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  1. Table of Contents
  2. Top
  3. Main Differences
  4. Design
    1. Style
    2. Build Quality
    3. Hinge
    4. Portability
    5. Serviceability
    6. In The Box
  5. Display
    1. Screen Specs
    2. Refresh Rate
    3. Contrast
    4. Brightness
    5. Reflections
    6. Black Uniformity
    7. Horizontal Viewing Angle
    8. Vertical Viewing Angle
    9. Out-Of-The-Box Color Accuracy
    10. Color Gamut
    11. Flicker
  6. Interface
    1. Keyboard
    2. Touchpad
    3. Speakers
    4. Webcam & Microphone
  7. Connectivity
    1. Ports
    2. Wireless Communication
  8. Configuration
    1. CPU
    2. GPU
    3. RAM
    4. Storage
  9. Performance
    1. Geekbench 5 (Synthetics)
    2. Cinebench R23 (CPU Rendering)
    3. Blender (3D Rendering)
    4. Basemark GPU (Game Scene)
    5. Storage Drive Performance
    6. Battery
    7. Borderlands 3
    8. Civilization VI
    9. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
    10. Counter-Strike 2
    11. Shadow Of The Tomb Raider
    12. Thermals And Noise
    13. Performance Over Time
  10. Additional Features And Software
    1. Software
    2. Extra Features
  11. Comments

Acer Nitro 5 15 (2020) vs Dell Alienware m15 R3 (2020)

Side-by-Side Comparison

Products

Acer Nitro 5 15 (2020)
Dell Alienware m15 R3 (2020)

Tested using Methodology v0.8.2

Updated Jan 12, 2024 10:54 PM

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Acer Nitro 5 15 (2020) Picture
Dell Alienware m15 R3 (2020) Picture

Variants

  • Nitro 5 15 (AN515-55-72Z3) (Black - 120Hz/i7/GTX 1650/12GB/512GB)
  • Nitro 5 15 (AN515-44-R078) (Black - 144Hz/Ryzen 5/GTX 1650 Ti/8GB/256GB)
  • Nitro 5 15 (AN515-55-59KS) (Black - 144Hz/i5/GTX 1650 Ti/8GB/256GB)
  • Nitro 5 15 (AN515-55-53AG) (Black - 144Hz/i5/GTX 1650/8GB/512GB)
  • Nitro 5 15 (‎AN515-44-R99Q) (Black - 60Hz/Ryzen 5/GTX 1650/8GB/256GB)
  • Alienware m15 R3 (ALW15M-D5510B) (Dark Side of the Moon - FHD/144Hz/i5/GTX 1650Ti/8GB/512GB)
  • Alienware m15 R3 (ALW15M-D5715B) (Dark Side of the Moon - FHD/144Hz/i7-10750H/GTX 1650Ti/16GBG/512GB)
  • Alienware m15 R3 (‎AWM15-7593BLK-PUS) (Dark Side of the Moon - FHD/300Hz/i7-10750H/RTX 2070/16GB/512GB)
  • Alienware m15 R3 (ALW15M-D5725W) (Lunar Light - FHD/144Hz/i7-10750H/GTX 1660Ti/16GB/512GB)
  • Alienware m15 R3 (AWM15-7272WHT-PUS) (Lunar Light - FHD/144Hz/i7-10750H/RTX 2060/16GB/512GB)
  • Alienware m15 R3 (AWM15-7302WHT-PUS) (Lunar Light - FHD/144Hz/i7-10750H/RTX 2070/16GB/1TB)
  • Alienware m15 R3 (AWM15-7418WHT-PUS) (Lunar Light - FHD/300Hz/i7-10750H/RTX 2070/16GB/1TB)
  • Alienware m15 R3 (ALW15M-D5746W) (Lunar Light - FHD/300Hz/i7-10750H/RTX 2070/16GB/1TB)
  • Alienware m15 R3 (ALW15M-D5758W) (Lunar Light - FHD/300Hz/i7-10750H/RTX 2070/32GB/1TB)
  • Alienware m15 R3 (ALW15M-D5858W) (Lunar Light - FHD/300Hz/i7-10875H/RTX 2070/32GB/1TB)
  • Alienware m15 R3 (‎AWM15-7590WHT-PUS) (Lunar Light - FHD/300Hz/i7-10875H/RTX 2080/32GB/1TB)

Our Verdict

Acer Nitro 5 15 (2020)

Dell Alienware m15 R3 (2020)

The Dell Alienware m15 R3 (2020) is better than the Acer Nitro 5 15 (2020) for most uses. The Dell is available with much more powerful CPUs and GPUs, meaning it can push out higher frame rates for a smoother gaming experience. The Dell also has better display options, including a 1080p 300Hz and a 4k 60Hz option, whereas the Acer's top-end display option is limited to 1080p 144Hz. The Dell has a larger selection of ports, as well as a much better keyboard and webcam. Battery life is better on the Acer for light productivity and video playback, but both laptops can only last about an hour when gaming.

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Main Differences for
School

Threshold 

0.10

School 

6.9
6.6

Battery 
 

8.0
2.9

Keyboard 
 

5.4
8.8

Portability 
 

6.4
5.6

Vertical Viewing Angle 
 

6.6
9.3

Ports 
 

7.0
9.5

Full Comparison

Design

Style 
 

Style Photo  

Acer Nitro 5 15 (2020) Style Photo
Dell Alienware m15 R3 (2020) Style Photo

Form Factor 
 

Traditional (Clamshell)
Traditional (Clamshell)
Show Text 

Build Quality 
 

7.5
8.5

Build Quality Photo  

Acer Nitro 5 15 (2020) Build Quality Photo
Dell Alienware m15 R3 (2020) Build Quality Photo
Show Text 

Hinge 
 

9.1
9.1

Hinge Photo  

Acer Nitro 5 15 (2020) Hinge Photo
Dell Alienware m15 R3 (2020) Hinge Photo

Range 
 

135°
135°

Stability 
 

Good
Good

One Finger Lift 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Portability 
 

6.4
5.6

Dimensions Photo  

Acer Nitro 5 15 (2020) Dimensions Photo
Dell Alienware m15 R3 (2020) Dimensions Photo

Size 
 

15"
15"

Thickness 
 

1.1" (2.9 cm)
0.9" (2.2 cm)

Width 
 

14.3" (36.4 cm)
14.2" (36.1 cm)

Depth 
 

10.4" (26.5 cm)
10.7" (27.2 cm)

Volume 
 

170.7 in³ (2,797.3 cm³)
131.8 in³ (2,160.2 cm³)

Weight 
 

4.6 lbs (2.1 kg)
4.9 lbs (2.2 kg)

Charger Size 
 

14.5 in³ (238.1 cm³)
32.3 in³ (529.3 cm³)

Charger Weight 
 

1.3 lbs (0.6 kg)
2.2 lbs (1.0 kg)
Show Text 

Serviceability 
 

8.9
7.8

Internals Photo  

Acer Nitro 5 15 (2020) Internals Photo
Dell Alienware m15 R3 (2020) Internals Photo

Ease Of Access 
 

8.5
9.5

RAM Slots 
 

2
0

Storage Slots 
 

3
3

Replaceable Battery 
 

Yes
Yes

Replaceable Wireless Adapter 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

In The Box 
 

In The Box Photo  

Acer Nitro 5 15 (2020) In The Box Photo
Dell Alienware m15 R3 (2020) In The Box Photo
Show Text 
Display

Screen Specs 
 

Display Photo  

Acer Nitro 5 15 (2020) Display Photo
Dell Alienware m15 R3 (2020) Display Photo

Resolution 
 

1920 x 1080
1920 x 1080

Aspect Ratio 
 

16:9
16:9

Pixel Density 
 

141 PPI
142 PPI

Panel Type 
 

IPS
IPS

Touch Screen 
 

No
No

Screen-To-Body Ratio 
 

73%
83%
Show Text 

Refresh Rate 
 

5.9
8.6

Motion Blur  

Acer Nitro 5 15 (2020) Motion Blur
Dell Alienware m15 R3 (2020) Motion Blur

Refresh Rate 
 

60 Hz
300 Hz

Variable Refresh Rate 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Contrast 
 

7.8
7.0

Contrast Photo  

Acer Nitro 5 15 (2020) Contrast Photo
Dell Alienware m15 R3 (2020) Contrast Photo

Native Contrast 
 

1,652 : 1
1,123 : 1
Show Text 

Brightness  
 

6.5
6.6

Maximum Brightness 
 

262 cd/m²
267 cd/m²

Minimum Brightness 
 

21 cd/m²
13 cd/m²
Show Text 

Reflections 
 

7.2
7.0

Reflections Photo Off  

Acer Nitro 5 15 (2020) Reflections Photo Off
Dell Alienware m15 R3 (2020) Reflections Photo Off

Reflections Photo Max  

Acer Nitro 5 15 (2020) Reflections Photo Max
Dell Alienware m15 R3 (2020) Reflections Photo Max

Screen Finish 
 

Matte
Matte

Total Reflections 
 

4.81%
5.97%

Indirect Reflections 
 

2.13%
4.31%

Calculated Direct Reflections 
 

2.67%
1.66%
Show Text 

Black Uniformity 
 

5.7
6.6

Black Uniformity Photo  

Acer Nitro 5 15 (2020) Black Uniformity Photo
Dell Alienware m15 R3 (2020) Black Uniformity Photo

Uniformity (Std. Dev.) 
 

2.177%
1.591%
Show Text 

Horizontal Viewing Angle 
 

6.9
7.3

Horizontal Viewing Angle Video  

Horizontal Chroma Picture  

Acer Nitro 5 15 (2020) Horizontal Chroma Picture
Dell Alienware m15 R3 (2020) Horizontal Chroma Picture

Color Washout From Left 
 

26°
27°

Color Washout From Right 
 

24°
28°

Horizontal Hue Picture  

Acer Nitro 5 15 (2020) Horizontal Hue Picture
Dell Alienware m15 R3 (2020) Horizontal Hue Picture

Color Shift From Left 
 

55°
60°

Color Shift From Right 
 

58°
60°

Horizontal Lightness Picture  

Acer Nitro 5 15 (2020) Horizontal Lightness Picture
Dell Alienware m15 R3 (2020) Horizontal Lightness Picture

Brightness Loss From Left 
 

29°
30°

Brightness Loss From Right 
 

29°
32°

Black Level Raise From Left 
 

60°
60°

Black Level Raise From Right 
 

60°
60°

Gamma Shift From Left 
 

29°
30°

Gamma Shift From Right 
 

27°
30°
Show Text 

Vertical Viewing Angle 
 

6.6
9.3

Vertical Viewing Angle Video  

Vertical Chroma Picture  

Acer Nitro 5 15 (2020) Vertical Chroma Picture
Dell Alienware m15 R3 (2020) Vertical Chroma Picture

Color Washout From Below 
 

26°
45°

Color Washout From Above 
 

26°
45°

Vertical Hue Picture  

Acer Nitro 5 15 (2020) Vertical Hue Picture
Dell Alienware m15 R3 (2020) Vertical Hue Picture

Color Shift From Below 
 

32°
45°

Color Shift From Above 
 

34°
45°

Vertical Lightness Picture  

Acer Nitro 5 15 (2020) Vertical Lightness Picture
Dell Alienware m15 R3 (2020) Vertical Lightness Picture

Brightness Loss From Below 
 

27°
42°

Brightness Loss From Above 
 

26°
40°

Black Level Raise From Below 
 

45°
45°

Black Level Raise From Above 
 

45°
45°

Gamma Shift From Below 
 

33°
45°

Gamma Shift From Above 
 

30°
45°
Show Text 

Out-Of-The-Box Color Accuracy 
 

4.0
6.7

White Balance Screencap  

Acer Nitro 5 15 (2020) White Balance Screencap
Dell Alienware m15 R3 (2020) White Balance Screencap

Gamma Curve Screencap  

Acer Nitro 5 15 (2020) Gamma Curve Screencap
Dell Alienware m15 R3 (2020) Gamma Curve Screencap

Color Screencap  

Acer Nitro 5 15 (2020) Color Screencap
Dell Alienware m15 R3 (2020) Color Screencap

Avg. White Balance dE 
 

4.69
4.2

Avg. Gamma 
 

2.1
2.33

Avg. Color dE 
 

6.65
3.119

Avg. Color Temperature 
 

5,844 K
6,192 K
Show Text 

Color Gamut 
 

3.8
8.6

Gamut SDR  

Acer Nitro 5 15 (2020) Gamut SDR
Dell Alienware m15 R3 (2020) Gamut SDR

sRGB xy 
 

62.23%
99.87%

sRGB uv 
 

49.94%
99.58%

Adobe RGB xy 
 

48.7%
78.09%

Adobe RGB uv 
 

43.67%
87.08%

Gamut HDR  

Acer Nitro 5 15 (2020) Gamut HDR
Dell Alienware m15 R3 (2020) Gamut HDR

DCI P3 xy 
 

48.42%
79.94%

DCI P3 uv 
 

40.58%
85.84%

Rec. 2020 xy 
 

34.74%
57.56%

Rec. 2020 uv 
 

29.57%
63.51%
Show Text 

Flicker 
 

9.0
10

Flicker Graph  

Acer Nitro 5 15 (2020) Flicker Graph
Dell Alienware m15 R3 (2020) Flicker Graph

Flicker-Free 
 

No
Yes

Flicker Frequency 
 

> 1000Hz
No Flicker

Flicker Active Below 
 

97%
0%
Show Text 
Interface

Keyboard 
 

5.4
8.8

Keyboard Photo  

Acer Nitro 5 15 (2020) Keyboard Photo
Dell Alienware m15 R3 (2020) Keyboard Photo

Typing Quality 
 

4.5
8.5

Numpad 
 

Yes
No

Backlighting 
 

Adjustable
Per-Key RGB

Key Switch Actuation Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Operating Force 
 

63 gf
69 gf

Actuation Force 
 

46 gf
33 gf

Pre-Travel 
 

1.31 mm
1.22 mm

Total Travel 
 

1.44 mm
1.84 mm
Show Text 

Touchpad 
 

7.4
7.6

Touchpad Photo  

Acer Nitro 5 15 (2020) Touchpad Photo
Dell Alienware m15 R3 (2020) Touchpad Photo

Tracking Quality 
 

7.5
8.0

Size 
 

12.7 in² (81.7 cm²)
9.7 in² (62.8 cm²)

Material 
 

Plastic
Glass

Dedicated Buttons 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Speakers 
 

7.5
7.8

Frequency Response Plot  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Max Volume 
 

74 dB SPL
76 dB SPL

Standard Error @ Normal Vol. (65 dB) 
 

4.4 dB
6.1 dB

Slope @ Normal Vol. (65 dB) 
 

0.1
1.5

Bass Extension (Low-Frequency Ext.) 
 

359 Hz
217 Hz

Treble Extension (High-Frequency Ext.) 
 

16 kHz
19 kHz

Dynamic Range Compression @ Max Vol. 
 

1.1 dB
0.7 dB
Show Text 

Webcam & Microphone 
 

5.3
7.0

Webcam Video Sample  

Video Quality 
 

5.0
7.0

Resolution 
 

720p
720p

Position 
 

Top Center
Top Center

Privacy Cover 
 

No
No

Face Unlock 
 

No
No
Show Text 
Connectivity

Ports 
 

7.0
9.5

Ports Photo  

Acer Nitro 5 15 (2020) Ports Photo
Dell Alienware m15 R3 (2020) Ports Photo

USB-A Ports 
 

3
3

USB-C Ports 
 

1
1

Thunderbolt 
 

No
Thunderbolt 3

USB-C Charging 
 

No
Yes

USB-C Display Out 
 

No
Yes

HDMI 
 

2.0
2.0

DisplayPort 
 

No
Mini DisplayPort 1.4

3.5mm Jack 
 

Combo mic/headphone
Combo mic/headphone

Card Reader 
 

No
MicroSD UHS 2

Ethernet 
 

Yes
Yes

Proprietary Port 
 

No
Alienware Graphics Amplifier

Security Lock 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Wireless Communication 
 

Wi-Fi 
 

Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax)
Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax)

Bluetooth 
 

5.0
5.1
Show Text 
Configuration

CPU 
 

Brand 
 

AMD
Intel

Model 
 

Ryzen 5 4600H
Core i7-10750H

Core Count 
 

6
6

Thread Count 
 

12
12
Show Text 

GPU 
 

Brand 
 

NVIDIA
NVIDIA

Model 
 

Geforce GTX 1650 Ti
GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER Max-Q

Dedicated/Integrated 
 

Dedicated
Dedicated

VRAM Size 
 

4 GB
8 GB
Show Text 

RAM 
 

Capacity 
 

8 GB
32 GB

Modules 
 

2
2 (Soldered)

Type 
 

DDR4
DDR4

Speed 
 

3,200 MHz
2,666 MHz
Show Text 

Storage 
 

Advertised Capacity 
 

256 GB
1,000 GB

Usable Capacity 
 

183 GB
950 GB

Drive 1 
 

Western Digital PC SN530
PC611 NVMe SK Hynix 1TB

Drive 1 Type  

SSD
SSD

Drive 2 
 

No 2nd Drive
No 2nd Drive

Drive 2 Type  

No 2nd Drive
No 2nd Drive
Show Text 
Performance

Geekbench 5 (Synthetics) 
 

8.4
9.0

Geekbench Image  

Acer Nitro 5 15 (2020) Geekbench Image
Dell Alienware m15 R3 (2020) Geekbench Image

CPU Single-Thread 
 

1,112 points
1,263 points

CPU Multi-Thread 
 

5,900 points
6,122 points

GPU Compute 
 

47,477 points
109,357 points
Show Text 

Cinebench R23 (CPU Rendering) 
 

8.8
8.7

Cinebench R23 Photo  

Acer Nitro 5 15 (2020) Cinebench R23 Photo
Dell Alienware m15 R3 (2020) Cinebench R23 Photo

Single-Thread 
 

1,165 points
1,202 points

Multi-Thread 
 

8,407 points
7,328 points
Show Text 

Blender (3D Rendering) 
 

8.5
8.6

Blender Image  

Acer Nitro 5 15 (2020) Blender Image
Dell Alienware m15 R3 (2020) Blender Image

CPU Render Time 
 

4.2 min
4.6 min

GPU Render Time 
 

2.2 min
1.1 min

GPU Render Time (Optix) 
 

N/A
34 s
Show Text 

Basemark GPU (Game Scene) 
 

7.5
9.5

Basemark Image  

Acer Nitro 5 15 (2020) Basemark Image
Dell Alienware m15 R3 (2020) Basemark Image

Overall Score 
 

47,282
101,365
Show Text 

Storage Drive Performance 
 

8.8
9.2

Storage Performance Image  

Acer Nitro 5 15 (2020) Storage Performance Image
Dell Alienware m15 R3 (2020) Storage Performance Image

Sequential Write Speed 
 

670.2 MB/s
1,639.2 MB/s

Sequential Read Speed 
 

2,104.5 MB/s
2,584.1 MB/s

Random Write Speed 
 

56.3 MB/s
85.3 MB/s

Random Read Speed 
 

39.1 MB/s
46.1 MB/s
Show Text 

Battery 
 

8.0
2.9

Capacity 
 

57 Wh
86 Wh

Battery Life (Web Browsing) 
 

10.5 hrs
3.1 hrs

Battery Life (Video Playback) 
 

8.8 hrs
2.4 hrs

Battery Life (Gaming) 
 

1.1 hrs
0.9 hrs

Charge Time 
 

2.6 hrs
3.0 hrs
Show Text 

Borderlands 3 
 

5.2
7.6

Borderlands 3 Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Avg. FPS 
 

40 fps
92 fps

1% Low 
 

23 fps
54 fps

0.1% Low 
 

11 fps
36 fps

1% Low Delta 
 

18 ms
8 ms

0.1% Low Delta 
 

65 ms
17 ms

Avg. FPS On Very Low 
 

90 fps
177 fps
Show Text 

Civilization VI 
 

7.4
8.1

Civilization VI Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Avg. FPS 
 

68 fps
145 fps

1% Low 
 

45 fps
79 fps

0.1% Low 
 

43 fps
57 fps

1% Low Delta 
 

7 ms
6 ms

0.1% Low Delta 
 

8 ms
11 ms

Avg. FPS On Minimum 
 

166 fps
208 fps

Avg. Turn Time 
 

7.95 s
8.63 s
Show Text 

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive 
 

9.4
9.5

CS:GO graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Avg. FPS 
 

184 fps
361 fps

1% Low 
 

119 fps
177 fps

0.1% Low 
 

97 fps
96 fps

1% Low Delta 
 

3 ms
3 ms

0.1% Low Delta 
 

5 ms
8 ms

Avg. FPS On Low 
 

278 fps
524 fps
Show Text 

Counter-Strike 2 
 

CS2 Graph  

Avg. FPS 
 

1% Low 
 

0.1% Low 
 

1% Low Delta 
 

0.1% Low Delta 
 

Avg. FPS On Low 
 

Shadow Of The Tomb Raider 
 

7.2
8.1

SOTTR Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Avg. FPS 
 

58 fps
108 fps

1% Low 
 

44 fps
68 fps

0.1% Low 
 

34 fps
41 fps

1% Low Delta 
 

6 ms
5 ms

0.1% Low Delta 
 

12 ms
15 ms

Avg. FPS On Lowest 
 

88 fps
120 fps
Show Text 

Thermals And Noise 
 

6.8
6.7

Keyboard Temps Picture  

Acer Nitro 5 15 (2020) Keyboard Temps Picture
Dell Alienware m15 R3 (2020) Keyboard Temps Picture

Keyboard Temp While Idle 
 

33 °C (92 °F)
37 °C (99 °F)

Keyboard Temp Under Load 
 

47 °C (116 °F)
44 °C (111 °F)

Fan Noise While Idle 
 

25.0 dBA
25.0 dBA

Fan Noise Under Load 
 

48.5 dBA
51.5 dBA

Power & Fan Control App 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Performance Over Time 
 

9.2
9.8

Performance Over Time Graph  

See details on graph tool

Performance Over Time Image  

Dell Alienware m15 R3 (2020) Performance Over Time Image

CPU Temp (Cinebench) 
 

67 °C
98 °C

CPU Perf. Loss (Cinebench) 
 

4% loss
1% loss

GPU Temp (Heaven) 
 

57 °C
71 °C

GPU Perf. Loss (Heaven) 
 

1% loss
0% loss
Show Text 
Additional Features And Software

Software 
 

Operating System 
 

Windows 10
Windows 10

Additional Software 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Extra Features 
 

RGB Illumination 
 

No
Yes

Touch Pen 
 

No
No

Secondary Display 
 

No
No

Biometrics 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Acer Nitro 5 15 (2020)

Dell Alienware m15 R3 (2020)

Comments

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Acer Nitro 5 15 (2020) vs Dell Alienware m15 R3 (2020): Main Discussion

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