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Updated January 12, 2024·
When choosing between the Dell Alienware m15 R7 and the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 14", consider your primary needs. The Dell Alienware is built for high-end gaming and demanding tasks with robust performance and superior graphics, but this comes at higher cost and less portability. On the other hand, the Lenovo IdeaPad is more affordable, offers modest performance suitable for everyday tasks like web browsing, and is lighter, making it easy to carry around. If you need a machine for complex applications like 3D modeling, machine learning, or high-end gaming, the Dell Alienware could be justified despite its higher price. For general use and portability with adequate functionality, the Lenovo IdeaPad would be a sensible, cost-effective choice. 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 Lenovo IdeaPad 1 14"
- Very good portability
- Good battery life
Key differences
General Use
7.5
6.1
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
TN
300.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
239.0 nits
5.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
9.0 Hours
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.5/10
6.4/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.3/10
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 is good for general use, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 14" is only fair.
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 offers better performance for general use with a more powerful AMD Ryzen CPU and ample RAM, as well as superior screen quality with higher resolution and brightness, although it is less portable and has shorter battery life compared to Lenovo IdeaPad 1 14". However, the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 14" excels in portability due to its lighter weight and longer battery life, but falls short in general use due to its basic Intel Celeron CPU, minimal RAM, and lower-quality TN screen.
Gaming and AI
7.8
5.5
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
10.0/10
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 is good for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 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
5.5
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 Lenovo IdeaPad 1 14" is poor.
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 is equipped with a high-end AMD processor, ample memory, and a powerful Nvidia GPU, while also offering a high-quality IPS display, making it well-suited for demanding engineering and design tasks. In contrast, the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 14" has a basic Intel Celeron processor, limited memory, and an integrated GPU, coupled with a lower resolution TN display, which hampers its performance for intensive applications typical in engineering and design work.
Content Creation
7.5
6.2
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
TN
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 is good for content creation, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 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
6.4
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
6.5/10
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 is good for software development, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 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
5.3
15.6in
SIZE
14.0in
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
TN
240Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
300.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
239.0 nits
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 has a better screen than the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 14" for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 offers a high-resolution display with a panel that delivers vibrant colors and brightness, which is ideal for general and engineering use where detail and color accuracy are essential, but its lower refresh rate is less suitable for gaming and 3D tasks that benefit from smoother motion. The Lenovo IdeaPad 1 14", with its lower resolution and brightness, is less equipped to provide the sharpness and clarity needed for both general use and specialized tasks such as engineering, and its limited color range and slower refresh rate hinder its effectiveness for 3D applications and gaming. Overall, the Alienware's screen caters well to professional creative work and everyday tasks, while the Lenovo falls short across various use cases but may still be acceptable for users with basic needs and budget constraints.
Battery
5.0 Hours
9.0 Hours
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 has 5 hours of battery life. The Lenovo IdeaPad 1 14" has 9 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
3.0 lbs
0.9in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Lenovo IdeaPad 1 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
6.0
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 has very good build quality, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 14" has only fair build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$2,200
$150
$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 Lenovo IdeaPad 1 14" costs $150.
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How the Dell Alienware m15 R7 and the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 14" compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Dell Alienware m15 R7 | Lenovo IdeaPad 1 14" |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$2,200 | $150 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2022 | January 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14'' x 10.7'' x 0.94'' | 12.9'' x 9.3'' x 0.7'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 5.93 lbs | 3.09 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.02" | 12.88" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 10.73" | 9.25" | |
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 | 9 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 86 Wh | 32 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 15.6" | 14" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | TN | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 2560 x 1440 | 1366 x 768 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 240Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 300 nits | 239 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 8.5/10 | 6/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 6.5/10 | 8.3/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | Yes | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 7/10 | 10/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8.5/10 | 6.5/10 | |
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 | 1 | |
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."
Lenovo IdeaPad 1 14"
See more
Dig into reviews and images
PCMag
Tom Brant | August 2021
"The IdeaPad 1 14 is a simple machine, but it’s well-designed and has nearly everything you’d expect from a no-nonsense laptop that allows you to check emails and get schoolwork or other light tasks done with relative ease. A "true" 128GB SSD (as opposed to an eMMC drive) and a roomy 14-inch full HD display are arguably the star attractions, with the comfortable keyboard and reasonably modern styling playing important backup roles."
Get a great deal on the Dell Alienware m15 R7 or the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 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 Lenovo
Lenovo is a Chinese technology company, and one of the largest personal computer vendor. They are well known for a variety of technology products, including laptops. Their consumer series include their entry level IdeaPad and LOQ series and mid-to-high-end Yoga and Legion series. On the business-oriented side, their series include their entry-level ThinkBook series and mid-to-high-end ThinkPad series. Lenovo laptops offer strong performance for reasonable prices, and are often on sale.
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