The Dell Alienware m15 R7 is more expensive and designed for gaming and intensive tasks like 3D rendering and machine learning, offering great performance but at the cost of portability and battery life. In contrast, the Dell Inspiron 14 7425 is more affordable, lighter, and offers longer battery life, making it suitable for general use and portability. The Inspiron's touchscreen and 2-in-1 design add versatility for everyday tasks. However, it won't perform as well in resource-intensive applications. If you often work on the go and prefer a lighter device, choose the Inspiron; for high-end gaming and demanding software, go for the Alienware. 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
Good speakers
Advantages of the Dell Inspiron 14 7425
Very good portability
Good battery life
Key differences
Gaming and AI
7.8/10
6.2/10
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 7425 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
8.2/10
6.9/10
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 7425 is only fair.
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 is better suited for engineering and design due to its more powerful AMD Ryzen 9 processor, superior Nvidia RTX GPU, and high-resolution IPS screen that provides sharper images and better color accuracy, making it ideal for tasks that require visual precision and intensive computing.
Screen Quality
8.2/10
6.2/10
15.6in
SIZE
14.0in
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
240Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
300.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
260.0 nits
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 has a better screen than the Dell Inspiron 14 7425 for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design.
If you prioritize vibrant images and precise colors for tasks like photo editing or CAD work, the Dell Alienware m15 R7 with its higher color gamut coverage will suit engineering and design needs better than the Dell Inspiron 14 7425. However, for general use where screen brightness, sharpness, and viewing angles are crucial, both laptops offer sufficient quality, with the Alienware potentially having an edge in resolution and brightness. For gaming and 3D applications, which rely heavily on smooth motion, the poorer refresh rate on both laptops makes them less ideal, but this shortfall is more noticeable on the Alienware due to expectations set by its gaming-oriented branding.
Battery
5.0 Hours
7.5 Hours
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 has 5 hours of battery life. The Dell Inspiron 14 7425 has 7.5 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
Fair
Very Good
15.6in
SIZE
14.0in
5.9 lbs
WEIGHT
3.6 lbs
0.9in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Dell Inspiron 14 7425 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
8.5/10
7.4/10
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 has very good build quality, while the Dell Inspiron 14 7425 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$2,200
$800
$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 7425 costs $800.
The Dell Inspiron 14 7425 and Dell Alienware m15 R7 are both good for general use.
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
7.5/10
7.3/10
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 Alienware m15 R7 and Dell Inspiron 14 7425 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
7.3/10
7.3/10
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
8.0/10
The Dell Inspiron 14 7425 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 7425 compare to other laptops
"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."
"Overall, this Dell Inspiron 14 2-in-1 offers a lot to like, especially at its oft-discounted price of $800. It’s a sturdy laptop with strong performance, a convertible touchscreen, loud speakers, and a convenient fingerprint reader. But the trade-offs you’ll make in pursuit of that lower price—most notably the dim display and stiff trackpad—might just keep you from outright loving it."
Get a great deal on the Dell Alienware m15 R7 or the Dell Inspiron 14 7425
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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Joe Golden, Ph.D
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Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
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