Alienware M15 R5 vs. Razer Blade 17 (Mid 2021): Which is better?

Here is a side by side comparison between Alienware M15 R5 and Razer Blade 17 (Mid 2021) specs including CPU, RAM, storage, battery, display, and more.

Alienware M15 R5 Pros

Reasons that Alienware M15 R5 is better than Razer Blade 17 (Mid 2021).

About 12% lighter

Alienware M15 R5 weighed 5.34 pounds, 12% lighter than the 6.06 pounds Razer Blade 17 (Mid 2021).

WeightAlienware M15 R5Razer Blade 17 (Mid 2021)
Pound
5.34 lbs.
6.06 lbs.
Kilogram
2.42 kg
2.75 kg

Razer Blade 17 (Mid 2021) Pros

Reasons that Razer Blade 17 (Mid 2021) is better than Alienware M15 R5.

Slightly faster CPU performance

Intel Core i9-11900H inside Razer Blade 17 (Mid 2021) has a 5% better multi-core CPU performance score than the AMD Ryzen 9-5900HX inside Alienware M15 R5.

Geekbench 5 multi-core score
Razer Blade 17 (Mid 2021) - Intel Core i9-11900H
8,121
Razer Blade 17 (Mid 2021) - Intel Core i7-11800H
7,908
Alienware M15 R5 - AMD Ryzen 9-5900HX
7,663
Alienware M15 R5 - AMD Ryzen 7-5800H
7,098
Supports larger memory

Razer Blade 17 (Mid 2021) supports a larger memory capacity than the Alienware M15 R5. It supports up to 64GB versus 32GB of system memory on the Alienware M15 R5.

Max system memory size
Razer Blade 17 (Mid 2021)
64 GB
Alienware M15 R5
32 GB
10% larger display

Razer Blade 17 (Mid 2021) has a 17.3-inch screen size 10% larger than the 15.6-inch Alienware M15 R5.

Display size
Razer Blade 17 (Mid 2021)
17.3-inch
Alienware M15 R5
15.6-inch

Key Similars

Similar characteristics share between Alienware M15 R5 and Razer Blade 17 (Mid 2021).

Uses the same memory type and speed

Both laptops supports the same 3200MHz DDR4 RAM.

Memory type and speed
Alienware M15 R5 - DDR4
3,200 MHz
Razer Blade 17 (Mid 2021) - DDR4
3,200 MHz
Upgradable memory

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

MemoryAlienware M15 R5Razer Blade 17 (Mid 2021)
Slots
x2
x2
TypeDDR4DDR4

Prices

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

Alienware M15 R5 AMD Ryzen Price
Alienware M15 R5 Gaming Laptop, 15.6 inch FHD 360Hz 1ms G-SYNC Display, AMD Ryzen R9 5900HX, GeForce RTX 3070, 64GB RAM, 2TB NVMe SSD, Killer WiFi, RGB Keyboard, Windows 11, Dark Side of The Moon
Alienware M15 R5 Gaming Laptop, 15.6 inch FHD 360Hz 1ms G-SYNC Display, AMD Ryzen R9 5900HX, GeForce RTX 3070, 64GB RAM, 2TB NVMe SSD, Killer WiFi, RGB Keyboard, Windows 11, Dark Side of The Moon
By Dell
$2,659.00
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
$2,584.00
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
$1,756.70
Razer Blade 17 (Mid 2021) Price
Razer Blade 17 Gaming Laptop: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti - 12th Gen Intel 14-Core i7 CPU - 17.3" QHD 240Hz - 16GB DDR5 RAM, 1TB PCIe SSD - Windows 11 - Chroma RGB - Thunderbolt 4 - SD Card Reader
Razer Blade 17 Gaming Laptop: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti - 12th Gen Intel 14-Core i7 CPU - 17.3" QHD 240Hz - 16GB DDR5 RAM, 1TB PCIe SSD - Windows 11 - Chroma RGB - Thunderbolt 4 - SD Card Reader
By Razer
$1,939.00
$3,199.99 39% OFF
Razer Blade Pro 17 Gaming Laptop 2021: Intel Core i7-11800H 8-Core, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070, 17.3" FHD 360Hz, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD - Chroma RGB - Thunderbolt 3 - SD Card Reader
Razer Blade Pro 17 Gaming Laptop 2021: Intel Core i7-11800H 8-Core, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070, 17.3" FHD 360Hz, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD - Chroma RGB - Thunderbolt 3 - SD Card Reader
By Razer
$2,329.97
Razer Blade 16 (2024) Gaming Laptop: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 - Intel Core i9-14900HX 14th Gen CPU - 16" OLED QHD+ 240Hz Display - 16GB RAM - 1TB SSD - Aluminum Unibody - Windows 11 - Chroma RGB
Razer Blade 16 (2024) Gaming Laptop: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 - Intel Core i9-14900HX 14th Gen CPU - 16" OLED QHD+ 240Hz Display - 16GB RAM - 1TB SSD - Aluminum Unibody - Windows 11 - Chroma RGB
By Razer
$2,999.99

Availability

Alienware M15 R5Razer Blade 17 (Mid 2021)
Released20212021
Release DateAnnounced on April 20, 2021Announced on July 14, 2021.
Pricing-
  • $2,399.99
    i7-11800H 16GB 1TB RTX 3060 QHD 165Hz
  • $2,499.99
    i7-11800H 16GB 1TB RTX 3060 FHD 360Hz
  • $2,699.99
    i7-11800H 16GB 1TB RTX 3070 QHD 165Hz
  • $2,799.99
    i7-11800H 16GB 1TB RTX 3070 QHD 240Hz
  • $2,799.99
    i7-11800H 16GB 1TB RTX 3070 FHD 360Hz
  • $3,299.99
    i7-11800H 32GB 1TB RTX 3080 FHD 360Hz
  • $3,699.99
    i9-11900H 32GB 1TB RTX 3080 4K 120Hz Touch
Generations-

Exterior

Alienware M15 R5Razer Blade 17 (Mid 2021)
Dimensions14.02” x 10.73” x 0.47 - 0.76” (356.20 x 272.50 x 12 - 19.25 mm)15.55” x 10.24” x 0.78” (395 mm x 260 mm x 19.9 mm)
Weight5.34 - 5.93 lbs (2.42 - 2.69 kg)6.06 lbs (2.75 kg)
ColorsDark Side of the Moon with High Endurance Clear Coat and Silky Smooth Finish
Anodized Matte Black
T6 CNC Aluminum with illuminated Razer Logo.
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.
  • Full-size backlit keyboard
    • Per-Key RGB powered by Razer Chroma™
    • Anti-ghosting keyboard
    • Half arrow keys.
  • Precision Glass Touchpad
    • A large, clickable glass touchpad with Microsoft Precision Touchpad support.

Display

Alienware M15 R5Razer Blade 17 (Mid 2021)
Size15.6 Inches17.3 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
  • 17.3” FHD 360Hz
    1920 x 1080 16:9 300Hz IPS 100% sRGB 3ms response time 6 mm side bezel
  • 17.3” QHD 165Hz
    2560 x 1440 16:9 165Hz IPS 100% sRGB 300-nits 6 mm side bezel
  • 17.3” QHD 240Hz
    2560 x 1440 16:9 240Hz IPS 100% DCI-P3 6 mm side bezel
  • 17.3” UHD 120Hz
    3840 x 2160 16:9 120Hz IPS 100% Adobe RGB 400-nits Touchscreen Corning Gorilla Glass 6 mm side bezel

Ports

Alienware M15 R5Razer Blade 17 (Mid 2021)
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
Left
  • 1 x USB-C
    Supports Thunderbolt 4, 20V USB-C chargers with PD 3.0.
  • 2 x USB-A
    Support USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gbps).
  • 1 x RJ-45
    Gigabit Ethernet port.
  • 1 x 3.5mm combo audio jack.
  • 1 x AC power port.
Right
  • 1 x USB-C
    Supports Thunderbolt 4, 20V USB-C chargers with PD 3.0.
  • 1 x USB-A
    Support USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gbps).
  • 1 x HDMI 2.1
    Supports up to 4K@120Hz.
  • 1 x SD Card Reader
    Supports UHS-III.
  • 1 x Kensington lock slot.

Internal Specs

Alienware M15 R5Razer Blade 17 (Mid 2021)
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. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-11800H
    8 cores, 16 threads, 2.30 → 4.60 GHz, 24MB SmartCache, 45W
  2. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-11900H
    8 cores, 16 threads, 2.50 → 4.90 GHz, 24MB 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. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-11800H
    Intel® UHD Graphics
    32 Execution Units, 350 → 1450 MHz
  2. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-11900H
    Intel® UHD Graphics
    32 Execution Units, 350 → 1450 MHz
Memory
8 GB 16 GB 32 GB
3200MHz Dual-channel DDR4 SDRAM.
2 x SO-DIMM slots.
Memory Slots
  • 2 x DDR4 SODIMM slots
Memory Configurations
  • Speed: 3200 MHz
  • Memory Type: Non-ECC Single or Dual-Channel
  • Minimum Memory: 4GB
  • Maximum Memory: 64B
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 RTX™ 3060
    6GB GDDR6 Max Power: 95W 3840 CUDA cores. Speed: up to 1530 MHz
  • NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3070
    8GB GDDR6 Max Power: 95W 5120 CUDA cores. Speed: up to 1410 MHz
  • NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3080
    8GB GDDR6 Max Power: 95W 6144 CUDA cores. Speed: up to 1365 MHz
Storage2 x M.2 2230/2280 slots (Up to 2TB each)Storage Slots
  • 2 x M.2 PCIe 4.0 x4 slots
Storage Configurations
  • Up to 2 x 2TB SSD

Connectivity

Alienware M15 R5Razer Blade 17 (Mid 2021)
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 Wi-Fi 6E AX210
Up to 2400 Mbps Triple band 2.4 GHz/5 GHz/6 GHz WiFi 6 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax Bluetooth 5.2
BluetoothBluetooth 5.2Bluetooth 5.2
EthernetGigabit Ethernet Controller
Transfer rate: 10/100/1000/2500 Mbps
2.5 Gigabit LAN
Speed: 10/100/1000/2500 Mbps.

Battery

Alienware M15 R5Razer Blade 17 (Mid 2021)
Size
  • 56 WHr, 3-cell smart lithium-ion battery
  • 86 WHr, 6-cell smart lithium-ion battery
70.5Wh
2-cells Lithium-ion polymer battery.
Power Supply
180W 240W
power adapter.
230W Proprietary AC Adapter

Software

Alienware M15 R5Razer Blade 17 (Mid 2021)
OS
Windows 10 Home Windows 10 Pro
Upgradable to Windows 11
Windows 10 Home 64-bit
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)
Razer Synapse 3 enabled with programmable keyboard

Camera & Audio

Alienware M15 R5Razer Blade 17 (Mid 2021)
CameraFront-facing camera
Alienware HD (1280x720 resolution) camera.
  • Front-facing camera
    Top-mount front camera with Full HD 1080p.
  • Windows® Hello built-in IR 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
  • Built-in stereo 2.0 speakers (4 speakers)
  • THX® Spatial Audio
  • 3.5mm headphone/microphone combo port
  • Dolby® Atmos support, 7.1 Codec support (via HDMI)
  • 4 Built-in microphones

Misc

Alienware M15 R5Razer Blade 17 (Mid 2021)
Security-
  • Intel® Platform Trust Technology (Intel® PTT) security embedded
  • Kensington™ Security Slot
  • Windows Hello Facial Recognition
In the box-
  • Razer Blade 17
  • Power adapter + regional power cord
  • Micro-fiber cleaning cloth
  • Important Product Information Guide

Key Features

Alienware M15 R5Razer Blade 17 (Mid 2021)
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
2021
16:9 QHD
17.3”
1440p 240Hz
Weight
6.06 lb
2.75 kg
Up to
Intel Core i9-11900H
8C/16T, 2.50 → 4.90 GHz
Geekbench 5
1,430
Single Core
Geekbench 5
8,121
Multi-Core
With integrated
Intel® UHD Graphics
32 Execution Units, 350 → 1450 MHz
Upgradable up to
64GB
3200 MHz DDR4
NVIDIA GeForce
RTX 3080
8GB GDDR6 Max at 95W

Comparison Summary

Alienware M15 R5 vs. Razer Blade 17 (Mid 2021)

Dell has released the Alienware M15 R5, a 15.6-inch machine, in early-2021. It is powered by up to an octa-core AMD Ryzen 9-5900HX with a boost clock speed up to 4.60 GHz. The laptop has a dedicated GPU option up to Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 with 8GB GDDR6.

On the other hand, we have the 17.3-inch Blade 17 (Mid 2021) was introduced by Razer around the same year in mid-2021. It comes with up to an octa-core Intel Core i9-11900H with a boost clock speed up to 4.90 GHz. It has a dedicated GPU option up to NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 with 8GB GDDR6 Max at 95W.

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Alienware M15 R51
AMD Ryzen™ 7 5800H1,33491.00%
2
AMD Ryzen™ 9 5900HX1,41696.59%
Razer Blade 17 (Mid 2021)1
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-11800H1,466100.00%
2
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-11900H1,43097.54%
01,466

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

Alienware M15 R51
AMD Ryzen™ 7 5800H7,09887.40%
2
AMD Ryzen™ 9 5900HX7,66394.36%
Razer Blade 17 (Mid 2021)1
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-11800H7,90897.38%
2
11th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-11900H8,121100.00%
08,121

The Alienware M15 R5 has a 15.6-inch display which is slightly smaller than the 17.3-inch Razer Blade 17 (Mid 2021). In addition, The Alienware M15 R5 weighs 5.34 lbs. about 13% lighter than the 6.06 lbs. Razer Blade 17 (Mid 2021). Moreover, measured at 14.02” x 10.73” x 0.76”, the Alienware M15 R5 is considerably more portable than the Razer Blade 17 (Mid 2021) at 15.55” x 10.24” x 0.78”.

Alienware M15 R5Razer Blade 17 (Mid 2021)

Moving over to upgradability, Dell claims that the Alienware M15 R5 supports up to 32GB 3200 MHz DDR4 memory that you can upgrade with two 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.

For Razer Blade 17 (Mid 2021), it supports up to 64GB 3200 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.

Comments

Ask questions or share your thought and experience about the comparison between Alienware M15 R5 and Razer Blade 17 (Mid 2021).

Loading Comments...