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Updated March 22, 2024·
When choosing between the Dell Alienware m16 R2 and the Gigabyte Aero 17, consider that the Alienware often favors gamers with its robust build and potentially more aggressive cooling, leading to a heftier design, while the Aero prioritizes creative professionals with its higher-quality display and emphasis on color accuracy. The Alienware may save you some money and still deliver excellent performance, but it's heavier and less suited for travel. The Aero, while typically more expensive, provides a balance of power and portability with a focus on tasks like video editing and design that benefit from a precise screen. 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 m16 R2
- Good battery life
- Very good speakers
Advantages of the Gigabyte Aero 17
- Very good for general use
- Very good for content creation
- Excellent overall display quality
Key differences
Screen Quality
8.2
9.2
16.0in
SIZE
17.3in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
240Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
302.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
368.0 nits
The Gigabyte Aero 17 has a better screen than the Dell Alienware m16 R2 for general use, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The Dell Alienware has a solid display for general use, with a resolution and brightness that provides clear images and good visibility, while the Gigabyte Aero 17's screen excels in these areas, offering crisper details and higher luminance. For engineering and design, the Gigabyte Aero 17 stands out with a wider color gamut, delivering richer and more accurate colors necessary for precision work. However, for gaming and 3D applications, both laptops fall short due to their lower refresh rates, which can affect the smoothness and responsiveness of fast-paced visuals.
Cost
$1,650
$2,071
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
The Dell Alienware m16 R2 has a price of $1,650 and the Gigabyte Aero 17 costs $2,071.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.9
8.1
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
302.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
368.0 nits
6.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.5 Hours
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
6.7/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.6/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Gigabyte Aero 17 to be very good for general use, while the Dell Alienware m16 R2 is good.
The Dell Alienware m16 R2, with its robust CPU and ample RAM, is suited for general tasks, but the Gigabyte Aero 17's superior screen quality enhances the experience for media consumption or creative work, making it very good for general use. However, the Alienware's focus on gaming might compromise portability and battery life when compared to the Aero, which manages a balance between performance and ease of use for everyday tasks.
Gaming and AI
7.9
7.9
8.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.8/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
240Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Gigabyte Aero 17 and Dell Alienware m16 R2 are both good for gaming and AI.
The Dell Alienware m16 R2, with its high-end GPU and fast screen refresh rate, offers a seamless and immersive gaming experience, catering specifically to gamers who demand top-notch graphics and smooth gameplay. On the other hand, the Gigabyte Aero 17 also features a powerful GPU and high refresh rate screen, while its superior screen quality and strong CPU make it an excellent choice not only for gaming but also for creative professionals working with high-resolution content.
Engineering and Design
8.4
8.8
8.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
8.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.8/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Gigabyte Aero 17 and Dell Alienware m16 R2 are both very good for engineering and design.
The Dell Alienware m16 R2 and Gigabyte Aero 17 both offer powerful CPUs and GPUs, ample RAM, and high-quality screens, which are essential for demanding engineering and design applications where rendering speeds and visual accuracy are paramount. However, the Alienware typically prioritizes gaming-centric features which might add bulk, whereas the Aero often focuses on a balance between power and portability, potentially making it more suitable for users who need to move around while still accessing high-end performance.
Content Creation
7.9
8.4
8.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Gigabyte Aero 17 to be very good for content creation, while the Dell Alienware m16 R2 is good.
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
7.6
7.9
8.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Gigabyte Aero 17 and Dell Alienware m16 R2 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
6.0 Hours
5.5 Hours
The Dell Alienware m16 R2 has 6 hours of battery life. The Gigabyte Aero 17 has 5.5 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
16.0in
SIZE
17.3in
5.7 lbs
WEIGHT
5.7 lbs
0.9in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Dell Alienware m16 R2 and Gigabyte Aero 17 both have only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
8.5
8.0
The Dell Alienware m16 R2 and Gigabyte Aero 17 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 m16 R2 and the Gigabyte Aero 17 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Dell Alienware m16 R2 | Gigabyte Aero 17 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,650 | $2,071 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | January 1, 2024 | March 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.3'' x 9.8'' x 0.93'' | 15.6'' x 9.5'' x 0.92'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 5.75 lbs | 5.73 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.33" | 15.6" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 9.81" | 9.5" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel Core Ultra 7 155H | Intel i7-12700H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 1024 GB | 2048 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 6 Hours | 5.5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 90 Wh | 99 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 16" | 17.3" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | Mini LED | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 2560 x 1600 | 3840 x 2160 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 240Hz | 120Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 302 nits | 368 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 8.5/10 | 8/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 6.8/10 | 6.7/10 | |
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 | 8.5/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 8.8/10 | 7.5/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 1080p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | No | Yes | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 2 | 0 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 3 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 3 | 3 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 4 | 4 | |
Shopping
Dell Alienware m16 R2
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Dig into reviews and images
LaptopMag
Momo Tabari | January 2024
"Alienware’s m16 R2 is a solid gaming laptop that leaves much to be desired, particularly in its quest to fulfill your needs as a product for productivity. Battery life under eight hours and a dim display are both vital issues for something that will accompany you through school projects or a workday. However, the Alienware m16 R2 is an exceedingly powerful gaming laptop, consistently being one of the best in our performance tests when compared against similar products. Even then, its display is lacking color, its fans get pretty darn loud, and its speakers aren’t punchy enough to rise above that noise."
Gigabyte Aero 17
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Mike Wobker | May 2021
"Not only is the Aero 17 a very good laptop for gamers but also for content creators. With the upgrade to the Intel Core i9-11980HK, Gigabyte particularly improved the system performance. In addition, the hardware package is rounded by the extremely fast SSD and 32 GB of working memory in dual-channel mode. Compared to the predecessor, the battery life is reduced only moderately, and the 4K display also basically keeps its good qualities."
Get a great deal on the Dell Alienware m16 R2 or the Gigabyte Aero 17
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 Gigabyte
Gigabyte is a Taiwanese computer hardware manufacturer. While Gigabyte mainly focuses its business on desktop hardware, Gigabyte is known for its value-oriented G series laptops, thin and light Aero series, and performance-oriented Aorus series. Gigabyte laptops offer a strong value proposition to compete with mainstream alternatives.
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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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