Great RTX 4080 gaming laptops are hard to find under $2,000, but this Alienware M16 is a whole lot of horsepower for $1,900

Alienware M16 RTX 4080 gaming laptop
(Image credit: Alienware)
Alienware M16 | RTX 4080 | Ryzen 9 7845HX | 16-inch | 1600p | 240 Hz | 32GB DDR5-5200 | 1TB SSD | $2,699.99 $1,899.99 at Best Buy (save $800)

Alienware M16 | RTX 4080 | Ryzen 9 7845HX | 16-inch | 1600p | 240 Hz | 32GB DDR5-5200 | 1TB SSD | $2,699.99 $1,899.99 at Best Buy (save $800)
This Alienware is a bit of a chonky machine, but for this price its got some serious components that are well worth looking at. There's a 175 W TGP RTX 4080 for proper graphics horsepower, 32 GB of decently fast DDR5, and a 12-core Ryzen 9 processor with plenty of gaming grunt. A 240 Hz 1600p panel rounds off a high-performance laptop with proper credentials.

Alienware is a brand that many associate with distinctive chassis designs, speedy components, and a high price tag. While this Alienware M16 gaming laptop has the first two covered, I've spotted it for $1,900 at Best Buy, and at that price it's one of the best RTX 4080 gaming laptop deals I've seen in a while.

It's a bit of a chonky chassis design this, what with a fairly substantial rear lip and a significantly large lower deck, but it does manage to cram some truly high-performance components into that frame. For a start, let's talk about the GPU. Here you're getting the mobile RTX 4080 with a 175 W TDP, and that's a much better shout for a mobile GPU than the RTX 4090 laptops we test on the regular.

It's got a much better chance of delivering high performance without throttling back, and it shaves a significant amount off the price. In fact, it's about as high as we recommend you go in Nvidia's mobile GPU range, and should have no problem at all scything through the most demanding games, especially with DLSS 3 and Frame Generation to push those frame rates up into the stratosphere.

The 16-inch 240 Hz 1600p panel should have no problem displaying as many of those frames as possible, too. Plus with 32 GB of DDR5-5200, you won't have to do the browser-tab-dance every time you boot into a game either—unlike a lot of other gaming laptops that are still getting away with 16 GB, which is a little on the tight side these days for a modern gaming system. 

Sitting at the heart of this machine is an AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX CPU with 12 cores, 24 threads and a 5.2 GHz boost clock. That's a Zen 4 chip that'll have no problems at all speeding through the most demanding of tasks, and while it's not as much of a multi-tasking productivity wonder as some of Intel's top-end offerings, it'll still chew through just about anything you can throw at it with relative ease.

So what's not to like? Well, that chassis design isn't for everyone, and it's only $200 away from the best RTX 4080 gaming laptop we've ever tested—the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i—which is currently available for $2,099 at B&H photo

I'd also stick a bigger SSD in it, as 1 TB is fine to get started with, but a cheap 2 TB Gen 4 NVMe drive would really round it out into something special.

Still, if you want comparable specs for less, this Alienware M16 really does have a lot going for it. It might be from a brand that often commands a very high price, but for here you're getting a laptop that can keep up with some of the very best, for money that makes a whole lot of sense.

TOPICS
Andy Edser
Hardware Writer

Andy built his first gaming PC at the tender age of 12, when IDE cables were a thing and high resolution wasn't—and he hasn't stopped since. Now working as a hardware writer for PC Gamer, Andy's been jumping around the world attending product launches and trade shows, all the while reviewing every bit of PC hardware he can get his hands on. You name it, if it's interesting hardware he'll write words about it, with opinions and everything.

Read more
The Dell G16 7630 RTX 4070 gaming laptop on a teal deals background
It might be a bit of a chonk, but this 240 Hz RTX 4070 Dell gaming laptop is a seriously powerful machine for $1,300
The Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 on a teal deals background with the Asus logo displayed on screen.
The 240 Hz OLED gaming laptop of my dreams is down to the lowest price I've seen yet
A Lenovo LOQ 15.6 inch gaming laptop on a teal deals background
Ahead of RTX 50-series gaming laptops you can snag an RTX 4070 Lenovo machine for just $900
The Lenovo Legion LOQ gaming laptop on a blue background
Okay, so it's not technically in the Amazon Big Spring Sale, but this is the cheapest RTX 4070 gaming laptop you'll find today
The Lenovo Legion 5i gaming laptop on a teal deals background
I still can't beat the sheer value for money this 240 Hz Lenovo RTX 4070 gaming laptop provides for $1,399 and it's starting to bug me
A promotional image of an Asus TUF Gaming F17 laptop against a teal background with a white border
If you love a big laptop without a big price tag, this RTX 4070 17.3-incher is an ideal pick at $1,300
Latest in Gaming Laptops
The Lenovo Legion LOQ gaming laptop on a blue background
Okay, so it's not technically in the Amazon Big Spring Sale, but this is the cheapest RTX 4070 gaming laptop you'll find today
A promotional image for the Compal Adapt X modular laptop, as presented by the iF Design Foundation
If you've ever wanted to upgrade a laptop with 'modular AI units' then Compal might just have the very thing you're looking for
The Dell G16 7630 RTX 4070 gaming laptop on a teal deals background
It might be a bit of a chonk, but this 240 Hz RTX 4070 Dell gaming laptop is a seriously powerful machine for $1,300
The UHPILCL water cooled gaming laptop
This water-cooled gaming laptop packs a full-size desktop RTX 5090 and even fits in a backpack, but I sure wouldn't want it in mine
Lenovo Yoga Solar PC
Lenovo's clever solar-powered laptop can turn 20 minutes of sunlight into an hour of video playback but sun-powered mobile gaming still isn't a goer
The Razer Blade 16 (2025) on a glass table in a hotel suite at CES 2025.
Razer has seen sense and slightly lowered the Razer Tax with its latest Blade 16 gaming laptops
Latest in News
Assassin's Creed Shadows promo image
Ubisoft scores a legendary ratio against Elon Musk on his own platform—which hopefully marks a final end to all the Assassin's Creed Shadows' culture war nonsense
Tzarina Katarin Bokha, the Ice Queen of Kislev
Total War: Warhammer 3 rolls out a cool Kislev overhaul, changes befitting Tzeench’s magic, new projectile units and creakier skeletal horses
An image of a golden first place award from Geoguessr
'We're actually getting GeoGuessr on Steam before GTA 6': the Google Street View puzzler arrives on Valve's platform this April
Napster client circa 1999
Former music-pirating platform Napster to be reborn rather ironically as a metaverse for musicians to connect with their fans after $207 million deal
The snazzy red and black HyperX Cloud Alpha wireless headphones float in a teal void. The microphone is attached to the headset.
The best wireless gaming headset is now even better in the Amazon Big Spring Sale, boasting a more than $50 discount
A chip being held up in an Intel fab
Intel is reportedly 'working to finalize commitments from Nvidia' as a foundry partner, suggesting gaming potential for the 18A node