The Dell Alienware X17 R2 and Lenovo Legion 7i Pro are similar in price and both offer large storage and memory, powerful processors, and high-end GPUs, suited for intensive gaming, 3D rendering, or engineering tasks. The Alienware has a larger screen, a slightly better battery life, and a higher screen refresh rate, which is excellent for fast-paced gaming. The Legion has a higher resolution and brighter display, with a more color-accurate screen that may benefit creative professionals; it's also lighter and slightly thinner, which makes it more portable. Both run Windows 11 Home and have a robust build quality, but the Legion has a better keyboard and quieter fans. Give Feedback
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Advantages of the Dell Alienware X17 R2
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 has no clear advantages over the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i.
Advantages of the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i
Excellent for gaming and AI
Very good for software development
Excellent keyboard
Key differences
Screen Quality
8.5/10
8.7/10
17.3in
SIZE
16.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
480Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
367.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
469.0 nits
The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i has a better screen than the Dell Alienware X17 R2 for general use, content creation, and software development.
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 and Lenovo Legion Pro 7i have displays with high resolution and brightness, making them suitable for general tasks where clarity and visibility are key. For engineering and design, both laptops offer wide color gamuts ensuring precise color representation critical for professional work. However, for gaming and 3D applications, the poor screen quality is due to lower refresh rates, which can lead to less fluid motion and a less immersive experience.
Battery
2.0 Hours
5.0 Hours
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 has 2 hours of battery life. The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i has 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.
The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i and Dell Alienware X17 R2 are both very good for general use.
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 and the Lenovo Legion 7i Pro are well-suited for general use due to their powerful CPUs and ample RAM, which aid in smooth multitasking and high performance. While the Alienware offers a larger screen and excellent heat management.
Gaming and AI
8.9/10
9.1/10
9.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.8/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
480Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Lenovo Legion Pro 7i to be excellent for gaming and AI, while the Dell Alienware X17 R2 is very good.
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 stands out for gaming and 3D tasks with its high refresh rate, enhancing fluidity in fast-paced scenes, whereas the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i, while having a lower refresh rate, includes a more advanced GPU which can handle demanding graphics more efficiently. Moreover, while both have high-quality IPS displays, the Legion Pro 7i benefits from a higher resolution, providing sharper images and better detail clarity for gaming and 3D work.
Engineering and Design
9.1/10
9.3/10
9.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
9.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.8/10
32.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i and Dell Alienware X17 R2 are both excellent for engineering and design.
The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i outshines the Dell Alienware X17 R2 for engineering and design primarily due to its more advanced CPU and GPU, ensuring smoother operation in demanding applications, and its higher-resolution screen offers better detail and workspace. While the Alienware has a marginally larger screen and impressive color coverage which benefits design tasks, the more recent hardware and superior screen quality of the Legion Pro 7i give it an edge for more intense engineering and computational work.
Content Creation
8.3/10
8.5/10
9.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
32.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i and Dell Alienware X17 R2 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
8.2/10
9.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
32.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Lenovo Legion Pro 7i to be very good for software development, while the Dell Alienware X17 R2 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.
Portability
Fair
Fair
17.3in
SIZE
16.0in
6.8 lbs
WEIGHT
6.1 lbs
0.8in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i and Dell Alienware X17 R2 both have only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
8.5/10
8.5/10
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 and Lenovo Legion Pro 7i both have very good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$2,000
$1,999
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 has a price of $2,000 and the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i costs $1,999.
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How the Dell Alienware X17 R2 and the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i 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."
"Passionate gamers who want to play demanding modern titles with maximum details and don't mind spending the moolah will find the Lenovo Legion 7 Pro to be the right choice. The bright, sharp, and color-accurate 16:10 QHD 240 Hz display makes for an immersive viewing experience. The hardware is housed in a stylish chassis that feels premium and scores well in terms of workmanship and stability. Other aspects such as sound quality, input devices, and connectivity also seem to be near-perfect."
Get a great deal on the Dell Alienware X17 R2 or the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i
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 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.
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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.
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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.