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What we think
The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
If you prioritize battery life and enjoy gaming with high-end graphics on a larger screen, the Gigabyte Aorus 17H is a better fit, boasting a robust GPU suitable for demanding gaming sessions. On the other hand, the Dell Alienware m15 R7 is more suited for those who need a high-performance laptop with a higher screen resolution, better for tasks that require more precise visuals such as engineering or content creation, though its portability is slightly better than the Aorus 17H. Both are premium-priced with similar storage and memory, but for sheer gaming prowess and a more future-proof GPU, the Gigabyte could be a preferable choice, while the Dell stands out for visual tasks necessitating greater screen clarity. 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
Advantages of the Gigabyte Aorus 17H
- Very good for gaming and AI
- Very good for content creation
- Good battery life
- Very good speakers
Key differences
Gaming and AI
7.8
8.7
8.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.6/10
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
240Hz
REFRESH RATE
360Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Gigabyte Aorus 17H is very good for gaming and AI, while the Dell Alienware m15 R7 is good.
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.
Screen Quality
8.2
8.3
15.6in
SIZE
17.3in
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
240Hz
REFRESH RATE
360Hz
300.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
351.0 nits
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 has a better screen than the Gigabyte Aorus 17H for engineering and design, while the Gigabyte Aorus 17H has a better screen for gaming and AI, content creation, and software development.
When considering screen quality for general use, the Dell Alienware m15 R7 provides a crisp, clear display with high resolution and brightness, suitable for a variety of everyday tasks, while the Gigabyte Aorus 17H also offers a high-resolution, bright screen, but with slightly less clarity. For engineering and design work where color accuracy is crucial, the Dell's display covers a broader range of colors, allowing for precise color work, whereas the Gigabyte has a good color range but isn't as extensive. For 3D and gaming, despite both having poor refresh rates compared to dedicated gaming laptops, the resolution and panel quality of the Dell and Gigabyte can still deliver decent image detail, but won’t provide as smooth motion which is critical for high-paced gaming experiences.
Portability
Fair
Poor
15.6in
SIZE
17.3in
5.9 lbs
WEIGHT
5.9 lbs
0.9in
THICKNESS
1.1in
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 has only fair portability, while the Gigabyte Aorus 17H has poor 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 Gigabyte Aorus 17H has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.5
7.9
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
300.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
351.0 nits
5.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
6.0 Hours
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
6.4/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
5.9/10
The Gigabyte Aorus 17H and Dell Alienware m15 R7 are both good for general use.
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 with a strong CPU, ample RAM, high-resolution screen, and decent battery life offers a good blend for general use, while remaining relatively portable despite its gaming laptop appearance. On the other hand, the Gigabyte Aorus 17H also has a robust CPU and more RAM, a larger screen with high brightness, and better speaker quality, but it's less portable and has a slightly longer battery life, making it suitable for users prioritizing screen real estate and audio experience over ease of carrying around.
Engineering and Design
8.2
8.6
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
8.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Gigabyte Aorus 17H and Dell Alienware m15 R7 are both very good for engineering and design.
The Dell Alienware m15 R7, with its AMD Ryzen 9 CPU and Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti GPU, is designed for demanding engineering tasks and offers a balance of portability and performance, while the Gigabyte Aorus 17H steps up with an Intel i7 CPU and a more powerful Nvidia RTX 4080 GPU, offering superior graphics performance at the cost of reduced portability due to its larger screen and size. Both laptops feature quality screens and significant RAM for complex designs, but the Aorus 17H has a higher screen refresh rate and brightness, which could enhance visual precision, whereas the Alienware prioritizes a higher resolution and color coverage suitable for detailed work.
Content Creation
7.5
8.0
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Gigabyte Aorus 17H to be 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
7.5
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Gigabyte Aorus 17H 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 Gigabyte Aorus 17H 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.
Cost
$2,200
$2,200
$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 Aorus 17H costs $2,200.
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How the Dell Alienware m15 R7 and the Gigabyte Aorus 17H compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Dell Alienware m15 R7 | Gigabyte Aorus 17H |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$2,200 | $2,200 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2022 | January 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14'' x 10.7'' x 0.94'' | 15.7'' x 10.2'' x 1.18'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 5.93 lbs | 5.95 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.02" | 15.7" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 10.73" | 10.16" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX | Intel i7-13700H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 1024 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 5 Hours | 6 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 86 Wh | 99 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 15.6" | 17.3" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 2560 x 1440 | 1920 x 1080 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 240Hz | 360Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 300 nits | 351 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 8.5/10 | 7.4/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 6.5/10 | 5.9/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | Yes | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 7/10 | 6.5/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8.5/10 | 8/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 7.5/10 | 8/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | No | Yes | |
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 | 3 | |
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."
Gigabyte Aorus 17H
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Dig into reviews and images
eTeknix
Peter Donnell | February 2023
"Overall though, it’s *lots of swearing* fast, seriously. For work, rendering, gaming, it doesn’t matter, this is a true weapon of performance that’s going to run rings around most high-end desktop systems. If you absolutely have to game at ultra-high refresh rates on the go (but within thinking distance of a plug socket), this is the ticket. I can’t see such an extreme being that appealing to everyone, but if you take your gaming seriously, or even professionally, there’s nothing else out there that comes close that you can still fit in your backpack and travel with."
Get a great deal on the Dell Alienware m15 R7 or the Gigabyte Aorus 17H
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.
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