The Acer Predator Triton 300 is the more budget-friendly option and is lighter, thus more portable, but has less storage, lower performance capacity, and shorter battery life. On the other hand, the Dell Alienware X17 R2 offers significantly higher performance, more storage, and a larger screen with a higher refresh rate, making it better for intensive gaming and demanding tasks but comes at a higher price and with less portability due to its greater 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 Predator Triton 300
Good portability
Advantages of the Dell Alienware X17 R2
Very good for general use
Excellent for engineering and design
Very good for gaming and AI
Very good for content creation
Very good overall display quality
Very good overall build quality
Best in class speakers
Very good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.4/10
8.2/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
294.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
367.0 nits
5.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
2.0 Hours
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
7.4/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.0/10
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 is very good for general use, while the Acer Predator Triton 300 is good.
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 outperforms the Acer Predator Triton 300 with a more robust CPU, double the RAM, and a significantly higher screen refresh rate, which together with greater battery capacity and larger screen size enhances its general use experience, despite being less portable and heavier. Both laptops feature quality IPS displays, but the Alienware offers superior speaker quality and manages heat more effectively, albeit at a higher price point and with reduced battery life that is not as long-lasting as the Triton's during typical usage.
Gaming and AI
7.1/10
8.9/10
6.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.3/10
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 X17 R2 is very good for gaming and AI, while the Acer Predator Triton 300 is good.
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 outshines the Acer Predator Triton 300 for gaming and 3D tasks primarily due to its more powerful Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti graphics card and a substantially higher screen refresh rate, which offers smoother visuals and better responsiveness. Additionally, the Alienware's superior CPU and higher-quality screen also contribute to its stronger performance in demanding scenarios, despite being less portable due to its larger size and weight.
Engineering and Design
7.5/10
9.1/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.4/10
6.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.3/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 is excellent for engineering and design, while the Acer Predator Triton 300 is good.
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 is superior for engineering and design use mainly due to its more powerful CPU (Intel i9 compared to Acer's i7), double the RAM, and a more capable GPU (RTX 3080 Ti versus RTX 3060), which can handle intensive tasks and complex graphics more effectively.
Content Creation
7.3/10
8.3/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.4/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 is very good for content creation, while the Acer Predator Triton 300 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
7.1/10
7.8/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.4/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 and Acer Predator Triton 300 are both good for software development, though the Dell Alienware X17 R2 is somewhat better.
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
7.3/10
8.5/10
15.6in
SIZE
17.3in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
480Hz
294.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
367.0 nits
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 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, the Acer Predator Triton 300 and Dell Alienware X17 R2 both offer high-resolution displays with ample brightness, which makes for crisp, clear images and comfortable viewing. However, in the realm of engineering and design, the Alienware's superior color coverage with wider color gamuts ensures more accurate color representation, which is crucial for professionals in those fields. When it comes to gaming and 3D applications, both laptops fall short as their screens have lower refresh rates, which means less fluid motion and a potential disadvantage in fast-paced gaming scenarios where smooth visuals are key.
Battery
5.5 Hours
2.0 Hours
The Acer Predator Triton 300 has 5.5 hours of battery life. The Dell Alienware X17 R2 has 2 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
Good
Fair
15.6in
SIZE
17.3in
4.4 lbs
WEIGHT
6.8 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The Acer Predator Triton 300 has good portability, while the Dell Alienware X17 R2 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.6/10
8.5/10
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 has very good build quality, while the Acer Predator Triton 300 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,150
$2,000
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
The Acer Predator Triton 300 has a price of $1,150 and the Dell Alienware X17 R2 costs $2,000.
"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."
"The Alienware x17 R2 recognizes targets a significantly higher TGP of 175 W for a roughly 30 percent performance boost over laptops running on the ~100 W GeForce RTX 3080 Ti like the Razer Blade 15 or Gigabyte Aero YE5. Similar results can be found through the CPU as well. This single aspect of the Alienware is perhaps the biggest differentiating factor between it and other ultrathin gaming laptops. Of course, the "performance at all cost" approach comes with drawbacks. Power consumption in particular is through the roof and battery life suffers because of it even when on the lowest performance settings."
Get a great deal on the Acer Predator Triton 300 or the Dell Alienware X17 R2
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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