Dell Precision 5540 vs. Alienware M15 R3: Full specs comparison

We have comprehensively compared the specifications for the Dell Precision 5540 and Alienware M15 R3 models. The report includes detailed information regarding both models' CPU, memory, storage, battery life, display quality, and other features.

Dell Precision 5540 Pros

Reasons that Dell Precision 5540 is better than Alienware M15 R3.

Supports larger memory

Dell Precision 5540 supports a larger memory capacity than the Alienware M15 R3. It supports up to 64GB versus 32GB of system memory on the Alienware M15 R3.

Max system memory size
Dell Precision 5540
64 GB
Alienware M15 R3
32 GB
Supports faster memory

Dell Precision 5540 supports a faster memory speed than the Alienware M15 R3. It supports up to 3200MHz versus 2666MHz of system memory on the Alienware M15 R3.

Memory type and speed
Dell Precision 5540 - DDR4
3,200 MHz
Alienware M15 R3 - DDR4
2,666 MHz
Upgradable memory

Dell Precision 5540 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 R3 since it has onboard memory.

MemoryDell Precision 5540Alienware M15 R3
Slots
x2
Onboard
TypeDDR4DDR4
About 16% lighter

Dell Precision 5540 weighed 3.93 pounds, 16% lighter than the 4.65 pounds Alienware M15 R3.

WeightDell Precision 5540Alienware M15 R3
Pound
3.93 lbs.
4.65 lbs.
Kilogram
1.78 kg
2.11 kg

Alienware M15 R3 Pros

Reasons that Alienware M15 R3 is better than Dell Precision 5540.

Newer manufacturing

2020 vs. 2019

Slightly faster CPU performance

Intel Core i9-10980HK inside Alienware M15 R3 has a 7% better multi-core CPU performance score than the Intel Core i9-9980HK inside Dell Precision 5540.

Geekbench 5 multi-core score
Alienware M15 R3 - Intel Core i9-10980HK
7,013
Dell Precision 5540 - Intel Core i9-9980HK
6,504
Dell Precision 5540 - Intel Core i9-9880H
6,100
Alienware M15 R3 - Intel Core i7-10750H
5,412
Dell Precision 5540 - Intel Xeon E-2276M
5,165
Dell Precision 5540 - Intel Core i7-9850H
4,914
Dell Precision 5540 - Intel Core i7-9750H
4,880
Alienware M15 R3 - Intel Core i5-10300H
3,747
Dell Precision 5540 - Intel Core i5-9400H
3,690

Prices

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

Dell Precision 5540 Price
Dell Precision M5540 15.6 UHD Touchscreen Intel Core i7-9750H 2.60Ghz 32GB 1TB SSDR Windows 10 Professional (Renewed)
Dell Precision M5540 15.6 UHD Touchscreen Intel Core i7-9750H 2.60Ghz 32GB 1TB SSDR Windows 10 Professional (Renewed)
By Dell
$639.00
Dell Precision 5540 Workstation 15.6-inch Full HD IPS Display Intel Core i7-9850H 32GB RAM 1TB SSD NVIDIA Quadro 4GB Win 10 Pro (Renewed)
Dell Precision 5540 Workstation 15.6-inch Full HD IPS Display Intel Core i7-9850H 32GB RAM 1TB SSD NVIDIA Quadro 4GB Win 10 Pro (Renewed)
By Dell
$555.66
Dell Precision 5540 15.6-inch FHD Laptop - Intel Core i9 9th Gen - i9-9880H - Eight Core 4.8Ghz - 512GB SSD - 32GB RAM - Nvidia Quadro T2000 - Windows 10 Pro (Renewed)
Dell Precision 5540 15.6-inch FHD Laptop - Intel Core i9 9th Gen - i9-9880H - Eight Core 4.8Ghz - 512GB SSD - 32GB RAM - Nvidia Quadro T2000 - Windows 10 Pro (Renewed)
By Dell
$635.35
$699.99 9% OFF
Alienware M15 R3 Price
Dell Alienware m15 R3 Gaming Laptop (2020) | 15.6" FHD | Core i7-512GB SSD Hard Drive - 16GB RAM - 2070 Super | 6 Cores @ 5 GHz - 10th Gen CPU - 8GB GDDR6 Win 11 Pro
Dell Alienware m15 R3 Gaming Laptop (2020) | 15.6" FHD | Core i7-512GB SSD Hard Drive - 16GB RAM - 2070 Super | 6 Cores @ 5 GHz - 10th Gen CPU - 8GB GDDR6 Win 11 Pro
By Dell
$1,913.06
Dell Alienware m15 R3 Gaming Laptop (2020) | 15.6" FHD | Core i7-2TB SSD Hard Drive + 2TB SSD - 16GB RAM - 2070 Super | 6 Cores @ 5 GHz - 10th Gen CPU - 8GB GDDR6 Win 11 Pro
Dell Alienware m15 R3 Gaming Laptop (2020) | 15.6" FHD | Core i7-2TB SSD Hard Drive + 2TB SSD - 16GB RAM - 2070 Super | 6 Cores @ 5 GHz - 10th Gen CPU - 8GB GDDR6 Win 11 Pro
By Dell
$2,155.30
Dell Alienware m15 R3 Gaming Laptop (2020) | 15.6" FHD | Core i7-2TB SSD Hard Drive + 2TB SSD - 16GB RAM - 2070 Super | 6 Cores @ 5 GHz - 10th Gen CPU - 8GB GDDR6 Win 10 Pro
Dell Alienware m15 R3 Gaming Laptop (2020) | 15.6" FHD | Core i7-2TB SSD Hard Drive + 2TB SSD - 16GB RAM - 2070 Super | 6 Cores @ 5 GHz - 10th Gen CPU - 8GB GDDR6 Win 10 Pro
By Dell
$2,149.36

Availability

Dell Precision 5540Alienware M15 R3
Released20192020
Release Date
  • Announced at Computex 2019.
  • Available from early July 2019.
Available on May 2020
PricingStarting at $1,339Starting at $1,499.99
Generations

Exterior

Dell Precision 5540Alienware M15 R3
Dimensions14.06 x 9.26 x 0.44 in (357 x 235 x 11.2 mm)
Width: 14.06” (357 mm)
Depth: 9.26” (235 mm)
Height: 0.44” (11.2 mm)
Base
Width: 14.19 in. (360.30 mm)
Depth: 10.87 in. (276.20 mm)
Height: 0.72 - 0.78 in. (18.30 - 19.70 mm)
300 Hz Refresh Rate Models
Width: 14.19 in. (360.30 mm)
Depth: 10.86 in. (275.90 mm)
Height: 0.70 - 0.78 in. (17.90 - 19.70 mm)
Weight3.93 lbs (1.78 kg)Starting at 4.65 lbs (2.10 kg) up to 5.51 lbs (2.50 kg)
Colors
  • Aluminum Platinum Silver LCD Cover
  • Aluminum Titan Gray LCD Cover
  • Dark Side of the Moon with High Endurance Clear Coat
  • Lunar Light with High Endurance Clear Coat
Keyboard and Trackpad
  • Full-size backlit keyboard.
  • 4.03 x 2.45 in (102.40 mm x 62.40 mm) touchpad with 5 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.

Display

Dell Precision 5540Alienware M15 R3
Size15.6 Inches15.6 Inches
Info
  • 15.6" UltraSharp FHD IGZO4
    • 1920x1080, AG, NT, w/Prem Panel Guar, 100% sRGB.
  • 15.6" Ultrasharp UHD IGZO4
    • 3840x2160, Touch, w/Prem Panel Guar, 100% Adobe,
  • 15.6" Ultrasharp OLED UHD
    • 3840x2160, Non-Touch,w/Prem Panel Guar, 100% DCI-P3
Full HD with 144Hz refresh rate
  • 1920 x 1080, 141 PPI, 7ms response time, 300 nits, 16:9, 72% NTSC  color gamut, Anti-glare.
Full HD with 144Hz refresh rate
  • 1920 x 1080, 141 PPI, 7ms response time, 300 nits, 16:9, 72% NTSC color gamut with NVIDIA G-SYNC Technology, Anti-glare.
Full HD with 300Hz refresh rate
  • 1920 x 1080, 141 PPI, 3ms response time, 300 nits, 16:9, 100% sRGB color gamut, Anti-glare.
Ultra HD with 60Hz refresh rate
  • 3180 x 2160, OLED, 282 PPI, 1ms response time, 400 nits, 16:9, HDR-400 100% DCI-P3 color gamut, 100,000:1 contrast ratio, TrueLife, 14.80W max power consumption
  • Tobii Eyetracking technology
All options
  • Wide Viewing Angles on all displays with 85 degrees viewing from all directions

Ports

Dell Precision 5540Alienware M15 R3
Dell Precision 5540 Ports
Image Source: Dell
Left (5)
  • 1 x power port
  • 1 x USB-A
    USB 3.1 Gen 1 (5 Gbps), PowerShare
  • 1 x HDMI
    v2.0
  • 1 x Thunderbolt 3
    40 Gpbs, DisplayPort, Power Delivery
  • 1 x headphone jack
    Headphone/Microphone
Right (3)
  • 1 x full-size SD card slot
  • 1 x USB-A
    USB 3.1 Gen 1 (5 Gbps), PowerShare
  • 1 x lock slot
Alienware M15 R3 Ports
Image Source: Dell
  • 1 x Power/DC-in Port
  • 1 x RJ-45 Killer™ Ethernet E3000 10/100/1000Mbps/2.5Gbps Port
  • 2 x Type-A USB 3.1 Gen 1 Port
  • 1 x Type-A USB 3.1 Gen 1 port with PowerShare technology
  • 1 x Thunderbolt™ 3 Port (USB Type-C™ with support for USB 3.1 Gen 2 10Gbps, 40Gbps Thunderbolt, and DisplayPort 1.2)
  • 1 x Alienware Graphics Amplifier Port
  • 1 x HDMI 2.0b with HDCP 2.2 Output Port
  • 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

Internal Specs

Dell Precision 5540Alienware M15 R3
Processor
  1. 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-9400H
    4 cores, 8 threads, 2.50 → 4.30 GHz, 8MB SmartCache, 45W
  2. 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-9750H
    6 cores, 12 threads, 2.60 → 4.50 GHz, 12MB SmartCache, 45W
  3. 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-9850H
    6 cores, 12 threads, 2.60 → 4.60 GHz, 12MB SmartCache, 45W
  4. Intel Xeon E-2276M
    6 cores, 12 threads, 2.80 → 4.70 GHz, 12MB SmartCache, 45W
  5. 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-9880H
    8 cores, 16 threads, 2.30 → 4.80 GHz, 16MB SmartCache, 45W
  6. 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-9980HK
    8 cores, 16 threads, 2.40 → 5.00 GHz, 16MB SmartCache, 45W
  1. 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-10300H
    4 cores, 8 threads, 2.50 → 4.50 GHz, 8MB SmartCache, 45W
  2. 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-10750H
    6 cores, 12 threads, 2.60 → 5.00 GHz, 12MB SmartCache, 45W
  3. 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-10980HK
    8 cores, 16 threads, 2.40 → 5.30 GHz, 16MB SmartCache, 45W
Integrated Graphics
  1. 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-9400H
    Intel® UHD Graphics 630
    24 Execution Units, 350 → 1100 MHz
  2. 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-9750H
    Intel® UHD Graphics 630
    24 Execution Units, 350 → 1150 MHz
  3. 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-9850H
    Intel® UHD Graphics 630
    24 Execution Units, 350 → 1150 MHz
  4. Intel Xeon E-2276M
    Intel® UHD Graphics P630
    24 Execution Units, 350 → 1200 MHz
  5. 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-9880H
    Intel® UHD Graphics 630
    24 Execution Units, 350 → 1200 MHz
  6. 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-9980HK
    Intel® UHD Graphics 630
    24 Execution Units, 350 → 1250 MHz
  1. 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-10300H
    Intel® UHD Graphics 630
    24 Execution Units, 350 → 1050 MHz
  2. 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-10750H
    Intel® UHD Graphics 630
    24 Execution Units, 350 → 1150 MHz
  3. 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-10980HK
    Intel® UHD Graphics 630
    24 Execution Units, 350 → 1250 MHz
Memory
  • Memory Slots
    • 2 x DDR4 SoDIMM
  • Memory Configurations
    • Minimum Memory: 8GB
    • Maximum Memory: 64GB
8 GB 16 GB 32 GB
2666 MHz Dual-channel DDR4 RAM.
Onboard memory.
Discrete Graphics
  • NVIDIA Quadro T1000 (Optional)
    Turning Architecture, 4GB GDDR5 128-bit, 1395 → 1455 MHz, 768 CUDA Cores.
  • NVIDIA Quadro T2000 (Optional)
    Turning Architecture, 4GB GDDR5 128-bit, 1575 → 1785 MHz, 1,024 CUDA Cores.
  • NVIDIA® GeForce GTX® 1650 Ti (4GB GDDR6)
  • NVIDIA® GeForce GTX® 1660 Ti (6GB GDDR6)
  • NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 2060 (6GB GDDR6) OC Ready
  • NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 2070 (8GB GDDR6)
  • NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 2070 SUPER (8GB GDDR6)
  • NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 2080 SUPER (8GB GDDR6) with Max-Q Design
  • AMD RX5500M (4GB GDDR6)
Storage
  • Hard Drive Slots
    • 1 x M.2 PCIe SSD slot
    • 1 x 2.5 inches hard drive slot
      Available only on a 3-cell 56Wh battery model.
  • Hard Drive Configurations
    • Up to 2TB M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD
    • Up to 2TB SATA Hard Drive
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

Dell Precision 5540Alienware M15 R3
Wi-Fi
  • Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX200 2x2 802.11ax 160MHz
  • Intel Wireless-AC 9260 2x2 802.11ac
  • Qualcomm QCA6174A 2x2 802.11ac
  • Rivet Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX1650
    Dual Band 2.4 GHz/5 GHz up to 2400 Mbps, WiFi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax.
Bluetooth
  • Bluetooth 5.0
  • Rivet Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX1650 › Bluetooth 5.1
Ethernet-
  • Killer™ Ethernet E3000 PCI-e Gigabit ethernet controller
    Transfer rate: 10/100/1000/2500 Mbps

Battery

Dell Precision 5540Alienware M15 R3
Size
  • 56 Wh (3-cell lithium-ion)
  • 97 Wh (6-cell lithium-ion)
  • 56 WHr, 3-cell smart lithium-ion
  • 86 WHr, 6-cell smart lithium-ion
Power Supply130 W power adapter
Power rated at 19.5VDC/6.67A.
  • E4 130W (19.50 VDC/6.70A)
  • E4 180W (19.50 VDC/9.23A)
  • E4 240W (19.50 VDC/12.31A)
* Support Hybrid Power

Software

Dell Precision 5540Alienware M15 R3
OS
Windows 10 Home Windows 10 Pro Ubuntu 18.04 LTS RedHat 7.5
Upgradable to Windows 11
Windows 10 Home Windows 10 Pro
Upgradable to Windows 11
Built-in Apps
  • Microsoft Office 30-days trial
  • McAfee® Small Business Security 30 Day Free Trial
  • Alienware Command Center
  • Alienware Adrenlin
  • Alienware Mobile Connect
  • Microsoft Office 365 (30-day trial)

Camera & Audio

Dell Precision 5540Alienware M15 R3
Camera
  • Front-facing camera
    Top-mount front camera with fixed focus lens, 0.92 Megapixels (1280 x 720 HD) at 30 fps.
  • Front-facing camera
    Alienware FHD (1920x1080 resolution) camera.
Audio
  • Waves MaxxAudio Pro
  • Two speakers
  •  dual-array microphones
  • Controller: Realtek ALC3281-CG
    • 7.1 Digital Audio out using HDMI out connection
    • Alienware Sound Center via Alienware Command Center
  • Speakers:
    • 4-Way (Woofer/Tweeter) Stereo Speaker Design
    • Output: 4-5W
    • Introduces Discrete Smart Amp Woofer technology
    • Delivers 2.5x bass improvement over the previous generation
    • Delivers 2x treble improvement over the previous generation
    • Delivers 30% loudness improvement over the previous generation for full-range performance
  • Microphone:
    • Digital-array microphones in camera assembly

Misc

Dell Precision 5540Alienware M15 R3
Sensors
  • Ambient light sensor
  • Windows Hello compliant fingerprint reader in the power button (optional)
  • Tobii Eyetracking technology (optional)
Security
  • Intel® vPro™ Technology (iAMT 12) (optional, requires Intel WiFi® Link WLAN and a vPro compatible processor), Dell Client Command Suite available (dell.com/command), Factory Installed Dell Client Command | Update, Dell Command | Power Manager
  • Intel® Platform Trust Technology
  • Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 2.0
  • Chassis wedge-shaped security lock
  • Support for Computrace and SmartCard Reader
  • Touch Fingerprint Reader with Control Vault 3.0 (Advanced Authentication with FIPS 140-2 Level 3 Certification)
  • Wedge-shaped lock slot
Warranty1 Year Hardware Service with Onsite/In-Home Service After Remote Diagnosis-
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

Dell Precision 5540Alienware M15 R3
At Glance
Released in
2019
16:9 4K UHD
15.6”
2160p OLED
Weight
3.93 lb
1.78 kg
Up to
Intel Core i9-9980HK
8C/16T, 2.40 → 5.00 GHz
Geekbench 5
1,114
Single Core
Geekbench 5
6,504
Multi-Core
With integrated
Intel® UHD Graphics 630
24 Execution Units, 350 → 1250 MHz
Upgradable up to
64GB
3200 MHz DDR4
Dell Precision 5540 Ports
Nvidia Quadro
T2000
4GB GDDR5
Released in Mid
2020
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
2666 MHz DDR4
Alienware M15 R3 Ports
Nvidia GeForce
RTX 2080 SUPER
8GB GDDR6 with Max-Q

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