Dell Alienware x15 R1 vs Dell Alienware x15 R2 Comparison

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Dell Alienware x15 R1

15.6 inches | June 2021

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Dell Alienware x15 R2

15.6 inches | January 2022

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Dell Alienware x15 R1 vs Dell Alienware x15 R2 Comparison Overview

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In this review, we will be comparing Alienware x15 R1 and Alienware x15 R2, two laptops by Dell. Dell Alienware x15 R1 was introduced to market in June 2021 and Dell Alienware x15 R2 was launched in January 2022. There is only 7 months difference between Alienware x15 R1 and Alienware x15 R2 so we are expecting this to be a fair comparison regarding age and technology level.

Click for Available Configurations of the Laptops

Alienware x15 R1 and Alienware x15 R2 are members of Dell's Alienware series of laptops. Below you can find the latest models from this series.

Dell Alienware Series History

	Release Date	Screen Size	Dimensions	Weight
Dell Alienware m18 R2	January 2024	18.0"	410.3 x 319.9 x 24.1-25.1 mm	4.23 kg (9.33 lbs)
Dell Alienware m16 R2	January 2024	16.0"	363.9 x 249.4 x 19.9-23.5 mm	2.6 kg (5.73 lbs)
Dell Alienware x16 R2	January 2024	16.0"	364.74 x 289.81 x 18.57 mm	2.66 kg (5.87 lbs)
Dell Alienware X16	January 2023	16.0"	364.74 x 289.81 x 18.57 mm	2.72 kg (6 lbs)
Dell Alienware m16	January 2023	16.0"	368.9 x 289.9 x 23-25.4 mm	3 kg (6.62 lbs)
Dell Alienware m18	January 2023	18.0"	410.3 x 319.9 x 24.1-26.7 mm	4.23 kg (9.33 lbs)
Dell Alienware x14 R2	January 2023	14.0"	321.08 x 260.41 x 14.5 mm	2 kg (4.41 lbs)
Dell Alienware m15 R7	January 2022	15.6"	356.2 x 272.5 x 12.9-20.6 mm	2.42 kg (5.34 lbs)

Here is a brief look at the main features of Dell Alienware x15 R1 and Dell Alienware x15 R2 before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Dell Alienware x15 R1 Key Specs

Launched in June 2021
15.6" IPS LCD, 16:9 Aspect Ratio Display
CPU: Intel Core i7 11800H
GPU: GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile 6GB
16GB Ram
359.7 x 277.2 x 16.3 mm (14.16 x 10.91 x 0.64 inches)
Weight: 2.27 kg (5.01 lbs)

Dell Alienware x15 R2 Key Specs

Launched in January 2022
15.6" IPS LCD, 16:9 Aspect Ratio Display
CPU: Intel Core i7 12700H
GPU: GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile 6GB
16GB Ram
359.7 x 277.3 x 12.5-15.9 mm (14.16 x 10.92 x 0.49-0.63 inches)
Weight: 2.27 kg (5.01 lbs)

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Alienware x15 R1 and Alienware x15 R2 compares and decide which one is better for you.

**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking through my links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Reasons to choose Dell Alienware x15 R1 over Dell Alienware x15 R2

Touchpad Size	10.5 x 6.8 cm vs 10.5 x 6.0 cm	Larger Touchpad Area

Reasons to choose Dell Alienware x15 R2 over Dell Alienware x15 R1

GPU FLOPS	13.6 TFLOPS vs 11.8 TFLOPS	Faster RAM Type
RAM Type	LPDDR5 vs DDR4	3D Surround Sound Support
Dolby Atmos Speakers	Yes vs No

Common Strengths of Dell Alienware x15 R2 and Dell Alienware x15 R1

Launch Dates	June 2021 vs January 2022	Both laptops are recent models
Screen Coating	Matte vs Matte	Less reflections on the screen
Fast Charging Support	Yes vs Yes	Charge the battery in a shorter time
USB Power Delivery	Yes vs Yes	Charging via USB port gives flexibility
RAM Type	PCI-E Gen 4.0 (4x) vs PCI-E Gen 4.0 (4x)	Fast RAM type
Upgradable Storage	Yes vs Yes	Option to increase the Storage size
SSD Type	NVMe vs NVMe	Faster Data Transfers
Wi-Fi Standard	v6 vs v6E	Fast and Reliable Wi-Fi Connections
Bluetooth Standard	v5.2 vs v5.2	Fast and Reliable Bluetooth Connections
Thunderbolt Port	v4 vs v4	Fast data and power transfer via Thunderbolt Port
HDMI Output	1x HDMI 2.1 vs 1x HDMI 2.1	Connect to External Displays via HDMI cable
VGA Output	No vs No	Connect to External Displays via VGA cable
Built-in SD Card Reader	Yes vs Yes	Read & Write SD Cards
Keyboard Backlight	Yes vs Yes	Easily see the keys under low light

Common Weaknesses of Dell Alienware x15 R2 and Dell Alienware x15 R1

Touchscreen Capability	No vs No	No Touchscreen Capability
Upgradable RAM	No vs No	No Option to increase the RAM size
Fingerprint Sensor	No vs No	No fingerprint login feature

Dell Alienware x15 R1 vs Dell Alienware x15 R2: Physical Specs Comparison

In this section, we will be comparing the physical specifications and body features of the Dell Alienware x15 R1 and the Dell Alienware x15 R2.

Physical Specs
Weight	2.27 kg (5.01 lbs)	2.27 kg (5.01 lbs)
Surface Area	997 cm2 (154.5 inches2)	997 cm2 (154.6 inches2)
Screen to Surface Ratio	~67.3%	~67.3%
Side Bezel Thickness	~7.2 mm	~7.2 mm
Weight per Inch of Screen	0.15 kg/inch	0.15 kg/inch
	0.33 lbs/inch	0.33 lbs/inch
Colors	Silver	White

Comparison of the Dell Alienware x15 R1 and the Dell Alienware x15 R2 External Dimensions

Weight

Weight Comparison

Displays size 15.0-15.9 inches

Dell Alienware x15 R1 2.27 kg

Dell Alienware x15 R2 2.27 kg

Min 0.99 kg

Average 1.95 kg

Max 3.32 kg

Thickness Comparison

Displays size 15.0-15.9 inches

Dell Alienware x15 R1 16.30 mm

Dell Alienware x15 R2 12.50 mm

Min 7.70 mm

Average 20.17 mm

Max 29.00 mm

Another value that we use for comparing the weights of the laptops is the Weight per Inch of Screen, which is calculated by dividing the total weight of the model with its usable diagonal screen size. This value for the Dell Alienware x15 R1 is 0.15 kg/inch.In comparison, this value for the Dell Alienware x15 R2 is 0.15 kg/inch.Here are some of the best performing laptops in this area:

Microsoft Surface Go 4: 0.05 kg/inch
LG Gram SuperSlim 15.6 2023: 0.06 kg/inch
Asus ProArt PZ13 HT5306: 0.06 kg/inch
Asus Zenbook A14 UX3407: 0.06 kg/inch
Dell Latitude 7330: 0.07 kg/inch
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano Gen 2: 0.07 kg/inch
LG Gram 14 2022: 0.07 kg/inch
LG Gram 14 2-in-1 2022: 0.07 kg/inch

Dell Alienware x15 R1 vs Dell Alienware x15 R2: Internals (CPU, GPU, RAM, Battery, SSD, etc.) Comparison

CPU Comparison

CPU Model	Intel Core i7 11800H Intel Core i9 11900H	Intel Core i7 12700H Intel Core i9 12900H
Base Frequency	1.9-2.3 GHz	2.3 GHz
Turbo Frequency	4.6 GHz	4.7 GHz
Number of Cores	8	14
Number of Threads	16	20
L3 Cache	24 MB	24 MB
Integrated GPU	Intel UHD Graphics for 11th Gen (32 EU)	Intel Iris Xe Graphics (96EU)
CPU Fabrication Process	10 nm	10 nm
Geekbench 5 (Single)	1563	1750
Geekbench 5 (Multi)	8909	12242
Cinebench 23 (Single)	1504	1800
Cinebench 23 (Multi)	12182	16309

Above you can see the CPU options and the CineBench and GeekBench test scores for both laptops, which gives an idea about what kind of performance difference you may experience between the Dell Alienware x15 R1 and Dell Alienware x15 R2.

You may also read reviews of latest laptops with the same CPUs and compare them:

Laptops with: Intel Core i7 11800H

Laptops with: Intel Core i7 12700H

GPU Comparison

GPU Model	GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile 6GB GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile 8GB GeForce RTX 3080 Mobile 8GB	GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile 6GB GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Mobile 8GB GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Mobile 16GB
Base Clock Frequency	900 MHz	900 MHz
Boost CLock Frequency	1425 MHz	1425 MHz
TGP (Total Graphics Power)	80 W	80 W
Nvidia Optimus	Yes, Advanced Optimus	Yes, Advanced Optimus
Type	Dedicated	Dedicated
FLOPS	10.94 TFLOPS	10.94 TFLOPS
Memory Size	6 GB	6 GB
Memory Type	GDDR6	GDDR6
Memory Bus	192 bit	192 bit
Memory Speed	1750 MHz 14 Gbps effective	1750 MHz 14 Gbps effective
Shading Units Cores	3840	3840
TMUs	120	120
ROPs	48	48

GPU is as critical as the CPU for graphic heavy applications and the table above gives a picture of how the two GPU compares. FLOPS is a measure of a GPU's performance based on the number of floating-point arithmetic calculations that the processor can perform within a second. Dell Alienware x15 R1 has a FLOPS value of 11.8 TFLOPS whereas the Dell Alienware x15 R2 ' has a FLOPS value of 13.6 TFLOPS. If graphical performance of the laptop is important for your use type, the Dell Alienware x15 R2 may be the better choice between these two setups.

RAM Comparison

RAM	16GB 32GB	16GB 32GB
Memory Bus	2x8 GB	2x8 GB
RAM Clock	3200 MHz	5200 MHz
RAM Type	DDR4	LPDDR5
Upgradable	No	No
Total Slots	2
Memory Bus	PCI-E Gen 4.0 (4x)	PCI-E Gen 4.0 (4x)

Both laptops, the Alienware x15 R1 and the Alienware x15 R2, come with similar RAM capacities of 16 GB, providing comparable performance in memory-intensive tasks.

LOCAL LLM Compatibility Evaluation

This quick guide shows what types of large language models (LLMs) each of these laptops could support, based on their respective hardware specifications. It's meant to help you compare their suitability for running AI models locally.

LLM Category	Dell Alienware x15 R1	Dell Alienware x15 R2
Small Models(1-3B):Examples: Phi-2, Qwen-1.8B	✔ Run smoothly.	✔ Run smoothly.
Medium Models(7-8B):Examples: Mistral-7B, Qwen-7B	✖ Not supported.	✖ Not supported.
Large Models(13-30B):Examples: Mixtral, Qwen-14B	✖ Not supported.	✖ Not supported.
Extra-Large Models(65B+):Examples: LLaMA2-70B, Qwen1.5-72B	✖ Not supported on most systems. Requires high-end GPU or advanced setup.	✖ Not supported on most systems. Requires high-end GPU or advanced setup.

Note: Optimized (e.g., 4-bit) models may run on limited hardware. Performance depends on runtime and setup.

📌 MoE Models: Some models like Mixtral 8x7B and Qwen3-30B-A3B use a Mixture of Experts (MoE) design, activating only part of the model during inference. This means they can often run efficiently on laptops with 12–16 GB of VRAM when quantized.

BATTERY

BATTERY	87 Wh	87 Wh
Battery Type	Li-Ion	Li-Ion
Replaceable	No	No
Fast Charging	No	No
USB Power Delivery	Yes	Yes
Charging Port Position	Left	Left
Charge Power	240 W	240 W
Voltage	11.4 V
Full Charging Time	1:25 hr	2:05 hr
AC Adapter Weight	711 gramm

Furthermore, both laptops have the same battery capacity of 87 Wh, ensuring comparable battery performance.

Battery Comparison

Displays size 15.0-15.9 inches

Dell Alienware x15 R1 87 Wh

Dell Alienware x15 R2 87 Wh

Min 36.00 Wh

Average 62.1 Wh

Max 100.00 Wh

STORAGE
Both laptops, the Alienware x15 R1 and the Alienware x15 R2 have similar max. storage capacities of 4 TB, allowing for ample space to store files and applications.

Storage Options	256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB, 2 TB, 4 TB	256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB, 2 TB, 4 TB
Upgradable	Yes	Yes
Total Slots	2	2
Storage type	SSD (M2)	SSD (M2)
NVMe	Yes	Yes

If your budget allows, we recommend opting for the largest possible disk size, considering the potential increase in storage capacity needs in the future. However, please keep in mind the question 'What will the laptop be used for?' when making this decision. Of course, you can later upgrade the hard disk capacity by getting a larger disk. However, if your laptop has only one disk slot, it may not be as straightforward as a RAM upgrade, where you simply add or replace a module, as moving or cloning files to a new disk may be necessary.

Dell Alienware x15 R1 vs Dell Alienware x15 R2: Display Comparison

The display is an essential aspect to consider when comparing the Dell Alienware x15 R1 and Dell Alienware x15 R2 since its is the component that you interact the most and significantly impact the experience.

Screen Area and Dimensions

Now let's look at the comparison of the actual display areas of both laptops below, keeping the bezels around the screens out of the equation. Both Alienware x15 R1 and Alienware x15 R2 screens have the same size of 15.6".The total usable screen area of the Alienware x15 R1 is 670cm² / 104inch² whereas the Alienware x15 R2's total usable screen area is 670cm² / 104inch².

PPI (Pixels per Inch)
Both Alienware x15 R1 and Alienware x15 R2 feature the same pixel density with 141 pixels per inch (PPI).

Screen PPI (Pixels Per Inch) Comparison

Displays size 15.0-15.9 inches

Dell Alienware x15 R1 141 ppi

Dell Alienware x15 R2 141 ppi

Min 100 PPI

Average 144 PPI

Max 294.00 PPI

Refresh Rate
Both Alienware x15 R1 and Alienware x15 R2 offer the same refresh rate of 165 Hz.

Both Alienware x15 R1 and Alienware x15 R2 boast the same response time of 19.0 ms.

Brightness
Both Alienware x15 R1 and Alienware x15 R2 offer the same maximum brightness of 300 nits (cd/m²).

Brightness Comparison

Displays size 15.0-15.9 inches

Dell Alienware x15 R1 300 nits

Dell Alienware x15 R2 300 nits

Min

60 nits

Average 319 nits

Max 1000.00 nits

Dell Alienware x15 R1 vs Dell Alienware x15 R2 Connectivity Comparison

In terms of connectivity,

Wifi
Alienware x15 R2 features a more advanced Wi-Fi standard v6E, providing faster and more reliable wireless connections compared to Alienware x15 R1 (v6).

Below, you'll find a Wi-Fi Versions Table, along with their release dates and speeds, to provide a brief overview of its development.

Wi-Fi Versions and Speeds

Standard	Speed	Release Date	Network	Frequency Bands (GHz)
Wi-Fi 7	up to 40 Gbps (5 GB/s)	2023	802.11be	2.4, 5, 6
Wi-Fi 6E	up to 9.6 Gbps (1.2 GB/s)	2020	802.11ax	2.4, 5, 6
Wi-Fi 6	up to 9.6 Gbps (1.2 GB/s)	2019	802.11ax	2.4, 5
Wi-Fi 5	up to 6.93 Gbps (866.25 MB/s)	2014	802.11ac	2.4, 5
Wi-Fi 4	up to 600 Mbps (75 MB/s)	2009	802.11n	2.4, 5

* Please note that the provided transfer rates are maximum theoretical values, and real-life performance may vary based on environmental factors.

USB
Both Alienware x15 R1 and Alienware x15 R2 feature 1x USB 3.2 USB-A ports.
Both Alienware x15 R1 and Alienware x15 R2 feature 2x USB 3.2 USB Type-C ports.

Below, you'll find a table of USB ports, along with their release dates and speeds.
To mitigate the confusion caused by generation names, the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) suggests using marketing names like USB 5Gbps, USB 10Gbps, and so forth, based on their respective transfer rates.

USB Type and Speeds

USB Type	Version	Speed	Date	Other Features/Explanations
USB4	Gen 4 (2.0)	80 Gbps	2022	Also known as USB 80Gbps
USB4	Gen 3×2	40 Gbps	2019	Also known as USB 40Gbps
USB 3.2	3.2 Gen 2x2	20 Gbps	2019	Double the data transfer rates of Gen 2
USB 3.2	3.2 Gen 2	10 Gbps	2017	Previously known as USB 3.1
USB 3.2	3.2 Gen 1	5 Gbps	2017	Previously known as USB 3.0
USB 3.1	3.1 Gen 2	10 Gbps	2013	Faster data transfer rates
USB 3.0	3.1 Gen 1	5 Gbps	2010	SuperSpeed USB, improved data transfer rates
USB 2.0	2.0	480 Mbps	2000	High-speed data transfer
USB 1.0	1.0	1.5 Mbps	1996	Original USB standard

Thunderbolt
Both Alienware x15 R1 and Alienware x15 R2 are equipped with Thunderbolt 4 ports.

HDMI
Both Alienware x15 R1 and Alienware x15 R2 feature an HDMI port (1x HDMI 2.1) for connecting to external monitors.

Below, you'll find a comparison table detailing different HDMI versions, including their bandwidth, color depth, maximum resolution, and release dates. This information can be helpful in understanding the capabilities of each HDMI version and choosing the most suitable one for your needs.

HDMI Comparison Table

HDMI Version	Maximum Resolution	Bandwidth (Gbps)	Color Depth (bits)	Release Date
HDMI 2.1-2.1b	7680 x 4320 *(8K)* @ 60p 3840 x 2160 *(4K)* @ 120p	48.0	48	2017
HDMI 2.0-2.0b	3840 x 2160 *(4K)* @ 60p	18.0	48	2013
HDMI 1.4-1.4b	3840 x 2160 *(4K)* @ 30p	10.2	48	2009
HDMI 1.3-1.3a	2560 x 1440 @ 60p	10.2	48	2006
HDMI 1.0-1.2a	1920 x 1200 @ 60p	4.95	24	2002

* Please note that the provided resolution values represent the maximum supported resolution, and actual display quality may depend on other factors such as source content and connected devices.

SD Card Reader
Both Alienware x15 R1 and Alienware x15 R2 come with an SD Card Reader for easy access to memory cards.

Audio Jack
Both Alienware x15 R1 and Alienware x15 R2 are equipped with a 3.5mm Audio Jack, providing seamless connection to headphones and speakers.

To summarize the connectivity and ports details, please refer to the table below to see them listed.

Connectivity and Ports
WiFi Standard (latest: v7)	v6	v6E
Bluetooth (latest: v5.4)	v5.2	v5.2
USB-A (latest: 3.2)	1x USB 3.2	1x USB 3.2
USB Type-C (latest: USB4 2.0)	2x USB 3.2	2x USB 3.2
Thunderbolt (latest: 4)	Thunderbolt 4	Thunderbolt 4
HDMI (latest: 2.1)	1x HDMI 2.1	1x HDMI 2.1
Display Port (latest: v2.0)	No	No
VGA	No	No
Fingerprint Sensor	No	No
Optical Drive	No	No
Audio Jack 3.5mm	Yes	Yes
Ethernet RJ45	No	No
SD CardReader	Yes	Yes
Proprietary Charging Port	Yes	Yes