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Updated January 12, 2024·
If you prioritize gaming and intense engineering tasks, and don't mind a heavier and bulkier laptop, the Dell Alienware m17 R5 might suit you better, especially since it's more affordable. However, if you want a lighter laptop with high-resolution OLED display for creative work like video editing and prefer superior portability with longer battery life, the MSI Prestige 16 AI Evo would be a good choice, albeit at a higher cost. Keep in mind that the Dell has a robust gaming graphics card, while the MSI offers a more balanced package for productivity with a focus on display quality 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
- Good for gaming and AI
- Very good keyboard
Advantages of the MSI Prestige 16 AI Evo
- Very good for general use
- Very good for software development
- Very good for content creation
- Good portability
- Very good battery life
Key differences
General Use
7.8
8.6
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
301.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
362.0 nits
5.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
12.0 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
5.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.8/10
The MSI Prestige 16 AI Evo is very good for general use, while the Dell Alienware m17 R5 is good.
The MSI Prestige 16 AI Evo is rated very good for general use because it offers a superior screen with higher resolution and better color accuracy, double the RAM for enhanced multitasking, significantly lower weight for better portability, and longer battery life than the Dell Alienware m17 R5. The Dell model, while more robust for gaming with higher graphics performance, is less suited for portability due to its larger size and weight, and it has a shorter battery life, making it less ideal for general use compared to the MSI.
Gaming and AI
7.7
6.7
7.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.2/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
480Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 is good for gaming and AI, while the MSI Prestige 16 AI Evo is only fair.
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.
Content Creation
7.8
8.6
8.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.8/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
The MSI Prestige 16 AI Evo 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
8.5
8.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.8/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The MSI Prestige 16 AI Evo 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
8.4
17.3in
SIZE
16.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
480Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
301.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
362.0 nits
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 has a better screen than the MSI Prestige 16 AI Evo for gaming and AI, while the MSI Prestige 16 AI Evo has a better screen for general use, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 offers vibrant displays suitable for general activities and engineering tasks due to its high resolution and brightness, but it lacks the high refresh rate required for smooth gaming and 3D rendering. The MSI Prestige 16 AI Evo boasts excellent color accuracy, covering a wide range of the color spectrum, which benefits engineering and design work, but it also falls short for gaming and 3D because it doesn't prioritize a high refresh rate. Both laptops, while showcasing clear and bright displays for everyday tasks and precise color representation for professional work, may not satisfy users who need fluid motion for gaming or 3D applications.
Battery
5.0 Hours
12.0 Hours
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 has 5 hours of battery life. The MSI Prestige 16 AI Evo has 12 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
16.0in
7.3 lbs
WEIGHT
3.3 lbs
1.0in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The MSI Prestige 16 AI Evo has good portability, while the Dell Alienware m17 R5 has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$1,100
$1,399
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 has a price of $1,100 and the MSI Prestige 16 AI Evo costs $1,399.
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Key similarities
Engineering and Design
8.1
8.4
8.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.8/10
7.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.2/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The MSI Prestige 16 AI Evo and Dell Alienware m17 R5 are both very good for engineering and design.
The Dell Alienware m17 R5, with its AMD Ryzen 7 CPU and Nvidia RTX 3060 GPU, handles engineering applications well and its IPS screen provides good color accuracy and viewing angles, making it suitable for design work. Alternatively, the MSI Prestige 16 AI Evo offers a more powerful Intel Core CPU and double the RAM for multitasking, alongside a high-resolution OLED screen for superior color depth and contrast, beneficial for precision design tasks.
Build Quality
7.8
7.4
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 and MSI Prestige 16 AI Evo 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 MSI Prestige 16 AI Evo compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Dell Alienware m17 R5 | MSI Prestige 16 AI Evo |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,100 | $1,399 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | June 1, 2022 | December 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 15.6'' x 11.8'' x 1.05'' | 14.1'' x 10'' x 0.75'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 7.3 lbs | 3.31 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 15.64" | 14.11" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 11.76" | 10.02" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 6800H | Intel Core Ultra 7 155H | |
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 | 12 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 97 Wh | 99.9 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 17.3" | 16" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | OLED | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 3840 x 2400 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 480Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 301 nits | 362 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.8/10 | 7.4/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 5.5/10 | 7.8/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | Yes | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 7/10 | 7/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8/10 | 7.5/10 | |
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 | Yes | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 3 | 1 | |
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."
MSI Prestige 16 AI Evo
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Dig into reviews and images
LaptopMag
Mark Anthony Ramirez | December 2023
"The MSI Prestige 16 AI Evo is meant to be a business-focused laptop, but it ends up being the MacBook challenger PC laptop enthusiasts have longed for. Not only can it meet and, in many cases, surpass the M2-powered MacBooks, but it is also surpassing the baseline M3 MacBooks, which is a giant leap forward for Intel-powered laptops. This isn’t hyperbole; this is what the numbers show."
Get a great deal on the Dell Alienware m17 R5 or the MSI Prestige 16 AI Evo
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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