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What we think
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Updated January 10, 2024·
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 tends to be more expensive but offers better performance for intensive tasks like 3D rendering, machine learning, and engineering due to its higher-end processor and more powerful GPU. However, it's less portable than the Gigabyte Aero 17, as it's heavier and has a shorter battery life under typical usage. The Aero 17 offers a higher resolution display, making it excellent for jobs requiring precise color work, yet it may not handle intensive gaming or complex engineering tasks as smoothly as the Alienware m18 R1. If you value portability and screen quality over top-tier performance, the Aero 17 is a solid choice, otherwise, the Alienware m18 R1 is more suitable for performance-demanding applications. 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 m18 R1
- Excellent for engineering and design
- Excellent for gaming and AI
- Very good for software development
- Very good speakers
Advantages of the Gigabyte Aero 17
- Excellent overall display quality
Key differences
Gaming and AI
9.1
7.9
9.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.8/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 is excellent for gaming and AI, while the Gigabyte Aero 17 is good.
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.
Screen Quality
7.8
9.2
17.3in
SIZE
17.3in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
281.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
368.0 nits
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 has a better screen than the Gigabyte Aero 17 for software development, while the Gigabyte Aero 17 has a better screen for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design.
The Dell Alienware m18 R1's display offers sufficient resolution and brightness for general tasks and accurate color reproduction for engineering and design work, but its lower refresh rate hampers high-speed image rendering crucial for gaming and 3D applications. The Gigabyte Aero 17, with its superior color accuracy and wide color gamuts, excels in providing vibrant and precise visuals for professionals in engineering and design. However, it similarly falls short for gaming and 3D due to a less than optimal refresh rate, despite its high resolution and quality panel.
Battery
4.0 Hours
5.5 Hours
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 has 4 hours of battery life. The Gigabyte Aero 17 has 5.5 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
Fair
17.3in
SIZE
17.3in
8.9 lbs
WEIGHT
5.7 lbs
1.0in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Gigabyte Aero 17 has only fair portability, while the Dell Alienware m18 R1 has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$2,600
$2,071
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
$4,000
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 has a price of $2,600 and the Gigabyte Aero 17 costs $2,071.
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Key similarities
General Use
8.2
8.1
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
281.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
368.0 nits
4.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.5 Hours
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
5.1/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.6/10
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 and Gigabyte Aero 17 are both very good for general use.
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.
Engineering and Design
9.1
8.8
9.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
9.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.8/10
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Dell Alienware m18 R1 to be excellent for engineering and design, while the Gigabyte Aero 17 is very good.
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 offers superior screen size, faster main processor, more RAM, and a more powerful GPU than the Gigabyte Aero 17, making it excellent for demanding engineering and design tasks. However, the Aero 17 has better screen resolution and quality, making it very good for similar tasks, with the added advantage of being more portable and quieter, which some users may prefer for convenience and comfort.
Content Creation
8.4
8.4
9.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 and Gigabyte Aero 17 are both very 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
8.0
7.9
9.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Dell Alienware m18 R1 to be very good for software development, while the Gigabyte Aero 17 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.
Build Quality
8.5
8.0
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 and Gigabyte Aero 17 both have very 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 m18 R1 and the Gigabyte Aero 17 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Dell Alienware m18 R1 | Gigabyte Aero 17 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$2,600 | $2,071 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | October 1, 2022 | March 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 16.2'' x 12.6'' x 1.05'' | 15.6'' x 9.5'' x 0.92'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 8.9 lbs | 5.73 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 16.15" | 15.6" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 12.59" | 9.5" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i9-13900HX | Intel i7-12700H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 32 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 1024 GB | 2048 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 4 Hours | 5.5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 97 Wh | 99 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 17.3" | 17.3" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | Mini LED | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 2560 x 1600 | 3840 x 2160 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 165Hz | 120Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 281 nits | 368 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 8.5/10 | 8/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 5.1/10 | 6.7/10 | |
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 | 8.5/10 | 8.5/10 | |
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 | Yes | Yes | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 4 | 0 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 3 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 4 | 3 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 4 | 4 | |
Shopping
Dell Alienware m18 R1
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Dig into reviews and images
PCMag
Matthew Buzzi | July 2023
"Dell's Alienware m18 delivers on its promises: This is a large, powerful gaming laptop with the premium flair and feel you expect from an expensive purchase. The drawbacks are really the price and battery life, which in context are reasonable. (We'd also like to see more ports on the laptop's sides.) This price tier exists for deep-pocketed enthusiasts, and if you’re considering anything in this range, the m18 isn’t an outlier. For the majority of shoppers, of course, all of these mighty 18-inch systems are likely too expensive."
Gigabyte Aero 17
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Mike Wobker | May 2021
"Not only is the Aero 17 a very good laptop for gamers but also for content creators. With the upgrade to the Intel Core i9-11980HK, Gigabyte particularly improved the system performance. In addition, the hardware package is rounded by the extremely fast SSD and 32 GB of working memory in dual-channel mode. Compared to the predecessor, the battery life is reduced only moderately, and the 4K display also basically keeps its good qualities."
Get a great deal on the Dell Alienware m18 R1 or the Gigabyte Aero 17
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 Gigabyte
Gigabyte is a Taiwanese computer hardware manufacturer. While Gigabyte mainly focuses its business on desktop hardware, Gigabyte is known for its value-oriented G series laptops, thin and light Aero series, and performance-oriented Aorus series. Gigabyte laptops offer a strong value proposition to compete with mainstream alternatives.
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