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Updated January 10, 2024·
If you're after maximum performance for 3D, machine learning, or gaming, the Dell Alienware m18 R1 has a more powerful processor and graphics card. However, it is bulkier and heavier, making it less portable than the MSI Raider GE66. The MSI has still excellent specs for general use and gaming, and boasts a higher refresh rate for smoother visuals. It also offers better portability thanks to its lighter weight. Both have large screens, but the Dell's larger display might make it better suited for immersive gaming and productivity tasks, at the cost of being less convenient to carry around. 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 speakers
Advantages of the MSI Raider GE66
- Very good overall display quality
- Good battery life
- Excellent keyboard
Key differences
Gaming and AI
9.1
8.5
9.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.8/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.2/10
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 is excellent for gaming and AI, while the MSI Raider GE66 is very good.
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 excels in gaming and 3D applications thanks to its superior Nvidia RTX 4080 GPU and a high screen refresh rate of 165Hz, making it excellent for smooth visuals and rendering. Contrastingly, the MSI Raider GE66, while also very suitable for gaming and 3D, comes with a slightly less powerful Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti GPU and a higher refresh rate of 240Hz, which benefits fast-paced gaming but may not match the Alienware's overall rendering performance.
Screen Quality
7.8
8.4
17.3in
SIZE
15.6in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
281.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
300.0 nits
The MSI Raider GE66 has a better screen than the Dell Alienware m18 R1 for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design.
If you prioritize crystal-clear images and vibrant colors for everyday tasks or professional design work, the MSI Raider GE66 stands out with its high-resolution display that offers a wide color range, ensuring that visuals are sharp and colors are accurate. However, for gaming or 3D applications, neither of these laptops is ideal due to poor refresh rates that can lead to less smooth visuals and potential motion blur in fast-paced scenes. While the Dell Alienware m18 R1 also provides a good display for general and engineering purposes, it falls behind the MSI in terms of color reproduction and clarity, making the latter a better choice for color-critical work.
Battery
4.0 Hours
6.0 Hours
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 has 4 hours of battery life. The MSI Raider GE66 has 6 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
5.2 lbs
1.0in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The MSI Raider GE66 has only fair portability, while the Dell Alienware m18 R1 has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
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Key similarities
General Use
8.2
8.3
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
281.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
300.0 nits
4.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
6.0 Hours
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
5.1/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.8/10
The MSI Raider GE66 and Dell Alienware m18 R1 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
8.9
9.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
9.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.8/10
32.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Dell Alienware m18 R1 to be excellent for engineering and design, while the MSI Raider GE66 is very good.
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 stands out for engineering and design due to its higher-performing CPU, the Intel i9-13900HX, and superior GPU, the Nvidia RTX 4080, which excel in computational and graphical tasks crucial for such applications, alongside a larger screen with good color coverage making detailed work more comfortable, despite being less portable due to its size and weight. On the other hand, the MSI Raider GE66, with an Intel i7-12700H and RTX 3070 Ti, offers very good capabilities for similar tasks and benefits from being more portable and having a slightly better battery life, alongside excellent keyboard quality, which could be preferable for users who move frequently and still require solid performance for engineering work.
Content Creation
8.4
8.3
9.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
32.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 and MSI Raider GE66 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
8.0
9.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
32.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The MSI Raider GE66 and Dell Alienware m18 R1 are both very 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.
Build Quality
8.5
8.5
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 and MSI Raider GE66 both have very good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$2,600
$2,499
$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 MSI Raider GE66 costs $2,499.
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How the Dell Alienware m18 R1 and the MSI Raider GE66 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Dell Alienware m18 R1 | MSI Raider GE66 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$2,600 | $2,499 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | October 1, 2022 | January 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 16.2'' x 12.6'' x 1.05'' | 14.1'' x 10.5'' x 0.92'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 8.9 lbs | 5.25 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 16.15" | 14.09" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 12.59" | 10.51" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i9-13900HX | Intel i7-12700H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 32 GB | 32 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 1024 GB | 1024 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 4 Hours | 6 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 97 Wh | 99.9 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 17.3" | 15.6" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 2560 x 1600 | 2560 x 1440 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 165Hz | 240Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 281 nits | 300 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 8.5/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 5.1/10 | 6.9/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | Yes | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 7/10 | 6.3/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8.5/10 | 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 | Yes | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 4 | 3 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | No | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 4 | 4 | |
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."
MSI Raider GE66
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Patrick Schüdzig | June 2022
"The MSI Raider GE66 12UHS notebook passes with flying colors. The GE66 is a high-end notebook with strong performance. The keyboard and trackpad are still very good and score well with precise inputs as well as high build quality. Thanks to a new liquid metal cooling solution, the Intel Core i9 12900HK brings a performance increase of around 50 percent over the predecessor's Intel Core i9 10980HK. The installed graphics card in our device delivers up to 30 percent higher frame rates than the RTX 2070 Super in the MSI GE66 10SFS."
Get a great deal on the Dell Alienware m18 R1 or the MSI Raider GE66
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 MSI
MSI, also known as Micro-Star International, is a Taiwanese technology corporation. MSI is known for their wide range of gaming devices. Their series include the entry-level Cyborg/Thin and Sword/Katana series, the mid-range Bravo/Delta and Crosshair/Pulse series, and their high-end Vector, Raider, Stealth, and Titan GT series. At every performance level, MSI offers a variety of devices with varying balances between performance, battery life, weight, and price, making them a solid option to consider at every price point.
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