Surface Laptop 3 vs. Alienware Area-51m: Which is better?

Here is a side by side comparison between Surface Laptop 3 and Alienware Area-51m specs including CPU, RAM, storage, battery, display, and more.

Surface Laptop 3 Pros

Reasons that Surface Laptop 3 is better than Alienware Area-51m.

Supports faster memory

Surface Laptop 3 supports a faster memory speed than the Alienware Area-51m. It supports up to 3733MHz versus 2800MHz of system memory on the Alienware Area-51m.

Memory type and speed
Surface Laptop 3 - LPDDR4X
3,733 MHz
Alienware Area-51m - DDR4 XMP
2,800 MHz
About 68% lighter

Surface Laptop 3 weighed 2.79 pounds, 68% lighter than the 8.54 pounds Alienware Area-51m.

WeightSurface Laptop 3Alienware Area-51m
Pound
2.79 lbs.
8.54 lbs.
Kilogram
1.27 kg
3.87 kg

Alienware Area-51m Pros

Reasons that Alienware Area-51m is better than Surface Laptop 3.

Much faster CPU performance

Intel Core i9-9900K inside Alienware Area-51m has a 211% better multi-core CPU performance score than the AMD Ryzen 7-3780U Microsoft Surface Edition inside Surface Laptop 3.

Geekbench 5 multi-core score
Alienware Area-51m - Intel Core i9-9900K
8,543
Alienware Area-51m - Intel Core i9-9900
7,669
Alienware Area-51m - Intel Core i7-9700K
7,192
Alienware Area-51m - Intel Core i7-8700
5,810
Surface Laptop 3 - Intel Core i7-1065G7
3,722
Surface Laptop 3 - Intel Core i5-1035G7
3,691
Surface Laptop 3 - AMD Ryzen 7-3780U Microsoft Surface Edition
2,741
Surface Laptop 3 - AMD Ryzen 5-3580U Microsoft Surface Edition
2,438
Supports larger memory

Alienware Area-51m supports a larger memory capacity than the Surface Laptop 3. It supports up to 64GB versus 16GB of system memory on the Surface Laptop 3.

Max system memory size
Alienware Area-51m
64 GB
Surface Laptop 3
16 GB
Upgradable memory

Alienware Area-51m comes with four SODIMM slots that allow you to replace or upgrade when needed. On the flip side, you can't upgrade RAM on the Surface Laptop 3 since it has onboard memory.

MemorySurface Laptop 3Alienware Area-51m
Slots
Onboard
x4
TypeLPDDR4XDDR4 XMP
Supports discrete graphics

Configurable up to Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 8GB GDDR6 vs. integrated

28% larger display

Alienware Area-51m has a 17.3-inch screen size 28% larger than the 13.5-inch Surface Laptop 3.

Display size
Alienware Area-51m
17.3-inch
Surface Laptop 3
13.5-inch

Prices

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

Surface Laptop 3 Price
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 13.5" Touch-Screen Intel Core i5-8GB Memory - 256GB Solid State Drive (PKX-00003) Matte Black (Renewed)
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 13.5" Touch-Screen Intel Core i5-8GB Memory - 256GB Solid State Drive (PKX-00003) Matte Black (Renewed)
By Microsoft
$299.00
$319.00 6% OFF
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 – 13.5" Touch-Screen – Intel Core i7 - 16GB Memory - 512GB Solid State Drive (Latest Model) – Platinum with Alcantara (Renewed)
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 – 13.5" Touch-Screen – Intel Core i7 - 16GB Memory - 512GB Solid State Drive (Latest Model) – Platinum with Alcantara (Renewed)
By Microsoft
$445.01
$489.99 9% OFF
Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 (2023) - 12.4" Touchscreen, Thin & Lightweight, Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD SSD, with Windows 11, Platinum Color Copilot
Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 (2023) - 12.4" Touchscreen, Thin & Lightweight, Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD SSD, with Windows 11, Platinum Color Copilot
By Microsoft
$653.03
$799.99 18% OFF
Alienware Area-51m Price
Alienware Area 51M Gaming Laptop, 17.3" 300hz 3ms FHD Display, Intel Core i7-10700K, Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 Super 8GB GDDR6, 1TB SSD, 16GB RAM, Lunar Light (AWARR2-7323WHT-PUS)
Alienware Area 51M Gaming Laptop, 17.3" 300hz 3ms FHD Display, Intel Core i7-10700K, Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 Super 8GB GDDR6, 1TB SSD, 16GB RAM, Lunar Light (AWARR2-7323WHT-PUS)
By Alienware
$2,299.99
Dell Alienware Area-51m Elite Gaming Laptop Backpack, 17-Inch, Gray/Black (AWA51BPE17)
Dell Alienware Area-51m Elite Gaming Laptop Backpack, 17-Inch, Gray/Black (AWA51BPE17)
By Dell
$162.75
Dell Alienware Area 51M Laptop, 17.3 FHD (1920 x 1080) 144Hz G-Sync Tobii Eye, 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9700K, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD 1TB SSHD, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080, Windows 10 (Renewed)
Dell Alienware Area 51M Laptop, 17.3 FHD (1920 x 1080) 144Hz G-Sync Tobii Eye, 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9700K, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD 1TB SSHD, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080, Windows 10 (Renewed)
By Dell
$5,899.00

Availability

Surface Laptop 3Alienware Area-51m
Released20192019
Release Date
  • Introduced: October 2, 2019 (Microsoft October Event)
  • Pre-ordered: October 2, 2019
  • Released: October 22, 2019
  • Announced at CES 2019
  • Available on January 29, 2019
Pricing
  • Surface Laptop 3 (13.5”) › Starting at 999$
  • Surface Laptop 3 (15”) › Starting at 1,199$
Starting at $2,549.99
Generations-

Exterior

Surface Laptop 3Alienware Area-51m
Dimensions
  • Surface Laptop 3 (13.5”)
    12.1” x 8.8” x 0.57” (308 mm x 223 mm x 14.5 mm).
  • Surface Laptop 3 (15”)
    13.4” x 9.6” x 0.57” (339.5 mm x 244 mm x 14.69 mm).
15.85 x 12.565 x 1.09 - 1.23 in (402.6 x 319.14 x 27.65 - 31.2 mm)
  • Width: 15.85 in. (402.6 mm)
  • Depth: 12.565 in. (319.14 mm)
  • Height: 1.09 - 1.23 in. (27.65 - 31.2 mm)
Weight
  • Surface Laptop 3 (13.5”)
    • 2.84 lb (1,288 g)
      Sandstone and Matte Black
    • 2.79 lb (1,265 g)
      Cobalt Blue and Platinum
  • Surface Laptop 3 (15”)
    • 3.40 lb (1,542 g)
Maximum at 8.54 lbs. (3.87 Kg)
Colors
  • Surface Laptop 3 (13.5”)
    • Metal
      Matte Black Sandstone
    • Alcantara
      Matte Black Platinum
  • Surface Laptop 3 (15”)
    • Metal
      Matte Black Platinum
  • Lunar Light
  • Dark Side of the Moon
Keyboard and Trackpad
  • Keyboard:
    • Full-size backlit keyboard with the soft-touch feel and full 1.3mm travel.
    • Large palm rest with premium Alcantara® material for maximized typing comfort.
  • Trackpad:
    • Larger size 115 mm x 76.66 mm, glass.
    • Supports up to Five-finger multitouch gesture.
  • Keyboard
    • Alienware TactX keyboard with per-key RGB LED AlienFX lighting.
    • Includes anti-ghosting and N-key rollover technology.
    • 2.2mm key travel, programmable macro keys, alphanumeric keys
  • Touchpad
    • 4.13 x 2.56 in (105 mm x 65 mm) All-points addressable (APA) trackpad.
    • AlienFX backlit.

Display

Surface Laptop 3Alienware Area-51m
Size13.5 Inches17.3 Inches
Info
  • Surface Laptop 3 (13.5”)
    • Resolution: 2256 x 1504 (3.4M Pixels)
    • Pixel Per Inch: 201
  • Surface Laptop 3 (15”)
    • Resolution: 2496 x 1664 (4.15M Pixels)
    • Pixel Per Inch: 201
  • PixelSense™ Display
  • Aspect ratio: 3:2
  • Inking: designed together with Surface Pen
  • Touch: 10 points multi-touch
  • Corning® Gorilla® Glass 3
  • 10nm Oleophobic Coating
  • 100% sRGB color, individually calibrated
Full HD with 60Hz refresh rate
  • 1920 x 1080, 127 PPI, 35ms response time, 300 nits, 16:9, 72% color gamut, 600:1 contrast ratio, Anti-glare, 8W max power consumption.
Full HD with 144Hz refresh rate
  • 1920 x 1080, 127 PPI, 19ms response time, 300 nits, 16:9, 72% color gamut, 600:1 contrast ratio, Anti-glare, 8.5W max power consumption.
  • Tobii Eyetracking
  • Options:
    • Anti-Glare
    • Eyesafe® Display Tech
    • Eyesafe® Display Tech + NVIDIA G-SYNC
All options
  • Wide Viewing Angles on all displays with 85 degrees viewing from all directions

Ports

Surface Laptop 3Alienware Area-51m
Surface Laptop 3 Ports
Image Source: Microsoft
  • 1 x Full-size USB 3.0
  • 1 x USB Type-C 3.1 Gen 2
    Supports Power Delivery and DisplayPort.
  • 1 x Surface Connect™
    Supports charging and docking station.
  • 1 x Headset jack
Alienware Area-51m Ports
Image Source: Dell
  • 1 x Power/DC-in Jack
  • 1 x RJ-45 Killer E3000 2.5Gbps 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 1.4 (certified) Output
  • 1 x Headphone / MIC (retaskable)
  • 1 x Global Headset Jack
  • 1 x Wedge-shaped lock slot (cable and lock sold separately)

Internal Specs

Surface Laptop 3Alienware Area-51m
Processor
  1. 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1035G7
    4 cores, 8 threads, 1.20 → 3.70 GHz, 6MB SmartCache, 15W
  2. 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1065G7
    4 cores, 8 threads, 1.30 → 3.90 GHz, 8MB SmartCache, 15W
  3. AMD Ryzen™ 5 3580U Microsoft Surface® Edition
    4 cores, 8 threads, 2.10 → 3.70 GHz, 2MB L2 Cache, 4MB L3 Cache, 15W
  4. AMD Ryzen™ 7 3780U Microsoft Surface® Edition
    4 cores, 8 threads, 2.30 → 4.00 GHz, 2MB L2 Cache, 4MB L3 Cache, 15W
  1. 8th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-8700
    6 cores, 12 threads, 3.20 → 4.60 GHz, 12MB SmartCache, 65W
  2. 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-9700K
    8 cores, 8 threads, 3.60 → 4.90 GHz, 12MB SmartCache, 95W
  3. 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-9900
    8 cores, 16 threads, 3.10 → 5.00 GHz, 16MB SmartCache, 65W
  4. 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-9900K
    8 cores, 16 threads, 3.60 → 5.00 GHz, 16MB SmartCache, 95W
Integrated Graphics
  1. 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1035G7
    Intel® Iris® Plus Graphics
    64 Execution Units, 300 → 1050 MHz
  2. 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1065G7
    Intel® Iris® Plus Graphics
    64 Execution Units, 300 → 1100 MHz
  3. AMD Ryzen™ 5 3580U Microsoft Surface® Edition
    Radeon™ Vega 9 Graphics
    9 Graphics Cores, 1300 MHz
  4. AMD Ryzen™ 7 3780U Microsoft Surface® Edition
    Radeon™ RX Vega 11 Graphics
    11 Graphics Cores, 1400 MHz
  1. 8th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-8700
    Intel® UHD Graphics 630
    24 Execution Units, 350 → 1200 MHz
  2. 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-9700K
    Intel® UHD Graphics 630
    24 Execution Units, 350 → 1200 MHz
  3. 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-9900
    Intel® UHD Graphics 630
    24 Execution Units, 350 → 1200 MHz
  4. 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-9900K
    Intel® UHD Graphics 630
    24 Execution Units, 350 → 1200 MHz
Memory
  • Surface Laptop 3 (13.5”)
    • 8GB 16GB
      3733 MHz LPDDR4X RAM
  • Surface Laptop 3 (15”)
    • 8GB 16GB
      2400 MHz DDR4 RAM
  • Memory Slots
    • 4-SODIMMs
  • Memory Configurations
    • 16GB, 2x8GB, DDR4, 2400MHz
    • 32GB, 2x16GB, DDR4, 2400MHz
    • 16GB, 2x8GB, DDR4 XMP 2933MHz
    • 64GB, 4x16GB, DDR4 2400MHz
    • 32GB, 2x16GB, DDR4 XMP 2933MHz
    • 64GB, 4x16GB, DDR4 XMP 2800MHz
Discrete Graphics-
  • NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 2060 6GB GDDR6 (OC Ready)
  • NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 2070 8GB GDDR6 (OC Ready)
  • NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 2080 8GB GDDR6 (OC Ready)
Storage
128 GB 256 GB 512 GB 1 TB
Removable M.2 NVMe SSD
Available Slots
  • Two M.2 2230/2280 slots (Up to 1TB each)
  • One SATA AHCI 6 Gbps (Up to 1TB)
Single Drive
  • 1TB (+8GB SSHD) Hybrid Drive
  • 256GB PCIe M.2 SSD
  • 512GB PCIe M.2 SSD
  • 1TB PCIe M.2 SSD
Dual Drives
  • 128GB PCIe M.2 SSD + 1TB (+8GBSSHD) Hybrid
  • 256GB PCIe M.2 SSD + 1TB (+8GBSSHD) Hybrid
  • 512GB PCIe M.2 SSD + 1TB (+8GBSSHD) Hybrid
  • 1TB PCIe M.2 SSD + 1TB (+8GBSSHD) Hybrid
  • 116GB Intel OptaneSSD + 1TB (+8GBSSHD) Hybrid
RAID-0 Drives
  • 512GB RAID0 (2x 256GB PCIe M.2 SSDs)
  • 1TB RAID0 (2x 512GB PCIe M.2 SSDs)
  • 2TB RAID0 (2x 1TB PCIe M.2 SSDs)
  • 236GB RAID0 (2x 116GB Intel OptaneSSDs)
RAID-0 Plus Drives
  • 512GB RAID0 (2x 256GB PCIe M.2 SSDs) + 1TB (+8GB SSHD) Hybrid Drive
  • 1TB RAID0 (2x 512GB PCIe M.2 SSDs) + 1TB (+8GB SSHD) Hybrid Drive
  • 2TB RAID0 (2x 1TB PCIe M.2 SSDs) + 1TB (+8GB SSHD) Hybrid Drive
  • 236GB RAID0 (2x 116GB Intel OptaneSSDs) + 1TB (+8GB SSHD) Hybrid Drive

Connectivity

Surface Laptop 3Alienware Area-51m
Wi-Fi
  • Surface Laptop 3 (13.5”) Wi-Fi 6: IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax compatible.
  • Surface Laptop 3 (15”) Wi-Fi 5: IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac compatible.
  • 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
  • Bluetooth Wireless 5.0 technology
  • Rivet Killer 1550 › Bluetooth 5.0
  • Rivet Killer AX1650 › Bluetooth 5.1
Ethernet-
  • Killer™ Ethernet E3000 PCI-e Gigabit ethernet controller
    Transfer rate: 10/100/1000/2500 Mbps

Battery

Surface Laptop 3Alienware Area-51m
Size45.8 Wh
  • 6-cell smart lithium-ion (90Wh)
Battery LifeUp to 11.5 hours of typical device usage-
Power Supply
  • 60W power supply with USB-A (5W) (65W total)
  • Supports Fast Charge (0-80% in about one hour)
  • 180W (19.50 VDC/9.23A)
  • 240W (19.50 VDC/9.23A)
  • 330W (19.50 VDC/9.23A)

Software

Surface Laptop 3Alienware Area-51m
OS
  • For Consumer: Windows 10 Home
  • For Commercial: Windows 10 Pro
Free upgrade to Windows 11
Windows 10 Home Windows 10 Pro
Upgradable to Windows 11
Built-in AppsMicrosoft Office 365 30-days trial
  • Alienware Command Center
  • Alienware Mobile Connect
  • Microsoft Office 365 (30-day trial)

Camera & Audio

Surface Laptop 3Alienware Area-51m
Camera
  • Windows Hello face authentication camera (front-facing)
  • 720p HD front-facing video camera
  • Front-facing camera
    Alienware HD (1280 x 720 resolution) camera.
Audio
  • Dual far-field Studio Mics
  • OmniSonic stereo speakers with Dolby® Audio™ Premium
  • Controller: Realtek ALC3282-CG
    • 7.1 Digital Audio out using HDMI out connection
    • Alienware Sound Center via Alienware Command Center
  • Speakers:
    • 4-Way Stereo Speaker Design
    • Output: 8-10W
  • Microphone:
    • Dual-array microphones in the camera assembly

Misc

Surface Laptop 3Alienware Area-51m
InkingSupports Surface Pen
4096 levels of pressure
Tilt sensing
Best in class latency
-
Sensors
  • Ambient light sensor
  • Tobii Eye Tracking (Optional)
Security
  • HW TPM 2.0 chip for enterprise security
  • Enterprise-grade protection with Windows Hello face sign-in
  • Wedge-shaped lock slot
In the box
  • Surface Laptop 3
  • Power supply
  • Quick Start Guide
  • Safety and warranty documents
-
Warranty
  • One-year limited hardware warranty
  • Commercial: Advanced Exchange warranty service with expedited device replacement
1 Year Hardware Service with Onsite/In-Home Service After Remote Diagnosis
MoreSupports Surface Dial
Supports off-screen interaction only
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

Surface Laptop 3Alienware Area-51m
At Glance
Released in
2019
3:2 2.5K
13.5”
1664p 60Hz
Weight
2.79 lb
1.27 kg
Up to
AMD Ryzen 7-3780U Microsoft Surface Edition
4C/8T, 2.30 → 4.00 GHz
Geekbench 5
721
Single Core
Geekbench 5
2,741
Multi-Core
With integrated
Radeon™ RX Vega 11 Graphics
11 Graphics Cores, 1400 MHz
Configurable up to
16GB
3733 MHz LPDDR4X
Surface Laptop 3 Ports
Released in Early
2019
16:9 FHD
17.3”
1080p 144Hz
Weight
8.54 lb
3.87 kg
Up to
Intel Core i9-9900K
8C/16T, 3.60 → 5.00 GHz
Geekbench 5
1,309
Single Core
Geekbench 5
8,543
Multi-Core
With integrated
Intel® UHD Graphics 630
24 Execution Units, 350 → 1200 MHz
Upgradable up to
64GB
2800 MHz DDR4 XMP
Alienware Area-51m Ports
Nvidia GeForce
RTX 2080
8GB GDDR6

Comparison Summary

Surface Laptop 3 vs. Alienware Area-51m

Microsoft has released the Surface Laptop 3, a 13.5-inch machine, in 2019. It is powered by up to a quad-core AMD Ryzen 7-3780U Microsoft Surface Edition with a boost clock speed up to 4.00 GHz. The laptop has an integrated graphics option up to Radeon™ RX Vega 11 Graphics (11 Graphics Cores, 1400 MHz).

On the other hand, we have the 17.3-inch Alienware Area-51m was introduced by Dell around the same year in early-2019. It comes with up to an octa-core Intel Core i9-9900K with a boost clock speed up to 5.00 GHz. It has a dedicated GPU option up to Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 with 8GB GDDR6.

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Surface Laptop 31
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1035G71,00276.55%
2
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1065G71,08883.12%
3
AMD Ryzen™ 5 3580U Microsoft Surface® Edition70353.71%
4
AMD Ryzen™ 7 3780U Microsoft Surface® Edition72155.08%
Alienware Area-51m1
8th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-87001,15588.24%
2
9th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-9700K1,28097.78%
3
9th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-99001,25195.57%
4
9th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-9900K1,309100.00%
01,309

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

Surface Laptop 31
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1035G73,69143.20%
2
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1065G73,72243.57%
3
AMD Ryzen™ 5 3580U Microsoft Surface® Edition2,43828.54%
4
AMD Ryzen™ 7 3780U Microsoft Surface® Edition2,74132.08%
Alienware Area-51m1
8th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-87005,81068.01%
2
9th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-9700K7,19284.19%
3
9th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-99007,66989.77%
4
9th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-9900K8,543100.00%
08,543

The Surface Laptop 3 has a 13.5-inch display which is considerably smaller than the 17.3-inch Alienware Area-51m. In addition, The Surface Laptop 3 weighs 2.79 lbs. about 206% lighter than the 8.54 lbs. Alienware Area-51m. Moreover, measured at 12.13” x 8.79” x 0.57”, the Surface Laptop 3 is much more portable than the Alienware Area-51m at 15.85” x 12.565” x 1.23”.

Surface Laptop 3Alienware Area-51m

Moving over to upgradability, Microsoft claims that the Surface Laptop 3 supports up to 16GB 3733 MHz LPDDR4X memory. However, it has an onboard memory module that is not upgradable by the users. Fortunately, it comes with a single removable M.2 SSD slot that users can replace and upgrade in the future.

For Alienware Area-51m, it supports up to 64GB 2800 MHz DDR4 XMP memory that you can upgrade with four 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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