Alienware M17 R2 vs. Surface Laptop 3: Full specs comparison

We thoroughly analyzed technical specifications for Alienware M17 R2 and Surface Laptop 3 models, including CPU, memory, storage, battery life, display quality, and other features.

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Alienware M17 R2 image

Alienware M17 R2

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Surface Laptop 3

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Alienware M17 R2 Pros

Reasons that Alienware M17 R2 is better than Surface Laptop 3.

Much faster CPU performance

Intel Core i9-9980HK inside Alienware M17 R2 has a 137% 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 M17 R2 - Intel Core i9-9980HK
6,504
Alienware M17 R2 - Intel Core i9-9880H
6,100
Alienware M17 R2 - Intel Core i7-9750H
4,880
Surface Laptop 3 - Intel Core i7-1065G7
3,722
Surface Laptop 3 - Intel Core i5-1035G7
3,691
Alienware M17 R2 - Intel Core i5-9300H
3,308
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 discrete graphics

Configurable up to Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 8GB GDDR6 with Max-Q vs. integrated

28% larger display

Alienware M17 R2 has a 17.3-inch screen size 28% larger than the 13.5-inch Surface Laptop 3.

Display size
Alienware M17 R2
17.3-inch
Surface Laptop 3
13.5-inch

Surface Laptop 3 Pros

Reasons that Surface Laptop 3 is better than Alienware M17 R2.

Supports faster memory

Surface Laptop 3 supports a faster memory speed than the Alienware M17 R2. It supports up to 3733MHz versus 2666MHz of system memory on the Alienware M17 R2.

Memory type and speed
Surface Laptop 3 - LPDDR4X
3,733 MHz
Alienware M17 R2 - DDR4
2,666 MHz
About 52% lighter

Surface Laptop 3 weighed 2.79 pounds, 52% lighter than the 5.80 pounds Alienware M17 R2.

WeightAlienware M17 R2Surface Laptop 3
Pound
5.80 lbs.
2.79 lbs.
Kilogram
2.63 kg
1.27 kg

Key Similars

Similar characteristics share between Alienware M17 R2 and Surface Laptop 3.

Supports the same maximum memory size of up to 16GB

Both laptops supports up to 16GB of system memory.

Max system memory size
Alienware M17 R2
16 GB
Surface Laptop 3
16 GB

Prices

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

Alienware M17 R2 Price
Alienware M18 R2 Gaming Laptop - 18 QHD+ 165Hz 3ms Display, Intel Core i9-14900HX, 32GB DDR5 RAM, 1TB SSD, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 12 GB GDDR6, Windows 11 Home, Onsite Service - Dark Metallic Moon
 Alienware M18 R2 Gaming Laptop - 18 QHD+ 165Hz 3ms Display, Intel Core i9-14900HX, 32GB DDR5 RAM, 1TB SSD, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 12 GB GDDR6, Windows 11 Home, Onsite Service - Dark Metallic Moon
By Alienware
$2,799.99
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Alienware X17 R2 VR Ready Gaming Laptop - 17.3-inch FHD 360Hz 1ms Display, Core i7-12700H, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070Ti 8GB GDDR6, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi 6, USB-C, Windows 11 Home - White
 Alienware X17 R2 VR Ready Gaming Laptop - 17.3-inch FHD 360Hz 1ms Display, Core i7-12700H, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070Ti 8GB GDDR6, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi 6, USB-C, Windows 11 Home - White
By Alienware
$1,889.99
$2,149.97 12% OFF
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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
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 M17 R2Surface Laptop 3
Released20192019
Release Date
  • Announced at Computex 2019
  • Available on June 11, 2019
  • Introduced: October 2, 2019 (Microsoft October Event)
  • Pre-ordered: October 2, 2019
  • Released: October 22, 2019
PricingStarting at $1,499.99
  • Surface Laptop 3 (13.5”) › Starting at 999$
  • Surface Laptop 3 (15”) › Starting at 1,199$
Generations-

Exterior

Alienware M17 R2Surface Laptop 3
Dimensions15.74 x 11.59 x 0.73 - 0.77 in (399.80 x 294.30 x 18.60 - 19.50 mm)
  • Width: 15.74 in. (399.80 mm)
  • Depth: 11.59 in. (294.30 mm)
  • Height: 0.73 - 0.77 in. (18.60 - 19.50 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).
WeightStarting at 5.80 lb (2.63 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 mSeries keyboard with per-key RGB LED AlienFX lighting
    • Includes anti-ghosting and N-key rollover technology
    • 1.7 mm key travel and alphanumeric keys
    • 0.2 mm-dish concave key design
  • Touchpad
    • Size: 4.13” x 3.15” (105 mm x 80 mm)
    • Premium Precision-Point glass touchpad
  • 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 M17 R2Surface Laptop 3
Size17.3 Inches13.5 Inches
InfoFull HD with 60Hz refresh rate
  • 1920 x 1080, 127 PPI, 25ms response time, 300 nits, 16:9, 72% NTSC color gamut, 700:1 contrast ratio, Anti-glare, 8W max power consumption.
Full HD with 144Hz refresh rate
  • 1920 x 1080, 127 PPI, 9ms response time, 300 nits, 16:9, 72% NTSC color gamut, 800:1 contrast ratio, Anti-glare, 8.5W max power consumption.
  • Eyesafe® Display Tech + Tobii Eyetracking
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 M17 R2Surface Laptop 3
Alienware M17 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)
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 M17 R2Surface Laptop 3
Processor
  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
  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. 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
  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
  • 8 GB 16 GB
    2666 MHz Dual-channel DDR4 RAM.
    Onboard memory.
  • 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 GTX® 1650 (4GB GDDR5)
  • NVIDIA® GeForce GTX® 1660 Ti (6GB GDDR6)
  • 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
-
StorageSingle Storage Configurations
  • 256GB PCIe M.2 SSD
  • 512GB PCIe M.2 SSD
  • 512GB Intel Optane M.2 SSD
  • 1TB PCIe M.2 SSD
  • 2TB PCIe M.2 SSD
Dual Storage Configurations
  • 512GB RAID0 (2x 256GB PCIe M.2 SSDs)
  • 1TB RAID0 (2x 512GB PCIe M.2 SSDs)
  • 512GB Intel Optane M2 SSD + 512GB PCIe M.2 SSD
  • 2TB RAID0 (2x 1TB PCIe M.2 SSDs)
  • 4TB RAID0 (2x 2TB PCIe M.2 SSDs)
128 GB 256 GB 512 GB 1 TB
Removable M.2 NVMe SSD

Connectivity

Alienware M17 R2Surface Laptop 3
Wi-Fi
  • Intel® Dual-Band Wireless AC 8265
    • Dual Band 2.4 GHz/5 GHz up to 867 Mbps, WiFi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac.
  • Rivet Killer WiFi 6 AX1650w
    • 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
  • Intel® Dual-Band Wireless AC 8265
    • Bluetooth 4.2
  • Rivet Killer 1650w
    • Bluetooth 5
  • Bluetooth Wireless 5.0 technology
Ethernet
  • Killer E2600 PCI-E Gigabit Ethernet Controller
    • 10/100/1000 Mbps
  • Killer E3000 PCI-E Gigabit Ethernet Controller
    • 10/100/1000/25000 Mbps
-

Battery

Alienware M17 R2Surface Laptop 3
Size6-cell lithium-ion polymer (76Wh)45.8 Wh
Battery Life-Up to 11.5 hours of typical device usage
Power Supply
  • E4 130W (19.50 VDC/6.70A)
  • E4 180W (19.50 VDC/9.23A)
  • E4 240W (19.50 VDC/12.31A)
* Support Hybrid Power
  • 60W power supply with USB-A (5W) (65W total)
  • Supports Fast Charge (0-80% in about one hour)

Software

Alienware M17 R2Surface 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 Adrenalin
  • Alienware Mobile Connect
  • Microsoft Office 365 (30-day trial)
Microsoft Office 365 30-days trial

Camera & Audio

Alienware M17 R2Surface Laptop 3
Camera
  • Front-facing camera
    Alienware FHD (1920x1080 resolution) camera.
  • Windows Hello face authentication camera (front-facing)
  • 720p HD front-facing video camera
Audio
  • Audio
    • Realtek ALC3281-CG controller
    • 2.0 Speaker configuration
    • 7.1 Digital Audio out using HDMI out connection
    • Alienware Sound Center via Alienware Command Center
  • Microphone
    • Dual-array microphones in the camera assembly
  • Dual far-field Studio Mics
  • OmniSonic stereo speakers with Dolby® Audio™ Premium

Misc

Alienware M17 R2Surface 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
Warranty-
  • One-year limited hardware warranty
  • Commercial: Advanced Exchange warranty service with expedited device replacement
MoreCHASIS
  • AlienFX Lighting Zones
    • Programmable with up to 16.8 million distinct colors
  • Exterior Chassis Materials
    • Magnesium Alloy exterior shell
    • Copper Alloy thermal structures
  • Customized Features
    • AlienFX Lighting Detail
    • Programmable with up to 16.8 million distinct colors
    • Alienware Command Center
    • AlienFX Lighting Technology
    • Game Library with auto-tune game profile functionality
    • Fusion (Includes support for Overclock, Thermal, Power, Audio, and Audio Recon profiles)
  • Thermal
    • Cryo-Tech v3.0 Cooling Technology
    • Dual-Intake, Dual-Exhaust Airflow Design
    • High-Voltage Driving Fans
    • Load-balancing Heat Pipes
    • Dense Copper Fin Stacks
    • Dynamics Thermal Controls
Supports Surface Dial
Supports off-screen interaction only

Key Features

Alienware M17 R2Surface Laptop 3
At Glance
Released in Mid
2019
16:9 FHD
17.3”
1080p 144Hz
Weight
5.80 lb
2.63 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 M17 R2 Ports
Nvidia GeForce
RTX 2080
8GB GDDR6 with Max-Q
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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