Dell XPS 15 9500 vs. Alienware M17 R1: Which is better?

Here is a side by side comparison between Dell XPS 15 9500 and Alienware M17 R1 specs including CPU, RAM, storage, battery, display, and more.

Dell XPS 15 9500 Pros

Reasons that Dell XPS 15 9500 is better than Alienware M17 R1.

Newer manufacturing

2020 vs. 2019

Significantly faster CPU performance

Intel Core i9-10885H inside Dell XPS 15 9500 has a 39% better multi-core CPU performance score than the Intel Core i7-9750H inside Alienware M17 R1.

Geekbench 5 multi-core score
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 M17 R1 - Intel Core i7-9750H
4,880
Alienware M17 R1 - Intel Core i9-8950HK
4,806
Alienware M17 R1 - Intel Core i7-8750H
4,470
Dell XPS 15 9500 - Intel Core i5-10300H
3,747
Alienware M17 R1 - Intel Core i5-8300H
3,269
Supports larger memory

Dell XPS 15 9500 supports a larger memory capacity than the Alienware M17 R1. It supports up to 64GB versus 32GB of system memory on the Alienware M17 R1.

Max system memory size
Dell XPS 15 9500
64 GB
Alienware M17 R1
32 GB
Supports faster memory

Dell XPS 15 9500 supports a faster memory speed than the Alienware M17 R1. It supports up to 2933MHz versus 2666MHz of system memory on the Alienware M17 R1.

Memory type and speed
Dell XPS 15 9500 - DDR4
2,933 MHz
Alienware M17 R1 - DDR4
2,666 MHz
About 31% lighter

Dell XPS 15 9500 weighed 4 pounds, 31% lighter than the 5.79 pounds Alienware M17 R1.

WeightDell XPS 15 9500Alienware M17 R1
Pound
4 lbs.
5.79 lbs.
Kilogram
1.81 kg
2.63 kg

Alienware M17 R1 Pros

Reasons that Alienware M17 R1 is better than Dell XPS 15 9500.

10% larger display

Alienware M17 R1 has a 17.3-inch screen size 10% larger than the 15.6-inch Dell XPS 15 9500.

Display size
Alienware M17 R1
17.3-inch
Dell XPS 15 9500
15.6-inch

Key Similars

Similar characteristics share between Dell XPS 15 9500 and Alienware M17 R1.

Upgradable memory

Both laptops come with available RAM slots that allow you to replace or upgrade when needed.

MemoryDell XPS 15 9500Alienware M17 R1
Slots
x2
x2
TypeDDR4DDR4

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
$1,758.00
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 M17 R1 Price
Alienware 17-inch Horizon Sleeve - Galaxy Weave Black
Alienware 17-inch Horizon Sleeve - Galaxy Weave Black
By Alienware
$18.99
$19.99 5% OFF
AC adapter 240 Watt Original FWCRC for Alienware Area-51 M17x / M17-R1 / M17X / M17X-R3; Asus G70 / G70S / G70SG; Dell Precision M6400, M6500, M6600
AC adapter 240 Watt Original FWCRC for Alienware Area-51 M17x / M17-R1 / M17X / M17X-R3; Asus G70 / G70S / G70SG; Dell Precision M6400, M6500, M6600
By Dell
$27.99
$33.97 18% OFF
Alienware M18 Gaming Laptop QHD+ Display, Intel Core i7-13700HX, 16 GB DDR5 RAM, 1 TB SSD, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 8 GB GDDR6, Windows 11 Home, 1 Year Premium Support, Dark Metallic Moon.
Alienware M18 Gaming Laptop QHD+ Display, Intel Core i7-13700HX, 16 GB DDR5 RAM, 1 TB SSD, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 8 GB GDDR6, Windows 11 Home, 1 Year Premium Support, Dark Metallic Moon.
By Alienware
$2,329.95

Availability

Dell XPS 15 9500Alienware M17 R1
Released20202019
Release DateRelease Date: May 13, 2020
  • Announced at CES 2019
  • Available on January 29, 2019
PricingStarting at $1,299.99Starting at $1,649.99
Generations

Exterior

Dell XPS 15 9500Alienware M17 R1
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)
16.1 x 11.52 x 0.727 - 0.91 in (362 x 292.5 x 18.5 - 23 mm)
  • Width: 16.1 in. (362 mm)
  • Depth: 11.52 in. (292.5 mm)
  • Height: 0.727 - 0.91 in. (18.5 - 23 mm)
Weight
  • Non-touch with 56Wh: 4 lbs (1.83 kg)
  • Touch screen with 86Wh: 4.5 lbs (2.05 kg)
Starting at 5.79 Lbs (2.63 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
  • Epic Silver
  • Nebula Red
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 AlienFX mSeries keyboard with anti-ghosting technology
    • 1.4mm key travel, programmable macro keys, alphanumeric keys
  • Touchpad
    • 4.13 x 2.56 in (105 mm x 65 mm) All-points addressable (APA) trackpad.

Display

Dell XPS 15 9500Alienware M17 R1
Size15.6 Inches17.3 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 60Hz refresh rate
  • 1920 x 1080, 127 PPI, 35ms response time, 300 nits, 16:9, 72% color gamut, 500:1 contrast ratio, Anti-glare, 8W max power consumption.
Ultra HD with 60Hz refresh rate
  • 3180 x 2160, 255 PPI, 400 nits, 16:9, 800:1 contrast ratio, 100% sRGB color gamut, Anti-glare, 14W max power consumption
All options
  • Wide Viewing Angles on all displays with 85 degrees viewing from all directions

Ports

Dell XPS 15 9500Alienware M17 R1
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 M17 R1 Ports
Image Source: Dell
  • 1 x Power/DC-in Jack
  • 1 x RJ-45 Killer Networks e2500 Gigabit Ethernet Port
  • 2 x Type-A SuperSpeed USB 3.0 Port
  • 1 x Type-A SuperSpeed USB 3.0 Port with PowerShare technology
  • 1 x Thunderbolt™ 3 Port (USB Type-C™ with support for SuperSpeed USB 10Gbps, 40Gbps Thunderbolt, and DisplayPort)
  • 1 x Alienware Graphics Amplifier Port
  • 1 x HDMI 2.0 Output
  • 1 x Mini-Display Port 1.3 (certified) Output
  • 1 x Audio Out 1/8" Ports (Compatible with inline mic headset)
  • 1 x Wedge-shaped lock slot (cable and lock sold separately)

Internal Specs

Dell XPS 15 9500Alienware M17 R1
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. 8th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-8300H
    4 cores, 8 threads, 2.30 → 4.00 GHz, 8MB SmartCache, 45W
  2. 8th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-8750H
    6 cores, 12 threads, 2.20 → 4.10 GHz, 9MB SmartCache, 45W
  3. 8th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-8950HK
    6 cores, 12 threads, 2.90 → 4.80 GHz, 12MB SmartCache, 45W
  4. 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-9750H
    6 cores, 12 threads, 2.60 → 4.50 GHz, 12MB 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. 8th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-8300H
    Intel® UHD Graphics 630
    24 Execution Units, 350 → 1000 MHz
  2. 8th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-8750H
    Intel® UHD Graphics 630
    24 Execution Units, 350 → 1100 MHz
  3. 8th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-8950HK
    Intel® UHD Graphics 630
    24 Execution Units, 350 → 1200 MHz
  4. 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-9750H
    Intel® UHD Graphics 630
    24 Execution Units, 350 → 1150 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.
    2 x SODIMM Slots.
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® 1050 Ti (4GB GDDR5)
  • NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 2060 (6GB GDDR6) OC Ready
  • NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 2070 (8GB GDDR6) with Max-Q Design
  • NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 2080 (8GB GDDR6) with Max-Q Design
Storage
256 GB 512 GB 1 TB 2TB
Removable M.2 2230/2280 PCIe® 3x4 NVMe™ SSD, Up to 32 Gbps.
Single Storage Configurations
  • 256 GB PCIe M.2 SSD
  • 512 GB PCIe M.2 SSD
  • 512 GB Intel Optane M.2 SSD
  • 1 TB PCIe M.2 SSD
Dual Storage Configurations
  • 128GB PCIe M.2 SSD + 1TB (+8GB SSHD) Hybrid Drive
  • 256GB PCIe M.2 SSD + 1TB (+8GB SSHD) Hybrid Drive
  • 256GB PCIe M.2 SSD + 256GB PCIe M.2 SSD
  • 512GB PCIe M.2 SSD + 1TB (+8GB SSHD) Hybrid Drive
  • 512GB PCIe M.2 SSD + 512GB PCIe M.2 SSD
  • 1TB PCIe M.2 SSD + 1TB PCIe M.2 SSD
Fans Number2-

Connectivity

Dell XPS 15 9500Alienware M17 R1
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)
  • Qualcomm QCA61x4A (DW1820)
    Dual Band 2.4 GHz/5 GHz up to 867 Mbps, WiFi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac.
  • Rivet Killer 1550
    Dual Band 2.4 GHz/5 GHz up to 1733 Mbps, WiFi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac.
  • Rivet Killer WiFi 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
  • Qualcomm QCA61x4A (DW1820) › Bluetooth 4.2
  • Rivet Killer 1550 › Bluetooth 5.0
  • Rivet Killer AX1650 › Bluetooth 5.1
Ethernet-
  • Killer E2500 PCI-E Gigabit Ethernet Controller

Battery

Dell XPS 15 9500Alienware M17 R1
Size
  • 3-cell smart lithium-ion 56 Wh
  • 6-cell smart lithium-ion 86 Wh
  • 4-cell smart lithium-ion (60 Wh)
  • 6-cell smart lithium-ion (90Wh)
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.
  • 130W (19.50 VDC/6.70A)
  • 180W (19.50 VDC/9.23A)
* Support Hybrid Power

Software

Dell XPS 15 9500Alienware M17 R1
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
  • Microsoft Office 365 (30-day trial)

Camera & Audio

Dell XPS 15 9500Alienware M17 R1
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
  • Audio
    • Realtek ALC3281-CG controller
    • 2.0 Speaker configuration
    • 7.1 Digital Audio out using HDMI out connection
    • Alienware Sound Center and Audio Recon software
  • Microphone
    • Dual-array microphones in the camera assembly

Misc

Dell XPS 15 9500Alienware M17 R1
Sensors
  • Ambient light sensor
  • Windows Hello compliant fingerprint reader in the power button
-
Security
  • Windows Hello with Fingerprint Sign in
  • Enterprise-grade protection with Windows Hello face sign-in
  • Wedge-shaped lock
  • Wedge-shaped lock slot
Warranty-1 Year Hardware Service with Onsite/In-Home Service After Remote Diagnosis
More-CHASIS
  • Exterior Chassis Materials
    • Magnesium Alloy
  • Thermal
    • Cryo-Tech v2.0 Cooling Technology
    • Dual-Intake, Dual-Exhaust Airflow Design
    • High-Voltage Driving Fans
    • Load-balancing Heat Pipes
    • Copper Fin Stacks
    • Thermal Controls
    • Whisper-quiet operation

Key Features

Dell XPS 15 9500Alienware M17 R1
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 Early
2019
16:9 4K UHD
17.3”
2160p 60Hz
Weight
5.79 lb
2.63 kg
Up to
Intel Core i7-9750H
6C/12T, 2.60 → 4.50 GHz
Geekbench 5
1,044
Single Core
Geekbench 5
4,880
Multi-Core
With integrated
Intel® UHD Graphics 630
24 Execution Units, 350 → 1150 MHz
Upgradable up to
32GB
2666 MHz DDR4
Alienware M17 R1 Ports
Nvidia GeForce
RTX 2080
8GB GDDR6 with Max-Q

Comparison Summary

Dell XPS 15 9500 vs. Alienware M17 R1

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 17.3-inch Alienware M17 R1 was introduced by Dell about a year earlier in early-2019. It comes with up to a hexa-core Intel Core i7-9750H with a boost clock speed up to 4.50 GHz. It has a dedicated GPU option up to Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 with 8GB GDDR6 with Max-Q.

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Dell XPS 15 95001
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-10300H1,06188.71%
2
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-10750H1,13494.82%
3
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-10875H1,19299.67%
4
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-10885H1,196100.00%
Alienware M17 R11
8th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-8300H93578.18%
2
8th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-8750H97581.52%
3
8th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-8950HK1,06689.13%
4
9th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-9750H1,04487.29%
01,196

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

Dell XPS 15 95001
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-10300H3,74754.51%
2
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-10750H5,41278.73%
3
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-10875H6,874100.00%
4
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-10885H6,78898.75%
Alienware M17 R11
8th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-8300H3,26947.56%
2
8th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-8750H4,47065.03%
3
8th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-8950HK4,80669.92%
4
9th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-9750H4,88070.99%
06,874

The Dell XPS 15 9500 has a 15.6-inch display which is slightly smaller than the 17.3-inch Alienware M17 R1. In addition, The Dell XPS 15 9500 weighs 4 lbs. about 44% lighter than the 5.79 lbs. Alienware M17 R1. Moreover, measured at 13.56” x 9.07” x 0.71”, the Dell XPS 15 9500 is much more portable than the Alienware M17 R1 at 16.1” x 11.52” x 0.91”.

Dell XPS 15 9500Alienware M17 R1

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 M17 R1, it supports up to 32GB 2666 MHz DDR4 memory that you can upgrade with two memory module slots on the motherboard. It also has two M.2 slots that users can easily swap or add an extra SSD to get extra space when needed. Besides that, it also comes with a SATA slot where you can install an additional 2.5-inch SATA-based SSD, SSHD, or a hard disk drive.

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