Dell XPS 15 9500 vs. Alienware M15 R3: Which is better?

Here is a side by side comparison between Dell XPS 15 9500 and Alienware M15 R3 specs including CPU, RAM, storage, battery, display, and more.

Dell XPS 15 9500 Pros

Reasons that Dell XPS 15 9500 is better than Alienware M15 R3.

Supports larger memory

Dell XPS 15 9500 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 XPS 15 9500
64 GB
Alienware M15 R3
32 GB
Supports faster memory

Dell XPS 15 9500 supports a faster memory speed than the Alienware M15 R3. It supports up to 2933MHz versus 2666MHz of system memory on the Alienware M15 R3.

Memory type and speed
Dell XPS 15 9500 - DDR4
2,933 MHz
Alienware M15 R3 - DDR4
2,666 MHz
Upgradable memory

Dell XPS 15 9500 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 XPS 15 9500Alienware M15 R3
Slots
x2
Onboard
TypeDDR4DDR4
About 14% lighter

Dell XPS 15 9500 weighed 4 pounds, 14% lighter than the 4.65 pounds Alienware M15 R3.

WeightDell XPS 15 9500Alienware M15 R3
Pound
4 lbs.
4.65 lbs.
Kilogram
1.81 kg
2.11 kg

Alienware M15 R3 Pros

We couldn't find any advantages of Alienware M15 R3 over Dell XPS 15 9500.

Key Similars

Similar characteristics share between Dell XPS 15 9500 and Alienware M15 R3.

Similar CPU performance

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

Geekbench 5 multi-core score
Alienware M15 R3 - Intel Core i9-10980HK
7,013
Dell XPS 15 9500 - Intel Core i7-10875H
6,874
Dell XPS 15 9500 - Intel Core i9-10885H
6,788
Dell XPS 15 9500 - Intel Core i7-10750H
5,412
Alienware M15 R3 - Intel Core i7-10750H
5,412
Dell XPS 15 9500 - Intel Core i5-10300H
3,747
Alienware M15 R3 - Intel Core i5-10300H
3,747

Prices

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

Dell XPS 15 9500 Price
Dell XPS 15 9500 15.6 inches FHD i7-10750H 16 512GB SSD GTX 1650 Ti XPS9500-7002SLV-PUS (Renewed)
Dell XPS 15 9500 15.6 inches FHD i7-10750H 16 512GB SSD GTX 1650 Ti XPS9500-7002SLV-PUS (Renewed)
By Dell
$1,098.95
Dell XPS 9500 15.6" FHD Non-Touch Business Laptop, 10th Gen Intel i7-10750H, Windows 11 Pro, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti, Fingerprint Reader, Backlit Keyboard
Dell XPS 9500 15.6" FHD Non-Touch Business Laptop, 10th Gen Intel i7-10750H, Windows 11 Pro, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti, Fingerprint Reader, Backlit Keyboard
By Dell
$1,699.00
Dell XPS 15 9500 (Latest Model) 15.6-inch Laptop Intel Core i7-10750H 10th Gen 32GB DDR4 RAM 1TB SSD, 4K UHD+ (3840x2400) 500-NIT Touch NVIDIA Geforce GTX 1650 Ti 4GB GDDR6, Windows 10 PRO (Renewed)
Dell XPS 15 9500 (Latest Model) 15.6-inch Laptop Intel Core i7-10750H 10th Gen 32GB DDR4 RAM 1TB SSD, 4K UHD+ (3840x2400) 500-NIT Touch NVIDIA Geforce GTX 1650 Ti 4GB GDDR6, Windows 10 PRO (Renewed)
By Dell
$1,399.94
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
2020 Dell Alienware m15 R3 Laptop 15.6" - Intel Core i7 10th Gen - i7-10750H - Six Core 5Ghz - 512GB SSD + 512GB SSD - 32GB RAM - Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 Super - 1920x1080 FHD - Windows 10 (Renewed)
2020 Dell Alienware m15 R3 Laptop 15.6" - Intel Core i7 10th Gen - i7-10750H - Six Core 5Ghz - 512GB SSD + 512GB SSD - 32GB RAM - Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 Super - 1920x1080 FHD - Windows 10 (Renewed)
By Dell
$2,001.47
Dell Alienware m15 R3 Gaming Laptop (2020) | 15.6" FHD | Core i7-1TB SSD Hard Drive - 16GB RAM - 2070 Super | 6 Cores @ 5 GHz - 10th Gen CPU - 8GB GDDR6 Win 11 Home
Dell Alienware m15 R3 Gaming Laptop (2020) | 15.6" FHD | Core i7-1TB SSD Hard Drive - 16GB RAM - 2070 Super | 6 Cores @ 5 GHz - 10th Gen CPU - 8GB GDDR6 Win 11 Home
By Dell
$1,939.18

Availability

Dell XPS 15 9500Alienware M15 R3
Released20202020
Release DateRelease Date: May 13, 2020Available on May 2020
PricingStarting at $1,299.99Starting at $1,499.99
Generations

Exterior

Dell XPS 15 9500Alienware M15 R3
Dimensions13.56 x 9.07 x 0.30 - 0.71 in (344.40 x 230.30 x 7.70 - 18 mm)
Width: 13.56” (344.40 mm)
Depth: 9.07” (230.30 mm)
Height: 0.30 - 0.71” (7.70 - 18 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)
Weight
  • Non-touch with 56Wh: 4 lbs (1.83 kg)
  • Touch screen with 86Wh: 4.5 lbs (2.05 kg)
Starting at 4.65 lbs (2.10 kg) up to 5.51 lbs (2.50 kg)
Colors
  • CNC machined aluminum in platinum silver with carbon fiber composite palm rest in black
  • Edge-to-edge Corning® Gorilla® Glass 6 on touch panel
  • Dark Side of the Moon with High Endurance Clear Coat
  • Lunar Light with High Endurance Clear Coat
Keyboard and Trackpad
  • Full size, backlit chiclet keyboard.
  • 5.91 x 3.54 in (150 mm x 90 mm) touchpad with 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 XPS 15 9500Alienware M15 R3
Size15.6 Inches15.6 Inches
Info
  • 15.6-inch FHD+ non-touchscreen
    1920 x 1200, IPS, 145 PPI, 500-nits brightness, 1650:1 contrast ratio, 100% sRGB, InfinityEdge Anti-Glare, Non-touch support, 4.41W.
  • 15.6-inch UHD+ IPS touchscreen
    3840 x 2400, IPS, 290 PPI, 500-nit brightness, 1600:1 contrast ratio, 100% AdobeRGB, InfinityEdge, Anti-Reflective, Touch support, 10.4W.
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 XPS 15 9500Alienware M15 R3
Dell XPS 15 9500 Ports
Image Source: Dell
Left (3)
  • 2 x Thunderbolt 3
    40 Gpbs, USB 3.1 Gen 2 (10 Gbps), DisplayPort 1.2, Power Delivery
  • 1 x lock slot
Right (3)
  • 1 x USB-C
    USB 3.1 Gen 2 (10 Gbps), DisplayPort, Power Delivery
  • 1 x full-size SD card slot
    v6.0
  • 1 x headphone jack
    Headphone/Microphone
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 XPS 15 9500Alienware M15 R3
Processor
  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™ i7-10875H
    8 cores, 16 threads, 2.30 → 5.10 GHz, 16MB SmartCache, 45W
  4. 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-10885H
    8 cores, 16 threads, 2.40 → 5.30 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. 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™ i7-10875H
    Intel® UHD Graphics 630
    24 Execution Units, 350 → 1200 MHz
  4. 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-10885H
    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
4 GB 8 GB 16 GB 32 GB 64 GB
2933 MHz Dual-channel DDR4 RAM.
8 GB 16 GB 32 GB
2666 MHz Dual-channel DDR4 RAM.
Onboard memory.
Discrete GraphicsNVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1650 Ti with Max-Q (Optional)
Turning Architecture, 4GB GDDR6 128-bit, 1035 → 1200 MHz, 1024 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
256 GB 512 GB 1 TB 2TB
Removable M.2 2230/2280 PCIe® 3x4 NVMe™ SSD, Up to 32 Gbps.
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]
Fans Number2-

Connectivity

Dell XPS 15 9500Alienware M15 R3
Wi-Fi
  • Rivet Killer AX1650s
    Up to 2400 Mbps, Dual band 2.4 GHz/5 GHz, WiFi 802.11 a/b/g, WiFi-4 (802.11n), WiFi-5 (802.11ac), WiFi-6 (802.11ax)
  • Rivet Killer AX500s DBS
    Up to 1774.50 Mbps, Dual band 2.4 GHz/5 GHz, WiFi 802.11 a/b/g, WiFi-4 (802.11n), WiFi-5 (802.11ac), WiFi-6 (802.11ax)
  • 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
  • Rivet Killer AX1650s › Bluetooth 5.0
  • Rivet Killer AX500s DBS › Bluetooth 5.2
  • 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 XPS 15 9500Alienware M15 R3
Size
  • 3-cell smart lithium-ion 56 Wh
  • 6-cell smart lithium-ion 86 Wh
  • 56 WHr, 3-cell smart lithium-ion
  • 86 WHr, 6-cell smart lithium-ion
Battery LifeFull HD+ model
  • Up to 24 hours (productivity tasks).
  • Up to 16 hours, 52 minutes (streaming Netflix).
UHD+ model
  • Up to 13 hours, 52 minutes (productivity tasks).
  • Up to 8 hours, 27 minutes (streaming Netflix).
-
Power Supply
  • 90 W USB Type-C power adapter
    Power rated at 5VDC/3A, 9VDc/3A, 15VDC/3A, 20VDC/4.5A.
  • 130 W USB Type-C power adapter
    Power rated at 5VDC/1A, 20VDC/6.5A.
  • 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 XPS 15 9500Alienware M15 R3
OS
Windows 10 Home Windows 10 Pro
Upgradable to Windows 11
Windows 10 Home Windows 10 Pro
Upgradable to Windows 11
Built-in Apps
  • Microsoft Office 30-days trial
  • McAfee LiveSafe™ 12 Month Subscription
  • Alienware Command Center
  • Alienware Adrenlin
  • Alienware Mobile Connect
  • Microsoft Office 365 (30-day trial)

Camera & Audio

Dell XPS 15 9500Alienware M15 R3
Camera
  • 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.
  • Front-facing camera
    Alienware FHD (1920x1080 resolution) camera.
Audio
  • Realtek ALC3281-CG
  • Studio quality tuning with Waves MaxxAudio® Pro and Waves Nx® 3D audio
  • Quad-speaker design with 2.5W x2 woofers and 1.5W x2 tweeters = 8W total peak output
  • Dual microphone array optimized with Waves MaxxVoice supporting VoIP - Microsoft Cortana capable
  • 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 XPS 15 9500Alienware M15 R3
Sensors
  • Ambient light sensor
  • Windows Hello compliant fingerprint reader in the power button
  • Tobii Eyetracking technology (optional)
Security
  • Windows Hello with Fingerprint Sign in
  • Enterprise-grade protection with Windows Hello face sign-in
  • Wedge-shaped lock
  • 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

Dell XPS 15 9500Alienware M15 R3
At Glance
Released in Mid
2020
16:10 4K UHD+
15.6”
2400p 60Hz
Weight
4 lb
1.81 kg
Up to
Intel Core i9-10885H
8C/16T, 2.40 → 5.30 GHz
Geekbench 5
1,196
Single Core
Geekbench 5
6,788
Multi-Core
With integrated
Intel® UHD Graphics 630
24 Execution Units, 350 → 1250 MHz
Upgradable up to
64GB
2933 MHz DDR4
Dell XPS 15 9500 Ports
Nvidia Quadro
GTX 1650Ti
4GB GDDR6
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

Comparison Summary

Dell XPS 15 9500 vs. Alienware M15 R3

Dell has released the XPS 15 9500, a 15.6-inch machine, in mid-2020. It is powered by up to an octa-core Intel Core i9-10885H with a boost clock speed up to 5.30 GHz. The laptop has a dedicated GPU option up to Nvidia Quadro GTX 1650Ti with 4GB GDDR6.

On the other hand, we have the 15.6-inch Alienware M15 R3 was introduced by Dell around the same time in mid-2020. 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 2080 SUPER with 8GB GDDR6 with Max-Q.

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Dell XPS 15 95001
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-10300H1,06186.75%
2
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-10750H1,13492.72%
3
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-10875H1,19297.47%
4
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-10885H1,19697.79%
Alienware M15 R31
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-10300H1,06186.75%
2
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-10750H1,13492.72%
3
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-10980HK1,223100.00%
01,223

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

Dell XPS 15 95001
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-10300H3,74753.43%
2
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-10750H5,41277.17%
3
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-10875H6,87498.02%
4
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-10885H6,78896.79%
Alienware M15 R31
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-10300H3,74753.43%
2
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-10750H5,41277.17%
3
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-10980HK7,013100.00%
07,013

Both Dell XPS 15 9500 and Alienware M15 R3 have the same 15.6-inch display size. In addition, The Dell XPS 15 9500 weighs 4 lbs. about 16% lighter than the 4.65 lbs. Alienware M15 R3. Moreover, measured at 13.56” x 9.07” x 0.71”, the Dell XPS 15 9500 is much more portable than the Alienware M15 R3 at 14.19” x 10.87” x 0.78”.

Dell XPS 15 9500Alienware M15 R3

Moving over to upgradability, Dell claims that the Dell XPS 15 9500 supports up to 64GB 2933 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.

For Alienware M15 R3, it supports up to 32GB 2666 MHz DDR4 memory. Unlike Dell XPS 15 9500, 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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