Tuesday, September 27th 2022

Alienware Upgrades Flagship Desktop, Reveals Tenkeyless Keyboard and New QD-OLED Display

Today, Alienware continues its mission to create premier gaming experiences with a triple-threat of new devices, including: a revamped Aurora R15 Gaming Desktop, a compact and feature-rich Tenkeyless Gaming Keyboard, and our second QD-OLED Gaming Monitor positioned at a lower price point. The new Alienware Aurora R15 desktop sees a significant performance boost, thanks to the latest 13th Gen Intel Core processors, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 40 Series GPUs and an armada of system refinements.

The Aurora R15 now also includes up to a 1350 W power supply (up from 1000 W in the previous generation), designed to support NVIDIA's flagship GeForce RTX 4090 graphics card. Speaking of the graphics card, we repositioned the graphics slot to enable larger card designs (up to triple wide cards). In addition to offering NVIDIA GeForce RTX 40 Series and 30 Series GPUs, Aurora R15 will also be configurable with AMD Radeon RX 6000 Series graphics which pair nicely with our first QD-OLED AMD FreeSync monitor… more on that below.
To achieve higher thermal efficiency and help ensure peak performancei, we've equipped the following advancements with all 13th Gen Intel Core K-Series configurations:
  • 240 mm liquid cooling, with the option to upgrade to 240 mm Cryo-tech liquid cooling.
  • Five 120 mm fans: a 240 mm LC unit serving as two exhaust fans up top, one more exhaust fan in the rear, and two intake fans up in front.
  • Hexagonal side-venting to generate additional airflow.
  • 12-phase, processor, voltage regulation helps enable long-lasting peak performance.
  • Voltage regulator heatsinks on the motherboard help ensure maximum cooling.
  • 80 Plus Platinum-rated power supply, delivering high levels of power efficiency
  • Increased memory speed to DDR5 4800 MHz (or MT/s).
  • Defined memory architecture enables the highest speed UDIMM for faster performance.
With these advancements, we're delivering 58% more power to the processor, obtaining double digit performance improvements, and simultaneously running the CPU up to 5˚ Celsius cooler. Additionally, our new thermal strategy increases system airflow by up to 19%, is up to 66% quieter in CPU intensive tasks and 9% quieter in GPU intensive tasks.

Streamlined and agile: introducing Alienware's first-ever Tenkeyless Gaming Keyboard
Alienware's new space-saving Tenkeyless Gaming Keyboard (AW420K) helps you win back valuable desktop real estate while staying at the top of your game. Whether you're curating a minimal desk setup or looking for more room to maneuver your mouse, this smaller form factor design drops the number pad to maximize space and free up more area for fast-action swipes. Promoting a clean and organized gaming environment, the AW420K makes cable management simple and versatile. With a cable routing layout etched into the underside of the keyboard, you can direct the connection cable left, right, or down the center to keep it out of the way and streamline your gaming setup.

Another benefit to this compact keyboard is that it's more travel friendly than its full-size siblings. When it's time to hit the road and head to a tournament or friend's house, the small footprint (14.46"W x 5.81"L) makes it possible to transport in your Alienware Horizon Travel Backpack or other compatible travel cases. When packing up, just remove the USB paracord cable for easier storage. And since changing environments can expose your keyboard to unwanted particles, we mounted the key switches to the smooth metal top plate to help limit the spaces where dust and crumbs can hide and make cleaning simple and quick.

Outfitted with a robust suite of technology, the AW420K delivers a typing experience that is responsive, consistent, and long-lasting. Industry-leading CHERRY MX Red switches provide incredible reliability and durability with their gold-based cross-point contact system. The thick gold layer makes the electrical contact enclosure self-cleaning and gives the key switch permanent protection against corrosion, guaranteeing more than 100 million actuations without loss of quality. In addition, double-shot PBT (Polybutylene Terephthalate) keycaps feature two layers of plastic molded together for reliable durability with key legends molded into the caps for dependable rigidity and wear resistance.

Our new QD-OLED monitor: same ultra-immersive experience, new competitive price point
Hot off unveiling the world's first QD-OLED gaming monitor earlier this year - subsequently named Tom's Guide Product of the Year and GamesRadar+ Best Ultrawide Monitor - we're continuing to expand our QD-OLED offerings with the introduction of a new Alienware 34 Curved QD-OLED Gaming Monitor (AW3423DWF), delivering a premier and immersive gaming experience now at USD $1,099.99 or CAD $1,399.99.

For those seeking increased realism the Alienware 34" Curved QD-OLED Gaming Monitor delivers stunning picture quality and ultra-smooth frame rates that transform your entire gaming experience. Just like the previously launched AW3423DW model, this new monitor offers the same impressive picture qualities of Quantum Dot-OLED technology including consistent color uniformity, wide color coverage, deep black tones and incredible brightness. With WQHD (3440 x 1440) resolution and blazing-fast 0.1 ms GtG response time, gamers can stay ahead of the competition without stuttering, input lag or motion blur while playing fast-paced games. It also supports the latest generation of consoles with VRR up to 120 Hz.

This new QD-OLED monitor is built with premium features including:
  • AMD FreeSync Premium Pro and VESA AdaptiveSync Display certification: Experience tear-free, low-latency, HDR gaming.
  • 165 Hz Native Refresh Rate: Allow fast-moving graphics to be seen with incredible clarity so gamers can react quicker in the game.
  • New OSD Joystick: Access various preset game modes (FPS, MOBA/RTS, RPG), and easily switch to the new Creator mode if you're a gamer who also creates content.
  • TUV-certified ComfortView Plus: Helps reduce blue-light emissions without sacrificing any of the brilliant QD-OLED colors.
Available in dark side of the moon color and now with a slimmer design to facilitate easier wall mounting. It ships standard with 3-year limited hardware warranty.

Pricing & Availability
Availability: All three new devices will be available in the U.S. and Canada later this Fall.
Pricing:
Alienware Aurora R15 pricing will be revealed closer to availability.
Alienware Tenkeyless Keyboard (AW420K) will start at USD $129.99 / CAD $189.99.
Alienware 34 QD-OLED Gaming Monitor (AW3423DWF) will start at USD $1,099.99 / CAD $1,399.99.
Source: Alienware
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19 Comments on Alienware Upgrades Flagship Desktop, Reveals Tenkeyless Keyboard and New QD-OLED Display

#1
Arco
So the same 30-year-old case that they over-engineered to use yet again. Cool.
Posted on Reply
#2
bonehead123
ArcoSo the same 30-year-old case that they over-engineered to use yet again. Cool.
Lipstick on a pig, yes ?

Looks cool from the front, but on the inside it's still just ANUTHA same-ole-same-same-lame-lame, boring-AF-rectangular boxen of yesteryear :(

And here I was getting my hopes up that they had actually done some REAL engineering/design work to come up with something unique.... oh well, so much for that idea !
Posted on Reply
#3
Arco
bonehead123Lipstick on a pig, yes ?

Looks cool from the front, but on the inside it's still just ANUTHA same-ole-same-same-lame-lame, boring-AF-rectangular boxen of yesteryear :(

And here I was getting my hopes up that they had actually done some REAL engineering/design work to come up with something unique.... oh well, so much for that idea !
They can't cut their margin on case making! Instead, produce stupid over-complex components that are more expensive than the case itself!
Posted on Reply
#4
TheDeeGee
The GN review of this case was funny.
Posted on Reply
#5
oxrufiioxo
TheDeeGeeThe GN review of this case was funny.
It was great... would love to have been in a room with Dell PR as they watched that video.
Posted on Reply
#6
trsttte
So the monitor now doesn't have the Gsync module, does it get HDMI 2.1 then?
bonehead123And here I was getting my hopes up that they had actually done some REAL engineering/design work to come up with something unique.... oh well, so much for that idea !
It looks like they added some mesh in the front and are now using a 240mm rad instead of the anemic 120mm, should offer some improvements, not that it could get much worse :D
Posted on Reply
#7
claster17
Does this monitor now come without those two annoying fans and does that warranty cover burn-in?
Posted on Reply
#8
Chomiq
trsttteSo the monitor now doesn't have the Gsync module, does it get HDMI 2.1 then?



It looks like they added some mesh in the front and are now using a 240mm rad instead of the anemic 120mm, should offer some improvements, not that it could get much worse :D
It’s also worth noting that the cheaper model has one HDMI 2.0 port and two DisplayPort 1.4 ports
So no HDMI 2.1.
Posted on Reply
#9
MentalAcetylide
ArcoSo the same 30-year-old case that they over-engineered to use yet again. Cool.
Over-engineered, over-priced, underrated hardware, under-performing, and a hefty dose of Dell's Alienware bloatware to boot. The biggest issue is that its over-priced and you pay out of the nose if you want to extend the warranty to avoid the Dell/Alienware tax for replacement parts.
Posted on Reply
#10
GunShot
Our new QD-OLED monitor: same ultra-immersive experience, new competitive price point
Just be honest here! This garbage is cheaper because it doesn't have a G-SYNC Ultimate module / certification attached to it.

An AMD FreeS't'nc panel for over a stack?! GTFOH!
Posted on Reply
#11
sam_86314
GunShotJust be honest here! This garbage is cheaper because it doesn't have a G-SYNC Ultimate module / certification attached to it.

An AMD FreeS't'nc panel for over a stack?! GTFOH!
Was excited about this monitor, but I'd need to know what the Freesync range is before I'd even consider it. All of the Freesync monitors I've used have only gone down to 48Hz, and the experience on all of them has been horrendous.

"The game is capped at 30 FPS during loading screens? Here's a black screen that doesn't go away until you alt+tab out and turn off Freesync."

"Your framerate went down to 47 FPS for a fraction of a second, and now the screen is going to go black for 5 seconds."

EDIT: Looks like this isn't an issue with Freesync Premium Pro, which is what this monitor has.

www.amd.com/en/technologies/free-sync-faq#faq-What-is-Low-Framerate-Compensation?

[URL='https://www.amd.com/en/technologies/free-sync-faq#faq-What-is-Low-Framerate-Compensation?']What is Low Framerate Compensation?[/URL]

Low framerate compensation (LFC), allows FreeSync technology to work when the framerate falls below the minimum refresh rate of the display. When the framerate drops below the minimum refresh rate of the display, frames are duplicated and displayed multiple times so that they can sync to a refresh rate that is within the displays refresh rate range. For example, a display with a 60 – 144Hz refresh rate, would be able to sync the frames of a game running at 40 FPS, by doubling them so that the display could sync and run at 80 Hz. A display with LFC effectively results in the removal of the minimum refresh rate boundary. All displays in the FreeSync Premium and FreeSync Premium Pro tier are certified to meet mandatory LFC requirements.
Posted on Reply
#12
Chaitanya
bonehead123Lipstick on a pig, yes ?

Looks cool from the front, but on the inside it's still just ANUTHA same-ole-same-same-lame-lame, boring-AF-rectangular boxen of yesteryear :(

And here I was getting my hopes up that they had actually done some REAL engineering/design work to come up with something unique.... oh well, so much for that idea !
Dell does spend literal buttload of money on engineering but for making sure they outdo Apple with eWaste in form of propietary hardware. These days for their laptops as well majority of things seem to be soldered instead of user replaceble.
Posted on Reply
#13
Chomiq
GunShotJust be honest here! This garbage is cheaper because it doesn't have a G-SYNC Ultimate module / certification attached to it.

An AMD FreeS't'nc panel for over a stack?! GTFOH!
It's a QD-OLED panel.
Posted on Reply
#14
GunShot
ChomiqIt's a QD-OLED panel.
...and?

If you've never experienced that mess of a panel, for the very first few moments, it is "awe-inspiring" but that feeling change super-fast when you start noticing its awful gluey-smear coating, huge fan-curve noise, the panel gets HOT in an ambient 21-23c environment, etc.

Nah, we're still good with our AW3821DWs.

Only micro-OLEDs could only convince us to upgrade, period!
Posted on Reply
#15
Chomiq
GunShot...and?

If you've never experienced that mess of a panel, for the very first few moments, it is "awe-inspiring" but that feeling change super-fast when you start noticing its awful gluey-smear coating, huge fan-curve noise, the panel gets HOT in an ambient 21-23c environment, etc.

Nah, we're still good with our AW3821DWs.

Only micro-LEDs could only convince us to upgrade, period!
There's multiple of you? Interesting.
AW3821DW is a $1400 IPS panel. And you complain about QD-OLED being priced at $1100? kthxbye.
Posted on Reply
#16
GunShot
ChomiqThere's multiple of you? Interesting.
AW3821DW is a $1400 IPS panel. And you complain about QD-OLED being priced at $1100? kthxbye.
Wow!

Since it needs to be... explained... sheesh! "Our"... meaning my wife and children, that "WE" have 3 AW3821DW, hence the *s* behind the 3821 in my 1st post to you, in "our" home.

As for as price, that's not your concern but... to be clear... G-SYNC Ultimate is much better than AMDs FreeS't'nc! EASILY!
Posted on Reply
#17
Chomiq
GunShotWow!

Since it needs to be... explained... sheesh! "Our"... meaning my wife and children, that "WE" have 3 AW3821DW, hence the *s* behind the 3821 in my 1st post to you, in "our" home.

As for as price, that's not your concern but... to be clear... G-SYNC Ultimate is much better than AMDs FreeS't'nc! EASILY!
So you spent upwards of $4000 on displays and yet complain about $1100 display. Yeah ok.
Gsync Ultimate was the reason AW3423DW needed a fan, just like your AW3821DW does. On top of that it added about $200 extra to the cost of the display.
Posted on Reply
#18
GunShot
ChomiqSo you spent upwards of $4000 on displays and yet complain about $1100 display. Yeah ok.
Gsync Ultimate was the reason AW3423DW needed a fan, just like your AW3821DW does. On top of that it added about $200 extra to the cost of the display.
Alright, this is getting to be too PERSONAL, frivolous, and weird.

*where is that ignore prompt... oh yeah!*
Posted on Reply
#19
Calenhad
GunShotAlright, this is getting to be too PERSONAL, frivolous, and weird.

*where is that ignore prompt... oh yeah!*
This new version of that QD-OLED monitor does not have the Gsync module which is the reason for the annoying fan in the original version and higher cost.

Personally I have used several gsync monitors, since that technology was initially released, and I have also used some "gsync compatible" freesync monitors with LFC. I honestly can't tell the difference between the two. The quality of the panel is of much higher importance in my experience. Assuming driver settings and ingame settings are configured properly of course.

What in your experience makes it freestink compared to gsync?

And that was the post that went over the top? What about the much more personal one above it? And why do some users feel the need to inform other users when they are being ignored? It is not like they can answer back anyway. But I digress. I am more interested in the technical aspect of this thread after all.
Posted on Reply
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