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Updated January 10, 2024·
The Acer Nitro 5 is more affordable and lighter, making it easier to carry around, but the Dell Alienware m18 boasts superior processing power and graphics, better suited for intensive gaming, 3D rendering, and engineering tasks. The Alienware also has a larger and higher-resolution display, which is great for detailed work, but this also means it's heavier and less portable. It offers more storage and memory out of the box, translating to better multitasking and future-proofing. The Acer has a respectable performance for its price but won't match the Alienware in demanding applications. Choose the Acer for better value and portability or the Alienware for top-notch performance and a superior display. 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 5 15
- The Acer Nitro 5 15 has no clear advantages over the Dell Alienware m18 R1.
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
- Good overall display quality
- Very good overall build quality
- Very good speakers
Key differences
General Use
7.6
8.2
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
262.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
281.0 nits
5.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
4.0 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
6.3/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
5.1/10
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 is very good for general use, while the Acer Nitro 5 15 is good.
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 is rated very good for general use due to its higher-quality CPU, double the RAM, superior screen quality with higher resolution and more color coverage, and larger battery capacity compared to the Acer Nitro 5 15. However, the Acer Nitro 5 15 offers better portability with its lighter weight and smaller size, while retaining enough performance for everyday tasks thanks to its adequate CPU, ample RAM, and good screen quality.
Gaming and AI
7.5
9.1
7.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.8/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 is excellent for gaming and AI, while the Acer Nitro 5 15 is good.
The Acer Nitro 5 15 is a solid choice for gaming and 3D applications because of its capable Nvidia RTX 4050 GPU and a refresh rate of 144 Hz, suitable for smooth visuals. However, the Dell Alienware m18 R1 outperforms with its significantly more powerful Nvidia RTX 4080 GPU and a higher screen refresh rate of 165 Hz, leading to excellent performance and even smoother gameplay.
Engineering and Design
7.9
9.1
8.5/10
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 5 15 is good.
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 surpasses the Acer Nitro 5 15 in engineering and design use due to its superior CPU, double the RAM for multitasking and complex tasks, and a more powerful GPU for demanding software, paired with a higher resolution and larger screen for detailed visuals.
Content Creation
7.5
8.4
8.5/10
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 5 15 is good.
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
8.0
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 is very good for software development, while the Acer Nitro 5 15 is good.
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
6.9
7.8
15.6in
SIZE
17.3in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
262.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
281.0 nits
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 has a better screen than the Acer Nitro 5 15 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The Acer Nitro 5 15's display offers a balance suitable for everyday tasks, with decent resolution and brightness that make it pleasant for web browsing, document editing, and video streaming. However, for engineering and design where color accuracy is crucial, its color gamut coverage falls short, which could affect the fidelity of visual projects. Gamers and 3D enthusiasts would find the screen's lower refresh rate detrimental, as it doesn't match the smooth visuals required by fast-paced games and 3D simulations.
Battery
5.5 Hours
4.0 Hours
The Acer Nitro 5 15 has 5.5 hours of battery life. The Dell Alienware m18 R1 has 4 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
15.6in
SIZE
17.3in
5.5 lbs
WEIGHT
8.9 lbs
1.0in
THICKNESS
1.0in
The Acer Nitro 5 15 has only fair portability, while the Dell Alienware m18 R1 has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.2
8.5
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 has very good build quality, while the Acer Nitro 5 15 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$780
$2,600
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
The Acer Nitro 5 15 has a price of $780 and the Dell Alienware m18 R1 costs $2,600.
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How the Acer Nitro 5 15 and the Dell Alienware m18 R1 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Nitro 5 15 | Dell Alienware m18 R1 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$780 | $2,600 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2023 | October 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.2'' x 10.7'' x 1.06'' | 16.2'' x 12.6'' x 1.05'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 5.51 lbs | 8.9 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.19" | 16.15" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 10.67" | 12.59" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i5-12500H | Intel i9-13900HX | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 32 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 | 5.5 Hours | 4 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 59 Wh | 97 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 15.6" | 17.3" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 2560 x 1600 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 144Hz | 165Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 262 nits | 281 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.2/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 6.4/10 | 5.1/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | Yes | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 7.5/10 | 7/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 7/10 | 8/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | Yes | Yes | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 3 | 4 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 2 | 4 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 4 | 4 | |
Shopping
Acer Nitro 5 15
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Sascha Mölck | June 2022
"The Acer Nitro 5 is a fast QHD gaming notebook. The Nitro 5 is a well-balanced gaming laptop for just under US$ 2400. A Core i7-12700H CPU and a GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU enable QHD gaming at high to maximum settings, accompanied by fast PCIe-4-SSD (1 TB) and 16 GB of RAM. Acer delivers a solid QHD gaming notebook with the Nitro 5 AN515-58. However, the laptop is not completely free of shortcomings. The CPU and GPU can work at consistently high clock rates. The laptop heats up noticeably under load, but not excessively. Noise development is on the usual class level. Once again, however, Acer needs to improve the fan control."
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 5 15 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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