Alienware is reviving the gaming brand that established it as a familiar name among gamers during the 1990s and early 2000s with the introduction of the Area 51 gaming PC and Area 51 gaming laptops at CES 2025.
The revamped lineup was last observed with the Alienware Area 51m gaming laptop, which saw its most recent update in 2020, while the Area 51 desktop received its last update in 2017.
Besides its Area 51 series, on the laptop front, Alienware has launched several generations of X-series, M-series, and unbranded Alienware laptops, ranging from 11.6 to 18 inches in size. Meanwhile, for several years, the Alienware Aurora series has been supporting the desktop segment since the discontinuation of the Area 51 desktop.
Now, both laptops and desktops will be referred to simply as Area 51, with an accompanying R number assigned when the devices are updated with newer hardware and designs in the coming years.
A legendary desktop series makes a comeback
The Area 51 desktop was last spotted in 2017 when the Area 51 R4 was revealed at E3, and the new Area 51 tower is returning to its origins as a workspace for PC components, featuring an impressive 80L capacity and designed for upgradability.
The case will also incorporate a positive pressure airflow design that expels hot air from the back of the case without the need for an exhaust fan, assisting in minimizing noise during heavy use.
This PC will also employ AIO liquid cooling for the CPU, available with either 360mm or 240mm radiators, with ample space to accommodate a 420mm radiator if you opt to upgrade.
The available configurations will differ as they presently do with the Alienware Aurora series, but configurations will allow for up to 64GB DDR5-6400 RAM, up to 8TB storage, and up to Nvidia RTX 5080 graphics cards when the PC launches in Q1 2025. The starting price has yet to be announced, but the launch configuration is anticipated to be around $4,500 (approximately £3,600/AU$6,750).
Alienware Area 51 laptops
Regarding mobile gaming, the Alienware Area 51 gaming laptops will be offered in two sizes, 16-inch and 18-inch, and will be capable of being configured with up to an Intel Core Ultra 285HX processor and Nvidia RTX 5090 GPU, boasting a total power profile of 280W.
All that power is bound to produce significant heat; hence, the chassis has undergone redesign to enhance airflow over the components by as much as 37% while being roughly 15% quieter (according to Alienware).
There are also various design and aesthetic features, such as the underglow beneath the keyboard produced by the bottom RGB fan (this adds to the RGB illumination for the keys themselves).
The Area 51 laptops will be the first from Alienware to facilitate PCIe 5.0 SSDs, with configurations available up to 12TB.
The Area 51 laptops are scheduled for release later in Q1 2025, with some premium configurations starting around $3,200 (approximately £2,560/AU$4,800), ultimately reaching a starting price of about $1,999 (approximately £1,600/AU$3,000) as more entry-level laptop configurations are introduced.