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Updated January 10, 2024·
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 excels in gaming and high-performance tasks like 3D modeling and machine learning due to its more powerful processor and graphics card, but it's heavy and less portable. On the other hand, the Dell Inspiron 14 5425 is lighter and more suitable for everyday use and casual tasks. It is less expensive than the Alienware, making it a budget-friendlier option, but it won't handle intensive tasks as well. Consider the Alienware if performance is key and you don't mind the extra weight and cost, or the Inspiron if you prioritize portability, general use, and value. 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 5425
- Very good portability
- Very good battery life
Key differences
Gaming and AI
7.8
6.2
8.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
240Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 is good for gaming and AI, while the Dell Inspiron 14 5425 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
7.0
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.8/10
8.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 is very good for engineering and design, while the Dell Inspiron 14 5425 is good.
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 is very good for engineering and design use because it has a more powerful CPU in the form of AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX, a superior GPU in the Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti, and a higher-quality screen with a greater resolution and refresh rate, which are advantageous for resource-intensive tasks and detailed visuals.
Screen Quality
8.2
6.3
15.6in
SIZE
14.0in
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
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 5425 for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design.
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 likely has a higher resolution and brightness along with a superior panel type like IPS, making it ideal for general use and engineering where clarity and color accuracy are crucial. For engineering and design, the wider color gamuts ensure that professionals see precise colors, which is necessary for their work. However, its lower refresh rate makes it less suitable for 3D gaming, where a high refresh rate is key to a smooth visual experience.
Battery
5.0 Hours
12.0 Hours
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 has 5 hours of battery life. The Dell Inspiron 14 5425 has 12 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 5425 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 5425 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$2,200
$500
$0
$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 5425 costs $500.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.5
7.7
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
300.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
279.0 nits
5.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
12.0 Hours
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
6.4/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.1/10
The Dell Inspiron 14 5425 and Dell Alienware m15 R7 are both good for general use.
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 is equipped with a high-performance CPU and graphics card, making it suitable for general tasks, and the larger screen with higher resolution and refresh rate ensures a crisp and vibrant display. Meanwhile, the Dell Inspiron 14 5425 offers a balance between performance with its competent CPU and portability due to its lighter weight and significantly longer battery life, which is ideal for general use as well. Both laptops have ample RAM for multitasking, but the Alienware trades off portability for performance, while the Inspiron compromises on screen size and gaming capabilities for better portability and battery life.
Content Creation
7.5
7.5
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.8/10
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Dell Inspiron 14 5425 and Dell Alienware m15 R7 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
7.5
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.8/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Dell Inspiron 14 5425 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 5425 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Dell Alienware m15 R7 | Dell Inspiron 14 5425 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$2,200 | $500 | ||
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 0.75'' | |
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 | AMD Ryzen 7 5825U | |
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 | 12 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 | 1920 x 1200 | |
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 | 8.1/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | Yes | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 7/10 | 7.5/10 | |
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 5425
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Sascha Mölck | August 2022
"A slim chassis, an acceptable weight (1.6 kg) and a real-world battery life of almost 13 hours turn the Inspiron into a mobile companion. Good: The battery can not only be charged using Dell's proprietary power adapter, but also with a universal USB-C power adapter (min. 45 watts). Office and Internet applications are handled by the built-in combination of Ryzen 5 5625U APU and 16 GB of RAM just as easily as modest computer games. Heat and noise development are generally okay, but the laptop should work a bit quieter under full load."
Get a great deal on the Dell Alienware m15 R7 or the Dell Inspiron 14 5425
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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