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What we think
The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
If you value performance for tasks like 3D rendering, machine learning, or gaming and don't mind a higher price and less portability, then the Dell Alienware m17 R5 is the better option. It offers significantly more power, higher-quality screen, more storage, and better build quality. On the other hand, if you are looking for a more budget-friendly option, prioritize portability, and your use case is more oriented towards general tasks like browsing and word processing, then the Acer Aspire 1 will be sufficient. However, it has less power and storage, a lower-quality display, and is less suitable for intensive tasks. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the Acer Aspire 1
- Good portability
- Good battery life
Advantages of the Dell Alienware m17 R5
- Good for general use
- Very good for engineering and design
- Good for gaming and AI
- Good for software development
- Good for content creation
- Very good overall display quality
- Good overall build quality
- Very good speakers
- Very good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
5.8
7.8
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
TN
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
200.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
301.0 nits
6.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.0 Hours
6.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
7.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
5.5/10
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 is good for general use, while the Acer Aspire 1 is poor.
PerfectRec’s General Use Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for general productivity, web browsing, streaming, video calls, and running a wide variety of apps and programs.
Gaming and AI
5.6
7.7
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.7/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
480Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 is good for gaming and AI, while the Acer Aspire 1 is poor.
PerfectRec’s Gaming and AI Score strongly emphasizes graphics processing capability, while also taking into account other factors that impact suitability for gaming and AI work.
Engineering and Design
5.5
8.1
3.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.1/10
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.7/10
4.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 is very good for engineering and design, while the Acer Aspire 1 is poor.
The Acer Aspire 1 is limited in engineering and design tasks due to its lower-powered Intel Celeron processor, basic integrated graphics, and minimal RAM, which hinder complex computations and graphics rendering, and its TN screen offers inferior color and angle viewing compared to higher-quality displays.
Content Creation
5.9
7.8
3.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.1/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
4.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
TN
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 is good for content creation, while the Acer Aspire 1 is poor.
PerfectRec’s Content Creation Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for photo editing, video editing and other content creation tasks.
Software Development
6.1
7.4
3.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.1/10
4.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
6.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 is good for software development, while the Acer Aspire 1 is only fair.
PerfectRec’s Software Development Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for software developers.
Screen Quality
5.2
8.1
15.6in
SIZE
17.3in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
TN
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
480Hz
200.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
301.0 nits
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 has a better screen than the Acer Aspire 1 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
For general use, the Dell Alienware m17 R5 offers a sharper, brighter display with better color production compared to the Acer Aspire 1, making for a more vivid and easier-to-read experience. In engineering and design, the Alienware's screen supports wider color ranges which are crucial for accuracy in professional visual work. However, for gaming and 3D applications where fast motion is common, the Acer Aspire 1 falls short due to its lower refresh rate, which is less smooth than gaming-optimized laptops like the Alienware, even though the Alienware's higher refresh rate doesn't match the top-tier panels dedicated to gaming.
Portability
Good
Poor
15.6in
SIZE
17.3in
4.1 lbs
WEIGHT
7.3 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
1.0in
The Acer Aspire 1 has good portability, while the Dell Alienware m17 R5 has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
5.5
7.8
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 has good build quality, while the Acer Aspire 1 has poor build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$244
$1,100
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The Acer Aspire 1 has a price of $244 and the Dell Alienware m17 R5 costs $1,100.
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Key similarities
Battery
6.0 Hours
5.0 Hours
The Acer Aspire 1 has 6 hours of battery life. The Dell Alienware m17 R5 has 5 hours of battery life.
Battery life estimate is based on a mix of common use patterns. More portable and higher performing laptops tend to have less battery life.
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How the Acer Aspire 1 and the Dell Alienware m17 R5 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Aspire 1 | Dell Alienware m17 R5 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$244 | $1,100 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | October 1, 2022 | June 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.3'' x 9.4'' x 0.78'' | 15.6'' x 11.8'' x 1.05'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 4.19 lbs | 7.3 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.3" | 15.64" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 9.4" | 11.76" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel Celeron N4500 | AMD Ryzen 7 6800H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 4 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 4 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 128 GB | 1024 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 6 Hours | 5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 36.7 Wh | 97 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 15.6" | 17.3" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | TN | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 1920 x 1080 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 480Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 200 nits | 301 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 5.6/10 | 7.8/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 7.5/10 | 5.5/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 10/10 | 7/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 6/10 | 8/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 5.4/10 | 8/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | No | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | Yes | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 3 | 3 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 0 | 1 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | No | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 1 | 2 | |
Thunderbolt Ports | |||
Thunderbolt Ports | 0 | 0 | |
Shopping
Acer Aspire 1
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Dig into reviews and images
CNET
Joshua Goldman | May 2020
"There are no surprises and nothing's extraordinary here but this laptop's price. For those in need of an inexpensive Windows laptop for undemanding tasks, though, the Acer Aspire 1 offers just enough to get the basics done and a larger screen to do them on."
Dell Alienware m17 R5
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Christian Hintze | January 2023
"Overall, the all-AMD system in the Alienware m17 R5 is impressive, especially the graphics performance. However, various driver issues and unnecessary inconsistencies prevent us from truly enjoying such a potent gaming machine. In addition to strong 3D performance, we particularly like the build quality, the fairly bright UHD display with high color space coverage, and the fact that the gamer is often quiet when not under load and also rather quieter than some competitors under load."
Get a great deal on the Acer Aspire 1 or the Dell Alienware m17 R5
About Acer
Acer is a prominent Taiwanese electronics brand which makes a wide range of laptops, with multiple product lines catering to personal use, gaming, and business use. They are renowned for having exceptional value for money, as they frequently offer good specifications at a lower price than other manufacturers.
About Dell
Dell is a highly recognizable American technology company, and is one of the largest personal computer vendor by market share. Their laptops are very popular for both personal and professional use, and they also own the Alienware brand which makes mid to high end gaming laptops. Their premium XPS range of laptops offer great build quality and portability, while Latitude and Precision laptops are known for reliability, repairability and performance for business users.
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This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec laptops team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest laptop information and makes it digestible for you.
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