Alienware - Aurora Gaming Desktop - Intel Core Ultra 9 Series 2 285K 2024 - 32GB Memory - NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 16GB - 2TB Storage - Black

I would like to start by saying BB priced matched the sale for this PC on microcenter. I saved over $1000 this way. For the price I paid, this is a steal. If you’re paying full MSRP, I’d suggest looking for a different brand of pre built. Cons: 1. Proprietary build. Not entirely, but the motherboard and power supply might not be straight forward upgrades. This motherboard only supports Intel Arrow Lake chips I believe. 2. Lack of RGB customization: the RGB can only be controlled by AlienFX. You probably won’t be able to use SignalRGB with this. Still customizable but you can’t put fancy animation effects. You also may not be able to sync the PC’s RGB with your peripherals. 3. Processor: The processor is top tier for productivity but compared to AMDs x3D chips, it’s a little slower in gaming. 4. Alienware command center still sucks 5. Power supply cable can feel low quality PROS: ALOT OF PROS 1. 5080… retails for around $1400. $1400 is 63% of what I paid for this whole PC. $800 almost for the rest of the components is a steal. 2. Newer motherboard so it comes with WIFI 7. This is much faster than a WiFi 6 PC I tested. Also does not need a wired antenna. Cleaner setup 3. Processor might be slower than X3D but this is still a top tier processor for any task. 4. Cooling: the AIO seems to be liquid cooled and temps stay very low. It’s also quiet. I’ve never heard fan noise unless I do a fan stress test. 5. Performance: you basically max settings and forget. Only in cyberpunk I saw some stutter but that’s after the game went beyond 16gb VRAM usage. Im getting 1440p 280hz (monitors max) on Dota, CS. 1440p 140-180fps in graphic intense games with DLSS on. 6. NVIDIA card: nvidia has been integrated with games for so long. DLSS is magic and much better than AMD’s FSR. 7. Smaller form factor: compared to other cases, this is smaller. Takes less desk space for me. 8. There are more than enough ports for charging and plugging in peripherals. The motherboards functionality is honestly great. 9. Aesthetically, it’s really neat. It’s got gamer charm but also a clean look if you want to go stealth. I got the bestbuy total membership to have free protection plans for my PC and any peripherals I buy. Once again, try to find a sale on this PC and it’s a great option. If you are buying this full price at around $3400, look at other pre builts which will be easier to upgrade in the future. Im comparing this PC to a 9070xt 9800x3d pre built from another brand. I liked this more and the price difference is non existent with the deal i got.

This Alienware gaming PC has been perfect for both my gaming and family needs. As a casual gamer, it does exactly what I need — from playing Call of Duty: Warzone smoothly to running my Steam library without issues. My son loves using it too for games like Space Engine, Totally Accurate Battle Simulator, and Minecraft. It’s powerful enough for gaming, but also great for work, school, and everyday internet use. The design is sleek, and I love being able to customize the RGB lighting to match my setup. I also picked up the upgraded Alienware full keyboard, and the RGB integration with the Alienware app is an added bonus that makes the whole experience even better. Overall, this PC has been an excellent choice for both family use and gaming. It’s reliable, customizable, and delivers great performance across the board. Highly recommend it for anyone looking for a powerful yet versatile setup.

I wanted a top end gaming rig, and I wanted a 10Gb ethernet connection, but I could not find one I wanted. I looked at the on-line manual and saw that the motherboard listed 2 PCI-e x4 slots just below the PCI-e x16 slot. I knew the graphics card would need to go in the PCI-e x16 slot, and that the RTX 5080 would cover the slot beside it, but second x4 slot should be available and would be all I needed to install a 10Gb ethernet card. I was very upset when I saw that there are no PCI-e x4 slots on the motherboard. I had a card I would have been able to use if the slot existed. I took pictures with the side of the case off showing the general layout and a bit closer so you can see that there is no PCI-e x4 slot where there should be according to the on-line manual (image included with the missing slot circled in red). It was very easy to add a second M.2 SSD, and I was happy that the Wi-Fi card was also a M.2 card for easy future upgrades. My overall connection speed is higher running on my Wi-Fi 7 connection, but the ping and lag is a bit more, the 2.5Gb ethernet port is more stable. I will probably need to get a USB-C to 10 Gb ethernet adapter to get the speed I want. The other annoying thing about doing that is that there is only 1 of the USB-C ports that is rated at 20 Gbps; the rest are all 10 Gbps. With the cost of this machine, I would have expected a 40 Gbps port at a minimum, and possibly an 80 Gbps port. This machine is very limited if you want to do any kind of expansion with cutting edge components, but it does a decent job playing on-line, graphic intensive gaming. If I had known there was no PCI-e x4 slot, I would not have made this purchase, but I am enjoying gaming with this computer.

My son wanted to start playing FS24. I wanted to rebuild my old PC but ended up getting this and it is really great value. Since this is not an AMD machine, I decided to pair it with the samsung g75 40" 5k2k instead of the LG 45" oled since I decided to use it for productivity purposes. Great for use on both gaming and productivity.

This is one of the best desktops I've ever used by far, nothing competes with the the graphics and fps you can achieve with a top tier gaming monitor. I have a 45 inch 5k2k monitor and this computer works flawlessly with any game that has demanding graphics.