The ASUS ROG Flow X13 is a high-performance laptop with a dedicated Nvidia RTX graphics card, making it suitable for intensive gaming, 3D rendering, machine learning, and engineering tasks. It's more expensive, has a high-refresh touchscreen display, and is fairly portable thanks to its compact size. However, it has average battery life and its premium aspects make it less cost-effective for general use.
On the other hand, the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 is more budget-friendly, has a longer battery life, which is great for extended use without charging, and is also fairly portable. It's suitable for general use, light gaming, and less demanding engineering software due to its midrange Intel processor and Nvidia MX series graphics. Its screen does not support touch and has a lower refresh rate, which is less ideal for fast-paced gaming or highly detailed engineering work. For those who prioritize cost and battery life over top-tier performance, the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 is a more suitable choice. 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 ASUS ROG Flow X13
Very good for general use
Very good for engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
Very good for software development
Very good for content creation
Very good overall display quality
Very good overall build quality
Very good keyboard
Advantages of the Dell Inspiron 14 5420
Very good battery life
Key differences
General Use
8.1/10
7.6/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2240 x 1400
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
511.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
279.0 nits
8.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
10.0 Hours
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
8.7/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.2/10
The ASUS ROG Flow X13 is very good for general use, while the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 is good.
The ASUS ROG Flow X13 stands out for general use with its high-quality screen, featuring better brightness and color coverage, along with a more powerful CPU and graphics capabilities, which contribute to its higher rating; however, its battery life is shorter than the Dell Inspiron 14 5420. The Dell, while still good for general use, offers longer battery life and a quieter operating experience, making it more suitable for extended use in quiet environments, despite having a less vibrant screen and lower graphics performance.
Gaming and AI
7.8/10
6.4/10
7.4/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.3/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2240 x 1400
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.2/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The ASUS ROG Flow X13 is good for gaming and AI, while the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 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.
Engineering and Design
8.5/10
7.1/10
9.2/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
7.4/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.3/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The ASUS ROG Flow X13 is very good for engineering and design, while the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 is good.
The ASUS ROG Flow X13 stands out in engineering and design use due to its stronger CPU, superior GPU, and higher-quality screen, aspects which are pivotal for computational and visual tasks; on the other hand, the Dell Inspiron 14 5420, while still suitable for engineering and design, offers lesser performance in these areas but compensates with better battery life and lower weight, enhancing its portability. While both laptops have good build and keyboard quality, the ASUS offers a more robust package for intensive workloads, yet the Dell might appeal more to those prioritizing longer use on-the-go and a lighter device to carry.
Content Creation
8.2/10
7.5/10
9.2/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2240 x 1400
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The ASUS ROG Flow X13 is very good for content creation, while the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 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
8.0/10
7.4/10
9.2/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2240 x 1400
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The ASUS ROG Flow X13 is very good for software development, while the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 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
8.4/10
6.5/10
13.4in
SIZE
14.0in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2240 x 1400
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
511.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
279.0 nits
The ASUS ROG Flow X13 has a better screen than the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
When choosing a laptop for general use, the ASUS ROG Flow X13 stands out with a high-resolution display and brightness, providing crisp images and good visibility in various lighting conditions, while the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 offers a less vibrant but still adequate display. For engineering and design tasks where color accuracy is crucial, the ASUS shines with its wide color gamut, ensuring that colors are represented faithfully, whereas the Dell's color range may be less precise. Meanwhile, for gaming and 3D applications that benefit from smoother visuals, the ASUS might not be ideal due to its lower refresh rate, while the Dell also might not satisfy due to similar limitations, making both less suited for fast-paced, graphic-intensive activities.
Battery
8.0 Hours
10.0 Hours
The ASUS ROG Flow X13 has 8 hours of battery life. The Dell Inspiron 14 5420 has 10 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
Very Good
13.4in
SIZE
14.0in
2.8 lbs
WEIGHT
3.4 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The ASUS ROG Flow X13 and Dell Inspiron 14 5420 both have very good portability, though the ASUS ROG Flow X13 has somewhat better portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
8.5/10
7.0/10
The ASUS ROG Flow X13 has very good build quality, while the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$2,500
$971
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
$4,000
The ASUS ROG Flow X13 has a price of $2,500 and the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 costs $971.
"The Asus ROG Flow X13 is not an off-the-shelf convertible. This quickly becomes clear when you take a closer look at the technical specs. The AMD Ryzen 9 5980HS is a state-of-the-art SoC with 8 cores and 16 threads, which also makes the 2-in-1 interesting as a work device. With 32 GB of RAM and a 1 TB SSD, gamers are also well taken care of. The dedicated Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 Max-Q fits well into the overall concept and ensures a solid 3D performance. With the eGPU dock, which is equipped with a GeForce RTX 3080, the small convertible transforms into a full-fledged desktop replacement in terms of performance."
"If laptops were food, then the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 is arguably a Big Mac. There are cheaper and more expensive options, but this arguably represents the baseline of quality and value in the world of mobile computing… something that’s underlined by the attractive $1,279 price tag."
Get a great deal on the ASUS ROG Flow X13 or the Dell Inspiron 14 5420
About ASUS
ASUS, a Taiwanese electronics brand, is one of the largest personal computer vendor by market share. The majority of their laptops are targeted towards personal use or gaming. Their most popular product lines include the budget-friendly VivoBook, more premium ZenBook, and their TUF and ROG gaming laptops, the latter of which has a reputation for excellent gaming performance.
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.
By the numbers
380
Laptops evaluated
48,640
Laptops stats compiled
13
Proprietary Laptops ratings developed
102,195
Recommendations made
22,143
Consumer hours saved
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.