If you prioritize gaming or need high performance for tasks such as 3D rendering or machine learning, the Dell Alienware m17 R5, known for powerful hardware and better graphics capabilities, would be a suitable choice, at the expense of portability and battery life. On the other hand, if you're looking for a more balanced laptop for general use, which is easier to carry around and has a longer battery life, the ASUS Vivobook 16 is likely a better fit. The Vivobook would also typically cost less than the Alienware, making it a budget-friendlier option. However, it won't match the Alienware in terms of raw power and gaming performance. 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 16
Good portability
Good battery life
Advantages of the Dell Alienware m17 R5
Very good for engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
Very good overall display quality
Very good speakers
Very good keyboard
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.3/10
7.7/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.7/10
1920 x 1200
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 16 is only fair.
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
7.0/10
8.1/10
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.1/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.7/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 is very good for engineering and design, while the ASUS Vivobook 16 is good.
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 stands out for engineering and design due to its powerful AMD Ryzen 7 6800H CPU and Nvidia RTX 3060 GPU that deliver high performance for compute-intensive tasks, paired with a larger, more vibrant screen and significantly larger battery capacity than the ASUS Vivobook 16's AMD Ryzen 7 7730U with integrated Vega 8 graphics. While the Vivobook is lighter and more portable, the Alienware boasts superior keyboard and speaker quality, which might be more beneficial in long design sessions, although it also means it is heavier and less convenient to carry around.
Screen Quality
6.4/10
8.1/10
16.0in
SIZE
17.3in
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
480Hz
295.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
301.0 nits
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 has a better screen than the ASUS Vivobook 16 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, and software development.
For general use, the Vivobook's screen might not be as sharp or as vibrant as the Alienware's due to lower resolution and brightness, affecting how text, images, and videos appear. In engineering and design tasks, the Vivobook's limited color gamut coverage may lead to less accurate color representation compared to the Alienware, which has a screen with better color gamut, making it more suitable for tasks that require precise color precision. When it comes to gaming and 3D, the lower refresh rate of the Vivobook's panel can result in less fluid motion and slower response times than what is generally ideal for these activities, while the Alienware may also fall short compared to specialized gaming laptops with high refresh screens.
Battery
8.0 Hours
5.0 Hours
The ASUS Vivobook 16 has 8 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
16.0in
SIZE
17.3in
4.1 lbs
WEIGHT
7.3 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
1.0in
The ASUS Vivobook 16 has 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 16 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
$669
$1,100
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The ASUS Vivobook 16 has a price of $669 and the Dell Alienware m17 R5 costs $1,100.
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 and ASUS Vivobook 16 are both good for general use.
The ASUS Vivobook 16 offers a high-quality display and consistent performance for general use with its AMD CPU and ample RAM, along with being light and offering a good battery life, making it very portable. Conversely, the Dell Alienware m17 R5, while also suitable for general use, provides a larger screen and superior speaker quality in a less portable form factor with shorter battery life, but it excels in heat management which could be preferable for longer use sessions.
Content Creation
7.5/10
7.8/10
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.1/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 and ASUS Vivobook 16 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
7.3/10
7.4/10
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
6.7/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 and ASUS Vivobook 16 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.
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How the ASUS Vivobook 16 and the Dell Alienware m17 R5 compare to other laptops
Olivier Martin, Ryan Lim, Yannick Khong | May 2023
"The ASUS Vivobook 16 M1605 (2023) is a budget Windows laptop. It's available with various AMD Ryzen 5000 and 7000 U-series CPUs and integrated graphics. You can only get 8GB of RAM; however, there's an empty SO-DIMM slot if you want to upgrade it. It has an FHD+ (1920 x 1200) 16:10 IPS display, a full-size keyboard with a Numpad, a 720p webcam, and Wi-Fi 6E wireless connectivity. Ports include three USB-As, one USB-C, an HDMI, and a headphone jack. The USB-C supports charging but no video output."
"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 16 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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