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Updated January 10, 2024·
If you're looking for a laptop primarily for gaming with the highest possible refresh rate on its display, the Dell Alienware m17 R5 has an advantage which will make fast-paced games look smoother. However, the Acer Nitro 17 runs slightly longer on battery for general use, so if you need a laptop that you can use away from power outlets for a bit longer, this might suit you better. Both laptops have similar processing power, ample storage, and are similarly priced. They are both relatively heavy, making them less suitable for frequent travel. Both have enough power for general use, 3D work, and some engineering software, but with their built-in graphics card, they are not optimal for the most demanding tasks in these areas. 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 17
- Good battery life
Advantages of the Dell Alienware m17 R5
- Very good for engineering and design
- Very good overall display quality
- Very good keyboard
Key differences
Screen Quality
7.4
8.1
17.3in
SIZE
17.3in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
480Hz
280.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
301.0 nits
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 has a better screen than the Acer Nitro 17 for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design.
For general use, both the Acer Nitro 17 and the Dell Alienware m17 R5 offer quality displays with adequate resolution and brightness, making them suitable for everyday tasks like browsing and video streaming. In engineering and design tasks, their screens provide a wide range of colors, essential for accurately representing visuals and detailed designs. However, for gaming and 3D applications, they fall short due to lower refresh rates, which are crucial for smooth motion and an immersive experience.
Battery
8.0 Hours
5.0 Hours
The Acer Nitro 17 has 8 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.
Cost
$970
$1,100
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
$1,800
The Acer Nitro 17 has a price of $970 and the Dell Alienware m17 R5 costs $1,100.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.8
7.8
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
280.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
301.0 nits
8.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.0 Hours
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
5.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
5.5/10
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 and Acer Nitro 17 are both good for general use.
The Acer Nitro 17 is appreciated for general use because of its ample storage, solid RAM, and good screen quality as well as its substantial battery life enabling longer use between charges, but it is less portable, given its size and weight.
Gaming and AI
7.4
7.7
7.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.7/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
480Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
6.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 and Acer Nitro 17 are both good for gaming and AI.
The Acer Nitro 17 offers strong gaming and 3D performance through an RTX 4050 GPU and a high screen refresh rate of 165Hz, essential for fluid visuals, while the Dell Alienware m17 R5 boasts a slightly older but capable RTX 3060 GPU and an exceptional 480Hz refresh rate, providing even smoother gameplay. Although both have high-quality IPS screens, the Alienware's screen shines brighter and offers higher color accuracy, rendering visuals more vividly, which along with the superior GPU, slightly edges it ahead for the discerning gamer or 3D designer.
Engineering and Design
7.9
8.1
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.1/10
7.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.7/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Dell Alienware m17 R5 to be very good for engineering and design, while the Acer Nitro 17 is good.
The Acer Nitro 17 has a notable graphical edge with its Nvidia RTX 4050 GPU, beneficial for CAD and 3D modeling, while the Dell Alienware m17 R5 offers a higher screen refresh rate and slightly better contrast, enhancing visual design work. Although both have potent CPUs and sufficient RAM for engineering tasks, the Alienware is better rated for keyboard quality, which may improve long coding sessions; however, it's also heavier, making it less portable.
Content Creation
7.8
7.8
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.1/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 and Acer Nitro 17 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
7.4
7.4
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 and Acer Nitro 17 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.
Portability
Poor
Poor
17.3in
SIZE
17.3in
6.8 lbs
WEIGHT
7.3 lbs
1.1in
THICKNESS
1.0in
The Acer Nitro 17 and Dell Alienware m17 R5 both have poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.4
7.8
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 and Acer Nitro 17 both have good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
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How the Acer Nitro 17 and the Dell Alienware m17 R5 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Nitro 17 | Dell Alienware m17 R5 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$970 | $1,100 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2023 | June 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 15.8'' x 11.6'' x 1.1'' | 15.6'' x 11.8'' x 1.05'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 6.83 lbs | 7.3 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 15.77" | 15.64" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 11.59" | 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 | 1024 GB | 1024 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 8 Hours | 5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 90 Wh | 97 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 17.3" | 17.3" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 1920 x 1080 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 165Hz | 480Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 280 nits | 301 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.4/10 | 7.8/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 5.6/10 | 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 | 6.8/10 | 7/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 7/10 | 8/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 8/10 | 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 | 3 | 2 | |
Thunderbolt Ports | |||
Thunderbolt Ports | 0 | 0 | |
Shopping
Acer Nitro 17
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Dig into reviews and images
PCMag
Mark Knapp | October 2023
"The Acer Nitro 17 isn't an exceptional gaming laptop; it's kind of chunky even among 17.3-inch notebooks, with a lackluster keyboard, and it doesn't outperform comparably priced machines. But there's a lot to like about it, including a good array of ports, a screen that's sharp and bright for work and play alike, and battery life that soundly beats the competition. All this comes at an affordable price. If size and weight aren't big concerns, you'll find the Nitro 17 a dependable big-screen gaming rig. If you crave higher quality, consider a slight step down or up in screen size with the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 Gen 8 or Alienware m18 respectively."
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 17 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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