Alienware M15 R5 vs. Surface Laptop 4 15”: Full specs comparison

The following is a comprehensive comparison of the Alienware M15 R5 and Surface Laptop 4 15” specifications, including details on CPU, memory, storage, battery life, display quality, and other features.

Alienware M15 R5 Pros

Reasons that Alienware M15 R5 is better than Surface Laptop 4 15”.

Much faster CPU performance

AMD Ryzen 9-5900HX inside Alienware M15 R5 has a 57% better multi-core CPU performance score than the Intel Core i7-1185G7 inside Surface Laptop 4 15”.

Geekbench 5 multi-core score
Alienware M15 R5 - AMD Ryzen 9-5900HX
7,663
Alienware M15 R5 - AMD Ryzen 7-5800H
7,098
Surface Laptop 4 15” - AMD Ryzen 7-4980U Microsoft Surface Edition
6,365
Surface Laptop 4 15” - Intel Core i7-1185G7
4,864
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 Surface Laptop 4 15” since it has onboard memory.

MemoryAlienware M15 R5Surface Laptop 4 15”
Slots
x2
Onboard
TypeDDR4LPDDR4X
Supports discrete graphics

Configurable up to Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 8GB GDDR6 vs. integrated

Surface Laptop 4 15” Pros

Reasons that Surface Laptop 4 15” is better than Alienware M15 R5.

Supports faster memory

Surface Laptop 4 15” supports a faster memory speed than the Alienware M15 R5. It supports up to 4267MHz versus 3200MHz of system memory on the Alienware M15 R5.

Memory type and speed
Surface Laptop 4 15” - LPDDR4X
4,267 MHz
Alienware M15 R5 - DDR4
3,200 MHz
About 37% lighter

Surface Laptop 4 15” weighed 3.40 pounds, 37% lighter than the 5.34 pounds Alienware M15 R5.

WeightAlienware M15 R5Surface Laptop 4 15”
Pound
5.34 lbs.
3.40 lbs.
Kilogram
2.42 kg
1.54 kg

Key Similars

Similar characteristics share between Alienware M15 R5 and Surface Laptop 4 15”.

Supports the same maximum memory size of up to 32GB

Both laptops supports up to 32GB of system memory.

Max system memory size
Alienware M15 R5
32 GB
Surface Laptop 4 15”
32 GB

Prices

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

Alienware M15 R5 AMD Ryzen Price
Alienware M17R5 Gaming Laptop - 17.3-inch FHD 480Hz Display, AMD Ryzen 9-6900HX, 32GB DDR5 RAM, 1TB SSD, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 GDDR6, Windows 11 Home, 1 Year Support - Dark Side of the Moon, Black
Alienware M17R5 Gaming Laptop - 17.3-inch FHD 480Hz Display, AMD Ryzen 9-6900HX, 32GB DDR5 RAM, 1TB SSD, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 GDDR6, Windows 11 Home, 1 Year Support - Dark Side of the Moon, Black
By Alienware
$1,979.97
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
Surface Laptop 4 15” Price
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15” Touch-Screen – Intel Core i7 - 32GB - 1TB Solid State Drive - Matte Black
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15” Touch-Screen – Intel Core i7 - 32GB - 1TB Solid State Drive - Matte Black
By Microsoft
$969.99
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15in Touch AMD Ryzen 7 16GB RAM 512GB SSD Win 10 Pro
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15in Touch AMD Ryzen 7 16GB RAM 512GB SSD Win 10 Pro
By Microsoft
$599.99
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15" PixelSense Touchscreen Notebook, AMD Ryzen 7 4980U, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD, AMD Radeon Graphics, Windows 10 Pro, Platinum (5VB-00001) (Renewed)
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15" PixelSense Touchscreen Notebook, AMD Ryzen 7 4980U, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD, AMD Radeon Graphics, Windows 10 Pro, Platinum (5VB-00001) (Renewed)
By Microsoft
$429.99

Availability

Alienware M15 R5Surface Laptop 4 15”
Released20212021
Release DateAnnounced on April 20, 2021
  • Introduced: April 13, 2021
  • Released: April 13, 2021
Pricing-
  • $1,299.99
    AMD Ryzen 7 8GB 256GB Platium Only
  • $1,499.99
    AMD Ryzen 7 8GB 512GB
  • $1,699.99
    AMD Ryzen 7 16GB 512GB
  • $1,799.99
    Intel Core i7 16GB 512GB Matte Black Only
  • $2,399.99
    Intel Core i7 32GB 1TB Matte Black Only
Generations

Exterior

Alienware M15 R5Surface Laptop 4 15”
Dimensions14.02” x 10.73” x 0.47 - 0.76” (356.20 x 272.50 x 12 - 19.25 mm)13.4” x 9.6” x 0.57” (339.5 mm x 244 mm x 14.69 mm)
Weight5.34 - 5.93 lbs (2.42 - 2.69 kg)3.40 lb (1,542 g)
ColorsDark Side of the Moon with High Endurance Clear Coat and Silky Smooth FinishMetal
Matte Black Platinum
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.
  • Keyboard:
    • Full-size backlit keyboard with a 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 M15 R5Surface Laptop 4 15”
Size15.6 Inches15 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
  • Resolution: 2496 x 1664 (201 PPI)
  • 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 M15 R5Surface Laptop 4 15”
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
Surface Laptop 4 15” Ports
Image Source: Microsoft
  • 1 x Full-size USB 3.2. Gen 2
  • 1 x USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 2
    Supports Power Delivery and DisplayPort.
  • 1 x Surface Connect™ +
    Supports charging and docking station.
  • 1 x Headset jack

Internal Specs

Alienware M15 R5Surface Laptop 4 15”
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. AMD Ryzen™ 7 4980U Microsoft Surface® Edition
    8 cores, 16 threads, 2.00 → 4.40 GHz, 4MB L2 Cache, 8MB L3 Cache, 15W
  2. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1185G7
    4 cores, 8 threads, 3.00 → 4.80 GHz, 12MB SmartCache, 28W
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. AMD Ryzen™ 7 4980U Microsoft Surface® Edition
    AMD Radeon™ Graphics
    8 Graphics Cores,
  2. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1185G7
    Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics
    96 Execution Units, 400 → 1350 MHz
Memory
8 GB 16 GB 32 GB
3200MHz Dual-channel DDR4 SDRAM.
2 x SO-DIMM slots.
8GB 16GB 32GB
4266 MHz LPDDR4X 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.
-
Storage2 x M.2 2230/2280 slots (Up to 2TB each)
256 GB 512 GB 1 TB
Removable M.2 NVMe SSD

Connectivity

Alienware M15 R5Surface Laptop 4 15”
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
Wi-Fi 6: IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax compatible.
BluetoothBluetooth 5.2Bluetooth Wireless 5.0 technology
EthernetGigabit Ethernet Controller
Transfer rate: 10/100/1000/2500 Mbps
-

Battery

Alienware M15 R5Surface Laptop 4 15”
Size
  • 56 WHr, 3-cell smart lithium-ion battery
  • 86 WHr, 6-cell smart lithium-ion battery
45.8 Wh
Battery Life-
  • Up to 17.5 hours of typical device usage
    AMD™ Ryzen™ 7 models.
  • Up to 16.5 hours of typical device usage
    Intel® Core™ i7 models.
Power Supply
180W 240W
power adapter.
  • 60W power supply with USB-A (5W) (65W total)
  • Supports Fast Charge (0-80% in about one hour)

Software

Alienware M15 R5Surface Laptop 4 15”
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
    Supports AlienFX lighting, Game
    Library with auto-tune game profile functionality.
  • Alienware Adrenalin
  • Alienware Mobile Connect
  • Microsoft Office 365 (30-day trial)
Microsoft Office 365 30-days trial

Camera & Audio

Alienware M15 R5Surface Laptop 4 15”
CameraFront-facing camera
Alienware HD (1280x720 resolution) camera.
  • Windows Hello face authentication camera (front-facing)
  • 720p HD front-facing video 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
  • Dual far-field Studio Mics
  • OmniSonic stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos®

Misc

Alienware M15 R5Surface Laptop 4 15”
Inking-Supports Surface Pen
4096 levels of pressure
Tilt sensing
Best in class latency
Sensors-
  • Ambient light sensor
Security-
  • HW TPM 2.0 chip for enterprise security
  • Enterprise-grade protection with Windows Hello face sign-in
  • Secured-Core PC
    For Surface Laptop 4 powered by AMD RyzenTM Microsoft Surface Edition
  • Windows enhanced hardware security
    For Surface Laptop 4 powered by 11th Gen Intel® Core™ processors
In the box-
  • Surface Laptop 4 15”
  • Power supply
  • Quick Start Guide
  • Safety and warranty documents
Warranty-
  • One-year limited hardware warranty
  • Surface for Business customers: Includes Advanced Exchange, an expedited replacement service, at no additional cost
More-Supports Surface Dial
Supports off-screen interaction only

Key Features

Alienware M15 R5Surface Laptop 4 15”
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 Early
2021
3:2 2.5K
15”
1664p 60Hz
Weight
3.40 lb
1.54 kg
Up to
Intel Core i7-1185G7
4C/8T, 3.00 → 4.80 GHz
Geekbench 5
1,404
Single Core
Geekbench 5
4,864
Multi-Core
With integrated
Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics
96 Execution Units, 400 → 1350 MHz
Configurable up to
32GB
4267 MHz LPDDR4X
Surface Laptop 4 15” Ports

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