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Aspire 1
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Alienware X17 R2
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What we think

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The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·

For general use like web browsing and office tasks, the Acer Aspire 1 is much less expensive, lightweight, and has silent operation due to its fanless design, but it has modest performance and limited storage. The Dell Alienware X17 R2, on the other hand, is built for high-end gaming and engineering applications with a powerful processor, top-tier graphics, and a high-refresh-rate screen, which makes it suitable for intensive 3D rendering, machine learning, and gaming. However, it's considerably more expensive, heavier, and has shorter battery life, which impacts its portability. 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 Acer Aspire 1
  • Good portability
  • Good battery life
Advantages of the Dell Alienware X17 R2
  • Very good for general use
  • Excellent for engineering and design
  • Excellent for gaming and AI
  • Good for software development
  • Very good for content creation
  • Very good overall display quality
  • Very good overall build quality
  • Best in class speakers
  • Very good keyboard

Key differences

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General Use

5.8
Aspire 1
Alienware X17 R2
8.2
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
TN
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
200.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
367.0 nits
6.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
2.0 Hours
6.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
7.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.0/10
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 is very good for general use, while the Acer Aspire 1 is poor.

Gaming and AI

5.7
Aspire 1
Alienware X17 R2
9.1
2.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
480Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 is excellent for gaming and AI, while the Acer Aspire 1 is poor.

Engineering and Design

5.5
Aspire 1
Alienware X17 R2
9.0
3.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.5/10
2.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.9/10
4.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 is excellent for engineering and design, while the Acer Aspire 1 is poor.

Content Creation

5.9
Aspire 1
Alienware X17 R2
8.4
3.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.5/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
4.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
TN
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 is very good for content creation, while the Acer Aspire 1 is poor.

Software Development

6.1
Aspire 1
Alienware X17 R2
7.9
3.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.5/10
4.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
6.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 is good for software development, while the Acer Aspire 1 is only fair.

Screen Quality

5.2
Aspire 1
Alienware X17 R2
8.5
15.6in
SIZE
17.3in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
TN
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
480Hz
200.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
367.0 nits
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 has a better screen than the Acer Aspire 1 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.

Battery

6.0 Hours
Aspire 1
Alienware X17 R2
2.0 Hours
The Acer Aspire 1 has 6 hours of battery life. The Dell Alienware X17 R2 has 2 hours of battery life.

Portability

Good
Aspire 1
Alienware X17 R2
Fair
15.6in
SIZE
17.3in
4.1 lbs
WEIGHT
6.8 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The Acer Aspire 1 has good portability, while the Dell Alienware X17 R2 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.

Build Quality

5.5
Aspire 1
Alienware X17 R2
8.5
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 has very good build quality, while the Acer Aspire 1 has poor build quality.

Cost

$215
Aspire 1
Alienware X17 R2
$2,000
Product image
Product image

$0

$500

$1,000

$1,500

$2,000

$2,500

$3,000

The Acer Aspire 1 has a price of $215 and the Dell Alienware X17 R2 costs $2,000.
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How the Acer Aspire 1 and the Dell Alienware X17 R2 compare to other laptops

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Spec Comparison

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Acer Aspire 1Dell Alienware X17 R2
Acer Aspire 1Dell Alienware X17 R2

GENERAL

Price
$215
$2,000
Release Date
October 1, 2022December 1, 2021
Overall Dimensions
14.3'' x 9.4'' x 0.78''15.7'' x 11.8'' x 0.82''
Weight
4.19 lbs6.82 lbs

INTERNAL

Processor
Intel Celeron N4500Intel i9-12900HK
Graphics
UHD Graphics RTX 3080 Ti (175 W)
Mux Switch / Advanced Optimus
NoYes
RAM
4 GB32 GB
DDR Memory Version
45

BATTERY

Battery Life
6 Hours2 Hours
Battery Capacity
36.7 Wh87 Wh

SCREEN

Diagonal Size
15.6"17.3"
Display Technology
TNIPS
Resolution
1920 x 10801920 x 1080
Refresh Rate
60Hz480Hz
Display Brightness
200 nits367 nits

RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS

Build Quality Score
5.6/108.5/10
Portability Score
7.5/106.1/10
Gaming Laptop Appearance
NoYes
Fan Noise Score
10/107/10
Keyboard Lighting Color
N/ARGB
Warranty Period
1 year1 year

HARDWARE FEATURES

Keyboard Quality Score
6/108.5/10
Speaker Quality Score
5.4/109.5/10
Webcam
720p720p
Fingerprint Reader
NoNo
Backlit Keyboard
NoYes
Number Pad
YesNo

CONNECTIVITY

USB Type-A
32
USB-C ports
02
USB-C Charging
NoYes
Display Outputs
14
Thunderbolt Version
N/A4

Shopping

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Acer Aspire 1

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Dig into reviews and images

CNET

Joshua Goldman | May 2020
"There are no surprises and nothing's extraordinary here but this laptop's price. For those in need of an inexpensive Windows laptop for undemanding tasks, though, the Acer Aspire 1 offers just enough to get the basics done and a larger screen to do them on."

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."

Get a great deal on the Acer Aspire 1 or the Dell Alienware X17 R2

About Acer

Acer is a prominent Taiwanese electronics brand which makes a wide range of laptops, with multiple product lines catering to personal use, gaming, and business use. They are renowned for having exceptional value for money, as they frequently offer good specifications at a lower price than other manufacturers.

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.

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About the laptop team

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.

Jason Lew

Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.

Chandradeep Chowdhury

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.

Craig Russell

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.

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