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What we think
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Updated January 10, 2024·
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 is a high-end, more expensive option with a larger screen and higher refresh rate, lending itself to intensive gaming and engineering tasks, supported by its top-tier processor and GPU. However, it is less portable due to its size and weight. The Gigabyte Aero 5, on the other hand, is a midrange, less expensive choice with a smaller, high-resolution OLED screen well-suited for general use and media consumption. It has a better battery life but is equipped with a less powerful CPU and GPU, making it generally less suitable for demanding engineering or 3D tasks. 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
- Very good for general use
- Excellent for engineering and design
- Excellent for gaming and AI
- Very good for software development
- Very good overall build quality
- Very good speakers
Advantages of the Gigabyte Aero 5
- Very good overall display quality
- Good battery life
Key differences
Gaming and AI
9.1
7.9
9.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.3/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 is excellent for gaming and AI, while the Gigabyte Aero 5 is good.
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 offers superior gaming and 3D capabilities mainly because it has a more powerful GPU and a higher screen refresh rate than the Gigabyte Aero 5, which translates to smoother visuals and better performance in high-speed scenarios.
Screen Quality
7.8
8.6
17.3in
SIZE
15.6in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
281.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
446.0 nits
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 has a better screen than the Gigabyte Aero 5 for software development, while the Gigabyte Aero 5 has a better screen for general use, and engineering and design.
For general use, both the Dell Alienware and the Gigabyte Aero laptops offer high resolutions and brightness, providing crisp visuals and vibrant display that enhance the everyday computing experience. For engineering and design, the Gigabyte Aero stands out with its wider color gamuts, ensuring more accurate color reproduction essential for tasks requiring color precision. However, for gaming and 3D applications, both laptops fall short due to their lower refresh rates, which can lead to less smooth visuals during high-speed gaming or animation viewing.
Battery
4.0 Hours
7.0 Hours
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 has 4 hours of battery life. The Gigabyte Aero 5 has 7 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
15.6in
8.9 lbs
WEIGHT
5.0 lbs
1.0in
THICKNESS
1.0in
The Gigabyte Aero 5 has only fair portability, while the Dell Alienware m18 R1 has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
8.5
7.8
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 has very good build quality, while the Gigabyte Aero 5 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$2,600
$1,250
$500
$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 5 costs $1,250.
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Key similarities
General Use
8.2
7.9
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
281.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
446.0 nits
4.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
7.0 Hours
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
5.1/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.7/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Dell Alienware m18 R1 to be very good for general use, while the Gigabyte Aero 5 is good.
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 stands out for general use due to its high-powered CPU, ample RAM, and sizeable high-resolution IPS screen, though its substantial weight and short battery life affect its portability. Conversely, the Gigabyte Aero 5, with its vibrant OLED display and lighter build, offers more portability and longer battery use but has a less powerful CPU and half the RAM, which may impact performance for demanding tasks.
Engineering and Design
9.1
8.7
9.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
9.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.3/10
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 5 is very good.
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 stands out for engineering and design due to its more powerful CPU and GPU, higher RAM, and a larger, high-refresh-rate IPS screen, making it excellent for computational and graphics-intensive tasks, albeit at the cost of portability due to its larger size and weight. On the other hand, the Gigabyte Aero 5, with a very high-resolution OLED screen, great for detail and color accuracy, and lighter weight, offers very good performance for engineering and design, though it has a less powerful CPU and GPU, and less RAM compared to the Alienware, which may limit its capability with extremely demanding workloads.
Content Creation
8.4
8.2
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
OLED
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 and Gigabyte Aero 5 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 5 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.
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How the Dell Alienware m18 R1 and the Gigabyte Aero 5 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Dell Alienware m18 R1 | Gigabyte Aero 5 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$2,600 | $1,250 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | October 1, 2022 | May 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 16.2'' x 12.6'' x 1.05'' | 14'' x 10'' x 1.08'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 8.9 lbs | 5.07 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 16.15" | 14" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 12.59" | 10" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i9-13900HX | Intel i7-12700H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 32 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 1024 GB | 1024 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 4 Hours | 7 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 97 Wh | 99 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 17.3" | 15.6" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | OLED | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 2560 x 1600 | 3840 x 2160 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 165Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 281 nits | 446 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 8.5/10 | 7.8/10 | |
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 | 7/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8.5/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 8/10 | 6.8/10 | |
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 | 3 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 1 | |
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 5
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Dig into reviews and images
The Tech Revolutionist
Zhi Cheng | May 2022
"It is unfortunate that the Gigabyte AERO notebook series have seem to lost its charm, as it’s not exactly any much different from the AORUS series now. Regardless, content creators and designers will certainly still appreciate the features on the AERO 5 XE4, which are fundamental to their work. This largely revolved around the notebook’s display, which is colour calibrated and validated, high resolution (4K) and with great AMOLED colour representation. Now that the AERO 5 XE4 has improved its performance with the latest CPU and GPU, the professionals can also appreciate the improved productivity from the notebook."
Get a great deal on the Dell Alienware m18 R1 or the Gigabyte Aero 5
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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