The Dell Alienware m15 R7 is better suited for intensive gaming and high-refresh-rate applications due to its high performance capabilities, but it is heavier and has a lower battery life compared to the Gigabyte Aero 16. The Aero 16, priced lower than the Alienware, offers a lighter weight for better portability and a longer battery life, which may be appealing for general use and traveling. It also features a higher-resolution OLED screen, which is superior for color work in 3D rendering, machine learning, or engineering tasks. However, for those strictly interested in gaming, the Aero 16's lower refresh rate may not be as desirable. 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 overall build quality
Good speakers
Advantages of the Gigabyte Aero 16
Very good for general use
Very good for content creation
Good portability
Good battery life
Key differences
Content Creation
7.5/10
8.2/10
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
The Gigabyte Aero 16 is very good for content creation, while the Dell Alienware m15 R7 is good.
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
7.9/10
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Gigabyte Aero 16 and Dell Alienware m15 R7 are both good for software development, though the Gigabyte Aero 16 is somewhat better.
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
8.2/10
8.4/10
15.6in
SIZE
16.0in
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
240Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
300.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
368.0 nits
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 has a better screen than the Gigabyte Aero 16 for gaming and AI, while the Gigabyte Aero 16 has a better screen for general use, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
For general use, both the Dell Alienware m15 R7 and Gigabyte Aero 16 offer high resolution and brightness with quality panel types, making text and images sharp and vivid under various lighting conditions. For engineering and design, the Aero 16 excels with superior color gamut coverage, providing more accurate color rendition for professional graphic work. However, for gaming and 3D tasks, both laptops fall short due to lower refresh rates, which limits smoothness and responsiveness during fast-paced scenes.
Battery
5.0 Hours
7.0 Hours
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 has 5 hours of battery life. The Gigabyte Aero 16 has 7 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
Good
15.6in
SIZE
16.0in
5.9 lbs
WEIGHT
5.0 lbs
0.9in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The Gigabyte Aero 16 has 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
7.8/10
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 has very good build quality, while the Gigabyte Aero 16 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$2,200
$1,260
$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 Gigabyte Aero 16 costs $1,260.
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Gigabyte Aero 16 to be very good for general use, while the Dell Alienware m15 R7 is good.
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.
Gaming and AI
7.8/10
7.8/10
8.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.8/10
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
240Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.7/10
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 and Gigabyte Aero 16 are both good for gaming and AI.
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 is geared for gaming and 3D with its high refresh rate display, making for smoother visuals during quick gameplay, whereas the Gigabyte Aero 16, while having the same powerful GPU, has a lower refresh rate screen but offers superior screen quality with higher resolution and OLED technology which is beneficial for vibrant and detailed visuals in games and 3D applications.
Engineering and Design
8.2/10
8.6/10
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
8.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.8/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Gigabyte Aero 16 and Dell Alienware m15 R7 are both very good for engineering and design.
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 is equipped with a high-performance AMD CPU and Nvidia GPU, which alongside its sufficient RAM, makes it suitable for demanding engineering and 3D design tasks, and it also offers a high refresh rate screen that could benefit rapid visual tasks, albeit heavier and with a louder operating noise.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Dell Alienware m15 R7 and the Gigabyte Aero 16 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."
"The Gigabyte Aero 16 is a workstation laptop for light gaming. It's design is still muted, with a silver chassis alongside a black keyboard and trackpad that provides some contrast. The Gigabyte Aero’s full-size chiclet-style keyboard is enjoyable to type on thanks to its snappy feel and responsiveness. The 4K+ AMOLED display is good, but it could be better. It doesn’t handle true black very well and suffers from strong reflections and glare. The Gigabyte Aero excels at productivity performance and can keep up with other gaming laptops in 1080p. But it has very few ports and its refresh rate leaves a bit to be desired."
Get a great deal on the Dell Alienware m15 R7 or the Gigabyte Aero 16
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 Gigabyte
Gigabyte is a Taiwanese computer hardware manufacturer. While Gigabyte mainly focuses its business on desktop hardware, Gigabyte is known for its value-oriented G series laptops, thin and light Aero series, and performance-oriented Aorus series. Gigabyte laptops offer a strong value proposition to compete with mainstream alternatives.
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.
By the numbers
380
Laptops evaluated
48,640
Laptops stats compiled
13
Proprietary Laptops ratings developed
131,295
Recommendations made
28,448
Consumer hours saved
About the laptop team
Joe Golden, Ph.D
CEO and Laptops Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
Jason Lew
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.
Chandradeep Chowdhury
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.
Craig Russell
Laptops Expert
Craig is a UK-based laptops expert. Craig works in IT, where he recommends and supports laptops and PCs for clients and has been recommending laptops on Reddit for five years.