Alienware - Area-51 - 18" 2.5K Gaming Laptop - Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX - 32GB Memory - NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti - 2TB Storage - Liquid Teal
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Highlights
- Key Specs
- Screen Type: WVA
- Screen Size: 18 inches (Size of the screen, measured diagonally from corner to corner.)
- Screen Resolution: 2560 x 1600 (Screens come in a range of resolutions (measured in pixels, horizontal x vertical). The higher the resolution, the greater the picture quality.)
- Touch Screen: false (Touch-screen devices make navigating more intuitive. Using a touch-screen display, you can do things such as tap to select, hold and drag to move items, swipe to scroll, and pinch to zoom.)
- Refresh Rate: 300Hz (The number of frames per second the device can produce natively without enhancement. Higher rates help produce smooth, seamless pictures.)
- Brightness: 500 nits (A measure of the total light output.)
- Processor Model: Intel Core Ultra 9 Series 2 (Your computer's processor is like its brain. Working in combination with system memory, the power of the processor determines the complexity of software you can run, how many programs you can have open at the same time, and how fast those programs will run. Most computers feature an AMD, Intel or Snapdragon processor.)
- CPU Base Clock Frequency: 2.7 gigahertz (Actual central processing unit (CPU) speed may vary by device configuration and design. The average rate at which the processor is able to execute tasks under normal operating conditions as asserted by the manufacturer.)
- Storage Type: SSD
- Total Storage Capacity: 2000 gigabytes
- System Memory (RAM): 32 gigabytes (Random-access memory (RAM) is a computing device's short-term data storage, which allows active information to be accessed quickly. The size and type of RAM determines how efficiently the device can handle large amounts of information at one time. For example, gaming or video editing requires more RAM for optimal performance.)
- Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti (Often referred to as a "graphics processing unit" (GPU), this device is responsible for displaying image content and decoding/encoding video content in programs and games.)
- Display Connector(s): 1 x HDMI 2.1, 2 x Thunderbolt (The number and type of connectors used to connect to an external display.)
- Battery Chemistry: Lithium-ion
- 2-in-1 Design: false (A laptop and a tablet combined in one lightweight, portable device. Sometimes referred to as "convertible" or "hybrid" laptops, these devices deliver the processing power and keyboard of a laptop. When you're ready to play, either detach the screen or fold your 2-in-1 into tablet mode to comfortably watch movies, play games, read an e-book and more.)
- Backlit Keyboard: true (Integrated lights allow for visibility of the keys in low-light conditions.)
- General
- Brand: Alienware
- Model Number: LAA18250 -9444BLU-PUS
- Product Name: Area-51 - 18" 2.5K Gaming Laptop - Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX - 32GB Memory - NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti - 2TB Storage
- Color: Liquid Teal
- Year of Release: 2025
- Display
- Display Type: LED
- Screen Type: WVA
- Screen Size: 18 inches (Size of the screen, measured diagonally from corner to corner.)
- Screen Resolution: 2560 x 1600 (Screens come in a range of resolutions (measured in pixels, horizontal x vertical). The higher the resolution, the greater the picture quality.)
- Touch Screen: false (Touch-screen devices make navigating more intuitive. Using a touch-screen display, you can do things such as tap to select, hold and drag to move items, swipe to scroll, and pinch to zoom.)
- Refresh Rate: 300Hz (The number of frames per second the device can produce natively without enhancement. Higher rates help produce smooth, seamless pictures.)
- Synchronization Technology: G-SYNC (NVIDIA Adaptive Sync) (Generally, these technologies allow syncing between a computer/console game's frame rate and the device's refresh rate for a smoother display without tearing.)
- Display Surface: Anti-glare
- Brightness: 500 nits (A measure of the total light output.)
- Processor
- Processor Brand: Intel
- Processor Model: Intel Core Ultra 9 Series 2 (Your computer's processor is like its brain. Working in combination with system memory, the power of the processor determines the complexity of software you can run, how many programs you can have open at the same time, and how fast those programs will run. Most computers feature an AMD, Intel or Snapdragon processor.)
- Processor Model Number: 275HX
- Processor Model Year of Release: 2025 (The year the processor model was initially available for sale or built into a computer.)
- CPU Base Clock Frequency: 2.7 gigahertz (Actual central processing unit (CPU) speed may vary by device configuration and design. The average rate at which the processor is able to execute tasks under normal operating conditions as asserted by the manufacturer.)
- CPU Boost Clock Frequency: 5.4 gigahertz (Actual central processing unit (CPU) speed may vary by device configuration and design. The maximum rate at which the processor is able to execute tasks, typically only used for a short period of time as needed. This rate may temporarily boost the processor's performance, but may result in overheating, shutdown, or damage to equipment if sustained.)
- Number of CPU Cores: 24-core (A core, or "brain" of a CPU, allows it to receive and execute instructions. Each core can work independently or together to perform parallel operations.)
- Number of CPU Threads: 24 (Generally, the more threads, the faster and more responsive the operating system.)
- CPU Cache Memory Level: L2
- L2 Cache: 36 megabytes (Cache memory, also called CPU memory, is random-access memory (RAM) that a computer microprocessor can access more quickly than it can access regular RAM. This memory is typically integrated directly with the CPU chip or placed on a separate chip that has a separate bus interconnect with the CPU.)
- Neural Processing Unit (NPU): true (Whether the product comes with an integrated neural processing unit (NPU) that performs computations for AI (artificial intelligence) functions to increase proficiency of the CPU and reduce power consumption.)
- Maximum NPU Performance: 13 trillions operations per second (The maximum neural processing unit (NPU) computations performed. NPUs increase proficiency of the CPU and reduce power consumption for AI (artificial intelligence) functions.)
- Storage
- Storage Type: SSD
- Total Storage Capacity: 2000 gigabytes
- Solid State Drive Capacity: 2000 gigabytes (The amount of data that can be stored on the device's solid state drive (SSD). SSD is a flash-based storage with faster speeds than a hard disk drive (HDD).)
- Solid State Drive Interface: PCIe (Connects the solid state drive to the host system. PCI and SATA interfaces are the most common; PCI interfaces are typically faster, but SATA interfaces are compatible with a wider range of systems.)
- Memory
- System Memory (RAM): 32 gigabytes (Random-access memory (RAM) is a computing device's short-term data storage, which allows active information to be accessed quickly. The size and type of RAM determines how efficiently the device can handle large amounts of information at one time. For example, gaming or video editing requires more RAM for optimal performance.)
- Type of Memory (RAM): DDR5 (Each type of RAM delivers a different level of speed, bandwidth, energy efficiency and performance.)
- System Memory RAM Speed: 6400 megahertz (How fast the information-storing hardware operates. The faster the RAM, the faster memory can be transferred to other system components. Ultimately, faster RAM improves operational efficiency.)
- Number Of Memory Slots: 2
- Number of Memory Sticks Included: 2
- Graphics
- Graphics Type: Dedicated (Dedicated graphics uses a separate graphics card for processing video images. Because it does not use memory from the system's RAM, there is no extra burden on the CPU and graphics are processed more efficiently. Integrated graphics shares system RAM to process video images.)
- GPU Brand: NVIDIA
- Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti (Often referred to as a "graphics processing unit" (GPU), this device is responsible for displaying image content and decoding/encoding video content in programs and games.)
- Advanced Graphics Rendering Technique(s): DLSS 4 (Deep Learning Super Sampling), Ray tracing (Imaging technology designed to improve graphics rendering.)
- GPU Base Clock Frequency: 2.3 gigahertz (The minimum rate at which the graphics controller is guaranteed to operate.)
- GPU Boost Clock Frequency: 2.45 gigahertz (The maximum ideal rate at which the graphics controller is able to operate, typically only for a short period of time.)
- GPU Video Memory (RAM): 16 gigabytes (Random-access memory (RAM) is a GPU’s, or graphics cards, short-term data storage, which allows active information to be accessed quickly. The size and type of RAM determines how efficiently the GPU can handle large amounts of information at one time. For example, larger amounts of RAM for gaming or video editing increases performance.)
- GPU Video Memory Type (RAM): GDDR7 (Each type of RAM delivers a different level of speed, bandwidth, energy efficiency and performance.)
- Power
- Total Graphics Power: 300 watts
- Battery Cells: 6-cell
- Battery Capacity: 8205.12 milliampere hours (The amount of energy stored in the battery.)
- Battery Chemistry: Lithium-ion
- Compatibility
- Operating System: Windows 11 Home (The operating system manages all software and hardware, including files, memory and connected devices. Most importantly, it lets you interact with your device and your programs in a visual way; otherwise, you'd be typing computer code to get anything done.)
- Connectivity
- Display Connector(s): 1 x HDMI 2.1, 2 x Thunderbolt (The number and type of connectors used to connect to an external display.)
- Number of Thunderbolt Ports (Total): 2
- USB Ports: 3 x USB-A 3.2 (The number and type of USB ports the product has.)
- Number of USB Ports (Total): 3
- Number of USB-A Charging Ports: 1
- Headphone Jack: true (The device features an interface that allows for the connection of headphones.)
- Microphone Input: true (The device features an input for connecting an external microphone.)
- Wireless Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth (The manner in which a device sends data to another device over a short distance without the use of wires or cables.)
- Wireless Standard: BE (The wireless networking protocol used by the device. Each iteration of the protocol is based on the 802.11 standard developed by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Standards Association. Denoted by letters following 802.11 (802.11a, 802.11ac, etc.), each version, published in alphabetical order, encompasses all previous versions.)
- Wireless Networking Standard: Wi-Fi 7 (The wireless networking standard used by the device. Each iteration of the standard developed by the Wi-Fi Alliance corresponds to an existing IEEE 802.11 protocol; for example, standard 802.11ac (or AC) is termed Wi-Fi 5. Refers specifically to the standard the device is designed to use, but ultimately determines product interoperability and backward compatibility including previous versions.)
- Number Of Ethernet Ports: 1
- Network Connectivity: None (The manner in which a device sends data to another device over a long distance using a cellular network.)
- Camera
- Front-Facing Camera: true
- Front Facing Camera Megapixels: 2 megapixels (The more megapixels, the more detail that the camera facing the user can capture.)
- Front Facing Camera Video Resolution: 1080p (Refers to the number of pixels, both horizontally and vertically, used by the camera facing the user to capture video. The higher the resolution the finer the video detail that can be seen.)
- Built-In Microphone: true
- Features
- 2-in-1 Design: false (A laptop and a tablet combined in one lightweight, portable device. Sometimes referred to as "convertible" or "hybrid" laptops, these devices deliver the processing power and keyboard of a laptop. When you're ready to play, either detach the screen or fold your 2-in-1 into tablet mode to comfortably watch movies, play games, read an e-book and more.)
- Backlit Keyboard: true (Integrated lights allow for visibility of the keys in low-light conditions.)
- Customizable Keyboard Lighting: RGB
- GPS Enabled: false
- Touchpad Type: Multi-touch, Gesture, Precision
- Media Card Reader: true (A hardware device that allows for access to data on a memory card and enables the transfer of its files to a computer. These devices may have one or multiple slots for various types of memory cards, and may be integrated into the computer or available as an external device.)
- Media Card Slot: Secure Digital
- Windows AI: Copilot
- Dimensions
- Product Height: 1.2 inches (The out of box height of the item. Height is measured as the vertical distance from the bottom of the item to the top as it would be primarily used or placed.)
- Product Width: 16.14 inches (The out of box width of the item. Width is measured as the horizontal distance from one side of the item to the other as it would be primarily used or placed.)
- Product Depth: 12.59 inches (The out of box depth of the item. Depth is measured as the distance from the front of the item to the back as it would be primarily used or placed.)
- Product Weight: 9.56 pounds (The out of box weight of the item.)
- Certifications Listings & Approvals
- ENERGY STAR Certified: false (Devices carrying the ENERGY STAR service mark, such as computer products and peripherals, kitchen appliances, and other products, generally use 20% to 30% less energy than required by federal standards.)
- EPEAT Qualified: false (The Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) was designed to provide an environmental assessment tool for purchasers. In order to qualify for EPEAT, a product must meet all 23 required criteria.)
- Included
- Optical Drive Type: None (An optical disk drive (ODD) uses a laser light to read data from or write data to an optical disc. These discs include CDs, DVDs, and Blu-ray Discs. This allows you to play music or watch movies using prerecorded discs.)
- Numeric Keypad: true
- Stylus Included: false
- Warranty
- Warranty - Parts: 1 Year Basic Onsite Service-Retail
- Warranty - Labor: 1 Year Basic Onsite Service-Retail
- Other
- UPC: 884116651444
Alienware Area-51 gaming laptops are engineered for maximum power, packed with innovation, and encased in other-worldly design. By fusing an advanced thermal strategy, increasing airflow and elevating power with Intel Core Ultra HX processors and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 50 Series Laptop GPUs, we're bringing alien-class performance to the most passionate gamers.
- Unapologetic power: Area-51 was intentionally designed to reach new performance horizons by enabling higher graphics and processor power limits.
- Game changing graphics: Step into the future of gaming and creation with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 50 Series Laptop GPUs, powered by NVIDIA Blackwell and AI.
- Intelligent processing: Intel Core Ultra HX processors integrate CPU, built-in GPU, and NPU into a single package designed for AI acceleration and balanced performance across your favorite things to do.
- Introducing the Cryo-Chamber: Developed by our engineers, Area-51’s new Cryo-Chamber structure, located at the bottom of the laptop, focuses air to the core components where it matters the most.
- Bringing comfort to the forefront: Our new Area-51 laptops combine mystery and other-wordly design with fluid contours and soft surfaces that inspires comfortable gameplay for hours.
- Unapologetic power: Area-51 was intentionally designed to reach new performance horizons by enabling higher graphics and processor power limits.
- Game changing graphics: Step into the future of gaming and creation with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 50 Series Laptop GPUs, powered by NVIDIA Blackwell and AI.
- Intelligent processing: Intel Core Ultra HX processors integrate CPU, built-in GPU, and NPU into a single package designed for AI acceleration and balanced performance across your favorite things to do.
- Introducing the Cryo-Chamber: Developed by our engineers, Area-51’s new Cryo-Chamber structure, located at the bottom of the laptop, focuses air to the core components where it matters the most.
- Bringing comfort to the forefront: Our new Area-51 laptops combine mystery and other-wordly design with fluid contours and soft surfaces that inspires comfortable gameplay for hours.
Whats Included
- Alienware 18 Area-51 Laptop
- Power Adapter
- Quick-Start Guide
- Alienware 18 Area-51 Laptop
- Power Adapter
- Quick-Start Guide
Q: Does this unit compatible with PCIe Gen 5 like Samsung pro 9100?
A: Yes,it is compatible with PCIe Gen 5 SSDs, including the Samsung 9100 Pro, provided the SSD uses the M.2 NVMe interface and fits within the laptop’s physical and thermal constraints.
A: XMP is supported, but only for 7200 MT/s configurations. You must enable XMP manually via: BIOS → Performance → Extreme Memory Profile → Enable XMP Profile 1. Or via Alienware Command Center (AWCC). Note: Dell only lists 16GB XMP modules officially (e.g., ADATA AOAV724CSV1-BNLS), so 64GB XMP kits (2×32GB) are not officially validated yet.
Q: Can additional ram be installed?
A: Yes, there are 2 Memory slots. you can replace the existing Memory modules by adding 64 GB: 2 x 32 GB, DDR5, 6400 MT/s, Non-ECC, Non-XMP.
Q: Does this unit have a Thunderbolt connection?
A: Yes, it has 2 X Thunderbolt 4 with DisplayPort Alt Mode/USB Type-C/USB4/Power Delivery.
Q: Does this machine support steam and any game available on steam?
A: Yes, you can install Steam like any other Windows application, and it will run perfectly on this machine. The ability to run games depends on the individual game's system requirements, but based on the specs of this Alienware laptop, it can handle most modern and demanding games with ease.
Q: Does it have dvd optical capability?
A: No, it does not have Optical Disc Drive. We need to use an external Disc Drive
Q: Does this laptop have the mechanical keyboard?
A: No, the laptop uses Low-Profile Keyboard with AlienFX per-key lighting.
A: No, it has WQXGA 300Hz display which does not officially support HDR.
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Alienware Area-51 gaming laptops are engineered for maximum power, packed with innovation, and encased in other-worldly design. By fusing an advanced thermal strategy, increasing airflow and elevating power with Intel Core Ultra HX processors and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 50 Series Laptop GPUs, we're bringing alien-class performance to the most passionate gamers.
The new performance precedent. Alienware Area-51 gaming laptops are engineered for maximum power, packed with innovation, and encased in other-worldly design. By fusing an advanced thermal strategy, increasing airflow and elevating power with Intel Core Ultra HX processors and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 50 Series Laptop GPUs, we're bringing alien-class performance to the most passionate gamers.
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| Pros for Alienware - Area-51 - 18" 2.5K Gaming Laptop - Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX - 32GB Memory - NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti - 2TB Storage - Liquid Teal | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Build Quality, Cooling System, Processor Speed, Port Count, Fan Noise | There were no pros for this product— | Build Quality, Processor Speed, Cooling System, Battery Life, Portability | Processor Speed, Port Count, Cooling System, Overall Performance, Screen Quality |
| Cons for Alienware - Area-51 - 18" 2.5K Gaming Laptop - Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX - 32GB Memory - NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti - 2TB Storage - Liquid Teal | |||
| Weight, Battery Life, Portability | There were no cons for this product— | Fan Noise, Weight | Battery Life, Fan Noise, Weight |
Specs
Reviews
Customer Images
The vast majority of our reviews come from verified purchases. Reviews from customers may include My Best Buy members, employees, and Tech Insider Network members (as tagged). Select reviewers may receive discounted products, promotional considerations or entries into drawings for honest, helpful reviews.
- Rated 5 out of 5 stars
My favorite gaming computer yet.
This Alienware Area 51 Laptop is quite the beast with its build specs. I have been having a blast using it. Lets get into what makes this thing tick. Unboxing- A very minimal design. Just the laptop, power brick and cord, and some documentation. Laptop comes covered in plastic bag and there is a nice felt sheet between the monitor and keyboard. Survived fedex shipping ok. First thing you notice is how big and heavy it is once it is out of the box. The realization of an 18" screen on a laptop takes a minute to get used to. The power brick is sleeker and with the rounded edges, makes it feel not as big as a rectangular brick. Design and features- The first thing I noticed when opening the laptop screen is that the screen feels very solid and sturdy. The opening resistance is a bit tough, but I can see the need for it with such a big screen. There is a lot of room on the keyboard side. The top almost 2 inches above the keyboard is purely cooling fan intake. It makes the keyboard surface feel very spacious and the full keyboard with number pad just fits very well. Peripherals are not too bad. On the left side, there is a full size SD card slot and a microphone jack. The right side has no peripherals at all. On the back is the AC plug in, 2 USB-C ports, 3 USB ports, and an ethernet port. Seems to be in line with what a lot of other manufactures offer. On the top of the lid, there is the alienware logo, which does light up. The camera and the microphone are at the top of the screen and the total bezel size is pretty thick for the screen, but I can just figure that is needed for the best rigidity. Overall very pleased with the build quality. Setup and updates- Besides the standard Windows setup that must be done, once the computer is booted into Windows, There was about 18 new updates waiting for me in Windows Updater. Getting through that was painless, and one of the wonderful things with this laptop is absolutely no bloatware. Alienware kept a very simple windows install and felt great to setup windows and not have pop ups every other minute for bloatware registration. The only thing really pre installed is Microsoft's Solitaire and casual games app. They did such a great job keeping the install clean, that they forgot to pin their own Alienware command center app to the taskbar, and you wouldn't even know it existed if you weren't already familiar with their app. Alienware Command Center- This is the main control panel for custom settings on the laptop. Here you are able to adjust the system performance based on your needs and provides 6 different options. Battery, Quiet, Balanced, Performance, and Overdrive, and Custom. It lets you optimize your games, gives all the stats on your cpu, gpu, fans. You are able to adjust some of the performance settings from here as well as far as overclocking but it overall pretty limited. This is also the place to adjust all of your lighting with AlienFx. You can adjust colors and effects for the alienware logo, the back of the computer, the fans, the touchpad, and of course the keyboard. The customization is pretty cool. I have not seen a lighted touchpad before. You can also access the Dolby settings for the sound through here as well. Keyboard and Touchpad- I love this keyboard. The keys have such a nice button press to them. They feel a bit weighted and solid. I hate feeling like the keys are flimsy and about to fall off, so this feels great. It has a full numpad and the power button is at the top of that. It stays lighted while the computer is on. The top row of keys are all the dual function keys. Some of the highlights are a stealth mode, which turns off all the lighting except the keyboard basic backlight. It also reduced the fan speed for the computer to be more quiet. It also has a high performance button that lights up solid when pressed and the computer switches to its performance mode. The numlock key lights up as well when turned on. There is also separate keys for screen brightness up and down. I love the overall layout of the keyboard. The touchpad has a good feel to it and the clicks feel very solid. It is very responsive. Performance- The brain and heart of this laptop is the Intel Core Ultra 9 275hx (24 cores up to 5.4GHZ) and the Nvidia Geforce RTX 5070ti (12GB). These two paired together makes quite the powerhouse! The downside is that the BIOS is very basic and does not give a lot of options for overclocking, which they want you to handle from in the Alienware command center, but that does not offer a whole lot either. When put up to the test on Cinebench on performance mode (which they consider overclocking), It performed extremely well, but with all 24 cores maxed, it would only push the CPU up to 4.5GHZ. No matter the settings I adjusted, I could not get it to boost over 5GHZ. I am sure I am just missing something, but turning on overclocking in the BIOS, and running it through the command center yielded those results. There may be a mistake in Windows. I noticed that you can adjust power settings in the settings menu, and go to power and battery, and it is set to Best Performance when plugged in, although, If you go to the control panel and go to power options, It shows that the power plan is locked into balanced. This system also has 32GB of Ram running at 6400 MT/s, so this can handle quite a few tasks at once. Running in games, the RTX 5070ti really shines. Displayed on the 300hz, 18" screen; games look gorgeous. I am able to run max settings with optimization off on Doom: The Dark Ages, Cyberpunk,Ready or Not, Forza Motorsport, all with over 100fps. The games run so smooth with no jutter or lag. That is even with 8x aliasing. Battery life- Honestly, this machine is really meant to stay plugged in and I hate to say that for a laptop. The whole purpose is gaming on the go. You can do that, when you move all your setting to medium or low, you can get an hour to 2 hours of gaming time in. It does help having the quick function keys on the keyboard for that, and that is where game optimization comes in handy, as it can adjust all of those specs for you to get you playing the longest with what you have. If you just have the laptop with you for internet browsing, music, youtube, etc., then it is good for 3-5 hours. It does have charging settings so if you leave it plugged in most of the time, it won't cook the battery and wear it down. A quirk- What ever they coated the lid with attracts dust like crazy. I have to wipe off the lid every single day in that it has a layer already on it, and I don't live in a filthy environment. It doesn't really deter my outcome at all because I like to keep things clean anyways. Overall, this is a fantastic computer. It has some quirks. It's not a deal breaker for any of them. I love the minimalist approach for this laptop and the complete lack of bloatware! Thank you!
Posted by Viabledata
- Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Stunning performance and specs in a monster laptop
Having decades of PC and laptop gaming experience, there are a few companies that have been around as long and carry as much weight as Dell’s Alienware line of gaming hardware and peripherals. Alienware’s Area 51 legacy line of laptops is considered their flagship line and has always set the bar in the ever expanding gaming industry and, to many, could be considered what other competitive gaming manufacturers look to for inspiration. Their latest addition arrives with the new Alienware Area 51 18” gaming laptop promising break-neck speed, stunning visuals, and a design that may look familiar until you open the hood. The lid sports a subtle liquid teal finish with the signature light-up Alienware logo, as you would expect, which you can customize to match the other RGB lighting that surround this beast including the keyboard, mouse trackpad, fans and bezel around the ports on the back. The Area 51 combines the latest high performance Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX 24-core 5.4 gigahertz processor, NVIDIA Geforce RTX 5070 Ti graphics card, 2 TB SSD with two additional SSD expansion slots and 32 GB of 6400 MHz DDR5 RAM that come together in unison to provide some of the highest performance I have ever seen in a factory setup. Considering all the hardware stuffed insider the chassis, this Area 51 is quite heavy, weighing at just under ten pounds so it’s not exactly as easily portable as other, smaller, gaming laptops. Obviously there’s a reason for all the weight, not only because of the hardware, but also because of the larger, stunning, 18” 300 Hz LED display with 2560 x 1600 resolution, the AlienFX fans located behind the transparent Gorilla Glass Cryo-Chamber panel on the bottom of the rig quietly pumping out the heat this beast can produce, a full size keyboard with a number pad (which I always miss having on smaller laptops), a large 6-cell 96.0 Wh battery amongst a plethora of other hardware; you would sacrifice many of these features going with a smaller laptop. The chassis, wrapped in a dark liquid teal color, feels very solid and the zero hinge design for the display also feels sturdy. This Area 51 laptop is equipped with the Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX, a 24-core, 24-thread processor capable of boosting up to 5.4 gigahertz able to multitask with ease and handle any amount of work you can throw at it. This is paired with 32 GB of 6400 megahertz DDR5 RAM making the system super responsive when multitasking and ultra-fast load times. Although not their highest model, the NVIDIA Geforce RTX 5070 Ti is still very impressive, delivering desktop-class graphics performance in a portable package. Ray tracing and AI-driven graphics enhancements elevate supported games to cinematic heights, while DLSS 4.0 ensures smooth gameplay even in native QHD+ resolutions. In the benchmarks I ran, the notebook consistently posts frame rates well above 200 fps in popular esports titles and maintains over 100 fps in the latest AAA releases at max settings. In comparison, it also rated higher than many desktop gaming PCs hence why I will be swapping out my PC tower with this rig. After already gaming on it for hours, I’m still taken back by the stunning and smooth graphics it produces without overheating and is surprisingly very quiet in comparison to some gaming laptops I have used in the past. The Area 51 has numerous ports including two USB-C Thunderbolt ports, 3 USB Type-A 3.2 Gen 1 ports (one with PowerShare), one HDMI 2.1 output, a RJ-45 Killer E5000 ethernet port on the back side and a full-size SD card slot and headset jack on the side of the rig. Wireless connectivity is top-tier, with the integrated Wi-Fi 7 card providing low-latency connections even in crowded networks, and Bluetooth 5.3 ensuring compatibility with a range of peripherals. It is also compatible with the latest Wi-Fi 7 technology. One thing I would like to mention is how loud and crisp the speakers are considering they are built into the laptop. They have Dolby Atmos support capable of delivering immersive sound with crisp highs, punchy mids, and surprisingly robust bass. Whether gaming, watching movies, or listening to music, the experience is rich and room-filling. The built-in microphone array and 1080p IR webcam provide excellent clarity for streaming and video conferencing, complete with noise cancellation and Windows Hello facial recognition for added security and convenience. The Area 51 comes preinstalled with the Alienware Command Center software that remains the central hub for system management, letting users tune performance, lighting and more with intuitive controls. Fortunately, the bloatware is minimal can be easily uninstalled if you prefer. This Alienware Area 51 18” 300 Hz gaming notebook still stands atop as one of their flagship models for portable gaming combining some of the best hardware and tech capable of delivering unrelenting performance suited for both gamers and content creators. If you demand the best and want to make a hefty investment that should still keep up with the latest technology for a few years, this just might be the machine for you.
Posted by Grouticus
- Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Heavy, but great for gaming
Very impressed with the performance and build quality of this laptop. I have had other gaming laptops by other brands and while they worked well the build quality left a lot to be desired. This Alienware feels top notch! The hinges for the screen seem strong and keep the monitor in place but is still easy to open. The overall design of this laptop is very nice and looks pretty streamlined. The laptop seemed well protected in the box that it was shipped in so no damage could happen. The box and laptop are heavy, I thought this was just because of the box and packaging, but the laptop itself its very heavy and you need two hands to pick it up. With a gaming laptop you give up the light weight of a traditional laptop. I would not recommend getting this if you plan to run around a college campus with it as it weighs too much and would be difficult to lug around. If you need to occasionally need to bring it with you then it will be totally fine. The size of this laptop is great for gaming. I was able to setup the laptop on my coffee table and sit on the couch and play games. The screen is large enough to see everything (screen clarity is fantastic and bright), and playing games from the comfort of my couch was very nice. You will need to bring the charging brick if gaming as the battery only lasted about an hour before power was severely reduced making the game glitch. When plugged in games ran fantastic and I had absolutely no issues running games for hours on end. The fans did spool up and did run at full speed, while they were louder than a regular laptop, I was impressed with how quiet they actually where. With my other gaming laptop, when the fans spooled up you could hear it from the other room. This Alienware provided sufficient cooling while still being quiet and I could still hear the game from the built in speakers. While I'm not blown away by the built in speakers, they do work well, and everything is clear and easy to hear. They just do not provide booming sound but for casual gaming they will be fine, but headphones would be better. The keyboard is easy to type on with even if you have larger fingers, and the mouse pad is also good to use. I really like that the mouse pad lights up and can mimic the lighting affect that is on the keyboard. You can adjust all of the lighting from the keyboard/mouse pad, fans, Alienware logo, and even the thermal shelf can be adjusted. I like lighting so it's fun to be able to customize the colors to my liking. Battery life is fine for everyday use and I'm getting about 3 hours with normal use. I did not adjust any settings, but I'm sure you could make it a little longer by reducing screen brightness, disabling the lighting effects, etc. If you plan to play games on battery, think again. I was able to get about an hour of game play before power management reduced everything down as the battery was at 20%. This laptop uses a lot of power because of the graphics card, screen, processer, etc. While I was hoping for a little longer on battery while gaming, I'm not going to fault it for only lasting an hour. So, carrying the power brick around is a must, thankfully it isn't super heavy and is slim to fit into a bag easily. Overall, I really do like this laptop and that it plays all my games with ease! The built in Alienware software works perfectly and is actually useful.
Posted by apalmo
