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Updated January 10, 2024·
Choosing between the Dell Alienware m15 R7 and the MSI GP66 Leopard involves considering the balance between price, performance, and portability. The Alienware m15 R7 comes at a premium price and offers a more powerful processor, which is beneficial for demanding engineering tasks or intensive gaming, along with better screen resolution and refresh rate advantageous for sharp and smooth visuals. However, it's heavier and has a shorter battery life, making it less portable compared to the MSI GP66 Leopard, which is less expensive, lighter and offers a higher battery life, along with a more powerful GPU that's good for 3D rendering and machine learning applications. Both have similar storage, RAM, and screen size, but the MSI's display has lower resolution and color accuracy, which might be less ideal for precision tasks that require high color fidelity. 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
- Very good overall display quality
Advantages of the MSI GP66 Leopard
- The MSI GP66 Leopard has no clear advantages over the Dell Alienware m15 R7.
Key differences
Screen Quality
8.2
7.5
15.6in
SIZE
15.6in
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
240Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
300.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
362.0 nits
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 has a better screen than the MSI GP66 Leopard for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design.
For general use, the Dell Alienware m15 R7's superior resolution and brightness provide a crisper and more vibrant display, making it preferable for activities like browsing and streaming. The screen's wide color gamuts make the Dell ideal for engineering and design, ensuring accuracy when working with color-critical applications. However, its lower refresh rate can hinder the gaming and 3D modeling experience, where the MSI GP66 Leopard, though not excelling, may maintain a sufficient benchmark for casual play or design work, reflecting a trade-off between visual fidelity and fluid motion.
Cost
$2,200
$1,400
$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 MSI GP66 Leopard costs $1,400.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.5
7.5
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
300.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
362.0 nits
5.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.0 Hours
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
6.4/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.8/10
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 and MSI GP66 Leopard are both good for general use.
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 offers a solid balance for general use, with a high-quality screen and robust CPU and RAM, but its heaviness and moderate battery life affect portability. The MSI GP66 Leopard also caters well to general use with a strong CPU and ample RAM; it has a brighter screen and is lighter for better portability, although the screen has a lower resolution and color coverage than the Alienware, which might matter for tasks requiring visual precision.
Gaming and AI
7.8
7.8
8.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.7/10
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
240Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 and MSI GP66 Leopard are both good for gaming and AI.
The Dell Alienware m15 R7, equipped with the Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti graphics card and a high screen refresh rate of 240Hz, is excellent for smooth and responsive gaming and 3D applications. Meanwhile, the MSI GP66 Leopard packs a more powerful Nvidia RTX 3080 GPU but has a lower screen refresh rate of 144Hz, still offering solid performance for gaming and 3D work but with potentially less fluid motion compared to the Alienware.
Engineering and Design
8.2
7.9
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
8.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.7/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Dell Alienware m15 R7 to be very good for engineering and design, while the MSI GP66 Leopard is good.
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 stands out for engineering and design due to its higher-resolution screen and more powerful AMD processor, which are very important for detailed visual work and computational power, respectively, while the MSI GP66 Leopard offers a strong Nvidia graphics card and good screen brightness, which are also key for design tasks but with a lower resolution display. Although both have similar RAM and portability, the Alienware's better GPU and screen quality give it an edge for intensive tasks, whereas the MSI might be a bit quieter and cooler during operation, which are somewhat important factors for user comfort during long work sessions.
Content Creation
7.5
7.4
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 and MSI GP66 Leopard 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
7.2
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 and MSI GP66 Leopard 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
5.0 Hours
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 has 5 hours of battery life. The MSI GP66 Leopard has 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
Fair
15.6in
SIZE
15.6in
5.9 lbs
WEIGHT
5.2 lbs
0.9in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The MSI GP66 Leopard and Dell Alienware m15 R7 both have only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
8.5
8.0
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 and MSI GP66 Leopard both have very good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
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How the Dell Alienware m15 R7 and the MSI GP66 Leopard compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Dell Alienware m15 R7 | MSI GP66 Leopard |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$2,200 | $1,400 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2022 | May 1, 2021 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14'' x 10.7'' x 0.94'' | 14.1'' x 10.5'' x 0.92'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 5.93 lbs | 5.25 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.02" | 14.09" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 10.73" | 10.51" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX | Intel i7-11800H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 5 Hours | 5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 86 Wh | 65 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 | 144Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 300 nits | 362 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 8.5/10 | 8/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 6.5/10 | 6.9/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | Yes | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 7/10 | 6.5/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8.5/10 | 8/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 7.5/10 | 7.5/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | No | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 3 | 3 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 0 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | No | No | |
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."
MSI GP66 Leopard
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Christian Hintze | December 2021
"The MSI GP66 Leopard is a good budget high-performance gamer. The MSI also does a lot right outside of the pure performance despite it's low price. For example, the adaptive cooling system really surprised us positively, even in Extreme Performance Mode. And the display is not a budget panel either, but at least outshines the competition in terms of brightness. Of course, you also have to accept a few compromises in this price category. These include the Leopard's poor battery runtimes and the less than optimal build quality, which is also noticeable in the more complicated maintenance."
Get a great deal on the Dell Alienware m15 R7 or the MSI GP66 Leopard
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 MSI
MSI, also known as Micro-Star International, is a Taiwanese technology corporation. MSI is known for their wide range of gaming devices. Their series include the entry-level Cyborg/Thin and Sword/Katana series, the mid-range Bravo/Delta and Crosshair/Pulse series, and their high-end Vector, Raider, Stealth, and Titan GT series. At every performance level, MSI offers a variety of devices with varying balances between performance, battery life, weight, and price, making them a solid option to consider at every price point.
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