Intro

We’re pitting two incredibly expensive and powerful gaming laptops against each other today to see which one is better! We have the Alienware M17 R3 with overclockable hardware and incredible overall performance, and on the other hand, we have the Razer Blade Pro 17, which also has some powerful hardware, but is housed in a beautifully crafted unibody chassis with premium features like the 4k 120hz 100% AdobeRGB touch display. Which one is better? What are the strengths and weaknesses of each device? That’s what we’re going to discuss today.

PRO: The M17 R3 Packs More Performance

Standout differences in specs are difference in GPU and CPU. While both have an RTX 2080 Super, the one in the M17 R3 is a max performance model that can reach 150W of power, while the Razer rocks a 90W-100W Max-Q variant with reduced power limits. We’ll see shortly how much this affects real life performance in some games.

The other major hardware difference is the CPU. The i9-10980HK vs i7-10875H is a large difference if you plan on leveraging your CPU performance through long CPU rendering or CPU bottlenecked games to reach as high of frame rate as possible with the 300 hz display options on these machines.

PRO: Razer Runs Cooler, but Has Lower Power Limits

Both of these machines have great internal cooling, but the Razer running a RTX 2080 Super Max-Q has much more severe power limits (90-100W, while M17 R3 has 150W power limit), this is going to reduce performance, but surprisingly only by a small margin in the games I tested. Let’s take a look at how this shakes out.

Not only is the performance between games very similar, but the Razer’s performance is still so good despite having both the CPU and the GPU running a much lower temperatures. So if you’re someone who is very temperature conscious and want a laptop that doesn’t average high temps, the Razer would be the one to go with between these two.

PRO: Alienware M17 R3 Has Overclocking Potential

If you’re an enthusiast, the M17 R3 has overclocking potential—but only if you’re will to really work at cooling the laptop further than the default fans and cooling paste. The M17 R3 is already pushing its thermal limits to the max at stock settings, but if you repaste the CPU/GPU, add a laptop cooler, run the laptop in a fairly cool room (less than 72F), there should be reasonable overclocking headroom for both the CPU and GPU—which is an incredible thing to say about a laptop packing this much power in this thin a of a profile.

On the flipside, the Razer is not designed to be overclocked on the CPU or GPU. Personally, I’ve only been undervolted the CPU, which is a nice way to get a slight boost in performance.

PRO: Razer Blade Pro 17’s Display Is WAY BETTER for Majority of Users

The 300hz display in Alienware M17 R3 appeals to competitive gamers who crave the fastest possible response and frame rate in a thin package, while the Razer Blade Pro 17’s display caters to a crowd that appreciates a display with more resolution and color gamut, while still being good for competitive gaming. Alternatively, you can get a 300 hz display on Razer Blade Pro 17, but the Alienware display options are limited to a 4k 60hz display instead, which will not provide nearly as good of gaming experience in fast paced titles.

MIXED: Battery Life Is WEIRD on Both Units

Razer’s Nvidia Optimus requires a full restart if you want to take advantage of it. The Alienware M17 R3, on the other hand, may not have it at all if unless you get the 144hz or 4k NON-GYSYNC version of the machine (as best I can tell from user reports). It is possible that Nvidia Optimus may work differently in the non-4k 120hz versions of the Razer, but the fact is if you want 300 hz display, you’ll have to give up Nvidia Optimus on the Alienware. If you get a M17 R3 with Optimus, you’ll be golden on the battery life front. The Razer also has decent battery life if you’re willing to put up with restarting the machine.

PRO: Razer Is a Much Better Entertainer

If you want a laptop that you can curl up with to watch movies, not only is the Razer’s display far superior in terms of brightness, resolution, and color gamut—but the quality of the speakers on the Razer is certainly better. On top of that, it’s a touch display, so if you’re laying in bed, you can use the laptop’s display like a tablet with the laptop on your chest for a rather epic viewing experience. Highly recommended.

PRO: Both Laptops Offer a Wide Price Range and Performance

Depending how much money you have in your budget, you can pick up either of these machines at reduced costs. The M17 R3 does offer a wider variety of options and a more budget lower end specs, but both laptops have a range.

PRO: Both Laptops Are Stylish As Hell

Both these laptops have incredible designs in their own right. The unibody all metal design of the Razer is attractive in a subtle, clean sort of way—while the Alienware has flashy lights in all the right places that scream “I’m a high performance monster!” Personally, when it comes to style, I lean more towards the Razer, but that will come down to individual preference and how much attention you want the laptop to draw.

CON: Low Price to Performance

For both of these laptops with an RTX 2080 Super, you’re looking at paying a premium for the most potential performance money can buy in a thin and light profile. That said, if you’re willing to drop to a RTX 2070, you’ll see a notable drop in price and only a small drop in performance. So if you want to find a healthy middle ground, you’ll want to look at lower priced configurations.

PRO: The Keyboard Is Superior on Alienware, But Razer Has a Better Touchpad

The keyboard layout and deep key travel of the Alienware is far superior, while the Razer’s keyboard doesn’t feel bad, it’s hampered by thin arrow keys that frustrate my large fingers. The Razer also lacks a number pad and dedicated home/end/page up/down buttons for people that enjoy their convience.

While the touchpad on the Alienware is great, the touchpad on the Razer Blade Pro 17 is simply as good as it gets on a Windows laptops. It’s large, smooth and accurate. My main complaint about the Alienware trackpad is its plasticy click doesn’t feel as premium, the top portion of the trackpad isn’t clickable, and the trackpad itself could be a little larger.

PRO: Both Laptops Pack Great Port Selection

Both of these laptops pack excellent ports. While I am perfectly happy with the ports on the Razer (something I rarely say about a laptop), the Alienware lacks a Full Size SD card reader, opting instead for a MicroSD card slot, which is laughable in my opinion. I suppose its better that they included something than nothing, but come on, give us a full size SD slot.

The other main difference is that when hooking up an external GPU, the Alienware has the Alienware Graphics Amplifier port which allows for slightly more performance than the Razer’s Thunderbolt 3 port.

PRO: Both offer USB-C Power Delivery

USB-C Power delivery allows users to increase their battery life by about 2.5x—this will apply to nearly all types of activities. To use this, you’ll need a 65-100W power delivery capable battery bank. I’ve created a comparison review of three different USB-C battery banks and an power adapter. Click here if you want to check it out (https://gizmoslip.tech/gizmoslip-tech-reviews/2020/7/13/usb-c-power-bank-comparison-review).

Conclusion: Close Call, Which Machine Calls to You?

Both of these laptops are incredible machines, but neither of them delivers great bang for the buck—so go into purchasing these machines with an expectation that you’ll be shoveling a lot of dough up front for their premium features. On the flipside, both of these machines deliver extreme performance in a slim profile that’s hard to find elsewhere period, which is the main draw to these specific models. Overall, if you’re a someone who needs the most possible CPU or GPU performance, then get the Alienware M17 R3. If you’re okay with 90-95% of the performance and would rather have a better entertainment device, I’d lean towards the Razer Blade Pro 17 due to its better touch display and speakers.