When choosing between the Dell Alienware m17 R5 and the Lenovo Legion Slim 7, consider the following: The Alienware offers a larger screen and higher battery capacity, which can be better for immersive gaming and longer use without charging, though it is heavier, which affects portability. On the other hand, the Legion Slim 7, while having a smaller screen, is significantly lighter and has a longer battery life, making it ideal for on-the-go use. Both have similar performance capabilities with the same graphics card and comparable processors, so for purely performance-based tasks, they should be quite similar. Your choice should balance the need for screen size, battery life, and portability. 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
Very good overall display quality
Advantages of the Lenovo Legion Slim 7 15.6"
Good portability
Good battery life
Key differences
Screen Quality
8.1/10
7.7/10
17.3in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
480Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
301.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
350.0 nits
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 has a better screen than the Lenovo Legion Slim 7 for gaming and AI.
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 and Lenovo Legion Slim 7 both offer displays with high resolution and brightness, which makes for crisp and vivid visuals ideal for tasks like browsing and video streaming, hence their suitability for general use. Their screens also cover a wide range of color gamuts, ensuring that colors are accurately represented, a pivotal feature for professionals in engineering and design who require precise color work. However, despite these strengths, they are less ideal for Gaming and 3D applications due to lower refresh rates, which can result in less fluid motion and responsiveness during fast-paced scenes.
Battery
5.0 Hours
9.0 Hours
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 has 5 hours of battery life. The Lenovo Legion Slim 7 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
Good
17.3in
SIZE
15.6in
7.3 lbs
WEIGHT
4.1 lbs
1.0in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Lenovo Legion Slim 7 15.6" has good portability, while the Dell Alienware m17 R5 has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$1,100
$1,200
$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 Lenovo Legion Slim 7 15.6" costs $1,200.
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 and Lenovo Legion Slim 7 15.6" are both good for general use.
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 and Lenovo Legion Slim 7 both come with powerful CPUs and ample RAM, ensuring smooth performance for general use, while their high-quality IPS screens offer clear and vibrant visuals. However, the Alienware's larger screen and size reduce its portability and battery life compared to the more lightweight and longer-lasting Legion Slim 7, making the latter more suitable for on-the-go users who prioritize ease of carrying and extended use away from a power source.
Gaming and AI
7.7/10
7.4/10
7.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.1/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
480Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 and Lenovo Legion Slim 7 15.6" are both good for gaming and AI.
PerfectRec’s Gaming and AI Score strongly emphasizes graphics processing capability, while also taking into account other factors that impact suitability for gaming and AI work.
Engineering and Design
8.1/10
7.8/10
8.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
7.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Dell Alienware m17 R5 to be very good for engineering and design, while the Lenovo Legion Slim 7 15.6" is good.
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 is favored for engineering and design because of its powerful CPU and high-performance GPU, both of which are crucial for demanding tasks, and it features a large screen with high quality for detailed work, although it is less portable due to its size and weight. The Lenovo Legion Slim 7, while also having a good CPU and GPU for such tasks, offers a slightly more portable design and a high-quality screen, but it may not match the Alienware's raw processing power, making it better suited for engineers and designers who prioritize mobility.
Content Creation
7.8/10
7.7/10
8.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 and Lenovo Legion Slim 7 15.6" 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
7.4/10
7.5/10
8.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Lenovo Legion Slim 7 15.6" 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.
Build Quality
7.8/10
7.6/10
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 and Lenovo Legion Slim 7 15.6" 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 Lenovo Legion Slim 7 15.6" compare to other laptops
"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."
"The Lenovo Legion Slim 7 is a slim Legion notebook that is just as excellent with Nvidia & Intel. However, the Legion Slim 7i slightly sullied by lacklustre battery life. You get a slim aluminium chassis, great input devices, decent port selection, fast high-quality WQXGA display and great performance. Supporting Thunderbolt 4 is one advantage of the Intel/Nvidia model tested in this review. Moreover, this variant has slightly higher CPU performance as well as better GPU performance in certain applications (e.g. CUDA-based apps). The Lenovo Legion S7i is thin, premium and performant – but less efficient than its AMD counterpart."
Get a great deal on the Dell Alienware m17 R5 or the Lenovo Legion Slim 7 15.6"
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.
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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Joe Golden, Ph.D
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Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
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Staff Expert & Software Engineer
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