When it comes to good gaming laptops, most manufacturers typically prioritise on the quality of their displays and how beefy their hardware is but Alienware is taking the next step as their new Alienware m15 R4 and Alienware m17 R4 aren’t just terrifyingly powerful gaming rigs, they are also the world’s first gaming laptops to host Cherry MX mechanical keys as an optional upgrade. Better yet, these exquisite examples of gaming goodness are coming to Malaysia!

What are Cherry MX keys?

Created in collaboration with German switch maker CHERRY MX, the project to create mechanical Cherry MX keys in what we now know as the Alienware m15 R4 and the m17 R4 was conceived three years ago.

The challenge was in shrinking down the typical full sized Cherry MX ‘binary mechanical switch experience’ into the compact, dense laptop form factor. What you get effectively is a full fledged, high-powered gaming laptop with keys that are able to deliver a tactile experience akin to a full sized gaming keyboard.

To achieve this elusive grail, Alienware and CHERRY MX went through over 160 prototypes before figuring out a working 3.5mm ultra-low profile switch that uses stainless steel components and which takes a leaf from the design of the gull-wing doors of the DeLorean car of Back to the Future movie fame.

The end result is a full 1.8mm of key travel and a robust self-cleaning mechanism rated for 15 million keystrokes per key over its service life in the new Cherry MX laptop keys. The fact that Alienware and CHERRY MX achieved this without compromising on the thickness and size of the Alienware m15 R4 and m17 R4 is a feat of engineering indeed.

Alienware has also spared no expense with their Alienware m15 R4 and m17 R4  as the keyboards are also programmable for customised macros, have 100% anti-ghosting and NKRO and have per-key AlienFX backlighting in almost every conceivable colour under the rainbow.

Needless to say, the hardware is also up to snuff to match with the Alienware m15 R4 and m17 R4 packing proven Intel 10th Gen Core processors, up to the powerful NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 graphics card, up to 2TB storage and Thunderbolt 3 fast charging. 

Alienware m15 R4 and m17 R4 with CHERRY MX Key Price

In Malaysia, Alienware will be introducing the Alienware m15 R4 and m17 R4 gaming laptops as selectable upgrade options when configuring these laptops on checkout with the former costing RM399 for the M15 and the latter RM499 for the M17. Both gaming laptops Both gaming laptops and their new Cherry MX key upgrades are available now on Dell’s official page at www.dell.com.my