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Updated January 10, 2024·
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 is a premium laptop that's more expensive and well-suited for intensive gaming, thanks to its high-performance components like the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX processor and Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti graphics card. If your primary need is gaming or demanding tasks like 3D modeling, the Alienware would be a better option, whereas for everyday use and saving money, the Inspiron would suffice. 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 Plus
- Very good portability
- Good battery life
Key differences
Gaming and AI
7.8
6.6
8.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.8/10
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
7.5/10
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 is good for gaming and AI, while the Dell Inspiron 14 Plus is only fair.
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 is well-suited for gaming and 3D tasks due to its powerful Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti graphics card and a high screen refresh rate of 240Hz, providing smoother visuals and better performance in graphics-intensive applications.
Screen Quality
8.2
7.0
15.6in
SIZE
14.0in
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
2240 x 1400
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
240Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
300.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
326.0 nits
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 has a better screen than the Dell Inspiron 14 Plus for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design, while the Dell Inspiron 14 Plus has a better screen for content creation, and software development.
For general use, a display with a high resolution and good brightness provides clear and vivid images, which both the Alienware m15 R7 and Inspiron 14 Plus offer. In engineering and design, accurate color representation is crucial, so displays with wide color gamuts are preferred, and the Alienware might have the edge with better coverage of color spaces like DCI-P3 and Adobe RGB. However, for gaming and 3D applications, a high refresh rate is essential for smooth motion, which the Alienware's screen may lack, causing it to underperform in this aspect despite its otherwise good visual qualities.
Portability
Fair
Very Good
15.6in
SIZE
14.0in
5.9 lbs
WEIGHT
3.7 lbs
0.9in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Dell Inspiron 14 Plus 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
7.4
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 has very good build quality, while the Dell Inspiron 14 Plus has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$2,200
$1,200
$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 Plus costs $1,200.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.5
7.9
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
2240 x 1400
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
300.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
326.0 nits
5.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
6.0 Hours
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
6.4/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.1/10
The Dell Inspiron 14 Plus and Dell Alienware m15 R7 are both good for general use.
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 offers a stronger CPU and higher screen refresh rate which is excellent for performance in a variety of tasks, but with a tradeoff in portability and shorter battery life compared to the Dell Inspiron 14 Plus, which provides better portability due to its lighter weight and more compact size, along with longer battery life, despite having a less powerful integrated GPU.
Engineering and Design
8.2
7.8
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
8.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.8/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Dell Alienware m15 R7 to be very good for engineering and design, while the Dell Inspiron 14 Plus is good.
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 is very good for engineering and design due to its high-end CPU and dedicated GPU, enhancing performance for demanding tasks, but it's heavier and less portable. The Dell Inspiron 14 Plus is good for similar tasks with a capable CPU and integrated graphics, making it lighter and more portable, but it may not handle intensive graphics work as smoothly as the Alienware.
Content Creation
7.5
7.9
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
2240 x 1400
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Dell Inspiron 14 Plus 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
7.7
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
2240 x 1400
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Dell Inspiron 14 Plus 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.
Battery
5.0 Hours
6.0 Hours
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 has 5 hours of battery life. The Dell Inspiron 14 Plus has 6 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.
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How the Dell Alienware m15 R7 and the Dell Inspiron 14 Plus compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Dell Alienware m15 R7 | Dell Inspiron 14 Plus |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$2,200 | $1,200 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2022 | July 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 | 3.7 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.02" | 12.36" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 10.73" | 8.96" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX | Intel i7-12700H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 1 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 1024 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 5 Hours | 6 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 86 Wh | 64 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 | 326 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 8.5/10 | 7.4/10 | |
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 | 8/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 7.5/10 | 6.8/10 | |
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 | No | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 2 | 2 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | N/A | 4 | |
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 Plus
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Allen Ngo | August 2022
"The Dell Inspiron 14 Plus is for power users on a budget. If you're looking to maximize CPU and GPU performance on your next 14-inch laptop, then consider the pricier Razer Blade 14 or Asus Zephyrus G14. If you're looking for a thin-and-light 14-inch Ultrabook, then the Asus Zenbook 14 or LG Gram 14 may be better options. For the best of both worlds, however, the Dell Inspiron 14 Plus 7420 rides a fine line between extreme performance and portability while keeping prices at reasonable levels. Frequent travelers who rely on performance beyond what the Core U-series and integrated graphics series can offer will find the Dell to be a solid solution."
Get a great deal on the Dell Alienware m15 R7 or the Dell Inspiron 14 Plus
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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Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
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Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.
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