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As the gatecrashers of the government black site in 2019, Alienware is Naruto runs back to Area 51. Dell’s brand is offering longtime fans a chance to bask in old-school aesthetics — sort of. The new Area-51 laptop looks the part, offering rounded corners and RGB mood lighting reminiscent of Alienware’s classic design. On the contrary, the Area-51 desktop looks much more like its current, more functional design. Except – this time – it’s really, really great.
The new Area 51 laptops of 16 and 18 inches are the big brothers of the m16 R2 and m18 R2 by 2024. Both include the option for an Intel Core Ultra 7 255HX or a Core Ultra 9 275HX, plus Nvidia’s 50-series GPU. There are other options up to 64 GB of DDR5 RAM (32 GB includes DDR5XMP at 7200 MT/s). The laptop supports a whopping 175W of TGP, which may be needed to support the higher 50 series GPUs. We got to test the latest laptop gaming options from Intel and Nvidia, but what you’re really here for is the aesthetics. The bottom plate includes a small transparent window to view some of the components.
I didn’t “use” the Area-51 laptops in a meaningful way before CES, although I touched their keys with their CherryMX mechanical switches and was reminded of past gaming laptops with its full mechanical keyboards. It was a surprisingly joyful typing experience that I haven’t felt from a laptop in a long time, and that just makes me excited to try it. As for the visuals, both laptops include a QHD + resolution (2,560 by 1600) IPS LCD that goes up to 240 Hz.
Area-51 laptops start at around $2,000, but launch configurations with high-end 50 series cards start at $3,200. They should be around starting in early 2025, with more configuration options to come later.
Alienware has changed its design ethos in recent years. Nothing is this clearer than with the recent Aurora R16 desktop and his look more worldly than sci-fi past drawings. The same design with the RGB cycle and rounded frame transfers, frame to the new Area-51. It’s bigger, and the photos don’t do justice to its mammoth proportions. This case is designed to accommodate Nvidia’s 50 series GPUs. It includes a sliding rack to act as a stand for those massive cards up to 450mm in length. The tower is so big that it needs to be future proofed against any cards that might be even bigger. Equal to its size is its price. The new desktop should be available sometime in the first quarter of 2025, although the starting price will set you back $4,500.
The case itself is 24- by 9-inches by 22-inches large. Powering next-generation high-end Nvidia GPUs is no joke, so Area-51 includes an 850W 80 Plus Gold or 1500W 80 Plus Platinum PSU. In front of the power supply is a cradle to accommodate more units other than the integrated SSD storage. If you have an old drive that you need to install in your PC, the Area-51 offers you an extra room.
The big consideration with Area-51 is whether its “positive pressure airflow” cooling will work in practice. The typical case fan system takes the cooler outside air and exhausts it through other fans. The idea is that all fans point inwards while hot air passively exits through the rear fans – no exhaust fan required. It’s a technique that’s been around for years, with the added benefit of supposedly cooling graphics cards better than more traditional fan setups. Alienware claims its new tower runs 13% cooler than other fan setups and stays quieter while doing it.
Gizmodo covers all the coolest and weirdest tech from the show floor CES 2025 in Las Vegas. Follow our live coverage here.
