When selecting between the Dell Alienware m15 R7 and the HP Stream 14", the Dell Alienware is built for high performance with top-tier components suitable for gaming, 3D work, and intensive engineering tasks but is less portable due to its size and weight. It offers excellent graphics and processing power at a premium price. The HP Stream, on the other hand, is more affordable, lightweight, and easier to carry around, making it good for general web browsing, document editing, and video streaming but does not have the capability to handle demanding software applications due to its basic processor and graphics. The battery life in the HP Stream may be longer, providing convenience for users who are on-the-go and do not require powerful performance. Choose the Dell Alienware for demanding tasks but deal with less portability, or the HP Stream for daily tasks, sacrificing performance for better portability and price. 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 HP Stream 14"
Very good portability
Good battery life
Key differences
General Use
7.5/10
6.5/10
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
TN
300.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
220.0 nits
5.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
7.5 Hours
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.0/10
6.4/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.1/10
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 is good for general use, while the HP Stream 14" is only fair.
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 offers a powerful CPU, ample RAM, and a high-quality screen, which makes it good for a wide range of tasks, but its heavy build and shorter battery life may limit portability. In contrast, the HP Stream 14" has a less capable CPU and lower screen quality, which makes it fair for basic tasks, and it benefits from being more lightweight and having better battery life, enhancing its portability.
Gaming and AI
7.8/10
5.7/10
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
8.7/10
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 is good for gaming and AI, while the HP Stream 14" 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
8.2/10
5.7/10
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
3.4/10
8.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.5/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 is very good for engineering and design, while the HP Stream 14" is poor.
The Dell Alienware m15 R7, with its powerful AMD Ryzen CPU and Nvidia RTX GPU, stands out for engineering and design due to its ability to swiftly process complex tasks, render graphics efficiently, and display detailed visuals on its high-resolution screen.
Content Creation
7.5/10
6.7/10
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
3.4/10
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
TN
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 is good for content creation, while the HP Stream 14" is only fair.
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
6.5/10
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
3.4/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.0/10
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 is good for software development, while the HP Stream 14" is only fair.
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
5.2/10
15.6in
SIZE
14.0in
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
TN
240Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
300.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
220.0 nits
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 has a better screen than the HP Stream 14" for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Dell Alienware m15 R7, with its sharp resolution and bright display, performs excellently for general use, offering clear visuals and vivid colors. For engineering and design work, it excels due to its wide color gamuts, enabling accurate color reproduction crucial for detailed work. However, for gaming and 3D applications, its lower refresh rate restricts its ability to render fast-moving images smoothly, resulting in a less optimal experience.
Battery
5.0 Hours
7.5 Hours
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 has 5 hours of battery life. The HP Stream 14" 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
3.5 lbs
0.9in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The HP Stream 14" 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
5.5/10
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 has very good build quality, while the HP Stream 14" has poor build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$2,200
$299
$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 HP Stream 14" costs $299.
"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."
"With half of the main system memory and a fraction of the storage that we recommend in any budget Windows laptop, the HP Stream 14 does not impress. Perhaps it doesn't need to, depending on your reference point. For the price, you're getting a functional laptop with Windows 10, which already places the HP Stream 14 above most Chromebooks on that merit alone. Still, in this price range, you can't do much worse, but you can do better. In fact, for just $100 more, you can grab the much superior budget option, the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 14."
Get a great deal on the Dell Alienware m15 R7 or the HP Stream 14"
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 HP
HP, also known as Hewlett-Packard, is an American technology company that develops personal computers and computer peripherals. In the laptop industry, HP is known for its entry level Essential series laptops, its mid-range Pavilion, Envy, and Victus series, and high-end Omen and Spectre series, in addition to its business-oriented EliteBook, ProBook, and Dragonfly series laptops. HP laptops generally undercut other mainstream competitors in terms of price, placing itself as the value-oriented mainstream brand.
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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