The Acer Predator Triton 300 is more portable and offers a good balance of performance for general use and gaming. However, the Dell Alienware m17 R5 has a larger screen, better performance for intensive tasks like 3D rendering, machine learning, and engineering software, and almost double the battery capacity, which may make it worth the tradeoff in portability, especially if your work involves resource-intensive applications. Both are at a similar price point and designed with a gaming aesthetic, but the Alienware is slightly better for gaming and has a higher refresh screen, which could enhance fast-paced visuals. 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 Predator Triton 300
Good portability
Advantages of the Dell Alienware m17 R5
Very good for engineering and design
Very good overall display quality
Very good speakers
Very good keyboard
Key differences
Gaming and AI
7.1/10
7.7/10
6.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.7/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
480Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 and Acer Predator Triton 300 are both good for gaming and AI, though the Dell Alienware m17 R5 is somewhat better.
The Acer Predator Triton 300 and Dell Alienware m17 R5 both offer robust gaming and 3D performance thanks to their high-quality GPUs, Nvidia RTX 3060, which is vital for rendering graphics smoothly. However, the Alienware m17 R5 stands out with a significantly higher screen refresh rate, which ensures more fluid and tear-free visuals during fast-paced games and 3D applications, while the Predator Triton 300 offers a respectable rate suitable for most gaming scenarios.
Engineering and Design
7.5/10
8.1/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.1/10
6.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.7/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 is very good for engineering and design, while the Acer Predator Triton 300 is good.
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 stands out for its more powerful AMD processor and larger screen with better color coverage, advantageous for demanding engineering and design tasks, whereas the Acer Predator Triton 300, while still capable with a competitive Intel processor and Nvidia graphics, offers a more portable design with a smaller screen size and lighter build. Additionally, the Alienware's superior RAM capacity can handle more complex projects, and its higher screen quality enhances visual precision, contributing to its higher suitability for engineering and design; conversely, the Triton's lower weight and smaller dimensions improve its portability despite the tradeoff in screen real estate and performance.
Screen Quality
7.3/10
8.1/10
15.6in
SIZE
17.3in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
480Hz
294.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
301.0 nits
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 has a better screen than the Acer Predator Triton 300 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
For general use, both the Acer Predator Triton 300 and the Dell Alienware m17 R5 offer displays with sufficient resolution and brightness, along with panel types that provide clear images and wide viewing angles, making them suitable for everyday tasks like browsing, video streaming, and document editing. In engineering and design, professionals require accurate color representation; both laptops have good coverage of color gamuts like DCI-P3 and Adobe RGB, ensuring that the colors in the project work appear accurately on screen. However, these models fall short for gaming and 3D applications due to their lower refresh rates, which can lead to less smooth visual experiences during fast-paced scenes and may hinder the immersive experience that's critical in such applications.
Portability
Good
Poor
15.6in
SIZE
17.3in
4.4 lbs
WEIGHT
7.3 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
1.0in
The Acer Predator Triton 300 has good portability, while the Dell Alienware m17 R5 has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 and Acer Predator Triton 300 are both good for general use.
The Acer Predator Triton 300 is praised for general use owing to its balance of performance from a capable CPU and GPU, sufficient RAM for multitasking, and a quality IPS display; its lighter weight and smaller screen enhance portability, although its battery life is modest. On the other hand, the Dell Alienware m17 R5 stands out for its larger storage capacity, powerful CPU performance suitable for demanding tasks, a larger screen which offers an enhanced viewing experience with high color accuracy, along with better heat management, but it is less portable due to its larger size and weight, and also has a modest battery life.
Content Creation
7.3/10
7.8/10
7.4/10
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 Predator Triton 300 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
7.1/10
7.4/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 and Acer Predator Triton 300 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
5.5 Hours
5.0 Hours
The Acer Predator Triton 300 has 5.5 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.
Build Quality
7.6/10
7.8/10
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 and Acer Predator Triton 300 both have good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,150
$1,100
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
$1,800
The Acer Predator Triton 300 has a price of $1,150 and the Dell Alienware m17 R5 costs $1,100.
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How the Acer Predator Triton 300 and the Dell Alienware m17 R5 compare to other laptops
"In our particular review configuration, the Acer Predator Triton 300 turned out to be a fairly powerful gaming notebook. Both CPU and GPU performance were at a high level, and the aluminum case turned out to be fairly robust. Only the display lid could have been a bit more robust. For customers on a budget that do not mind tinkering with the device’s fan management the Acer Predator Triton 300 can be worth a closer look."
"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 Predator Triton 300 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.
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.
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