The Dell Alienware m15 R7 is a premium option with robust performance, featuring a strong processor and high-end graphics, making it suitable for demanding engineering tasks, high-end gaming, or intensive 3D work. It is also built with a higher refresh-rate screen which can be a boon for fast-paced games. However, it's less portable due to its heavier weight and it comes with a price tag that reflects its advanced features.
The Lenovo Legion 5 15", on the other hand, offers solid gaming capabilities as well with a newer generation graphics card, but it comes with a less powerful processor than the Alienware. The advantage of the Legion is its more attractive price, lighter weight, and better portability, making it a wise choice if you're looking for a balance between performance and budget.
In short, if your budget allows and you need top-tier performance for rigorous applications or gaming, the Alienware is a compelling choice; conversely, if you value savings and portability while still seeking dependable performance, the Legion is worthy of consideration. 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 Lenovo Legion 5 15"
The Lenovo Legion 5 15" has no clear advantages over the Dell Alienware m15 R7.
Key differences
Screen Quality
8.2/10
8.0/10
15.6in
SIZE
15.6in
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
240Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
300.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
350.0 nits
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 has a better screen than the Lenovo Legion 5 15" for gaming and AI, and engineering and design.
For general use, laptops like the Dell Alienware m15 R7 and Lenovo Legion 5 15" with high-resolution displays and great brightness offer crisp and clear visuals, which enhance everyday tasks like browsing and video playback. Engineering and design professionals benefit from wide color gamuts on these laptops, ensuring accurate color reproduction for tasks such as photo editing and CAD work. However, their lower refresh rates may not be ideal for gaming and 3D rendering, where smoother visuals provided by higher refresh rates are crucial for an optimal experience.
Build Quality
8.5/10
7.6/10
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 has very good build quality, while the Lenovo Legion 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
$999
$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 Legion 5 15" costs $999.
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 and Lenovo Legion 5 15" are both good for general use.
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 and the Lenovo Legion 5 15" both offer strong performance for general use with their high-quality CPUs and ample RAM, while providing crisp visuals through their high-resolution IPS screens. However, the Legion 5 stands out with a slightly better portability due to its lower weight, but the Alienware m15 offers a longer battery life for extended usage away from a power source, which is critical for users needing to stay mobile.
Gaming and AI
7.8/10
7.9/10
8.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.5/10
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
240Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Lenovo Legion 5 15" and Dell Alienware m15 R7 are both good for gaming and AI.
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 is tailored for gaming and 3D applications with its high-performance Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti GPU and a high screen refresh rate of 240 Hz, which is essential for smooth and responsive gameplay. On the other hand, the Lenovo Legion 5 15" also caters to gamers and 3D users with its capable Nvidia RTX 4060 GPU and a solid screen refresh rate of 165 Hz, ensuring good performance, although the refresh rate is slightly lower compared to the Alienware.
Engineering and Design
8.2/10
8.2/10
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.0/10
8.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.5/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Lenovo Legion 5 15" and Dell Alienware m15 R7 are both very good for engineering and design.
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 with its high-end CPU and powerful GPU excels in tasks that require substantial computing power, such as engineering simulations and 3D design, and its high-quality screen with a fast refresh rate enhances visual precision. In contrast, the Lenovo Legion 5 15" offers similar capabilities with a slightly less powerful CPU but boasts a slightly higher screen brightness and a notably higher screen contrast ratio, all packed in a lighter form factor, increasing its portability despite a marginal tradeoff in battery capacity compared to the Dell.
Content Creation
7.5/10
7.4/10
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.0/10
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 and Lenovo Legion 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
8.0/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 and Lenovo Legion 5 15" 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
4.0 Hours
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 has 5 hours of battery life. The Lenovo Legion 5 15" has 4 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
Fair
15.6in
SIZE
15.6in
5.9 lbs
WEIGHT
5.3 lbs
0.9in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Lenovo Legion 5 15" and Dell Alienware m15 R7 both have only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Dell Alienware m15 R7 and the Lenovo Legion 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 Legion 5 15 is an affordable gaming laptop with a lot of power. The new AMD processor Ryzen 7 5800H offers plenty of performance and it is also very efficient. The combination with the fast 130W version of the GeForce RTX 3060 ensures high gaming performance. We also like the fast 165 Hz display with the 1080p resolution. The automatic graphics switching causes some problems with stutters, which are very annoying. If you do not need long battery runtimes, you should definitely deactivate the hybrid graphics mode in Lenovo's Vantage app. The Legion 5 15 is never silent."
Get a great deal on the Dell Alienware m15 R7 or the Lenovo Legion 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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Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
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