Alienware R16
It ’s a solid desktop microcomputer with a squeamish - looking pillowcase , though you ’re modified on next upgrade .
The Alienware R16 background plan is a whole step in the right direction to have a playfulness , though functional gaming PC . The public presentation is just what you would want , but the proprietary motherboard means you ’ll pay more in the future to upgrade your specs . set out at $ 1,150 ( Reviewed at $ 3,200 )
The Alienware Aurora R16 is a big departure from past case designs, but it’s better off for it.Photo: Kyle Barr / Gizmodo
Pros
Cons
SinceAlienware first bring out its Aurora R16 last year , I ’ve been jonesing to see it in person . The brand had been synonymous with high - close , though strange — often polarizing innovation for a while now . late Auroras under the so - called “ Legend 2 ” Design had a raised result , with an odd conical front board that seemed to add up off a starship ’s steering apparatus that was n’t actually designed for human hands . It was sure enough unique , but it was also awkward and overly large for a mid - compass towboat .
But the Aurora R16 with the “ Legend 3 ” design ethos seems subdue in comparability , perhaps even refined in its seeming reductivism and simplicity . The mid - size tug still screams “ gamer PC , ” but now you’re able to heap things on top of it ( though , of class , I ’m not advise you block off the top air vents ) . Alienware says this new design is 40 % smaller than the past Aurora R15 . Yet , it still has the same amount of internal breathing elbow room to check the piss cool down organisation and , at least as far as my version , the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 Super graphic card , which itself is big enough to engross the entire interior of the PC from prow to rear end .
But that redesign also begs the question : what ’s the point of pre - build PCs if you end up with something that looks like anybody could have built ? sure enough , you ’ll spare on the excruciation of apply your thermal library paste , but that time you spend slotting in your graphics card could turn into rescue .
Some would attend at the Modern Alienware column , with its matte black front control board and single glowing LED airstrip , and think it “ dull . ” Me , not as much . The Dell - owned gaming computer hardware brand has been on a squawk lately , emphasizing usability , such as reduce the automobile trunk outer space of the thermal ledge on its latestM16 gaming laptop computer , first bring out earlier this year . The troupe has told Gizmodo this is n’t some wholesale attempt at rethinking its esthetic ethos , but I prefer these newfangled designs to the old ones . The Modern Aurora PC is scaled to such a degree it will fit neatly on a desk where the soft incandescence of the LED in both the front zephyr intake and rear buff hit most prominently . I do n’t ask to be bathed in a veritable rainbow to get in the gaming modality .
See at Dell
Alienware Aurora R16 Case Design and Cooling
The New Case Design is a Better Form Factor
Alienware ’s PCs start at a good price scalebut quick increase as you stack those specs . It ’s a baseline personal computer with a GeForce RTX 4060 and Intel Core i7 - 13700F , though we ’ll stir on upgradeability later . Gizmodo received the 2024 rescript of the Aurora R16 , which came with 32 GB of DDR5 RAM , an Intel Core i9 14900KF , and a Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 Super with 16 GB of VRAM . That tote up out to $ 3,200 MSRP . It ’s all housed on the impost Alienware - branded proprietary motherboard that supports the Intel Z690 chipset . beware you , that graphic card takes up the intact length and breadth of the case .
There ’s about 35.9 L of space inside the Aurora R16 , which is the same as the R15 despite the overall reduction in size of it . In plus to the proprietary motherboard was the proprietary PSU , in my font , the 1000W atomic number 78 - snitch power provision . It also sported the 240 mm liquid state cool setup attached to the processor lodging . While I ca n’t say whether all the pipes are necessary to cut down on superfluous passion , it for sure did work toward reducing the overall heat come out of each outlet , even under incumbrance .
That front - facing LED strip show doubles as the PC ’s aviation inspiration , making the entire front panel one big wind tunnel . When the home rooter get going , there ’s a insidious whistling sound that I was surprised not to find so unpleasant . With the GPU taking up most of the room inside , air flow out the back or top while some air mess up by the graphics circuit board sports fan makes its way out of the side hexangular vents .
Even under heavy freight , the personal computer never became overly ardent . The side air vent-hole do n’t show much heat energy , even under strain . I registered the rear lover at about 100 degree Fahrenheit max . The top vent-hole is where most of the PC ’s heat goes , which makes sense since the CPU cooling organization is flat attached to those fans . At max , I scan the temperature to be around 111 degree Fahrenheit after about 30 minutes of play in unremitting activeness with Cyberpunk 2077 . That ’s well within acceptable ranges , though it does mean you should n’t be putting anything you care about on top of your Aurora R16 , both for the rice beer of the microcomputer and your precious nicknacks .
elder Alienware PC exemplar were prick - less designs , but the novel variation demand you to unwrap one Phillips nous and pull up on a tab to release the side control board . That ’s not a vainglorious issue , but it does intend you ’ll need a screwdriver nearby if you need to hand inside your PC . There ’s fundamentally no room for extra components , thanks part to the mounting angle bracket supporting the massive GPU . do it to say , it ’s a nice - looking machine that ’s well - build . Just because Alienware looks more standard does n’t think of the company has compromise on lineament .
Alienware Aurora R16 Quality of Life and Upgradability
Proprietary Parts Means There’s Limited Avenues for Upgrading
All the cable length are route behind the motherboard so you may fully consider all the interior component . That order , there ’s no rut shield around the RAM , SSD , or Wi - Fi chip . I check to see if these factor were getting special hot inside , and while I did n’t see anything abnormal , it ’s something you should note since it ’s a act curious compare to other pre - built play rigs out there . I do n’t mind it since there did n’t seem to be any heat outlet overall , and I opt to see my component through the case rather of staring at a clustering of boxes that look like presents I know I will never afford .
It ’s an overall quiet operation , even under stress , that was n’t distracting hanging out forthwith next to me , especially since there was very small air blowing in my direction . It ’s not to a fault bright , and you’re able to use the Alienware Command Center app to commute the individual colors and pattern of the LEDs with a few RGB presets . To avoid being too distracted when turn on a PC , I would opt for a single block of color . The app also lets you exchange the AlienFX lighting per deed of conveyance .
So yes , that capability is neatly contained in a package , somewhat enough to put a prow on it . What stay its biggest consequence is the proprietary nature of the motherboard . There are only two RAM slots , intend that future memory upgrade require replacing both stick . Alienware says this actually increase hurrying on the organisation , but even if that ’s rightful , I would take a minutely slower system to make my PC more future - validation . you may also upgrade the GPU and storage , but you wo n’t be doing much else .
I understand why Alienware would need to work up boards for better overseas telegram direction , but why not give the microcomputer gamer a taste of the joy of eventually advance their machine ? Just because it ’s a beast now does n’t mean it will stay that way two or even three years down the route .
Alienware Aurora R16 Performance
A Real Gaming Oasis
We screen several games on a QHD monitor at 240 Hz and another 4 green monitor at max 160 Hz sweet rates . Really , with stats like these , you already roll in the hay what framerates to expect from the most demanding deed of conveyance .
On a game like Cyberpunk 2077 , the Aurora could hit an average of 60 FPS on a 240 Hz monitor with ultra setting , full Ray Tracing capabilities enable , and no DLSS AI super grading . With DLSS enable , you could double over those frames to an norm of 120 , though it might dunk to around 80 FPS when there ’s a gaggle of NPCs on - cover . Once you further that up to 4 K , frames begin to sink , so you ’re better off enabling DLSS to get it up to an average of 80 FPS with the in - game benchmark .
In Baldur ’s Gate III , you may break 140 FPS in indoor location and feel dependable that you wo n’t douse below 100 , except when there are many more NPCs go around in the city area of Act III . Other games perform very well , easily topping 250 FPS on Halo Infinite and The Finals . Still , punt at 4 K will tank that performance on the high setting , mean you should look toward unlike A-one scaling choice to beat above 60 FPS .
In 3DMark , the Aurora R16performed just as well as expect in both Time Spy and the higher - end Speed Way tools — that is very , very unspoilt . It flap expectations on the QHD admonisher and could carry its own at 4K.
This frame-up work best gaming at sub-4 kilobyte resolve , so folks with FHD up through QHD monitors will have a grand former time watching those underframe stack up into the triplex digit . The 4080 Super can still handle 4 K on most titles , though you ’ll need a pick - me - up from Nvidia ’s superscalar to assert playable frames on some of the most demanding titles .
With a Core i9 - 14900KF , the C.P.U. benchmarks were rather strong . I just finished reviewing theRazer Blade 16with its nomadic version of the i9 with the 14900HX , and the Aurora could squeak out a win on Geekbench . The arrangement also crush our Blender test for rendering a single image of a BMW in just over a minute when rely on the CPU . The i9 - 14900KF also blasted through a telecasting encryption mental test using the program Handbrake .
It ’s a high - conclusion PC , and it feel that way whether you ’re act games or doing much anything else .
If You Want to Go Pre-Built, Make Sure It Will Last
Alienware is still an expensive brand ; there ’s no two ways about it . I ca n’t insure the PC is deserving its starting $ 1,150 price . Still , it ’s backbreaking to justify low spectacles knowing that there are comparatively few upgrade itinerary if you desire to eventually jump from the lower ending of 16 GB of random access memory to 32 GB — something that will become far more stock in the intervening year .
But if you ’re jump off for the ultra - expensive version of the Aurora R16 , you wo n’t come away disappointed by its performance , at the very least . So all that ’s left is looks . esthetic are all about penchant , and to me , previous Alienware desktops seemed to imply that your PC is more than just a gaming carriage but transportation to new play superlative . But I ’m not live anywhere . I ’d rather know where I am , and the novel Aurora R16 is well-heeled and pleasing to the eye for somebody like me . I want to feel special without explaining to anybody entering my room that the giant desktop PC is n’t a dig into twist that drop off a passing saucer .
Update 02/24/24 at 7:32 a.m. ET : This place was update to decline the ownership of the Alienware make .
desire more of Gizmodo ’s consumer electronics picking ? Check out our guide to thebest phonesbest laptop , best television receiver , andbest headphone . If you want to learn about the next big thing , see our guide toeverything we know about the iPhone 16 .
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