Dell XPS 15 9560 or Alienware 15 (USD 1200)?

[Sudhanshu Jaiswal]

I am looking to buy a laptop for college, mainly for app development, web dev and some light gaming. I want a reliable and well-built laptop that lasts/runs smooth at least 3-4 years. Budget is around 1200$ (USD).
Coming to the comparison, I'm comparing the Alienware 15 entry level $1199 and XPS 15's $1249 laptop.
The Alienware seems to be the better option with better specs - bigger battery, sports a 2gb 1050Ti vs the 4gb 1050 on XPS and I have heard Alienwares are built well.
However the price is surprisingly lower than the XPS. So, what's the catch? Which laptop to buy?
Here is a link for the model comparison:

http/www.dell.com/en-us/shop/compare?ocs=dkcwkblf011ss,dncwxb1607s

P.S. Someone suggested that these laptops would be overkill for my needs, are they? Can someone suggest like 1000 dollar alternatives ?

 

[Johnson Mike]

There are actually many good laptops in $1000 but not as well-built and designed as Dell XPS or Alienware. They are the premium laptops and $1000 still comes under a "budget" category.

But, if you are not a rough user or ready to use your laptop with little caution and care then there are many good laptops that can suffice your requirements!

Here's the best one you can get by staying under $1000 -

Dell Inspiron 15 7000 Gaming Laptop - http/www.dell.com/en-us/shop/productdetails/inspiron-15-7567-laptop/fncwf512s

Intel i7-7700HQ Kaby Lake Processor
8GB DDR4 RAM (Upgradable up to 32 GB)
NVidia GeForce GTX 1050Ti
1TB 5400RPM HDD with 8GB Cache (Replaceable with SSD)
15.6 Inch LED Anti-Glare Display.

Price - $949.99

Specs wise this is a very good laptop for gaming (and certainly for your works too) but the reviews suggest that its display has poor viewing angles. I think this shouldn't be deal breaking for you as you would be using this laptop most of the time by sitting in front of screen.

 

[jaguarskx]

While the new 2017 Dell Inspiron 15 7000 is a good value gaming laptop, it has one of the worst quality TN panel screen I have seen on a $600+ laptop for quite some time. Bad viewing angles, the screen is rather dim and colors are slightly bluish based on a few video compared to the older 2016 Dell Inspiron 15 7000 with an IPS panel screen (which didn't have a bright screen itself, but it was brighter than the TN panel screen).


Between the Dell XPS 15 and Alienware 15, I prefer the Dell XPS 15. It is sleeker looking and I generally prefer a more "professional" looking laptop. It is also relatively light with a starting weight of 4.5lbs according to Dell's website. The Alienware 15 is definitely better for games with the GTX 1050Ti. But it is a heavy laptop; according to Dell's website the average weight (not starting weight) is 7.69lbs. On top of the laptops with G-Sync screens do not have nVidia Optimus which allows you to switch between integrated and dedicated nVidia GPUs. The GTX 1050Ti will always be active.

 

[Sudhanshu Jaiswal]

There are actually many good laptops in $1000 but not as well-built and designed as Dell XPS or Alienware. They are the premium laptops and $1000 still comes under a "budget" category.

But, if you are not a rough user or ready to use your laptop with little caution and care then there are many good laptops that can suffice your requirements!

Here's the best one you can get by staying under $1000 -

Dell Inspiron 15 7000 Gaming Laptop - http/www.dell.com/en-us/shop/productdetails/inspiron-15-7567-laptop/fncwf512s

Intel i7-7700HQ Kaby Lake Processor
8GB DDR4 RAM (Upgradable up to 32 GB)
NVidia GeForce GTX 1050Ti
1TB 5400RPM HDD with 8GB Cache (Replaceable with SSD)
15.6 Inch LED Anti-Glare Display.

Price - $949.99

Specs wise this is a very good laptop for gaming (and certainly for your works too) but the reviews suggest that its display has poor viewing angles. I think this shouldn't be deal breaking for you as you would be using this laptop most of the time by sitting in front of screen.

I like watching movies with friends on my laptops and from what I have heard, the TN screen is so bad that many are returning the laptop or replacing screens.