks et cetera should not die within 2 or 3 hours of moderate use. The battery cells deteriorate faster when you have to charge them more often, further ruining the value proposition of such a device.

Take it from someone whose Dell gaming laptop does not charge anymore. I'm not far from driving around with a bulky desktop just for the superior performance at the wall and/or dusting off his old PS Vita. Does Alienware not get tired of these L's?

[Muhammad Anhar]

My dream laptop:

- 15 inch and touch screen
- 1,8 kg
- 99Wh battery
- 6 core CPU
- iGPU that matches GTX 1650
- Vapor chamber cooling

Yeah, it is not too much to ask, but at least this solution would remove almost deal breaker everyone have when choosing laptop. So far only XPS 15 and MBP 16 almost achieved.

[Paul M Liles]

As an owner of this laptop the battery is terrible but I did not buy it for that.  You don't buy a 3070 for good battery.  Everything else in the package is AAA.  High quality.  As an msi owner of a 1070 maxq.  I don't see myself going back to another brand.  You really do get what you pay for sometimes.

[Hermann]

I completely disagree with this article, i think the writer lacks logic and thinks the world revolves around him and his needs.
Buddy don't go to the park and play fifa on the bench, enjoy the park!!
If battery life is so important then just get a lower spec gpu model that should have a bigger battery and the weaker gpu should draw less power, it's a win win.
A laptop with a top end gpu just needs a battery that lasts long enough to finish a round of pubG or warzone should one experience a power outage mid game, 30-40min is plenty enough for that. Or if you are playing a single player game it just needs to last long enough for you to finish the current objective and save.
The laptop you are moaning about is a portable pc with a built-in ups, not really in the laptop category anymore so we need a new name.
Understandably there are those who also do some web browsing and office work on their gaming laptops but I'm sure it's pretty easy to just add a button that completely disables the gpu when in battery life and that should extend the battery long enough to do what needs to be done.
There is a need and a market for this laptop just as there is a need and a market for a mid range gpu laptop with a big battery, you need and prefer the one and i and many like me have the need for something different.
I love this concept and i hope by the time i need to replace my current gaming laptop that ignorant writers haven't killed the top end gaming laptop with their whining about batteries that honestly very few people have a need for.
I for one have never gamed on my battery power, only finished a dota game or 10 due to my country's constant power outages.
Watching movies on the train? I prefer plugging my phone into my laptop while my laptop is in my bag and charging my phone while i watch Netflix on my phone, a weak battery for a laptop is a big battery for a phone and is going to give me a few hours atleast. I can't imagine sitting with a bulky laptop on my lap in crowded public transport setting, but my phone yeh that i can do.
I want and need this laptop!!! 🤔 Or game-station, or,... What are we going to call this portable compact gaming pc with a built in psu?

[_MT_]

Gaming laptops, workstations, enterprise laptops, budget laptops, ultrabooks et cetera should not die within 2 or 3 hours of moderate use.

As was written, the problem is lack of Optimus. Which is specific to this display. If it's a deal-breaker for you, don't buy it. Buy a slower display or buy something else. Yes, I think it's unfortunate, people should know about it but that's a choice you make. If nobody was buying these things, I doubt Dell would continue pursuing this strategy year after year. And NBC again and again failed to even mention Optimus in their reviews.