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Updated January 10, 2024·
Choose the Dell Alienware m17 R5 if you prioritize gaming or engineering tasks as it offers better graphics performance and a larger screen, though it's bulkier and heavier. If portability and battery life are more important, and your usage includes general tasks or business applications, the Razer Book 13 with its more compact size, lighter weight, and longer battery life is preferable; it also has a touchscreen and higher resolution display, but isn't suited for intensive gaming or engineering workloads. 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
Advantages of the Razer Book 13
- Very good overall build quality
- Excellent portability
- Excellent battery life
Key differences
Gaming and AI
7.7
6.2
7.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.7/10
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
8.0/10
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 is good for gaming and AI, while the Razer Book 13 is only fair.
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 excels in gaming and 3D applications due to its powerful Nvidia RTX 3060 graphics card and a high screen refresh rate of 480Hz, which provide smoother visuals and enhanced responsiveness, ideal for fast-paced games.
Engineering and Design
8.1
7.1
8.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.5/10
7.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.7/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 is very good for engineering and design, while the Razer Book 13 is good.
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 stands out for engineering and design tasks with its AMD Ryzen 7 processor, Nvidia RTX 3060 GPU, and a larger screen, which together provide stronger performance for graphics-intensive applications, but it's less portable due to its size and weight. The Razer Book 13, while more portable and with a sharper, higher brightness screen, relies on an Intel Core i7 processor with integrated graphics, making it suitable for engineering and design, but not as powerful as the Dell for demanding tasks.
Screen Quality
8.1
7.3
17.3in
SIZE
13.4in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
480Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
301.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
507.0 nits
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 has a better screen than the Razer Book 13 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, and content creation.
Focusing on general use, both the Dell Alienware m17 R5 and the Razer Book 13 offer displays with high resolution and brightness, ensuring clear and vivid images for everyday tasks and media consumption. For engineering and design, these laptops provide screens with wide color gamuts, making them suitable for professionals who require color accuracy for their work. However, for gaming and 3D applications, the lower refresh rate on these displays may result in less fluid motion, which is less ideal for fast-paced visuals that benefit from higher refresh rates.
Battery
5.0 Hours
14.0 Hours
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 has 5 hours of battery life. The Razer Book 13 has 14 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
13.4in
7.3 lbs
WEIGHT
3.0 lbs
1.0in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Razer Book 13 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 Razer Book 13 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
$1,389
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 has a price of $1,100 and the Razer Book 13 costs $1,389.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.8
7.6
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
301.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
507.0 nits
5.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
14.0 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
5.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
9.0/10
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 and Razer Book 13 are both good for general use.
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 offers strong CPU and GPU performance suitable for both general use and gaming, complemented by ample RAM and a sizable high-resolution screen, though it's less portable and has shorter battery life. The Razer Book 13, on the other hand, provides portability with a compact and lightweight design, a quality touchscreen display, and longer battery life, but sacrifices gaming capability as it relies on integrated graphics which are less powerful than dedicated GPUs. Both have quality keyboards and manage heat and operating noise reasonably well, with the Razer Book being slightly superior in these aspects.
Content Creation
7.8
7.6
8.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.5/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 and Razer Book 13 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
7.5
8.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.5/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Razer Book 13 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 Razer Book 13 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Dell Alienware m17 R5 | Razer Book 13 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,100 | $1,389 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | June 1, 2022 | April 1, 2021 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 15.6'' x 11.8'' x 1.05'' | 11.6'' x 7.8'' x 0.6'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 7.3 lbs | 3.09 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 15.64" | 11.64" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 11.76" | 7.81" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 6800H | Intel i7-1165G7 | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 1024 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 5 Hours | 14 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 97 Wh | 55 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 17.3" | 13.4" | |
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 | 507 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.8/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 5.5/10 | 9.1/10 | |
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 | 8/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 8/10 | 7/10 | |
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 | 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."
Razer Book 13
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Allen Ngo | December 2020
"The Razer Book is like an XPS 13, but faster. The Book 13 combines the design philosophy and performance of a Blade Stealth with the 16:10 display of a Dell XPS 13 for an impressive piece of hardware. Office users who want something more stylish than the typical Dell, HP or Lenovo will certainly find themselves drawn to this Razer subnotebook. If your priorities are to have the best-looking and fastest 13-inch laptop in the office over auxiliary features, however, then the Book 13 proudly fulfills that niche."
Get a great deal on the Dell Alienware m17 R5 or the Razer Book 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 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.
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