Alienware M15 R7 vs Legion 5i Pro - Mid Range Gaming Battle!

[@martmeister]

I watch so many reviews where the reviewer seems to be more in favor of one laptop over the other and it's usually pretty obvious. I feel like your review, you were as positive but constructive as possible and that's great to see. Moved at a great pace, and covered everything most people would want to know. I do like you did your homework on the different power profiles since stuff like that is easily overlooked in favor of benchmarks. And it's something I use aggressively on my L5P. Appreciate the time you put into this great review. Nice one. Cheers.

[@MashITTech]

Thanks so much for the detailed comment and kind words. I do try really hard to be objective and not biased and that can be really hard at times. I always try to look at it from other peoples point of view

[@goldbart461]

Great review! I would go with Alienware. To me, the brand and the design are just much more attracting 😊

[@williamdarbishire4286]

Got the Alienware m15 with the 1440p panel on a good offer - not far off the same price as the Legion 5i Pro for the same spec. I love it - runs buttery smooth, great keyboard, beautiful screen. Easily plays everything I want it to, and is good for game dev as well. BTW, your review of the m15 was awesome. It was particularly good to see how easy it is to upgrade - being able to settle for 16gb RAM and 1TB drive with the confidence that upgrading later would be easy was a big factor in deciding which to go for. Thanks - keep up the good work!

[@MashITTech]

Thanks mate, really glad you enjoyed it. Sounds like you got a great price and I wonder why Dell price them so high forcing people to buy alternatives or wait for coupons/sales!

[@rajshah1404]

How did you get a discount on dell laptops??

[@williamdarbishire4286]

@@rajshah1404 I think they sometimes they just run discounts on particular specs. Only advice I can give is check their website regularly. Best of luck!

[@TurfBoy97]

I got insanely lucky and got myself an M15 R7 for a great deal for 1800$ on facebook marketplace, brand new unopened, with a 3070 Ti and a 1440p screen, 16gb ram but also knowing I could throw another 16 in there in the future sealed the deal. Absolutely in love with this machine

[@gustavoolivas8469]

Does it gets up to 100 degrees for the CPU as in the video? I have an OMEN with i7 9th gen and a 2070 and I’m done with feeling the entire laptop crazy hot (it’s 98 Celsius almost all the time when I’m gaming), I swear you can smell the hot circuits.

[@taylorp3685]

Dell really does specifically tailor there machines for the components they put in them. They put the TGP in the absolute sweet spots where performance gains are virtually unnoticeable. With all the other brands I have owned, I really have not seen a better balanced and better optimized system. You do get what you pay for aside from some minor quarks.

[@Z020852]

Legion 5i Pro Pro : May not seem like much but that bigger screen will look great for playing Total War games on if ever you have to play away from your desk Con : Playing at 16:10 will hit performance on TW, not to mention lower TGP and TDP; I've had a Yoga 11 fall apart on me (just literally started falling apart) so I'm predisposed to avoid any Lenovo unless it's all-metal (let alone plastics on a gaming laptop that spits out more heat) Alienware m15 Pro : Better performance Con : May not seem like much but that depth will make for a PITA if you need to use certain bags for ergonomics and/or hauling cameras, since such bags tend to be made by companies who think everybody uses a freaking Mac Yep I haven't decided yet but I'm seeing two 2021 laptops taking turns going on sale. One is quieter (but could have been even better if it wasn't too thin) but annoyingly has the freaking power port on the side. The other only has USB-A on the sides ie just wireless dongles that will not be an issue...but I have friends whose plastic gaming laptops from the same brand also just started falling apart. Nuts. GPU prices are coming back to normal but I'm still more likely to get a laptop for one reason: too much new stuff I don't want to deal with yet. 1. DDR5 is expensive and timings are too loose that the added speed doesn't matter vs DDR4 2. New freaking cables. Sure maybe I'll stick with Ampere or RDNA2, but this might end up as my most short-lived PSU thanks to PCI-E 5.0 and ATX12V0. Argh.

[@renovatio6971]

Another fantastic review, totally agree with you but I'm an Alienware fan so I'll choose the M15-R7. Actually I bought it after your review in addition to my existing M15-R6. I use the R6 at work and R7 at home w/ QHD 240 hz, Dolby Vision, etc. A lot better than the R6. But disappointed with R7, I still can't configure HARDWARE RAID-O. I bought additional Gen 4 SSD and no way to configure Raid-O. However, I was able to phenomenally increase the Read/Write speed by using RAM and SSD cache. Read speed reached 19.9K mbps and write speed at 40K mbps. If you use the 2.5Gigabit lan port plus the 40K write speed, the download speed is tremendously super fast even using wifi6e. I think very few knows this trick thou. It will costs you 8GB of RAM and 16GB SSD disk space. To improve more further I'm upgrading to 64GB so I can use 32GB RAM cache stored to 128GBSSD, RAM is volatile as you know so when it shutdown it will sync the cache to the SSD and loads it when it starts. Imagine Gen4 SSD L2 Cache and DDR5 RAM Cache.- out of this world. It boots faster than my Area51-R5, programs and games loads faster too.

[@MashITTech]

I didn't try building a raid array on the r7! was there no option in BIOS like there is on the X17?

[@TheMeefmaster]

Just ordered mine and wish I knew wtf you were talking about so I can set mine up appropriately haha😂

[@IamCorrosive]

Almost unfair because the alienware's 1440p display is really amazing and a better competitor to the great display on the lenovo. That said, that would have driven the price up so I see why it wasn't included for this comparison. That lenovo really is hard to beat, specially when there are good sales to make it even cheaper.

[@MashITTech]

Agreed, but I ordered the r7 with 1080p long before I got the legion. And with the screen would have made the alienware £700 more expensive 😱 I have had the 1440p in many times and it is by far the best screen over the Alienwares 1080p or the legion 1600p especially for gaming and I did mention that 👍 Making these comparisons is always hard as it is very very difficult to get them equally specified.

[@barrierankin2234]

Hey guys May 10th two more new Legions coming out. New Legion 7 more in the Alienware price range but performance jumps another level!!!

[@KaranSharma-lm6eh]

what about thermals on it ? I bought Alienware 17 R2 back in 2016 from Germany at 2000 Euro, regret it buying since then. Heavy size and weight, poor battery performance, terrible thermal cooling system, i could literally feel the burn on my fingers, so as a result always had to use it over a cooling pad !!

[@eygs493]

@@MashITTech lenovo is rubbish

[@brandonsargent7105]

@@MashITTech I just ordered the m15 r7 and it was only a $50 upgrade for 1440p - insane the differences in price!

[@Sola_Scriptura_1.618]

Lenovo's website is a disaster! I spent 5 min trying to figure out the model differences. What a fn mess!

[@toonzelda3353]

I have the M15 R7 and honestly I love it. Its perfect for both gaming and programming and have been able to use it for a multitude ls tasks :). The support assistant is very easy to use to keep your device optimized and upgrading its hardware is super easy to do! Given you have a handy screwdriver kit.

[@bukhari4375]

Your reviews are so practical n amazing. Your channel deserves much more appreciation n following. I hope you cross the million mark sooner than soon… A minor suggestion; you should also add a thermal performance section in your comparisons coz that’s a very essential component for gaming laptops

[@MashITTech]

Thanks so much for your kind words. With regards to a thermal section, what would you like to see? Are we talking cpu and gpu stressed with monitoring?

[@bukhari4375]

By thermal performance, I would mean the peak temperatures when you stress the GPU via high intensity AAA titles in high settings (normally the CPU would also be stressed to its limits by this). Some laptops get so heated that they either get kinda unusable or their performance throttles down significantly……

[@MashITTech]

Thanks, I will see if I can add something in. I can tell you that I have games extensively on both machines and neither throttled. I would certainly point out any throttling that occurs in laptops

[@bukhari4375]

That’s lovely to hear that neither throttled or neither had bad thermals but still it would be great if you mention that in your thermal performance section along with the peak temperature after let’s say 60 minutes of AAA title…… like your review is already close to perfect; it would make it even further more sublime

[@MashITTech]

I sure will mate :)

[@2of2DCH]

I lean towards the M15. It's more coin, but the keyboard, and design aesthetics are a win for me. I'm not sure about the Lenovo power supply, but I could throw even more money at the AW and get the slim 240W power supply for traveling.

[@MashITTech]

Yeah the slim 240w PSU is fantastic, I do feel Dell are tight for not including it on all the alienware models :(

[@AndreiMorar]

I have the Legion 5 Pro from 2021 with Ryzen 5800H, NVIDIA 3070, 32 gb DDR4 RAM and 1 TB Gen 3 Nvme. I've been using it for nearly a year and it's amazing. Great performance, amazing screen (identical to this 5i Pro) and much better battery life than Intel can offer. I got nearly 9 hours doing light office work and really managing the battery (60 Hz screen option on, blue mode). In my opinion this year's Ryzen 6000 equipped Legion 5 Pro is gonna be amazing. It will blow away Intel on efficiency and thus battery life. Too bad it won't be coming until Q3 or 4 this year.

[@MashITTech]

Yeah, I am desperate to get some ryzen 6000 in! Of all the laptops we get through a year we kept a legion 7 with 5800h and 3080. Gary now uses it for all his editing on the channel 👍

[@death2abrahamism]

@@MashITTech I don't know if I heard right, but I heard Legion 7 had some kind of power drain situation where it would be plugged in the wall and it still drained the battery when on full load. It might have been fixed or it was a rumor I heard.

[@villanousspyder405]

Yea because intel's been known to try, and make the most efficient chip. ,,🤔 I think you're confusing them with Apple, and their M1.

[@fadihalteh4606]

how are the speakers on the legion 5 pro , i am considering getting it , i currently have the lenovo y700 it has excellant speakers .does the 5 pro have similar speaker quality

[@AndreiMorar]

@@fadihalteh4606 The speakers are decent, not amazing though. They are pretty loud at max volume, bass is lacking as there's no subwoofer. Overall, 7/10.

[@anunaysanganal]

I got M15 r7! I love the laptop. The hinge creaking is a bit annoying, but other than everything is top notch!

[@ayushbhardwaj874]

I’m planning to get a laptop from US but confused between the x15 r2 3060 or the m15 r7 3070ti almost similar priced.. Or I can also get the x15 r1 3070 32 gb ram for few less dollars…

[@mrmj3039]

@@ayushbhardwaj874 same problem bruh can't decide properly...but I prefer 3070ti other than 3060

[@ayushbhardwaj874]

@@mrmj3039 so what have you decided?? I’m planning to get the m15..

[@jeanbulatao4900]

@@ayushbhardwaj874 actually i asked the similar question to my local sales person in virgin megastore, he said that if you are planning to get 3070ti its either get the 3070 if you are saving some cash because the performance is not that much difference but if you can save a bit more get the 3080

[@rustamyuldashev9807]

Hi! What about temperature of processor in games? I have similar model, but very high temperatures of processor fear me…

[@napolipizza-hw8xd]

I have both 5 pro 3070 and m15 r7 3070ti, I slightly prefer the AW, but both are awesome! No one should buy either at retail, they offer deep discounts often and price can be comparable

[@SuperCinemaCraft]

I’m so stoked to unbox my maxed out Alienware tomorrow!

[@yauchia6499]

How’s it so far?

[@DavidRodriguez-ku2lo]

Thanks for the review

[@yueminwang3551]

In Canada the M15R7 with 12700H, 3070ti, 32G ram, 2T ssd and 1440p screen costs 3199. The legion 5i pro with 12700H, 3070ti, 16G ram, 2T ssd costs 3119. It is hard to pick the lenovo when it has 16G less memory and only $80 cheaper.

[@MashITTech]

wow its a much different situation in the UK! the legion was massively cheaper. That does make the decision much harder

[@andreapiola369]

I love your channel and reviews, and being in the market for a laptop I was actually debating between these two. Perfect timing :D

[@MashITTech]

Really glad you found the video helpful 👍

[@NaeleckVonLethe]

Are you planning in making a M17 R5 vs X17 R2 comparison?

[@MashITTech]

Yep. I sure am. My m17r5 should be here early next week 👍

[@azogdefiler5477]

Please do a m17 r5 unboxing:)

[@user-cx2bk6pm2f]

It seems gaming laptops are trending towards becoming more mainstream.. less boy racer design ques, slimmer, lighter, etc. In this regard, it seems Alienware is at a disadvantage as the design of the lid looks difficult to become smaller and more compact.

[@Taylormade2350]

You haven't seen the X lineup it appears.

[@user-cx2bk6pm2f]

@@Taylormade2350 I have not, but sounds interesting.

[@Taylormade2350]

@@user-cx2bk6pm2f they're the thinnest gaming laptops out right now x14 x15 and x17

[@JonathanS89]

The last great alienware m series design was the m15 r4, fully backlit keyboards, great angled corners, but then they cheaped out with the new chassis, feels mostly tanky still however, the lid creeks and that bothers me lol. And they look cheaper than the previous chassis with old school rounded corners. The x series is much sexier

[@MashITTech]

Yep, the m15r4 and m17r4 were top notch, they have now made the m15/17 the budget alienware (if you can ever call alienware budget 🤣) and the X series is the premium

[@JonathanS89]

@@MashITTech lmao indeed

[@MashITTech]

Lol see you have changed your image, didn’t recognise you for sec

[@JonathanS89]

@@MashITTech lmaoo yess, needed a change.

[@whiskeyechomick1015]

Also they seem to be reducing the port selection and I hate it! Like the newer m series don’t have a mini display port anymore

[@GerryReid]

forgot to mention the Alienware keyboard is not that hot, whereas the Legion 7i keyboard got too hot for me which was a dealbreaker

[@Momo.momo789]

Great review David! I recently received an m15 R7 with 3080 Ti, but I found mine doesn’t have dynamic boost, which is a hard TGP at 125w, I saw your nvidia control panel correctly shows dynamic boost enabled, may I ask what’s your BIOS version?

[@roboticvenom1935]

great video! one of your best ones yet, good comparison and smart conclusion.

[@MashITTech]

Thank you mate, that means a lot coming from you! I always love your constructive feedback 👍

[@LexicationESL]

Awesome review! Thanks a lot!

[@MashITTech]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@ricardopatto4580]

Congrats! Great review!

[@MashITTech]

Thank you

[@nickadai912]

Hey Great review. But, you are missing a whole groups of people who are content creators. I would have been super happy to know the rendering time of 4k and 8k videos (possibly VR videos) in those two laptops. It could take up 1 minute extra in your video but would be super helpful. I think know this time comparison makes a significant difference. Just FYI.

[@MashITTech]

Thanks mate, that’s a good idea and I will try and add a section in for this. I have davinci resolve I could use for the testing

[@neorosh142]

one thing, for the alienware, there was a glitch where a 240hrz would drastically change the prices with a ryzen 9 and 3080 both amazing specs, and your final price will be no more than 1700. Insans glitch

[@tanguy-formateurwebdigital8312]

Numberpad on the Legion is a killer feature on a 15 inch 😍 but Alienware win the design

[@KING0SISQO]

Na. Now you see. It’s the reason why I HAVE an Alienware m15. The last laptop before this one was a Lenovo legion 15” y740 - the model where it had no numpad before they named them legion 5/7. It was the numpad that deflected me away back to Alienware. I’d of had a legion if the kept it same though. Cheaper. But Alienware does win on design but they have kinda cheaped out on it. No per key rgb is the thing that displeases me the most. That’s it. But I love my qhd 240hz panel. I love it but hardware keeps going. I’m with the 5800h and 3070. Ryzen 6000 and intel 12th gen are too good.

[@OgopogoDG]

Good review - I was able to get the m15 r7 with a 3060 , cherry keys and a 1tb ssd ( plus a Alienware wireless mouse) for 1800cad which is about 1100 P in your dollars so I feel like it’s a great deal at the moment with this considered.

[@MashITTech]

Wow you did well! That is a great price 👍

[@umeaimen7474]

Where did you purchase it from? Im also in canada and have been searching

[@OgopogoDG]

@@umeaimen7474 sorry for the late reply - I must have caught the sale at a good time because I noticed it’s about 400$ more. I purchase mine at the beginning of august.

[@techguy3075]

@@OgopogoDG Are you still using m15 r7? How it is doing, I'm looking to buy one with your same config...

[@OgopogoDG]

@@techguy3075 it’s been really good so far - been mainly using it for video editing. I would buy it again for sure - one thing is I would maybe visit getting the 32gb of ram to future proof the laptop further.

[@TheMordano]

Currently, the Legion is only available with the i9-12900H and the RTX 3070 (no TI)... Is it still a better option compared to the M15 R7 with i7 12700H but RTX 3070 TI?

[@etiennemonteiro2368]

Best review ever.🙌🏽

[@MashITTech]

Thank you 🙏

[@arky9002]

Eagerly waiting for the g15 review!

[@MashITTech]

It’s currently in editing 👍

[@arky9002]

@@MashITTech Nice!

[@Bubblybrit]

I recently picked up the X17 R1 and noticed some backlight bleed, white light bleed on the bottom corners, have you noticed that with your Alienwares? Is that normal? my 2019 M17 w/4K didnt have a hint of anything.

[@ayushbhardwaj874]

What is the main difference between the m15 r17 and x15 r2 and which model should one buy? Should I get the x15 r1 rather than the m15?

[@MashITTech]

X15 is a lot slimmer, better build quality and materials, windows hello on all models but has soldered ram and worse ports. I would get them in this order: X15r2>m15r7>x15r1 👍

[@ayushbhardwaj874]

@@MashITTech thanks 👍🏻

[@ayushbhardwaj874]

@@MashITTech would you recommend buying the m15 r7 with 3070ti or the x15r2 with 3060 all other specs are the same.. Both of them are similarly priced and I’m confused between the two……

[@ghaniyahkasim7713]

Hi ayush! I am also in the same situation as you would have been.. I am also importing the laptop from US to India. Which laptop did you go with? How is your experience with the machine so far?? What about the warranty here in india?? Just lots of questions going on in the mind😅

[@Christian-gr3gu]

hey man quick question where did you get terabite for the legion, i can only find ones that have 500 gigs

[@MashITTech]

I got it directly from the Lenovo store in the UK. It is very easy to add another SSD though if you can only get a 512gb

[@vuinea3386]

how did you get 5 hours out of the M15 R7? im geting at most 2 hours out of just web browsing? would love to hear your ways.

[@slipkel]

Good morning , I bought my new alienware m15 r7 intel i7 12 gen. I`am planning to upgrade my ram. I saw kingston fury got 5600mhz. is that compatible?

[@mohammadsarim2166]

do you have any overheat issue on your alienware?

[@CruxDiaries]

Massive thanks for the video! I'm currently looking at Alienware M15 R7 with 3060 vs Legion i5 with 3060. Dell is slightly more expensive, has a smaller SSD and lower-res smaller screen. BUT I'm still inclined to Alienware because I can upgrade it to 64 GB RAM vs 32 GB for Legion. I'm planning to use it a lot for non-gaming tasks. Do you have any details in terms of longevity of both?

[@MashITTech]

Both are well built so think you will get a few years of use if you treat it well. I would choose the legion just for that screen 👍

[@1vcaixeta]

I have a Alienware 14 from early 2013 and I can say this laptop is really good. I use mostly for gaming so I don't use the laptop's keyboard and trackpad. Also I put a SSD together with the stock HDD to install Windows and run it a bit faster. That was it. It is still working fine and I run CS:GO with 200 fps. I''m planning to buy another laptop to run some new games and I'm for sure buying another Alienware.

[@idcnetwerk9265]

@@1vcaixeta Dell is a well built and reliable brand long term

[@BrianGlaze]

Well done review

[@Maxxman100]

A great review, loved it 🤘🏻

[@MashITTech]

Glad you enjoyed it! 👍

[@lodum12345]

Here in UAE only option to buy latest legion is without OS on a local online store right now, it not available anywhere else. Would it be a good idea to buy without OS. Can i download all the drivers firware and required software from lenovo ?

[@safirglobalofficedocuments5609]

@1:04 Correction 2560 x 1600P instead of 2560 x 1440p as you mentioned.

[@casspirmk6338]

Why they keep installing touchpad to the left of the center?

[@DirtNassty]

What about speakers?...how are the speakers on the AW?

[@henrikg1388]

I can't wait to see this years Legion 7(i), if there will ever be one.

[@shyamis2079]

Hi bro . I am confused which laptop will buy .. Dell alienware x15 r2 or dell alienware m15 r7 My purpose is video editing. Could you suggest me .which one is best

[@crazy_legume8226]

Hey can you drop the link for where you found the specs of the legion pro for £1500? Everywhere I've looked at, the legion 5i pro with a 3070 ti, 1tb ssd, i7, all falls roughly around £1900 which isn't too far off the Alienware M15 r7

[@MashITTech]

It seems Lenovo have increased the price since they first launched it as I got it direct from Lenovo. The UK Lenovo site is very odd ranging from great prices to stupid prices like a yoyo! I am not sure what they are thinking

[@marrtino8002]

in twice a week price drop even 1499 some get over 1850, u need check every day , will surprised its a crazy deaL

[@AndrewHelgeCox]

Do you know if the MUX can be forced to use the Nvidia GPU all the time without relying on that Advanced Optimus feature?

[@MashITTech]

Replied to your other post too but yes both these have a mux switch

[@Taylormade2350]

Right now in America Dell is selling the m15r7 3070ti with QHD for 2100 and it comes with their new headset and gaming mouse and laptop sleeve.

[@andriizakrevskyi5335]

Hello Mash IT. 1.I wonder is there a way to overclock cpu in x17 r1 i7 laptop? Because as I see there is an option to only overclock gpu not cpu/. 2. To make better performance without compromising quality in games is it necessary and needed to alter settings in Nvida contorl panel? for instance, in 3D settings section. ? Looking forward to your reply

[@MashITTech]

Hi there, Please watch my X17r1 deep dive for information on overclocking the CPU, this can be one with throttle stop. The only thing I actually alter in NCP is switching it to discrete mode in BIOS, I leave the rest alone

[@KidSidP95]

Where are you getting that legion 5i pro for that price? Can't find it anywhere!

[@MashITTech]

Launched in the UK for that price, unfortunately after the video Lenovo suddenly raised it!

[@Tony-1454]

Honestly the only reason one should get the Alienware is for the look, I got the m15 r6 instead of the legion 5 here in Canada because it will be my all round laptop for gaming and daily use, so I want it too look good also, alienware laptops remind me of mac books, the finish, the smooth look. Also another reason I got the alienware is because it was only 50$ more than the legion 5 at the time I was buying, and delivery times with Lenovo are awful, 3 months… no way I’d wait that long

[@slowwaves5154]

Asus m16 vs Alienware m15 R7 which will be better?

[@jimp711]

I just looked at the Lenovo Website and the Legion 5i Pro is unavailable. So could not even get price. Any information on possible availability date?

[@MashITTech]

What country are you in? It was still available in U.K. last time I looked

[@EDKsurly]

Thx dude. I still can't decide. Lol. But honestly the screen quality might be the deciding factor

[@MashITTech]

Ask away if you have any questions. Imho the dell qhd screen is the best for gaming and the legions 16:10 is a better screen for productivity

[@EDKsurly]

@@MashITTech I like the idea of saving money and getting more for it. I almost bought the Alienware but now im leaning Legoin, thx to you. I currently have a MSI with a gtx 1070, the screen isn't great.

[@chrish2493]

These Lenovo v Alienware reviews are great! I watched the x17 v L7 and 4k on 3070ti so I went with x17 r2 got a great deal for 2600e (after 12 email exchanges) with 3070ti 32gb 1To and 4k +2yrs extra warranty BUT now lenovo is selling off L7 11 gen for 2540e with the 3080, 16gb 1TO… What would you recommend David, should I cancel and go L7 or hold the x17 r2? As always great in depth high quality reviews! Greetings from France

[@MashITTech]

Well with that price I would keep the alienware on order. I love both machines as you know but the Alienware will have much better cpu performance, the 4k screen is truly special and the 3070ti ai almost as powerful as the 3080. And the 2years extra warranty is worth a lot! Lastly the build is slightly better on the alienware and you get windows hello

[@chrish2493]

@@MashITTech cheers for the advice, much appreciated! I’ll continue tuning into your reviews. On another note GBP/EUR are tanking vs USD/CNY, if there was ever a time to buy a computer it is now, they’ll not get any cheaper

[@MashITTech]

@@chrish2493 so true and I have also heard computers/laptops cost will increase globally in q3 due to the current world events! You will need a mortgage soon to buy a gaming laptop

[@johanjotun1647]

is 800 dollars off a "massive" discount? with open box the R7 is 15 w/360hz screen was $1487 as of yesterday.

[@MashITTech]

Its a pretty good discount but with the new 2023 models coming out I would expect $800 off new not open box

[@johanjotun1647]

@@MashITTech it is, that's out the door.

[@RamsesQuintero]

when will you make a video of the m17 r5?

[@MashITTech]

As soon as it arrives :) Dell sent it last week so hopefully it will be here soon

[@azogdefiler5477]

Hey Mash IT I’d like some buying advice on some Alienwares.Would you buy a R6 with a Qhd,3070,11th gen cpu ,1tb of memory and 16gb of DDR4 Ram for $2050 CAD +$100 for the mechanical Keyboard?(including a 10% off coupon) Or a m15 r7 with a Qhd,3060, 12th gen cpu,512 GN of storage, and 16gb of DDR5 RAM and all the updated features on the R7 including better cooling and a a lot better cpu? for $2250+ $50 for the mechanical keyboard (+10% off coupon too)

[@azogdefiler5477]

I posted sooner than I intended and also was just about to ask what you would buy if you would be using it for a engineering program at college and didn’t care too much about 10% better FPS? Also the less storsge I don’t really mind.And what if I could get both for the same price?

[@MashITTech]

I would still take the r7 for much better cooling and cpu performance. Though I would try and save a bit longer and get the 3070ti version if you could, its a big upgrade on a laptop that should last you a few years

[@azogdefiler5477]

Thanks David! You helped me a ton! And sorry for calling you Mash IT,I don’t know what I was thinking😅

[@azogdefiler5477]

Hey Mash Lenovo is actually more expensive than the Alienware for me here. It’s just that you have insane prices in England.In Canada you laptop with a Qhd is 1650 pounds and the Lenovo is out of stock but it looks like you get a legion with a 3050ti for like 1400 pounds in Canada. What would you buy in this case?

[@azogdefiler5477]

I mean David😅

[@mohammadsarim2166]

what is your take on, alienware m15 r7 i712700h, rtx 3060, 16gb, 1 tb, 240hz for $1,250 lenovo legion 5 pro gen 7 amd 6800h, rtx 3050ti, 16gb, 512gb, 165hz for $1250 as well. which is more value for money? which of the laptops has more overheat issue? need a laptop with less issues even if i have to shell out a couple hundred more bucks..

[@MashITTech]

If pure gaming get the legion with AMD, if its for work and play get the m15r7. Intel does run hotter but performs much better and gives thunderbolt

[@fuzelmultani2290]

Which has a better cooling system ? Please reply. I am going to buy one of those 2.

[@MashITTech]

both are good but I would give the slight nod to the legion

[@hazemalhadid6845]

i m so confused between two laptops, msi gs77 qhd 240hrz and Alienware x17 4k 120hrz , i am not heavy player but i care about nice smooth screen and good temperature of the outside of laptop, any recommendation ?

[@MashITTech]

I haven’t had the gs77 for a few years so I can’t really comment on it. I am going to try and get more msi laptops in this year but for some reason they are very expensive in the uk

[@hazemalhadid6845]

@@MashITTech thank you for answering, yes the gs77 is around 2500 dollars in usa , its 17” qhd 240hrz, 12700 h, and rtx 3070 ti with 32 gb ram and 1 gb sdd gen 4 but only there is one problem is the tgp is 105 watt max , and I don’t know if it a deal breaker or not, do you think 105 watt tgp a deal break?

[@MashITTech]

Wow that’s really low! It’s not a problem but it will perform about 20% lower than the x17 which has a 150w 3070ti. I guess that’s the problem with these slim and lights but 105 is very low, even the razer blade which used to be about that is now 130+

[@hazemalhadid6845]

@@MashITTechwow i think i will go with Alienware x 17 r2 but the problem with Alienware is taking about 2 months to be arrived. thank you appreciate it

[@danielm5774]

@@MashITTech I ended up cancelling 3 orders before they shippd and just got the 12th gen msi ge76 with no regrets at all. Strong in every single catagory. Its going to be the best 17" laptop again this year. Justintech just did an unboxing on it. I got the i7 qhd version with rtx 3080 ti. Simply amazing laptop! Full size keyboard with rgb lighting on every single key and super quiet keys if u are like me and like that sort of thing. They are super expensive in the states as well. I got it at 150 off and still paid 3450 dollars for it. But i might add still 550 dollars cheaper than the blade 17 at 4000 dollars with same specs. My last laptop a Toshiba Qosmio g35-AV600 from 2006 cost me 2400. With inflation adjusted it was the exact same price as what i paid for the ge76. And with a geforce go in it; it couldnt even play games from back then.

[@jeanbulatao4900]

I really want to go for legion but its not available yet in my region so I went for m15r7 for that reason so no regrets, I have a silly question, can i upgrade/replace my 1080p to 1440p qhd?

[@MashITTech]

technically it is possible but it won't be easy :(

[@MAB-ih6iw]

I bought 12900h m15 , as i think faster than 12700h😶😶, can someone explian to me what is wrong??

[@davidfrancis2163]

Another good review David! What’s your experience with Lenovo service? I keep coming back to Alienware because their next day service is great. I’ve been hesitant to change brands ever since I went with ASUS once and when I needed service I had to send in the laptop.

[@MashITTech]

I have also had a bad experience with Asus and MSI! The Lenovo is good if you pay extra for the onsite (and it is not that much more). They then send an engineer to you just like Alienware do. Alienware warranty is still the best as if they can't fix your laptop pretty quickly they often give you an exchange which pretty much no one else does

[@davidfrancis2163]

Good to know Lenovo has an on site option. I might have to start considerinf them more seriously. Thanks! After purchase support is important to me considering the price of any of these machines. So much so I’ve been willing to sacrifice a bit of performance at times for the piece of mind Dells support offers.

[@MashITTech]

Yes, it is so incredibly important and it’s not something most people think about until it goes wrong! I love razer blades but razers support is so dismal so unless I can get a decent third party warranty I won’t touch them

[@davidfrancis2163]

Exactly how I feel, as well. Have you ordered QD OLED yet? Ordered mine March 9, was supposed to ship yesterday still shows in production.

[@MashITTech]

No, I still haven’t ordered as I have spent so so much on laptops! I have £8.5k of laptops on order so just can’t afford the monitor 🥲 please give me your thoughts when yours arrives?

[@mightygeorge5552]

I don't play competitive games, so I always prefer the best looking display over the faster one. Legion wins for me.

[@MashITTech]

Yeah, to me thermals and screen are the most important features 👍

[@warriorwizard6039]

@@MashITTech most important is how the laptop looks for me 😎

[@ayoobmujaahid9428]

@@MashITTech I am planning in the near future to buy my first gaming laptop I am torn between alienware all the reviews i watched i am always seeing alot of good and bad things about alienware I am kind of leaning toward alienware area 51m r2 though I want to buy a new one and don't see it anywhere on Dell site. Can you make a video on what laptop is the best for a noob to the gaming laptop scene.

[@MashITTech]

I can sure try mate, but it can also be difficult as everyone has differing requirements. What country are you in? I can still get hold of area 51m r2 in UK

[@ayoobmujaahid9428]

@@MashITTech I live in the U.S. and after some searching, I found a refurbished one however i would like to get a brand new on from the alienware site but they do no sell them there anymore. I would appreciate a video on gaming laptops for beginners I dont care about portability as long as it is powerful and runs smoothly and that sounds like the area 51m r2. thank you for your time

[@thomaskatt4450]

In the US, Legion was up briefly on the website with just a 3050ti, then they were all pulled and only the 2021's are available. So def. some supply problems for the moment. I'm holding out for the moment.

[@stelioskapa1]

Nice review by the way!The legion panel is actually 2560×1600 and not 1440 like you said on both of your videos.Its an qhd+ screen.Keep up the good work!

[@MashITTech]

Did I! Sorry all the specs can get confusing. I was also talking about the upgraded 1440p panel on the alienware so probably got mixed up with that

[@stelioskapa1]

@@MashITTech Im from Greece and I prepaid it-preordered the 5i pro model with the same specs but with 32 gb of ram.The thing is that I'll have to wait for 60 to 80 days for my order to be delivered to me at the lenovo physical official store of my country.I paid 2669 euros for it,with the legion armor II backpack as a gift.Also the price at your region at the time of your review is already up,now coming to 1899 pounds.They know they have an amazing product and they are pricing it accordingly.

[@KaranSharma-lm6eh]

@@MashITTech Lenovo 5i Pro is always a better choice over Alienware. Also one thing which wasn't mentioned in this video was the crappy Alienware Command Center software, which till date is very much buggy and often crashes, other issues being the poor thermal cooling system, one may literally feel the burn in their fingers through keyboard.

[@alexanderlau2063]

Guys help: Legion i5 pro (i9-13900, rtx 4060, 16gb ram) vs alienware m16 r1 (ryzen 9 7845, rx7600, 64gb ram) both of em at the same price, so which should i pick or the most worth it (for gaming and 3d rendering/graphics design)

[@Goalier95]

If I were to get the m15 R7, and spec'd it with same amount of RAM, 3070 Ti GPU, QHD Panel.... Should I go for Intel 12th Gen i7 or the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX? The AMD is more expensive compared to the Intel CPU so would that get better battery and cooling?

[@MashITTech]

If you are considering the AMD wait a bit, Alienware have put a massive early adopters tax on it making more expensive than 12th gen which it shouldn't be! If the price is the same get the intel, it is much more powerful but has worse battery. If Dell reduce the AMD prices then they become a good option

[@Goalier95]

@@MashITTech good to know, thank you sir!

[@Love2Cruise]

All the mentions of the Legion 5i Pro being the better value led me to take a look at it, 3 days after I placed an order for AW M15 R7. But I'm not seeing where the Legion 5i Pro is a better value. Yes, its MSRP ($1999 USD) is lower than the AW system I ordered ($2349). The only area the Legion is better than the AW is the screen: 1440+ v 1080. The rest of Legion's specs explain why it's less expensive: i7-11800H v. i9-12900H 32 GB DDR4 v. 32 GB DDR5 3070 v. 3070 Ti Are these parts worth extra $350 in MSRP? You be the judge. For me, it's an easy yes since I typically keep my laptops for 4 to 5 years. Need a system that can still push out 30 to 60 FPS after 4 years for the games that I play. BTW, I was able to get the AW down to $1760 with 3 Dell coupons (yes, they can be stacked). The Legion 5i Pro with its current discount on Lenovo's site is at $1875. EDIT: Just realized this was a 5i Pro gen. 7 in the video. It's temporarily unavailable on the Lenovo US website...

[@MashITTech]

haha I was just about to message you and say this was the gen 7 then I read your edit :) it was available in the UK 2 months ago and for an amazing price! they have just raised the price here from £1500 to £1900! But yes, if the prices are similar then it makes it harder choosing one of the other

[@tryfergoodra552]

Is possible to get FHD screen in legion 5i pro with a 3060?

[@MashITTech]

No but the standard legion 5i has the fhd screen and is very similar to the 5i pro

[@muneebshd]

I checked everywhere but I find lenovo with the same exact specs priced equal or higher than alienware(except the screen) Can anybody tell me a good site where i can find lenovo 5i pro at a good price?

[@TheMainCal]

Sounds like a tough choice when considering, but I think the deciding factor would be avabiluty and price.

[@MashITTech]

True. I just hope availability is better than last year

[@acknowledgedofalltheconseq366]

Would be awesome if you also review the AMD version, since AMD chip generates less heat

[@synonymoususer7321]

Go with Alienware. Legion 5 Pro had huge quality issues, My trackpad doesn’t work right. FPS drops and list goes on

[@HshshssJsjsjjjsjssj-oz3th]

Guys im confused in my country its too close by the price but the models is different specifications m17 r3 .rtx 2080super+i7 10th+ 32gb ram And legion 5 pro ryzen 7 5800h rtx 3070 Is the r3 deserve or should i go for the legion

[@theguard1]

Realistically, the Alienware's big draw is that gorgeous 1440p 400 nit 240Hz 100% colour gamut panel; much better than the Legion 5 Pro's. If you are looking at the Alienware, that is a must. However, that price difference is crazy! Understandable why you would go with the Legion!

[@MashITTech]

I do agree with you on the 1440p panel, it is one of my favourite panels this year. It’s just a shame they are charging you through the nose for it! That said, I have never paid full price for a dell laptop 😂

[@theguard1]

@@MashITTech Touche! They always have sales on and at the very minimum you can use the e-mail sign-up code and Rakuten cash-back. Right now there's not much in the way of sales for the new 12th gen laptops though...

[@MashITTech]

In the UK we often have sales which I can usually also stack a discount code and also toipcashback making alienware one of the cheapest gaming brands! Pity it is not the same for Razer, our UK prices are sickening, the top spec 17" blade is about $2500 more in the UK than USA

[@roboticvenom1935]

it isn't much better then the legion's display, first off it's 16:9 not 16:10, and the l5i is 500 nits.. it's better, but not much better. and it'd cost 2700 vs 1500..

[@theguard1]

@@roboticvenom1935 I've had them both side by side; it's much better. The colour accuracy alone is miles ahead (Legion's is only 70% DCI-P3 and it shows). It's good but when you have them side by side it is no contest. However, the cooling, noise, lit secondary functions, extra real-estate, NUMPAD, make the Legion a better machine overall (Legion 5 Pro vs Alienware M15 R5)

[@antong3987]

AWCC vs. the competition. You should do a video comparison ... and if you take the time to compare to Armoury Crate, it would be best to make sure to cover the Win Reliability Events (errors), as the A-Crate can generate a &^%$ ton of those whereas others barely make a fuss. And Lenovo simply doesn't at all.

[@steelavocado1]

picked up an Alienware for 1200 usd. Lenovo didn't have a black Friday sale on their legion 5 pro, or I couldnt find one that was cheaper than the deal I got with the Dell. Gonna wrap it up for Christmas, and give it to myself then haha

[@mohammadsarim2166]

how is your laptop working? any overheating issues, iam also planning to buy alienware m15 r7

[@steelavocado1]

@@mohammadsarim2166 it’s awesome! Incredibly fast and fun. It does have problems though. Screen went out twice, and camera broke. Dell came out and fixed it though for no extra cost

[@mohammadsarim2166]

@@steelavocado1 that means it has some quality issues🥲

[@nick_koh]

Amd ryzen 7 6800, m15 r7 with rtx 3050ti. Is it worth buying?

[@MashITTech]

For the right price yes and as long as you understand 3050ti will only be good for 1080p medium settings in newer games

[@nick_koh]

@@MashITTech thank you. Really appreciate your time taken to reply. For what it's worth, it's 1300usd for the machine here in singapore

[@jmyking5]

Lenovo USA website seems not organized, and not run properly. If you check the Legion models from last year (Gen 6) its not available in stock. Everything is 3-4 months wait.. lol its weird. Forget about the Gen 7 as they removed this model from their website. Its totally opposite experience with Dell. I just found out that Dell is based in USA and Lenovo is from China

[@QwickGainz]

Let’s say the alienware were cheaper than the legion and included a 240hz qhd screen - would it be the better option? R6, not r7

[@MashITTech]

R6 not really as the R6 cooling wasn't as good as the r7 cooling. If the r6 was cheaper then I would consider it

[@finished502]

Isn’t the Alienware’s gpu capped at 125w even though the nvidia control panel says 140w? Are you on the latest bios? I believe it fixes that issue. But even with that bios update, the legion is better value than the Alienware. Just like last year.

[@MashITTech]

I am not on the latest BIOS in this video as it was shot over a week ago! (I am so behind with the editing!) even on the old BIOS it would hit 140w if the CPU usage was low but I believe they have improved it further now

[@luckyjain6707]

Hi mash i am from india please suggest me between the two alienware m15 r7 vs legion 5i pro?

[@MashITTech]

It depends on the price in your region but if they are similar I would pick the legion

[@luckyjain6707]

@@MashITTech thanks mash

[@luckyjain6707]

@@MashITTech both laptops price same what should I do now please mash reply love from India

[@gopireddy8797]

Hi David mash it alien ware reaching 100 c is it ok to run for long time

[@MashITTech]

The chips are rated at over 100c and I would imagine dell would have tested this extensively before allowing it or it would cost them a fortune in repairs! I have also had plenty of macs in the past that would sit at 100c under load with no issues

[@gopireddy8797]

@@MashITTech thank you so much for reply my dell g3 also running at100c so that's why I asked you any way thank you

[@WacoBeautyQueen]

Both are def fantastic performance-wise. In the US the Legion costs about $100 more but yknow they’re both similarly priced…I def think I’ll still go with the m15 it just looks cooler.

[@aldrinjulio4165]

Spot on review between popular rivalry in 15in gaming laptop space. tight score on Timespy, couldn't say the same with Cinebench R23. Interestingly in game fps Alienware getting 40-50 fps more, I reckon because it's allowed to pull more wattage on the CPU. Despite higher wattage Alienware have a similar cpu temps in game. My 2 cents for 500 pound more, I'd go for Alienware for much better warranty system

[@MashITTech]

don't forget in Apex the legion was running at a higher resolution so that also explains some of the lower fps. Plus you can't directly compare it as its different parts of the map. Gaming wise, they were both superb with no throttling with long game play sessions despite high GPU and CPU watts 👍 good point on the warranty, I should have mentioned that

[@aldrinjulio4165]

@@MashITTech right, yes both are played on their native laptop screen and indeed legion about 30% more pixel. Good point

[@wiii2316]

am so fed up with AW ...decided to move on n try sth new this time.. to clarify the context - i've been using my AW 17 R4 since 2017. I can live with the noise and overheats but the quality of keyboard really annoys me - i literally changed half keys on my keyboard and some of 'em still went ded...felt frustrated as i rarely break electricals - my very first cellphone from junior high is still working if it has a good battery Got Legion 5i on black friday sales with very good deals......hope we can get along :S

[@wiii2316]

man thanks for liking my comment. thanks for sharing this great content :)

[@MashITTech]

Hope you enjoy the 5i, it’s a solid machine

[@wiii2316]

@@MashITTech i hope so too - it's coming in mid-Jan 😄

[@VSN1001]

Great comparison video as always! I am stuck in an ambivalence between the Alienware m15 r7, Alienware x15 r2 & Lenovo legion 7i, I was wondering if you can provide some insight into the build quality, structural rigidity & overall physical “feel” of the laptops as that is one of the top criteria for me in making the final decision.

[@arshkhanna376]

Can you share what you went with finally as I'm having the same dilemma?? Also considering MSI Ge66 with the same specs.

[@VSN1001]

@@arshkhanna376 I have decided to wait for the 2022 versi9n of the legion 7i due to its much better 16 core(8P+8E) processor :)

[@yash3758]

Alienware X17 will be good physically I feel…and the Alienware D series laptops just look stunning and feel great too.. I was gonna opt for the X15 but it was way over budget so I settled for the M15 r7

[@sheeesssh646]

I ordered an m15 r7 almost top spec. i7 12700, 32gb ram, 1tb ssd, rtx 3070ti and qhd screen @ 240hz. I got it for £1400 brand new so I'm not complaining.

[@MashITTech]

Wow that’s an amazing price! Well done

[@azogdefiler5477]

How did you get it for that cheap?Could I do whatever you did to get the discount here in Canada do you think?

[@mohammads7647]

Which one shows black better?

[@MashITTech]

The dell with the 240hz qhd panel 👍

[@KyokushinNidan]

Nice review. Very practical approach by comparing cost/benefit. Call me foolish, but I’m still going with the M15.

[@MashITTech]

With the right config the m15r5 is still a great machine. My main bit of advice is to get the amazing QHD 240hz panel

[@joelconolly5574]

Not related but the M17 R5 keyboard is by far a big waste of space. They could've added a numpad like the M17 R4 since unlike the X series, the M series isn't a 4 fan design. Other than that I'd say the Legion wins my book.

[@MashITTech]

What annoys me the most is the m17r4 keyboard was perfect. Numberpad, better layout and secondary functions backlit! I don’t know what on earth dell was thinking

[@assharma8481]

Hey David this is windows 11 how is it saying that it is windows 10.

[@MashITTech]

sorry mate, I don't quite understand the question. It was a while since I filmed this video so can you give me a little more info?

[@VI5H]

The pricing for Dell between UK and Canada makes no sense. Right now the X15 and M15 for the same spec in the UK is almost the same , in Canada the X15 is $1000 more expensive than the M15 but the M15 is $600 cheaper in Canada than UK which makes it the same price as the Legion 5i in the UK. So yeah it makes no sense to get the M15 in the UK over the Legion 5i but in Canada as we don't even have the 12th gen Legion available right now on Lenovos site, the best price option is the M15.

[@MashITTech]

Yeah pricing with Dell is crazy! I think they use a dart board to decide on prices for each laptop in each region!

[@VI5H]

@@MashITTech Yeah for sure but Lenovo on the other hand is selling the 11th gen for the same price as 12th gen laptops in Canada so , it's definitely not so much of a bargain here as in the UK. I'm settling for the M15 but I think if I could get the same spec MSI GS66 I would but I just cannot find it anywhere with close to the same specs as the M15.

[@chad5617]

Just ordered the M15 R7 off Dells site with these exact specs + the QHD screen for $1,799 +tax

[@MashITTech]

Wow that’s a great price!

[@chrismason8272]

tell how get Legion 5i Pro for 1500 will buy one

[@MashITTech]

That is what it launched for in the UK then they bumped the price up last month :(

[@bklinck6293]

I love my M15 R7 - al lot, but I spec 'd it high {£££}, so I got the 3080Ti , and the 1440p screen, mx keyboard etc..{which is awesome btw}, but I have to admit its difficult to justify - I like lenovo but the 170 watts plus higher spec I have makes it worth it {for me}, but it cost 3K! the lenovo MRSP is better value and the M15 R7 did loose 200 pounds quite quickly - but why cant you still get the 3080ti when you try to build the laptop?? strange!