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The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 is a premium, performance-oriented laptop with powerful processing capabilities suitable for intensive gaming, 3D rendering, machine learning, and engineering tasks, featuring high-quality display and build, but with a heavier build that affects portability and shorter battery life. The Gateway 11.6" is a budget-friendly, extremely portable option with basic performance suitable for general use, longer battery life, and a smaller screen size that may not be ideal for performance-intensive tasks but is excellent for on-the-go activities. Choose the Dell if high performance and gaming are priorities, and the Gateway if affordability and portability are more important. 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
- Good for general use
- Very good for engineering and design
- Good for gaming and AI
- Good for software development
- Good for content creation
- Very good overall display quality
- Very good overall build quality
- Good speakers
- Very good keyboard
Advantages of the Gateway 11.6"
- Excellent portability
- Good battery life
Key differences
General Use
7.5
5.6
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
300.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
200.0 nits
5.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
5.3/10
6.4/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
9.1/10
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 is good for general use, while the Gateway 11.6" is poor.
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 comes with a high-performance CPU, ample RAM, a high-resolution display, and a quality GPU for robust general usage, yet it sacrifices portability and has shorter battery life, making it less ideal for on-the-go users.
Gaming and AI
7.8
5.4
8.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.5/10
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
240Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 is good for gaming and AI, while the Gateway 11.6" is poor.
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
5.4
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
3.3/10
8.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.5/10
16.0 GB
RAM
4.0 GB
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 is very good for engineering and design, while the Gateway 11.6" is poor.
PerfectRec’s Engineering and Design Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for graphic design and 3D rendering work.
Content Creation
7.5
5.7
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
3.3/10
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
16.0 GB
RAM
4.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 is good for content creation, while the Gateway 11.6" is poor.
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
5.7
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
3.3/10
16.0 GB
RAM
4.0 GB
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
5.3/10
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 is good for software development, while the Gateway 11.6" is poor.
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.
Screen Quality
8.2
5.7
15.6in
SIZE
11.6in
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
240Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
300.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
200.0 nits
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 has a better screen than the Gateway 11.6" for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 boasts a high-resolution display with a panel that renders colors vibrantly, making it ideal for engineering and design work where color accuracy is crucial, and satisfactory for general use due to its brightness and clarity. However, its lower refresh rate makes it less optimal for gaming and 3D applications, which benefit from smoother motion. On the other hand, the Gateway 11.6" has a display with limited resolution and inferior color reproduction which impairs its performance across all categories, with its insufficient specs making it unsuitable for the demanding needs of engineering, design, or 3D applications.
Battery
5.0 Hours
8.0 Hours
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 has 5 hours of battery life. The Gateway 11.6" has 8 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
Excellent
15.6in
SIZE
11.6in
5.9 lbs
WEIGHT
2.6 lbs
0.9in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Gateway 11.6" has excellent portability, while the Dell Alienware m15 R7 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
8.5
5.1
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 has very good build quality, while the Gateway 11.6" has poor build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$2,200
$89
$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 Gateway 11.6" costs $89.
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How the Dell Alienware m15 R7 and the Gateway 11.6" compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Dell Alienware m15 R7 | Gateway 11.6" |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$2,200 | $89 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2022 | August 1, 2021 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14'' x 10.7'' x 0.94'' | 11'' x 7.5'' x 0.7'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 5.93 lbs | 2.6 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.02" | 11" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 10.73" | 7.5" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX | Intel Celeron N4020 | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 4 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 64 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 5 Hours | 8 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 86 Wh | Unknown | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 15.6" | 11.6" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 2560 x 1440 | 1366 x 768 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 240Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 300 nits | 200 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 8.5/10 | 5.1/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 6.5/10 | 9.2/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | Yes | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 7/10 | 7/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8.5/10 | 5.3/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 7.5/10 | 6/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | No | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | No | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 3 | 2 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 0 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | No | No | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 2 | 1 | |
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."
Get a great deal on the Dell Alienware m15 R7 or the Gateway 11.6"
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.
About Gateway
Gateway is a laptop and tablet brand owned by Acer which sells budget-friendly laptops exclusively through Walmart. It was previously an American computer company until its acquisition by Acer in 2007, who then revived the brand in 2020. Gateway laptops are manufactured by Chinese company Shenzhen Bmorn Technology, which also makes EVOO-branded models.
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