Dell has officially relaunched the iconic Alienware Area-51 gaming laptop, first unveiled at CES 2025, and it's now available for purchase. You can choose between two sizes: the 16" model, starting at $3,199.99, and the larger 18" model, starting at $3,399.99. Both models come equipped with cutting-edge hardware, featuring the latest Intel Core Ultra 9 CPU and NVIDIA Blackwell GPU. If you're eager to get your hands on one, make sure to place your order soon—shipping is set to begin on April 30.
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
Currently, both the 16" and 18" Area-51 gaming laptops are available in a single configuration, featuring the Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX CPU and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 GPU. The Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX is a powerhouse with a max turbo frequency of 5.4GHz, 24 cores, and 40MB of L2 cache. According to Passmark, it's the fastest laptop processor available, outperforming the AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX3D by 7%. Paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080, which is reportedly 16% more powerful than the RTX 4080 based on 3DMark Time Spy benchmarks from VideoCardz.com, this laptop is set to deliver exceptional gaming performance, especially with DLSS 4.0 compatibility for high framerates on QHD+ displays.
The base configurations include a choice between a 16" or 18" QHD+ display with refresh rates ranging from 240Hz to 300Hz and G-Sync certification, 32GB of DDR5-6400MHz RAM, and a 1TB M.2 SSD. Both models offer upgrade options to 64GB of RAM and a 2TB SSD.
The Area-51: New Style, More Power, Better Cooling
The 2025 Alienware Area-51 gaming laptop boasts a sleek magnesium alloy chassis and enhanced cooling systems to manage the heat from its high-performance components. The design includes additional fans, larger cutouts for improved airflow, increased copper usage, and a new thermal interface material for efficient heat dissipation. Dell claims the laptop can handle a power ceiling of up to 240W TDP without increasing noise levels.
The Area-51's design features smooth contours with rounded edges and soft corners, moving away from the typical squared-off look of other laptops. The hinges are mostly internal, making them nearly invisible. As expected from Alienware, there are plenty of RGB LED lighting customization options. For connectivity, you get 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 is heavier at 9.6 pounds.
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