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Updated January 12, 2024·
The ASUS Vivobook Go 12 is significantly more affordable and offers basic functionality suitable for everyday tasks such as browsing, word processing, and media consumption, with the added benefit of being lightweight and portable. In contrast, the Dell Alienware m17 R5 is tailored for high-performance needs like gaming, 3D rendering, and machine learning, with a robust build and superior graphics capabilities; however, it's heavier and has shorter battery life, which can affect portability. Consider your primary activities: if budget-friendliness and mobility are priorities for general use, go for the ASUS; if you need top-tier performance for specialized tasks, the Dell is the better investment despite its higher cost and bulk. 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 Go 12
- Excellent portability
- Very 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
- Good overall build quality
- Very good speakers
- Very good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
5.6
7.8
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
TN
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
200.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
301.0 nits
10.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.0 Hours
5.3/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
9.3/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
5.5/10
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 is good for general use, while the ASUS Vivobook Go 12 is poor.
PerfectRec’s General Use Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for general productivity, web browsing, streaming, video calls, and running a wide variety of apps and programs.
Gaming and AI
5.4
7.7
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.7/10
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
480Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 is good for gaming and AI, while the ASUS Vivobook Go 12 is poor.
The ASUS Vivobook Go 12's Intel UHD Graphics 600 and standard 60Hz refresh rate make it poorly suited for gaming and 3D applications, whereas the Dell Alienware m17 R5, with its powerful Nvidia RTX 3060 GPU and a high 480Hz screen refresh rate, is designed to excel in those areas.
Engineering and Design
5.3
8.1
3.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.1/10
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.7/10
4.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 is very good for engineering and design, while the ASUS Vivobook Go 12 is poor.
The ASUS Vivobook Go 12 with its basic Intel Celeron CPU, integrated graphics, and a lower-quality display is not equipped for demanding engineering and design tasks, while the Dell Alienware m17 R5 features a powerful AMD Ryzen CPU, high-end Nvidia RTX GPU, and a superior display, making it well-suited for such professional applications. The Alienware's larger high-resolution screen and enhanced color accuracy benefit detailed work, although it is heavier and less portable than the lightweight and compact ASUS, which may affect your choice if mobility is a priority.
Content Creation
5.7
7.8
3.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.1/10
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
4.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
TN
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 is good for content creation, while the ASUS Vivobook Go 12 is poor.
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
5.7
7.4
3.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.1/10
4.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
5.3/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 is good for software development, while the ASUS Vivobook Go 12 is poor.
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
5.1
8.1
11.6in
SIZE
17.3in
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
TN
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
480Hz
200.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
301.0 nits
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 has a better screen than the ASUS Vivobook Go 12 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The ASUS Vivobook Go 12 likely has a lower resolution and brightness, impacting its clarity and visibility, which makes it less suitable for general use and detail-oriented tasks in engineering and design. The Dell Alienware m17 R5 probably offers a high-resolution display with strong color accuracy, catering well to general use and professional design work where precise color representation is crucial. However, for gaming and 3D applications, despite the Dell's probable good resolution and panel type, if its refresh rate isn't high enough, it might not provide the smooth visual experience that fast-paced games and dynamic 3D modeling demand.
Battery
10.0 Hours
5.0 Hours
The ASUS Vivobook Go 12 has 10 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
Excellent
Poor
11.6in
SIZE
17.3in
2.3 lbs
WEIGHT
7.3 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
1.0in
The ASUS Vivobook Go 12 has excellent portability, while the Dell Alienware m17 R5 has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
5.1
7.8
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 has good build quality, while the ASUS Vivobook Go 12 has poor build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$267
$1,100
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The ASUS Vivobook Go 12 has a price of $267 and the Dell Alienware m17 R5 costs $1,100.
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How the ASUS Vivobook Go 12 and the Dell Alienware m17 R5 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| ASUS Vivobook Go 12 | Dell Alienware m17 R5 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$267 | $1,100 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | October 1, 2021 | June 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 11'' x 7.5'' x 0.67'' | 15.6'' x 11.8'' x 1.05'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 2.31 lbs | 7.3 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 10.98" | 15.64" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 7.52" | 11.76" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel Celeron N4020 | AMD Ryzen 7 6800H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 4 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 4 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 64 GB | 1024 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 10 Hours | 5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 38 Wh | 97 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 11.6" | 17.3" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | TN | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1366 x 768 | 1920 x 1080 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 480Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 200 nits | 301 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 5.1/10 | 7.8/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 9.3/10 | 5.5/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 7/10 | 7/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 5.3/10 | 8/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 6/10 | 8/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 480p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | No | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | Yes | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 2 | 3 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 1 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | No | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 1 | 2 | |
Thunderbolt Ports | |||
Thunderbolt Ports | 0 | 0 | |
Shopping
Dell Alienware m17 R5
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Christian Hintze | January 2023
"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 Go 12 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.
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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.
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