The Dell Alienware m15 R7 offers superior performance for 3D rendering, machine learning, and other engineering-related tasks due to its more powerful processor and graphics card, making it suitable for intensive gaming and demanding software applications. However, it is significantly heavier and has shorter battery life, which may affect portability for those who need to travel with their laptop. Conversely, the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 15" is more budget-friendly, lighter, and offers longer battery life, making it highly portable and well-suited for general use, including everyday tasks like web browsing, office work, and media consumption. Its touch-enabled screen also adds convenience for interaction but may not be necessary for all users. If high performance and gaming are a priority and you don't mind the extra weight and cost, the Alienware could be a good choice, otherwise, for general use and better battery life, the Lenovo IdeaPad might be more suitable. 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 for engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
Very good overall display quality
Very good overall build quality
Good speakers
Advantages of the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 15"
Good portability
Very good battery life
Key differences
Gaming and AI
7.8/10
6.2/10
8.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
240Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 is good for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 15" is only fair.
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
6.7/10
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.8/10
8.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 is very good for engineering and design, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 15" is only fair.
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 is equipped with a more powerful CPU, double the RAM, and a significantly superior GPU as well as a higher resolution and refresh rate screen than the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 15", making it more suitable for demanding engineering and design tasks that benefit from these enhanced performance features. However, the Lenovo offers a lighter and thinner build for better portability, alongside a touchscreen, but falls short on performance-related aspects critical for engineering and design use.
Screen Quality
8.2/10
6.5/10
15.6in
SIZE
15.6in
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
240Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
300.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
341.0 nits
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 has a better screen than the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 15" for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design.
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 offers superior screen brightness and resolution, making it ideal for general use and detail-oriented tasks like engineering, along with a wide color gamut to ensure accurate color representation for design work. However, its lower refresh rate can be a drawback for gaming and 3D applications, which rely heavily on smooth motion. On the other hand, the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 has moderate screen brightness and resolution, suitable for everyday tasks and some design work, but its limited color gamut and refresh rate may not satisfy the needs of professionals in engineering or avid gamers.
Battery
5.0 Hours
11.0 Hours
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 has 5 hours of battery life. The Lenovo IdeaPad 5 15" has 11 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
15.6in
5.9 lbs
WEIGHT
4.0 lbs
0.9in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Lenovo IdeaPad 5 15" 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
7.6/10
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 has very good build quality, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 15" has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$2,200
$771
$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 5 15" costs $771.
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 and Lenovo IdeaPad 5 15" are both good for general use.
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 stands out for general use due to its high-performance CPU, ample RAM, and quality screen, but it is less portable and has shorter battery life compared to the Lenovo IdeaPad 5, which offers a balance of sufficient performance for everyday tasks, longer battery life, and better portability, with a lighter build and a good quality screen, even though it's not as high-resolution as the Alienware's display. Both laptops have good storage capacity, comfortable keyboards, decent speaker quality, and manage heat well, although the Alienware might get noisier and hotter during intense tasks, which is a common trait for more powerful machines.
Content Creation
7.5/10
7.3/10
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.8/10
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 and Lenovo IdeaPad 5 15" are both good for content creation.
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
7.3/10
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.8/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Lenovo IdeaPad 5 15" 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.
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How the Dell Alienware m15 R7 and the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 15" 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 Lenovo IdeaPad 5 is convincing due to its long battery life. The device scores points especially with its large battery and long battery runtimes combined with its low consumption. The CPU and GPU perform in the test as one would expect, and in line with what was familiar from the somewhat smaller 14-inch sister model, the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 14."
Get a great deal on the Dell Alienware m15 R7 or the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 15"
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.
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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