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The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
If you prioritize gaming or other intensive tasks and need top-tier performance, the Dell Alienware m18 R1 would suit you despite its higher price and less portability due to its more powerful processor and graphics. However, if general use, better battery life, and portability are key for you, and you're looking to spend less, the Razer Book 13 is lightweight, more suitable for everyday tasks, and easy to carry around. The Razer also features a touchscreen and tends to have longer battery life, making it a good choice for on-the-go use and typical productivity 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 for content creation
- Very good speakers
Advantages of the Razer Book 13
- Excellent portability
- Excellent battery life
Key differences
General Use
8.2
7.6
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
281.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
507.0 nits
4.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
14.0 Hours
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
5.1/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
9.0/10
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 is very good for general use, while the Razer Book 13 is good.
The Dell Alienware m18 R1's high-performance CPU and large RAM make it very suitable for demanding tasks and multitasking, along with its high-quality, large screen which is less portable and has shorter battery life, making it still very good for general use despite its size. The Razer Book 13, with its efficient CPU and smaller, high-resolution touchscreen, offers a balance of performance and battery life, with its light weight and compact size providing high portability for general use.
Gaming and AI
9.1
6.2
9.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.7/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.0/10
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 is excellent for gaming and AI, while the Razer Book 13 is only fair.
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 is equipped with a powerful Nvidia RTX 4080 graphics card and a high screen refresh rate of 165Hz, which significantly enhances gaming and 3D performance. In contrast, the Razer Book 13 is only fitted with an Intel Iris Xe GPU and has a lower refresh rate of 60Hz, making it less suitable for demanding gaming and 3D applications.
Engineering and Design
9.1
7.1
9.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.5/10
9.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.7/10
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 is excellent for engineering and design, while the Razer Book 13 is good.
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 delivers superior performance for engineering and design due to its more advanced CPU, considerable RAM advantage, and a high-end dedicated GPU (RTX 4080), which are paramount for running complex simulations and rendering tasks, alongside a high-quality screen. Meanwhile, while the Razer Book 13 offers advantages in terms of portability and better battery life, its less powerful integrated graphics and lower RAM make it less ideal for intensive engineering and 3D work, despite having a high-quality display as well.
Content Creation
8.4
7.6
9.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.5/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 is very good for content creation, while the Razer Book 13 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.
Screen Quality
7.8
7.3
17.3in
SIZE
13.4in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
281.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
507.0 nits
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 has a better screen than the Razer Book 13 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
When considering the Dell Alienware m18 R1 and Razer Book 13 for general use, their high resolution and brightness, along with premium panel types, provide crisp and vivid visuals for everyday tasks like browsing and video streaming. For engineering and design work, both laptops offer displays with wide color gamuts, ensuring accurate color representation which is crucial for professionals in these fields. However, for gaming and 3D applications, their screens fall short due to lower refresh rates, which means less smooth motion and responsiveness compared to laptops specifically designed with higher refresh rates for these purposes.
Battery
4.0 Hours
14.0 Hours
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 has 4 hours of battery life. The Razer Book 13 has 14 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
Excellent
17.3in
SIZE
13.4in
8.9 lbs
WEIGHT
3.0 lbs
1.0in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Razer Book 13 has excellent portability, while the Dell Alienware m18 R1 has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$2,600
$1,389
$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 Razer Book 13 costs $1,389.
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Key similarities
Software Development
8.0
7.5
9.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.5/10
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Dell Alienware m18 R1 to be very good for software development, while the Razer Book 13 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 Razer Book 13 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 Razer Book 13 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Dell Alienware m18 R1 | Razer Book 13 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$2,600 | $1,389 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | October 1, 2022 | April 1, 2021 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 16.2'' x 12.6'' x 1.05'' | 11.6'' x 7.8'' x 0.6'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 8.9 lbs | 3.09 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 16.15" | 11.64" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 12.59" | 7.81" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i9-13900HX | Intel i7-1165G7 | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 32 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 1024 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 4 Hours | 14 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 97 Wh | 55 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 17.3" | 13.4" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 2560 x 1600 | 1920 x 1200 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 165Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 281 nits | 507 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 8.5/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 5.1/10 | 9.1/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | Yes | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 7/10 | 8/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8.5/10 | 8/10 | |
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 | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 4 | 1 | |
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."
Razer Book 13
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Allen Ngo | December 2020
"The Razer Book is like an XPS 13, but faster. The Book 13 combines the design philosophy and performance of a Blade Stealth with the 16:10 display of a Dell XPS 13 for an impressive piece of hardware. Office users who want something more stylish than the typical Dell, HP or Lenovo will certainly find themselves drawn to this Razer subnotebook. If your priorities are to have the best-looking and fastest 13-inch laptop in the office over auxiliary features, however, then the Book 13 proudly fulfills that niche."
Get a great deal on the Dell Alienware m18 R1 or the Razer Book 13
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 Razer
Razer is an American-Singaporean technology company. Razer is best known for their Blade series laptops, well known for their strong performance and sleek design. Although Razer charges a premium price tag for their laptops, buyers can expect a stealthy laptop with clean fit and finish and strong performance. All of their models offer great portability and build quality compared to other gaming laptops.
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This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec laptops team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest laptop information and makes it digestible for you.
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