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What we think
The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 offers good value for a midrange price, making it a suitable choice if you're looking for performance without a high expense. On the other hand, the Gigabyte Aorus 17H comes at a premium price and is known for its excellent build quality and performance, suitable for intensive gaming and demanding engineering applications. If cost is a significant factor, the Alienware may be the better option, but if you're after higher performance and build quality and are willing to invest more, consider the Aorus. Keep in mind that both choices may be less portable due to their size and power. 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
- The Dell Alienware m17 R5 has no clear advantages over the Gigabyte Aorus 17H.
Advantages of the Gigabyte Aorus 17H
- Very good for gaming and AI
- Very good for content creation
- Good battery life
Key differences
Gaming and AI
7.7
8.7
7.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.6/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
480Hz
REFRESH RATE
360Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Gigabyte Aorus 17H is very good for gaming and AI, while the Dell Alienware m17 R5 is good.
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 offers a high screen refresh rate, enhancing smooth visuals for gaming and 3D applications, however, it has a less powerful GPU compared to the Gigabyte Aorus 17H, which has a superior GPU that greatly improves performance for gaming and 3D tasks but comes with a slightly lower refresh rate. Both laptops have quality screens and capable CPUs, but these features play secondary roles to the GPU and refresh rate in determining gaming and 3D performance.
Screen Quality
8.1
8.3
17.3in
SIZE
17.3in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
480Hz
REFRESH RATE
360Hz
301.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
351.0 nits
The Gigabyte Aorus 17H has a better screen than the Dell Alienware m17 R5 for general use, and software development.
For general use, the Dell Alienware m17 R5 offers a balance of resolution and brightness that is pleasing to the eye, making it suitable for a variety of everyday tasks, whereas the Gigabyte Aorus 17H excels with superior brightness and clarity which enhances the viewing experience. When it comes to engineering and design, both laptops provide a wide range of colors with the necessary gamuts, but the Aorus may have a slight edge in color accuracy and range, which can be crucial in professional design work. However, for 3D and gaming, both the Alienware and Aorus may fall short due to their lower refresh rates, meaning fast-moving visuals might not be as smooth as desired, despite having adequate resolution and panel types.
Cost
$1,100
$2,200
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 has a price of $1,100 and the Gigabyte Aorus 17H costs $2,200.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.8
7.9
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
301.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
351.0 nits
5.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
6.0 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
5.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
5.9/10
The Gigabyte Aorus 17H and Dell Alienware m17 R5 are both good for general use.
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 offers good general use capabilities with its ample RAM and competent CPU, alongside a quality screen and a hefty battery, but it is less portable due to its weight. The Gigabyte Aorus 17H, with a similar RAM and top-tier CPU, also has a quality display and a slightly better battery life, improving its general use appeal, but shares the Alienware's challenge with portability.
Engineering and Design
8.1
8.6
8.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
7.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Gigabyte Aorus 17H and Dell Alienware m17 R5 are both very good for engineering and design.
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 is equipped with an AMD Ryzen 7 6800H CPU and Nvidia RTX 3060 GPU, which are suitable for engineering and design due to their strong performance and screen with high refresh rate, though they are somewhat heavier and could offer more screen brightness. The Gigabyte Aorus 17H, on the other hand, offers a more powerful Intel i7-13700H CPU and Nvidia RTX 4080 GPU, along with a brighter screen, while being lighter than the Alienware which can be advantageous in terms of portability.
Content Creation
7.8
8.0
8.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Gigabyte Aorus 17H 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.
Software Development
7.4
7.5
8.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Gigabyte Aorus 17H 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.
Battery
5.0 Hours
6.0 Hours
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 has 5 hours of battery life. The Gigabyte Aorus 17H has 6 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
Poor
17.3in
SIZE
17.3in
7.3 lbs
WEIGHT
5.9 lbs
1.0in
THICKNESS
1.1in
The Gigabyte Aorus 17H and Dell Alienware m17 R5 both have poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.8
7.4
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 and Gigabyte Aorus 17H 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 Aorus 17H compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Dell Alienware m17 R5 | Gigabyte Aorus 17H |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,100 | $2,200 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | June 1, 2022 | January 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 15.6'' x 11.8'' x 1.05'' | 15.7'' x 10.2'' x 1.18'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 7.3 lbs | 5.95 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 15.64" | 15.7" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 11.76" | 10.16" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 6800H | Intel i7-13700H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 1024 GB | 1024 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 5 Hours | 6 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 97 Wh | 99 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 17.3" | 17.3" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 1920 x 1080 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 480Hz | 360Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 301 nits | 351 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.8/10 | 7.4/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 5.5/10 | 5.9/10 | |
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 | 8/10 | 8/10 | |
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 | Yes | |
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 | 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 Aorus 17H
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Dig into reviews and images
eTeknix
Peter Donnell | February 2023
"Overall though, it’s *lots of swearing* fast, seriously. For work, rendering, gaming, it doesn’t matter, this is a true weapon of performance that’s going to run rings around most high-end desktop systems. If you absolutely have to game at ultra-high refresh rates on the go (but within thinking distance of a plug socket), this is the ticket. I can’t see such an extreme being that appealing to everyone, but if you take your gaming seriously, or even professionally, there’s nothing else out there that comes close that you can still fit in your backpack and travel with."
Get a great deal on the Dell Alienware m17 R5 or the Gigabyte Aorus 17H
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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