Pros: Dual ATI Radeon HD 5870 video cards. 2GB Video Ram. 1.2TB Hard Drive. 24x DVD RW drive.
Cons: Dual 7200 RPM Hard Drives come stock with 16MB cache. You’ll have to overclock the stock CPU yourself.
The Verdict: Clearly the cream of the crop, with nice upgrade options available for all performance aspects, including liquid cooled Quad Core CPU.
Overall Rating
Alienware produces the de facto archetypes for ultra-high performance gaming computers and their Alienware Area-51 ALX is the current epitome of the class. Every aspect of this computer screams performance beginning with the matte black anodized aluminum housing complete with the illuminated image of the actual aliens that many earthlings believe are housed in the Nevada desert’s super-secret Area-51. Nearly infinite other lighting combinations can be achieved across several zones of the case using the AlienFX feature to complete the effect. The ultimate in cool lighting may just be the eerily ominous color that can be made to emanate from beneath the fins on the chassis’ top that automatically open and close, ostensibly to dissipate heat though, more realistically, to complete the visual impression.
The dramatic exterior gives just a hint of the power that’s housed within. Attention has been given to every detail that makes a gaming powerhouse that serious gamers demand. The base model will blow any game away that it encounters but, if that’s not enough, just about every aspect of the computer can be upgraded to meet any user’s most outrageous fantasy,
Video/Audio:
When talking about extreme gaming performance, the most critical component is the computer’s video card. Any display can be met head on with the dual 1GB GDDR5 ATI Radeon HD 5870 CrossfireX cards that are part of this exceptional system. The fast cards allow higher graphics frame rates at true high definition resolution. The second card increases performance even farther with more realistic images, smoother motion and quicker transitions. It also makes it possible to power up to four distinct digital displays so you can keep up with other aspects of life while remaining immersed in the action.
For most people, including power hungry gaming aficionados, the included video cards will be perfectly adequate. Still, for those who demand even more they can be upgraded to dual 1.8GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 295 SLI cards or all the way up to dual 2GB GDDR5 ATI Radeon HD 5970 CrossfireX enabled cards.
The standard sound set up has integrated 7.1 surround sound audio. It can be enhanced with the addition of the Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium sound card.
Processor:
The heart of any computer, whether for gaming or more mundane pursuits, is the CPU. The Area-51 ALX comes with a blazing Intel Core i7 960 quad core processor that runs at 3.2GHz and features 8MB of intelligent cache, the largest available on any PC. It will keep cache allocation optimized avoiding bottlenecks when system requirements are at their greatest. Quad core architecture allows for eight simultaneous processing threads to make the most of multitasking requirements. The processor can even overclock to a remarkable 3.6GHz while maintaining a stable gaming and multitasking environment.
Not surprisingly, the base processor can be upgraded for even more ravenous users. The first step up is to the Extreme Edition Intel Core i7 975 which is also a quad core chip with 8MB cache but running at a snappier 3.33GHz.Want still more? You’re covered. There are two factory overclocked Intel i7 975 Extreme Edition Quad Core processors available. One runs at 3.73GHz while the other blazes 3.86GHz.
Now all of this power is bound to create substantial heat so the unit is equipped with a liquid cooling system. Liquid cooling is far more effective at removing component damaging and performance robbing heat but is far quieter than heatsinks and fans that are found on lesser machines. There’s also active venting, motorized vents located on the enclosures top that can be programmed to open automatically as the action heats up. They promise greater airflow in high performance usage but we think the liquid cooling does the job nicely. That said, they really look rad.
Memory:
All that processor power is for naught without equivalently impressive RAM memory. The Alienware Area-51 ALX’s standard package is equipped with a whopping 6GB of DDR3 1333MHz RAM in the form of three 2GB sticks. It can be double to a phenomenal 12GB if DDR3 1333MHz tri channel memory with three 4GB sticks.
A massive 1.2TB of storage are provided by two 640GB SATA-II, 7,200 RPM hard disc drives with 16MB of cache. That can be increased to 1.5TB by substituting two 750GB drives that otherwise have the same specs. The next level of upgrade is to a full 2TB which comes in the form of two 1TB SATA-II HDDs running at the same 7,200 RPMs but boasting 32MB cache.
For less storage but greater data access speeds, users can opt for two 300GB SATA-II HDDs, a total of 600GB, running at a much faster 10,000 RPM or forego hard drives altogether with two 256GB solid state drives for a total of 512GB of storage totally devoid of moving parts.
A variety of secondary storage volumes are available in addition to those described above. They include standard drives standard drives running at 7,200 or 10,000 RPM speeds or high performance drives with integrated data security.
Additional Features:
The Alienware Area-51 ALX comes equipped with a 24x CD/DVD reader/burner with double layer burn capability. It can be upgraded to an optical drive which will also play Blu-rays discs and even further to a unit that can burn Blu-ray discs as well. Massive power is supplied by the 1,000 watt power supply and the whole thing is held together by an Asus P6T WS Pro motherboard. The rig doesn’t include a monitor but does come with an Alienware TactX mouse and keyboard. Windows 7 Home Premium is the included OS.
Support/Warranty:
Alienware customers benefit from Dell’s well known customer support. Online support includes an active user community, driver update downloads and both email and live chat features. There’s an included one-year warranty plan that can be augmented by up to a four-year plan. Advanced in home service is available for a premium charge.
Summary:
When dedicated gamers and neophytes alike think of top end gaming super computers, it’s likely that Alienware is the mark that comes to mind. The Area-51 ALX combines the company’s legendary experience with cutting edge hardware to afford an intense gaming experience that few can rival. Sure, the device is pretty expensive, but it packs a huge wallop for the money and is a must consider for extreme gamers.
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