When choosing between the ASUS TUF Gaming A15 and the Dell Alienware m18 R1, consider the following tradeoffs: The ASUS is less expensive and offers a good balance of performance for its price, with a solid processor and graphics card that can handle most gaming and general use cases; it's also more portable due to its lighter weight. However, the Dell, while significantly more expensive, provides a more powerful processor and higher-end graphics card, suited for demanding gaming, 3D work, and other intensive tasks. Its larger screen and higher resolution may also improve your multimedia and gaming experience, but it comes with reduced portability due to its heavier weight. Both laptops have a similar battery life, but the Dell offers more RAM for better multitasking. Consider your budget, the necessity for portability versus screen size, and the level of performance you need for your activities. 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 Gaming A15
Good portability
Very good battery life
Advantages of the Dell Alienware m18 R1
Very good for general use
Excellent for engineering and design
Excellent for gaming and AI
Very good for software development
Very good overall build quality
Very good speakers
Very good keyboard
Key differences
Gaming and AI
8.0/10
9.1/10
8.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.8/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
6.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 is excellent for gaming and AI, while the ASUS TUF Gaming A15 is very good.
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
8.2/10
9.1/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
8.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.8/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 is excellent for engineering and design, while the ASUS TUF Gaming A15 is very good.
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 is excellent for engineering and design because it has more RAM and a more powerful GPU compared to the ASUS TUF Gaming A15, providing higher performance that is essential for intensive applications used in these fields. Meanwhile, the ASUS TUF Gaming A15, with its smaller screen and lighter weight, offers better portability, as well as longer battery life, but has less RAM and a slightly less powerful GPU.
Screen Quality
7.2/10
7.8/10
15.6in
SIZE
17.3in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
271.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
281.0 nits
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 has a better screen than the ASUS TUF Gaming A15 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
If you prioritize a sharp, clear display and vivid colors for everyday tasks like web browsing, video streaming, and document editing, both the ASUS TUF Gaming A15 and Dell Alienware m18 R1 offer high resolutions and adequate brightness on their screens. For engineering and design work, accurate color representation is essential, and both laptops provide a good range of colors with support for different color gamuts, ensuring that your designs appear true to life. However, if you're into gaming or work with 3D applications, you’ll find the refresh rates on these laptops lacking, leading to less fluid motion and potentially a less immersive experience.
Battery
11.0 Hours
4.0 Hours
The ASUS TUF Gaming A15 has 11 hours of battery life. The Dell Alienware m18 R1 has 4 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
4.8 lbs
WEIGHT
8.9 lbs
0.9in
THICKNESS
1.0in
The ASUS TUF Gaming A15 has good portability, while the Dell Alienware m18 R1 has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.2/10
8.5/10
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 has very good build quality, while the ASUS TUF Gaming A15 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$2,059
$2,600
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
$4,000
The ASUS TUF Gaming A15 has a price of $2,059 and the Dell Alienware m18 R1 costs $2,600.
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Dell Alienware m18 R1 to be very good for general use, while the ASUS TUF Gaming A15 is good.
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.
Content Creation
8.0/10
8.4/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 and ASUS TUF Gaming A15 are both very 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
7.6/10
8.0/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Dell Alienware m18 R1 to be very good for software development, while the ASUS TUF Gaming A15 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.
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How the ASUS TUF Gaming A15 and the Dell Alienware m18 R1 compare to other laptops
"With the release of the TUF Gaming A15, Asos have concentrated on the essentials: gaming performance. Our base version, which can be had for around $1,169, already provided enough power to play current games smoothly in a native resolution of 1080p and with maximum details - thanks to its new Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 Laptop. If you utilize upscaling, then you can even manage to run ray tracing."
"Dell's Alienware m18 delivers on its promises: This is a large, powerful gaming laptop with the premium flair and feel you expect from an expensive purchase. The drawbacks are really the price and battery life, which in context are reasonable. (We'd also like to see more ports on the laptop's sides.) This price tier exists for deep-pocketed enthusiasts, and if you’re considering anything in this range, the m18 isn’t an outlier. For the majority of shoppers, of course, all of these mighty 18-inch systems are likely too expensive."
Get a great deal on the ASUS TUF Gaming A15 or the Dell Alienware m18 R1
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.
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Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
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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.
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