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What we think
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Updated January 10, 2024·
The Dell Alienware x14 R1 is somewhat less expensive, lighter, and offers longer battery life compared to the MSI Raider GE66. It is more portable, making it a good choice if you're often on the move. However, the Raider GE66 has a larger screen with higher resolution and superior graphics, more storage, and more RAM, enhancing performance for intensive gaming, 3D rendering, and machine learning tasks. If these aspects are critical and justify a higher price and reduced portability, the Raider GE66 would be more suitable. Both models have comparable CPUs, good build quality, and heat management, but prioritize the Raider GE66 for high-end gaming or professional creative work. 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 portability
Advantages of the MSI Raider GE66
- Very good for general use
- Very good for gaming and AI
- Very good for software development
- Very good for content creation
- Very good overall display quality
- Excellent keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.8
8.3
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
411.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
300.0 nits
9.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
6.0 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
8.0/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.8/10
The MSI Raider GE66 is very good for general use, while the Dell Alienware x14 R1 is good.
The Dell Alienware x14 R1 is compact, lightweight, and has a higher battery life which makes it good for portability and general use despite having less RAM and storage compared to the MSI Raider GE66; the MSI, on the other hand, offers a larger, higher-resolution screen, more RAM, and better speaker quality, making it very good for general use, but it's heavier and less portable with shorter battery life.
Gaming and AI
7.6
8.5
7.0/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.8/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.2/10
The MSI Raider GE66 is very good for gaming and AI, while the Dell Alienware x14 R1 is good.
The Dell Alienware x14 R1 is equipped with an Nvidia RTX 3060 GPU and has a screen refresh rate of 144Hz, making it a strong choice for gaming and 3D applications. In comparison, the MSI Raider GE66 boasts a more powerful Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti GPU and a higher screen refresh rate of 240Hz, enhancing its capability for more demanding gaming and 3D scenarios.
Engineering and Design
8.2
8.9
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
7.0/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.8/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The MSI Raider GE66 and Dell Alienware x14 R1 are both very good for engineering and design, though the MSI Raider GE66 is somewhat better.
The Dell Alienware x14 R1's high-quality screen and powerful combination of CPU, RAM, and GPU deliver performance suitable for engineering and design tasks, with added portability and less weight favoring on-the-go usage. In contrast, the MSI Raider GE66 offers a higher resolution and larger screen, along with more RAM and a stronger GPU, which could mean better handling of more demanding engineering software, at the expense of increased weight and size making it less portable.
Screen Quality
7.9
8.4
14.0in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
411.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
300.0 nits
The MSI Raider GE66 has a better screen than the Dell Alienware x14 R1 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
For general use, the Dell Alienware x14 R1 offers a clear, bright display with a resolution that makes images sharp, whereas the MSI Raider GE66 enhances this with an even brighter screen with more vivid colors, which ensures a more vibrant and crisp viewing experience. Both are excellent for engineering and design due to their wide color gamut coverage, ensuring accurate color representation for professional work; however, they fall short for gaming and 3D purposes as they lack high refresh rates, which are essential for smooth motion rendering in fast-paced games and 3D applications. The lower refresh rates mean that while they display static images beautifully, they aren't ideal for the fluid movement required in high-end gaming and some 3D tasks.
Battery
9.0 Hours
6.0 Hours
The Dell Alienware x14 R1 has 9 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
Very Good
Fair
14.0in
SIZE
15.6in
4.0 lbs
WEIGHT
5.2 lbs
0.5in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Dell Alienware x14 R1 has very good portability, while the MSI Raider GE66 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$1,201
$2,499
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
$4,000
The Dell Alienware x14 R1 has a price of $1,201 and the MSI Raider GE66 costs $2,499.
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Key similarities
Content Creation
7.9
8.3
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers MSI Raider GE66 to be very good for content creation, while the Dell Alienware x14 R1 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
7.7
8.0
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers MSI Raider GE66 to be very good for software development, while the Dell Alienware x14 R1 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 x14 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.
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How the Dell Alienware x14 R1 and the MSI Raider GE66 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Dell Alienware x14 R1 | MSI Raider GE66 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,201 | $2,499 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | August 1, 2022 | January 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 12.7'' x 10.3'' x 0.57'' | 14.1'' x 10.5'' x 0.92'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 4.06 lbs | 5.25 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 12.66" | 14.09" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 10.34" | 10.51" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i7-12700H | Intel i7-12700H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 32 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 1024 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 9 Hours | 6 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 80 Wh | 99.9 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 14" | 15.6" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 2560 x 1440 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 144Hz | 240Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 411 nits | 300 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 8.5/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 8.1/10 | 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 | 8/10 | 9/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 7.5/10 | 7.5/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 1080p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | No | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 1 | 3 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 3 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | No | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 4 | 4 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 4 | 4 | |
Shopping
Dell Alienware x14 R1
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Andreas Osthoff | March 2022
"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."
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 x14 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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