If you’re prioritizing gaming or engineering programs, consider the Dell Alienware X17 R2, as it offers top-notch performance with a high-end graphic card though it's less portable and more expensive. For a balance between performance and portability, the Gigabyte Aero 16 is less costly, has a more vibrant OLED display, and offers longer battery life, but with a less powerful graphics card, it may not perform as well for the most demanding tasks. The Aero's larger storage is a plus, while the Alienware’s additional screen refresh rate is beneficial for fast-moving visuals. Both options have their own benefits depending on individual requirements. 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
Excellent for engineering and design
Very good for gaming and AI
Very good overall build quality
Best in class speakers
Advantages of the Gigabyte Aero 16
Good portability
Good battery life
Key differences
Gaming and AI
8.9/10
7.8/10
9.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.8/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
480Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.7/10
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 is very good for gaming and AI, while the Gigabyte Aero 16 is 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.
Screen Quality
8.5/10
8.4/10
17.3in
SIZE
16.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
480Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
367.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
368.0 nits
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 has a better screen than the Gigabyte Aero 16 for gaming and AI, while the Gigabyte Aero 16 has a better screen for general use, and engineering and design.
The Dell Alienware X17 R2's high resolution and brightness provide crisp and clear visuals, making it suitable for general use and detailed engineering tasks, but its lower refresh rate may not be ideal for the fast-paced action in gaming and 3D applications. The Gigabyte Aero 16 excels in color accuracy and range, covering wider color gamuts essential for professional engineering and design work, offering very detailed and true-to-life colors. However, similar to the Alienware, its refresh rate falls short for gaming and 3D, where smoother motion and quicker screen updates are critical for an optimal experience.
Battery
2.0 Hours
7.0 Hours
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 has 2 hours of battery life. The Gigabyte Aero 16 has 7 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
Good
17.3in
SIZE
16.0in
6.8 lbs
WEIGHT
5.0 lbs
0.8in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The Gigabyte Aero 16 has 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
7.8/10
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 has very good build quality, while the Gigabyte Aero 16 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$2,000
$1,260
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 has a price of $2,000 and the Gigabyte Aero 16 costs $1,260.
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 and Gigabyte Aero 16 are both very good for general use.
PerfectRec’s General Use Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for general productivity, web browsing, streaming, video calls, and running a wide variety of apps and programs.
Engineering and Design
9.1/10
8.6/10
9.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
9.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.8/10
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Dell Alienware X17 R2 to be excellent for engineering and design, while the Gigabyte Aero 16 is very good.
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 stands out with a robust Intel i9 processor and a high-end Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti graphics card, along with more RAM, making it well-suited for demanding engineering and design tasks. On the other hand, the Gigabyte Aero 16, while slightly less powerful with an Intel i7 processor and Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti GPU, offers a higher resolution OLED screen, which might be more appealing for design work that prioritizes color accuracy and image quality.
Content Creation
8.3/10
8.2/10
9.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 and Gigabyte Aero 16 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
7.8/10
7.9/10
9.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Gigabyte Aero 16 and Dell Alienware X17 R2 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 X17 R2 and the Gigabyte Aero 16 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."
"The Gigabyte Aero 16 is a workstation laptop for light gaming. It's design is still muted, with a silver chassis alongside a black keyboard and trackpad that provides some contrast. The Gigabyte Aero’s full-size chiclet-style keyboard is enjoyable to type on thanks to its snappy feel and responsiveness. The 4K+ AMOLED display is good, but it could be better. It doesn’t handle true black very well and suffers from strong reflections and glare. The Gigabyte Aero excels at productivity performance and can keep up with other gaming laptops in 1080p. But it has very few ports and its refresh rate leaves a bit to be desired."
Get a great deal on the Dell Alienware X17 R2 or the Gigabyte Aero 16
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 Gigabyte
Gigabyte is a Taiwanese computer hardware manufacturer. While Gigabyte mainly focuses its business on desktop hardware, Gigabyte is known for its value-oriented G series laptops, thin and light Aero series, and performance-oriented Aorus series. Gigabyte laptops offer a strong value proposition to compete with mainstream alternatives.
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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