Alienware Area-51m vs. Surface Laptop 3: Full specs comparison

We thoroughly analyzed technical specifications for Alienware Area-51m and Surface Laptop 3 models, including CPU, memory, storage, battery life, display quality, and other features.

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Alienware Area-51m image

Alienware Area-51m

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Surface Laptop 3

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Alienware Area-51m Pros

Reasons that Alienware Area-51m is better than Surface Laptop 3.

Much faster CPU performance

Intel Core i9-9900K inside Alienware Area-51m has a 211% better multi-core CPU performance score than the AMD Ryzen 7-3780U Microsoft Surface Edition inside Surface Laptop 3.

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
Alienware Area-51m - Intel Core i7-8700
5,810
Surface Laptop 3 - Intel Core i7-1065G7
3,722
Surface Laptop 3 - Intel Core i5-1035G7
3,691
Surface Laptop 3 - AMD Ryzen 7-3780U Microsoft Surface Edition
2,741
Surface Laptop 3 - AMD Ryzen 5-3580U Microsoft Surface Edition
2,438
Supports larger memory

Alienware Area-51m supports a larger memory capacity than the Surface Laptop 3. It supports up to 64GB versus 16GB of system memory on the Surface Laptop 3.

Max system memory size
Alienware Area-51m
64 GB
Surface Laptop 3
16 GB
Upgradable memory

Alienware Area-51m comes with four SODIMM slots that allow you to replace or upgrade when needed. On the flip side, you can't upgrade RAM on the Surface Laptop 3 since it has onboard memory.

MemoryAlienware Area-51mSurface Laptop 3
Slots
x4
Onboard
TypeDDR4 XMPLPDDR4X
Supports discrete graphics

Configurable up to Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 8GB GDDR6 vs. integrated

28% larger display

Alienware Area-51m has a 17.3-inch screen size 28% larger than the 13.5-inch Surface Laptop 3.

Display size
Alienware Area-51m
17.3-inch
Surface Laptop 3
13.5-inch

Surface Laptop 3 Pros

Reasons that Surface Laptop 3 is better than Alienware Area-51m.

Supports faster memory

Surface Laptop 3 supports a faster memory speed than the Alienware Area-51m. It supports up to 3733MHz versus 2800MHz of system memory on the Alienware Area-51m.

Memory type and speed
Surface Laptop 3 - LPDDR4X
3,733 MHz
Alienware Area-51m - DDR4 XMP
2,800 MHz
About 68% lighter

Surface Laptop 3 weighed 2.79 pounds, 68% lighter than the 8.54 pounds Alienware Area-51m.

WeightAlienware Area-51mSurface Laptop 3
Pound
8.54 lbs.
2.79 lbs.
Kilogram
3.87 kg
1.27 kg

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
See at Amazon
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
$194.03
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Alienware m18 AMD Gaming Laptop - 18-inch FHD+ (1920 x 1200) 480Hz 3ms Display, AMD Ryzen 9-7845HX, 32GB DDR5 RAM, 1TB SSD, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 GDDR6, 1-Year Premium Support - Dark Metallic Moon
 Alienware m18 AMD Gaming Laptop - 18-inch FHD+ (1920 x 1200) 480Hz 3ms Display, AMD Ryzen 9-7845HX, 32GB DDR5 RAM, 1TB SSD, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 GDDR6, 1-Year Premium Support - Dark Metallic Moon
By Alienware
$2,840.07
See at Amazon
Surface Laptop 3 Price
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 13.5" Touch-Screen Intel Core i5-8GB Memory - 256GB Solid State Drive (PKX-00003) Matte Black (Renewed)
 Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 13.5" Touch-Screen Intel Core i5-8GB Memory - 256GB Solid State Drive (PKX-00003) Matte Black (Renewed)
By Microsoft
$299.00
$319.00 6% OFF
See at Amazon
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 – 13.5" Touch-Screen – Intel Core i7 - 16GB Memory - 512GB Solid State Drive (Latest Model) – Platinum with Alcantara (Renewed)
 Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 – 13.5" Touch-Screen – Intel Core i7 - 16GB Memory - 512GB Solid State Drive (Latest Model) – Platinum with Alcantara (Renewed)
By Microsoft
$404.48
$453.99 11% OFF
See at Amazon
Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 (2023) - 12.4" Touchscreen, Thin & Lightweight, Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD SSD, with Windows 11, Platinum Color Copilot
 Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 (2023) - 12.4" Touchscreen, Thin & Lightweight, Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD SSD, with Windows 11, Platinum Color Copilot
By Microsoft
$699.99
$799.99 13% OFF
See at Amazon

Specs Comparison

Availability

Alienware Area-51mSurface Laptop 3
Released20192019
Release Date
  • Announced at CES 2019
  • Available on January 29, 2019
  • Introduced: October 2, 2019 (Microsoft October Event)
  • Pre-ordered: October 2, 2019
  • Released: October 22, 2019
PricingStarting at $2,549.99
  • Surface Laptop 3 (13.5”) › Starting at 999$
  • Surface Laptop 3 (15”) › Starting at 1,199$
Generations-

Exterior

Alienware Area-51mSurface Laptop 3
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)
  • Surface Laptop 3 (13.5”)
    12.1” x 8.8” x 0.57” (308 mm x 223 mm x 14.5 mm).
  • Surface Laptop 3 (15”)
    13.4” x 9.6” x 0.57” (339.5 mm x 244 mm x 14.69 mm).
WeightMaximum at 8.54 lbs. (3.87 Kg)
  • Surface Laptop 3 (13.5”)
    • 2.84 lb (1,288 g)
      Sandstone and Matte Black
    • 2.79 lb (1,265 g)
      Cobalt Blue and Platinum
  • Surface Laptop 3 (15”)
    • 3.40 lb (1,542 g)
Colors
  • Lunar Light
  • Dark Side of the Moon
  • Surface Laptop 3 (13.5”)
    • Metal
      Matte Black Sandstone
    • Alcantara
      Matte Black Platinum
  • Surface Laptop 3 (15”)
    • Metal
      Matte Black Platinum
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.
  • Keyboard:
    • Full-size backlit keyboard with the soft-touch feel and full 1.3mm travel.
    • Large palm rest with premium Alcantara® material for maximized typing comfort.
  • Trackpad:
    • Larger size 115 mm x 76.66 mm, glass.
    • Supports up to Five-finger multitouch gesture.

Display

Alienware Area-51mSurface Laptop 3
Size17.3 Inches13.5 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
  • Surface Laptop 3 (13.5”)
    • Resolution: 2256 x 1504 (3.4M Pixels)
    • Pixel Per Inch: 201
  • Surface Laptop 3 (15”)
    • Resolution: 2496 x 1664 (4.15M Pixels)
    • Pixel Per Inch: 201
  • PixelSense™ Display
  • Aspect ratio: 3:2
  • Inking: designed together with Surface Pen
  • Touch: 10 points multi-touch
  • Corning® Gorilla® Glass 3
  • 10nm Oleophobic Coating
  • 100% sRGB color, individually calibrated

Ports

Alienware Area-51mSurface Laptop 3
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)
Surface Laptop 3 Ports
Image Source: Microsoft
  • 1 x Full-size USB 3.0
  • 1 x USB Type-C 3.1 Gen 2
    Supports Power Delivery and DisplayPort.
  • 1 x Surface Connect™
    Supports charging and docking station.
  • 1 x Headset jack

Internal Specs

Alienware Area-51mSurface Laptop 3
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™ i5-1035G7
    4 cores, 8 threads, 1.20 → 3.70 GHz, 6MB SmartCache, 15W
  2. 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1065G7
    4 cores, 8 threads, 1.30 → 3.90 GHz, 8MB SmartCache, 15W
  3. AMD Ryzen™ 5 3580U Microsoft Surface® Edition
    4 cores, 8 threads, 2.10 → 3.70 GHz, 2MB L2 Cache, 4MB L3 Cache, 15W
  4. AMD Ryzen™ 7 3780U Microsoft Surface® Edition
    4 cores, 8 threads, 2.30 → 4.00 GHz, 2MB L2 Cache, 4MB L3 Cache, 15W
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™ i5-1035G7
    Intel® Iris® Plus Graphics
    64 Execution Units, 300 → 1050 MHz
  2. 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1065G7
    Intel® Iris® Plus Graphics
    64 Execution Units, 300 → 1100 MHz
  3. AMD Ryzen™ 5 3580U Microsoft Surface® Edition
    Radeon™ Vega 9 Graphics
    9 Graphics Cores, 1300 MHz
  4. AMD Ryzen™ 7 3780U Microsoft Surface® Edition
    Radeon™ RX Vega 11 Graphics
    11 Graphics Cores, 1400 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
  • Surface Laptop 3 (13.5”)
    • 8GB 16GB
      3733 MHz LPDDR4X RAM
  • Surface Laptop 3 (15”)
    • 8GB 16GB
      2400 MHz DDR4 RAM
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)
-
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
128 GB 256 GB 512 GB 1 TB
Removable M.2 NVMe SSD

Connectivity

Alienware Area-51mSurface Laptop 3
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.
  • Surface Laptop 3 (13.5”) Wi-Fi 6: IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax compatible.
  • Surface Laptop 3 (15”) Wi-Fi 5: IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac compatible.
Bluetooth
  • Rivet Killer 1550 › Bluetooth 5.0
  • Rivet Killer AX1650 › Bluetooth 5.1
  • Bluetooth Wireless 5.0 technology
Ethernet
  • Killer™ Ethernet E3000 PCI-e Gigabit ethernet controller
    Transfer rate: 10/100/1000/2500 Mbps
-

Battery

Alienware Area-51mSurface Laptop 3
Size
  • 6-cell smart lithium-ion (90Wh)
45.8 Wh
Battery Life-Up to 11.5 hours of typical device usage
Power Supply
  • 180W (19.50 VDC/9.23A)
  • 240W (19.50 VDC/9.23A)
  • 330W (19.50 VDC/9.23A)
  • 60W power supply with USB-A (5W) (65W total)
  • Supports Fast Charge (0-80% in about one hour)

Software

Alienware Area-51mSurface Laptop 3
OS
Windows 10 Home Windows 10 Pro
Upgradable to Windows 11
  • For Consumer: Windows 10 Home
  • For Commercial: Windows 10 Pro
Free upgrade to Windows 11
Built-in Apps
  • Alienware Command Center
  • Alienware Mobile Connect
  • Microsoft Office 365 (30-day trial)
Microsoft Office 365 30-days trial

Camera & Audio

Alienware Area-51mSurface Laptop 3
Camera
  • Front-facing camera
    Alienware HD (1280 x 720 resolution) camera.
  • Windows Hello face authentication camera (front-facing)
  • 720p HD front-facing video 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
  • Dual far-field Studio Mics
  • OmniSonic stereo speakers with Dolby® Audio™ Premium

Misc

Alienware Area-51mSurface Laptop 3
Inking-Supports Surface Pen
4096 levels of pressure
Tilt sensing
Best in class latency
Sensors
  • Tobii Eye Tracking (Optional)
  • Ambient light sensor
Security
  • Wedge-shaped lock slot
  • HW TPM 2.0 chip for enterprise security
  • Enterprise-grade protection with Windows Hello face sign-in
In the box-
  • Surface Laptop 3
  • Power supply
  • Quick Start Guide
  • Safety and warranty documents
Warranty1 Year Hardware Service with Onsite/In-Home Service After Remote Diagnosis
  • One-year limited hardware warranty
  • Commercial: Advanced Exchange warranty service with expedited device replacement
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
Supports Surface Dial
Supports off-screen interaction only

Key Features

Alienware Area-51mSurface Laptop 3
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
2019
3:2 2.5K
13.5”
1664p 60Hz
Weight
2.79 lb
1.27 kg
Up to
AMD Ryzen 7-3780U Microsoft Surface Edition
4C/8T, 2.30 → 4.00 GHz
Geekbench 5
721
Single Core
Geekbench 5
2,741
Multi-Core
With integrated
Radeon™ RX Vega 11 Graphics
11 Graphics Cores, 1400 MHz
Configurable up to
16GB
3733 MHz LPDDR4X
Surface Laptop 3 Ports

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