Alienware M15 R5 vs. Alienware M15 R2: Full specs comparison

We have comprehensively analyzed the technical specifications for the Alienware M15 R5 and Alienware M15 R2 models. Our report includes intricate details such as the CPU, memory, storage, battery life, display quality, and other features.

Alienware M15 R5 Pros

Reasons that Alienware M15 R5 is better than Alienware M15 R2.

Newer manufacturing

2021 vs. 2019

Slightly faster CPU performance

AMD Ryzen 9-5900HX inside Alienware M15 R5 has a 17% better multi-core CPU performance score than the Intel Core i9-9980HK inside Alienware M15 R2.

Geekbench 5 multi-core score
Alienware M15 R5 - AMD Ryzen 9-5900HX
7,663
Alienware M15 R5 - AMD Ryzen 7-5800H
7,098
Alienware M15 R2 - Intel Core i9-9980HK
6,504
Alienware M15 R2 - Intel Core i9-9880H
6,100
Alienware M15 R2 - Intel Core i7-9750H
4,880
Alienware M15 R2 - Intel Core i5-9300H
3,308
Supports larger memory

Alienware M15 R5 supports a larger memory capacity than the Alienware M15 R2. It supports up to 32GB versus 16GB of system memory on the Alienware M15 R2.

Max system memory size
Alienware M15 R5
32 GB
Alienware M15 R2
16 GB
Supports faster memory

Alienware M15 R5 supports a faster memory speed than the Alienware M15 R2. It supports up to 3200MHz versus 2666MHz of system memory on the Alienware M15 R2.

Memory type and speed
Alienware M15 R5 - DDR4
3,200 MHz
Alienware M15 R2 - DDR4
2,666 MHz
Upgradable memory

Alienware M15 R5 comes with two SODIMM slots that allow you to replace or upgrade when needed. On the flip side, you can't upgrade RAM on the Alienware M15 R2 since it has onboard memory.

MemoryAlienware M15 R5Alienware M15 R2
Slots
x2
Onboard
TypeDDR4DDR4

Alienware M15 R2 Pros

Reasons that Alienware M15 R2 is better than Alienware M15 R5.

About 11% lighter

Alienware M15 R2 weighed 4.76 pounds, 11% lighter than the 5.34 pounds Alienware M15 R5.

WeightAlienware M15 R5Alienware M15 R2
Pound
5.34 lbs.
4.76 lbs.
Kilogram
2.42 kg
2.16 kg

Prices

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

Alienware M15 R5 AMD Ryzen Price
Newest Alienware m15 R5 15.6" 360Hz 1ms FHD Gaming Laptop, AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX (8 cores), GeForce RTX 3070, 64GB RAM, 2TB PCIe SSD, HDMI, WiFi 6, RGB Keyboard, Win 11 Home, Dark Side of The Moon
Newest Alienware m15 R5 15.6" 360Hz 1ms FHD Gaming Laptop, AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX (8 cores), GeForce RTX 3070, 64GB RAM, 2TB PCIe SSD, HDMI, WiFi 6, RGB Keyboard, Win 11 Home, Dark Side of The Moon
By Dell
$1,775.00
Dell Alienware m15 R5 Ryzen Edition Gaming Laptop (2021) | 15.6" 360Hz FHD | Core Ryzen 7-512GB SSD Hard Drive - 16GB RAM - RTX 3070 | 8 Cores @ 4.4 GHz - 8GB GDDR6 Win 11 Home (Renewed)
Dell Alienware m15 R5 Ryzen Edition Gaming Laptop (2021) | 15.6" 360Hz FHD | Core Ryzen 7-512GB SSD Hard Drive - 16GB RAM - RTX 3070 | 8 Cores @ 4.4 GHz - 8GB GDDR6 Win 11 Home (Renewed)
By Dell
$1,465.99
Dell Alienware m15 R5 Ryzen Edition Gaming Laptop (2021) | 15.6" FHD | Core Ryzen 9-1TB SSD - 32GB RAM - RTX 3070 | 12 Cores @ 4.7 GHz - 8GB GDDR6
Dell Alienware m15 R5 Ryzen Edition Gaming Laptop (2021) | 15.6" FHD | Core Ryzen 9-1TB SSD - 32GB RAM - RTX 3070 | 12 Cores @ 4.7 GHz - 8GB GDDR6
By Dell
$1,999.99
Alienware M15 R2 Price
2019 Dell Alienware m15 R2 Laptop 15.6" - Intel Core i7 9th Gen - i7-9750H - Six Core 4.5Ghz - 1TB SSD + 1TB SSD - 16GB RAM - Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 - 1920x1080 FHD - Windows 10 Pro (Renewed)
2019 Dell Alienware m15 R2 Laptop 15.6" - Intel Core i7 9th Gen - i7-9750H - Six Core 4.5Ghz - 1TB SSD + 1TB SSD - 16GB RAM - Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 - 1920x1080 FHD - Windows 10 Pro (Renewed)
By Dell
$2,006.99
Alienware X15 R2 Gaming Laptop - 15.6-inch FHD 360Hz 1ms Display, Intel Core i7-12700H, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070Ti 8GB GDDR6, USB-C, WiFi 6, Bluetooth, Windows 11 Home - White
Alienware X15 R2 Gaming Laptop - 15.6-inch FHD 360Hz 1ms Display, Intel Core i7-12700H, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070Ti 8GB GDDR6, USB-C, WiFi 6, Bluetooth, Windows 11 Home - White
By Alienware
$1,823.63
$1,999.97 9% OFF
Alienware m15 R7 Gaming Laptop - 15.6-inch 240Hz 2ms QHD, Intel Core i9-12900H, 32GB DDR5 RAM, 1TB SSD, NVIDIA Geforce RTX 3080 Graphics, Killer AX 1675i with Dell services, Windows 11 Home - Dark
Alienware m15 R7 Gaming Laptop - 15.6-inch 240Hz 2ms QHD, Intel Core i9-12900H, 32GB DDR5 RAM, 1TB SSD, NVIDIA Geforce RTX 3080 Graphics, Killer AX 1675i with Dell services, Windows 11 Home - Dark
By Alienware
$1,725.00
$2,399.00 28% OFF

Availability

Alienware M15 R5Alienware M15 R2
Released20212019
Release DateAnnounced on April 20, 2021
  • Announced at Computex 2019
  • Available on June 11, 2019
Generations

Exterior

Alienware M15 R5Alienware M15 R2
Dimensions14.02” x 10.73” x 0.47 - 0.76” (356.20 x 272.50 x 12 - 19.25 mm)Base
Width: 14.19 in. (360.50 mm)
Depth: 10.87 in. (276 mm)
Height: 0.70 - 0.77 in. (17.90 - 19.50 mm)
With Tobii Eye Tracking
Width: 14.19 in. (360.50 mm)
Depth: 10.87 in. (276 mm)
Height: 0.720 - 0.807 in. (18.30 - 20.50 mm)
Weight5.34 - 5.93 lbs (2.42 - 2.69 kg)Average at 4.76 lbs (2.16 kg)
ColorsDark Side of the Moon with High Endurance Clear Coat and Silky Smooth Finish
  • Dar Side of the moon
  • Lunar Light
Keyboard and Trackpad
  • Keyboard
    • Alienware mSeries 4-Zone AlienFX RGB keyboard.
    • RGB per-key backlit Cherry mechanical keyboard.
    • AlienFX lighting
    • Includes anti-ghosting and N-key rollover technology
    • 1.8mm key travel
    • 0.2mm-dish concave key design
  • Touchpad
    • 4.13 x 2.36 in (105 mm x 80 mm) precision touchpad with multi-touch gesture support.
  • Alienware mSeries keyboard with per-key RGB LED.
  • AlienFX lighting
  • Includes anti-ghosting and N-key rollover technology
  • 1.7mm key travel
  • 0.2mm-dish concave key design
  • 4.13 x 2.36 in (105 mm x 80 mm) precision touchpad with multi-touch gesture support.

Display

Alienware M15 R5Alienware M15 R2
Size15.6 Inches15.6 Inches
Info
  • 15.6” FHD with 165Hz
    1920 x 1080 141 PPI 9ms response time 300 nits 16:9 100% sRGB color gamut 1000:1 Anti-glare WVA 6W
  • 15.6” FHD with 360Hz
    1920 x 1080 141 PPI 5ms response time 300 nits 16:9 100% sRGB color gamut 1000:1 Anti-glare WVA 8W
  • 15.6” QHD with 240Hz
    2560 x 1440 188 PPI 9ms response time 400 nits 16:9 99% DCI-P3 color gamut 1000:1 Anti-glare WVA 10W
Full HD with 60Hz refresh rate
  • 1920 x 1080, 141 PPI, 35ms response time, 300 nits, 16:9, 72% color gamut, 700:1 contrast ratio, Anti-glare, 6.20W max power consumption.
Full HD with 144Hz refresh rate
  • 1920 x 1080, 141 PPI, 19ms response time, 300 nits, 16:9, 72% color gamut, 800:1 contrast ratio, Anti-glare, 7.80W max power consumption.
Full HD with 240Hz refresh rate
  • 1920 x 1080, 141 PPI, 8ms response time, 300 nits, 16:9, 72% color gamut, 1000:1 contrast ratio, Anti-glare, 4.41W max power consumption.
Ultra HD with 60Hz refresh rate
  • 3180 x 2160, OLED, 282 PPI, 1ms response time, 300 nits, 16:9, HDR-400 DCI-P3 color gamut, 10,000:1 contrast ratio, TrueLife, 14.80W max power consumption
All options
  • Wide Viewing Angles on all displays with 85 degrees viewing from all directions

Ports

Alienware M15 R5Alienware M15 R2
Alienware M15 R5 Ports
Image Source: Dell
  • 1 x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 with DisplayPort
  • 2 x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 Port
  • 1 x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 port with PowerShare
  • 1 x RJ-45
  • 1 x HDMI 2.1
    Supports up to 4K@120Hz display out.
  • 1 x Headset port
  • 1 x Power/DC-in Port
Alienware M15 R2 Ports
Image Source: Dell
  • 1 x Power/DC-in Port
  • 1 x RJ-45 Ethernet port
  • 2 x Type-A USB 3.1 Gen 1 Port
  • 1 x Type-A USB 3.1 Gen 1 port with PowerShare technology
  • 1 x Thunderbolt™ 3 Port (USB Type-C™ with support for USB 3.1 Gen 2 10Gbps, 40Gbps Thunderbolt, and DisplayPort 1.2)
  • 1 x Alienware Graphics Amplifier Port
  • 1 x HDMI 2.0b Output Port
  • 1 x Mini-Display Port 1.4 (certified) Output Port
  • 1 x Audio Out 1/8" Ports (Compatible with inline mic headset)
  • 1 x Wedge-shaped lock slot (cable and lock sold separately)

Internal Specs

Alienware M15 R5Alienware M15 R2
Processor
  1. AMD Ryzen™ 7 5800H
    8 cores, 16 threads, 3.20 → 4.40 GHz, 4MB L2 Cache, 16MB L3 Cache, 45W
  2. AMD Ryzen™ 9 5900HX
    8 cores, 16 threads, 3.30 → 4.60 GHz, 4MB L2 Cache, 16MB L3 Cache, 45W
  1. 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-9300H
    4 cores, 8 threads, 2.40 → 4.10 GHz, 8MB SmartCache, 45W
  2. 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-9750H
    6 cores, 12 threads, 2.60 → 4.50 GHz, 12MB SmartCache, 45W
  3. 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-9880H
    8 cores, 16 threads, 2.30 → 4.80 GHz, 16MB SmartCache, 45W
  4. 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-9980HK
    8 cores, 16 threads, 2.40 → 5.00 GHz, 16MB SmartCache, 45W
Integrated Graphics
  1. AMD Ryzen™ 7 5800H
    AMD Radeon™ Graphics
    8 Graphics Cores, 2000 MHz
  2. AMD Ryzen™ 9 5900HX
    AMD Radeon™ Graphics
    8 Graphics Cores, 2100 MHz
  1. 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-9300H
    Intel® UHD Graphics 630
    24 Execution Units, 350 → 1050 MHz
  2. 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-9750H
    Intel® UHD Graphics 630
    24 Execution Units, 350 → 1150 MHz
  3. 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-9880H
    Intel® UHD Graphics 630
    24 Execution Units, 350 → 1200 MHz
  4. 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-9980HK
    Intel® UHD Graphics 630
    24 Execution Units, 350 → 1250 MHz
Memory
8 GB 16 GB 32 GB
3200MHz Dual-channel DDR4 SDRAM.
2 x SO-DIMM slots.
  • 8 GB 16 GB
    2666 MHz Dual-channel DDR4 RAM.
Discrete Graphics
  • NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3050 Ti
    4GB GDDR6 VRAM.
  • NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3060
    6GB GDDR6 VRAM.
  • NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3070
    8GB GDDR6 VRAM.
  • NVIDIA® GeForce GTX® 1650 (4GB GDDR5)
  • NVIDIA® GeForce GTX® 1650 Ti (6GB GDDR5)
  • NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 2060 (6GB GDDR6) OC Ready
  • NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 2070 (8GB GDDR6) with Max-Q Design
  • NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 2080 (8GB GDDR6) with Max-Q Design
Storage2 x M.2 2230/2280 slots (Up to 2TB each)Single Storage Configurations
  • 256 GB PCIe M.2 SSD
  • 512 GB PCIe M.2 SSD
  • 512 GB Intel Optane M.2 SSD
  • 1 TB PCIe M.2 SSD
  • 2 TB PCIe M.2 SSD
Dual Storage Configurations
  • 512 GB RAID0 (2 x 256 GB PCIe M.2 SSDs)
  • 1 TB RAID0 (2 x 512 GB PCIe M.2 SSDs)
  • 512 GB Intel Optane M.2 SSD + 512 GB PCIe M.2 SSD
  • 2 TB RAID0 (2 x 1 TB PCIe M.2 SSDs)
  • 4 TB RAID0 (2 x 2 TB PCIe M.2 SSDs)

Connectivity

Alienware M15 R5Alienware M15 R2
Wi-FiRivet Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX1650x
Dual Band 2.4 GHz/5 GHz Up to 2400 Mbps WiFi 6 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax
  • Intel 8265, Dual Band 2.4 GHz/5 GHz up to 867 Mbps, WiFi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac.
  • Rivet killer 1650w, Dual Band 2.4 GHz/5 GHz up to 2400 Mbps, WiFi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax.
BluetoothBluetooth 5.2
  • Intel 8265 › Bluetooth 4.2
  • Rivet Killer 1650w › Bluetooth 5.0
EthernetGigabit Ethernet Controller
Transfer rate: 10/100/1000/2500 Mbps
  • Killer E2600 PCI-E Gigabit Ethernet Controller
  • Killer E3000 PCI-E Gigabit Ethernet Controller (Optional)

Battery

Alienware M15 R5Alienware M15 R2
Size
  • 56 WHr, 3-cell smart lithium-ion battery
  • 86 WHr, 6-cell smart lithium-ion battery
6-cell lithium-ion polymer (76Wh) with Alienware Battery Defender technology
Battery Life-
  • Up to 15.5 hours on FHD panel
  • Up to 10.8 hours on UHD panel
Power Supply
180W 240W
power adapter.
  • E4 130W (19.50 VDC/6.70A)
  • E4 180W (19.50 VDC/9.23A)
  • E4 240W (19.50 VDC/12.31A)
* Support Hybrid Power

Software

Alienware M15 R5Alienware M15 R2
OS
Windows 10 Home Windows 10 Pro
Upgradable to Windows 11
Windows 10 Home Windows 10 Pro
Upgradable to Windows 11
Built-in Apps
  • Alienware Command Center
    Supports AlienFX lighting, Game
    Library with auto-tune game profile functionality.
  • Alienware Adrenalin
  • Alienware Mobile Connect
  • Microsoft Office 365 (30-day trial)
  • Alienware Command Center
  • Alienware Adrenlin
  • Alienware Mobile Connect
  • Microsoft Office 365 (30-day trial)

Camera & Audio

Alienware M15 R5Alienware M15 R2
CameraFront-facing camera
Alienware HD (1280x720 resolution) camera.
  • Front-facing camera
    Alienware FHD (1920x1080 resolution) camera.
Audio
  • Controller: Realtek ALC3254
    • 7.1 Digital Audio out using HDMI out connection
    • Alienware Sound Center via Alienware Command Center
  • Speakers:
    • 2 x 2W speakers
  • Microphone:
    • Dual-array microphones
  • Realtek ALC3281-CG
  • 2.0 Speaker configuration
  • 7.1 Digital Audio out using HDMI out connection
  • Alienware Sound Center via Alienware Command Center
  • Microphone:
    • Digital-array microphones in the camera assembly

Misc

Alienware M15 R5Alienware M15 R2
Sensors-
  • Tobii Eye Tracking (Optional)
Security-
  • Wedge-shaped lock slot
More-CHASIS
  • AlienFX Lighting Zones Programmable with up to 16.8 million distinct colors
  • Exterior Chassis Materials
    • Magnesium Alloy exterior shell
    • Copper Alloy thermal structures

Key Features

Alienware M15 R5Alienware M15 R2
At Glance
Released in Early
2021
16:9 QHD
15.6”
1440p 240Hz
Weight
5.34 lb
2.42 kg
Up to
AMD Ryzen 9-5900HX
8C/16T, 3.30 → 4.60 GHz
Geekbench 5
1,416
Single Core
Geekbench 5
7,663
Multi-Core
With integrated
AMD Radeon™ Graphics
8 Graphics Cores, 2100 MHz
Upgradable up to
32GB
3200 MHz DDR4
Alienware M15 R5 Ports
Nvidia GeForce
RTX 3070
8GB GDDR6
Released in Mid
2019
16:9 FHD
15.6”
1080p 240Hz
Weight
4.76 lb
2.16 kg
Up to
Intel Core i9-9980HK
8C/16T, 2.40 → 5.00 GHz
Geekbench 5
1,114
Single Core
Geekbench 5
6,504
Multi-Core
With integrated
Intel® UHD Graphics 630
24 Execution Units, 350 → 1250 MHz
Configurable up to
16GB
2666 MHz DDR4
Alienware M15 R2 Ports
Nvidia GeForce
RTX 2080 SUPER
8GB GDDR6 with Max-Q

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