For a balance of performance and portability with a stunning OLED display for general use and creative work, the ASUS Vivobook S 16 OLED is a strong contender. It offers a vibrant screen with accurate colors, making it ideal for media consumption and light photo editing. Its compact design and longer battery life enhance its portability, though it may not excel in intensive tasks like gaming or 3D rendering due to its less powerful GPU compared to the Dell.
On the other hand, if you prioritize top-tier performance for gaming, 3D rendering, or machine learning tasks, the Dell Alienware X17 R2 is the way to go. Its high-end GPU and CPU, coupled with ample RAM, ensure smooth handling of demanding applications. The tradeoff is its bulkier design, shorter battery life, and higher price point, which may not be as travel-friendly or budget-conscious as the ASUS. The Dell's superior build quality and advanced cooling system also contribute to its ability to sustain performance without overheating, which is crucial for intensive gaming sessions. 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 S 16 OLED
Very good portability
Good battery life
Advantages of the Dell Alienware X17 R2
Very good for general use
Excellent for engineering and design
Very good for gaming and AI
Very good overall build quality
Best in class speakers
Very good keyboard
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.7/10
8.9/10
4.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.3/10
3200 x 2000
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
480Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
8.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 is very good for gaming and AI, while the ASUS Vivobook S 16 OLED 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
7.9/10
9.1/10
8.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.4/10
4.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.3/10
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 is excellent for engineering and design, while the ASUS Vivobook S 16 OLED 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.
Screen Quality
8.6/10
8.5/10
16.0in
SIZE
17.3in
3200 x 2000
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
480Hz
600.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
367.0 nits
The ASUS Vivobook S 16 OLED has a better screen than the Dell Alienware X17 R2 for general use, and engineering and design, while the Dell Alienware X17 R2 has a better screen for gaming and AI, and software development.
PerfectRec’s screen quality scores take into account various important factors that are relevant for different use cases.
Battery
9.0 Hours
2.0 Hours
The ASUS Vivobook S 16 OLED has 9 hours of battery life. The Dell Alienware X17 R2 has 2 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
Fair
16.0in
SIZE
17.3in
3.3 lbs
WEIGHT
6.8 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The ASUS Vivobook S 16 OLED has very good portability, while the Dell Alienware X17 R2 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.4/10
8.5/10
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 has very good build quality, while the ASUS Vivobook S 16 OLED has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$999
$2,000
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
The ASUS Vivobook S 16 OLED has a price of $999 and the Dell Alienware X17 R2 costs $2,000.
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Dell Alienware X17 R2 to be very good for general use, while the ASUS Vivobook S 16 OLED is good.
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.
Content Creation
8.0/10
8.3/10
8.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.4/10
3200 x 2000
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 and ASUS Vivobook S 16 OLED are both very 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
7.8/10
7.8/10
8.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.4/10
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
3200 x 2000
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The ASUS Vivobook S 16 OLED and Dell Alienware X17 R2 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 S 16 OLED and the Dell Alienware X17 R2 compare to other laptops
"The Alienware x17 R2 recognizes targets a significantly higher TGP of 175 W for a roughly 30 percent performance boost over laptops running on the ~100 W GeForce RTX 3080 Ti like the Razer Blade 15 or Gigabyte Aero YE5. Similar results can be found through the CPU as well. This single aspect of the Alienware is perhaps the biggest differentiating factor between it and other ultrathin gaming laptops. Of course, the "performance at all cost" approach comes with drawbacks. Power consumption in particular is through the roof and battery life suffers because of it even when on the lowest performance settings."
Get a great deal on the ASUS Vivobook S 16 OLED or the Dell Alienware X17 R2
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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