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Updated January 10, 2024·
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 offers superior performance, especially for 3D rendering, machine learning, and engineering, with its more powerful processor and higher-end graphics card, making it a strong option if those tasks are a priority and you're okay with spending more. However, while it has a larger storage and more RAM, it's also heavier and less portable than the Lenovo Legion 5 17", which is cheaper and still capable for general use and some gaming but may not handle intensive tasks as smoothly. The Alienware has better color coverage on its screen, which is useful for creative work, but both have similar battery life despite the Lenovo's lower battery capacity. If portability and cost are critical, the Lenovo Legion might be the better fit, but for top-tier performance in demanding scenarios, the Alienware is the better choice. 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 for content creation
- Very good overall build quality
- Very good speakers
Advantages of the Lenovo Legion 5 17"
- The Lenovo Legion 5 17" has no clear advantages over the Dell Alienware m18 R1.
Key differences
General Use
8.2
7.2
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
281.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
305.0 nits
4.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
4.5 Hours
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
5.1/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
5.8/10
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 is very good for general use, while the Lenovo Legion 5 17" is good.
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 is considered very good for general use due to its high-performance CPU, substantial amount of RAM, and superior screen quality, though its heavy weight and size impact portability and it offers shorter battery life. On the other hand, the Lenovo Legion 5 17" provides good general performance with a capable CPU and adequate RAM, benefits from better battery life, and is more portable, but has a lower-resolution screen and less RAM which might affect multitasking and detailed visual work.
Gaming and AI
9.1
7.4
9.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.5/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 is excellent for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo Legion 5 17" is good.
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 excels in gaming and 3D applications due to its superior Nvidia RTX 4080 GPU and a higher screen refresh rate, which are very important for fluid visuals and rendering detailed graphics. In comparison, the Lenovo Legion 5 17" is good for gaming and 3D with its Nvidia RTX 3060 GPU and a respectable refresh rate, but it won't deliver the same level of performance or screen fluidity as the Alienware.
Engineering and Design
9.1
7.6
9.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
9.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.5/10
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 is excellent for engineering and design, while the Lenovo Legion 5 17" is good.
PerfectRec’s Engineering and Design Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for graphic design and 3D rendering work.
Content Creation
8.4
7.2
9.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 is very good for content creation, while the Lenovo Legion 5 17" 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
8.0
7.0
9.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 is very good for software development, while the Lenovo Legion 5 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.
Screen Quality
7.8
7.3
17.3in
SIZE
17.3in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
281.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
305.0 nits
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 has a better screen than the Lenovo Legion 5 17" for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
For general use, both the Dell Alienware m18 R1 and Lenovo Legion 5 17" offer screens with pleasant resolution and brightness, making activities like browsing, document editing, and video streaming clear and comfortable to view. When it comes to engineering and design, these laptops have screens that cover a wide range of colors, which is crucial for professionals who require accurate color representation for their work. However, for gaming and 3D applications, they fall short due to their lower refresh rates, which means that they won't deliver as smooth motion in fast-paced games or 3D animations as screens with higher refresh rates would.
Portability
Poor
Poor
17.3in
SIZE
17.3in
8.9 lbs
WEIGHT
6.5 lbs
1.0in
THICKNESS
1.0in
The Lenovo Legion 5 17" and Dell Alienware m18 R1 both have poor portability, though the Lenovo Legion 5 17" has somewhat better portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
8.5
7.4
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 has very good build quality, while the Lenovo Legion 5 17" has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$2,600
$1,200
$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 Lenovo Legion 5 17" costs $1,200.
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Key similarities
Battery
4.0 Hours
4.5 Hours
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 has 4 hours of battery life. The Lenovo Legion 5 17" has 4.5 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.
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We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Dell Alienware m18 R1 and the Lenovo Legion 5 17" compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Dell Alienware m18 R1 | Lenovo Legion 5 17" |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$2,600 | $1,200 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | October 1, 2022 | October 1, 2021 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 16.2'' x 12.6'' x 1.05'' | 15.7'' x 11.4'' x 1'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 8.9 lbs | 6.57 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 16.15" | 15.7" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 12.59" | 11.41" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i9-13900HX | Intel i7-11800H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 32 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 1024 GB | 256 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 4 Hours | 4.5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 97 Wh | 80 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 17.3" | 17.3" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 2560 x 1600 | 1920 x 1080 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 165Hz | 144Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 281 nits | 305 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 8.5/10 | 7.4/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 5.1/10 | 5.8/10 | |
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 | 7/10 | |
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 | 4 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 2 | |
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."
Lenovo Legion 5 17"
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Sebastian Bade | February 2022
"The Lenovo Legion 5 17 is a current-gen 17-inch gaming laptop and equipped with the latest AMD CPU and a powerful GPU, that manages to reach its full potential. The AMD Ryzen 5 5600H is a very good choice for this laptop and able to maintain its performance level for long periods of time. Our test model only falls behind consistently in a direct comparison with its competitors that are often equipped with eight cores and 16 threads. Despite this, the Legion 5 17 leaves an excellent impression and is almost able to keep up with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 mobile GPU in synthetic benchmarks."
Get a great deal on the Dell Alienware m18 R1 or the Lenovo Legion 5 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 Lenovo
Lenovo is a Chinese technology company, and one of the largest personal computer vendor. They are well known for a variety of technology products, including laptops. Their consumer series include their entry level IdeaPad and LOQ series and mid-to-high-end Yoga and Legion series. On the business-oriented side, their series include their entry-level ThinkBook series and mid-to-high-end ThinkPad series. Lenovo laptops offer strong performance for reasonable prices, and are often on sale.
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