The ASUS Vivobook 14 is less expensive, more portable, and suited for general use with moderate performance needs; it has a smaller screen and less powerful hardware. Conversely, the Dell Alienware m17 R5 is priced higher but comes with significantly more power for intensive tasks such as gaming, 3D rendering, or engineering software, alongside a larger screen and higher storage capacity. However, it is less portable due to its size and weight. Consider the ASUS if budget and portability are key, and the Dell if performance and a large display for advanced applications are more important to you. 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 Vivobook 14
Very good portability
Good battery life
Advantages of the Dell Alienware m17 R5
Good for general use
Very good for engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
Good for software development
Good for content creation
Very good overall display quality
Very good speakers
Very good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
6.9/10
7.8/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
250.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
301.0 nits
7.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.0 Hours
6.7/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
8.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
5.5/10
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 is good for general use, while the ASUS Vivobook 14 is only fair.
The Asus Vivobook 14 is lighter and more portable with a fair battery life, suitable for on-the-go usage but has a less powerful CPU and less RAM, which might limit performance for more demanding tasks. The Dell Alienware m17 R5 offers a significantly more powerful CPU and more RAM, better screen quality, and a robust build, but it is heavier and has shorter battery life, making it less portable and more suited for use in stationary settings.
Gaming and AI
6.0/10
7.7/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.7/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
480Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 is good for gaming and AI, while the ASUS Vivobook 14 is only fair.
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 offers a superior gaming and 3D experience thanks to its high-performance Nvidia RTX 3060 GPU and a screen with an impressive refresh rate, making visuals smoother, especially in fast-paced games. In contrast, the ASUS Vivobook 14 has a much lower screen refresh rate and comes with the integrated Intel i5-1235U Iris Xe GPU which is less capable for demanding gaming and 3D tasks.
Engineering and Design
6.3/10
8.1/10
6.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.1/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.7/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 is very good for engineering and design, while the ASUS Vivobook 14 is only fair.
The Asus Vivobook 14 is fair for engineering and design use because it has moderate specifications with an Intel i5 processor, integrated graphics, and a standard quality display, making it more portable but less powerful. On the other hand, the Dell Alienware m17 R5 is very good for such tasks due to its high-performance Ryzen 7 CPU, dedicated RTX 3060 GPU, and superior screen quality, but it is heavier and less portable.
Content Creation
6.9/10
7.8/10
6.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.1/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 is good for content creation, while the ASUS Vivobook 14 is only fair.
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
6.8/10
7.4/10
6.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.1/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
6.7/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 is good for software development, while the ASUS Vivobook 14 is only fair.
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
6.3/10
8.1/10
14.0in
SIZE
17.3in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
480Hz
250.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
301.0 nits
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 has a better screen than the ASUS Vivobook 14 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
For general use, the ASUS Vivobook's screen is adequate due to its resolution and brightness being sufficient for everyday tasks like web browsing and document editing, while the Dell Alienware m17 R5's higher-quality panel delivers clearer and more vibrant visuals, enhancing the user experience. In engineering and design, accurate color representation is crucial; the Dell Alienware m17 R5 offers better coverage of professional color gamuts, providing more precision for tasks that demand color fidelity. However, for 3D and gaming, the ASUS Vivobook falls short as it has a lower refresh rate which can hinder smoothness and responsiveness, making the Dell's superior refresh rate more suitable for these fast-paced applications despite being labeled as poor.
Battery
7.0 Hours
5.0 Hours
The ASUS Vivobook 14 has 7 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
14.0in
SIZE
17.3in
3.0 lbs
WEIGHT
7.3 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
1.0in
The ASUS Vivobook 14 has very good portability, while the Dell Alienware m17 R5 has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.0/10
7.8/10
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 and ASUS Vivobook 14 both have good build quality, though the Dell Alienware m17 R5 has somewhat better build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$421
$1,100
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The ASUS Vivobook 14 has a price of $421 and the Dell Alienware m17 R5 costs $1,100.
"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 Vivobook 14 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.
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
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Laptops Expert
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