Monday, January 6th 2025

Dell Brings Back the Alienware Area-51 Desktop PC

Alienware is reintroducing the iconic Area-51 back into the family, reanimated in desktop and laptop forms. Deep lore underpins Area-51, dating back to 1998. While the design, technology and gameplay have evolved significantly from iteration to iteration, one fact has remained the same: Area-51 represents the best that Alienware offers. Reclaiming its position as the ultimate gaming experience, the new Area-51 Desktop debut an arsenal of cutting-edge features -- including next-gen NVIDIA graphics - to power the next generation of AAA gameplay.

ALIENWARE AREA-51 DESKTOP
Area-51 Desktop makes a bold entrance to retake the throne as Alienware's flagship gaming PC. With this edition, we are returning to our roots with a machine that caters to the desires of PC gaming enthusiasts and longtime Alienware fans who have a deep appreciation for technology and a can-do attitude for manually customizing their build to their needs. It is an icon that honors the wishes of all gamers seeking unyielding performance and the ability to make serious upgrades for years to come.

We devoted years to carefully planning and developing this platform, guided each step of the way by learnings gathered from the gaming community. This feedback helped shape the direction of this platform, influencing all aspects from product design to technology implementation to airflow patterns.

As our full-size 80L tower, it stands tall as our marquee platform designed for gamers seeking elite performance and standard components in a scalable design.
  • Elite Performance: With available headroom for more than 600 W of dedicated graphics power and up to 280 W of dedicated processing power, Area-51 supports the highest performance components including top-shelf, next-gen, NVIDIA graphics and up to an Intel Core Ultra 9 285K CPU, allowing games to run and sustain at their limits.
  • Standard Components: Industry standard components allow the most critical parts to be easily replaced and serviced, including the motherboard, power supply, CPU, GPU, RAM, storage, fans and more.
  • Scalable Design: At 80L, this full-size tower is designed to comfortably support and exceed the size requirements of today's largest components, prepare for future upgrades, and create the ideal thermal solution.
Positive Pressure Design
With every Alienware product launch, the chief charter for our engineers is to unlock maximum gaming performance while maintaining low temperatures and noise. The thermal architecture and airflow decisions are a critical piece of that puzzle.

We looked at various airflow models to determine the most effective thermal design and then sculpted the overall desktop blueprint around this solution.

After countless tests, we implemented an all-new positive pressure airflow system with three different fan sizes that all point inward toward the chassis to pull in cool air from the environment. Gaskets inside the chassis create a seal to prevent leakage and build positive pressure that expels heated air out the back with a pressurized passive exhaust. That's right - there are no exhaust fans. This approach reduces air recirculation to maximize overall
flowrate.

Here's how it works... Dual 140 mm fans direct cool ambient air upward toward the GPU fans ensuring maximum graphics performance. Larger dual 180 mm fans push air laterally toward the GPU, CPU and memory from the front of the chassis. Lastly, dual or triple 120 mm fans are included for liquid cooling configurations to pull in additional air from the top. This creates a greater internal air pressure compared to the outside and forces heated air to expel through the rear of the chassis.

By combining these larger fan sizes and advanced liquid cooling configurations, the positive pressure design moves 25% more air through the chassis, helping Area-51 run up to 13% cooler and 45% quieter during graphics intensive tasks.

All these advancements translate to real performance improvements to the tune of 50% more processing power, making Area-51 ready to meet the demands of today and anticipate the needs of the future.

Upgradeability, Maintenance and Materials
Upgradeability is an integral part of the Area-51 customer experience. QR codes found inside the chassis guide customers to instructional videos on how to complete updates, repairs and modifications of key components. This includes guides on how to change the RAM, GPU, SSD, power supply and conduct basic maintenance like cleaning filters and fans. The motherboard is also replaceable with the purchase of an optional AlienFX motherboard harness that is required when installing third party aftermarket motherboards.
Gamers can stop dust in its tracks and keep the system performing at its best for longer with three removable, cleanable filters on the front, top and bottom air intakes. The filters ensure unrestricted airflow and minimize dust accumulating on internal components such as fans.

The spacious full-tower design allows easy access to the inside of the desktop with plenty of room for your hands to maneuver around. A knob on the back of the desktop unlocks the dual side doors so you can easily access the interior components. Once open, gamers will find a spacious interior behind the tempered glass panel along with neatly organized cable routing behind the solid side panel. A handle recess on the back of the machine and the front loop allows for easy lifting -though we recommend grabbing a friend to help.

Top-Shelf Performance Features
At the heart of the experience is the selection of high-performance components. Here's our quick overview of additional components that complete the Area-51 Desktop experience:
  • Dual channel RAM configurations up to 64 GB DDR5 XMP (2x 32 GB) at 6400 MT/s.
  • Up to 8 TB of Storage via 4 TB NVMe M.2 PCIe Gen 4 SSD (boot) + 4 TB NVMe M.2 PCIe Gen 4 SSD (storage).
  • Armed with either 360 mm Liquid Cooling (LC) or 240 mm LC, while enabling a DIY upgradeability path to 420 mm LC.
  • Powered by a 1500 W Platinum Rated ATX12VO Power Supply (PSU) or an 850 W Gold Rated ATX12VO PSU.
  • Seven customizable AlienFX lighting zones with over 16.7 million colors and six different lighting effects, all managed in the Alienware Command Center (AWCC).
  • Optional Alienware Elite Care customer support, offering 24/7 customer support, accidental damage coverage, onsite repairs and more.
  • Built with recycled materials including 85% post-consumer recycled plastic and power supply units with 50% recycled steel and recycled copper.
Pricing and Availability
Availability: First available later in Q1 with select configurations. Additional graphics options and configurations will arrive later including the entry configuration.
  • Launch Configuration Price: ~$4,499 (w/ a high-end, next-gen, NVIDIA GPU)
  • Entry Configuration Price: Coming Soon
Source: Dell Alienware
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33 Comments on Dell Brings Back the Alienware Area-51 Desktop PC

#1
SamuelL
I really like this design and the Area 51 branding, but I'd be lying to say I'm not bummed to see the system is Core Ultra -based. Tough sell having a halo product like this and then watching a 9950X3D (likely) eat its lunch :(
Posted on Reply
#2
hclarkjr
hopefully they introduce an AMD version too.
Posted on Reply
#3
phanbuey
the case design and cooling is amazing compared to what it used to be.

They're stuck with intel still due to their relationship with them -- they may offer a few AMD SKUS afaik, but they usually sneak those in later.
Posted on Reply
#4
Chrispy_
Well look at that - a Dell with a standard ATX motherboard and power supply.

Pigs can indeed fly!
Posted on Reply
#5
TheLostSwede
News Editor
Chrispy_Well look at that - a Dell with a standard ATX motherboard and power supply.

Pigs can indeed fly!
Not quite, it's using an ATX12VO PSU and if you read the entire press release, you'll find this:
The motherboard is also replaceable with the purchase of an optional AlienFX motherboard harness that is required when installing third party aftermarket motherboards.
Posted on Reply
#6
breakfromyou
hclarkjrhopefully they introduce an AMD version too.
Lol, Dell? They won't.
Posted on Reply
#7
CrimsonMitsuko
Crimson Connoisseur
Waiting for the GamersNexus video on this one....
Posted on Reply
#8
dirtyferret
TheLostSwedeNot quite, it's using an ATX12VO PSU and if you read the entire press release, you'll find this:
supposedly MSI and FSP were supporting the 12VO standard with products (at least on paper)
Posted on Reply
#9
freeagent
It looks better than what they have been putting out for awhile.
Posted on Reply
#10
eidairaman1
The Exiled Airman
freeagentIt looks better than what they have been putting out for awhile.
Unfortunately it still is boring looking.
Posted on Reply
#11
Dave65
Looks nice.. To bad its full of Intel junk!
Posted on Reply
#12
bonehead123
Interesting how they stated "Next Gen nGreediya GPU's" and very carefully avoided saying "RTX 5xxx GPU's".....as if nobody knows about them or something :)

Also, all HAIL THE CHEEZE GRATER panels, welcome back, old friend :roll:
Posted on Reply
#13
TheDeeGee
I bet it's filled with proprietary e-waste.
Posted on Reply
#14
x4it3n
No AMD variant knowing that X3D CPUs are the best Gaming CPUs on the planet?!! This is wild!
Posted on Reply
#15
TheLostSwede
News Editor
dirtyferretsupposedly MSI and FSP were supporting the 12VO standard with products (at least on paper)
Well, you can just replace the PSU and motherboard, if you for some reason want to keep this case.
Posted on Reply
#16
Hecate91
x4it3nNo AMD variant knowing that X3D CPUs are the best Gaming CPUs on the planet?!! This is wild!
It's Dell, if they have an AMD version it would be a massive surprise.
Posted on Reply
#17
remixedcat
hclarkjrhopefully they introduce an AMD version too.
They will have more amd systems across the board
Posted on Reply
#18
x4it3n
Hecate91It's Dell, if they have an AMD version it would be a massive surprise.
DELL or not, if their competitors end up with Desktop PCs being faster than theirs and cheaper why would anyone buy this?!! Alienware are more their own shadow than anything nowadays.
Posted on Reply
#19
Chaitanya
hclarkjrhopefully they introduce an AMD version too.
Wont happen anytime soon from Intel's loyal lapdog that is dell.
Posted on Reply
#20
Onasi
TheLostSwedeNot quite, it's using an ATX12VO PSU and if you read the entire press release, you'll find this:
Annoying, but still technically a step forward-ish compared to absolute proprietary monstrosities they had in the past. I got to work on an Alienware pre-built like a decade ago for a friend and I genuinely felt like it was something that Abdul Alhazred came up with. Ya ya, Alienware fhtagn.
Posted on Reply
#21
Athlonite
Area-51 supports the highest performance components including top-shelf, next-gen, NVIDIA graphics and up to an Intel Core Ultra 9 285K CPU, allowing games to run and sustain at their limits.

But it doesn't the 285K is rubbish for gaming when even the not so lowly R7 7800X3D wops it's ass all day everyday for gaming so pitching this as some sort of high end gaming system is a freaking joke
I can't wait for Steve's video shaming the shit out of this on Gamer's Nexus
Posted on Reply
#22
Solaris17
Super Dainty Moderator
TheLostSwedeWith this edition, we are returning to our roots with a machine that caters to the desires of PC gaming enthusiasts and longtime Alienware fans who have a deep appreciation for technology and a can-do attitude for manually customizing their build to their needs. It is an icon that honors the wishes of all gamers seeking unyielding performance and the ability to make serious upgrades for years to come.
There roots would be the end of "Alienware" / beginning of the Dell acquisition, as the systems that made them (the big MF towers in wild colors) came with off the shelf performance parts. The only proprietary stuff were there LED/Fan controllers and cases. IMO going by that kind of pedigree the only people that come close nowadays is puget systems and falcon northwest.
Posted on Reply
#23
Why_Me
Solid front panel and no rear exhaust fan = crap airflow.
Posted on Reply
#24
Chaitanya
Why_MeSolid front panel and no rear exhaust fan = crap airflow.
Front panel has massive open gap before the mesh for the fans. Case certainly is an improvement to their previous choking hazards.
Posted on Reply
#25
Visible Noise
Why_MeSolid front panel and no rear exhaust fan = crap airflow.
Look again.
Posted on Reply
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