Alienware X17 R1 vs. M2 MacBook Pro 16”: Full specs comparison

We have comprehensively compared the specifications for the Alienware X17 R1 and M2 MacBook Pro 16” models. The report includes detailed information regarding both models' CPU, memory, storage, battery life, display quality, and other features.

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Alienware X17 R1 image

Alienware X17 R1

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M2 MacBook Pro 16” image

M2 MacBook Pro 16”

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Alienware X17 R1 Pros

Reasons that Alienware X17 R1 is better than M2 MacBook Pro 16”.

Upgradable memory

Alienware X17 R1 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 M2 MacBook Pro 16” since it has onboard memory.

MemoryAlienware X17 R1M2 MacBook Pro 16”
Slots
x2
Onboard
TypeDDR4 XMPLPDDR5
Supports discrete graphics

Configurable up to Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 16GB GDDR6 150W TGP vs. integrated

Upgradable storage

Alienware X17 R1 comes with two M.2 slots that you can easily upgrade and install an additional SSD to expand the storage on the device.

SlotsAlienware X17 R1M2 MacBook Pro 16”
M.2
Yes x2
Onboard
6% larger display

Alienware X17 R1 has a 17.3-inch screen size 6% larger than the 16.2-inch M2 MacBook Pro 16”.

Display size
Alienware X17 R1
17.3-inch
M2 MacBook Pro 16”
16.2-inch
Has three more ports and slots

Alienware X17 R1 has more ports and slots count than the M2 MacBook Pro 16”. It has ten versus seven amount of ports and slots on the M2 MacBook Pro 16”.

PortsAlienware X17 R1M2 MacBook Pro 16”
full-size SD card slotNoYes
HDMIYesYes
headphone jackYesYes
microSD card slotYesNo
Mini DisplayPortYesNo
power portYesYes
RJ-45YesNo
Thunderbolt 4YesYes x3
USB-AYes x2No
USB-CYesNo
Total107
More versatile connectivity

Alienware X17 R1 has better versatile I/O connectivity than the M2 MacBook Pro 16”. It has nine versus five commonly used ports and slots on the M2 MacBook Pro 16”.

PortsAlienware X17 R1M2 MacBook Pro 16”
HDMIYesYes
headphone jackYesYes
power portYesYes
Thunderbolt 4YesYes
full-size SD card slotNoYes
microSD card slotYesNo
Mini DisplayPortYesNo
RJ-45YesNo
USB-AYesNo
USB-CYesNo

M2 MacBook Pro 16” Pros

Reasons that M2 MacBook Pro 16” is better than Alienware X17 R1.

Newer manufacturing

2023 vs. 2021

Much faster CPU performance

Apple M2 Max (12C, 38G) inside M2 MacBook Pro 16” has a 58% better multi-core CPU performance score than the Intel Core i9-11980HK inside Alienware X17 R1.

Geekbench 5 multi-core score
M2 MacBook Pro 16” - Apple M2 Max (12C, 30G)
15,305
M2 MacBook Pro 16” - Apple M2 Max (12C, 38G)
15,305
M2 MacBook Pro 16” - Apple M2 Pro (12C, 19G)
14,899
Alienware X17 R1 - Intel Core i9-11980HK
9,677
Alienware X17 R1 - Intel Core i7-11800H
7,908
Supports larger memory

M2 MacBook Pro 16” supports a larger memory capacity than the Alienware X17 R1. It supports up to 96GB versus 64GB of system memory on the Alienware X17 R1.

Max system memory size
M2 MacBook Pro 16”
96 GB
Alienware X17 R1
64 GB
About 30% lighter

M2 MacBook Pro 16” weighed 4.7 pounds, 30% lighter than the 6.65 pounds Alienware X17 R1.

WeightAlienware X17 R1M2 MacBook Pro 16”
Pound
6.65 lbs.
4.7 lbs.
Kilogram
3.02 kg
2.13 kg

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
See at Amazon
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
See at Amazon
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
See at Amazon
M2 MacBook Pro 16” Price
Apple 2023 MacBook Pro Laptop M2 Pro chip with 12‑core CPU and 19‑core GPU: 16.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR Display, 16GB Unified Memory, 512GB SSD Storage. Works with iPhone/iPad; Silver
 Apple 2023 MacBook Pro Laptop M2 Pro chip with 12‑core CPU and 19‑core GPU: 16.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR Display, 16GB Unified Memory, 512GB SSD Storage. Works with iPhone/iPad; Silver
By Apple
$1,998.99
$2,499.00 20% OFF
See at Amazon
Apple 2023 MacBook Pro Laptop M3 Pro chip with 12‑core CPU, 18‑core GPU: 16.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR Display, 18GB Unified Memory, 512GB SSD Storage. Works with iPhone/iPad; Space Black
 Apple 2023 MacBook Pro Laptop M3 Pro chip with 12‑core CPU, 18‑core GPU: 16.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR Display, 18GB Unified Memory, 512GB SSD Storage. Works with iPhone/iPad; Space Black
By Apple
$2,359.00
$2,499.00 6% OFF
See at Amazon
2023 Apple MacBook Pro with Apple M2 Pro Chip (16-inch, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD) (QWERTY English) Space Gray (Renewed)
 2023 Apple MacBook Pro with Apple M2 Pro Chip (16-inch, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD) (QWERTY English) Space Gray (Renewed)
By Apple
$2,099.00
See at Amazon

Specs Comparison

Availability

Alienware X17 R1M2 MacBook Pro 16”
Released20212023
Release DateAvailable on June 1, 2021
  • Announced on January 17, 2023.
Available on January 24, 2023.
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
  • $2,499
    M2 Pro 12-Core CPU 19-Core GPU 16GB 512GB
  • $2,699
    M2 Pro 12-Core CPU 19-Core GPU 16GB 1TB
  • $3,299
    M2 Max 12-Core CPU 30-Core GPU 32GB 1TB
  • $3,899
    M2 Max 12-Core CPU 38-Core GPU 64GB 1TB
  • $4,299
    M2 Max 12-Core CPU 38-Core GPU 64GB 2TB
  • $4,899
    M2 Max 12-Core CPU 38-Core GPU 64GB 4TB
  • $6,099
    M2 Max 12-Core CPU 38-Core GPU 64GB 8TB
  • $6,499
    M2 Max 12-Core CPU 38-Core GPU 96GB 8TB
Generations

Exterior

Alienware X17 R1M2 MacBook Pro 16”
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.
  • Height: 0.66 inch (1.68 cm)
  • Width: 14.01 inches (35.57 cm)
  • Depth: 9.77 inches (24.81 cm)
Weight6.65 - 7.05 lbs (3.02 - 3.2 kg)
  • 4.7 pounds (2.15 kg)
    M2 Pro models.
  • 4.8 pounds (2.16 kg)
    M2 Max models.
Colors
Lunar light
With High Endurance Clear Coat and Silky - Smooth Finish
Space Gray Silver
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.
Backlit Magic Keyboard with:
  • 78 (U.S.) or 79 (ISO) keys including 12 full-height function keys and 4 arrow keys in an inverted-T arrangement
  • Touch ID
  • Ambient light sensor
  • Force Touch trackpad for precise cursor control and pressure-sensing capabilities; enables Force clicks, accelerators, pressure-sensitive drawing, and Multi-Touch gestures

Display

Alienware X17 R1M2 MacBook Pro 16”
Size17.3 Inches16.2 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
  • Liquid Retina XDR display
    • 16.2-inch (diagonal) Liquid Retina XDR display;10 3456-by-2234 native resolution at 254 pixels per inch
  • XDR (Extreme Dynamic Range)
    • Up to 1000 nits sustained (full-screen) brightness, 1600 nits peak brightness
    • 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio
    • Color
      1 billion colors Wide color (P3) True Tone technology
  • Refresh rates
    • ProMotion technology for adaptive refresh rates up to 120Hz
    • Fixed refresh rates: 47.95Hz, 48.00Hz, 50.00Hz, 59.94Hz, 60.00Hz

Ports

Alienware X17 R1M2 MacBook Pro 16”
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
Left (4)
M2 MacBook Pro 16” Ports - Left
Image Source: Apple
  • 1 x power port
    MagSafe 3
  • 2 x Thunderbolt 4
    40 Gpbs, USB 4.0 (40 Gbps), DisplayPort, Charging
  • 1 x headphone jack
    Headphone/Microphone
Right (3)
M2 MacBook Pro 16” Ports - Right
Image Source: Apple
  • 1 x full-size SD card slot
  • 1 x Thunderbolt 4
    40 Gpbs, USB 4.0 (40 Gbps), DisplayPort, Charging
  • 1 x HDMI
    v2.1, 8K@60Hz, 4K@240Hz

Internal Specs

Alienware X17 R1M2 MacBook Pro 16”
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. Apple M2 Pro (12C, 19G)
    12 cores, 12 threads, 2.42 → 3.50 GHz,
  2. Apple M2 Max (12C, 30G)
    12 cores, 12 threads, 2.42 → 3.70 GHz,
  3. Apple M2 Max (12C, 38G)
    12 cores, 12 threads, 2.42 → 3.70 GHz,
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. Apple M2 Pro (12C, 19G)
    Apple M2 Pro iGPU
    19 GPU Cores, 16 Neural Engine Cores,
  2. Apple M2 Max (12C, 30G)
    Apple M2 Max iGPU
    30 GPU Cores, 16 Neural Engine Cores,
  3. Apple M2 Max (12C, 38G)
    Apple M2 Max iGPU
    38 GPU Cores, 16 Neural Engine Cores,
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
16GB 32GB 64GB 96GB
Unified Memory
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.		-
Storage
  • 2 x M.2 2280 slots (Up to 2TB each)
    Supports RAID-0
512GB 1TB 2TB 4TB 8TB
SSD

Connectivity

Alienware X17 R1M2 MacBook Pro 16”
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
  • 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6E wireless networking
  • IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac compatible
BluetoothBluetooth 5.2Bluetooth 5.3 wireless technology
EthernetKiller E3100 2.5G Ethernet Controller
Transfer rate: 10/100/1000/2500 Mbps
-

Battery

Alienware X17 R1M2 MacBook Pro 16”
Size87 WHr, 6-cell smart lithium-ion battery100 Wh lithium‑polymer battery
Battery Life-
  • Up to 15 hours of wireless web
  • Up to 22 hours of Apple TV app movie playback
Power Supply
240W 330W
power adapter.		140W USB‑C Power Adapter 
Charging up to 50 percent in just 30 minutes with included USB-C to MagSafe 3 Cable.

Software

Alienware X17 R1M2 MacBook Pro 16”
OS
Windows 10 Home Windows 10 Pro
Upgradable to Windows 11
Shipped with macOS Ventura
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)
Photos iMovie GarageBand Pages Numbers Keynote Siri Safari Mail FaceTime Messages Maps News Stocks Home Voice Memos Notes Calendar Contacts Reminders Photo Booth Preview Music Podcasts TV Books App Store Time Machine Find My QuickTime Player

Camera & Audio

Alienware X17 R1M2 MacBook Pro 16”
Camera
  • Front-facing camera.
    Alienware HD (1280x720 resolution) camera.
  • Windows Hello IR support.
1080p FaceTime HD camera 
Advanced image signal processor with computational video.
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
  • High-fidelity six-speaker sound system with force-canceling woofers
  • Wide stereo sound
  • Support for spatial audio when playing music or video with Dolby Atmos on built-in speakers
  • Spatial audio with dynamic head tracking when using AirPods (3rd generation), AirPods Pro, and AirPods Max
  • Studio-quality three-mic array with high signal-to-noise ratio and directional beamforming
  • 3.5 mm headphone jack with advanced support for high-impedance headphones

Misc

Alienware X17 R1M2 MacBook Pro 16”
SensorsWindows Hello IR CameraTouch ID sensor
Security-
  • Touch ID sensor
  • Apple T2 Security Chip
In the box-
  • 16‑inch MacBook Pro
  • 140W USB‑C Power Adapter
  • USB-C to MagSafe 3 Cable (2 m)
Warranty1 Year Hardware Service with Onsite/In-Home Service After Remote DiagnosisYour MacBook Pro comes with 90 days of complimentary technical support and a one-year limited warranty. Purchase AppleCare+ for Mac to extend your coverage to three years from your AppleCare+ purchase date and add up to two incidents of accidental damage coverage every 12 months, each subject to a service fee of $99 for screen damage or external enclosure damage, or $299 for other repairable damage, plus applicable tax.
More-Display Supports
  • M2 Pro
    • Simultaneously supports full native resolution on the built-in display at 1 billion colors and:
    • Up to two external displays with up to 6K resolution at 60Hz over Thunderbolt, or one external display with up to 6K resolution at 60Hz over Thunderbolt and one external display with up to 4K resolution at 144Hz over HDMI
    • One external display supported at 8K resolution at 60Hz or one external display at 4K resolution at 240Hz over HDMI
  • M2 Max
    • Simultaneously supports full native resolution on the built-in display at 1 billion colors and:
    • Up to four external displays: Up to three external displays with 6K resolution at 60Hz over Thunderbolt and one external display with up to 4K resolution at 144Hz over HDMI
    • Up to three external displays: Up to two external displays with 6K resolution at 60Hz over Thunderbolt and one external display with up to 8K resolution at 60Hz or one external display with 4K resolution at 240Hz over HDMI
  • Thunderbolt 4 digital video output
    • Native DisplayPort output over USB‑C
  • HDMI digital video output
    • Support for one display with up to 8K resolution at 60Hz or 4K resolution at 240Hz

Key Features

Alienware X17 R1M2 MacBook Pro 16”
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
2023
16:10 XDR
16.2”
2234p 120Hz
Weight
4.7 lb
2.13 kg
Up to
Apple M2 Max (12C, 38G)
12C/12T, 2.42 → 3.70 GHz
Geekbench 5
2,075
Single Core
Geekbench 5
15,305
Multi-Core
With integrated
Apple M2 Max iGPU
38 GPU Cores, 16 Neural Engine Cores
Configurable up to
96GB
LPDDR5 Memory
M2 MacBook Pro 16” Ports - Left
M2 MacBook Pro 16” Ports - Right

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