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Updated January 10, 2024·
When choosing between the Acer Nitro 16 and the Dell Alienware m17 R5, consider the following: If better graphical performance is a priority, especially for gaming or 3D work, the Acer with its more powerful graphics card may be the better choice. However, the Dell has a larger screen size which could be beneficial for immersive gaming and productivity, albeit at a lower screen resolution. For storage, the Dell offers more built-in space, potentially reducing the need for external storage solutions. The Acer is lighter, making it more portable, whereas the Dell's heavier weight could be a drawback if you travel frequently or commute with your laptop. Both run Windows 11 Home and have similar RAM, ensuring good multitasking capabilities. The Alienware has a longer presence in the market, which could mean a more established reputation for reliability and performance, whereas the Nitro is a newer release. Finally, consider the design and brand preference as both offer different aesthetics and brand-specific features that might appeal to different users. 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 Nitro 16
- Very good for gaming and AI
- Good battery life
Advantages of the Dell Alienware m17 R5
- Very good speakers
Key differences
Screen Quality
8.3
8.1
16.0in
SIZE
17.3in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
480Hz
494.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
301.0 nits
The Acer Nitro 16 has a better screen than the Dell Alienware m17 R5 for general use, engineering and design, and software development, while the Dell Alienware m17 R5 has a better screen for gaming and AI.
When selecting a laptop for general use, the Acer Nitro 16 stands out because its screen offers high resolution and brightness, making for a clear and vivid display, while the Dell Alienware m17 R5 presents a slightly less bright but still high quality image. For engineering and design, the Acer Nitro 16's screen provides wide color coverage essential for accurate color work, whereas the Dell Alienware m17 R5, although adequate, doesn't match the Nitro's range of colors. Gamers and 3D users, however, may find both the Nitro 16 and Alienware m17 R5 lackluster due to their lower refresh rates, despite having decent resolution and panel types that are fine for other tasks.
Battery
9.0 Hours
5.0 Hours
The Acer Nitro 16 has 9 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.
Portability
Fair
Poor
16.0in
SIZE
17.3in
5.9 lbs
WEIGHT
7.3 lbs
1.1in
THICKNESS
1.0in
The Acer Nitro 16 has only fair portability, while the Dell Alienware m17 R5 has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.8
7.8
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
494.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
301.0 nits
9.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.0 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
6.0/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
5.5/10
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 and Acer Nitro 16 are both good for general use.
The Acer Nitro 16 provides a strong balance of CPU and GPU power, ample RAM, and a high-quality display which enhances its overall performance for general use, with a light build that aids portability despite a robust battery life. On the other hand, the Dell Alienware m17 R5 offers a larger screen and higher storage capacity, alongside excellent speaker and keyboard quality, making it suitable for general use, however, it is less portable due to its greater weight and lower battery life.
Gaming and AI
8.0
7.7
8.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.7/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
480Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Acer Nitro 16 to be very good for gaming and AI, while the Dell Alienware m17 R5 is good.
The Acer Nitro 16 is equipped with a Nvidia RTX 4070 GPU and a high screen refresh rate of 165Hz, making it very good for gaming and 3D applications where graphical power and smooth display are crucial. In contrast, the Dell Alienware m17 R5 features a Nvidia RTX 3060 GPU with an even higher refresh rate of 480Hz, which is good for gaming and 3D tasks that benefit from extremely fluid motion, though the GPU is less powerful compared to the Acer's.
Engineering and Design
8.2
8.1
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.1/10
8.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.7/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Acer Nitro 16 and Dell Alienware m17 R5 are both very good for engineering and design.
The Acer Nitro 16 is well-suited for engineering and design due to its powerful CPU and GPU combination, ample RAM, high-resolution screen with good color coverage, and solid contrast ratio, balancing performance with a decent level of portability.
Content Creation
7.8
7.8
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.1/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 and Acer Nitro 16 are both good for content creation.
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
7.7
7.4
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Acer Nitro 16 and Dell Alienware m17 R5 are both good for software development.
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.
Build Quality
7.4
7.8
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 and Acer Nitro 16 both have good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,050
$1,100
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
$1,800
The Acer Nitro 16 has a price of $1,050 and the Dell Alienware m17 R5 costs $1,100.
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How the Acer Nitro 16 and the Dell Alienware m17 R5 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Nitro 16 | Dell Alienware m17 R5 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,050 | $1,100 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2023 | June 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.2'' x 11'' x 1.1'' | 15.6'' x 11.8'' x 1.05'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 5.95 lbs | 7.3 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.18" | 15.64" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 11.02" | 11.76" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS | AMD Ryzen 7 6800H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 1024 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 9 Hours | 5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 90 Wh | 97 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 16" | 17.3" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 2560 x 1600 | 1920 x 1080 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 165Hz | 480Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 494 nits | 301 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.4/10 | 7.8/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 6.1/10 | 5.5/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | Yes | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 7/10 | 7/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8/10 | 8/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 7.5/10 | 8/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | Yes | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 3 | 3 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 1 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 2 | 2 | |
Thunderbolt Ports | |||
Thunderbolt Ports | 0 | 0 | |
Shopping
Acer Nitro 16
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Sascha Mölck | June 2023
"Video editing, rendering and, of course, gaming represent the Nitro 16's core competencies with a Ryzen 7 7735HS and GeForce RTX 4070 providing the necessary power. Both chips run at consistently high clock speeds. A fast PCIe 4 SSD (1 TB) provides the required storage space and ensures short loading times. With the Nitro 16 AN16-41, Acer has a well-specced, mid-range gaming laptop in its portfolio."
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 Nitro 16 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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