Alienware’s Area 51-m R2, Aurora R11 Gaming Desktop and Other Laptops Get Upgrades
300 Hz Panels and the newest processors
Alienware has retooled its entire lineup, including the Alienware Area-51m gaming laptop with desktop-class components, the m15 and m17 gaming laptops, as well as its Aurora gaming desktop. The new computers are powered by 10th Gen Intel CPUs, and all have options for both Nvidia and AMD graphics cards.
Header Cell - Column 0 | Alienware Area-51m R2 | Alienware m15 R3 | Alienware m17 R3 | Alienware Aurora R11 |
---|---|---|---|---|
CPU | Up to Intel Core i9-10900K | Up to Intel Core i9-10980HK | Up to Intel Core i9-10980HK | Up to Intel Core i9-10900KF |
Graphics | Up to Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Super | Up to Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q | Up to Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Super | Up to AMD Radeon VII or liquid-cooled Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Super or dual Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Ti |
RAM | Up to 64GB DDR4 at 2,933 MHz or 32GB DDR4 XMP at 3,200 MHz | Up to 32GB DDR4 2,666 MHz | Up to 32GB DDR4 2,666 MHz | Up to 64GB dual-channel HyperX Fury DDR4 XMP 3,200 MHz |
Storage | Up to 2TB RAID0 + 2TB PCIe NVME SSDs | Up to 4TB RAID0 + 512GB M.2 PCIe SSD | Up to 4TB RAID0 + 512GB M.2 PCIe SSD | Up to 2TB NVMe M.2 PCIe SSD + 2TB 7200-RPM SATA HDD |
Display | 17.3-inches FHD up to 300 Hz or 4K 60 Hz, Tobii eye tracking | 15.6 inches, up to 4K OLED with Tobii eye tracking or FHD 300 Hz | 17.3 inches, up to 4K OLED with Tobii eye tracking or up to FHD 300 Hz | N/A |
Battery | 90 WHr | 56 WHr or 86 WHr | 56 WHr or 86 WHr | N/A |
Ports | Thunderbolt 3, 3x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, SD card reader, Alienware Graphics Amplifier port, HDMI 2.0b, Mini DisplayPort 1.4, 1/8” audio out, headset jack, lock slot, micro SD card reader | Thunderbolt 3, 3x USB 3.2 Gen 1, Alienware Graphics Amplifier port, HDMI 2.0b, Ethernet, Mini DisplayPort, 1/8” audio out, microSD card reader, lock slot | Thunderbolt 3, 3x USB 3.2 Gen 1, Alienware Graphics Amplifier port, HDMI 2.0b, Ethernet, Mini DisplayPort, ⅛” audio out, microSD card reader, lock slot | Front: 3x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, 1x USB Type-C 3.2 2 Gen 2, headphone, microphone; Back: 6x USB 2.0 Type-A, 3x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, SPDIF, audio ports |
Wireless | Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX1650i 802.11AX, Bluetooth 5.0 | Killer Wi-Fi6 AX1650i 802.11ax, Bluetooth 5.0 | Killer Wi-Fi6 AX1650i 802.11ax, Bluetooth 5.0 | Up to Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX1650i (2x2) 802.11ax Wireless, Bluetooth 5.1 |
Starting Price | $3,049.99 | $1,499.99 | $1,549.99 | $1,129.99 |
Release Date | June 9, 2020 | May 21, 2020 | May 21, 2020 | May 13, 2020 |
Alienware Area 51-m R2
The Alienware Area 51-m R2 looks almost identical to its predecessor, though the laptop will now have a coat of clear paint over its black or white chassis. Looking to be one of the best gaming laptops, the machine is upgrading to 10th Gen Intel desktop CPUs, along with GPUs ranging from an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti or AMD Radeon RX 5700M, all the way up to an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Super.
The Area 51-m is also getting improved cooling with 70mm CPU and GPU fans and 5 copper heat pipes. Alienware will have up to 12-phase GPU voltage regulation this time around (topping out on the RTX 2080 Super), and higher-end configurations will add a vapor chamber.
The 17.3-inch display on the new Area-51m will come in either 1080p flavor with a refresh rate of up to 300 Hz or a new 4K OLED option.
Alienware Aurora R11
The new Alienware Aurora R11 gaming desktop is available now starting at $1,129.99, and will have cheaper configurations starting May 28. The Alienware Aurora R11 uses Intel’s new Comet Lake-S processors, up to an Intel Core i9-10900KF, on a Micro-ATX motherboard with an Intel Z490 chipset. That’s all combined with HyperX Fury-brand RAM at either 2,933 MHz or 3,200 MHz. The Aurora R11 is available with multiple storage options too.
On the graphics side, you can choose from AMD, going up to a AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT or AMD Radeon VII, or Nvidia, up to a liquid-cooled Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Super or even two Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Ti GPUs. Depending on the configuration, the power supply will range from 550 to 1000 watts.
Alienware m15 R3 and m17 R3
The m15 and m17 R3 will start at $1,499.99 and $1,549.99, respectively, using Intel’s latest 10th Gen H-series processors. The 15-inch laptop will start with either an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 Ti or AMD Radeon RX 5500M and go up to an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q. The 17-incher goes up to a full-size RTX 2080 Super.
Both will have options for up to 300 Hz FHD displays or 60 Hz 4K OLED paired with Tobii eye tracking. Additionally, both have choices of 56 WHr or 86 WHr batteries.
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Andrew E. Freedman is a senior editor at Tom's Hardware focusing on laptops, desktops and gaming. He also keeps up with the latest news. A lover of all things gaming and tech, his previous work has shown up in Tom's Guide, Laptop Mag, Kotaku, PCMag and Complex, among others. Follow him on Threads @FreedmanAE and Mastodon @FreedmanAE.mastodon.social.