A comparison of specs, key information, reviews, and best pricing from top retailers
Last updated -- hours ago | Report incorrect information
Company ProductName Specs
Company ProductName Specs
What we think
The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 offers a larger screen and higher battery capacity which may be better for longer use and immersive gaming, but it's heavier and less portable. The Razer Blade 14, while more expensive, is more portable with a higher quality display and better overall build quality. The Razer's processor is also slightly more powerful, which could be beneficial for demanding tasks and the higher resolution screen would be more suitable for detail-oriented engineering work. However, the Razer has a shorter battery life compared to the Dell. If gaming and general use are your priorities with a tighter budget, the Dell might be more suitable. If you need a high-performance, portable laptop for engineering and are willing to invest more, then the Razer would be appropriate. 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 speakers
Advantages of the Razer Blade 14
- Very good for general use
- Very good for content creation
- Very good overall build quality
- Very good portability
- Good battery life
- Excellent keyboard
Key differences
Screen Quality
8.1
8.0
17.3in
SIZE
14.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
480Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
301.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
328.0 nits
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 has a better screen than the Razer Blade 14 for gaming and AI, while the Razer Blade 14 has a better screen for general use, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
For general use, the Dell Alienware m17 R5 and Razer Blade 14 both offer pleasing visuals with ample resolution and brightness, making them suitable for everyday tasks like browsing and video streaming. In engineering and design work, where accurate colors are crucial, both laptops provide wide color coverage, enabling precise color work in software that demands DCI-P3 and Adobe RGB support. However, for gaming and 3D applications where smooth motion is key, their screens fall short due to lower refresh rates, which can lead to less fluid visuals during fast-paced scenes or while working on motion-sensitive projects.
Battery
5.0 Hours
9.5 Hours
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 has 5 hours of battery life. The Razer Blade 14 has 9.5 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.
Portability
Poor
Very Good
17.3in
SIZE
14.0in
7.3 lbs
WEIGHT
3.9 lbs
1.0in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Razer Blade 14 has very good 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 Razer Blade 14 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
$1,900
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 has a price of $1,100 and the Razer Blade 14 costs $1,900.
Let Us Help Find Your Perfect Laptop
Find your new laptop
Key similarities
General Use
7.8
8.1
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
301.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
328.0 nits
5.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
9.5 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
5.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.2/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Razer Blade 14 to be very good for general use, while the Dell Alienware m17 R5 is good.
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 has a high-capacity battery, a larger display, and powerful processing capability suitable for demanding tasks, but it's heavier and has shorter battery life, compromising its portability. The Razer Blade 14, with a higher resolution display, lighter weight, and longer battery life, is optimized for portability and screen quality, making it very suitable for general use despite having a smaller screen.
Gaming and AI
7.7
7.9
7.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.0/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
480Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Razer Blade 14 and Dell Alienware m17 R5 are both good for gaming and AI.
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.
Engineering and Design
8.1
8.4
8.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.5/10
7.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.0/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Razer Blade 14 and Dell Alienware m17 R5 are both very good for engineering and design.
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 is equipped with powerful internals including a solid GPU and a high-quality screen, making it suitable for demanding engineering software and design work where screen real estate and graphical performance are critical. On the other hand, the Razer Blade 14, with a higher-resolution display and a more potent CPU, offers enhanced detail for design tasks and quicker processing for engineering computations, all while being significantly more portable for users on the go.
Content Creation
7.8
8.1
8.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.5/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Razer Blade 14 to be 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
7.9
8.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.5/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The Razer Blade 14 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.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Dell Alienware m17 R5 and the Razer Blade 14 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Dell Alienware m17 R5 | Razer Blade 14 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,100 | $1,900 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | June 1, 2022 | February 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 15.6'' x 11.8'' x 1.05'' | 12.6'' x 8.7'' x 0.66'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 7.3 lbs | 3.92 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 15.64" | 12.59" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 11.76" | 8.66" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 6800H | AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 16 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 | 9.5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 97 Wh | 62 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 17.3" | 14" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 2560 x 1440 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 480Hz | 165Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 301 nits | 328 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.8/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 5.5/10 | 8.2/10 | |
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 | 9/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 8/10 | 7.5/10 | |
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 Ports | |||
Thunderbolt Ports | 0 | 0 | |
Shopping
Dell Alienware m17 R5
See more
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."
Razer Blade 14
See more
Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Allen Ngo | May 2022
"After making a huge splash with the original 2021 model, it's expected that the 2022 refresh would be more of a minor update to an already impressive machine. It adds a higher resolution webcam (720p to 1080p), faster CPU (Ryzen 9 5900HX to Ryzen 9 6900HX), faster GPU (RTX 3070/3080 to 3070/3080 Ti), faster RAM (DDR4-3200 to DDR5-4800), faster M.2 SSD support (PCIe3 x4 to PCIe4 x4), newer WLAN module (Killer AX1690i to Qualcomm WCN685x), and a MUX switch for the new integrated Radeon 680M GPU. It's indubitably an upgrade especially in terms of single-thread processor performance."
Get a great deal on the Dell Alienware m17 R5 or the Razer Blade 14
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 Razer
Razer is an American-Singaporean technology company. Razer is best known for their Blade series laptops, well known for their strong performance and sleek design. Although Razer charges a premium price tag for their laptops, buyers can expect a stealthy laptop with clean fit and finish and strong performance. All of their models offer great portability and build quality compared to other gaming laptops.
Give feedback
We're constantly perfecting our model
Laptop guides you might be interested in
More comparisons for you
FAQs
FAQs about laptops
Why trust us
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.
By the numbers
380
Laptops evaluated
48,640
Laptops stats compiled
13
Proprietary Laptops ratings developed
130,995
Recommendations made
28,383
Consumer hours saved
About the laptop team
Joe Golden, Ph.D
CEO and Laptops Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
Jason Lew
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.
Chandradeep Chowdhury
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.
Craig Russell
Laptops Expert
Craig is a UK-based laptops expert. Craig works in IT, where he recommends and supports laptops and PCs for clients and has been recommending laptops on Reddit for five years.
Featured in
