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TUF Gaming A16
Company ProductName Specs











Alienware X17 R2
Company ProductName Specs











Advantages of the ASUS TUF Gaming A16
  • Good battery life
Advantages of the Dell Alienware X17 R2
  • Very good for general use
  • Excellent for engineering and design
  • Very good overall display quality
  • Very good overall build quality
  • Best in class speakers
  • Very good keyboard

Key differences

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Engineering and Design

8.6
TUF Gaming A16
Alienware X17 R2
9.1
9.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.4/10
8.9/10
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 ASUS TUF Gaming A16 is very good.

Screen Quality

7.9
TUF Gaming A16
Alienware X17 R2
8.5
16.0in
SIZE
17.3in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
480Hz
300.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
367.0 nits
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 has a better screen than the ASUS TUF Gaming A16 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, and software development.

Battery

6.0 Hours
TUF Gaming A16
Alienware X17 R2
2.0 Hours
The ASUS TUF Gaming A16 has 6 hours of battery life. The Dell Alienware X17 R2 has 2 hours of battery life.

Portability

Fair
TUF Gaming A16
Alienware X17 R2
Fair
16.0in
SIZE
17.3in
5.0 lbs
WEIGHT
6.8 lbs
1.1in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The ASUS TUF Gaming A16 and Dell Alienware X17 R2 both have only fair portability, though the ASUS TUF Gaming A16 has somewhat better portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.

Build Quality

7.2
TUF Gaming A16
Alienware X17 R2
8.5
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 has very good build quality, while the ASUS TUF Gaming A16 has good build quality.

Cost

$1,699
TUF Gaming A16
Alienware X17 R2
$2,000
Product image
Product image

$500

$1,000

$1,500

$2,000

$2,500

$3,000

The ASUS TUF Gaming A16 has a price of $1,699 and the Dell Alienware X17 R2 costs $2,000.
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Key similarities

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General Use

7.8
TUF Gaming A16
Alienware X17 R2
8.2
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
300.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
367.0 nits
6.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
2.0 Hours
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
6.7/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.0/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Dell Alienware X17 R2 to be very good for general use, while the ASUS TUF Gaming A16 is good.

Gaming and AI

8.4
TUF Gaming A16
Alienware X17 R2
8.9
8.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.3/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
480Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
6.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 and ASUS TUF Gaming A16 are both very good for gaming and AI.

Content Creation

8.0
TUF Gaming A16
Alienware X17 R2
8.3
9.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.4/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 and ASUS TUF Gaming A16 are both very good for content creation.

Software Development

7.7
TUF Gaming A16
Alienware X17 R2
7.8
9.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.4/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 and ASUS TUF Gaming A16 are both good for software development.

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How the ASUS TUF Gaming A16 and the Dell Alienware X17 R2 compare to other laptops

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Spec Comparison

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ASUS TUF Gaming A16Dell Alienware X17 R2
ASUS TUF Gaming A16Dell Alienware X17 R2

GENERAL

Price
$1,699
$2,000
Release Date
March 1, 2024December 1, 2021
Overall Dimensions
14'' x 9.9'' x 1.11''15.7'' x 11.8'' x 0.82''
Weight
5 lbs6.82 lbs
Width
13.98"15.72"
Depth
9.92"11.79"

INTERNAL

Processor
AMD Ryzen 9 7940HXIntel i9-12900HK
RAM
16 GB32 GB
DDR Memory Version
55
RAM Slots
22
Storage
1024 GB1024 GB

BATTERY

Battery Life
6 Hours2 Hours
Battery Capacity
90 Wh87 Wh

SCREEN

Diagonal Size
16"17.3"
Display Technology
IPSIPS
Resolution
2560 x 16001920 x 1080
Refresh Rate
165Hz480Hz
Display Brightness
300 nits367 nits

RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS

Build Quality Score
7.2/108.5/10
Portability Score
6.7/106.1/10
Gaming Laptop Appearance
YesYes
Premium Business Laptop
NoNo
Fan Noise Score
6.8/107/10

HARDWARE FEATURES

Keyboard Quality Score
7/108.5/10
Speaker Quality Score
6.8/109.5/10
Webcam
720p720p
Fingerprint Reader
NoNo
Backlit Keyboard
YesYes
Number Pad
YesNo

CONNECTIVITY

USB Type-A
22
USB-C ports
22
USB-C Charging
YesYes
Display Outputs
34
Thunderbolt Version
N/A4

Shopping

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ASUS TUF Gaming A16

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Dig into reviews and images

PCWorld

Dominic Bayley | May 2023
"The A16 makes an excellent case against more expensive laptops like the Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo 16 and the MSI Katana GF76, especially if you’re into 1080p gaming. However, although its affordable, it doesn’t skimp on performance or a robust chassis. But for me, the biggest factor that sets it apart from these options is its incredible battery life. In my time reviewing laptops, I can’t remember when I last saw a gaming laptop lasted 11 and a half hours on a single charge, which makes the A16, in my book, truly outstanding."

Dell Alienware X17 R2

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Dig into reviews and images

NotebookCheck

Allen Ngo | May 2022
"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 ASUS TUF Gaming A16 or the Dell Alienware X17 R2

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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Why trust us

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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.

By the numbers

380
Laptops evaluated
48,640
Laptops stats compiled
13
Proprietary Laptops ratings developed
100,395
Recommendations made
21,753
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.

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