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Updated January 10, 2024·
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 tends to be a touch less expensive and boasts a larger screen, longer battery life, and higher refresh rate, which is great for gaming and fast-paced visuals. However, it's heavier and larger than the Lenovo Legion 7, making it less portable. On the other hand, the Lenovo Legion 7 offers a higher resolution display, which is sharper and better for creative work or engineering that benefits from extra screen detail. It's also lighter and has a different aspect ratio that may be preferred for productivity tasks. If portability and screen clarity are priorities, consider the Lenovo Legion 7, but if you value gaming performance and a longer battery lifespan, the Dell Alienware m17 R5 could be a better choice. 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 Lenovo Legion 7.
Advantages of the Lenovo Legion 7
- Very good overall build quality
- Good portability
- Good battery life
- Excellent keyboard
Key differences
Screen Quality
8.1
8.3
17.3in
SIZE
16.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
480Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
301.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
469.0 nits
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 has a better screen than the Lenovo Legion 7 for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo Legion 7 has a better screen for general use, engineering and design, and content creation.
For general use, the Dell Alienware m17 R5 delivers clarity and readability due to its resolution and brightness, but its panel type may not be as premium. The Lenovo Legion 7, with similar resolution and brightness plus a higher quality panel, provides sharper and more vivid visuals for everyday tasks. However, both fall short for gaming and 3D applications since their screens have lower refresh rates, which are critical for smooth motion and responsiveness in these high-paced scenarios.
Battery
5.0 Hours
6.5 Hours
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 has 5 hours of battery life. The Lenovo Legion 7 has 6.5 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
Poor
Good
17.3in
SIZE
16.0in
7.3 lbs
WEIGHT
5.5 lbs
1.0in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The Lenovo Legion 7 has good portability, while the Dell Alienware m17 R5 has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.8
8.5
The Lenovo Legion 7 has very good build quality, while the Dell Alienware m17 R5 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,100
$1,500
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 has a price of $1,100 and the Lenovo Legion 7 costs $1,500.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.8
7.9
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
301.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
469.0 nits
5.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
6.5 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
5.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Lenovo Legion 7 and Dell Alienware m17 R5 are both good for general use.
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 and Lenovo Legion 7 both offer capable CPUs and ample RAM, making them excellent for general use, but the Alienware has a larger screen with lower resolution whereas the Legion offers a higher resolution and brightness, which can be better for multimedia and creative tasks. While both could handle everyday activities well, the Legion is more portable and has slightly better battery life, but the Alienware has a bigger battery that could last longer under certain circumstances and its larger size could make it less convenient for frequent travel.
Gaming and AI
7.7
7.8
7.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.4/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
480Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Lenovo Legion 7 and Dell Alienware m17 R5 are both good for gaming and AI.
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 offers a high screen refresh rate, catering to the smooth visuals needed for fast-paced gaming and dynamic 3D environments, while its more robust GPU supports demanding graphics tasks; however, compared to the Lenovo Legion 7 which has a higher-resolution display, resulting in sharper images, and a stronger GPU for more intensive graphics performance, the Alienware may fall slightly behind in visual fidelity despite its gaming-tailored design.
Engineering and Design
8.1
8.2
8.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
7.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.4/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Lenovo Legion 7 and Dell Alienware m17 R5 are both very good for engineering and design.
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 and Lenovo Legion 7 are highly regarded for engineering and design due to their robust CPU and ample RAM, which are critical for demanding software, and their high-end GPUs that support intensive graphics tasks. While both have quality displays, the Alienware has a larger screen that's advantageous for detailed work, but the Legion 7's higher resolution and brightness offer superior image clarity, with the tradeoff being that the Alienware is less portable due to its heavier weight and larger size.
Content Creation
7.8
7.9
8.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo Legion 7 and Dell Alienware m17 R5 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
7.6
8.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The Lenovo Legion 7 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 Lenovo Legion 7 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Dell Alienware m17 R5 | Lenovo Legion 7 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,100 | $1,500 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | June 1, 2022 | May 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 15.6'' x 11.8'' x 1.05'' | 14'' x 10.3'' x 0.86'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 7.3 lbs | 5.5 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 15.64" | 14.01" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 11.76" | 10.27" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 6800H | AMD Ryzen 7 5800H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 1024 GB | 1024 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 5 Hours | 6.5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 97 Wh | 80 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 17.3" | 16" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 2560 x 1600 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 480Hz | 165Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 301 nits | 469 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.8/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 5.5/10 | 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 | 8/10 | 9/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 8/10 | 8.8/10 | |
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 | 3 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 3 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 2 | 3 | |
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."
Lenovo Legion 7
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Andreas Osthoff | September 2022
"The Lenovo Legion 7 is a fast 16-inch gamer with 165 Hz display. The new Lenovo Legion 7 is a very good gaming notebook that, despite its comparatively compact compact 16-inch case, does not have to do without the most powerful components. Thanks to good cooling, no compromises are made in terms of performance. Both the Core i9-12900HX and the GeForce RTX 3080 Ti perform at a very high level."
Get a great deal on the Dell Alienware m17 R5 or the Lenovo Legion 7
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 Lenovo
Lenovo is a Chinese technology company, and one of the largest personal computer vendor. They are well known for a variety of technology products, including laptops. Their consumer series include their entry level IdeaPad and LOQ series and mid-to-high-end Yoga and Legion series. On the business-oriented side, their series include their entry-level ThinkBook series and mid-to-high-end ThinkPad series. Lenovo laptops offer strong performance for reasonable prices, and are often on sale.
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