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What we think
The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 is a premium laptop that is more expensive but provides better performance for intensive tasks like gaming, 3D rendering, machine learning, and engineering, thanks to its high-end processor and powerful graphics card. However, it has a heavier build and lower battery life, making it less portable. On the other hand, the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 is a budget-friendly option that is lighter and offers longer battery life, making it more suited for general use and portability. Its performance is modest in comparison, not ideal for demanding tasks but sufficient for everyday activities. 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
- Very good keyboard
Advantages of the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3
- Good portability
- Very good battery life
Key differences
General Use
7.5
7.0
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
300.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
281.0 nits
5.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
10.0 Hours
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.5/10
6.4/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.9/10
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 and Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 are both good for general use, though the Dell Alienware m15 R7 is somewhat better.
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 offers superior performance with a high-end CPU and more RAM, which makes multitasking and demanding applications run more smoothly, while its screen has a higher resolution and refresh rate, enhancing visual quality. However, it is less portable due to greater weight and has a shorter battery life compared to the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3, which is lighter and lasts longer on a single charge, but has a more modest CPU, less RAM, and a lower quality display, which makes it less ideal for resource-intensive tasks.
Gaming and AI
7.8
5.9
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
9.5/10
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 is good for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 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
6.1
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
3.6/10
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 Slim 3 is only fair.
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 is superior for engineering and design because it packs a more powerful CPU and GPU, has twice the RAM, and features a higher resolution panel with better color coverage, which are all very important for these tasks.
Screen Quality
8.2
6.4
15.6in
SIZE
15.6in
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
240Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
300.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
281.0 nits
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 has a better screen than the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, and content creation.
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 likely has a high-resolution display with good brightness and a premium panel type, such as IPS, making it well-suited for general use and detailed engineering work due to accurate colors and wide viewing angles. However, the poor gaming quality suggests it does not have a high refresh rate, which is crucial for smooth, fast-paced action. On the other hand, the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3's fair screen quality across the board indicates it has a more basic display that suffices for everyday tasks and some engineering applications but lacks the high color accuracy and rapid refresh rate required for more specialized 3D work and gaming.
Battery
5.0 Hours
10.0 Hours
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 has 5 hours of battery life. The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 has 10 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
3.5 lbs
0.9in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 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
6.5
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 has very good build quality, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 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
$400
$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 Slim 3 costs $400.
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Key similarities
Content Creation
7.5
7.2
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
3.6/10
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 Slim 3 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
7.1
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
3.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.5/10
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 and Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 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 Slim 3 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Dell Alienware m15 R7 | Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$2,200 | $400 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2022 | March 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14'' x 10.7'' x 0.94'' | 14.2'' x 9.3'' x 0.7'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 5.93 lbs | 3.52 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.02" | 14.15" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 10.73" | 9.25" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX | AMD Ryzen 3 7330U | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 8 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 5 Hours | 10 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 86 Wh | 47 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 15.6" | 15.6" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 2560 x 1440 | 1920 x 1080 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 240Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 300 nits | 281 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 8.5/10 | 6.5/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 6.5/10 | 7.9/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | Yes | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 7/10 | 9.5/10 | |
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 | Yes | |
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 | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 2 | 2 | |
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 Slim 3
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Dig into reviews and images
Rtings
Olivier Martin, Ryan Lim, and John Peroramas | May 2023
"The Lenovo IdeaPad 3i is decent for use as a workstation. Its Intel CPU and integrated graphics can only handle light productivity tasks, not demanding workloads like video editing or 3D graphics. You also can't do any color-critical work because the available displays have a narrow color gamut. It has a good port selection, but its USB-C lacks Thunderbolt 4 support. On the upside, it has a comfortable keyboard and doesn't get hot or loud under load."
Get a great deal on the Dell Alienware m15 R7 or the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3
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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