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Updated January 10, 2024·
If high performance in gaming or intensive engineering software is a priority and the budget allows for it, consider the Dell Alienware m15 R7 despite its lower portability due to its weight. For more balanced use such as general productivity tasks and light gaming, the MSI Prestige 15 is the more economical choice, offering adequate performance and better portability due to its lighter weight and potentially longer battery life. 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
- Very good keyboard
Advantages of the MSI Prestige 15
- Good portability
- Good battery life
- Very good speakers
Key differences
Gaming and AI
7.8
6.3
8.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.2/10
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
7.0/10
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 is good for gaming and AI, while the MSI Prestige 15 is only fair.
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 offers superior gaming and 3D performance, thanks to its more powerful Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti graphics card and a higher screen refresh rate, making it well-suited for fast-paced games and intensive graphic tasks. In contrast, the MSI Prestige 15, with its Nvidia GTX 1650 Max-Q graphics card and lower screen refresh rate, provides a fair experience, suitable for casual gaming and less demanding 3D applications.
Engineering and Design
8.2
7.2
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.1/10
8.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.2/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 is very good for engineering and design, while the MSI Prestige 15 is good.
PerfectRec’s Engineering and Design Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for graphic design and 3D rendering work.
Screen Quality
8.2
6.8
15.6in
SIZE
15.6in
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
240Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
300.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
298.0 nits
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 has a better screen than the MSI Prestige 15 for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design.
For general use, the Dell Alienware m15 R7 offers superior resolution and brightness, making the visual experience more vivid and viewable in various lighting conditions. Its high color gamut coverage is crucial for engineering and design, ensuring that colors are accurately represented for professional work. However, its lower refresh rate detracts from the gaming and 3D experience, where smooth motion is key and higher refresh rates are preferred.
Battery
5.0 Hours
7.5 Hours
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 has 5 hours of battery life. The MSI Prestige 15 has 7.5 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
Good
15.6in
SIZE
15.6in
5.9 lbs
WEIGHT
3.7 lbs
0.9in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The MSI Prestige 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
7.4
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 has very good build quality, while the MSI Prestige 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
$1,044
$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 Prestige 15 costs $1,044.
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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
298.0 nits
5.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
7.5 Hours
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
6.4/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.7/10
The MSI Prestige 15 and Dell Alienware m15 R7 are both good for general use.
PerfectRec’s General Use Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for general productivity, web browsing, streaming, video calls, and running a wide variety of apps and programs.
Content Creation
7.5
7.5
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.1/10
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 Prestige 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
7.2
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 and MSI Prestige 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.
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How the Dell Alienware m15 R7 and the MSI Prestige 15 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Dell Alienware m15 R7 | MSI Prestige 15 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$2,200 | $1,044 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2022 | January 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14'' x 10.7'' x 0.94'' | 14.1'' x 9.2'' x 0.74'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 5.93 lbs | 3.73 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.02" | 14.05" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 10.73" | 9.2" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX | Intel i5-1240P | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 5 Hours | 7.5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 86 Wh | 82 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 | 298 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 8.5/10 | 7.4/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 6.5/10 | 7.8/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | Yes | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 7/10 | 7/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8.5/10 | 7.5/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 7.5/10 | 8.8/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | Yes | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | No | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 3 | 2 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | No | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 2 | 3 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | N/A | 4 | |
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 Prestige 15
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Mario Petzold | December 2022
"The MSI Prestige 15 offers a dazzling 4K image quality, and solid performance. The MSI Prestige 15 appears to consistently implement the guiding principle of throttling the solid and efficient hardware to such an extent that content creation succeeds perfectly. Performance-hungry tasks, on the other hand, are slowed down a little by the reduced power consumption. Conversely, this means that the case remains relatively cool and the dual fan subdued. The battery life also benefits somewhat. So the losses aren't really dramatic because full performance is still available for short bursts."
Get a great deal on the Dell Alienware m15 R7 or the MSI Prestige 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 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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