If you're looking for high performance for gaming or engineering software, the Dell Alienware X17 R2 is engineered for more intense computing tasks and has superior graphics capabilities, larger display, and higher refresh rates. However, it is heavier and has a shorter battery life, making it less portable. On the other hand, the Dell Inspiron 14 7425 is more affordable, lightweight, and offers better battery life, a touch screen, and a higher resolution display in a more compact size, making it suitable for everyday use and easier to carry around, but its performance is less powerful, especially for demanding applications. Consider your primary usage and whether mobility or raw power is your priority. 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 X17 R2
Very good for general use
Excellent for engineering and design
Very good for gaming and AI
Very good for content creation
Very good overall display quality
Very good overall build quality
Best in class speakers
Advantages of the Dell Inspiron 14 7425
Very good portability
Good battery life
Key differences
General Use
8.2/10
7.5/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
367.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
260.0 nits
2.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
7.5 Hours
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
6.0/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.3/10
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 is very good for general use, while the Dell Inspiron 14 7425 is good.
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 is considered very good for general use due to its more powerful CPU, higher RAM capacity, larger and higher-quality screen, and superior heat management and speaker quality, although it is less portable and has a shorter battery life.
Gaming and AI
8.9/10
6.2/10
9.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
480Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 is very good for gaming and AI, while the Dell Inspiron 14 7425 is only fair.
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 is designed with a high-end Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti graphics card and a high screen refresh rate of 480 Hz, making it excellent for gaming and 3D applications that require fast, smooth visuals and high-level graphic processing.
Engineering and Design
9.1/10
6.9/10
9.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.8/10
9.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 is excellent for engineering and design, while the Dell Inspiron 14 7425 is only fair.
PerfectRec’s Engineering and Design Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for graphic design and 3D rendering work.
Content Creation
8.3/10
7.3/10
9.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.8/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 is very good for content creation, while the Dell Inspiron 14 7425 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
8.5/10
6.2/10
17.3in
SIZE
14.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
480Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
367.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
260.0 nits
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 has a better screen than the Dell Inspiron 14 7425 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
For general use, the Alienware X17 R2 offers a crisp, vibrant display due to its high resolution and brightness, which makes text, images, and videos look clear and vivid, while the Inspiron 14 7425 provides decent visuals but lacks the same level of clarity and illumination. In the realm of engineering and design, the X17 R2 excels by covering a wider range of colors, essential for accurate color work, but the Inspiron falls short, offering more limited color reproduction. For gaming and 3D applications, however, the X17 R2's lower refresh rate may detract from the smoothness and responsiveness experienced in fast-paced scenes, a less critical issue for the Inspiron given its positioning as an entry-level device not primarily aimed at such demanding tasks.
Battery
2.0 Hours
7.5 Hours
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 has 2 hours of battery life. The Dell Inspiron 14 7425 has 7.5 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
Fair
Very Good
17.3in
SIZE
14.0in
6.8 lbs
WEIGHT
3.6 lbs
0.8in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Dell Inspiron 14 7425 has very good portability, while the Dell Alienware X17 R2 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
8.5/10
7.4/10
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 has very good build quality, while the Dell Inspiron 14 7425 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$2,000
$800
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 has a price of $2,000 and the Dell Inspiron 14 7425 costs $800.
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 and Dell Inspiron 14 7425 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.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Dell Alienware X17 R2 and the Dell Inspiron 14 7425 compare to other laptops
"The Alienware x17 R2 recognizes targets a significantly higher TGP of 175 W for a roughly 30 percent performance boost over laptops running on the ~100 W GeForce RTX 3080 Ti like the Razer Blade 15 or Gigabyte Aero YE5. Similar results can be found through the CPU as well. This single aspect of the Alienware is perhaps the biggest differentiating factor between it and other ultrathin gaming laptops. Of course, the "performance at all cost" approach comes with drawbacks. Power consumption in particular is through the roof and battery life suffers because of it even when on the lowest performance settings."
"Overall, this Dell Inspiron 14 2-in-1 offers a lot to like, especially at its oft-discounted price of $800. It’s a sturdy laptop with strong performance, a convertible touchscreen, loud speakers, and a convenient fingerprint reader. But the trade-offs you’ll make in pursuit of that lower price—most notably the dim display and stiff trackpad—might just keep you from outright loving it."
Get a great deal on the Dell Alienware X17 R2 or the Dell Inspiron 14 7425
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.
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.
By the numbers
380
Laptops evaluated
48,640
Laptops stats compiled
13
Proprietary Laptops ratings developed
130,995
Recommendations made
28,383
Consumer hours saved
About the laptop team
Joe Golden, Ph.D
CEO and Laptops Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
Jason Lew
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.
Chandradeep Chowdhury
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.
Craig Russell
Laptops Expert
Craig is a UK-based laptops expert. Craig works in IT, where he recommends and supports laptops and PCs for clients and has been recommending laptops on Reddit for five years.