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Updated January 10, 2024·
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 is tailored for high-performance needs like gaming, 3D rendering, and engineering tasks, offering a powerful processor and graphics, a large screen, and ample storage. However, it's heavier and has a shorter battery life, making it less portable. In contrast, the LG Ultra 13 is lighter with a longer battery life and very portable, suitable for general use and less demanding tasks. It has a smaller screen and less powerful graphics, making it less ideal for intensive tasks. Consider the Alienware for performance-intensive work and the LG for better portability and longer use on a single charge. 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
- Very good speakers
- Very good keyboard
Advantages of the LG Ultra 13
- Excellent portability
- Very good battery life
Key differences
General Use
7.8
7.2
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
301.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
300.0 nits
5.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
10.0 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
5.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
9.3/10
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 and LG Ultra 13 are both good for general use, though the Dell Alienware m17 R5 is somewhat better.
PerfectRec’s General Use Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for general productivity, web browsing, streaming, video calls, and running a wide variety of apps and programs.
Gaming and AI
7.7
6.1
7.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
480Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.0/10
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 is good for gaming and AI, while the LG Ultra 13 is only fair.
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 is equipped with a powerful Nvidia RTX 3060 graphics card and a high screen refresh rate of 480Hz, making it well-suited for gaming and 3D applications, whereas the LG Ultra 13 uses the integrated Vega 7 graphics in its Ryzen 7 CPU and has a lower screen refresh rate of 60Hz, rendering it less capable for high-intensity graphic tasks.
Engineering and Design
8.1
6.6
8.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.7/10
7.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 is very good for engineering and design, while the LG Ultra 13 is only fair.
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 excels in engineering and design due to its more capable CPU and GPU, which are better for demanding applications and rendering tasks, enhanced by a high-quality, larger screen. In contrast, the LG Ultra 13, while offering portability and a high-quality display, falls short in engineering performance because of its less powerful integrated graphics and processor not designed for computation-heavy workloads.
Content Creation
7.8
7.2
8.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.7/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 and LG Ultra 13 are both good for content creation, though the Dell Alienware m17 R5 is somewhat better.
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.
Screen Quality
8.1
6.9
17.3in
SIZE
13.3in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
480Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
301.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
300.0 nits
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 has a better screen than the LG Ultra 13 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, and content creation.
For general use, both the Dell Alienware m17 R5 and LG Ultra 13 laptops have displays with high resolution and brightness, delivering crisp and clear visuals suitable for everyday tasks and media consumption. Regarding engineering and design, they likely feature wide color gamuts, ensuring accurate color reproduction that professionals need for their work. However, for gaming and 3D applications, the poor screen quality could be due to lower refresh rates, which result in less fluid motion and responsiveness compared to models specifically tailored for gaming with higher refresh rates.
Battery
5.0 Hours
10.0 Hours
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 has 5 hours of battery life. The LG Ultra 13 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
2.1 lbs
1.0in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The LG Ultra 13 has excellent portability, while the Dell Alienware m17 R5 has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$1,100
$529
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 has a price of $1,100 and the LG Ultra 13 costs $529.
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Key similarities
Software Development
7.4
7.2
8.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.7/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 and LG Ultra 13 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
7.4
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 and LG Ultra 13 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 LG Ultra 13 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Dell Alienware m17 R5 | LG Ultra 13 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,100 | $529 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | June 1, 2022 | January 1, 2021 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 15.6'' x 11.8'' x 1.05'' | 12.1'' x 8.1'' x 0.6'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 7.3 lbs | 2.16 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 15.64" | 12.08" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 11.76" | 8.14" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 6800H | AMD Ryzen 7 4700U | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 1024 GB | 256 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 5 Hours | 10 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 97 Wh | 51 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 17.3" | 13.3" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 1920 x 1080 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 480Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 301 nits | 300 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.8/10 | 7.4/10 | |
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 | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 7/10 | 8/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8/10 | 7.5/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 8/10 | 6.5/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 720p | |
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 | 1 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | No | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 2 | 1 | |
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."
LG Ultra 13
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Dig into reviews and images
CNET
Joshua Goldman | April 2017
"The 13.3-inch LG Gram is a fine fit if you need to travel as light as possible for as long as possible without spending a fortune to do it. It might not be particularly sturdy or have an eye-catching design and its webcam is less than ideal, but with its sharp touch display, comfortable backlit keyboard, responsive touchpad and a fingerprint reader for extra security, the Gram makes a respectible everyday laptop for business or school work."
Get a great deal on the Dell Alienware m17 R5 or the LG Ultra 13
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 LG
LG is a South Korean conglomerate company. While LG is mainly known for various products outside of technology, LG also develops laptops. Within the laptop industry, they are known for their thin-and-light Gram series, as well as their value-oriented Ultra series. LG laptops offer very thin and light laptops with phenomenal battery life, and are often on sale.
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