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The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
If performance is your highest priority and you engage in intensive tasks like gaming, 3D rendering, or engineering, the Dell Alienware X17 R2 will serve you well with its superior GPU and CPU. However, it's more expensive, heavier, and has a shorter battery life, making it less suitable for frequent travel. On the other hand, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio offers better portability, a longer battery life, and a touchscreen with a higher resolution and aspect ratio that can benefit creative and design work. It's also less expensive but doesn't match the Alienware's performance for demanding software and games. 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
- Best in class speakers
Advantages of the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio
- Good portability
- Good battery life
Key differences
General Use
8.2
7.4
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
367.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
491.0 nits
2.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
6.0/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.8/10
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 is very good for general use, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio is good.
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 excels in general use due to its powerful CPU and ample RAM, providing ample performance for demanding tasks, alongside a high-quality screen, but it's heavier and has shorter battery life, affecting its portability. The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio, while less powerful, offers good performance for everyday tasks, a high-resolution touchscreen with a unique flexible hinge for tablet use, better portability with longer battery life, but with less RAM and storage capacity.
Gaming and AI
8.9
6.6
9.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
480Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
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 Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio is only fair.
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 is equipped with a high-end GPU and a high screen refresh rate, making it well-suited for gaming and 3D applications that demand smooth graphics and fast performance. On the other hand, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio, while offering a decent CPU and good screen quality, has a GPU and screen refresh rate that are less optimized for demanding gaming and 3D tasks.
Engineering and Design
9.1
7.3
9.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.5/10
9.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.9/10
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 is excellent for engineering and design, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio is good.
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 boasts a more powerful CPU and GPU, which are crucial for demanding engineering and design tasks, along with a larger amount of RAM and a screen that excels in brightness and color representation, making it very good for such uses. In contrast, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio offers a unique flexible hinge for versatile use as a drawing tablet and is more portable due to its lighter weight and longer battery life, thus it is considered good for engineering and design use.
Content Creation
8.3
7.4
9.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.5/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 is very good for content creation, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 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
8.0
17.3in
SIZE
14.4in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
480Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
367.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
491.0 nits
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 has a better screen than the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio for gaming and AI, software development, and content creation.
Selecting between the Dell Alienware X17 R2 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio for screen quality, both laptops boast displays well-suited for general use and engineering due to their high resolution and brightness, providing sharp images and good visibility. They have wide color gamuts, delivering precise hues vital for engineering and design tasks, ensuring your work is color-accurate. However, for gaming and 3D applications, their lower refresh rates may not be ideal, as this can impact the smoothness of motion rendering, which is critical for a more immersive and responsive experience in fast-paced visuals.
Battery
2.0 Hours
8.0 Hours
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 has 2 hours of battery life. The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio has 8 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
14.4in
6.8 lbs
WEIGHT
4.0 lbs
0.8in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio has good portability, while the Dell Alienware X17 R2 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$2,000
$1,700
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 has a price of $2,000 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio costs $1,700.
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Key similarities
Software Development
7.8
7.3
9.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.5/10
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 and Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 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.
Build Quality
8.5
8.5
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 and Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 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 X17 R2 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Dell Alienware X17 R2 | Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$2,000 | $1,700 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | December 1, 2021 | September 1, 2021 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 15.7'' x 11.8'' x 0.82'' | 12.7'' x 9'' x 0.75'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 6.82 lbs | 4 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 15.72" | 12.72" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 11.79" | 8.98" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i9-12900HK | Intel i7-11370H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 32 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 1024 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 2 Hours | 8 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 87 Wh | 58 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 17.3" | 14.4" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 2400 x 1600 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 480Hz | 120Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 367 nits | 491 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 8.5/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 6.1/10 | 7.9/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | Yes | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 7/10 | 6.8/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8.5/10 | 8/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 9.5/10 | 8/10 | |
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 | 2 | 0 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 4 | 2 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 4 | 4 | |
Shopping
Dell Alienware X17 R2
See more
Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Allen Ngo | May 2022
"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."
Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio
See more
Dig into reviews and images
PCMag
Tom Brant | October 2021
"There’s no doubt that the Surface Laptop Studio is groundbreaking. We’ve come to expect such things from the Surface lineup, so it’s always nice to see a product that exceeds our expectations. The pull-forward laptop-screen concept has been tried before, but never in a device that’s so stylish and packed with innovative features like a haptic touchpad and robust digital stylus support."
Get a great deal on the Dell Alienware X17 R2 or the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio
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 Microsoft
Microsoft is an American technology corporation. Microsoft is best known for their Windows operating system and Surface laptop series. The Surface Laptop is their standard notebook offering, while their Surface Go, Surface Pro, and Surface Studio are their 2-in-1/tablet offerings in order of increasing capability. Although Microsoft charges a premium price tag for their laptops, buyers can expect a well integrated and packaged device since Microsoft develops the Windows operating system.
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