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Updated January 10, 2024·
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 generally costs less and offers more storage, superior battery capacity, and a larger screen size, which makes it suitable for gaming and general use. However, it is heavier and larger in size, affecting portability. The MSI GP66 Leopard, while typically more expensive with less storage and a smaller battery, has a stronger GPU, and is lighter and more compact, which can be advantageous for gaming, engineering, and general tasks where portability is a priority. The decision should be based on whether you prioritize performance and portability (MSI) or battery life and a larger display for gaming comfort (Dell). 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
- Very good speakers
Advantages of the MSI GP66 Leopard
- Very good overall build quality
Key differences
Screen Quality
8.1
7.5
17.3in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
480Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
301.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
362.0 nits
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 has a better screen than the MSI GP66 Leopard for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, and content creation.
For general use, both the Dell Alienware m17 R5 and MSI GP66 Leopard offer screens with high resolution and brightness, which make viewing documents, browsing the web, and media consumption a pleasant experience. In engineering and design, their displays cover a broad range of colors, essential for precision in visual tasks that require color accuracy. However, for gaming and 3D work, the lower refresh rates on these laptops may result in less smooth visuals, which can be a drawback for fast-paced games or intensive 3D rendering.
Portability
Poor
Fair
17.3in
SIZE
15.6in
7.3 lbs
WEIGHT
5.2 lbs
1.0in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The MSI GP66 Leopard has only fair portability, while the Dell Alienware m17 R5 has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$1,100
$1,400
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 has a price of $1,100 and the MSI GP66 Leopard costs $1,400.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.8
7.5
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
301.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
362.0 nits
5.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.0 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
5.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.8/10
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 and MSI GP66 Leopard are both good for general use.
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 is suitable for general use with its larger screen, higher screen resolution, and substantial storage, but it's heavier and less portable with shorter battery life compared to the MSI GP66 Leopard. The MSI GP66 Leopard also offers good performance for general use with a high-quality CPU and ample RAM, plus better portability and superior heat management, albeit with less storage capacity than the Alienware.
Gaming and AI
7.7
7.8
7.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.7/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
480Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The MSI GP66 Leopard and Dell Alienware m17 R5 are both good for gaming and AI.
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 stands out in gaming and 3D applications with its high screen refresh rate, allowing for smoother visuals, paired with a competent Nvidia RTX 3060 GPU. Conversely, the MSI GP66 Leopard, while featuring a superior Nvidia RTX 3080 GPU for enhanced gaming and 3D performance, offers a lower screen refresh rate which may result in less fluid motion during fast-paced games.
Engineering and Design
8.1
7.9
8.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
7.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.7/10
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 MSI GP66 Leopard is good.
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 stands out for engineering and design due to its larger screen and higher RAM capacity, which boosts productivity and multitasking, while its AMD CPU and Nvidia GPU make it well-suited for demanding software applications. The MSI GP66 Leopard, although more portable and with a superior GPU, has a smaller screen and less storage which could limit the scope of engineering and design projects undertaken without external peripherals.
Content Creation
7.8
7.4
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 MSI GP66 Leopard 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
7.2
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
8.0/10
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 and MSI GP66 Leopard 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.
Battery
5.0 Hours
5.0 Hours
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 has 5 hours of battery life. The MSI GP66 Leopard has 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.
Build Quality
7.8
8.0
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers MSI GP66 Leopard 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 MSI GP66 Leopard compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Dell Alienware m17 R5 | MSI GP66 Leopard |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,100 | $1,400 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | June 1, 2022 | May 1, 2021 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 15.6'' x 11.8'' x 1.05'' | 14.1'' x 10.5'' x 0.92'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 7.3 lbs | 5.25 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 15.64" | 14.09" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 11.76" | 10.51" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 6800H | Intel i7-11800H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 1024 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 5 Hours | 5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 97 Wh | 65 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 17.3" | 15.6" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 1920 x 1080 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 480Hz | 144Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 301 nits | 362 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.8/10 | 8/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 5.5/10 | 6.9/10 | |
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 | 8/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 8/10 | 7.5/10 | |
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 | 3 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 0 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | No | |
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."
MSI GP66 Leopard
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Christian Hintze | December 2021
"The MSI GP66 Leopard is a good budget high-performance gamer. The MSI also does a lot right outside of the pure performance despite it's low price. For example, the adaptive cooling system really surprised us positively, even in Extreme Performance Mode. And the display is not a budget panel either, but at least outshines the competition in terms of brightness. Of course, you also have to accept a few compromises in this price category. These include the Leopard's poor battery runtimes and the less than optimal build quality, which is also noticeable in the more complicated maintenance."
Get a great deal on the Dell Alienware m17 R5 or the MSI GP66 Leopard
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 MSI
MSI, also known as Micro-Star International, is a Taiwanese technology corporation. MSI is known for their wide range of gaming devices. Their series include the entry-level Cyborg/Thin and Sword/Katana series, the mid-range Bravo/Delta and Crosshair/Pulse series, and their high-end Vector, Raider, Stealth, and Titan GT series. At every performance level, MSI offers a variety of devices with varying balances between performance, battery life, weight, and price, making them a solid option to consider at every price point.
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