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Updated January 10, 2024·
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 offers high performance for 3D rendering, machine learning, and intensive gaming due to its powerful processor and graphics card, but it's heavier and has a shorter battery life, making it less portable. On the other hand, the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 is more affordable, lighter, with longer battery life, better suited for general use, and professional tasks, but it has lower performance for gaming and engineering applications because of its less powerful processor and graphics card. Choose the Alienware if gaming and high-performance tasks are a priority, or the Inspiron for general use, mobility, and cost savings. 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 Dell Alienware m15 R7
- Very good for engineering and design
- Good for gaming and AI
- Very good overall display quality
- Very good overall build quality
- Very good keyboard
Advantages of the Dell Inspiron 14 5420
- Very good portability
- Very good battery life
Key differences
Gaming and AI
7.8
6.4
8.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.3/10
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
2240 x 1400
240Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 is good for gaming and AI, while the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 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
8.2
7.1
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
8.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.3/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 is very good for engineering and design, while the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 is good.
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 outperforms in engineering and design due to a more powerful AMD Ryzen 9 processor and advanced Nvidia RTX GPU, which excel in intensive tasks, alongside a higher quality screen featuring greater refresh rates and color coverage for precision work. In contrast, the Dell Inspiron 14 5420, while lighter and more portable with a longer battery life, has a less powerful Intel i7 processor and Nvidia MX series GPU, rendering it less capable for demanding applications despite its above-average screen resolution and portability.
Screen Quality
8.2
6.5
15.6in
SIZE
14.0in
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
2240 x 1400
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
240Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
300.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
279.0 nits
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 has a better screen than the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design.
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 boasts a higher resolution and brightness, making text and images crisper and more vibrant for general use, and has wide color gamuts ensuring accuracy for engineering and design. However, due to a lower refresh rate, it falls short for gaming and 3D work where smoother motion is crucial. The Dell Inspiron 14 5420's screen quality is adequate for everyday tasks and some design work, but its moderate resolution, brightness, and color gamut coverage may not satisfy professionals, and like the Alienware, its refresh rate is not suited for the demands of 3D and gaming.
Battery
5.0 Hours
10.0 Hours
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 has 5 hours of battery life. The Dell Inspiron 14 5420 has 10 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
Fair
Very Good
15.6in
SIZE
14.0in
5.9 lbs
WEIGHT
3.4 lbs
0.9in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Dell Inspiron 14 5420 has very good portability, while the Dell Alienware m15 R7 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
8.5
7.0
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 has very good build quality, while the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$2,200
$971
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 has a price of $2,200 and the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 costs $971.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.5
7.6
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
2240 x 1400
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
300.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
279.0 nits
5.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
10.0 Hours
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
6.4/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.2/10
The Dell Inspiron 14 5420 and Dell Alienware m15 R7 are both good for general use.
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 is ideal for general use due to its high-performance CPU and advanced GPU, capable of handling intensive tasks and gaming, but this comes at the expense of heavier weight and shorter battery life, which hampers portability.
Content Creation
7.5
7.5
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
2240 x 1400
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 and Dell Inspiron 14 5420 are both 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
7.3
7.4
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
2240 x 1400
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Dell Inspiron 14 5420 and Dell Alienware m15 R7 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 Dell Alienware m15 R7 and the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Dell Alienware m15 R7 | Dell Inspiron 14 5420 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$2,200 | $971 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2022 | May 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14'' x 10.7'' x 0.94'' | 12.4'' x 9'' x 0.7'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 5.93 lbs | 3.4 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.02" | 12.36" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 10.73" | 8.96" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX | Intel i7-1255U | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 5 Hours | 10 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 86 Wh | 54 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 15.6" | 14" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 2560 x 1440 | 2240 x 1400 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 240Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 300 nits | 279 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 8.5/10 | 7/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 6.5/10 | 8.3/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | Yes | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 7/10 | 6.5/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8.5/10 | 7.5/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 7.5/10 | 7.5/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 1080p | |
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 | 3 | 2 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 1 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | No | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 2 | 2 | |
Thunderbolt Ports | |||
Thunderbolt Ports | 0 | 0 | |
Shopping
Dell Alienware m15 R7
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Dig into reviews and images
Tom's Hardware
Brandon Hill | October 2022
"The Alienware M15 offers solid gaming and leading endurance. It makes the most of its CPU and GPU while delivering stellar battery life for a gaming laptop. Opening the lid presents a full-size keyboard with honeycomb cutouts above it on the deck. An oblong RBG lightning element surrounds the entire rear panel and can be color-synced with the other lights on the laptop. There’s not a lot to dislike about the M15 Its productivity performance lagged in some areas, particularly in the storage benchmark, and it’s a bit heavy. Alienware has a clear winner here with the M15 based on its strong overall performance and endurance."
Dell Inspiron 14 5420
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Dig into reviews and images
Smarthouse
Nick Ross | March 2023
"If laptops were food, then the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 is arguably a Big Mac. There are cheaper and more expensive options, but this arguably represents the baseline of quality and value in the world of mobile computing… something that’s underlined by the attractive $1,279 price tag."
Get a great deal on the Dell Alienware m15 R7 or the Dell Inspiron 14 5420
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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