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The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
Considering your options, the Dell Alienware m17 R5 is a gaming-oriented laptop that offers a larger screen, higher performance for 3D tasks and engineering applications, superior gaming capabilities with dedicated graphics, but with the drawback of being heavier and having a shorter battery life, which affects its portability. On the other hand, the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 is a premium business laptop that prioritizes portability and battery life with a smaller, lighter design and longer usage on a single charge, and it has a touchscreen which the Alienware lacks; however, it has less storage and might not handle intensive tasks or gaming as well as the Alienware. Choose the Alienware if you need more power for gaming or demanding software, and the ThinkPad if you need a more portable laptop with a long battery life for general and business use. 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
- Good for gaming and AI
- Very good overall display quality
Advantages of the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13
- Very good overall build quality
- Excellent portability
- Very good battery life
- Excellent keyboard
Key differences
Gaming and AI
7.7
6.3
7.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
480Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
9.1/10
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 is good for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 is only fair.
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 is better suited for gaming and 3D due to its higher-end Nvidia RTX 3060 GPU and a screen with a very high refresh rate, which can make fast-paced visuals smoother and more responsive. In contrast, the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13, with its integrated AMD Radeon 680M GPU and lower refresh rate screen, offers less graphic performance and is less optimal for high frame-rate gaming experiences, although it remains capable for less demanding gaming and 3D tasks.
Engineering and Design
8.1
7.3
8.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.8/10
7.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 is very good for engineering and design, while the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 is good.
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 excels in engineering and design tasks primarily due to its powerful CPU and GPU, larger screen, and higher RAM capacity, which enhance performance for demanding applications, but it is less portable given its size and weight.
Screen Quality
8.1
7.0
17.3in
SIZE
13.3in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
480Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
301.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
379.0 nits
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 has a better screen than the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design, while the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 has a better screen for content creation.
For general use, both the Dell Alienware m17 R5 and the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 offer screens that are bright and have high resolution, making text and images sharp and clear for everyday tasks like browsing and productivity. In engineering and design, color accuracy is critical, and both laptops have displays that cover a wide range of color gamuts, ensuring that the colors you see on the screen are precise and consistent for tasks like photo editing or CAD work. However, for gaming and 3D applications where the smoothness of motion is paramount, both laptops fall short due to their lower refresh rates, which may result in less fluid visuals in fast-paced games or when working with 3D graphics.
Battery
5.0 Hours
10.0 Hours
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 has 5 hours of battery life. The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 has 10 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
Excellent
17.3in
SIZE
13.3in
7.3 lbs
WEIGHT
2.7 lbs
1.0in
THICKNESS
0.5in
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 has excellent 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 ThinkPad Z13 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
$1,000
$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 ThinkPad Z13 costs $1,000.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.8
7.8
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
301.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
379.0 nits
5.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
10.0 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
5.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
9.2/10
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 and Dell Alienware m17 R5 are both good for general use.
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 is equipped with a high-performance CPU and ample RAM, making it fit for power-hungry applications, and it comes with a large screen with decent quality, but it is less portable and has shorter battery life. In contrast, the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13, while also offering a robust CPU and the same amount of RAM for multitasking, provides better portability due to its compact size and longer battery life, paired with a smaller high-quality touchscreen display that supports a higher resolution and aspect ratio for sharper and more detailed visuals.
Content Creation
7.8
7.8
8.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.8/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 and Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 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
7.7
8.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.8/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 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 ThinkPad Z13 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Dell Alienware m17 R5 | Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,100 | $1,000 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | June 1, 2022 | May 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 15.6'' x 11.8'' x 1.05'' | 11.6'' x 7.9'' x 0.55'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 7.3 lbs | 2.78 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 15.64" | 11.59" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 11.76" | 7.86" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 6800H | AMD Ryzen 7 6850U | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 1024 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 5 Hours | 10 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 97 Wh | 51.5 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 17.3" | 13.3" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 1920 x 1200 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 480Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 301 nits | 379 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.8/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 5.5/10 | 9.3/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | Yes | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | Yes | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 7/10 | 9.1/10 | |
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 | 1080p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | Yes | |
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 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 2 | 2 | |
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 ThinkPad Z13
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Dig into reviews and images
PCMag
Brian Westover | September 2022
"In the premium ultraportable space, the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 competes with the best of the best, and still manages to shine. The design is an impressive departure from the bland bare-metal laptop that's become so popular in recent years, and the AMD-powered system has performance that's just as impressive. It's a stark alternative to the Intel-based majority, and it stands up well enough to the impressive Apple M2 processor."
Get a great deal on the Dell Alienware m17 R5 or the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13
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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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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