If you prioritize a balance between cost and performance, the Lenovo Legion 5 15" provides a newer graphics card which may offer better performance in gaming and graphic-intensive tasks. It boasts a higher resolution screen, which can be ideal for content creation or enjoying high-definition media. However, it's heavier and bulkier, which impacts portability. On the other hand, the Dell Alienware x14 R1, while more costly, offers a lighter and thinner design for greater portability. It retains solid performance capabilities suitable for gaming and productivity, but doesn't match the Lenovo's newer graphics hardware. The choice comes down to whether you value cutting-edge graphics and a high-resolution display over the portability and design of the device. 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 x14 R1
Very good overall build quality
Very good portability
Good battery life
Advantages of the Lenovo Legion 5 15"
Very good overall display quality
Key differences
Screen Quality
7.9/10
8.0/10
14.0in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
411.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
350.0 nits
The Dell Alienware x14 R1 has a better screen than the Lenovo Legion 5 15" for software development, and content creation, while the Lenovo Legion 5 15" has a better screen for general use, and gaming and AI.
When considering screen quality for general use, both the Dell Alienware x14 R1 and the Lenovo Legion 5 15" offer satisfying resolution and brightness, but the Legion pulls ahead with a panel type that enhances the viewing experience. For engineering and design, the screen quality of both laptops is adequate, delivering decent coverage of professional color gamuts, although neither may fully satisfy those needing extremely accurate color representation. However, for gaming and 3D applications, both laptops fall short with lower refresh rates, which may lead to less smooth visuals and potentially less immersive gaming experiences compared to screens designed specifically for these purposes.
Battery
9.0 Hours
4.0 Hours
The Dell Alienware x14 R1 has 9 hours of battery life. The Lenovo Legion 5 15" has 4 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
Very Good
Fair
14.0in
SIZE
15.6in
4.0 lbs
WEIGHT
5.3 lbs
0.5in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Dell Alienware x14 R1 has very good portability, while the Lenovo Legion 5 15" has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
8.5/10
7.6/10
The Dell Alienware x14 R1 has very good build quality, while the Lenovo Legion 5 15" has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,201
$879
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
$1,800
The Dell Alienware x14 R1 has a price of $1,201 and the Lenovo Legion 5 15" costs $879.
The Dell Alienware x14 R1 and Lenovo Legion 5 15" are both good for general use.
The Dell Alienware x14 R1 is well-suited for general use due to its more compact form, lighter weight, and substantially longer battery life, which enhance its portability. In contrast, the Lenovo Legion 5 15" offers a larger, higher resolution screen with a greater refresh rate and more vibrant colors, but it is heavier and has a shorter battery life, making it less portable but potentially better for media consumption and more immersive general use.
Gaming and AI
7.6/10
7.9/10
7.0/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.5/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Lenovo Legion 5 15" and Dell Alienware x14 R1 are both good for gaming and AI.
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
8.2/10
8.2/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.0/10
7.0/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.5/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Lenovo Legion 5 15" and Dell Alienware x14 R1 are both very good for engineering and design.
The Dell Alienware x14 R1 is praised in engineering and design for its powerful Intel i7 processor, substantial RAM, and capable Nvidia RTX 3060 graphics, along with a high-quality screen that covers a wide color spectrum, beneficial for tasks demanding color accuracy. The Lenovo Legion 5 15”, on the other hand, stands out for its high screen resolution and refresh rate on a larger display with an advanced AMD Ryzen processor and Nvidia RTX 4060 graphics, offering superior visual detail and smoothness for intricate work, albeit with a tradeoff in lesser battery life and portability due to its larger size and weight.
Content Creation
7.9/10
7.4/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.0/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Dell Alienware x14 R1 and Lenovo Legion 5 15" are both 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
7.7/10
7.3/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.0/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Dell Alienware x14 R1 and Lenovo Legion 5 15" are both 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.
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How the Dell Alienware x14 R1 and the Lenovo Legion 5 15" compare to other laptops
"The Alienware X14 series is thinner, but also slower than the competition. With the X series, you get plenty of modern technology: Intel Alder Lake CPUs, GeForce RTX 3000 GPUs, Thunderbolt 4, PCIe 4.0, Wi-Fi 6E, G-Sync, and Advanced Optimus. However, the slim design has some drawbacks, just like its larger siblings. The shifted hinge position results in a very deep device with a large footprint compared to the competition."
"The Lenovo Legion 5 15 is an affordable gaming laptop with a lot of power. The new AMD processor Ryzen 7 5800H offers plenty of performance and it is also very efficient. The combination with the fast 130W version of the GeForce RTX 3060 ensures high gaming performance. We also like the fast 165 Hz display with the 1080p resolution. The automatic graphics switching causes some problems with stutters, which are very annoying. If you do not need long battery runtimes, you should definitely deactivate the hybrid graphics mode in Lenovo's Vantage app. The Legion 5 15 is never silent."
Get a great deal on the Dell Alienware x14 R1 or the Lenovo Legion 5 15"
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.
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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Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
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Staff Expert & Software Engineer
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