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Updated January 12, 2024·
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 is a more powerful machine suited for tasks like gaming or intensive engineering software, thanks to its superior graphics card and processor. On the other hand, the Dell Latitude 5430, being lighter and more compact, offers greater portability and is better for general use or business tasks. The Latitude also tends to have a longer battery life due to its lower power consumption components. If your work involves more travel or lighter computing tasks and you prefer a machine that's easier to carry around, the Latitude is the better option. However, if your focus is on performance for gaming or demanding applications and you don't mind a heavier laptop with potentially shorter battery life, the Alienware would be the better choice, though it usually comes with a higher price tag. 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 keyboard
Advantages of the Dell Latitude 5430
- Very good portability
- Good battery life
Key differences
General Use
7.8
7.2
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
301.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
248.0 nits
5.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
9.0 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
5.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.4/10
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 and Dell Latitude 5430 are both good for general use, though the Dell Alienware m17 R5 is somewhat better.
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 excels in general use thanks to its superior CPU, double the RAM, and a higher-quality screen which provides a more vivid color range and brightness, although it's less portable and has shorter battery life compared to the Dell Latitude 5430. Conversely, the Latitude 5430 offers better portability and longer battery life with a more compact design and lighter weight but falls short with a weaker CPU, less RAM, and less vibrant screen, making it less suited for demanding tasks.
Gaming and AI
7.7
6.0
7.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
480Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.0/10
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 is good for gaming and AI, while the Dell Latitude 5430 is only fair.
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 offers a high-end GPU and a high screen refresh rate, delivering a smooth and immersive gaming and 3D experience, which gamers find crucial. Meanwhile, the Dell Latitude 5430, while having a capable CPU and decent screen quality, falls short in GPU performance and refresh rate, making it less ideal for demanding gaming and 3D applications.
Engineering and Design
8.1
6.5
8.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.4/10
7.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 is very good for engineering and design, while the Dell Latitude 5430 is only fair.
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 stands out for engineering and design use because of its powerful AMD Ryzen 7 CPU, greater RAM, and high-performing Nvidia RTX 3060 GPU, which are essential for demanding tasks, whereas the Dell Latitude 5430, with a less powerful Intel i5 CPU, integrated graphics, and less RAM, caters more to general business use where portability and battery life are more critical. Though the m17 R5 has a heavier build and lower portability, the superior screen quality and performance specs are better suited for intensive 3D, machine learning, and engineering projects.
Content Creation
7.8
7.2
8.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.4/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 and Dell Latitude 5430 are both good for content creation, though the Dell Alienware m17 R5 is somewhat better.
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.
Screen Quality
8.1
6.1
17.3in
SIZE
14.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
480Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
301.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
248.0 nits
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 has a better screen than the Dell Latitude 5430 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
For general use, the Alienware m17 R5 boasts a high-resolution, bright display with a panel type that offers crisp visuals and vibrant colors, making it superior to the Latitude 5430, which has an adequate display but may not be as sharp or bright. Engineers and designers favor the Alienware for its wider color gamut coverage, ensuring a more accurate representation of colors; however, the Latitude's color range is suitable for less demanding tasks. Gaming and 3D applications suffer on the Alienware due to a lower refresh rate, despite its good resolution and panel type, while the Latitude's similar shortcomings make both less ideal for high-speed, immersive visual experiences.
Battery
5.0 Hours
9.0 Hours
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 has 5 hours of battery life. The Dell Latitude 5430 has 9 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
3.0 lbs
1.0in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Dell Latitude 5430 has very good portability, while the Dell Alienware m17 R5 has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$1,100
$790
$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 Latitude 5430 costs $790.
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Key similarities
Software Development
7.4
7.1
8.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.4/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 and Dell Latitude 5430 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.
Build Quality
7.8
7.4
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 and Dell Latitude 5430 both have good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
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We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Dell Alienware m17 R5 and the Dell Latitude 5430 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Dell Alienware m17 R5 | Dell Latitude 5430 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,100 | $790 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | June 1, 2022 | May 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 15.6'' x 11.8'' x 1.05'' | 12.7'' x 8.4'' x 0.76'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 7.3 lbs | 3.01 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 15.64" | 12.65" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 11.76" | 8.35" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 6800H | Intel i5-1235U | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 8 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 1024 GB | 256 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 5 Hours | 9 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 97 Wh | 58 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 17.3" | 14" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 1920 x 1080 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 480Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 301 nits | 248 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.8/10 | 7.4/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 5.5/10 | 8.4/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | Yes | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | Yes | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 7/10 | 8/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8/10 | 7/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 8/10 | 8/10 | |
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 | 2 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 2 | 3 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | N/A | 4 | |
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."
Get a great deal on the Dell Alienware m17 R5 or the Dell Latitude 5430
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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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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