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Updated January 10, 2024·
The Acer Nitro 5 17 is often significantly less expensive than the Dell Alienware m15 R7 and comes with a larger screen and higher refresh rate, which is ideal for immersive gaming experiences. However, the Alienware offers a stronger main processor and higher resolution display, which can be advantages for both high-end gaming and demanding tasks like 3D rendering and engineering applications. Despite having a smaller screen, the Alienware may provide better overall performance. Keep in mind that the Alienware's battery is larger, potentially offering longer unplugged usage, but its higher specifications may also consume more power. The Nitro may be more budget-friendly and suitable for general use and intensive gaming, while the Alienware is tailored towards users seeking premium performance and willing to invest more. 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 17
- Good battery life
Advantages of the Dell Alienware m15 R7
- Very good overall build quality
- Very good keyboard
Key differences
Screen Quality
8.2
8.2
17.3in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
360Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
307.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
300.0 nits
The Acer Nitro 5 17 has a better screen than the Dell Alienware m15 R7 for content creation, while the Dell Alienware m15 R7 has a better screen for engineering and design.
For general use, a laptop with a high-resolution display, vibrant colors, and a bright screen enhances the viewing experience, which both the Acer Nitro 5 17 and Dell Alienware m15 R7 offer. In the context of engineering and design, accurate color reproduction is crucial for visual tasks, and if these laptops cover a wide range of color gamuts, they will be suitable for professional work that demands precision. However, for gaming and 3D applications where smooth motion is key, a high refresh rate is required, and if these laptops have low refresh rates, they won't be ideal for those activities.
Build Quality
7.2
8.5
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 has very good build quality, while the Acer Nitro 5 17 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$830
$2,200
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
The Acer Nitro 5 17 has a price of $830 and the Dell Alienware m15 R7 costs $2,200.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.8
7.5
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
307.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
300.0 nits
6.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.0 Hours
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
6.0/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.4/10
The Acer Nitro 5 17 and Dell Alienware m15 R7 are both good for general use.
The Acer Nitro 5 17 is equipped with a powerful CPU and high-quality graphics card, ample RAM and storage for efficient multitasking and application performance, and despite its larger screen, it has lackluster battery life, making it less portable than the Dell Alienware m15 R7. The Dell Alienware m15 R7, on the other hand, offers a higher resolution display for sharper images and better screen quality, but also compromises on battery life and comes with less storage, although it is slightly more portable due to its smaller size.
Gaming and AI
7.7
7.8
7.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.7/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
360Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 and Acer Nitro 5 17 are both good for gaming and AI.
The Acer Nitro 5 17 is equipped with a Nvidia RTX 3080 and a high screen refresh rate of 360 Hz, making it well-suited for smooth gaming and 3D performance; meanwhile, the Dell Alienware m15 R7 features a Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti and a 240 Hz screen refresh rate, offering considerable performance as well, but with a slightly lower refresh rate than the Acer for ultra-fast-paced games.
Engineering and Design
8.0
8.2
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.5/10
7.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.7/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 and Acer Nitro 5 17 are both very good for engineering and design.
The Acer Nitro 5 17 is equipped with a high-end GPU and ample RAM, making it suitable for engineering and design work, while its IPS screen delivers good color accuracy; however, it's less portable and has a lower screen resolution compared to the Dell Alienware m15 R7, which boasts a stronger CPU, a high-resolution display for detailed visuals, and a higher portability factor, all of which are very important for engineering and design tasks but may come with increased fan noise. Both laptops provide the necessary horsepower with their CPUs and GPUs, yet differ in portability and screen attributes, striking a balance between performance and user experience based on individual needs.
Content Creation
7.8
7.5
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.5/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Acer Nitro 5 17 and Dell Alienware m15 R7 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
7.3
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.5/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Acer Nitro 5 17 and Dell Alienware m15 R7 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.
Battery
6.0 Hours
5.0 Hours
The Acer Nitro 5 17 has 6 hours of battery life. The Dell Alienware m15 R7 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
Fair
17.3in
SIZE
15.6in
5.9 lbs
WEIGHT
5.9 lbs
0.9in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 and Acer Nitro 5 17 both have only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
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How the Acer Nitro 5 17 and the Dell Alienware m15 R7 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Nitro 5 17 | Dell Alienware m15 R7 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$830 | $2,200 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | February 1, 2023 | May 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 15.9'' x 11'' x 0.98'' | 14'' x 10.7'' x 0.94'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 5.95 lbs | 5.93 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 15.89" | 14.02" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 11.02" | 10.73" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 5800H | AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 4 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 1024 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 6 Hours | 5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 57.5 Wh | 86 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 17.3" | 15.6" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 2560 x 1440 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 360Hz | 240Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 307 nits | 300 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.2/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 6.1/10 | 6.5/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | Yes | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 7.5/10 | 7/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 7/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 7.5/10 | 7.5/10 | |
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 | 1 | 1 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | No | No | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 1 | 2 | |
Thunderbolt Ports | |||
Thunderbolt Ports | 0 | 0 | |
Shopping
Acer Nitro 5 17
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Sascha Mölck | August 2021
"The Acer Nitro 5 17 is a solid mid-range gamer. The Nitro 5 does not belong to the top group of RTX 3070 notebooks: Compared with the RTX 3070 notebooks tested so far, the computer delivers below-average frame rates - this is due to the 100-watt TGP. The GPU performance can be increased a bit with a firmware update. The device scores with a high level of CPU performance. Throttling is not a concern. CPU and GPU can produce their performance constantly. The laptop heats up moderately under load. The noise development is on the usual class level."
Dell Alienware m15 R7
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Dig into reviews and images
Tom's Hardware
Brandon Hill | October 2022
"The Alienware M15 offers solid gaming and leading endurance. It makes the most of its CPU and GPU while delivering stellar battery life for a gaming laptop. Opening the lid presents a full-size keyboard with honeycomb cutouts above it on the deck. An oblong RBG lightning element surrounds the entire rear panel and can be color-synced with the other lights on the laptop. There’s not a lot to dislike about the M15 Its productivity performance lagged in some areas, particularly in the storage benchmark, and it’s a bit heavy. Alienware has a clear winner here with the M15 based on its strong overall performance and endurance."
Get a great deal on the Acer Nitro 5 17 or the Dell Alienware m15 R7
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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