Dell XPS 17 9720 (2022) vs Alienware m18
Please select specific configurations for the laptops to get a more accurate comparative review
Review
Performance
System and application performance
Gaming
Performance in popular 3D games
Display
Viewing angle, color accuracy, brightness
Battery Life
Potential battery life in light and average use
Connectivity
Ports, webcam and other interfaces
Portability
Design, materials, durability and usability
Pick the usage scenario that best matches your needs
Value for money (Beta)
Key Differences
Advantages of the Dell XPS 17 9720 (2022)
- Significantly easier to carry: weighs 2020 grams less (around 4.45 lbs)
- Thinner bezels and 26% higher screen-to-body ratio
- Higher number of cutting-edge USB Type-C ports: 4 versus 3
- Provides 67% higher max. screen brightness: 500 vs 300 nits
- Much smaller footprint: 29% more compact case (144 vs 203.5 square inches)
Advantages of the Dell Alienware m18
- Higher screen refresh rate: 480 versus 60 Hz
- Includes an old-school USB-A port
- Performs significantly better (up to 2.1x) in 3DMark Steel Nomad Lite
- Can run popular games at about 54-74% higher FPS
- Around 48% better multi-core CPU performance in the Cinebench 2024 test
- Better webcam recording quality
Tests and Specifications
Comparison table of test results and technical specsCase
| Weight | 2.21 kg (4.87 lbs) | 4.23 kg (9.33 lbs) |
| Dimensions | 374.4 x 248 x 19.5 mm 14.74 x 9.76 x 0.77 inches |
410.3 x 319.9 x 24.1-26.7 mm 16.15 x 12.59 x 0.95-1.05 inches |
| Area | 929 cm2 (143.9 inches2) | 1313 cm2 (203.3 inches2) |
| Screen-to-body ratio | ~90.3% | ~71.6% |
| Side bezels | 4.1 mm | 11.3 mm |
| Colors | Black, Silver | Black, Gray |
| Material | Aluminum | Aluminum |
| Transformer | No | No |
| Opening angle | 140° | 135° |
Size comparison
| Cooling system | Active | Active |
| Vapor chamber | Yes | Yes |
| Liquid metal | No | Yes |
| Number of fans | 2 | 4 |
| Noise level (max. load) | 47.9 dB | 56.7 dB |
Display
| Size | 17 inches | 18 inches |
| Type | IPS LCD | IPS LCD |
| Refresh rate | 60 Hz | 480 Hz |
| PPI | 133 ppi | 126 ppi |
| Aspect ratio | 16:10 | 16:10 |
| Resolution | 1920 x 1200 pixels | 1920 x 1200 pixels |
| HDR support | - | Yes, Dolby Vision |
| Sync technology | No | G-Sync |
| Touchscreen | No | No |
| Coating | Matte | Matte |
| Ambient light sensor | Yes | No |
Screen space comparison
Alienware m18
18″ (16:10 ratio) = 145.6 in2
XPS 17 9720 (2022)
17″ (16:10 ratio) = 129.9 in2
~12% more screen space
| Contrast | 1750:1 | 1000:1 |
| sRGB color space | 100% | 100% |
| Adobe RGB profile | 100% | - |
| DCI-P3 color gamut | 98% | 100% |
| Response time | 35 ms | 3 ms |
Max. brightness
Battery
Capacity
| Voltage | 11.4 V | - |
| Full charging time | 2:00 hr | 2:00 hr |
| Battery type | Li-Po | Li-Ion |
| Replaceable | No | No |
| Fast charging | Yes | Yes |
| Charging via USB (Power Delivery) | Yes | Yes |
| Charging port position | Left, Right | Bottom |
| Charge power | 130 W | 300 / 330 W |
| Cable length | - | 1 meters |
| Weight of AC adapter | 508 grams | 1478 / 1512 grams |
CPU
CPU name
| Base frequency | 2.5 GHz | 2.6 GHz |
| Turbo frequency | 4.5 GHz | 4.9 GHz |
| Cores | 12 (4P + 8E) | 14 (6P + 8E) |
| Threads | 16 | 20 |
| L3 Cache | 18 MB | 24 MB |
| Integrated GPU | Intel Iris Xe Graphics (80EU) | Intel UHD Graphics (16EU) |
| Fabrication process | 10 nm | 10 nm |
Benchmarks
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
Cinebench 2024 (Single-Core)
Cinebench 2024 (Multi-Core)
Graphics Card
GPU name
| TGP | 60 W | 115 W |
| Nvidia Optimus | Yes | MUX |
| Type | Dedicated | Dedicated |
| Fabrication process | 8 nm | 5 nm |
| GPU base clock | 1237 MHz | 2070 MHz |
| GPU boost clock | 1500 MHz | 2370 MHz |
| FLOPS | 6.1 TFLOPS | 12.1 TFLOPS |
| Memory size | 4 GB | 6 GB |
| Memory type | GDDR6 | GDDR6 |
| Memory bus | 128 bit | 96 bit |
| Memory speed | 12 Gbps | ~16 Gbps |
| Shading units (cores) | 2048 | 2560 |
| Texture mapping units (TMUs) | 64 | 80 |
| Raster operations pipelines (ROPs) | 40 | 32 |
| GPU performance | 6.1 TFLOPS | 12.1 TFLOPS |
GPU Benchmarks
Steel Nomad Lite Score
| Blender GPU | 1063 | 3117 |
| Solar Bay | 20858 | 40590 |
Expected FPS based on average performance across 9 popular games. Details
RAM
RAM size
| Channels | 1x8 GB | 2x8 GB |
| Clock | 4800 MHz | 4800 MHz |
| Type | DDR5 | DDR5 |
| Upgradable | Yes | Yes |
| Total slots | 2 | 2 |
| Max. ram size | 64 GB | 64 GB |
Storage
Storage size
| Bus | PCI-E Gen 4.0 (4x) | PCI-E Gen 4.0 (4x) |
| Storage type | SSD (M2) | SSD (M2) |
| Channels | 1x256 GB | 1x256 GB |
| Upgradable | Yes | Yes |
| Total slots | 2 | 4 |
| NVMe | Yes | Yes |
Sound
| Audio chip | Realtek ALC711-CG | Realtek ALC3254 |
| Speakers | 2.2 (2 tweeters and 2 woofers) | 2.0 |
| Power | 2x2.5W, 2x1.5W | 2x2W |
| Dolby Atmos | No | Yes |
| Loudness | ~79.8 dB | ~83.8 dB |
| Microphones | 2 | 2 |
Connectivity
| Wi-Fi standard | v6E | v6E |
| Bluetooth | v5.2 | v5.3 |
| Fingerprint | Yes | No |
| Infrared sensor | Yes | Yes |
| Optical drive | No | No |
| Webcam | Above the display | Above the display |
| Webcam resolution | 1280 x 720 | 1920 x 1080 |
| USB-A | No | 3x USB 3.2 |
| USB Type-C | 4x USB 4.0 | 3x USB 4.0 |
| Thunderbolt | Thunderbolt 4 | Thunderbolt 4 |
| HDMI | No | 1x HDMI 2.1 |
| DisplayPort | No | 1x v1.4 |
| VGA | No | No |
| Audio jack (3.5 mm) | Yes | Yes |
| Ethernet (RJ45) | No | Yes |
| SD card reader | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary charging port | No | Yes |
Input
| Keyboard type | Island | Mechanical |
| Numpad | No | Yes |
| Backlight | Yes | Yes |
| Key travel | 1.3 mm | 1.8 mm |
| Size | 14.9 x 8.9 cm | 13.1 x 8.0 cm |
| Surface | Glass | Glass |
| Windows Precision | Yes | Yes |
Further details
Notes on XPS 17 9720 (2022):
- USB-C to USB-A and HDMI adapters are included in the box.
Notes on Alienware m18:
- Optional CherryMX low-profile mechanical switches.
- Supports a maximum of 9 TB of storage (2x4 TB + 2x512 TB).
- The RAM can operate at up to 5800 MHz, thanks to the XMP profiles.
*Disclaimer! Ports, speakers, display, and other specifications can vary depending on the laptop's specific configuration or region.
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