Alienware produces the de facto archetypes for ultra-high performance gaming computers and their Alienware Area-51 ALX lives up to their standards. Every aspect of this computer screams performance, beginning with the matte black anodized aluminum housing complete with the illuminated image of an "Area 51" alien. The AlienFX feature allows nearly infinite lighting combinations to complete the alien effect. There are even lights underneath the fins that automatically open and close, apparently to cool the computer, but more likely to complete the visual impression.
The dramatic exterior gives you an idea of what this gaming computer has to offer. Every detail of this machine makes it a gaming powerhouse. The base model is missing a couple important components that the best gaming PCs have, but it has a lot of potential once you make a few needed upgrades. Just about every aspect of the computer has additional options to meet the high standards of serious gamers.
If you're looking for extreme gaming performance, the most critical component is the computer’s video card. Just about any display needs can be met head on with the dual 1GB GDDR5 ATI Radeon HD 6870 CrossfireX cards. While these are may not be the best cards on the market, the dual feature makes them worth the price. The second card increases performance even further so you get images that are more realistic, smoother motion and quicker transitions. It also makes it possible to power up to four distinct digital displays, so you can keep up with other aspects of life while remaining immersed in the action on this gaming PC.
For most people, including power-hungry gaming aficionados, the video cards included with this gaming PC will be good enough to get by. Still, those who demand even more can upgrade to dual 1.5GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 SLI cards or all the way up to dual 4GB GDDR5 AMD Radeon HD 6990 CrossfireX-enabled cards.
The standard sound setup has integrated 7.1-channel surround sound. This is quite common in most gaming PCs and will give you great audio effects. However, the audio will sound even better with the addition of the Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium sound card if you truly want to experience every game to its full capacity.
The heart of any computer, whether for gaming or more mundane pursuits, is the CPU (central processing unit). The Area-51 ALX gaming computer comes with the Intel Core i7-980 six-core processor that runs at 3.33GHz and features 12MB of intelligent cache. This is just about as good as you can get without jumping to the 990 model, which is the best on the market. The 980 will keep cache allocation optimized, avoiding bottlenecks when system requirements are at their greatest. Six-core architecture allows for twelve simultaneous processing threads to make the most of multitasking. The processor can overclock to achieve even greater speeds while maintaining a stable gaming and multitasking environment.
Now all of this power is bound to create substantial heat, so this gaming computer is equipped with a liquid cooling system. Liquid cooling is far more effective at removing component-damaging and performance-robbing heat, and it is far quieter than heat sinks and fans. There’s also active venting – motorized vents located on top of the casing that can be programmed to open automatically as the action heats up. They promise greater airflow in high-performance usage, but we think the liquid cooling does the job nicely.
All that gaming PC processor power is for naught without enough RAM. The Alienware Area-51 ALX’s standard package is equipped with 6GB of DDR3 1600MHz RAM in the form of three 2GB sticks. There is also an option to double the RAM to a phenomenal 12GB of DDR3 1600MHz tri-channel memory with three 4GB sticks. The system comes with 2TBs of storage provided by two 1TB SATA-II, 7,200 RPM hard disc drives with 32MB of cache. Unfortunately, the only solid-state drive option is a 512GB main storage drive, and that upgrade will result in a huge price increase. We would like to see some smaller solid-state drive options added to their list.
The Alienware Area-51 ALX gaming computer comes equipped with a 24x CD/DVD reader/burner with double-layer burn capability. It can be upgraded to a Blu-ray player if you so desire. The 1,000-watt power supply offers plenty of power. The rig doesn’t include a monitor but does come with an Alienware TactX mouse and keyboard. Windows 7 Home Premium is included.
Alienware gaming PC customers benefit from Dell’s well-known customer support. Online support includes an active user community, driver update downloads and both email and live chat features. There’s a one-year warranty plan that you can easily update to a four-year plan. Advanced in-home service is available for a premium charge.
When dedicated gamers and neophytes alike think of top-end gaming super computers, it’s likely that Alienware is the brand that comes to mind. The Alienware Area-51 ALX gaming computer combines the company’s legendary experience with cutting-edge hardware to create an intense gaming experience, particularly once you add some upgrades to the standard base model. The device does come at a cost, but packs a huge wallop of power for extreme gamers.
