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What we think
The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
The ASUS TUF Dash 15 is often slightly less expensive and offers solid performance for general use and gaming, with a particularly strong battery life, making it suitable for longer use away from power outlets. Its increased portability due to its lighter weight and smaller screen size may be appreciated if you often carry your laptop around. However, if you prioritize a larger screen and superior performance in 3D rendering, machine learning, or engineering tasks, the Dell Alienware m17 R5 may be a better fit despite its higher price and heavier build. The Alienware's additional storage and high refresh rate display also make it well-suited for intensive gaming, although it has a shorter battery life. 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 TUF Dash 15
- Good portability
- Good battery life
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
Screen Quality
7.0
8.1
15.6in
SIZE
17.3in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
480Hz
272.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
301.0 nits
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 has a better screen than the ASUS TUF Dash 15 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, and software development.
When judging screen quality for general use, both the ASUS TUF Dash 15 and Dell Alienware m17 R5 offer clear, sharp displays with ample brightness, making daily tasks and media consumption a pleasant experience. For engineering and design, these laptops provide wide color coverage, which is essential for precise color work, but the emphasis on other engineering tasks may not compensate for their mediocre performance with high-motion visuals. For gaming and 3D applications, their screens fall short due to lower refresh rates, which can result in less fluid motion and a less immersive experience.
Battery
9.0 Hours
5.0 Hours
The ASUS TUF Dash 15 has 9 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
Good
Poor
15.6in
SIZE
17.3in
4.4 lbs
WEIGHT
7.3 lbs
0.8in
THICKNESS
1.0in
The ASUS TUF Dash 15 has good portability, while the Dell Alienware m17 R5 has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.6
7.8
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
272.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
301.0 nits
9.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.0 Hours
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
7.3/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
5.5/10
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 and ASUS TUF Dash 15 are both good for general use.
PerfectRec’s General Use Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for general productivity, web browsing, streaming, video calls, and running a wide variety of apps and programs.
Gaming and AI
7.4
7.7
7.0/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.7/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
480Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
6.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 and ASUS TUF Dash 15 are both good for gaming and AI.
The ASUS TUF Dash 15 and Dell Alienware m17 R5 are both excellent for gaming and 3D tasks primarily because they come equipped with powerful Nvidia RTX 3060 graphics cards which significantly improve gaming and 3D performance. The ASUS model offers a refresh rate of 144Hz that's substantial for smooth gameplay, while the Alienware pushes the envelope with an even higher refresh rate of 480Hz for exceptionally fluid visuals.
Engineering and Design
7.8
8.1
8.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.1/10
7.0/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.7/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Dell Alienware m17 R5 to be very good for engineering and design, while the ASUS TUF Dash 15 is good.
The ASUS TUF Dash 15 is equipped with solid CPU and RAM, making it a good fit for engineering tasks, while being lighter and more portable; however, the Dell Alienware m17 R5 offers better screen quality and larger storage, along with a more robust CPU that excels in rigorous engineering and design work, albeit with increased weight and reduced portability.
Content Creation
7.6
7.8
8.7/10
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 ASUS TUF Dash 15 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
7.4
8.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The ASUS TUF Dash 15 and Dell Alienware m17 R5 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.
Build Quality
7.4
7.8
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 and ASUS TUF Dash 15 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 ASUS TUF Dash 15 has a price of $1,150 and the Dell Alienware m17 R5 costs $1,100.
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How the ASUS TUF Dash 15 and the Dell Alienware m17 R5 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| ASUS TUF Dash 15 | Dell Alienware m17 R5 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,150 | $1,100 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2022 | June 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 13.9'' x 9.9'' x 0.81'' | 15.6'' x 11.8'' x 1.05'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 4.41 lbs | 7.3 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 13.94" | 15.64" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 9.88" | 11.76" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i7-12650H | AMD Ryzen 7 6800H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 1 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 1024 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 9 Hours | 5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 76 Wh | 97 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 15.6" | 17.3" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 1920 x 1080 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 144Hz | 480Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 272 nits | 301 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.4/10 | 7.8/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 7.4/10 | 5.5/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | Yes | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 6.5/10 | 7/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 7/10 | 8/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 7/10 | 8/10 | |
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 | 2 | 3 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 1 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 3 | 2 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 4 | N/A | |
Shopping
ASUS TUF Dash 15
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Sascha Mölck | July 2022
"The Asus TUF Dash F15 FX517ZR is a laptop with mobile RTX 3070 and acceptable battery life. The Asus TUF Dash F15 was made for high-performance applications like video editing, rendering, and gaming. The laptop can manage the latter in QHD resolution and at high to maximum settings. However, the focus isn't on maximum performance, but instead, it's about a compromise between performance and portability."
Dell Alienware m17 R5
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Christian Hintze | January 2023
"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 ASUS TUF Dash 15 or the Dell Alienware m17 R5
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.
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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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