Alienware Area-51m vs. MSI GE66 Raider 10SX: Which is better?

Here is a side by side comparison between Alienware Area-51m and MSI GE66 Raider 10SX specs including CPU, RAM, storage, battery, display, and more.

Alienware Area-51m Pros

Reasons that Alienware Area-51m is better than MSI GE66 Raider 10SX.

Significantly faster CPU performance

Intel Core i9-9900K inside Alienware Area-51m has a 21% better multi-core CPU performance score than the Intel Core i9-10980HK inside MSI GE66 Raider 10SX.

Geekbench 5 multi-core score
Alienware Area-51m - Intel Core i9-9900K
8,543
Alienware Area-51m - Intel Core i9-9900
7,669
Alienware Area-51m - Intel Core i7-9700K
7,192
MSI GE66 Raider 10SX - Intel Core i9-10980HK
7,013
Alienware Area-51m - Intel Core i7-8700
5,810
MSI GE66 Raider 10SX - Intel Core i7-10750H
5,412
10% larger display

Alienware Area-51m has a 17.3-inch screen size 10% larger than the 15.6-inch MSI GE66 Raider 10SX.

Display size
Alienware Area-51m
17.3-inch
MSI GE66 Raider 10SX
15.6-inch

MSI GE66 Raider 10SX Pros

Reasons that MSI GE66 Raider 10SX is better than Alienware Area-51m.

Newer manufacturing

2020 vs. 2019

Supports faster memory

MSI GE66 Raider 10SX supports a faster memory speed than the Alienware Area-51m. It supports up to 2933MHz versus 2800MHz of system memory on the Alienware Area-51m.

Memory type and speed
MSI GE66 Raider 10SX - DDR4
2,933 MHz
Alienware Area-51m - DDR4 XMP
2,800 MHz
About 39% lighter

MSI GE66 Raider 10SX weighed 5.24 pounds, 39% lighter than the 8.54 pounds Alienware Area-51m.

WeightAlienware Area-51mMSI GE66 Raider 10SX
Pound
8.54 lbs.
5.24 lbs.
Kilogram
3.87 kg
2.38 kg

Key Similars

Similar characteristics share between Alienware Area-51m and MSI GE66 Raider 10SX.

Supports the same maximum memory size of up to 64GB

Both laptops supports up to 64GB of system memory.

Max system memory size
Alienware Area-51m
64 GB
MSI GE66 Raider 10SX
64 GB
Upgradable memory

Both laptops come with available RAM slots that allow you to replace or upgrade when needed.

MemoryAlienware Area-51mMSI GE66 Raider 10SX
Slots
x4
x2
TypeDDR4 XMPDDR4

Prices

Here are the latest price updates and offers for both devices.

Alienware Area-51m Price
Alienware Area 51M Gaming Laptop, 17.3" 300hz 3ms FHD Display, Intel Core i7-10700K, Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 Super 8GB GDDR6, 1TB SSD, 16GB RAM, Lunar Light (AWARR2-7323WHT-PUS)
Alienware Area 51M Gaming Laptop, 17.3" 300hz 3ms FHD Display, Intel Core i7-10700K, Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 Super 8GB GDDR6, 1TB SSD, 16GB RAM, Lunar Light (AWARR2-7323WHT-PUS)
By Alienware
$2,299.99
Dell Alienware Area-51m Elite Gaming Laptop Backpack, 17-Inch, Gray/Black (AWA51BPE17)
Dell Alienware Area-51m Elite Gaming Laptop Backpack, 17-Inch, Gray/Black (AWA51BPE17)
By Dell
$162.75
Dell Alienware Area 51M Laptop, 17.3 FHD (1920 x 1080) 144Hz G-Sync Tobii Eye, 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9700K, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD 1TB SSHD, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080, Windows 10 (Renewed)
Dell Alienware Area 51M Laptop, 17.3 FHD (1920 x 1080) 144Hz G-Sync Tobii Eye, 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9700K, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD 1TB SSHD, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080, Windows 10 (Renewed)
By Dell
$5,899.00
MSI GE66 Raider 10SX Price
MSI GE66210 GE66 Raider 15.6" 300Hz 3ms Gaming Laptop Intel Core i7-10870H RTX3080 32GB 1TB NVMe SSD Win10 VR Ready
MSI GE66210 GE66 Raider 15.6" 300Hz 3ms Gaming Laptop Intel Core i7-10870H RTX3080 32GB 1TB NVMe SSD Win10 VR Ready
By MSI
$1,910.91
MSI GE66 Raider 15.6" QHD 240Hz Gaming Display, Intel Core i9-11980HK, NVIDIA GeForce RTX3070, 32GB, 1TB NVMe SSD, Win10, Titanium Blue (11UG-068)
MSI GE66 Raider 15.6" QHD 240Hz Gaming Display, Intel Core i9-11980HK, NVIDIA GeForce RTX3070, 32GB, 1TB NVMe SSD, Win10, Titanium Blue (11UG-068)
By MSI
$2,399.95
MSI Raider GE66 15.6" UHD 4K 120Hz Gaming Laptop: Intel Core i9-12900HK RTX 3080 Ti 32GB DDR5 1TB NVMe SSD, USB-Type C, Thunderbolt 4, Cooler Boost 5, Win11 Home: Titanium Blue 12UHS-235
MSI Raider GE66 15.6" UHD 4K 120Hz Gaming Laptop: Intel Core i9-12900HK RTX 3080 Ti 32GB DDR5 1TB NVMe SSD, USB-Type C, Thunderbolt 4, Cooler Boost 5, Win11 Home: Titanium Blue 12UHS-235
By MSI
$2,939.99

Availability

Alienware Area-51mMSI GE66 Raider 10SX
Released20192020
Release Date
  • Announced at CES 2019
  • Available on January 29, 2019
-
PricingStarting at $2,549.99-
Generations-

Exterior

Alienware Area-51mMSI GE66 Raider 10SX
Dimensions15.85 x 12.565 x 1.09 - 1.23 in (402.6 x 319.14 x 27.65 - 31.2 mm)
  • Width: 15.85 in. (402.6 mm)
  • Depth: 12.565 in. (319.14 mm)
  • Height: 1.09 - 1.23 in. (27.65 - 31.2 mm)
14.09” x 10.51” x 0.92” (358 x 267 x 23.4 mm)
WeightMaximum at 8.54 lbs. (3.87 Kg)5.24 lbs (2.38 kg)
Colors
  • Lunar Light
  • Dark Side of the Moon
-
Keyboard and Trackpad
  • Keyboard
    • Alienware TactX keyboard with per-key RGB LED AlienFX lighting.
    • Includes anti-ghosting and N-key rollover technology.
    • 2.2mm key travel, programmable macro keys, alphanumeric keys
  • Touchpad
    • 4.13 x 2.56 in (105 mm x 65 mm) All-points addressable (APA) trackpad.
    • AlienFX backlit.
  • Per-Key RGB gaming keyboard by SteelSeries
  • Silky smooth touchpad with multi-touch gesture
  • Mystic Light with panoramic aurora lighting design

Display

Alienware Area-51mMSI GE66 Raider 10SX
Size17.3 Inches15.6 Inches
InfoFull HD with 60Hz refresh rate
  • 1920 x 1080, 127 PPI, 35ms response time, 300 nits, 16:9, 72% color gamut, 600:1 contrast ratio, Anti-glare, 8W max power consumption.
Full HD with 144Hz refresh rate
  • 1920 x 1080, 127 PPI, 19ms response time, 300 nits, 16:9, 72% color gamut, 600:1 contrast ratio, Anti-glare, 8.5W max power consumption.
  • Tobii Eyetracking
  • Options:
    • Anti-Glare
    • Eyesafe® Display Tech
    • Eyesafe® Display Tech + NVIDIA G-SYNC
All options
  • Wide Viewing Angles on all displays with 85 degrees viewing from all directions
  • 15.6" UHD (3840x2160), IPS-Level
  • 15.6" FHD (1920x1080), 144Hz, IPS-Level
  • 15.6" FHD (1920x1080), 240Hz, IPS-Level
  • 15.6" FHD (1920x1080), 300Hz, IPS-Level

Ports

Alienware Area-51mMSI GE66 Raider 10SX
Alienware Area-51m Ports
Image Source: Dell
  • 1 x Power/DC-in Jack
  • 1 x RJ-45 Killer E3000 2.5Gbps Ethernet port
  • 2 x Type-A SuperSpeed USB 3.0 Port
  • 1 x Type-A SuperSpeed USB 3.0 Port with PowerShare technology
  • 1 x Thunderbolt™ 3 Port (USB Type-C™ with support for SuperSpeed USB 10Gbps, 40Gbps Thunderbolt, and DisplayPort)
  • 1 x Alienware Graphics Amplifier Port
  • 1 x HDMI 2.0 Output
  • 1 x Mini-Display Port 1.4 (certified) Output
  • 1 x Headphone / MIC (retaskable)
  • 1 x Global Headset Jack
  • 1 x Wedge-shaped lock slot (cable and lock sold separately)
  • 1 x USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 2 with DisplayPort
  • 1 x USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 2
  • 2 x USB Type-A 3.2 Gen 1
  • 1 x USB Type-A 3.2 Gen 2
  • 1 x RJ45
  • 1 x SD (XC/HC)
  • 1 x HDMI (4K @ 60Hz)
  • 1 x Mini-DisplayPort
  • 1x Mic-in/Headphone-out Combo Jack

Internal Specs

Alienware Area-51mMSI GE66 Raider 10SX
Processor
  1. 8th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-8700
    6 cores, 12 threads, 3.20 → 4.60 GHz, 12MB SmartCache, 65W
  2. 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-9700K
    8 cores, 8 threads, 3.60 → 4.90 GHz, 12MB SmartCache, 95W
  3. 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-9900
    8 cores, 16 threads, 3.10 → 5.00 GHz, 16MB SmartCache, 65W
  4. 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-9900K
    8 cores, 16 threads, 3.60 → 5.00 GHz, 16MB SmartCache, 95W
  1. 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-10750H
    6 cores, 12 threads, 2.60 → 5.00 GHz, 12MB SmartCache, 45W
  2. 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-10980HK
    8 cores, 16 threads, 2.40 → 5.30 GHz, 16MB SmartCache, 45W
Integrated Graphics
  1. 8th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-8700
    Intel® UHD Graphics 630
    24 Execution Units, 350 → 1200 MHz
  2. 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-9700K
    Intel® UHD Graphics 630
    24 Execution Units, 350 → 1200 MHz
  3. 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-9900
    Intel® UHD Graphics 630
    24 Execution Units, 350 → 1200 MHz
  4. 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-9900K
    Intel® UHD Graphics 630
    24 Execution Units, 350 → 1200 MHz
  1. 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-10750H
    Intel® UHD Graphics 630
    24 Execution Units, 350 → 1150 MHz
  2. 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-10980HK
    Intel® UHD Graphics 630
    24 Execution Units, 350 → 1250 MHz
Memory
  • Memory Slots
    • 4-SODIMMs
  • Memory Configurations
    • 16GB, 2x8GB, DDR4, 2400MHz
    • 32GB, 2x16GB, DDR4, 2400MHz
    • 16GB, 2x8GB, DDR4 XMP 2933MHz
    • 64GB, 4x16GB, DDR4 2400MHz
    • 32GB, 2x16GB, DDR4 XMP 2933MHz
    • 64GB, 4x16GB, DDR4 XMP 2800MHz
Up to 64GB 2933MHz Dual-channel DDR4 SDRAM
2 x SO-DIMM slots.
Discrete Graphics
  • NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 2060 6GB GDDR6 (OC Ready)
  • NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 2070 8GB GDDR6 (OC Ready)
  • NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 2080 8GB GDDR6 (OC Ready)
MSI GE66 Raider 10SGS
  • NVIDIA® GeForce® RTX 2080 SUPER™ With Max-Q Design
    Video memory: 8GB GDDR6 VRAM.
MSI GE66 Raider 10SFS
  • NVIDIA® GeForce® RTX 2070 SUPER™
    Video memory: 8GB GDDR6 VRAM.
MSI GE66 Raider 10SF
  • NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 2070
    Video memory: 8GB GDDR6 VRAM.
StorageAvailable Slots
  • Two M.2 2230/2280 slots (Up to 1TB each)
  • One SATA AHCI 6 Gbps (Up to 1TB)
Single Drive
  • 1TB (+8GB SSHD) Hybrid Drive
  • 256GB PCIe M.2 SSD
  • 512GB PCIe M.2 SSD
  • 1TB PCIe M.2 SSD
Dual Drives
  • 128GB PCIe M.2 SSD + 1TB (+8GBSSHD) Hybrid
  • 256GB PCIe M.2 SSD + 1TB (+8GBSSHD) Hybrid
  • 512GB PCIe M.2 SSD + 1TB (+8GBSSHD) Hybrid
  • 1TB PCIe M.2 SSD + 1TB (+8GBSSHD) Hybrid
  • 116GB Intel OptaneSSD + 1TB (+8GBSSHD) Hybrid
RAID-0 Drives
  • 512GB RAID0 (2x 256GB PCIe M.2 SSDs)
  • 1TB RAID0 (2x 512GB PCIe M.2 SSDs)
  • 2TB RAID0 (2x 1TB PCIe M.2 SSDs)
  • 236GB RAID0 (2x 116GB Intel OptaneSSDs)
RAID-0 Plus Drives
  • 512GB RAID0 (2x 256GB PCIe M.2 SSDs) + 1TB (+8GB SSHD) Hybrid Drive
  • 1TB RAID0 (2x 512GB PCIe M.2 SSDs) + 1TB (+8GB SSHD) Hybrid Drive
  • 2TB RAID0 (2x 1TB PCIe M.2 SSDs) + 1TB (+8GB SSHD) Hybrid Drive
  • 236GB RAID0 (2x 116GB Intel OptaneSSDs) + 1TB (+8GB SSHD) Hybrid Drive
  • 1x M.2 SSD slot (NVMe PCIe Gen3)
  • 1x M.2 SSD Combo slot (NVMe PCIe Gen3 / SATA)

Connectivity

Alienware Area-51mMSI GE66 Raider 10SX
Wi-Fi
  • Rivet Killer 1550
    Dual Band 2.4 GHz/5 GHz up to 1733 Mbps, WiFi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac.
  • Rivet Killer WiFi 6 AX1650
    Dual Band 2.4 GHz/5 GHz up to 2400 Mbps, WiFi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax.
  • Killer AX Wi-Fi 6
  • 802.11 ax Wi-Fi 6
Bluetooth
  • Rivet Killer 1550 › Bluetooth 5.0
  • Rivet Killer AX1650 › Bluetooth 5.1
Bluetooth 5.1
Ethernet
  • Killer™ Ethernet E3000 PCI-e Gigabit ethernet controller
    Transfer rate: 10/100/1000/2500 Mbps
  • Killer Gigabit LAN
    Speed: 10/100/1000 Mbps.

Battery

Alienware Area-51mMSI GE66 Raider 10SX
Size
  • 6-cell smart lithium-ion (90Wh)
99.9 Wh (4-cell Li-Ion battery)
Power Supply
  • 180W (19.50 VDC/9.23A)
  • 240W (19.50 VDC/9.23A)
  • 330W (19.50 VDC/9.23A)
MSI GE66 Raider 10SF/10SGS
  • 230W slim power adapter
MSI GE66 Raider 10SFS
  • 280W slim power adapter

Software

Alienware Area-51mMSI GE66 Raider 10SX
OS
Windows 10 Home Windows 10 Pro
Upgradable to Windows 11
Windows 10 Home
Built-in Apps
  • Alienware Command Center
  • Alienware Mobile Connect
  • Microsoft Office 365 (30-day trial)
-

Camera & Audio

Alienware Area-51mMSI GE66 Raider 10SX
Camera
  • Front-facing camera
    Alienware HD (1280 x 720 resolution) camera.
Front-facing camera
1080p (1920 x 1080 FHD) camera.
Audio
  • Controller: Realtek ALC3282-CG
    • 7.1 Digital Audio out using HDMI out connection
    • Alienware Sound Center via Alienware Command Center
  • Speakers:
    • 4-Way Stereo Speaker Design
    • Output: 8-10W
  • Microphone:
    • Dual-array microphones in the camera assembly
  • 2 x 2W Speaker
  • Duo Wave speaker design by Dynaudio system
  • High-Resolution Audio ready
  • Array Microphone

Misc

Alienware Area-51mMSI GE66 Raider 10SX
Sensors
  • Tobii Eye Tracking (Optional)
-
Security
  • Wedge-shaped lock slot
-
Warranty1 Year Hardware Service with Onsite/In-Home Service After Remote Diagnosis-
MoreCHASIS
  • Exterior Chassis Materials
    • Magnesium Alloy
  • Thermal
    • Cryo-Tech v2.0 Cooling Technology
    • Dual-Intake, Dual-Exhaust Airflow Design
    • High-Voltage Driving Fans
    • Load-balancing Heat Pipes
    • Copper Fin Stacks
    • Thermal Controls
    • Whisper-quiet operation
-

Key Features

Alienware Area-51mMSI GE66 Raider 10SX
At Glance
Released in Early
2019
16:9 FHD
17.3”
1080p 144Hz
Weight
8.54 lb
3.87 kg
Up to
Intel Core i9-9900K
8C/16T, 3.60 → 5.00 GHz
Geekbench 5
1,309
Single Core
Geekbench 5
8,543
Multi-Core
With integrated
Intel® UHD Graphics 630
24 Execution Units, 350 → 1200 MHz
Upgradable up to
64GB
2800 MHz DDR4 XMP
Alienware Area-51m Ports
Nvidia GeForce
RTX 2080
8GB GDDR6
Released in
2020
16:9 FHD
15.6”
1080p 300Hz
Weight
5.24 lb
2.38 kg
Up to
Intel Core i9-10980HK
8C/16T, 2.40 → 5.30 GHz
Geekbench 5
1,223
Single Core
Geekbench 5
7,013
Multi-Core
With integrated
Intel® UHD Graphics 630
24 Execution Units, 350 → 1250 MHz
Upgradable up to
64GB
2933 MHz DDR4
NVIDIA® GeForce
RTX 2080 SUPER
8GB GDDR6

Comparison Summary

Alienware Area-51m vs. MSI GE66 Raider 10SX

Dell has released the Alienware Area-51m, a 17.3-inch machine, in early-2019. It is powered by up to an octa-core Intel Core i9-9900K with a boost clock speed up to 5.00 GHz. The laptop has a dedicated GPU option up to Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 with 8GB GDDR6.

On the other hand, we have the 15.6-inch GE66 Raider 10SX was introduced by MSI about a year later in 2020. It comes with up to an octa-core Intel Core i9-10980HK with a boost clock speed up to 5.30 GHz. It has a dedicated GPU option up to NVIDIA® GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER with 8GB GDDR6.

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Alienware Area-51m1
8th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-87001,15588.24%
2
9th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-9700K1,28097.78%
3
9th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-99001,25195.57%
4
9th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-9900K1,309100.00%
MSI GE66 Raider 10SX1
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-10750H1,13486.63%
2
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-10980HK1,22393.43%
01,309

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

Alienware Area-51m1
8th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-87005,81068.01%
2
9th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-9700K7,19284.19%
3
9th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-99007,66989.77%
4
9th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-9900K8,543100.00%
MSI GE66 Raider 10SX1
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-10750H5,41263.35%
2
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-10980HK7,01382.09%
08,543

The Alienware Area-51m has a 17.3-inch display which is slightly larger than the 15.6-inch MSI GE66 Raider 10SX. In addition, the Alienware Area-51m weighs 8.54 lbs. about 62% heavier than the 5.24 lbs. MSI GE66 Raider 10SX. Moreover, measured at 15.85” x 12.565” x 1.23”, the Alienware Area-51m is much bulkier than the MSI GE66 Raider 10SX at 14.09” x 10.51” x 0.92”.

Alienware Area-51mMSI GE66 Raider 10SX

Moving over to upgradability, Dell claims that the Alienware Area-51m supports up to 64GB 2800 MHz DDR4 XMP memory that you can upgrade with four memory module slots on the motherboard. It also comes with two M.2 slots that users can easily upgrade and install an additional SSD to expand the storage on the device. On top of that, it also has a single SATA slot that users can use to install a 2.5-inch SATA SSD, SSHD, or a hard disk drive to add even more storage.

For MSI GE66 Raider 10SX, it supports up to 64GB 2933 MHz DDR4 memory that you can upgrade with two memory module slots on the motherboard. It also has two M.2 slots that users can easily swap or add an extra SSD to get extra space when needed. Besides that, it also comes with a SATA slot where you can install an additional 2.5-inch SATA-based SSD, SSHD, or a hard disk drive.

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