The ASUS Vivobook Pro 14 offers a lower cost and higher portability with its lightweight design and smaller screen, making it suitable for general use and transport. It has an OLED display that's vibrant for multimedia, but with less power compared to the Dell Alienware m17 R5. In contrast, the Alienware m17 R5, while more expensive and heavier, includes a high-performance processor and a dedicated graphics card, making it more appropriate for gaming, 3D rendering, and engineering software. The Alienware also has a larger screen and better build quality but sacrifices battery life and is less portable due to its increased weight. Choose the ASUS for regular tasks and ease of carrying or the Dell if you're seeking higher performance for specialized tasks and don't mind the extra weight and cost. 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 Pro 14
Very 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 speakers
Very good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.0/10
7.8/10
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
385.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
301.0 nits
8.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.0 Hours
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
8.2/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
5.5/10
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 and ASUS Vivobook Pro 14 are both good for general use, though the Dell Alienware m17 R5 is somewhat better.
The ASUS Vivobook Pro 14's lighter weight and smaller screen enhance its portability and offer solid screen quality, but its lower RAM and CPU may not handle intensive tasks as well compared to the Dell Alienware m17 R5, which benefits from more powerful hardware and better cooling at the expense of heavier weight and shorter battery life.
Gaming and AI
6.1/10
7.7/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.7/10
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
90Hz
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 Pro 14 is only fair.
The ASUS Vivobook Pro 14's integrated GPU is less suited for gaming and 3D tasks compared to the Dell Alienware m17 R5's dedicated Nvidia RTX 3060, and the Vivobook's 90 Hz screen falls short of the Alienware's 480 Hz, making the latter more appropriate for fast-paced games where higher refresh rates provide smoother visuals.
Engineering and Design
7.0/10
8.1/10
5.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.1/10
3.7/10
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 Pro 14 is good.
PerfectRec’s Engineering and Design Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for graphic design and 3D rendering work.
Content Creation
7.3/10
7.8/10
5.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.1/10
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 and ASUS Vivobook Pro 14 are both good for content creation, though the Dell Alienware m17 R5 is somewhat better.
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.
Screen Quality
8.4/10
8.1/10
14.0in
SIZE
17.3in
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
90Hz
REFRESH RATE
480Hz
385.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
301.0 nits
The ASUS Vivobook Pro 14 has a better screen than the Dell Alienware m17 R5 for general use, and engineering and design, while the Dell Alienware m17 R5 has a better screen for gaming and AI, content creation, and software development.
The ASUS Vivobook Pro 14 offers a high-resolution display and vivid colors that enhance the viewing experience during general use and detail-oriented tasks like engineering and design, but its lower refresh rate limits the smoothness critical for gaming and 3D applications. The Dell Alienware m17 R5, while having a decent display for everyday tasks and precision work required in engineering and design, suffers in gaming and 3D due to its less than optimal refresh rate for these fast-paced environments. Both laptops provide good color accuracy and brightness that benefit general tasks and creative work but may not satisfy the high refresh rate demands of competitive gaming and fluid 3D rendering.
Battery
8.0 Hours
5.0 Hours
The ASUS Vivobook Pro 14 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
Very Good
Poor
14.0in
SIZE
17.3in
3.0 lbs
WEIGHT
7.3 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
1.0in
The ASUS Vivobook Pro 14 has very good portability, while the Dell Alienware m17 R5 has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$548
$1,100
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The ASUS Vivobook Pro 14 has a price of $548 and the Dell Alienware m17 R5 costs $1,100.
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 and ASUS Vivobook Pro 14 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.
Build Quality
7.4/10
7.8/10
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 and ASUS Vivobook Pro 14 both have good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
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How the ASUS Vivobook Pro 14 and the Dell Alienware m17 R5 compare to other laptops
"The Asus Vivobook Pro 14 OLED is a Pantone Validated laptop that packs a lot of processing power. The Asus VivoBook Pro 14 OLED's highlight is its outstanding display: Featuring a 3K resolution in the 16:10 format and nearly a 100% coverage of the Display P3 color space, the display hardly leaves anything to be desired. The Asus laptop also shows impeccable rates in terms of general system performance. Combined with long battery life, low noise emissions, and relatively good speakers, the laptop can be recommended to users who can accept compromises in terms of connectivity."
"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 Pro 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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