Alienware X17 R1 vs. Dell XPS 17 9720: Full specs comparison

We have comprehensively analyzed the technical specifications for the Alienware X17 R1 and Dell XPS 17 9720 models. Our report includes intricate details such as the CPU, memory, storage, battery life, display quality, and other features.

Alienware X17 R1 Pros

Reasons that Alienware X17 R1 is better than Dell XPS 17 9720.

Has three more ports and slots

Alienware X17 R1 has more ports and slots count than the Dell XPS 17 9720. It has ten versus seven amount of ports and slots on the Dell XPS 17 9720.

PortsAlienware X17 R1Dell XPS 17 9720
full-size SD card slotNoYes
HDMIYesNo
headphone jackYesYes
lock slotNoYes
microSD card slotYesNo
Mini DisplayPortYesNo
power portYesNo
RJ-45YesNo
Thunderbolt 4YesYes x4
USB-AYes x2No
USB-CYesNo
Total107
Much better versatile connectivity

Alienware X17 R1 has better versatile I/O connectivity than the Dell XPS 17 9720. It has nine versus three commonly used ports and slots on the Dell XPS 17 9720.

PortsAlienware X17 R1Dell XPS 17 9720
headphone jackYesYes
Thunderbolt 4YesYes
full-size SD card slotNoYes
HDMIYesNo
microSD card slotYesNo
Mini DisplayPortYesNo
power portYesNo
RJ-45YesNo
USB-AYesNo
USB-CYesNo

Dell XPS 17 9720 Pros

Reasons that Dell XPS 17 9720 is better than Alienware X17 R1.

Newer manufacturing

2022 vs. 2021

Significantly faster CPU performance

Intel Core i7-12700H inside Dell XPS 17 9720 has a 21% better multi-core CPU performance score than the Intel Core i9-11980HK inside Alienware X17 R1.

Geekbench 5 multi-core score
Dell XPS 17 9720 - Intel Core i7-12700H
11,774
Alienware X17 R1 - Intel Core i9-11980HK
9,677
Dell XPS 17 9720 - Intel Core i5-12500H
9,293
Alienware X17 R1 - Intel Core i7-11800H
7,908
Supports faster memory

Dell XPS 17 9720 supports a faster memory speed than the Alienware X17 R1. It supports up to 4800MHz versus 3466MHz of system memory on the Alienware X17 R1.

Memory type and speed
Dell XPS 17 9720 - DDR5
4,800 MHz
Alienware X17 R1 - DDR4 XMP
3,466 MHz
About 28% lighter

Dell XPS 17 9720 weighed 4.79 pounds, 28% lighter than the 6.65 pounds Alienware X17 R1.

WeightAlienware X17 R1Dell XPS 17 9720
Pound
6.65 lbs.
4.79 lbs.
Kilogram
3.02 kg
2.17 kg

Key Similars

Similar characteristics share between Alienware X17 R1 and Dell XPS 17 9720.

Supports the same maximum memory size of up to 64GB

Both laptops supports up to 64GB of system memory.

Max system memory size
Alienware X17 R1
64 GB
Dell XPS 17 9720
64 GB
Upgradable memory

Both laptops come with available RAM slots that allow you to replace or upgrade when needed.

MemoryAlienware X17 R1Dell XPS 17 9720
Slots
x2
x2
TypeDDR4 XMPDDR5

Prices

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

Alienware X17 Price
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
Dell Alienware X17 R2 Gaming Laptop - 17.3-inch FHD 480Hz Display, Intel Core i9-12900HK, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080Ti 16GB GDDR6, VR Ready, Wi-Fi 6, Windows 11 Home - Lunar Light
Dell Alienware X17 R2 Gaming Laptop - 17.3-inch FHD 480Hz Display, Intel Core i9-12900HK, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080Ti 16GB GDDR6, VR Ready, Wi-Fi 6, Windows 11 Home - Lunar Light
By Dell
$2,089.99
Dell Alienware X17 R2 Gaming Laptop (2022) | 17.3" 120Hz 4K | Core i9-2TB SSD Hard Drive - 32GB RAM - RTX 3080 | Cores - 12th Gen CPU - 8GB GDDR6X Win 11 Home
Dell Alienware X17 R2 Gaming Laptop (2022) | 17.3" 120Hz 4K | Core i9-2TB SSD Hard Drive - 32GB RAM - RTX 3080 | Cores - 12th Gen CPU - 8GB GDDR6X Win 11 Home
By Dell
$2,545.47
Dell XPS 17 9720 12700H Price
Dell XPS 17 9720 Laptop (2022) | 17" 4K Touch | Core i7 - 1TB SSD - 32GB RAM - RTX 3050 | 14 Cores @ 4.7 GHz - 12th Gen CPU Win 11 Home (Renewed)
Dell XPS 17 9720 Laptop (2022) | 17" 4K Touch | Core i7 - 1TB SSD - 32GB RAM - RTX 3050 | 14 Cores @ 4.7 GHz - 12th Gen CPU Win 11 Home (Renewed)
By Dell
$3,159.99
Dell 2023 XPS 17 9720 Laptop 17" Touchscreen UHD+ Display 14-Core 12th Intel Core i7-12700H NVIDIA RTX 3060 6GB GDDR6 32GB DDR5 2TB NVMe SSD Thunderbolt 4 WiFi 6E Backlit KB FP Reader Windows 10 Pro
Dell 2023 XPS 17 9720 Laptop 17" Touchscreen UHD+ Display 14-Core 12th Intel Core i7-12700H NVIDIA RTX 3060 6GB GDDR6 32GB DDR5 2TB NVMe SSD Thunderbolt 4 WiFi 6E Backlit KB FP Reader Windows 10 Pro
By Dell
$3,529.00
Dell XPS 9720 Laptop PC 17 Inch UHD+ 3840 x 2400 Intel Core i7-12700H Processor, 32GB Ram, 1TB NVMe SSD, Thunderbolt, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060, Webcam, Windows 11 Pro (Renewed)
Dell XPS 9720 Laptop PC 17 Inch UHD+ 3840 x 2400 Intel Core i7-12700H Processor, 32GB Ram, 1TB NVMe SSD, Thunderbolt, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060, Webcam, Windows 11 Pro (Renewed)
By Dell
$2,478.99

Availability

Alienware X17 R1Dell XPS 17 9720
Released20212022
Release DateAvailable on June 1, 2021Announced on March 3, 2022
Pricing
  • $2,099.99
    i7-11800H 16GB 256GB RTX 3060 6GB FHD 165Hz
  • $2,479.99
    i7-11800H 16GB 512GB RTX 3070 8GB FHD 165Hz
  • $3,229.99
    i7-11800H 32GB 512GB RTX 3080 16GB UHD 120Hz
  • $3,629.99
    i9-11980HK 32GB XMP 512GB RTX 3080 16GB UHD 120Hz
Windows 11 Home
  • $1,839
    i5-12500H, 8GB, 512GB, Intel UHD, FHD+ Non-touch
Windows 11 Pro
  • $1,899
    i5-12500H, 8GB, 512GB, Intel UHD, FHD+ Non-touch
  • $1,999
    i5-12500H, 16GB, 512GB, Intel Iris Xe, FHD+ Non-touch
  • $2,349 
    i7-12700H, 16GB, 512GB, RTX 3050, FHD+ Non-touch
  • $2,649
    i7-12700H, 16GB, 512GB, RTX 3050, 4K UHD+ Touch
Applicable Models-
  • 2022 Dell XPS 17
  • Dell XPS 17 9720
  • Dell XPS 9720
Generations

Exterior

Alienware X17 R1Dell XPS 17 9720
Dimensions
  • 15.718” x 11.791” x 0.823” (399.23 x 299.49 x 20.9 mm)
    With FHD 360Hz diplay.
  • 15.718” x 11.791” x 0.843” (399.23 x 299.49 x 21.4 mm)
    With FHD 165Hz or UHD 120Hz diplay.
14.74” x 9.76” x 0.77” (374.45 x 248.05 x 19.5 mm)
Weight6.65 - 7.05 lbs (3.02 - 3.2 kg)
  • 4.79 lb (2.17 kg)
    Non-touch with 97Wh.
  • 5.67 lb (2.57 kg)
    Touch with 97Wh.
Colors
Lunar light
With High Endurance Clear Coat and Silky - Smooth Finish
Platinum Silver exterior Black interior
CNC machined aluminum in platinum silver with carbon fiber composite palm rest in black.
Keyboard and Trackpad
  • Keyboard
    • Alienware X-Series thin keyboard
    • Per-key RGB LED with AlienFX lighting
    • Anti-ghosting and N-key rollover technology.
    • 1.5mm key travel.
  • 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.
    • Supports AlienFX touchpad.
  • Full size, backlit chiclet keyboard.
  • 5.91 x 3.50 in (150 mm x 89 mm) touchpad with multi-touch gesture support.

Display

Alienware X17 R1Dell XPS 17 9720
Size17.3 Inches17 Inches
Info
  • 17.3” FHD with 165Hz
    1920 x 1080 127 PPI ComfortView Plus 3ms response time 300 nits 16:9 100% sRGB 1000:1 Anti-glare WVA 7.2 W
  • 17.3” FHD with 360Hz
    1920 x 1080 127 PPI ComfortView Plus NVIDIA G-Sync Advanced Optimus 1ms response time 300 nits 16:9 100% sRGB 800:1 Anti-glare WVA 8.4 W
  • 17.3” UHD with 120Hz
    3840 x 2160 255 PPI ComfortView Plus 4ms response time 500 nits 16:9 100% Adobe RGB 1200:1 Anti-glare WVA 12.2 W
  • 17” FHD+ Nontouch
    1920 x 1200 133 PPI 500 nits 16:10 100% sRGB 1650:1 60Hz Dolby Vision™️ Eyesafe®️ Anti-glare WVA 5.06 W
  • 17” 4K UHD+ Touch
    3840 x 2400 266 PPI 500 nits 16:10 100% AdobeRGB 99% DCI-P3 1600:1 60Hz DisplayHDR™️ 400 Dolby Vision™️ Eyesafe®️ Anti-reflective Anti-smudge WVA 13.73 W

Ports

Alienware X17 R1Dell XPS 17 9720
Alienware X17 R1 Ports
Image Source: Dell
Left (1)
  • 1 x power port
Right (1)
  • 1 x headphone jack
    Headphone/Microphone
Back (8)
  • 1 x Thunderbolt 4
    40 Gpbs, USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps), Power Delivery (5V/3A)
  • 1 x USB-C
    USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps), Power Delivery (5V/3A)
  • 2 x USB-A
    USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps), Powershare
  • 1 x HDMI
    v2.1
  • 1 x Mini DisplayPort
    v1.4
  • 1 x microSD card slot
  • 1 x RJ-45
    2.5 Gbps, Killer E3100
Dell XPS 17 9720 Ports
Image Source: Dell
Left (3)
  • 2 x Thunderbolt 4
    40 Gpbs, USB 4.0 (40 Gbps), DisplayPort, Power Delivery
  • 1 x lock slot
Right (4)
  • 2 x Thunderbolt 4
    40 Gpbs, USB 4.0 (40 Gbps), DisplayPort, Power Delivery
  • 1 x full-size SD card slot
    v6.0
  • 1 x headphone jack
    Headphone/Microphone

Internal Specs

Alienware X17 R1Dell XPS 17 9720
Processor
  1. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-11800H
    8 cores, 16 threads, 2.30 → 4.60 GHz, 24MB SmartCache, 45W
  2. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-11980HK
    8 cores, 16 threads, 3.30 → 5.00 GHz, 24MB SmartCache, 65W
  1. 12th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-12500H
    12 cores, 16 threads, 2.50 → 4.50 GHz, 18MB SmartCache, 45W
  2. 12th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-12700H
    14 cores, 20 threads, 2.30 → 4.70 GHz, 24MB SmartCache, 45W
Integrated Graphics
  1. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-11800H
    Intel® UHD Graphics
    32 Execution Units, 350 → 1450 MHz
  2. 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-11980HK
    Intel® UHD Graphics
    32 Execution Units, 350 → 1450 MHz
  1. 12th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-12500H
    Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics
    80 Execution Units, 400 → 1300 MHz
  2. 12th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-12700H
    Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics
    96 Execution Units, 400 → 1400 MHz
Memory
8 GB 16 GB 32 GB 64GB
3200MHz or 3466MHz Dual-channel DDR4 SDRAM.
2 x SO-DIMM slots.
  • Max 32GB of 3200 MHz DDR4 Memory
  • Max 64GB of 3466 MHz XMP DDR4 Memory
4 GB 8 GB 16 GB 32 GB 64 GB
4800 MHz Dual-channel DDR5 RAM.
2 x SODIMM slots.
Discrete Graphics
  • NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3060
    6GB GDDR6 TGP: 115W Dynamic Boost: 15W Max Power: 130W Speed: 1387 → 1702 MHz
  • NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3070
    8GB GDDR6 TGP: 125W Dynamic Boost: 15W Max Power: 140W Speed: 1215 → 1620 MHz
  • NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3080
    16GB GDDR6 TGP: 150W Dynamic Boost: 15W Max Power: 165W Speed: 1350 → 1710 MHz
* All configurations include 12-phase HyperEfficient graphics voltage regulation.
  • NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3050
    Ampere Architecture 4GB GDDR6 128-bit 2304 CUDA Cores 60W
  • NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3060
    Ampere Architecture 6GB GDDR6 192-bit 3584 CUDA Cores 70W
Storage
  • 2 x M.2 2280 slots (Up to 2TB each)
    Supports RAID-0
256 GB 512 GB 1 TB 2TB 4TB 8TB
  PCIe Gen 4 x4 NVMe SSD.
Up to 64Gbps.
  • Storage slots: 2 x M.2 2230/2280 slots.

Connectivity

Alienware X17 R1Dell XPS 17 9720
Wi-FiRivet Killer Wi-Fi 6E AX1675w
Triple Band 2.4GHz/5GHz/6GHz Up to 2400 Mbps WiFi 6 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax
Intel Killer 1675 (AX211)
Onboard Dual Band 2.4GHz/5GHz Up to 2400 Mbps WiFi 6 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax
BluetoothBluetooth 5.2Bluetooth 5.2
EthernetKiller E3100 2.5G Ethernet Controller
Transfer rate: 10/100/1000/2500 Mbps
-

Battery

Alienware X17 R1Dell XPS 17 9720
Size87 WHr, 6-cell smart lithium-ion battery97 Wh
6-cell "smart" lithium-ion.
Power Supply
240W 330W
power adapter.
130 W USB Type-C power adapter
Power rated at 5VDC/1A, 20VDC/6.5A.

Software

Alienware X17 R1Dell XPS 17 9720
OS
Windows 10 Home Windows 10 Pro
Upgradable to Windows 11
Windows 11
Home Pro Pro National Academic
Built-in Apps
  • Alienware Command Center
    AlienFX lighting Game Library Auto-tune game profile functionality Fusion Alienware Adrenalin Alienware Mobile Connect
  • Microsoft Office 365 (30-day trial)
  • Microsoft Office 30-days trial
  • McAfee LiveSafe™ 12 Month Subscription

Camera & Audio

Alienware X17 R1Dell XPS 17 9720
Camera
  • Front-facing camera.
    Alienware HD (1280x720 resolution) camera.
  • Windows Hello IR support.
  • Front-facing camera
    Top-mount front camera with fixed focus lens, 0.92 Megapixels (1280 x 720 HD) at 30 fps.
  • Infrared camera
    576 x 360 (VGA) at 30 fps for Windows Hello Facial Recognition.
Audio
  • Controller: Realtek ALC3281
    • 7.1 Digital Audio out using HDMI out connection
    • Alienware Sound Center via Alienware Command Center
  • Speakers:
    • 2 x 4W speakers
  • Microphone:
    • Dual-array microphones
  • Realtek ALC711-CG Audio Controller
  • Realtek ALC1319D Amplifier
  • Studio quality tuning with Waves MaxxAudio® Pro and Waves Nx® 3D audio
  • Quad-speaker design with 2.5W x2 woofers and 2.5W x2 tweeters = 10W total peak output
  • Dual microphone array optimized with Waves MaxxVoice supporting VoIP - Microsoft Cortana capable

Misc

Alienware X17 R1Dell XPS 17 9720
SensorsWindows Hello IR Camera
  • Ambient light sensor
  • Windows Hello compliant fingerprint reader in the power button
  • IR Camera
Security-
  • Windows Hello with Fingerprint Sign in
  • Enterprise-grade protection with Windows Hello face sign-in
  • Wedge-shaped lock
Warranty1 Year Hardware Service with Onsite/In-Home Service After Remote Diagnosis1 Year ProSupport with Next Business Day Onsite Service

Key Features

Alienware X17 R1Dell XPS 17 9720
At Glance
Released in Mid
2021
16:9 4K UHD
17.3”
2160p 120Hz
Weight
6.65 lb
3.02 kg
Up to
Intel Core i9-11980HK
8C/16T, 3.30 → 5.00 GHz
Geekbench 5
1,646
Single Core
Geekbench 5
9,677
Multi-Core
With integrated
Intel® UHD Graphics
32 Execution Units, 350 → 1450 MHz
Upgradable up to
64GB
3466 MHz DDR4 XMP
Alienware X17 R1 Ports
Nvidia GeForce
RTX 3080
16GB GDDR6 150W TGP
Released in Early
2022
16:10 4K UHD+
17”
2400p 60Hz
Weight
4.79 lb
2.17 kg
Up to
Intel Core i7-12700H
14C/20T, 2.30 → 4.70 GHz
Geekbench 5
1,658
Single Core
Geekbench 5
11,774
Multi-Core
With integrated
Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics
96 Execution Units, 400 → 1400 MHz
Upgradable up to
64GB
4800 MHz DDR5
Dell XPS 17 9720 Ports
Nvidia GeForce
RTX 3060
6GB GDDR6 70W TGP
Starting at
$1,839
i5-12500H, 8GB, 512GB
Built-in
97Wh
Large Battery
Built-in
Facial Recognition
Built-in
Fingerprint Reader
Featuring
Waves Nx® 3D
2 Woofers + 2 Tweeters
Advanced Thermal Design
Vapor Chamber
Cooling System
Supports
Dell Power Manager
Controls fan, battery life, & performance

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