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Updated January 10, 2024·
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 is generally less expensive and comes with a larger 17.3-inch screen, making it suitable for immersive gaming and larger workspaces. It's more tailored for high-performance tasks like gaming, is thicker and heavier, and has a longer battery life for typical usage, but carrying it around could be less convenient due to its size and weight. On the other hand, the Lenovo Slim Pro 9i is somewhat more expensive, more portable due to its lighter weight and smaller 14.5-inch touchscreen display, offers superior color accuracy and brightness with its Mini LED panel, and higher screen resolution which is great for creatives and professionals who require precise color work and clear visuals. The Lenovo also has more RAM, potentially making it faster for multitasking and intensive tasks, though it might be slightly less suitable for intensive gaming despite its newer GPU. 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 Slim Pro 9i.
Advantages of the Lenovo Slim Pro 9i
- Very good for general use
- Very good for software development
- Very good for content creation
- Best in class overall display quality
- Very good overall build quality
- Good portability
- Good battery life
Key differences
General Use
7.8
8.5
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3072 x 1920
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
301.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
618.0 nits
5.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
6.0 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
5.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.6/10
The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i is very good for general use, while the Dell Alienware m17 R5 is good.
The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i stands out for general use due to its higher RAM, more portable design with a higher screen resolution and brightness, and superior battery life compared to the Dell Alienware m17 R5, which although offers a larger screen and a robust CPU, is heavier and bulkier, making it less ideal for carrying around.
Engineering and Design
8.1
8.9
8.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
7.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i and Dell Alienware m17 R5 are both very good for engineering and design, though the Lenovo Slim Pro 9i is somewhat better.
PerfectRec’s Engineering and Design Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for graphic design and 3D rendering work.
Content Creation
7.8
8.5
8.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3072 x 1920
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i is 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
8.3
8.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3072 x 1920
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i is very good for software development, while the Dell Alienware m17 R5 is good.
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
9.6
17.3in
SIZE
14.5in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3072 x 1920
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
480Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
301.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
618.0 nits
The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i has a better screen than the Dell Alienware m17 R5 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i excels in screen quality for general use and engineering design because of its superior resolution and brightness, combined with wide color gamuts that ensure accurate color representation. The Dell Alienware m17 R5, while also offering good resolution and color, may not match the brightness and color spectrum of the Lenovo, making it slightly less optimal for these tasks. However, for gaming and 3D applications where high refresh rates are crucial for smooth visuals, neither laptop's screen is ideal due to their lower refresh rates, with the emphasis on color accuracy and resolution not compensating for the potential lack of fluidity in fast-paced visuals.
Portability
Poor
Good
17.3in
SIZE
14.5in
7.3 lbs
WEIGHT
3.7 lbs
1.0in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i has good portability, while the Dell Alienware m17 R5 has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$1,100
$1,600
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 has a price of $1,100 and the Lenovo Slim Pro 9i costs $1,600.
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Key similarities
Gaming and AI
7.7
7.6
7.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3072 x 1920
480Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.0/10
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 and Lenovo Slim Pro 9i are both good for gaming and AI.
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 is equipped with a Nvidia RTX 3060 GPU and an exceptionally high screen refresh rate suitable for smooth gaming and 3D applications, while the Lenovo Slim Pro 9i features a newer Nvidia RTX 4050 GPU and a Mini LED display with a high resolution and quality, though with a lower refresh rate, making it also suitable for gaming and 3D but with a focus on visual detail.
Battery
5.0 Hours
6.0 Hours
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 has 5 hours of battery life. The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i 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.
Build Quality
7.8
8.0
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Lenovo Slim Pro 9i to have 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.
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How the Dell Alienware m17 R5 and the Lenovo Slim Pro 9i compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Dell Alienware m17 R5 | Lenovo Slim Pro 9i |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,100 | $1,600 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | June 1, 2022 | February 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 15.6'' x 11.8'' x 1.05'' | 12.9'' x 9.6'' x 0.85'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 7.3 lbs | 3.7 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 15.64" | 12.9" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 11.76" | 9.64" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 6800H | Intel i7-13705H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 32 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 1024 GB | 1024 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 5 Hours | 6 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 97 Wh | 75 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 17.3" | 14.5" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | Mini LED | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 3072 x 1920 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 480Hz | 165Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 301 nits | 618 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.8/10 | 8/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 5.5/10 | 7.7/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | Yes | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 7/10 | 8/10 | |
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 | 1080p | |
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."
Lenovo Slim Pro 9i
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Dig into reviews and images
PCWorld
Matthew S. Smith | August 2023
"The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i is an impressive laptop with a brilliant Mini-LED display, a powerful 100-watt version of Nvidia RTX 4050 graphics, and excellent connectivity. Having run the Cinebench benchmark again, we were impressed with the CPU performance. That makes the Slim Pro 9i is an easy recommendation, especially for those who care about GPU and CPU performance. It’s also a fantastic choice if you frequently view HDR movies and games on your laptop."
Get a great deal on the Dell Alienware m17 R5 or the Lenovo Slim Pro 9i
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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