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Updated January 10, 2024·
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 tends to be slightly more expensive and offers top-tier performance for intensive tasks such as 3D rendering, machine learning, and engineering software, with excellent general use capabilities as well. However, it is less portable due to its larger size and weight. The MSI Raider GE66 is more portable, has a higher resolution and brighter display which might be better for detailed visual work, and offers excellent performance for general use and gaming. Choose the Alienware if you prioritize performance over portability and the MSI if you need a balance of high resolution, portability, and cost savings. 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
- Best in class speakers
Advantages of the MSI Raider GE66
- Very good for software development
- Good battery life
- Excellent keyboard
Key differences
Screen Quality
8.5
8.4
17.3in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
480Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
367.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
300.0 nits
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 has a better screen than the MSI Raider GE66 for gaming and AI, while the MSI Raider GE66 has a better screen for content creation.
For general use, a laptop with clear, bright display and crisp resolution makes for comfortable and visually pleasing everyday tasks, and both the Dell Alienware X17 R2 and the MSI Raider GE66 offer these with their high-quality panels. In engineering and design, accurate color representation is crucial and both laptops provide a wide color gamut, ensuring that the designs you work on are vibrant and true to life. However, for gaming and 3D applications which demand quick image refresh for smooth motion, both these laptops have screens that refresh slower than ideal, leading to less fluid motion in fast-paced scenarios.
Battery
2.0 Hours
6.0 Hours
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 has 2 hours of battery life. The MSI Raider GE66 has 6 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
Fair
17.3in
SIZE
15.6in
6.8 lbs
WEIGHT
5.2 lbs
0.8in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The MSI Raider GE66 and Dell Alienware X17 R2 both have only fair portability, though the MSI Raider GE66 has somewhat better portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$2,000
$2,499
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
$4,000
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 has a price of $2,000 and the MSI Raider GE66 costs $2,499.
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Key similarities
General Use
8.2
8.3
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
367.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
300.0 nits
2.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
6.0 Hours
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
6.0/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.8/10
The MSI Raider GE66 and Dell Alienware X17 R2 are both very good for general use.
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 offers a larger screen with lower resolution and higher maximum refresh rate, making it suitable for fast-paced usage, while its heavier weight and lower battery life make it less portable compared to the MSI Raider GE66, which features a higher resolution but smaller screen and improved battery life for better on-the-go use.
Gaming and AI
8.9
8.5
9.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.8/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
480Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.2/10
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 and MSI Raider GE66 are both very good for gaming and AI.
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 excels in gaming and 3D tasks with its highly powerful Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti GPU and an extremely high screen refresh rate, maximizing graphical detail and smoothness in fast-paced scenarios. Meanwhile, the MSI Raider GE66, with a strong Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti GPU and a high refresh rate display, offers excellent gaming performance, though slightly lesser than the Alienware due to the differences in GPU capabilities and lower refresh rate, but it compensates with a higher resolution screen for crisper images.
Engineering and Design
9.1
8.9
9.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
9.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.8/10
32.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Dell Alienware X17 R2 to be excellent for engineering and design, while the MSI Raider GE66 is very good.
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 excels in engineering and design use due to its powerful Intel i9 processor, abundant RAM, top-tier Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti GPU, and high screen quality, making it suitable for demanding tasks. Similarly, the MSI Raider GE66 stands out with a capable Intel i7 processor, ample RAM, a robust Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti GPU, and a higher-resolution screen, but offers greater portability and a higher-quality keyboard, trading off against the slightly less powerful GPU compared to the Alienware.
Content Creation
8.3
8.3
9.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
32.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 and MSI Raider GE66 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
8.0
9.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
32.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers MSI Raider GE66 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.
Build Quality
8.5
8.5
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 and MSI Raider GE66 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 MSI Raider GE66 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Dell Alienware X17 R2 | MSI Raider GE66 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$2,000 | $2,499 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | December 1, 2021 | January 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 15.7'' x 11.8'' x 0.82'' | 14.1'' x 10.5'' x 0.92'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 6.82 lbs | 5.25 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 15.72" | 14.09" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 11.79" | 10.51" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i9-12900HK | Intel i7-12700H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 32 GB | 32 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 1024 GB | 1024 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 2 Hours | 6 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 87 Wh | 99.9 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 17.3" | 15.6" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 2560 x 1440 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 480Hz | 240Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 367 nits | 300 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 8.5/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 6.1/10 | 6.9/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | Yes | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 7/10 | 6.3/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8.5/10 | 9/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 9.5/10 | 7.5/10 | |
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 | 3 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | No | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 4 | 4 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 4 | 4 | |
Shopping
Dell Alienware X17 R2
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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."
MSI Raider GE66
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Patrick Schüdzig | June 2022
"The MSI Raider GE66 12UHS notebook passes with flying colors. The GE66 is a high-end notebook with strong performance. The keyboard and trackpad are still very good and score well with precise inputs as well as high build quality. Thanks to a new liquid metal cooling solution, the Intel Core i9 12900HK brings a performance increase of around 50 percent over the predecessor's Intel Core i9 10980HK. The installed graphics card in our device delivers up to 30 percent higher frame rates than the RTX 2070 Super in the MSI GE66 10SFS."
Get a great deal on the Dell Alienware X17 R2 or the MSI Raider GE66
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 MSI
MSI, also known as Micro-Star International, is a Taiwanese technology corporation. MSI is known for their wide range of gaming devices. Their series include the entry-level Cyborg/Thin and Sword/Katana series, the mid-range Bravo/Delta and Crosshair/Pulse series, and their high-end Vector, Raider, Stealth, and Titan GT series. At every performance level, MSI offers a variety of devices with varying balances between performance, battery life, weight, and price, making them a solid option to consider at every price point.
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