Alienware 15 R3 vs. Asus ROG Strix GL502VS Comparison Smackdown

Thanks to HP, our sponsor for this video. QVC will feature the 17" HP laptop shown in this video in their Black Friday Weekend sale.

[nazk]

Funny how all games on Alienware were screen captured while on the Asus were filmed. I mean, it's a striking recording quality difference right there, which although doesn't mean much for the folks who realize the Asus game play is recorded on camera, it still leaves the feeling of poor quality and puts the screen captured Alienware in an fake advantage position.
Is this thing done intentionally? (I assume not, cause even if it was, who would admit it). If not, what stopped you to use the same technology to record gameplay footage the same from both laptops?

[ditiditi]

I bought an alienware 13 r3 for 2000 $ with gtx 1060, 16 g ram, qhd display!i played at ultra setings about 4 hours witcher 3 at 45 and 50 fps and sometimes 65 fps!the max temp was 45 c!the batery stayed about 4 hours and 15 minutes just playing!i am blown away by this laptop!i never played games such beautiful in a such amazing qhd screen!this small beast and beauty can handle anything!i am speechless!

[KillerZero]

Can you PLEASE do a review of the Alienware 13 R3???

[agrxda]

Ordered the AW15 last week and after watching this comparison i'm still overly happy with my choice, can't wait for it to arrive!

[KnightSkyentist]

the Asus is $300 off at microcenter right now, in store only. I just got mine a couple weeks ago and it keeps up with my friends GTX 980ti desktop build! absolutely love this machine, games like a beast!

[tritonsmasher]

bestbuy had the gl502 and the 17 r3, the alienware looks a lot better side by side but the price for the specs on the asus is unbeatable

[mattwestling]

The R3 now ships with Kaby Lake and come with IPS gsync 60Hz by default. (As of 1/2017)

[ThornyJohn]

I'm a little surprised you didn't cover one major and obvious differences between the keyboards: The Asus includes a numeric keypad, while the Alienware does not. For those of us who will use the laptop for design/photo/video editing work (since a gaming laptop is a very capable workstation for these tasks), having access to that numeric keypad is a huge plus. Additionally, if you're a lefty keyboard/mouse gamer (mouse on the left hand), the numeric keypad becomes this huge expanse of programmable keys that can put the silly WASD setup righties use to shame.

On the negative side, Asus did away with the End key and included a mostly pointless ROG key which is not the easiest thing to remap to something useful (like...an End key?). The location of the power button on the Asus (as an integral part of the keyboard, in the upper right corner) also leaves a lot to be desired. Having said that, in nearly a month of use, I have yet to turn the laptop off by mistake, so maybe I'm complaining too much.

[Sukuna-lgmn]

checked everywhere but couldn't find the $1899 for Alienware 15 R3, not even on the alienware website. It would be much appreciated if you could please include the purchase link in the description. I really like your smackdown videos

[AlternateRealm]

Hi Lisa!

Thank you for the great reviews. I am torn between this Asus model and their newest ROG 752VS... is the $500+ price on the ROG 752 justified?

I'm a designer / gamer looking for something that will last for a few years.

[CisTVify]

Hi Lisa! Have you ever experience issues with the new Alienware 15? I'm really worried about Overheating issues, screen issues. I ordered mine and I live in Philippines.

[kevinhong]

Hi Lisa, huge fan of your content. You've been superbly helpful!

Curious question, do you have links to purchase these laptops?

When I try looking up the dell 15 R3, all the results show configurations that cost 2.6K+

Thanks so much!

[jayc]

I always love your reviews and comparisons. Very helpful! Thanks for sharing :)

[tigerbaitcom]

Lisa, which 14 or 15 inch laptop do you recommend for a non gamer that needs to work photoshop and 4k video with ease?

[TheNerdyOne]

Thanks! You answered a lot of my questions and alleviated a number of concerns I had about alienware.

[jersn]

I am so sorry, I dont mean to offend, Asus ROG looks realllyy cheap. I don't know maybe this is just on videos? It really looks plasticy. But its powerful though and a very good price than Alienware.

[МиракКоронов]

THANKS! for this comparison, I was really torn between those 2! am going to get the alienware because of the thunderbolt and the proprietary port for the graphics extender. thanks again lisa

[konalavajava]

always a great review, but I too can't wait for you to do a review of the Alienware 13 R3 OLED. I wish they would put the OLED screen on the AR-15, but I guess they're not going to do it so I'm very interested in the 13 R3 Oled. yes, it's very expensive but it sure looks nice

[AnTran]

I'm really liking how the gamer's aesthetic in laptops are dying down and gaming laptops are looking more and more classy. The Asus ROG Zephyrus and MSI GS63VR are my favorite designs so far.

[yummiermussel]

hey Lisa, I have the previous 17r3 with the 970m. Which do you prefer design wise? The new one no longer has the lights on the back and the bottom bezel looks even bigger on the new one from what I see. I also have the graphics Amplifier with a 1080 so the 970m doesn't bother me much. Love your videos btw!