Alienware M17 R4 vs. Razer Blade 17 (Mid 2021): Full specs comparison

We have comprehensively analyzed the technical specifications for the Alienware M17 R4 and Razer Blade 17 (Mid 2021) models. Our report includes intricate details such as the CPU, memory, storage, battery life, display quality, and other features.

Alienware M17 R4 Pros

Reasons that Alienware M17 R4 is better than Razer Blade 17 (Mid 2021).

About 10% lighter

Alienware M17 R4 weighed 5.51 pounds, 10% lighter than the 6.06 pounds Razer Blade 17 (Mid 2021).

WeightAlienware M17 R4Razer Blade 17 (Mid 2021)
Pound
5.51 lbs.
6.06 lbs.
Kilogram
2.50 kg
2.75 kg

Razer Blade 17 (Mid 2021) Pros

Reasons that Razer Blade 17 (Mid 2021) is better than Alienware M17 R4.

Slightly faster CPU performance

Intel Core i9-11900H inside Razer Blade 17 (Mid 2021) has a 15% better multi-core CPU performance score than the Intel Core i9-10980HK inside Alienware M17 R4.

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 M17 R4 - Intel Core i9-10980HK
7,013
Alienware M17 R4 - Intel Core i7-10870H
6,596
Supports larger memory

Razer Blade 17 (Mid 2021) supports a larger memory capacity than the Alienware M17 R4. It supports up to 64GB versus 32GB of system memory on the Alienware M17 R4.

Max system memory size
Razer Blade 17 (Mid 2021)
64 GB
Alienware M17 R4
32 GB
Supports faster memory

Razer Blade 17 (Mid 2021) supports a faster memory speed than the Alienware M17 R4. It supports up to 3200MHz versus 2933MHz of system memory on the Alienware M17 R4.

Memory type and speed
Razer Blade 17 (Mid 2021) - DDR4
3,200 MHz
Alienware M17 R4 - DDR4
2,933 MHz
Upgradable memory

Razer Blade 17 (Mid 2021) 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 M17 R4 since it has onboard memory.

MemoryAlienware M17 R4Razer Blade 17 (Mid 2021)
Slots
Onboard
x2
TypeDDR4DDR4

Prices

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

Alienware M17 R4 Price
Alienware m17 R4, 17.3 inch FHD (Full HD) Gaming Laptop - Intel Core i7-10870H, 16GB DDR4 RAM, 1TB SSD, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 6GB GDDR6, Windows 10 Home - Lunar Light
Alienware m17 R4, 17.3 inch FHD (Full HD) Gaming Laptop - Intel Core i7-10870H, 16GB DDR4 RAM, 1TB SSD, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 6GB GDDR6, Windows 10 Home - Lunar Light
By Alienware
$2,399.00
Dell Alienware m17 R4 Gaming Laptop (2021) | 17.3" FHD | Core i7-2TB SSD - 16GB RAM - RTX 3070 | 8 Cores @ 5 GHz - 10th Gen CPU - 8GB GDDR6 Win 10 Pro (Renewed)
Dell Alienware m17 R4 Gaming Laptop (2021) | 17.3" FHD | Core i7-2TB SSD - 16GB RAM - RTX 3070 | 8 Cores @ 5 GHz - 10th Gen CPU - 8GB GDDR6 Win 10 Pro (Renewed)
By Dell
$1,659.83
Dell Alienware m17 R4 Gaming Laptop (2021) | 17.3" FHD | Core i7 - 1TB SSD - 16GB RAM - RTX 3060 | 8 Cores @ 5 GHz - 10th Gen CPU - 12GB GDDR6 Win 11 Pro (Renewed)
Dell Alienware m17 R4 Gaming Laptop (2021) | 17.3" FHD | Core i7 - 1TB SSD - 16GB RAM - RTX 3060 | 8 Cores @ 5 GHz - 10th Gen CPU - 12GB GDDR6 Win 11 Pro (Renewed)
By Dell
$1,485.99
Razer Blade 17 (Mid 2021) Price
Razer Blade 17 Gaming Laptop: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti - 12th Gen Intel 14-Core i9 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 i9 CPU - 17.3" QHD 240Hz - 16GB DDR5 RAM - 1TB PCIe SSD - Windows 11 - Chroma RGB - Thunderbolt 4 - SD Card Reader
By Razer
$1,799.99
$3,399.99 47% OFF
Razer Blade 18 (2024) Gaming Laptop: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 - Intel Core i9 14900HX 14th Gen CPU - 18” QHD+ 300 Hz Mini LED Display - 32GB RAM - 2TB SSD - Thunderbolt 5 - Windows 11 - Chroma RGB
Razer Blade 18 (2024) Gaming Laptop: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 - Intel Core i9 14900HX 14th Gen CPU - 18” QHD+ 300 Hz Mini LED Display - 32GB RAM - 2TB SSD - Thunderbolt 5 - Windows 11 - Chroma RGB
By Razer
$4,499.99
Razer Blade 16 (2024) Gaming Laptop: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 - Intel Core i9-14900HX 14th Gen CPU - 16" OLED QHD+ 240Hz Display - 32GB RAM - 2TB SSD - Aluminum Unibody - Windows 11 - Chroma RGB
Razer Blade 16 (2024) Gaming Laptop: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 - Intel Core i9-14900HX 14th Gen CPU - 16" OLED QHD+ 240Hz Display - 32GB RAM - 2TB SSD - Aluminum Unibody - Windows 11 - Chroma RGB
By Razer
$4,199.99

Availability

Alienware M17 R4Razer Blade 17 (Mid 2021)
Released20212021
Release Date
  • Announced on January 12, 2021 (CES 2021)
  • Available on January 26, 2021
Announced on July 14, 2021.
PricingStarting at $2,149.99
  • $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 M17 R4Razer Blade 17 (Mid 2021)
Dimensions15.74” x 11.585” x 0.6618 - 0.87 - 0.8154” (399.8 mm x 294.26 mm x 16.9 - 22 - 20.71 mm)15.55” x 10.24” x 0.78” (395 mm x 260 mm x 19.9 mm)
WeightStarting at 5.51 lbs (2.50 kg) up to 6.55 lbs (2.97 kg)6.06 lbs (2.75 kg)
Colors
  • Dark Side of the Moon with High Endurance Clear Coat
  • Lunar Light with High Endurance Clear Coat
Anodized Matte Black
T6 CNC Aluminum with illuminated Razer Logo.
Keyboard and Trackpad
  • Keyboard
    • 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
  • 1.7mm 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.
  • 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 M17 R4Razer Blade 17 (Mid 2021)
Size17.3 Inches17.3 Inches
Info
  • 17.3” FHD with 144Hz 
    1920 x 1080 127 PPI 7ms response time 300 nits 16:9 72% NTSC NVIDIA G-SYNC Technology 600:1 contrast ratio Anti-glare WVA
  • 17.3” FHD with 360Hz
    1920 x 1080 127 PPI tms response time 300 nits 16:9 100% sRGB color gamut NVIDIA G-SYNC Technology 700:1 Anti-glare WVA
  • 17.3” UHD with 60Hz
    3840 x 2160 255 PPI 25ms response time 500 nits 16:9 100% Adobe RGB 1 200:1 contrast ratio 12W max Tobii Eyetracking technology WVA
  • 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 M17 R4Razer Blade 17 (Mid 2021)
Alienware M17 R4 Ports
Image Source: Dell
  • 1 x Thunderbolt™ 3 Port
    Supports USB Type-C™ with support for USB 3.2 Gen 2 10Gbps, 40Gbps Thunderbolt, and DisplayPort 1.2.
  • 2 x Type-A USB 3.2 Gen 1 Port
  • 1 x Type-A USB 3.2 Gen 1 port with PowerShare technology
  • 1 x RJ-45 Ethernet port
  • 1 x Alienware Graphics Amplifier Port
  • 1 x HDMI 2.1
    Supports up to 4K@120Hz display out.
  • 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)
  • 1 x microSD 5.1, UHD-II HD312 Card Reader
  • 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 M17 R4Razer Blade 17 (Mid 2021)
Processor
  1. 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-10870H
    8 cores, 16 threads, 2.20 → 5.00 GHz, 16MB SmartCache, 45W
  2. 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-10980HK
    8 cores, 16 threads, 2.40 → 5.30 GHz, 16MB SmartCache, 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. 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-10870H
    Intel® UHD Graphics 630
    24 Execution Units, 350 → 1200 MHz
  2. 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-10980HK
    Intel® UHD Graphics 630
    24 Execution Units, 350 → 1250 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
2933 MHz Dual-channel DDR4 RAM.
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 GraphicsNVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3000 series
  • 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
StorageAvailable 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]
Storage Slots
  • 2 x M.2 PCIe 4.0 x4 slots
Storage Configurations
  • Up to 2 x 2TB SSD

Connectivity

Alienware M17 R4Razer Blade 17 (Mid 2021)
Wi-Fi
  • Rivet Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX1650i
    Dual Band 2.4 GHz/5 GHz up to 2400 Mbps, WiFi 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
Bluetooth
  • Rivet Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX1650i › Bluetooth 5.1
Bluetooth 5.2
Ethernet
  • Killer™ Ethernet E3100X PCI-e Gigabit ethernet controller
    Transfer rate: 10/100/1000/2500 Mbps
2.5 Gigabit LAN
Speed: 10/100/1000/2500 Mbps.

Battery

Alienware M17 R4Razer Blade 17 (Mid 2021)
Size86 WHr, 6-cell smart lithium-ion with Alienware Battery Defender70.5Wh
2-cells Lithium-ion polymer battery.
Power Supply
  • 240W power adapter
  • 330W power adapter
230W Proprietary AC Adapter

Software

Alienware M17 R4Razer 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 M17 R4Razer Blade 17 (Mid 2021)
CameraFront-facing camera
Alienware FHD (1920x1080 resolution) camera.
  • Front-facing camera
    Top-mount front camera with Full HD 1080p.
  • Windows® Hello built-in IR 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 (Woofer/Tweeter) Stereo Speaker Design
    • Includes Discrete Smart Amp Woofer technology
  • Microphone:
    • Digital-array microphones in the camera assembly
  • 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 M17 R4Razer Blade 17 (Mid 2021)
Sensors
  • Tobii Eyetracking technology (optional)
-
Security
  • Wedge-shaped lock slot
  • Trusted Protection Module
  • 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
MoreCHASIS
  • Based on Alienware's Legend industrial design language
  • Engineered with Alienware's Advanced Cryo-Tech Cooling technology
  • Engineered with HyperEfficient Voltage Regulation
  • Constructed with a Magnesium Alloy exterior shell and copper alloy thermal components
-

Key Features

Alienware M17 R4Razer Blade 17 (Mid 2021)
At Glance
Released in Early
2021
16:9 FHD
17.3”
1080p 360Hz
Weight
5.51 lb
2.50 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
2933 MHz DDR4
Alienware M17 R4 Ports
Nvidia GeForce
RTX 3080
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

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