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What we think
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Updated January 10, 2024·
For intensive engineering tasks, gaming, or 3D/machine learning, the Dell Alienware m17 R5 excels with its robust processor and superior graphics, yet it's bulkier and has a shorter battery life. If you prioritize portability, longer battery use, and more vibrant display quality for general use or business purposes, consider the lighter Dell Inspiron 14 5420, which also offers a high-resolution screen, albeit with less powerful graphics and processing power. Both are in a midrange price bracket and offer 16GB of RAM, but the Alienware has a larger screen and storage space, while the Inspiron boasts better build and heat management. 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 m17 R5
- Very good for engineering and design
- Good for gaming and AI
- Very good overall display quality
- Very good speakers
- Very good keyboard
Advantages of the Dell Inspiron 14 5420
- Very good portability
- Very good battery life
Key differences
Gaming and AI
7.7
6.4
7.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.3/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2240 x 1400
480Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 is good for gaming and AI, while the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 is only fair.
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 is better suited for gaming and 3D because it features a powerful Nvidia RTX 3060 GPU and a high screen refresh rate, providing smoother visuals and improved rendering over the Dell Inspiron 14 5420, which has a lesser Nvidia MX570 GPU and a standard refresh rate. While both laptops have capable CPUs and good screen quality, the GPU and refresh rate are more crucial for gaming and 3D applications, making the Alienware model the superior option for these tasks.
Engineering and Design
8.1
7.1
8.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
7.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.3/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 is very good for engineering and design, while the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 is good.
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 stands out for engineering and design tasks with its robust AMD Ryzen CPU and Nvidia RTX 3060 GPU coupled with a larger screen, although it's less portable and has shorter battery life compared to the Dell Inspiron 14 5420, which offers a balance of performance and portability with an Intel i7 CPU and Nvidia MX570 GPU, but is more suited to less demanding work.
Screen Quality
8.1
6.5
17.3in
SIZE
14.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2240 x 1400
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
480Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
301.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
279.0 nits
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 has a better screen than the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, and content creation.
If you prioritize a crisp and vivid display for everyday tasks, the Dell Alienware m17 R5 offers superior resolution and brightness, enhancing your viewing experience for general use. However, for engineering and design applications where color accuracy is crucial, the Alienware's coverage of color gamuts like DCI-P3 and Adobe RGB becomes essential, providing a broader range of precise colors. While for gaming and 3D applications, the Alienware may fall short as it lacks a high refresh rate, which is fundamental for smooth motion and a responsive gaming experience, despite its adequate resolution and panel quality.
Battery
5.0 Hours
10.0 Hours
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 has 5 hours of battery life. The Dell Inspiron 14 5420 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
Poor
Very Good
17.3in
SIZE
14.0in
7.3 lbs
WEIGHT
3.4 lbs
1.0in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Dell Inspiron 14 5420 has very good portability, while the Dell Alienware m17 R5 has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.8
7.0
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 and Dell Inspiron 14 5420 both have good build quality, though the Dell Alienware m17 R5 has somewhat better build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,100
$971
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
$1,800
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 has a price of $1,100 and the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 costs $971.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.8
7.6
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2240 x 1400
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
301.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
279.0 nits
5.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
10.0 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
5.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.2/10
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 and Dell Inspiron 14 5420 are both good for general use.
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 is equipped with a higher-end CPU and GPU, offering stronger performance for demanding tasks and better screen visibility with its larger size and higher brightness; yet, its below-average battery life and hefty build affect portability and all-day use.
Content Creation
7.8
7.5
8.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2240 x 1400
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 and Dell Inspiron 14 5420 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
7.4
7.4
8.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2240 x 1400
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Dell Inspiron 14 5420 and Dell Alienware m17 R5 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 m17 R5 and the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Dell Alienware m17 R5 | Dell Inspiron 14 5420 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,100 | $971 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | June 1, 2022 | May 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 15.6'' x 11.8'' x 1.05'' | 12.4'' x 9'' x 0.7'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 7.3 lbs | 3.4 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 15.64" | 12.36" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 11.76" | 8.96" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 6800H | Intel i7-1255U | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 1024 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 5 Hours | 10 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 97 Wh | 54 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 17.3" | 14" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 2240 x 1400 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 480Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 301 nits | 279 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.8/10 | 7/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 5.5/10 | 8.3/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | Yes | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 7/10 | 6.5/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8/10 | 7.5/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 8/10 | 7.5/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 1080p | |
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 | 2 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 1 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 2 | 2 | |
Thunderbolt Ports | |||
Thunderbolt Ports | 0 | 0 | |
Shopping
Dell Alienware m17 R5
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Christian Hintze | January 2023
"Overall, the all-AMD system in the Alienware m17 R5 is impressive, especially the graphics performance. However, various driver issues and unnecessary inconsistencies prevent us from truly enjoying such a potent gaming machine. In addition to strong 3D performance, we particularly like the build quality, the fairly bright UHD display with high color space coverage, and the fact that the gamer is often quiet when not under load and also rather quieter than some competitors under load."
Dell Inspiron 14 5420
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Dig into reviews and images
Smarthouse
Nick Ross | March 2023
"If laptops were food, then the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 is arguably a Big Mac. There are cheaper and more expensive options, but this arguably represents the baseline of quality and value in the world of mobile computing… something that’s underlined by the attractive $1,279 price tag."
Get a great deal on the Dell Alienware m17 R5 or the Dell Inspiron 14 5420
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.
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