Home » Laptops » Dell » Alienware » M17 » Alienware M17 R3 » vs. Alienware Area-51m

Alienware M17 R3 vs. Alienware Area-51m: Full specs comparison

We have comprehensively analyzed the technical specifications for the Alienware M17 R3 and Alienware Area-51m models. Our report includes intricate details such as the CPU, memory, storage, battery life, display quality, and other features.

Compare With Please enter device name or part of it Alienware M17 R3 See at Amazon See at Dell	Compare With Please enter device name or part of it Alienware Area-51m See at Amazon See at Dell

Alienware M17 R3 Pros

Reasons that Alienware M17 R3 is better than Alienware Area-51m.

2020 vs. 2019

Alienware M17 R3 weighed 6.55 pounds, 24% lighter than the 8.54 pounds Alienware Area-51m.

Weight	Alienware M17 R3	Alienware Area-51m
Pound	6.55 lbs.	8.54 lbs.
Kilogram	2.97 kg	3.87 kg

Alienware Area-51m Pros

Reasons that Alienware Area-51m is better than Alienware M17 R3.

Intel Core i9-9900K inside Alienware Area-51m has a 21% better multi-core CPU performance score than the Intel Core i9-10980HK inside Alienware M17 R3.

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 M17 R3 - Intel Core i9-10980HK

7,013

Alienware Area-51m - Intel Core i7-8700

5,810

Alienware M17 R3 - Intel Core i7-10750H

5,412

Alienware M17 R3 - Intel Core i5-10300H

3,747

Alienware Area-51m supports a larger memory capacity than the Alienware M17 R3. It supports up to 64GB versus 32GB of system memory on the Alienware M17 R3.

Max system memory size

Alienware Area-51m

64 GB

Alienware M17 R3

32 GB

Alienware Area-51m supports a faster memory speed than the Alienware M17 R3. It supports up to 2800MHz versus 2666MHz of system memory on the Alienware M17 R3.

Memory type and speed

Alienware Area-51m - DDR4 XMP

2,800 MHz

Alienware M17 R3 - DDR4

2,666 MHz

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 Alienware M17 R3 since it has onboard memory.

Memory	Alienware M17 R3	Alienware Area-51m
Slots	Onboard	x4
Type	DDR4	DDR4 XMP

Prices

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

Alienware M17 R3 Price
	Dell m17 R3 17.3 inch FHD Gaming Laptop (Luna Light) Intel Core i7-10750H 10th Gen, 16GB DDR4 RAM, 1TB SSD, Nvidia Geforce RTX 2070 8GB GDDR6, Windows 10 Home By Dell $1,230.00	See at Amazon
	2020 Dell Alienware m17 R3 Laptop 17.3" - Intel Core i7 10th Gen - i7-10750H - Six Core 5Ghz - 256GB SSD + 256GB SSD - 20GB RAM - 1920x1080 FHD - Windows 10 Home (Renewed) By Dell $1,593.75	See at Amazon
	2020 Dell Alienware m17 R3 Laptop 17.3" - Intel Core i7 10th Gen - i7-10750H - Six Core 5Ghz - 256GB SSD + 256GB SSD - 16GB RAM - Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 - 1920x1080 FHD - Windows 10 Home (Renewed) By Dell $1,593.75	See at Amazon
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) By Alienware $2,299.99	See at Amazon
	Dell Alienware Area-51m Elite Gaming Laptop Backpack, 17-Inch, Gray/Black (AWA51BPE17) By Dell $112.10 $149.99 25% OFF	See at Amazon
	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 $2,850.98	See at Amazon

Availability	Alienware M17 R3	Alienware Area-51m
Released	2020	2019
Release Date	Available on May 2020	Announced at CES 2019 Available on January 29, 2019
Pricing	Starting at $1,549.99	Starting at $2,549.99
Generations	2022 Alienware M17 R5 2021 Alienware M17 R4 2020 Alienware M17 R3 2019 Alienware M17 R2 2019 Alienware M17 R1	2020 Alienware Area-51m R2 2019 Alienware Area-51m

Exterior	Alienware M17 R3	Alienware Area-51m
Dimensions	15.74 x 11.59 x 0.89 in (399.80 x 294.30 x 22.50 mm) Width: 15.74 in. (399.80 mm) Depth: 11.59 in. (294.30 mm) Height: 0.89 in. (22.50 mm)	15.85 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)
Weight	Starting at 6.55 lb (2.97 kg)	Maximum at 8.54 lbs. (3.87 Kg)
Colors	Lunar Light with High Endurance Clear Coat Dark Side of the Moon with High Endurance Clear Coat	Lunar Light Dark Side of the Moon
Keyboard and Trackpad	Keyboard Type: Alienware mSeries 4-Zone AlienFX RGB 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 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.

Display

Alienware M17 R3

Alienware Area-51m

Size

17.3 Inches

Info

Full HD with 144Hz refresh rate

1920 x 1080, 141 PPI, 9ms response time, 300 nits, 16:9, 72% NTSC color gamut, 600:1 contrast ratio, Anti-glare.

Full HD with 144Hz refresh rate

1920 x 1080, 141 PPI, 9ms response time, 300 nits, 16:9, 72% NTSC color gamut with NVIDIA G-SYNC Technology, 600:1 contrast ratio, Anti-glare.

Full HD with 300Hz refresh rate

1920 x 1080, 141 PPI, 3ms response time, 300 nits, 16:9, 100% sRGB color gamut, 700:1 contrast ratio, Anti-glare.

Ultra HD with 60Hz refresh rate

3180 x 2160, 282 PPI, 25ms response time, 500 nits, 16:9, 100% sRGB color gamut, 1,200:1 contrast ratio, 12W max power consumption
Tobii Eyetracking technology

All options

Wide Viewing Angles on all displays with 85 degrees viewing from all directions

Full 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

Ports	Alienware M17 R3	Alienware Area-51m
Image Source: Dell 1 x Power/DC-in Port 1 x RJ-45 Killer™ Ethernet E3100 10/100/1000Mbps/2.5Gbps 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 with HDCP 2.2 Output Port 1 x Mini-Display Port 1.4 (certified) Output Port 1 x Audio Out 0.125" Ports (Compatible with inline mic headset) 1 x Wedge-shaped lock slot (cable and lock sold separately) 1 x microSD 5.1, UHD-II HD312 Card Reader	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)

Internal Specs	Alienware M17 R3	Alienware Area-51m
Processor	10th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-10300H 4 cores, 8 threads, 2.50 → 4.50 GHz, 8MB SmartCache, 45W 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-10750H 6 cores, 12 threads, 2.60 → 5.00 GHz, 12MB SmartCache, 45W 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-10980HK 8 cores, 16 threads, 2.40 → 5.30 GHz, 16MB SmartCache, 45W	8th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-8700 6 cores, 12 threads, 3.20 → 4.60 GHz, 12MB SmartCache, 65W 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-9700K 8 cores, 8 threads, 3.60 → 4.90 GHz, 12MB SmartCache, 95W 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-9900 8 cores, 16 threads, 3.10 → 5.00 GHz, 16MB SmartCache, 65W 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-9900K 8 cores, 16 threads, 3.60 → 5.00 GHz, 16MB SmartCache, 95W
Integrated Graphics	10th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-10300H Intel® UHD Graphics 630 24 Execution Units, 350 → 1050 MHz 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-10750H Intel® UHD Graphics 630 24 Execution Units, 350 → 1150 MHz 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-10980HK Intel® UHD Graphics 630 24 Execution Units, 350 → 1250 MHz	8th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-8700 Intel® UHD Graphics 630 24 Execution Units, 350 → 1200 MHz 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-9700K Intel® UHD Graphics 630 24 Execution Units, 350 → 1200 MHz 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-9900 Intel® UHD Graphics 630 24 Execution Units, 350 → 1200 MHz 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-9900K Intel® UHD Graphics 630 24 Execution Units, 350 → 1200 MHz
Memory	8 GB 16 GB 32 GB 2666 MHz Dual-channel DDR4 RAM. Soldered-on.	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
Discrete Graphics	NVIDIA® GeForce GTX® 1650 Ti (4GB GDDR6) NVIDIA® GeForce GTX® 1660 Ti (6GB GDDR6) NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 2060 (6GB GDDR6) OC Ready NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 2070 (8GB GDDR6) NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 2070 SUPER (8GB GDDR6) NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 2080 SUPER (8GB GDDR6) with Max-Q Design AMD RX5500M (4GB GDDR6)	NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 2060 6GB GDDR6 (OC Ready) NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 2070 8GB GDDR6 (OC Ready) NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 2080 8GB GDDR6 (OC Ready)
Storage	Available Slots One M.2 2230 slot (Up to 512GB) Two M.2 2230/2280 slots (Up to 2TB each) Single Drive 256 GB PCIe M.2 SSD 512 GB PCIe M.2 SSD 1 TB PCIe M.2 SSD 2 TB PCIe M.2 SSD RAID-0 512GB (2x256 PCIe M.2 SSD) RAID0 1TB (2x 512 PCIe M.2 SSD) RAID0 2TB (2x 1TB PCIe M.2 SSD) RAID0 4TB (2x 2TB PCIe M.2 SSD) RAID0 RAID-0 Plus 1TB (2x 512GB PCIe M.2 SSD) RAID0 [Boot] + 512GB PCIe M.2 SSD [Storage] 2TB (2x 1TB PCIe M.2 SSD) RAID0 [Boot] + 512GB PCIe M.2 SSD [Storage] 4TB (2x 2TB PCIe M.2 SSD) RAID0 [Boot] + 512GB PCIe M.2 SSD [Storage]	Available 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

Connectivity	Alienware M17 R3	Alienware Area-51m
Wi-Fi	Rivet Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX1650 Dual Band 2.4 GHz/5 GHz up to 2400 Mbps, WiFi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax.	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.
Bluetooth	Rivet Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX1650 › Bluetooth 5.1	Rivet Killer 1550 › Bluetooth 5.0 Rivet Killer AX1650 › Bluetooth 5.1
Ethernet	Killer™ Ethernet E3000 PCI-e Gigabit ethernet controller Transfer rate: 10/100/1000/2500 Mbps	Killer™ Ethernet E3000 PCI-e Gigabit ethernet controller Transfer rate: 10/100/1000/2500 Mbps

Battery	Alienware M17 R3	Alienware Area-51m
Size	56 WHr, 3-cell smart lithium-ion 86 WHr, 6-cell smart lithium-ion	6-cell smart lithium-ion (90Wh)
Power Supply	130W (19.50 VDC/6.70A) 180W (19.50 VDC/9.23A) 240W (19.50 VDC/12.31A) 330W (19.50 VDC/16.92A)	180W (19.50 VDC/9.23A) 240W (19.50 VDC/9.23A) 330W (19.50 VDC/9.23A)

Software	Alienware M17 R3	Alienware Area-51m
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 Alienware Adrenalin Alienware Mobile Connect Microsoft Office 365 (30-day trial)	Alienware Command Center Alienware Mobile Connect Microsoft Office 365 (30-day trial)

Camera & Audio	Alienware M17 R3	Alienware Area-51m
Camera	Front-facing camera Alienware FHD (1920x1080 resolution) camera.	Front-facing camera Alienware HD (1280 x 720 resolution) camera.
Audio	Controller: Realtek ALC3281-CG 7.1 Digital Audio out using HDMI out connection Alienware Sound Center via Alienware Command Center Speakers: 2-Way Stereo Speaker Design Output: 4-5W Microphone: Digital-array microphones in the camera assembly	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

Misc	Alienware M17 R3	Alienware Area-51m
Sensors	Tobii Eye Tracking (Optional)	Tobii Eye Tracking (Optional)
Security	Wedge-shaped lock slot	Wedge-shaped lock slot
Warranty	-	1 Year Hardware Service with Onsite/In-Home Service After Remote Diagnosis
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 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 Cooling Technology Dual-Intake, Dual-Exhaust Airflow Design High-Voltage Driving Fans Load-balancing Heat Pipes Dense Copper Fin Stacks	CHASIS 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

Key Features	Alienware M17 R3	Alienware Area-51m
At Glance	Released in Mid 2020 16:9 FHD 17.3” 1080p 300Hz Weight 6.55 lb 2.97 kg Up to Intel Core i9-10980HK 8C/16T, 2.40 → 5.30 GHz Geekbench 5 1,223 Single Core Geekbench 5 7,013 Multi-Core With integrated Intel® UHD Graphics 630 24 Execution Units, 350 → 1250 MHz Configurable up to 32GB 2666 MHz DDR4 Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER 8GB GDDR6 with Max-Q	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 Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 8GB GDDR6