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Updated January 16, 2024·
When deciding between the ASUS Zenbook 14 and the Dell Alienware m17 R5, consider your primary use for the laptop. The Zenbook 14 is highly portable and more affordable, making it suitable for everyday tasks and light productivity. On the other hand, the Alienware m17 R5 is a gaming powerhouse with superior graphics and processing capabilities, ideal for intensive gaming, 3D rendering, and engineering software. It's less portable due to its size and weight and tends to have a shorter battery life due to the powerful hardware. If portability and cost are your main concerns, and your usage is generally light, go for the Zenbook. If you require high performance for demanding applications and can handle a higher price, the Alienware could be the right choice despite its bulkiness. 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 Zenbook 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
Key differences
General Use
7.2
7.8
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
339.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
301.0 nits
8.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.0 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
8.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
5.5/10
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 and ASUS Zenbook 14 are both good for general use, though the Dell Alienware m17 R5 is somewhat better.
The ASUS Zenbook 14, while highly portable due to its smaller size and lighter weight, has a fair general use assessment because it offers less RAM and a less powerful CPU than the Dell Alienware m17 R5, which has better performance but is less portable and has shorter battery life. The screen quality of the Zenbook 14's OLED display is superior with a higher resolution and pixel density compared to the Alienware’s IPS screen, yet the latter's larger screen size may be more appealing for those who prioritize a bigger display for general use.
Gaming and AI
6.1
7.7
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
6.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 is good for gaming and AI, while the ASUS Zenbook 14 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
7.2
8.1
7.1/10
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 Zenbook 14 is good.
The ASUS Zenbook 14, while offering a high-resolution OLED screen for sharp and vibrant visuals, has less power with an Intel i5 processor and integrated graphics compared to the Dell Alienware m17 R5, which is equipped with a more robust AMD Ryzen 7 CPU and Nvidia RTX GPU, leading to better performance in resource-intensive engineering and design applications. However, the tradeoff for the Alienware's enhanced capabilities is a considerable reduction in portability given its larger size, heavier weight, and shorter battery life.
Content Creation
7.3
7.8
7.1/10
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 Zenbook 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
8.3
8.1
14.0in
SIZE
17.3in
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
90Hz
REFRESH RATE
480Hz
339.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
301.0 nits
The ASUS Zenbook 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, and software development.
The ASUS Zenbook 14 offers a vibrant display with high resolution and brightness, which enhances the visual clarity and color for everyday tasks and detailed engineering work, but the lower refresh rate may be less smooth for fast-paced gaming and 3D applications. The Dell Alienware m17 R5, while good for general activities and precision tasks due to decent resolution and color accuracy, might not provide the optimal gaming experience due to its modest refresh rate. For users prioritizing engineering and general use, the ASUS would be a better choice, but for those focusing on 3D and gaming, neither laptop may be ideal due to the refresh rate limitations.
Battery
8.0 Hours
5.0 Hours
The ASUS Zenbook 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
0.6in
THICKNESS
1.0in
The ASUS Zenbook 14 has very good portability, while the Dell Alienware m17 R5 has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$300
$1,100
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The ASUS Zenbook 14 has a price of $300 and the Dell Alienware m17 R5 costs $1,100.
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Key similarities
Software Development
7.2
7.4
7.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.1/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 and ASUS Zenbook 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
7.8
7.8
The ASUS Zenbook 14 and Dell Alienware m17 R5 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 Zenbook 14 and the Dell Alienware m17 R5 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| ASUS Zenbook 14 | Dell Alienware m17 R5 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$300 | $1,100 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2022 | June 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 12.4'' x 8.7'' x 0.67'' | 15.6'' x 11.8'' x 1.05'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 3.06 lbs | 7.3 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 12.35" | 15.64" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 8.69" | 11.76" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i5-1240P | AMD Ryzen 7 6800H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 8 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 256 GB | 1024 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 8 Hours | 5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 75 Wh | 97 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 14" | 17.3" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | OLED | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 2880 x 1800 | 1920 x 1080 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 90Hz | 480Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 339 nits | 301 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.8/10 | 7.8/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 8.6/10 | 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 | 6.5/10 | 7/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8/10 | 8/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 7.5/10 | 8/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | Yes | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | No | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 1 | 3 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 1 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 3 | 2 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 4 | N/A | |
Shopping
ASUS Zenbook 14
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Florian Glaser | August 2022
"Users who travel frequently and are looking for a portable laptop are in the right place with the Asus ZenBook 14. The sleek case is extremely light (1.2 kg) and surprisingly thin (1.5 cm). Outdoor use is also enjoyable thanks to the bright Full HD display, which is something that can rarely be said about laptops with TN or IPS panels. The excellent battery life complements this as well. Longer trips are no problem with the ZenBook 14. Another plus point is the high-performance Ryzen 7 5700U, which often leaves the Intel competition in the dust thanks to its large number of cores."
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 Zenbook 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.
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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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