The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) excels in portability and battery life, making it ideal for users on the go who need a device that can last through the day. Its high-quality display is suited for creative work such as photo and video editing. In contrast, the Dell Alienware m17 R5 offers superior performance for 3D rendering, machine learning, and engineering tasks, with a stronger GPU and more RAM. It is also built for gaming with its high maximum screen refresh rate and hardware ray tracing capabilities. However, the Alienware's larger size and heavier weight make it less portable, and its battery life is significantly shorter than the MacBook Pro's. Choose the MacBook Pro for a balance of performance and portability or the Alienware if performance in gaming and heavier computational tasks is the priority, at the expense of battery life and portability. Give Feedback
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Advantages of the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023)
Very good for general use
Very good for software development
Very good for content creation
Excellent overall display quality
Best in class overall build quality
Very good portability
Excellent battery life
Best in class speakers
Best in class keyboard
Advantages of the Dell Alienware m17 R5
Good for gaming and AI
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.7/10
7.7/10
4.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.7/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
480Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 is good for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) is only fair.
PerfectRec’s Gaming and AI Score strongly emphasizes graphics processing capability, while also taking into account other factors that impact suitability for gaming and AI work.
Content Creation
8.4/10
7.8/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.1/10
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) is very good for content creation, while the Dell Alienware m17 R5 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
8.2/10
7.4/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.1/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) is very good for software development, while the Dell Alienware m17 R5 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
9.2/10
8.1/10
14.2in
SIZE
17.3in
3024 x 1964
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
480Hz
489.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
301.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has a better screen than the Dell Alienware m17 R5 for general use, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 offers a high-resolution, bright display with excellent color accuracy, which benefits general use and engineering tasks where precise colors are crucial. Although it excels in color gamuts like DCI-P3 and Adobe RGB, making it ideal for design work, its screen has a standard refresh rate limiting its appeal for 3D applications where smoother visuals are preferred. The Dell Alienware m17 R5, while providing a good resolution and decent brightness that caters to general use and engineering, falls short for gaming and 3D tasks due to a lower refresh rate compared to specialized gaming laptops.
Battery
17.0 Hours
5.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has 17 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.
Portability
Very Good
Poor
14.2in
SIZE
17.3in
3.4 lbs
WEIGHT
7.3 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
1.0in
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) has very good portability, while the Dell Alienware m17 R5 has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0/10
7.8/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) has best in class build quality, while the Dell Alienware m17 R5 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,499
$1,100
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) has a price of $1,499 and the Dell Alienware m17 R5 costs $1,100.
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) to be very good for general use, while the Dell Alienware m17 R5 is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) is good for general use with a long battery life, high-quality screen, and strong build, making it very portable despite its somewhat lower storage capacity and RAM compared to some competitors. On the other hand, the Dell Alienware m17 R5, although bulkier and with a shorter battery life, offers a larger screen, more storage, and more RAM, making it better suited for those needing more power and space for extensive applications and multitasking, but it is less convenient to carry around.
Engineering and Design
8.1/10
8.1/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.1/10
4.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.7/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 and Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) are both very good for engineering and design.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14, with its high-resolution Mini LED display and efficient Apple M3 processor and integrated GPU, is suitable for engineering and design but strikes a balance with portability and battery life, along with an excellent keyboard and minimal operating noise.
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How the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) and the Dell Alienware m17 R5 compare to other laptops
"In the Apple MacBook Pro 14 2023, the M2 Pro is slowed down. From the improved 5nm process, the new M2 Pro is a very solid upgrade. Graphics performance has increased by about 25% in tandem with a clear improvement in efficiency. The processor has also seen a performance leap of up to 20%, but this is accompanied by an increase in consumption of up to 25%. Fundamentally, Apple its maintaining its advantage over AMD and Intel, particularly in optimized applications where the results are very good in view of the comparatively low power consumption."
"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 Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) or the Dell Alienware m17 R5
About Apple
Apple, an American technology company, is one of the world’s largest company in terms of market capitalization. Their MacBook laptops feature a slim, minimalistic design, class-leading battery life, and premium display and speaker quality. In 2020 Apple switched from using Intel processors to their own silicon chips which have excellent performance and efficiency. The macOS operating system is the second most widely used OS, after Windows.
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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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.