The ASUS Vivobook 16, being less expensive, offers good general use performance and is lighter, making it more portable, which is great for mobility. Its battery lasts longer for typical use, and it includes a number pad on the keyboard, serving well for general tasks and light gaming. In contrast, the Dell Alienware m18 R1 is more costly but provides superior performance for 3D rendering, machine learning, and engineering tasks due to its more powerful processor and graphics card. It also has higher-quality components and is suited for intensive gaming, but its heavier weight and shorter battery life make it less portable. Both have similar storage, screen sizes, and high-quality displays. 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 m18 R1
Very good for general use
Excellent for engineering and design
Excellent for gaming and AI
Very good for software development
Very good for content creation
Good overall display quality
Very good overall build quality
Very good speakers
Very good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.6/10
8.2/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
295.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
281.0 nits
8.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
4.0 Hours
6.7/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
7.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
5.1/10
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 is very good for general use, while the ASUS Vivobook 16 is good.
The ASUS Vivobook 16, with its lighter weight and longer battery life, offers better portability and convenience for general use, though its screen and performance are modest compared to the Dell Alienware m18 R1, which boasts a powerful CPU, high-quality screen, and more RAM, making it better for performance-heavy tasks despite being less portable and having a shorter battery life.
Gaming and AI
6.3/10
9.1/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.8/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 is excellent 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
9.1/10
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
3.6/10
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 Vivobook 16 is good.
The ASUS Vivobook 16 is equipped with a competent AMD Ryzen CPU and integrated Vega GPU, which are adequate for engineering and design tasks, but the Dell Alienware m18 R1 surpasses it with a more powerful Intel i9 CPU and Nvidia RTX GPU, alongside double the RAM, making it better suited for highly demanding engineering and design applications. The Alienware also offers a larger, higher resolution, and higher refresh rate display, which provides a superior visual experience, significant for design work; however, this comes at the expense of portability due to its greater size and weight compared to the more compact and lighter Vivobook.
Content Creation
7.5/10
8.4/10
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 is very good for content creation, while the ASUS Vivobook 16 is good.
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
8.0/10
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
6.7/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 is very good for software development, while the ASUS Vivobook 16 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.
Screen Quality
6.4/10
7.8/10
16.0in
SIZE
17.3in
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
295.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
281.0 nits
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 has a better screen than the ASUS Vivobook 16 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
If you prioritize a clear and vibrant display for everyday tasks, both the ASUS Vivobook 16 and the Dell Alienware m18 R1 offer appealing screen quality, with the latter providing a slightly better visual experience due to its superior panel type and resolution ensuring crisp and bright imagery. For engineering and design work that demands accurate color reproduction, the Dell's screen stands out with its coverage of professional color spaces, ensuring that what you see on the screen is closer to your final product. However, for gaming and 3D rendering, despite the higher panel quality, the poor refresh rate on both laptops means they fall short in delivering the smooth visuals that fast-paced or highly detailed visual tasks require.
Battery
8.0 Hours
4.0 Hours
The ASUS Vivobook 16 has 8 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
16.0in
SIZE
17.3in
4.1 lbs
WEIGHT
8.9 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
1.0in
The ASUS Vivobook 16 has good portability, while the Dell Alienware m18 R1 has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.0/10
8.5/10
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 has very good build quality, while the ASUS Vivobook 16 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$669
$2,600
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
The ASUS Vivobook 16 has a price of $669 and the Dell Alienware m18 R1 costs $2,600.
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."
"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 Vivobook 16 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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