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Nitro 17
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Alienware m18 R1
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What we think

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The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·

If you prioritize performance for 3D rendering, machine learning, or intensive gaming tasks and are okay with a higher price, the Dell Alienware m18 R1 with its more powerful graphics and processor is the better choice, but it is heavier, which reduces its portability, and has shorter battery life compared to the Acer Nitro 17. However, if you're looking for a more budget-friendly option that still offers good general use and gaming performance, the Acer Nitro 17 will not disappoint, and it also brings longer battery life and slightly better portability thanks to its lower weight. 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 m18 R1
  • Very good for general use
  • Excellent for engineering and design
  • Excellent for gaming and AI
  • Very good for software development
  • Very good for content creation
  • Very good overall build quality
  • Very good keyboard

Key differences

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Gaming and AI

7.4
Nitro 17
Alienware m18 R1
9.1
7.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.8/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
6.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 is excellent for gaming and AI, while the Acer Nitro 17 is good.

Engineering and Design

7.9
Nitro 17
Alienware m18 R1
9.1
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
7.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.8/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 is excellent for engineering and design, while the Acer Nitro 17 is good.

Content Creation

7.8
Nitro 17
Alienware m18 R1
8.4
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 is very good for content creation, while the Acer Nitro 17 is good.

Software Development

7.4
Nitro 17
Alienware m18 R1
8.0
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 is very good for software development, while the Acer Nitro 17 is good.

Screen Quality

7.4
Nitro 17
Alienware m18 R1
7.8
17.3in
SIZE
17.3in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
280.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
281.0 nits
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 has a better screen than the Acer Nitro 17 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.

Battery

8.0 Hours
Nitro 17
Alienware m18 R1
4.0 Hours
The Acer Nitro 17 has 8 hours of battery life. The Dell Alienware m18 R1 has 4 hours of battery life.

Build Quality

7.4
Nitro 17
Alienware m18 R1
8.5
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 has very good build quality, while the Acer Nitro 17 has good build quality.

Cost

$970
Nitro 17
Alienware m18 R1
$2,600
Product image
Product image

$500

$1,000

$1,500

$2,000

$2,500

$3,000

$3,500

$4,000

The Acer Nitro 17 has a price of $970 and the Dell Alienware m18 R1 costs $2,600.
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Key similarities

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General Use

7.8
Nitro 17
Alienware m18 R1
8.2
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
280.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
281.0 nits
8.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
4.0 Hours
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
5.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
5.1/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Dell Alienware m18 R1 to be very good for general use, while the Acer Nitro 17 is good.

Portability

Poor
Nitro 17
Alienware m18 R1
Poor
17.3in
SIZE
17.3in
6.8 lbs
WEIGHT
8.9 lbs
1.1in
THICKNESS
1.0in
The Acer Nitro 17 and Dell Alienware m18 R1 both have poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.

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How the Acer Nitro 17 and the Dell Alienware m18 R1 compare to other laptops

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Spec Comparison

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Acer Nitro 17Dell Alienware m18 R1
Acer Nitro 17Dell Alienware m18 R1

GENERAL

Price
$970
$2,600
Release Date
May 1, 2023October 1, 2022
Overall Dimensions
15.8'' x 11.6'' x 1.1''16.2'' x 12.6'' x 1.05''
Weight
6.83 lbs8.9 lbs
Width
15.77"16.15"
Depth
11.59"12.59"

INTERNAL

Processor
AMD Ryzen 7 7735HSIntel i9-13900HX
RAM
16 GB32 GB
DDR Memory Version
55
RAM Slots
22
Storage
1024 GB1024 GB

BATTERY

Battery Life
8 Hours4 Hours
Battery Capacity
90 Wh97 Wh

SCREEN

Diagonal Size
17.3"17.3"
Display Technology
IPSIPS
Resolution
1920 x 10802560 x 1600
Refresh Rate
165Hz165Hz
Display Brightness
280 nits281 nits

RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS

Build Quality Score
7.4/108.5/10
Portability Score
5.6/105.1/10
Gaming Laptop Appearance
YesYes
Premium Business Laptop
NoNo
Fan Noise Score
6.8/107/10

HARDWARE FEATURES

Keyboard Quality Score
7/108.5/10
Speaker Quality Score
8/108/10
Webcam
720p720p
Fingerprint Reader
NoNo
Backlit Keyboard
YesYes
Number Pad
YesYes

CONNECTIVITY

USB Type-A
34
USB-C ports
22
USB-C Charging
YesYes
Display Outputs
34
Thunderbolt Version
N/A4

Shopping

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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 m18 R1

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Dig into reviews and images

PCMag

Matthew Buzzi | July 2023
"Dell's Alienware m18 delivers on its promises: This is a large, powerful gaming laptop with the premium flair and feel you expect from an expensive purchase. The drawbacks are really the price and battery life, which in context are reasonable. (We'd also like to see more ports on the laptop's sides.) This price tier exists for deep-pocketed enthusiasts, and if you’re considering anything in this range, the m18 isn’t an outlier. For the majority of shoppers, of course, all of these mighty 18-inch systems are likely too expensive."

Get a great deal on the Acer Nitro 17 or the Dell Alienware m18 R1

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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Why trust us

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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.

By the numbers

380
Laptops evaluated
48,640
Laptops stats compiled
13
Proprietary Laptops ratings developed
110,895
Recommendations made
24,028
Consumer hours saved

About the laptop team

Joe Golden, Ph.D

CEO and Laptops Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.

Jason Lew

Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.

Chandradeep Chowdhury

Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.

Craig Russell

Laptops Expert
Craig is a UK-based laptops expert. Craig works in IT, where he recommends and supports laptops and PCs for clients and has been recommending laptops on Reddit for five years.

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