Alienware M17 R5 vs. Alienware M17 R4: Full specs comparison

We thoroughly analyzed technical specifications for Alienware M17 R5 and Alienware M17 R4 models, including CPU, memory, storage, battery life, display quality, and other features.

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Alienware M17 R5

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Alienware M17 R4

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Alienware M17 R5 Pros

Reasons that Alienware M17 R5 is better than Alienware M17 R4.

Newer manufacturing

2022 vs. 2021

Supports faster memory

Alienware M17 R5 supports a faster memory speed than the Alienware M17 R4. It supports up to 4800MHz versus 2933MHz of system memory on the Alienware M17 R4.

Memory type and speed
Alienware M17 R5 - DDR5
4,800 MHz
Alienware M17 R4 - DDR4
2,933 MHz
Upgradable memory

Alienware M17 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 Alienware M17 R4 since it has onboard memory.

MemoryAlienware M17 R5Alienware M17 R4
Slots
x2
Onboard
TypeDDR5DDR4

Alienware M17 R4 Pros

Reasons that Alienware M17 R4 is better than Alienware M17 R5.

About 25% lighter

Alienware M17 R4 weighed 5.51 pounds, 25% lighter than the 7.3 pounds Alienware M17 R5.

WeightAlienware M17 R5Alienware M17 R4
Pound
7.3 lbs.
5.51 lbs.
Kilogram
3.31 kg
2.50 kg

Key Similars

Similar characteristics share between Alienware M17 R5 and Alienware M17 R4.

Supports the same maximum memory size of up to 32GB

Both laptops supports up to 32GB of system memory.

Max system memory size
Alienware M17 R5
32 GB
Alienware M17 R4
32 GB

Prices

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

Alienware M17 R5 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
See at Amazon
Dell Alienware m17 Ryzen Edition R5 Gaming Laptop (2022) | 17.3" FHD | Core Ryzen 7 - 512GB SSD - 16GB RAM - RTX 3060 | 8 Cores @ 4.7 GHz - 12GB GDDR6 Win 11 Home (Renewed)
 Dell Alienware m17 Ryzen Edition R5 Gaming Laptop (2022) | 17.3" FHD | Core Ryzen 7 - 512GB SSD - 16GB RAM - RTX 3060 | 8 Cores @ 4.7 GHz - 12GB GDDR6 Win 11 Home (Renewed)
By Dell
$1,059.99
See at Amazon
Dell Alienware m17 Ryzen Edition R5 Gaming Laptop (2022) | 17.3" FHD | Core Ryzen 7 - 1TB SSD - 16GB RAM - RTX 3060 | 8 Cores @ 4.7 GHz - 12GB GDDR6 Win 11 Home (Renewed)
 Dell Alienware m17 Ryzen Edition R5 Gaming Laptop (2022) | 17.3" FHD | Core Ryzen 7 - 1TB SSD - 16GB RAM - RTX 3060 | 8 Cores @ 4.7 GHz - 12GB GDDR6 Win 11 Home (Renewed)
By Dell
$1,499.99
See at Amazon
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
See at Amazon
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
See at Amazon
Flagship 2021 Dell Alienware M17 R4 Gaming 17 Laptop 17.3” FHD 144Hz 7ms 10th Gen Intel 8-Core i7-10870H 16GB RAM 2TB SSD Geforce RTX 3070 8GB Backlit KB Thunderbolt Wifi6 Win10 + HDMI Cable (Renewed)
 Flagship 2021 Dell Alienware M17 R4 Gaming 17 Laptop 17.3” FHD 144Hz 7ms 10th Gen Intel 8-Core i7-10870H 16GB RAM 2TB SSD Geforce RTX 3070 8GB Backlit KB Thunderbolt Wifi6 Win10 + HDMI Cable (Renewed)
By Dell
$1,651.99
See at Amazon

Specs Comparison

Availability

Alienware M17 R5Alienware M17 R4
Released20222021
Release Date
  • Announced on January 4, 2022 (CES 2022)
  • Available starting in Spring 2022.
  • Announced on January 12, 2021 (CES 2021)
  • Available on January 26, 2021
PricingStarting at $1,599Starting at $2,149.99
Applicable Models
  • Alienware m17 R5
  • Alienware m17 R5 AMD
  • 2022 Alienware m17
  • 2022 Alienware m17 AMD
-
Generations

Exterior

Alienware M17 R5Alienware M17 R4
Dimensions15.64 x 11.76 x 0.5756 ~ 1.05 ~ 0.89 inches (397.3 x 298.71 x 14.62 ~ 26.7 ~ 22.6 mm)15.74” x 11.585” x 0.6618 - 0.87 - 0.8154” (399.8 mm x 294.26 mm x 16.9 - 22 - 20.71 mm)
Weight7.3 lbs. (3.3 kg)Starting at 5.51 lbs (2.50 kg) up to 6.55 lbs (2.97 kg)
Colors
Dark Side of the Moon
With High Endurance Clear Coat.
  • Dark Side of the Moon with High Endurance Clear Coat
  • Lunar Light with High Endurance Clear Coat
Keyboard and TrackpadKeyboard
  • Alienware M Series 1-Zone AlienFX keyboard
    • 1.8mm key travel
    • Includes Anti-ghosting technology
  • Alienware M Series per-key AlienFX RGB keyboard
    • 1.8mm key travel
    • Includes N-key rollover technology
  • Alienware's CherryMX ultra-low-profile mechanical laptop keyboard with per-key AlienFX lighting
    • 1.8mm key travel
    • Includes N-key rollover technology
Touchpad
  • Multi-touch gesture Premium Precision glass touchpad with integrated scrolling.
  • 4.13 x 2.36 in (105 mm x 80 mm) precision touchpad with multi-touch gesture support.
  • 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.
Chasis InformationChassis Features
  • Based on Alienware's Legend 2.0 industrial design language
  • Engineered with Alienware Cryo-Tech™Cooling technology
  • Constructed with copper alloy thermal components
  • Vapor chamber cooling technology
    Only found in configurations using AMD Ryzen 9 processors and Radeon RX 6850M XT graphics.
-

Display

Alienware M17 R5Alienware M17 R4
Size17.3 Inches17.3 Inches
Info
  • 17.3” FHD 165Hz
    1920 x 1080, 16:9, 127 PPI, 165Hz 3ms, 300 nits, 100% sRGB, AMD FreeSync, NVIDIA G-SYNC, Advanced Optimus, ComfortView Plus, Dolby Vision.
  • 17.3” FHD 360Hz
    1920 x 1080, 16:9, 127 PPI, 300Hz 1ms, 300 nits, 100% sRGB, AMD FreeSync, NVIDIA G-SYNC, Advanced Optimus, ComfortView Plus, Dolby Vision.
  • 17.3” UHD 120Hz
    3840 x 2160, 16:9, 255 PPI, 300Hz 3ms, 500 nits, 100% Adobe RGB, AMD FreeSync, AMD SmartAccess, ComfortView Plus, Dolby Vision.
  • 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

Ports

Alienware M17 R5Alienware M17 R4
Left
  • 1 x RJ-45
    2.5Gb Ethernet standard.
    1Gb Ethernet on models with RTX 3050 Ti.
  • 1 x Headset 
    3.5mm jack.
Right
  • 2 x USB-A 
    1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5Gbps).
    1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5Gbps) with PowerShare.
Back
  • 1 x USB-C
    USB 4 Gen 2 (40Gbps), 15W PD-out, DisplayPort 1.4 standard.
    USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gbps), 15W PD-out, DisplayPort 1.4 on models with RTX 3050 Ti.
  • 1 x USB-A
    USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5Gbps).
  • 1 x HDMI 2.1
    Supports up to 4K@120Hz display out.
  • 1 x Power/DC-in Port
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

Internal Specs

Alienware M17 R5Alienware M17 R4
Processor
  1. AMD Ryzen™ 7 6800H
    8 cores, 16 threads, 3.20 → 4.70 GHz, 4MB L2 Cache, 16MB L3 Cache, 45W
  2. AMD Ryzen™ 9 6900HX
    8 cores, 16 threads, 3.30 → 4.90 GHz, 4MB L2 Cache, 16MB L3 Cache, 45W
  3. AMD Ryzen™ 9 6980HX
    8 cores, 16 threads, 3.30 → 5.00 GHz, 4MB L2 Cache, 16MB L3 Cache, 45W
  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
Integrated Graphics
  1. AMD Ryzen™ 7 6800H
    AMD Radeon™ 680M Graphics
    12 Graphics Cores, 2200 MHz
  2. AMD Ryzen™ 9 6900HX
    AMD Radeon™ 680M Graphics
    12 Graphics Cores, 2400 MHz
  3. AMD Ryzen™ 9 6980HX
    AMD Radeon™ 680M Graphics
    12 Graphics Cores, 2400 MHz
  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
Memory
  • 8GB 16GB 32GB
    Dual Channel DDR5 4800MHz
Memory Slots
  • 2 x DDR5 SODIMM slots.
Memory Configurations
  • Speed: 4800MHz
  • Memory Type: Dual-channel DDR5
  • Minimum Memory: 16 GB
  • Maximum Memory: 32 GB
8 GB 16 GB 32 GB
2933 MHz Dual-channel DDR4 RAM.
Discrete GraphicsNVIDIA® GeForce RTX™
  • 3050 Ti - 4GB GDDR6
    TGP: 80W, Dynamic Boost: 10W, Max Power: 90W, Speed: 1462.5 → 1695 MHz.
  • 3060 - 6GB GDDR6
    TGP: 115W, Dynamic Boost: 25W, Max Power: 130W, Speed: 1387 → 1702 MHz.
AMD Radeon™ RX
  • 6700M - 10GB GDDR6
    Max Power with AMD SmartShift MAX: 135W.
  • 6850M - 12GB GDDR6
    Max Power with AMD SmartShift MAX: 175W.
NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3000 series
Storage
  • Storage slots: 2 x M.2 2280 PCIe slots
Single Storage Configuration
  • 256GB 512GB 1TB 2TB
    PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
Dual Storage Configuration
  • 512GB 1TB 2TB 4TB
    RAID-0 (2 x PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD)
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]

Connectivity

Alienware M17 R5Alienware M17 R4
Wi-Fi
  • Mediatek Wi-Fi 6 MT7921
    Dual Band 2.4 GHz/5 GHz , WiFi 6 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax.
  • Qualcomm Wi-Fi 6E WCN6856
    Dual Band 2.4 GHz/5 GHz , WiFi 6E 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax.
  • 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.
BluetoothBluetooth 5.2
  • Rivet Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX1650i › Bluetooth 5.1
Ethernet
  • Realtek RTL8111H-CG Gigabit ethernet controller
    Transfer rate: 10/100/1000 Mbps
  • Realtek RTL8125BGS 2.5Gb ethernet controller
    Transfer rate: 10/100/1000/2500 Mbps
  • Killer™ Ethernet E3100X PCI-e Gigabit ethernet controller
    Transfer rate: 10/100/1000/2500 Mbps

Battery

Alienware M17 R5Alienware M17 R4
Size
64Wh 97Wh
86 WHr, 6-cell smart lithium-ion with Alienware Battery Defender
Power Supply
180 240W
Barrel type power adapter.
  • 240W power adapter
  • 330W power adapter

Software

Alienware M17 R5Alienware M17 R4
OSWindows 11
Home Pro
Windows 10 Home Windows 10 Pro
Upgradable to Windows 11
Built-in AppsAlienware Command Center
  • Dashboard navigates all features, including themes, system performance, and overclocking
  • Game Library to manage titles from multiple services
  • FX supports full RBG values up to 16.8 million colors
  • Power Management adjusts power plans with a game
  • Overclocking controls system performance and overclocking profiles
  • Sound Center dials in the perfect sound by managing sound profiles, audio effects, and Audio Recon
  • 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)

Camera & Audio

Alienware M17 R5Alienware M17 R4
Camera
  • Front-facing camera.
    Alienware HD (1280x720 resolution) camera.
  • Optional Windows Hello IR support.
Front-facing camera
Alienware FHD (1920x1080 resolution) camera.
Audio
  • Dolby Atmos-certified audio.
    • 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
  • 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

Misc

Alienware M17 R5Alienware M17 R4
SensorsOptional Windows Hello IR Camera
  • Tobii Eyetracking technology (optional)
SecurityWindows Hello IR camera for Facial Biometrics
  • Wedge-shaped lock slot
  • Trusted Protection Module
More-CHASIS
  • 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 R5Alienware M17 R4
At Glance
Released in Early
2022
16:9 4K UHD
17.3”
2160p 120Hz
Weight
7.3 lb
3.31 kg
Up to
AMD Ryzen 9-6980HX
8C/16T, 3.30 → 5.00 GHz
With integrated
AMD Radeon™ 680M Graphics
12 Graphics Cores, 2400 MHz
Upgradable up to
32GB
4800 MHz DDR5
AMD Radeon
RX 6850M
12GB GDDR6 SmartShift up to 175W
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

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