Alienware Was So Close: $4,650 Area-51 Pre-Built Gaming PC Review
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Date: 2025-06-18
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Comments and reviews: 20
Shin0bi272
seeing that lower fan assembly and the bent m.2 sort of gives me a bit of relief because for a second I thought that Dell might have figured out how to actually build a PC that doesnt have any issues. Sure they went with a MB that basically no one uses but its an OTS board... even if intel is scrapping ANOTHER socket after one cpu generation (really wish we could all join hands across America to stop that practice) that's not Dell's fault. I remember when the first Alienwares came out and they were like $3000 but you actually got a good custom built PC with it that you could almost justify the price for. Things like dual or even quad GPUs and top of the line $1000 cpus like the intel Extreme Edition were like all they used. Then they got bought up by the biggest name is half-assed computer building for your computer inept grandparent, Dell and everything sort of went down the tubes... to Dell Hell I guess you could say.
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seeing that lower fan assembly and the bent m.2 sort of gives me a bit of relief because for a second I thought that Dell might have figured out how to actually build a PC that doesnt have any issues. Sure they went with a MB that basically no one uses but its an OTS board... even if intel is scrapping ANOTHER socket after one cpu generation (really wish we could all join hands across America to stop that practice) that's not Dell's fault. I remember when the first Alienwares came out and they were like $3000 but you actually got a good custom built PC with it that you could almost justify the price for. Things like dual or even quad GPUs and top of the line $1000 cpus like the intel Extreme Edition were like all they used. Then they got bought up by the biggest name is half-assed computer building for your computer inept grandparent, Dell and everything sort of went down the tubes... to Dell Hell I guess you could say.
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Aotearas
The biggest question though is: do they still try to fleece buyers with BS surcharges during the purchasing process Would've also been a great to see how their support would've reacted to the bent SSD, whether they do a no-questions asked warranty to replace it or if they'd try to wriggle themselves out of it (or try to charge you for repairs). Missed opportunity to include this in the review.
Otherwise: huh, would you look at that ... Alienware is still hilariously expensive and no one should ever pay that much money for that kind of hardware. But at least they only nearly destroyed one component, done away with most of the proprietary format BS and the rest of the hardware isn't completely suffocated by poor ventilation (though the dust is a major yikes). So that's at least some progress but I wouldn't be proud about that little when they still charge an arm and a leg on top of equivalent DIY costs.
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The biggest question though is: do they still try to fleece buyers with BS surcharges during the purchasing process Would've also been a great to see how their support would've reacted to the bent SSD, whether they do a no-questions asked warranty to replace it or if they'd try to wriggle themselves out of it (or try to charge you for repairs). Missed opportunity to include this in the review.
Otherwise: huh, would you look at that ... Alienware is still hilariously expensive and no one should ever pay that much money for that kind of hardware. But at least they only nearly destroyed one component, done away with most of the proprietary format BS and the rest of the hardware isn't completely suffocated by poor ventilation (though the dust is a major yikes). So that's at least some progress but I wouldn't be proud about that little when they still charge an arm and a leg on top of equivalent DIY costs.
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Condor_
Sure seems like there's still some room for improvement on the design, but overall the next steps for Alienware to focus on should be to focus on the quality control and training of the PC construction. That M.2 installation is an abhorrent fault, but literally avoidable if the builders were more attentive during construction and perhaps better understood how and _why_ parts are used and installed in certain ways. Doing a better job of cleaning the flux would be a nice and the dust could be solved by packaging the completed builds faster or maybe better air filters around the construction warehouse That one's a little harder to explain. Less bloat would be nice too but I feel like you might as well be talking to a wall if trying to tell Dell that.
Still too expensive but impressive that Alienware is turning things around. I'm certainly curious what another iteration or two will bring.
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Sure seems like there's still some room for improvement on the design, but overall the next steps for Alienware to focus on should be to focus on the quality control and training of the PC construction. That M.2 installation is an abhorrent fault, but literally avoidable if the builders were more attentive during construction and perhaps better understood how and _why_ parts are used and installed in certain ways. Doing a better job of cleaning the flux would be a nice and the dust could be solved by packaging the completed builds faster or maybe better air filters around the construction warehouse That one's a little harder to explain. Less bloat would be nice too but I feel like you might as well be talking to a wall if trying to tell Dell that.
Still too expensive but impressive that Alienware is turning things around. I'm certainly curious what another iteration or two will bring.
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Tynted
Alienware should make a workstation marketed for Mechanical Engineers where they just hold nothing back. The fans can have driveshafts and clutches to vary their RPM. The case can have exhaust and intake valves designed to optimize case pressure. The power switch can be a pull start. The side panels have a 15:1 gear reduction involving three gears for the mechanism to open. The power supply can just literally be a flywheel that turns a mini generator. The CPU cooler can be a peristaltic pump and also have a mechanically driven display like the old school clocks where the numbers flip down. The GPU needs a camshaft somehow incorporated into it. All of the cables need to be retractable back to the generator unit. Call it the Alienware MECHATRON or something.
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Alienware should make a workstation marketed for Mechanical Engineers where they just hold nothing back. The fans can have driveshafts and clutches to vary their RPM. The case can have exhaust and intake valves designed to optimize case pressure. The power switch can be a pull start. The side panels have a 15:1 gear reduction involving three gears for the mechanism to open. The power supply can just literally be a flywheel that turns a mini generator. The CPU cooler can be a peristaltic pump and also have a mechanically driven display like the old school clocks where the numbers flip down. The GPU needs a camshaft somehow incorporated into it. All of the cables need to be retractable back to the generator unit. Call it the Alienware MECHATRON or something.
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dirkstrider8783
Oh hey! they're finally trying harder on consumer stuff too! Recently some of the rigs we've ordered from Dell have become much more thermally competent/not designed to cook components. We recently got a batch of Dell's Precision 3680 towers and it blew my mind that I could actually see the back of the two front fans.
For reference on how bad it's been even in Dell's high-end workstations, look up the Dell Precision 5820 towers and see how obstructed the airflow is. We have a ton of those in circulation and they all run hot.
They're finally making thermally competent machines across the board and I'm hyped to see it since I have to support the damn machines lmaooo
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Oh hey! they're finally trying harder on consumer stuff too! Recently some of the rigs we've ordered from Dell have become much more thermally competent/not designed to cook components. We recently got a batch of Dell's Precision 3680 towers and it blew my mind that I could actually see the back of the two front fans.
For reference on how bad it's been even in Dell's high-end workstations, look up the Dell Precision 5820 towers and see how obstructed the airflow is. We have a ton of those in circulation and they all run hot.
They're finally making thermally competent machines across the board and I'm hyped to see it since I have to support the damn machines lmaooo
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LanceThumping
Building a PC is like hunting game animals for food
It's a spiritual experience that brings you closer to your food by looking it in the eye (as the life drains out of it or as it moves on to playing hentai games 23/7), and the people you are teaching or being taught like sages passing on wisdom from generations past and it can be a cheaper source of food.
Buying a pre-built however brings with it the guarantees of not biting into a lead pellet someone missed while preparing it and someone to complain to if someone catches chronic wasting disease from it.
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Building a PC is like hunting game animals for food
It's a spiritual experience that brings you closer to your food by looking it in the eye (as the life drains out of it or as it moves on to playing hentai games 23/7), and the people you are teaching or being taught like sages passing on wisdom from generations past and it can be a cheaper source of food.
Buying a pre-built however brings with it the guarantees of not biting into a lead pellet someone missed while preparing it and someone to complain to if someone catches chronic wasting disease from it.
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xeres14
The thing that needs to be realized is this machine isn't made for GN or many of its viewers whom can build and service their own machine to an extent. This is for those to cannot do those things but want to game anyway. The value here is the service options that can be included with this rig for the intended audience. Not everyone has a tech-savvy enough person whom can diagnose and perform fixes. As long as the machine is built in a reasonable way with no obvious errors or oversights then that's fine. The boomerang looking M2 almost qualifies.
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The thing that needs to be realized is this machine isn't made for GN or many of its viewers whom can build and service their own machine to an extent. This is for those to cannot do those things but want to game anyway. The value here is the service options that can be included with this rig for the intended audience. Not everyone has a tech-savvy enough person whom can diagnose and perform fixes. As long as the machine is built in a reasonable way with no obvious errors or oversights then that's fine. The boomerang looking M2 almost qualifies.
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ArchfiendNick
That is one of the best prebuilds I've ever seen
Do not scan QR codes it will install secretly palantir back doors into your device how do I know this well it's not hard to research to find out exactly how they install these things into your Android device your iPhone and don't worry Bill Gates has you covered he's got is windows spying on everything you do all your passwords tracking your keyboard usage Yep don't know why they're so obsessed with what people are doing but they obviously have an obsession
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That is one of the best prebuilds I've ever seen
Do not scan QR codes it will install secretly palantir back doors into your device how do I know this well it's not hard to research to find out exactly how they install these things into your Android device your iPhone and don't worry Bill Gates has you covered he's got is windows spying on everything you do all your passwords tracking your keyboard usage Yep don't know why they're so obsessed with what people are doing but they obviously have an obsession
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Hugh_I
Gotta say, all the unnecessary bits are kinda fairly nice attention to detail and quality of life things. Plugs designed to not pull out by themselves, somewhat toolless clips to get fan shrouds off, build-like-a-tank steel brackets instead of flimsy plastic things are all a good thing in my book. If it wasn't that overprices, a decently designed system. (Of course, they gotta do something about that dust and hopefully improve their QA to not install SSDs wrong).
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Gotta say, all the unnecessary bits are kinda fairly nice attention to detail and quality of life things. Plugs designed to not pull out by themselves, somewhat toolless clips to get fan shrouds off, build-like-a-tank steel brackets instead of flimsy plastic things are all a good thing in my book. If it wasn't that overprices, a decently designed system. (Of course, they gotta do something about that dust and hopefully improve their QA to not install SSDs wrong).
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Studio7-22
Other than the bent NVME drive and the price, it looks like a very solid system. If I was in the market for a prebuilt system, I'd actually seriously consider the Area 51. Because like I saw it also has 2 Thunderbolt ports on the back which is actually an excellent feature for audio professionals because a lot of A/D D/A gear is including Thunderbolt as the connection to the computer, which this allows Windows Based systems to interface with that level gear.
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Other than the bent NVME drive and the price, it looks like a very solid system. If I was in the market for a prebuilt system, I'd actually seriously consider the Area 51. Because like I saw it also has 2 Thunderbolt ports on the back which is actually an excellent feature for audio professionals because a lot of A/D D/A gear is including Thunderbolt as the connection to the computer, which this allows Windows Based systems to interface with that level gear.
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MegaJackassjack
The 12VO power supply is mainly a regulatory thing. Many states have been looking at or have required the more idle efficient 12VO or proprietary 12VO standards to help reduce power usage of people who just don't turn off their PC.
I'm still sorta sad it hasn't taken off in the DIY space but we aren't forced to use it so there is little point for people to rush to use it when it does nothing for performance and increases upfront cost.
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The 12VO power supply is mainly a regulatory thing. Many states have been looking at or have required the more idle efficient 12VO or proprietary 12VO standards to help reduce power usage of people who just don't turn off their PC.
I'm still sorta sad it hasn't taken off in the DIY space but we aren't forced to use it so there is little point for people to rush to use it when it does nothing for performance and increases upfront cost.
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joshh535
I'm glad you just glossed over the shitty keyboard and mouse--too often people get upset that a $4k computer comes with a shitty keyboard and mouse, but anyone that's paying that much for a computer is likely going to already have in mind a high-end keyboard and mouse that they want. I would actually be upset if the computer came with a Wooting and cost $200 more than it already does, because I already have a (much better imo) Keychron.
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I'm glad you just glossed over the shitty keyboard and mouse--too often people get upset that a $4k computer comes with a shitty keyboard and mouse, but anyone that's paying that much for a computer is likely going to already have in mind a high-end keyboard and mouse that they want. I would actually be upset if the computer came with a Wooting and cost $200 more than it already does, because I already have a (much better imo) Keychron.
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mypeeps1965
This is a real quality design IMO, (and you pay for that!) except for the NVME. I would like to see a nice heatsink(s), Top and bottom. I've owned a brick-and-mortar pc shop for more than 30 years and this is the first Alienware pc I would consider selling, (other than the OG Alienware PC'S). Not being able to control the fans is a NON issue if the fan curve is setup properly. I love this, and think it will sell well.
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This is a real quality design IMO, (and you pay for that!) except for the NVME. I would like to see a nice heatsink(s), Top and bottom. I've owned a brick-and-mortar pc shop for more than 30 years and this is the first Alienware pc I would consider selling, (other than the OG Alienware PC'S). Not being able to control the fans is a NON issue if the fan curve is setup properly. I love this, and think it will sell well.
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danielcaparros
Two points to keep in mind when reviewing or taking a quick look at any SI's PC:
Please disclose that Intel Core Ultra CPUs are terrible for gaming. Customers will likely bottleneck their GPUs by choosing this vastly inferior option over 14th-gen Intel or modern AMD chips.
Check if the SI is using 5600 Ti or 9600 XT 8GB GPUs, and issue a warning that these GPUs should not be used in any configurationperiod.
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Two points to keep in mind when reviewing or taking a quick look at any SI's PC:
Please disclose that Intel Core Ultra CPUs are terrible for gaming. Customers will likely bottleneck their GPUs by choosing this vastly inferior option over 14th-gen Intel or modern AMD chips.
Check if the SI is using 5600 Ti or 9600 XT 8GB GPUs, and issue a warning that these GPUs should not be used in any configurationperiod.
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Robcomments
That NVME drive wouldn’t last long with that level of bend. Long gaming sessions would of seen temperatures increase weakening the NVME board. Be surprised if parts of that drive was getting any cooling from that heat-seek Contact would have been very poor. For that price level I’m guessing dell technician would have replaced that drive reasonably quickly if it failed with in the year guarantee.
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That NVME drive wouldn’t last long with that level of bend. Long gaming sessions would of seen temperatures increase weakening the NVME board. Be surprised if parts of that drive was getting any cooling from that heat-seek Contact would have been very poor. For that price level I’m guessing dell technician would have replaced that drive reasonably quickly if it failed with in the year guarantee.
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ArdgalAlkeides
Since you've included the quality of support in past reviews, it would've been nice if you had tried to tell Dell about that bent-like-a-banana drive and see how they respond, then ask them as journalists what they are going to do to ensure it doesn't happen to other customers, and how they will fix it to whatever other customers have already had it happen to.
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Since you've included the quality of support in past reviews, it would've been nice if you had tried to tell Dell about that bent-like-a-banana drive and see how they respond, then ask them as journalists what they are going to do to ensure it doesn't happen to other customers, and how they will fix it to whatever other customers have already had it happen to.
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monteb6276
They made some very strange decisions and its quite alot over diy but with how over engenierd it is it doesn't feel quite as much like they are stealing your money like some of the other overpriced pre-builts. Not quite shure if id recommend it but its not like the old one where if a friend was intent in buying one i would fight hard to convince them otherwise.
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They made some very strange decisions and its quite alot over diy but with how over engenierd it is it doesn't feel quite as much like they are stealing your money like some of the other overpriced pre-builts. Not quite shure if id recommend it but its not like the old one where if a friend was intent in buying one i would fight hard to convince them otherwise.
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DJK827
Aren't they a little late for this one I mean I seen the review on it from jays2cents like a month or 2 ago so why now. Looked like a decent machine. I dont know why they keep bashing origin. There systems are pretty cool to me TBH I never seen any other company do what they have done. Esp there arachnid build but who has that kind of money to dispose for a PC
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Aren't they a little late for this one I mean I seen the review on it from jays2cents like a month or 2 ago so why now. Looked like a decent machine. I dont know why they keep bashing origin. There systems are pretty cool to me TBH I never seen any other company do what they have done. Esp there arachnid build but who has that kind of money to dispose for a PC
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MannimBenz
I'm not interested in prebuilts to begin with, but having service guides is awesome to see. They shouldn't have put qr codes visible everywhere though, they don't look nice. An online manual would've been better. Or they should do it like framework with their laptops, qr codes become visible when you start to disassemble. difficult on a pc though.
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I'm not interested in prebuilts to begin with, but having service guides is awesome to see. They shouldn't have put qr codes visible everywhere though, they don't look nice. An online manual would've been better. Or they should do it like framework with their laptops, qr codes become visible when you start to disassemble. difficult on a pc though.
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WhiskeyHunterVAT69
great info. looks like a good chunk of cost over DIY is in the $500 case. To be fair, I like puzzles so all the leavers and tabs don't put me off. and I'm only inside my case a few times. Once before power on to pull and re-seat cards and cables after shipping and later to upgrade parts as time goes by. shrug-
thanks for sharing.
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great info. looks like a good chunk of cost over DIY is in the $500 case. To be fair, I like puzzles so all the leavers and tabs don't put me off. and I'm only inside my case a few times. Once before power on to pull and re-seat cards and cables after shipping and later to upgrade parts as time goes by. shrug-
thanks for sharing.
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