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Updated January 10, 2024·
The choice between the ASUS ZenBook Pro 14 Duo and the Dell Alienware X17 R2 will greatly depend on your needs. The ASUS is ideal if you're looking for a dual-screen setup that can enhance multitasking for productivity or creative work, and it's more portable due to its smaller size. On the other hand, the Alienware is focused on gaming and high-performance tasks with a larger display and more powerful components, but it will be less portable and typically have a shorter battery life due to its focus on power over efficiency. If your priority is gaming or demanding software applications, the Alienware may suit you better; if you prioritize mobility and unique productivity features, the ASUS could be the way to go. Remember, with higher performance usually comes a higher price and added weight, so consider what aspects—cost, power, mobility, and specific features—are most important for your daily use. 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 Pro 14 Duo
- Very good for software development
- Good portability
- Good battery life
Advantages of the Dell Alienware X17 R2
- Excellent for engineering and design
- Very good for gaming and AI
- Very good overall build quality
- Very good keyboard
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.7
8.9
3.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.3/10
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
480Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 is very good for gaming and AI, while the ASUS ZenBook Pro 14 Duo is only fair.
The ASUS ZenBook Pro 14 Duo, with its high-resolution OLED screen and lower refresh rate, is suitable for gaming and 3D applications, but the Dell Alienware X17 R2 surpasses it with a significantly higher refresh rate and a more powerful GPU, vital for the most demanding gaming and 3D scenarios.
Engineering and Design
8.5
9.1
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.4/10
3.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.3/10
32.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 is excellent for engineering and design, while the ASUS ZenBook Pro 14 Duo is very good.
The ASUS ZenBook Pro 14 Duo is optimized for engineering and design due to its high-quality OLED screen and capable CPU and GPU, which are essential for detailed visual work and computing tasks; however, it's more portable, impacting its power and cooling compared to the larger Dell Alienware X17 R2. The Alienware X17 R2 caters well to these fields with its top-tier performance hardware, including a faster CPU and more powerful GPU, which suits demanding engineering software, but its size makes it less convenient for on-the-go use.
Screen Quality
8.6
8.5
14.5in
SIZE
17.3in
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
480Hz
357.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
367.0 nits
The ASUS Zenbook Pro 14 Duo has a better screen than the Dell Alienware X17 R2 for general use, engineering and design, software development, and content creation, while the Dell Alienware X17 R2 has a better screen for gaming and AI.
The ASUS ZenBook Pro 14 Duo, with its high-resolution screens, is great for general tasks and detailed engineering work due to its exceptional color accuracy and screen clarity. However, it lacks a high refresh rate, making it less ideal for gaming and 3D applications that benefit from smoother motion. The Dell Alienware X17 R2 similarly offers a crisp, color-accurate experience for productivity and creative tasks but falls short for gaming due to its lower refresh rate despite its size and power.
Battery
6.0 Hours
2.0 Hours
The ASUS Zenbook Pro 14 Duo has 6 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
Good
Fair
14.5in
SIZE
17.3in
3.7 lbs
WEIGHT
6.8 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The ASUS ZenBook Pro 14 Duo has good portability, while the Dell Alienware X17 R2 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.6
8.5
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 has very good build quality, while the ASUS ZenBook Pro 14 Duo has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,299
$2,000
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
The ASUS ZenBook Pro 14 Duo has a price of $1,299 and the Dell Alienware X17 R2 costs $2,000.
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Key similarities
General Use
8.6
8.2
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
357.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
367.0 nits
6.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
2.0 Hours
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
7.9/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.0/10
The ASUS ZenBook Pro 14 Duo and Dell Alienware X17 R2 are both very good for general use.
The ASUS ZenBook Pro 14 Duo's OLED screen with high pixel density and color accuracy makes it great for general use where screen quality is key, and its moderate weight and battery capacity offer a balance between portability and usage duration. On the other hand, the Dell Alienware X17 R2, with its superior processor and dedicated high-end graphics card, ensures excellent performance for demanding tasks, but it is less portable and has a shorter battery life, making it better suited for stationary use rather than on-the-go. Both have ample RAM and storage, quality keyboards, and manage heat and operating noise well, though the Alienware has a slight edge in speaker quality and heat management.
Content Creation
8.6
8.3
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.4/10
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
32.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The ASUS ZenBook Pro 14 Duo and Dell Alienware X17 R2 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
8.2
7.8
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.4/10
32.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers ASUS ZenBook Pro 14 Duo to be very good for software development, while the Dell Alienware X17 R2 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.
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How the ASUS ZenBook Pro 14 Duo and the Dell Alienware X17 R2 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| ASUS ZenBook Pro 14 Duo | Dell Alienware X17 R2 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,299 | $2,000 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | June 1, 2022 | December 1, 2021 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 12.7'' x 8.9'' x 0.77'' | 15.7'' x 11.8'' x 0.82'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 3.75 lbs | 6.82 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 12.74" | 15.72" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 8.85" | 11.79" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i7-12700H | Intel i9-12900HK | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 32 GB | 32 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 1024 GB | 1024 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 6 Hours | 2 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 76 Wh | 87 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 14.5" | 17.3" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | OLED | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 2880 x 1800 | 1920 x 1080 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 120Hz | 480Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 357 nits | 367 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.6/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 7.9/10 | 6.1/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 8.8/10 | 7/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 7.5/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 9.6/10 | 9.5/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | No | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 1 | 2 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 3 | 4 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 4 | 4 | |
Shopping
ASUS ZenBook Pro 14 Duo
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Dig into reviews and images
PCWorld
Dominic Bayley | December 2022
"The Zenbook Pro 14 Duo OLED is a well-tuned instrument for content creators, excelling at a range of general office tasks as well as tasks that require a little more grunt like encoding and 3D rendering. The big attraction is the laptop’s dual displays. They’re the best ones we’ve used in an Asus Zenbook Duo laptop to date with a spate of year-on-year improvements that make the visuals more striking and the cross-screen integration easier than ever before."
Dell Alienware X17 R2
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Allen Ngo | May 2022
"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 ZenBook Pro 14 Duo 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.
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