The ASUS Vivobook 15 is the more budget-friendly option and is lighter, making it more portable than the Dell Alienware x14 R1. However, it has a smaller battery, less powerful processor, and lower graphics capabilities, which means it won't handle intensive tasks as well. If you're looking for a laptop for basic tasks and value cost savings and portability, the Vivobook could be suitable. On the other hand, the Alienware x14 R1, while more expensive, offers a more powerful processor, better graphics card, and longer battery life, making it a better fit for 3D rendering, machine learning, gaming, and demanding engineering software, but it is slightly heavier. 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 15
The ASUS Vivobook 15 has no clear advantages over the Dell Alienware x14 R1.
Advantages of the Dell Alienware x14 R1
Good for general use
Very good for engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
Good for software development
Good for content creation
Good overall display quality
Very good overall build quality
Very good portability
Good speakers
Very good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
6.5/10
7.8/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
250.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
411.0 nits
6.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
9.0 Hours
6.7/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
7.8/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Dell Alienware x14 R1 is good for general use, while the ASUS Vivobook 15 is only fair.
The ASUS Vivobook 15, with a lower-tier CPU and less RAM, is suitable for lighter tasks and offers moderate battery life and screen quality, making it fairly adequate for general use. In contrast, the Dell Alienware x14 R1 boasts a superior CPU, double the RAM, a higher quality display with better brightness and color accuracy, and longer battery life, thus providing a more fluid and visually satisfying experience for general use, but it may be less portable due to a slight increase in weight.
Gaming and AI
5.9/10
7.6/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.0/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The Dell Alienware x14 R1 is good for gaming and AI, while the ASUS Vivobook 15 is poor.
The ASUS Vivobook 15 is less suitable for gaming and 3D applications due to its basic integrated graphics and lower screen refresh rate of 60Hz, while the Dell Alienware x14 R1 offers a significantly better experience with a powerful Nvidia RTX 3060 GPU and a high 144Hz refresh rate, which are very important for smooth and detailed gaming visuals. Although the ASUS model may have a capable processor for everyday tasks, the higher-performing CPU in the Alienware also contributes to its better gaming and multitasking capabilities, enhancing its suitability for more demanding use cases.
Engineering and Design
6.1/10
8.2/10
5.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.0/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Dell Alienware x14 R1 is very good for engineering and design, while the ASUS Vivobook 15 is only fair.
The ASUS Vivobook 15, with an Intel i3 processor, integrated UHD Graphics, and 8GB of RAM, offers modest performance for engineering and design tasks, while the Dell Alienware x14 R1 comes equipped with a more powerful Intel i7 processor, superior Nvidia RTX 3060 GPU, and double the RAM, enabling very good performance for demanding tasks. Moreover, the Alienware features a higher screen quality with greater color accuracy and brightness, enhancing visual detail and fidelity, which are crucial for design work.
Content Creation
6.4/10
7.9/10
5.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Dell Alienware x14 R1 is good for content creation, while the ASUS Vivobook 15 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
6.5/10
7.7/10
5.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
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 x14 R1 is good for software development, while the ASUS Vivobook 15 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
7.9/10
15.6in
SIZE
14.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
250.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
411.0 nits
The Dell Alienware x14 R1 has a better screen than the ASUS Vivobook 15 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The ASUS Vivobook 15's moderate resolution and brightness make it adequate for everyday tasks, but its limited color gamut hampers its ability in engineering and design work. The Dell Alienware x14 R1's higher resolution and brightness enhance its usability for both general purposes and detailed engineering designs, with its wider color gamut ensuring better color accuracy for professional work. However, for gaming and 3D applications, both laptops fall short due to their lower refresh rates, which are less suitable for the fast-paced visuals gamers and 3D users typically require.
Battery
6.0 Hours
9.0 Hours
The ASUS Vivobook 15 has 6 hours of battery life. The Dell Alienware x14 R1 has 9 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.
Build Quality
7.0/10
8.5/10
The Dell Alienware x14 R1 has very good build quality, while the ASUS Vivobook 15 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$530
$1,201
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The ASUS Vivobook 15 has a price of $530 and the Dell Alienware x14 R1 costs $1,201.
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Dell Alienware x14 R1 to have very good portability, while the ASUS Vivobook 15 has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
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How the ASUS Vivobook 15 and the Dell Alienware x14 R1 compare to other laptops
"The Asus VivoBook 15 is a quiet office notebook with a strong screen. However, the VivoBook 15 still has room for improvement. Office and internet applications as well as simple games do not pose any major challenges for the VivoBook - this is ensured by the built-in combination of Ryzen 7 5700U APU and 16 GB of RAM. Heat and noise emissions are acceptable. But, the laptop has weaknesses that should not be present at this level: lack of keyboard lighting, a slow memory card reader, no fast USB-C port (USB 3.2 Gen 2 or Thunderbolt 4) with Power Delivery and DisplayPort. Battery runtimes can only be described as average."
"The Alienware X14 series is thinner, but also slower than the competition. With the X series, you get plenty of modern technology: Intel Alder Lake CPUs, GeForce RTX 3000 GPUs, Thunderbolt 4, PCIe 4.0, Wi-Fi 6E, G-Sync, and Advanced Optimus. However, the slim design has some drawbacks, just like its larger siblings. The shifted hinge position results in a very deep device with a large footprint compared to the competition."
Get a great deal on the ASUS Vivobook 15 or the Dell Alienware x14 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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