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What we think
The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
If you prioritize performance for tasks like 3D rendering, machine learning, and gaming, the Gigabyte Aero 16 offers a more powerful graphics card and a higher quality display with better color accuracy and resolution, which is especially beneficial for creative work. However, the Dell Alienware m17 R5 is generally less expensive and also suitable for gaming and engineering tasks with a faster refresh rate screen for smoother visuals in fast-paced games. The Aero is lighter and has a longer battery life, making it more portable, but it also typically costs more. Both are equipped with 16GB of RAM and ample storage, with the Aero having twice the capacity of the Alienware. 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 speakers
Advantages of the Gigabyte Aero 16
- Very good for general use
- Very good for content creation
- Good portability
- Good battery life
Key differences
Software Development
7.4
7.9
8.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Gigabyte Aero 16 and Dell Alienware m17 R5 are both good for software development, though the Gigabyte Aero 16 is somewhat better.
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.
Screen Quality
8.1
8.4
17.3in
SIZE
16.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
480Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
301.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
368.0 nits
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 has a better screen than the Gigabyte Aero 16 for gaming and AI, while the Gigabyte Aero 16 has a better screen for general use, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 offers solid screen resolution and brightness suitable for everyday tasks and fine details required in engineering, but the lower refresh rate hinders the smooth visuals critical for immersive 3D gaming. The Gigabyte Aero 16 boasts superior color accuracy and wider color gamuts, which are crucial for professional engineering and design work, enhancing the visual fidelity of projects, though it too falls short in refresh rate, making it less ideal for fast-paced gaming experiences. Both laptops deliver in clarity and brightness for general usage, providing sharp, vibrant displays for various applications outside of specialized 3D environments.
Battery
5.0 Hours
7.0 Hours
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 has 5 hours of battery life. The Gigabyte Aero 16 has 7 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
Good
17.3in
SIZE
16.0in
7.3 lbs
WEIGHT
5.0 lbs
1.0in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The Gigabyte Aero 16 has good portability, while the Dell Alienware m17 R5 has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$1,100
$1,260
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 has a price of $1,100 and the Gigabyte Aero 16 costs $1,260.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.8
8.0
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
301.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
368.0 nits
5.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
7.0 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
5.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.1/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Gigabyte Aero 16 to be very good for general use, while the Dell Alienware m17 R5 is good.
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 stands out for general use with its ample screen size, high-performance processor and substantial storage, but its heavier build and shorter battery life make it less portable. The Gigabyte Aero 16 offers a higher-resolution OLED display, a powerful yet efficient processor, double the storage, and a lighter, sleeker design with longer battery life, enhancing its portability for on-the-go users.
Gaming and AI
7.7
7.8
7.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.8/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
480Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.7/10
The Gigabyte Aero 16 and Dell Alienware m17 R5 are both good for gaming and AI.
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 boasts a high screen refresh rate suitable for smooth gaming and 3D applications, supported by its Nvidia RTX 3060 GPU, while the Gigabyte Aero 16 offers a superior screen quality with its OLED display and Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti GPU, which is more powerful, albeit at a lower refresh rate. While both laptops are equipped with quality CPUs, the Aero 16's display is sharper and may offer richer colors for visual work but might not be as fluid for fast-paced games as the Alienware's display.
Engineering and Design
8.1
8.6
8.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
7.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.8/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Gigabyte Aero 16 and Dell Alienware m17 R5 are both very good for engineering and design.
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 boasts a powerful AMD CPU and NVIDIA GPU, suitable for resource-intensive engineering software, while its large screen offers good quality visuals but at a cost of portability. The Gigabyte Aero 16, with a stronger GPU and a high-resolution OLED display, excels in visual clarity for design work, and is more portable due to its lighter weight and smaller size, although it may have a louder operating noise.
Content Creation
7.8
8.2
8.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Gigabyte Aero 16 to be very good for content creation, while the Dell Alienware m17 R5 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.
Build Quality
7.8
7.8
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 and Gigabyte Aero 16 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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How the Dell Alienware m17 R5 and the Gigabyte Aero 16 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Dell Alienware m17 R5 | Gigabyte Aero 16 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,100 | $1,260 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | June 1, 2022 | October 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 15.6'' x 11.8'' x 1.05'' | 14'' x 9.8'' x 0.88'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 7.3 lbs | 5.07 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 15.64" | 14.02" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 11.76" | 9.78" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 6800H | Intel i7-12700H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 1024 GB | 2048 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 5 Hours | 7 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 97 Wh | 99 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 17.3" | 16" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | OLED | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 3840 x 2400 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 480Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 301 nits | 368 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.8/10 | 7.8/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 5.5/10 | 7.1/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | Yes | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 7/10 | 6.8/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 8/10 | 6.8/10 | |
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 | 0 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 3 | |
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."
Gigabyte Aero 16
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Dig into reviews and images
Tom's Hardware
Isaac Rouse | May 2022
"The Gigabyte Aero 16 is a workstation laptop for light gaming. It's design is still muted, with a silver chassis alongside a black keyboard and trackpad that provides some contrast. The Gigabyte Aero’s full-size chiclet-style keyboard is enjoyable to type on thanks to its snappy feel and responsiveness. The 4K+ AMOLED display is good, but it could be better. It doesn’t handle true black very well and suffers from strong reflections and glare. The Gigabyte Aero excels at productivity performance and can keep up with other gaming laptops in 1080p. But it has very few ports and its refresh rate leaves a bit to be desired."
Get a great deal on the Dell Alienware m17 R5 or the Gigabyte Aero 16
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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