Alienware Area-51 Returns: Enhanced Style, Power, and Cooling

Dell announced the highly anticipated return of the iconic Alienware Area-51 gaming laptop at CES 2025, and it's now available for order. You can choose between two sizes: the 16" model, starting at $3,199.99, and the 18" model, starting at $3,399.99. As expected from Alienware's flagship laptop, the Area-51 is equipped with cutting-edge components, including the latest Intel Core Ultra 9 CPU and NVIDIA Blackwell GPU. Orders are set to ship starting April 30, so make sure to place your reservation to avoid any delays.

The Alienware Area-51 Gaming Laptop Is Now Available

Alienware 16 Area-51 Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX RTX 5080 Gaming Laptop

$3,199.99 at Alienware

Alienware 18 Area-51 Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX RTX 5080 Gaming Laptop

$3,399.99 at Alienware

Both the 16" and 18" Area-51 gaming laptops are available in a single configuration featuring the Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX CPU paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 GPU. The Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX boasts an impressive max turbo frequency of 5.4GHz, 24 cores, and 40MB of total L2 cache. According to Passmark, this is the fastest laptop processor on the market, outpacing the AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX3D by 7%. Coupled with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 mobile GPU, which, according to VideoCardz.com, is about 16% more powerful than the RTX 4080, you're looking at a powerhouse that can handle any game at high framerates on its QHD+ display, thanks to DLSS 4.0 compatibility.

The base configurations come with your choice of a 16" or 18" QHD+ display with a refresh rate ranging from 240Hz to 300Hz and G-Sync certification, 32GB of DDR5-6400MHz RAM, and a 1TB M.2 SSD. You can also upgrade to 64GB of RAM and a 2TB SSD for both models.

The Area-51: New Style, More Power, Better Cooling

For 2025, the Alienware Area-51 gaming laptop introduces a sleek magnesium alloy chassis with enhanced cooling to manage the latest high-performance components. The cooling system features more fans, larger cutouts for improved airflow, increased use of copper, and a new thermal interface material that efficiently dissipates heat from the core components. Dell claims the laptop can handle a power ceiling of up to 240W TDP without increasing noise levels.

The design of the Area-51 showcases smooth contours with rounded edges and soft corners, departing from the traditional squared-off look. The hinges are cleverly positioned internally, making them almost invisible. As expected from an Alienware laptop, there are extensive options for RGB LED customization. Connectivity includes three USB Type-A 3.2 15Gbps ports (one with PowerShare), two Thunderbolt / USB Type-C ports, an HDMI 2.1 port, and a card reader. The 16" model weighs 7.5 pounds, while the 18" model weighs 9.6 pounds.

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