The Dell Alienware X17 R2 is a high-performance laptop suitable for intensive gaming, 3D rendering, machine learning, and engineering tasks with a larger screen and substantial power, but it is heavier and less portable, with shorter battery life. In contrast, the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" is more affordable, lighter, and offers longer battery life, making it better for general use and portability, but it is less suitable for demanding tasks due to its lower performance capabilities. Choose the Dell Alienware if performance is your priority, and the Lenovo IdeaPad for better portability and battery life at a lower cost. 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
Very good keyboard
Advantages of the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15"
Good portability
Very good battery life
Key differences
General Use
8.2/10
7.3/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
367.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
300.0 nits
2.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
10.0 Hours
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.5/10
6.0/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.8/10
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 is very good for general use, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" is good.
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 is very good for general use due to its powerful Intel i9 processor, high RAM capacity, and superior screen quality, which includes a high brightness and better color coverage, but it is less portable and has shorter battery life. The Lenovo IdeaPad 1, on the other hand, offers decent performance for general tasks with a capable AMD Ryzen 7 processor and sufficient RAM, better battery life, and higher portability due to its lighter weight and smaller size, although its screen and speaker quality are lower.
Gaming and AI
8.9/10
6.1/10
9.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
480Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
9.5/10
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 is very good for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" is only fair.
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 boasts a superior Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti GPU and a higher screen refresh rate of 480, making it very good for gaming and 3D tasks, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 with its AMD Ryzen 7 5700U Vega 8 GPU and a modest 60 refresh rate is only fair for those same tasks.
Engineering and Design
9.1/10
6.6/10
9.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.8/10
9.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
32.0 GB
RAM
12.0 GB
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 is excellent for engineering and design, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" 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
7.4/10
9.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.8/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
32.0 GB
RAM
12.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 is very good for content creation, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" 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
6.4/10
17.3in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
480Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
367.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
300.0 nits
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 has a better screen than the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Dell Alienware X17 R2's screen provides clear and vibrant visuals for general use and detailed color accuracy important for engineering and design tasks, but its lower refresh rate reduces the smoothness needed for high-end gaming and 3D applications. The Lenovo IdeaPad 1 offers adequate resolution and brightness for everyday tasks and casual design work but lacks the wide color gamuts and sharpness that professionals might need. For gaming and 3D use, both laptops fall short with screens that don't support the high refresh rates required for the most fluid visual experience.
Battery
2.0 Hours
10.0 Hours
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 has 2 hours of battery life. The Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" has 10 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
15.6in
6.8 lbs
WEIGHT
3.5 lbs
0.8in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" 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
6.0/10
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 has very good build quality, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" has only fair build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$2,000
$741
$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 Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" costs $741.
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 and Lenovo IdeaPad 1 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.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Dell Alienware X17 R2 and the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" 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 Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15" is affordable and pretty efficient. At the end of the day, the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 (15″, 2023) is one of the better affordable laptops money can buy right now. It has a decent performance, albeit coming from a CPU that is based on old architecture. Playing low-intensity games is possible but at low to medium settings. We are really happy with the cooling setup, but the main event here is the battery life. We got 9 hours of either Web browsing or video playback, which is a great result. Especially if you compare this device with the ASUS E410."
Get a great deal on the Dell Alienware X17 R2 or the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 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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