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Updated January 10, 2024·
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 is positioned as a high-end, more expensive option with superior processing power thanks to its advanced CPU and GPU, making it well-suited for intensive engineering tasks and gaming. It has ample storage and memory, but its heavier build affects portability. On the other hand, the MSI Raider GE77Hx is less costly and still offers substantial performance for gaming and engineering uses, though it has a less powerful CPU and GPU. The MSI is lighter and thus more portable, with a slightly longer battery life, but may not handle high-end tasks as effectively as the Dell. 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 MSI Raider GE77Hx
- Very good overall display quality
- Excellent keyboard
Key differences
Screen Quality
7.8
8.4
17.3in
SIZE
17.3in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
281.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
350.0 nits
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 has a better screen than the MSI Raider GE77Hx for software development, while the MSI Raider GE77Hx has a better screen for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design.
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 offers satisfactory visuals for everyday tasks and engineering due to its resolution and brightness, but for gaming, its lower refresh rate limits smooth motion rendering. Meanwhile, the MSI Raider GE77Hx provides a sharp, bright display beneficial for both general use and precise color work required in engineering and design, thanks to its wide color gamut. However, its refresh rate is not ideal for gaming and 3D applications, where fast-paced visuals are a necessity.
Battery
4.0 Hours
5.5 Hours
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 has 4 hours of battery life. The MSI Raider GE77Hx 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
Poor
17.3in
SIZE
17.3in
8.9 lbs
WEIGHT
6.3 lbs
1.0in
THICKNESS
1.0in
The MSI Raider GE77Hx and Dell Alienware m18 R1 both have poor portability, though the MSI Raider GE77Hx has somewhat better portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$2,600
$1,999
$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 GE77Hx costs $1,999.
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Key similarities
General Use
8.2
8.0
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
281.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
350.0 nits
4.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.5 Hours
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
5.1/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
5.8/10
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 and MSI Raider GE77Hx are both very good for general use.
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 offers robust performance with its higher-end CPU and double the RAM, which translates to smoother multitasking and more demanding applications, alongside a quality IPS screen; though it's less portable and has shorter battery life compared to the MSI Raider GE77Hx. While the MSI Raider has a slightly lower CPU and half the RAM, resulting in less power for intensive tasks, it makes up with better portability, longer battery life, a brighter screen, and better speaker quality, making it a solid choice for on-the-go use with good general performance.
Gaming and AI
9.1
8.7
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
6.5/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Dell Alienware m18 R1 to be excellent for gaming and AI, while the MSI Raider GE77Hx is very 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.
Engineering and Design
9.1
8.8
9.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.6/10
9.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.8/10
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 MSI Raider GE77Hx is very good.
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 offers more robust engineering and design capabilities with a higher-end CPU and GPU, as well as more RAM, which are very important for demanding applications that require significant processing power and graphic capabilities.
Content Creation
8.4
8.2
9.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.6/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 and MSI Raider GE77Hx 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
9.6/10
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Dell Alienware m18 R1 to be very good for software development, while the MSI Raider GE77Hx 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
8.5
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 and MSI Raider GE77Hx 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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We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Dell Alienware m18 R1 and the MSI Raider GE77Hx compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Dell Alienware m18 R1 | MSI Raider GE77Hx |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$2,600 | $1,999 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | October 1, 2022 | June 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 16.2'' x 12.6'' x 1.05'' | 15.6'' x 11.2'' x 1.02'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 8.9 lbs | 6.39 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 16.15" | 15.63" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 12.59" | 11.18" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i9-13900HX | Intel i7-12800HX | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 32 GB | 16 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 | 5.5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 97 Wh | 99.9 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 17.3" | 17.3" | |
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 | 350 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 8.5/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 5.1/10 | 5.9/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | Yes | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 7/10 | 6.5/10 | |
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 | Yes | |
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 | 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."
MSI Raider GE77Hx
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Sascha Mölck | July 2022
"The MSI Raider GE77 offers a lot of power for a lot of money. The main components consist of a Core i9-12900HX CPU, a GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU (175 watts TGP, 16 GB VRAM), and 64 GB of RAM, which makes for a high overall performance level. The GeForce GPU in particular scores some of the highest scores we have seen from this chip. Both the CPU and the GPU are able to run at continuously high clock speeds. The relatively high heat and noise emissions match our expectations for this device class. With approximately 5.5 to 6.5 hours, the battery life is good for a powerful 4K laptop."
Get a great deal on the Dell Alienware m18 R1 or the MSI Raider GE77Hx
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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