Customer Ratings & Reviews

As many PC gamers understand, getting your hands on an nVidia RTX video card has been next-to-impossible or extremely costly. I discovered the only way to reliably and affordably get one was to order a pre-built system and include an RTX card in the build. While researching many of the better-known pre-built offerings, I took a look at Alienware's line-up. I was surprised to find I could get an Aurora R12, equipped with a GTX 3080 (or 3090, if I had wanted to go that crazy!) and other cutting-edge components (CPU, RAM, etc.) for a lower price than ANY other provider. In fact, I ended up getting a BETTER CPU, a level-up on the video card I was looking at (a 3080 instead of a 3070), faster RAM, and a beefier power supply for SEVERAL HUNDRED DOLLARS LESS than the nearest competitor. Needless to say, I pulled the trigger. Not only did the system ship SOONER than estimated (another pleasant surprise), but it arrived in a pristinely-packed box, protecting my investment. Although I have always built my own systems, I have to admit the Aurora R12 looks pretty nice and discrete sitting on my desk. When I powered it on and worked through the setup process, I found the built-in Alienware apps to actually be useful (imagine that), with a great UX/design. Using the system now for over a week, I've been thoroughly impressed by the performance - no hitches yet! Excellent air flow and overclocking controls via the Alienware apps. Overall, an excellent way to get into a new RTX card, with a faster build-out and shipping time and at a more affordable price than anywhere else I could find. This is a highly recommended route to take if you're looking for an RTX card that isn't priced at some multiple of the MSRP, and you're willing and able to consider an entirely new build

This is you plan B for getting and NVIDIA RTX 3000 series graphics card. Out of the box this is an all around good worker. It's slightly less expensive than the builds that ship directly from Dell and it's less of a wait if Best Buy has it in stock because the lead times from Dell are some times weeks to months. There are some nice things about the Best Buy builds of the R12's, the RTX cards, the RTX cards, and the RTX cards. If you have to get a world class video card this is your ticket. The other parts in this machine are sub par. There's also a single bank of RAM where a 2 banks is needed. The CPU fan is almost an after thought. The case is pretty and so is that RTX 3070.

If you want to plug and play and not push limits, this pc will work for you. If you are bothered by thermal throttling and the dip in performance that causes, build your own. The GPU is a beast (OEM, but it's a 3070), the CPU is a great chip but it is let down by the poor thermals and cramped conditions inside. 1 stick of RAM also hinders it, so be prepared to buy another stick and hope you can get it to match or a dual channel kit ready to go (it's picky about RAM). MOBO is Dell OEM, nothing great but nothing terrible. If this case was bigger or had decent CPU cooling (water) it would be 5 stars. Single channel RAM (it's 2021) and a CPU that gets punished for doing its job well brings it down. The storage element you can figure out, but the 256GB SSD is eaten quickly and the 1TB is a mechanical one that also blocks airflow.

This is an amazing computer! I don't get the negative reviews. Of course the case could be better from a thermal perspective but you aren't getting it if you want the best thermals, you are getting it because it's an Alienware. Now with that being said, the thermal's are good for standard gaming. If you are overclocking, mining, etc then its prob not the computer for you. I will say that on the negative side of things - the power supply is not the best (swapped that out), the processor cooler is VERY basic but seems to do the job, and the fans could be better quality although again, they do the job and are not loud like everyone else has said (beyond any other air cooled case I have had). Now the biggest negative - the size for a video card. I had a 3080 I was going to swap in to this case and sell the 3070 it came with but it was a NO GO! Only a very shallow blower type card will work in this case (which actually wouldn't be a bad fit for the case). I am going to stick with the 3070 for now and when things calm down a bit look in to a blower style 3080 that fits. Really, the only way to fit a standard size card (the Alienware cards are custom and smaller) is to remove the case fan or replace with a slim 15mm one which I wouldn't recommend (and there really isn't another place to put the case fan). Oh yea and the 256GB SSD - its fast as hell, but 256GB come on! And then a mechanical 1TB HD in addition? NO WAY! I swapped that out too for a SSD slimline drive (there are two trays) and tossed that mechanical in the trash. Anyway - right now this is the best way to get a 3000 series card. And it looks fantastic!

Lots of people are trashing this PC, but I think it's a good one and here's why. I've had several Alienware products over the years and like the build quality. I'm also one of the few who actually likes the Alienware Command Center. So I picked this up to use as my main desktop. There are a few things you need to upgrade: the RAM and the storage. I replaced the 16gb single stick with 2 sticks of 16gb--totalling 32gb. I also removed the hard drive and replaced it with a 2.5" SSD in the same place (held to the blue bracket with tape). In addition, I replace the 256gb ssd with a 1TB ssd. Lots of people say to get the liquid cooler for the CPU. But it is not needed. Just go into Alienware Command Center and put it on "performance". That's it. It will increase the speed of the 3 fans inside. I have noticed no problems with gaming or any other tasks since doing this. The only downside I see is that the power supply is only 550 and that means you can't safely replace the 3070 with a 3080 if needed in the future. You would also have to replace the power supply. But the 3070 is enough for almost anyone. It is also much quieter than the 3080. The upgrades will run $300+/-. It will turn this into an amazing machine.

Bought this because it was the only way to get a decent graphics card. Here is the money that I had to spend to get it running properly: $60 - Corsair H60 Water Cooling. The original pics of this had a water cooled R11, they have since removed the pics. That was funny but when I threatened to return it the store manager gave me a retroactive discount. $40 - VRM heatsink from Ebay - The heatsink that comes on the machine covers the CPU and VRM. When you switch to water cooling, you have to buy a separate heatsink for the VRM. Dell said they were out of the part for months, so I had to procure one on ebay and pay a premium. $90 - Three Corsair Pro 120MM Fans - One to add above the H60 Radiator for a push/pull configuration, one to replace the front fan, and one to put where the HDD was, as that had to be replaced for airflow, plus who wants an HDD in a gaming build? $10 - Two fan splitter cables to install said fans $230 - 2TB Crucial SATA SSD to replace the lost space from removing the HDD. $230 - 32 GB Crucial RAM kit. The unit comes with one stick of single channel 3466mhz RAM that Dell doesnt even sell on their website, the only way you can match it is finding someone on ebay who bought the same machine. It took me 3 kits to get one that actually worked as Dell machines are very finicky with RAM. In addition, the ram is BIOS locked into gear 2 which leaves it with extremely high latency. Dell might or might not be working on a bios fix. There is a 50-page thread on the Alienware forum regarding the issue. So after spending an additonal $750+ and a decent amount of time doing the upgrades to get it running properly, I have a decent machine. Temps on CPU stay around 60 while gaming and GPU around 70, so not too bad. I can push the limits of the 3070, it does 4k 60FPS or 1440p 144FPS on AAA games pretty easily. I am not sure if the RAM latency issue is really affecting my performance that much.

Excellent middle-sized gaming rig, with cooling issues. Alienware has its own command center which allows you to overclock your CPU and GPU. The problem with the smaller form factor is that there is not any space for larger graphics cards that are non-OEM and lack of air movement can cause issues with keeping the rig cool. My matching cane with a fan-cooled CPU and no heatsink on the VRAM chips (which tend to overheat). I changed that out for a Corsair H-60 water cooler and added Corsair ML120 Pro fans as a replacement for the factory fans, plus bought some mini heat sinks for the VRAM. If you are going to do anything high-end on this machine, then I would recommend buying a pre-build with a water-cooled CPU as a start

After buying this due to wanting to upgrade my GPU and just wanting to get something nice I landed on this. I took the reviews with a grain of salt like I would anything but boy did I mess up. The first day I had this it ran alright not to many issues but did have some trouble with some games (Outirders, Hood, and others). With this I wasn't expecting much maybe the drivers weren't updated or something. Anyways I updated the drives and this resolved the issue.... or so I thought. Now day three sounds like some of the fans in the case aren't wanting to run as my games keep crashing and there is a buzzing sound coming from inside. I have to till the machine a little bit on the side to get it to up properly. I don't know what to do with it now other then to take it back. I mean my other desktop ran better than this hunk of junk now. Buyer beware don't waste your time or money on this even if it's just for parts in the market we are in just build your own.

Only thing worthwhile is the GPU and CPU. System has poor cooling in terms of having one input fan and one output fan. The CPU fan is terrible. The ram is only single channel making the motherboard obsolete. Sad because this has potential to be a good rig but Dell insists on building computer cases with more flare than airflow. Do not buy unless you are just trying to get a 3000 series card.

If you are looking for a gaming ready PC then this is one of the best options you have for the price. It come with a RTX 3070 which is very, very hard to get at retail price. Yeah thermals may be an issue this is still a better cost than to over pay to build your own. You can always use scavenge the part you need and build your own for much cheaper

The only problem I have with this build is the 256 GB SSD. At the end of the day people look to Alienware desktops for gaming. After you install 1-2 games the hard drive is full. With 1TB NVME hard drives costing $99 today they this $2,000 should have definitely come with one.

I'm giving it a 5 based on overall value. Right out of the box however, buy a matching 16gb stick of ram and an SSD. Makes a world of difference. I recommend hyperx 3466mhz to match stock ram and 2TB Samsung EVO. Also, stock fan values are set to high. Use Alienware Cmd center to adjust for lower better cooling. P.s. some people are giving bad reviews so they can buy them.

I got this PC to replace another that had failed and it is very fast. The rtx 3070 is a powerful GPU and all of my games play with excellent graphics. I have had no issues with this PC as of yet and think it is a great choice for an gaming PC, especially with its Intel CPU and GPU combination. It has two 2.5 inch tool less expansion bays for SATA SSDs in the bottom of the case as well. Overall, I am very satisfied with my purchase and expect this machine to last me for many years.

Alien ware 3070 R12 and I7 intel chip...Just awesome for the price! Retired my old computer!

There was a lot of bad reviews on this machine that I saw before I bought it. I must say that maybe I’m the lucky one Because I have had 0 issues out of this amazing desktop runs all my games at amazing frame rates right out of the box no issues with the fans or heating issues. I love my new Alienware and the 3070 is a beast!!

i9 would have been a better option, but I purchased out of need

I really enjoy using this system, even with putting a load on the CPU and graphics card the system remains cool and quiet. Would definitely recommend this to the occasional gamer.

Great PC that comes with a 3070. That by itself made the PC worth it

Great computer and good price with a rtx 3k series gpu with the current shortage going on.

FYI - the Aurora R12 cannot run the RAM as spec. Google the issue. I returned the R12 because the BIOS is not properly configured, and there is a major RAM bottleneck. The CPU and GPU are great, but cannot run with hamstrung ram. Also upgrading memory in these machines is a nightmare. Stay away from Dell / Alienware.