Alienware X17 R1 vs. Surface Go 3: Which is better?
Here is a side by side comparison between Alienware X17 R1 and Surface Go 3 specs including CPU, RAM, storage, battery, display, and more.
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Alienware X17 R1 Pros
Reasons that Alienware X17 R1 is better than Surface Go 3.
Intel Core i9-11980HK inside Alienware X17 R1 has a 516% better multi-core CPU performance score than the Intel Core i3-10100Y inside Surface Go 3.
Alienware X17 R1 supports a larger memory capacity than the Surface Go 3. It supports up to 64GB versus 8GB of system memory on the Surface Go 3.
Alienware X17 R1 supports a faster memory speed than the Surface Go 3. It supports up to 3466MHz versus 1866MHz of system memory on the Surface Go 3.
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 Surface Go 3 since it has onboard memory.
Memory | Alienware X17 R1 | Surface Go 3 |
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Slots | x2 | Onboard |
Type | DDR4 XMP | LPDDR3 |
Configurable up to Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 16GB GDDR6 150W TGP vs. integrated
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.
Slots | Alienware X17 R1 | Surface Go 3 |
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M.2 | Yes x2 | Onboard |
Alienware X17 R1 has a 17.3-inch screen size 64% larger than the 10.5-inch Surface Go 3.
Alienware X17 R1 has more ports and slots count than the Surface Go 3. It has ten versus five amount of ports and slots on the Surface Go 3.
Ports | Alienware X17 R1 | Surface Go 3 |
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HDMI | Yes | No |
headphone jack | Yes | Yes |
microSD card slot | Yes | Yes |
Mini DisplayPort | Yes | No |
power port | Yes | No |
RJ-45 | Yes | No |
Surface Connect | No | Yes |
Surface Go Type Cover Connector | No | Yes |
Thunderbolt 4 | Yes | No |
USB-A | Yes x2 | No |
USB-C | Yes | Yes |
Total | 10 | 5 |
Alienware X17 R1 has better versatile I/O connectivity than the Surface Go 3. It has nine versus three commonly used ports and slots on the Surface Go 3.
Ports | Alienware X17 R1 | Surface Go 3 |
---|---|---|
headphone jack | Yes | Yes |
microSD card slot | Yes | Yes |
USB-C | Yes | Yes |
HDMI | Yes | No |
Mini DisplayPort | Yes | No |
power port | Yes | No |
RJ-45 | Yes | No |
Thunderbolt 4 | Yes | No |
USB-A | Yes | No |
Surface Go 3 Pros
Reasons that Surface Go 3 is better than Alienware X17 R1.
Surface Go 3 weighed 1.2 pounds, 82% lighter than the 6.65 pounds Alienware X17 R1.
Weight | Alienware X17 R1 | Surface Go 3 |
---|---|---|
Pound | 6.65 lbs. | 1.2 lbs. |
Kilogram | 3.02 kg | 0.54 kg |
Prices
Here are the latest price updates and offers for both devices.
Availability | Alienware X17 R1 | Surface Go 3 |
Released | 2021 | 2021 |
Release Date | Available on June 1, 2021 |
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Pricing |
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Generations |
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Exterior | Alienware X17 R1 | Surface Go 3 |
Dimensions |
| 9.65” x 6.9” x 0.33” (245 mm x 175 mm x 8.3 mm) Width: 9.65” (245 mm) Height: 6.9” (175 mm) Thickness: 0.33” (8.3 mm) |
Weight | 6.65 - 7.05 lbs (3.02 - 3.2 kg) |
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Colors | Lunar light With High Endurance Clear Coat and Silky - Smooth Finish | Platinum |
Keyboard and Trackpad |
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Display | Alienware X17 R1 | Surface Go 3 |
Size | 17.3 Inches | 10.5 Inches |
Info |
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Ports | Alienware X17 R1 | Surface Go 3 |
Left (1)
Right (1)
Back (8)
| Right (3)
Bottom (1)
Under Kickstand (1)
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Internal Specs | Alienware X17 R1 | Surface Go 3 |
Processor |
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Integrated Graphics |
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Memory | 8 GB 16 GB 32 GB 64GB 3200MHz or 3466MHz Dual-channel DDR4 SDRAM.2 x SO-DIMM slots.
| 4GB 8GB 1866 MHz LPDDR3 RAM |
Discrete Graphics |
| - |
Storage |
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Connectivity | Alienware X17 R1 | Surface Go 3 |
Wi-Fi | Rivet Killer Wi-Fi 6E AX1675w Triple Band 2.4GHz/5GHz/6GHz Up to 2400 Mbps WiFi 6 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax | Wi-Fi 6: IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax compatible. |
Bluetooth | Bluetooth 5.2 | Bluetooth Wireless 5.0 technology |
Ethernet | Killer E3100 2.5G Ethernet Controller Transfer rate: 10/100/1000/2500 Mbps | - |
More | - | LTE version coming soon. |
Battery | Alienware X17 R1 | Surface Go 3 |
Size | 87 WHr, 6-cell smart lithium-ion battery |
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Battery Life | - | Up to 11 hours of typical device usage |
Power Supply | 240W 330W power adapter. | 24W proprietary Surface Connect power supply |
Software | Alienware X17 R1 | Surface Go 3 |
OS | Windows 10 Home Windows 10 Pro Upgradable to Windows 11 | Windows 11 Home in S-mode |
Built-in Apps |
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Camera & Audio | Alienware X17 R1 | Surface Go 3 |
Camera |
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Audio |
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Misc | Alienware X17 R1 | Surface Go 3 |
Inking | - | Supports Microsoft Pen Protocol (MPP) 4096 levels of pressure Tilt sensing Best in class latency Paper feel magnetic storage |
Sensors | Windows Hello IR Camera |
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Security | - |
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In the box | - |
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Warranty | 1 Year Hardware Service with Onsite/In-Home Service After Remote Diagnosis |
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More | - |
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Key Features | Alienware X17 R1 | Surface Go 3 |
At Glance |
Comparison Summary
Dell has released the Alienware X17 R1, a 17.3-inch machine, in mid-2021. It is powered by up to an octa-core Intel Core i9-11980HK with a boost clock speed up to 5.00 GHz. The laptop has a dedicated GPU option up to Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 with 16GB GDDR6 150W TGP.
On the other hand, we have the 10.5-inch Surface Go 3 was introduced by Microsoft around the same year in late-2021. It comes with up to a dual-core Intel Core i3-10100Y with a boost clock speed up to 3.90 GHz. It has an integrated graphics option up to Intel® UHD Graphics 615 (24 Execution Units, 300 → 1000 MHz).
Geekbench 5 Single Core
Geekbench 5 Multi Core
The Alienware X17 R1 has a 17.3-inch display which is way larger than the 10.5-inch Surface Go 3. In addition, the Alienware X17 R1 weighs 6.65 lbs. about 454% heavier than the 1.2 lbs. Surface Go 3. Moreover, measured at 15.72” x 11.79” x 0.82”, the Alienware X17 R1 is much bulkier than the Surface Go 3 at 9.65” x 6.9” x 0.33”.
There are a toal number of 10 ports and slots available on Alienware X17 R1. That includes a power port, a headphone jack, a Thunderbolt 4 port, a USB-C port, a USB-A port, an HDMI port, a Mini DisplayPort, a microSD card slot, and an RJ-45 port. With that said, it has five ports and slots more than the Surface Go 3 that has a USB-C port, a Surface Connect, a headphone jack, a Surface Go Type Cover Connector, and a microSD card slot.
Moving over to upgradability, Dell claims that the Alienware X17 R1 supports up to 64GB 3466 MHz DDR4 XMP memory that you can upgrade with two memory module slots on the motherboard. It also comes with two M.2 slots that users can easily upgrade and install an additional SSD to expand the storage on the device.
For Surface Go 3, it supports up to 8GB 1866 MHz LPDDR3 memory. Unlike Alienware X17 R1, it has an onboard memory module that is not upgradable by the users. Furthermore, it also has an integrated storage module and has no M.2 slots for replacement.
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