2020 ASUS TUF Gaming A15 vs. Alienware M15 R4: Which is better?

Here is a side by side comparison between 2020 ASUS TUF Gaming A15 and Alienware M15 R4 specs including CPU, RAM, storage, battery, display, and more.

2020 ASUS TUF Gaming A15 Pros

Reasons that 2020 ASUS TUF Gaming A15 is better than Alienware M15 R4.

Supports faster memory

The 2020 ASUS TUF Gaming A15 supports a faster memory speed than the Alienware M15 R4. It supports up to 3200MHz versus 2933MHz of system memory on the Alienware M15 R4.

Memory type and speed
2020 ASUS TUF Gaming A15 - DDR4
3,200 MHz
Alienware M15 R4 - DDR4
2,933 MHz
Upgradable memory

The 2020 ASUS TUF Gaming A15 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 M15 R4 since it has onboard memory.

Memory2020 ASUS TUF Gaming A15Alienware M15 R4
Slots
x2
Onboard
TypeDDR4DDR4

Alienware M15 R4 Pros

Reasons that Alienware M15 R4 is better than 2020 ASUS TUF Gaming A15.

About 9% lighter

Alienware M15 R4 weighed 4.65 pounds, 9% lighter than the 5.07 pounds 2020 ASUS TUF Gaming A15.

Weight2020 ASUS TUF Gaming A15Alienware M15 R4
Pound
5.07 lbs.
4.65 lbs.
Kilogram
2.30 kg
2.11 kg

Key Similars

Similar characteristics share between 2020 ASUS TUF Gaming A15 and Alienware M15 R4.

Similar CPU performance

Both laptops has a similar multi-core CPU performance score.

Geekbench 5 multi-core score
Alienware M15 R4 - Intel Core i9-10980HK
7,013
2020 ASUS TUF Gaming A15 - AMD Ryzen 9-4900H
6,806
Alienware M15 R4 - Intel Core i7-10870H
6,596
2020 ASUS TUF Gaming A15 - AMD Ryzen 7-4800H
6,440
2020 ASUS TUF Gaming A15 - AMD Ryzen 5-4600H
4,908
Supports the same maximum memory size of up to 32GB

Both laptops supports up to 32GB of system memory.

Max system memory size
2020 ASUS TUF Gaming A15
32 GB
Alienware M15 R4
32 GB

Prices

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

2020 ASUS TUF Gaming A15 Price
ASUS TUF Gaming A15 (2024) Gaming Laptop, 15.6” FHD 144Hz Display, NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 2050, AMD Ryzen™ 5 7535HS, 8GB DDR5, 512GB PCIe® Gen4 NVMe™ SSD, Wi-Fi 6, Windows 11, FA506NF-ES51
ASUS TUF Gaming A15 (2024) Gaming Laptop, 15.6” FHD 144Hz Display, NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 2050, AMD Ryzen™ 5 7535HS, 8GB DDR5, 512GB PCIe® Gen4 NVMe™ SSD, Wi-Fi 6, Windows 11, FA506NF-ES51
By ASUS
$699.99
ASUS TUF Gaming A15 Gaming Laptop, 15.6” 144Hz FHD IPS-Type, AMD Ryzen 5 4600H, GeForce GTX 1650, 8GB DDR4, 512GB PCIe SSD, Gigabit Wi-Fi 5, Windows 10 Home, FA506IH-AS53
ASUS TUF Gaming A15 Gaming Laptop, 15.6” 144Hz FHD IPS-Type, AMD Ryzen 5 4600H, GeForce GTX 1650, 8GB DDR4, 512GB PCIe SSD, Gigabit Wi-Fi 5, Windows 10 Home, FA506IH-AS53
By ASUS
$795.00
ASUS TUF Gaming A15 (2023) Gaming Laptop, 15.6” FHD 144Hz, 100% sRGB Display, GeForce RTX 4050, AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS, 16GB DDR5, 1TB PCIe SSD, Wi-Fi 6E, Windows 11, FA507NU-DS74,Mecha Gray
ASUS TUF Gaming A15 (2023) Gaming Laptop, 15.6” FHD 144Hz, 100% sRGB Display, GeForce RTX 4050, AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS, 16GB DDR5, 1TB PCIe SSD, Wi-Fi 6E, Windows 11, FA507NU-DS74,Mecha Gray
By ASUS
$1,060.00
$1,199.99 12% OFF
Alienware M15 R4 Price
Alienware m15 R4 RTX 3070 Gaming Laptop Full HD (FHD), 15.6 inch - Intel Core i7-10870H, 16GB DDR4 RAM, 1TB SSD, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 8GB GDDR6, Windows 10 Home - Lunar Light
Alienware m15 R4 RTX 3070 Gaming Laptop Full HD (FHD), 15.6 inch - Intel Core i7-10870H, 16GB DDR4 RAM, 1TB SSD, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 8GB GDDR6, Windows 10 Home - Lunar Light
By Dell
$1,750.00
$1,849.00 5% OFF
Alienware - m15 R4-15.6" FHD Gaming Laptop - Intel Core i7-16GB Memory - Nvidia RTX3070-512GB Solid State Drive - Dark Side of The Moon
Alienware - m15 R4-15.6" FHD Gaming Laptop - Intel Core i7-16GB Memory - Nvidia RTX3070-512GB Solid State Drive - Dark Side of The Moon
By Dell
$1,999.99
Alienware m15 R4 Gaming Laptop, 15.6 inch Full HD (FHD) - Intel Core i7-10870H, 16GB DDR4 RAM, 512GB SSD, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 6GB GDDR6, Windows 10 Home - Lunar Light
Alienware m15 R4 Gaming Laptop, 15.6 inch Full HD (FHD) - Intel Core i7-10870H, 16GB DDR4 RAM, 512GB SSD, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 6GB GDDR6, Windows 10 Home - Lunar Light
By Alienware
$1,299.95

Availability

2020 ASUS TUF Gaming A15Alienware M15 R4
Released20202021
Release Date-
  • Announced on January 12, 2021 (CES 2021)
  • Available on January 26, 2021
Pricing-Starting at $2,149.99
Generations

Exterior

2020 ASUS TUF Gaming A15Alienware M15 R4
Dimensions14.16” x 10.07” x 0.89 ~ 0.98” (359.8 x 256 x 22.8 ~ 24.9 mm)
  • 14.19” x 10.879” x 0.724 - 0.807 - 0.776” (360.3 mm x 276.32 mm x 18.39 - 20.5 - 19.7 mm)
    Alienware M15 R4 with OLED display models
  • 14.19” x 10.863” x 0.701 - 0.783 - 0.776” (360.3 mm x 275.92 mm x 17.8 - 19.9 - 19.7 mm)
    Alienware M15 R4 with 300Hz display models
Weight2.3 kgStarting at 4.65 lbs (2.10 kg) up to 5.51 lbs (2.50 kg)
Colors
  • Fortress Gray
  • Bonfire Black
  • Dark Side of the Moon with High Endurance Clear Coat
  • Lunar Light with High Endurance Clear Coat
Keyboard and Trackpad
  • Chiclet keyboard with isolated Numpad key
  • RGB backlight with ASUS AURA RGB with four modes:
    • Static
    • Breathing
    • Color Cycle
    • Strobing
  • Overstroke technology can withstand over 20 million pressed.
  • 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.

Display

2020 ASUS TUF Gaming A15Alienware M15 R4
Size15.6 Inches15.6 Inches
Info
  • 15.6" (16:9) LED-backlit FHD (1920x1080) 144Hz Anti-Glare IPS-level Panel with 45% NTSC
  • 15.6" (16:9) LED-backlit FHD (1920x1080) 60Hz Anti-Glare IPS-level Panel with 45% NTSC
  • 15.6" (16:9) LED-backlit FHD (1920x1080) 144Hz Anti-Glare IPS-level Panel with 72% NTSC
  • With Adaptive-Sync
  • 15.6” FHD with 300Hz
    1920 x 1080 141 PPI 3ms response time 300 nits 16:9 100% sRGB color gamut Anti-glare WVA 6.3W
  • 15.6” UHD with 60Hz
    3840 x 2160 OLED 282 PPI 1ms response time 400 nits 16:9 HDR-400 100% DCI-P3 color gamut 100000:1 contrast ratio TrueLife Tobii Eyetracking technology WVA 14.8W

Ports

2020 ASUS TUF Gaming A15Alienware M15 R4
2020 ASUS TUF Gaming A15 Ports
Image Source: ASUS
Left (7)
  • 1 x USB-C
    USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps), DisplayPort 1.4
  • 2 x USB-A
    USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps)
  • 1 x HDMI
    v2.0b
  • 1 x RJ-45
    1 Gbps
  • 1 x headphone jack
    Headphone/Microphone
  • 1 x power port
Right (2)
  • 1 x USB-A
    USB 2.0 (480 Mbps)
  • 1 x lock slot
Alienware M15 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 Killer™ Ethernet E3000 10/100/1000Mbps/2.5Gbps 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

2020 ASUS TUF Gaming A15Alienware M15 R4
Processor
  1. AMD Ryzen™ 5 4600H
    6 cores, 12 threads, 3.00 → 4.00 GHz, 3MB L2 Cache, 8MB L3 Cache, 45W
  2. AMD Ryzen™ 7 4800H
    8 cores, 16 threads, 2.90 → 4.20 GHz, 4MB L2 Cache, 8MB L3 Cache, 45W
  3. AMD Ryzen™ 9 4900H
    8 cores, 16 threads, 3.30 → 4.40 GHz, 4MB L2 Cache, 8MB 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™ 5 4600H
    AMD Radeon™ Graphics
    6 Graphics Cores, 1500 MHz
  2. AMD Ryzen™ 7 4800H
    AMD Radeon™ Graphics
    7 Graphics Cores, 1600 MHz
  3. AMD Ryzen™ 9 4900H
    AMD Radeon™ Graphics
    8 Graphics Cores, 1750 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
MemoryUp to 32GB Dual Channel DDR4 3200MHz SDRAM
2 x SO-DIMM socket for expansion.
8 GB 16 GB 32 GB
2933 MHz Dual-channel DDR4 RAM
Onboard memory.
Discrete Graphics
  • NVIDIA® GeForce® RTX 2060, with 6GB GDDR6 VRAM
  • NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1660TI, with 6GB GDDR6 VRAM
  • NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1650Ti, with 4GB GDDR6 VRAM
  • NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1650, with 4GB GDDR6 VRAM
  • NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3070
    8GB GDDR6 VRAM.
  • NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3080
    8GB GDDR6 VRAM.
StorageStorage Slots
  • 1 x SATA HDD slot
    Not available on 90Wh battery models.
  • 2 x M.2 NVMe slots
    Only one NVME slot on GTX1650 and 1650Ti models.
 
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

2020 ASUS TUF Gaming A15Alienware M15 R4
Wi-FiIntegrated Wi-Fi 5 (802.11 ac (2x2))
  • 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 5.0
  • Rivet Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX1650i › Bluetooth 5.1
EthernetGigabit LAN
Speed: 10/100/1000 Mbps.
  • Killer™ Ethernet E3100X PCI-e Gigabit ethernet controller
    Transfer rate: 10/100/1000/2500 Mbps

Battery

2020 ASUS TUF Gaming A15Alienware M15 R4
Size
  • 90 Wh lithium-polymer battery Battery
  • 48 Wh lithium-polymer battery Battery
86 WHr, 6-cell smart lithium-ion with Alienware Battery Defender
Battery Life
  • Up to 12.3 hours of video playback
    Tested on 90Wh battery models.
  • Up to 8.7 hours of web browsing
    Tested on 90Wh battery models.
-
Power Supply
  • 150W power adaptor
    Plug type :ø6.0 (mm) 20V/7.5A.
  • 180W power adaptor
    Plug type :ø6.0 (mm) 20V/9A.
  • 230W power adaptor
    Plug type :ø6.0 (mm) 19.5V/11.8A.
240W (19.50 VDC/12.31A)

Software

2020 ASUS TUF Gaming A15Alienware M15 R4
OS
  • Windows 10 Home
  • Windows 10 Pro
Windows 10 Home Windows 10 Pro
Upgradable to Windows 11
Built-in Apps
Armoury Crate
  • 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

2020 ASUS TUF Gaming A15Alienware M15 R4
CameraFront-facing camera
Top-mount front camera, 0.92 Megapixels (1280 x 720 HD).
Front-facing camera
Alienware FHD (1920x1080 resolution) camera.
Audio
  • Two speakers with four cut-outs
  • DTS:X™ Ultra technology
    Delivers high-fidelity 7.1-channel virtual surround sound for theater-quality audio with stereo headsets.
  • 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

2020 ASUS TUF Gaming A15Alienware M15 R4
Sensors-
  • Tobii Eyetracking technology (optional)
Security
  • Kensington lock
  • FTPM (Firmware-based Trusted Platform Module)
  • Wedge-shaped lock slot
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

2020 ASUS TUF Gaming A15Alienware M15 R4
At Glance
Released in
2020
16:9
15.6”
1080p 144Hz
Weight
5.07 lb
2.30 kg
Up to
AMD Ryzen 9-4900H
8C/16T, 3.30 → 4.40 GHz
Geekbench 5
1,137
Single Core
Geekbench 5
6,806
Multi-Core
With integrated
AMD Radeon™ Graphics
8 Graphics Cores, 1750 MHz
Upgradable up to
32GB
3200 MHz DDR4
2020 ASUS TUF Gaming A15 Ports
Nvidia GeForce
RTX 2060
6GB GDDR6
Released in Early
2021
16:9 FHD
15.6”
1080p 300Hz
Weight
4.65 lb
2.11 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 M15 R4 Ports
Nvidia GeForce
RTX 3080
8GB GDDR6

Comparison Summary

2020 ASUS TUF Gaming A15 vs. Alienware M15 R4

ASUS has released the TUF Gaming A15, a 15.6-inch machine, in 2020. It is powered by up to an octa-core AMD Ryzen 9-4900H with a boost clock speed up to 4.40 GHz. The laptop has a dedicated GPU option up to Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 with 6GB GDDR6.

On the other hand, we have the 15.6-inch Alienware M15 R4 was introduced by Dell about a year later in early-2021. It comes with up to an octa-core Intel Core i9-10980HK with a boost clock speed up to 5.30 GHz. It has a dedicated GPU option up to Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 with 8GB GDDR6.

Geekbench 5 Single Core

2020 ASUS TUF Gaming A151
AMD Ryzen™ 5 4600H98780.70%
2
AMD Ryzen™ 7 4800H1,07888.14%
3
AMD Ryzen™ 9 4900H1,13792.97%
Alienware M15 R41
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-10870H1,15994.77%
2
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-10980HK1,223100.00%
01,223

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

2020 ASUS TUF Gaming A151
AMD Ryzen™ 5 4600H4,90869.98%
2
AMD Ryzen™ 7 4800H6,44091.83%
3
AMD Ryzen™ 9 4900H6,80697.05%
Alienware M15 R41
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-10870H6,59694.05%
2
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-10980HK7,013100.00%
07,013

Both 2020 ASUS TUF Gaming A15 and Alienware M15 R4 have the same 15.6-inch display size. In addition, the 2020 ASUS TUF Gaming A15 weighs 5.07 lbs. about 9% heavier than the 4.65 lbs. Alienware M15 R4. Moreover, measured at 14.16” x 10.07” x 0.89”, the 2020 ASUS TUF Gaming A15 is slightly bulkier than the Alienware M15 R4 at 14.19” x 10.87” x 0.78”.

2020 ASUS TUF Gaming A15Alienware M15 R4

Moving over to upgradability, ASUS claims that the 2020 ASUS TUF Gaming A15 supports up to 32GB 3200 MHz DDR4 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. On top of that, it also has a single SATA slot that users can use to install a 2.5-inch SATA SSD, SSHD, or a hard disk drive to add even more storage.

For Alienware M15 R4, it supports up to 32GB 2933 MHz DDR4 memory. Unlike 2020 ASUS TUF Gaming A15, it has an onboard memory module that is not upgradable by the users. Luckily, it has three M.2 slots that users can easily swap or add an extra SSD to get extra space when needed.

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