Replacing My Work Pc With This Dell Laptop Was One Of My Best Decisions - And It's On Sale

ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• The Alienware 18 Area-51 usually retails for $3,199.
• It is simply a gaming laptop that delivers an unbelievable capacity acknowledgment to its powerful hardware and arsenic powerful cooling system.
• Traveling pinch nan machine will beryllium difficult because of its weight; you'll besides person to salary rather a spot for nan system.

On Dell's website, nan Alienware 18 Area-51 pinch a GeForce RTX 5080 graphics paper is connected waste for $3,200. while nan RTX 5090 exemplary is $800 off.

Alienware 18 Area-51 is simply a very fitting sanction for this machine because it is retired of this world. It's a high-end gaming laptop that tin double arsenic a powerful activity machine. It's for illustration if nan Alienware m16 R2 from 2024 deed nan gym; this is simply a very beefy computer. 

It sports an 18-inch WQXGA solution (2,560 x 1,600 pixels) display. Although nan deficiency of a 4K surface whitethorn beryllium disappointing, I didn't mind it truthful overmuch because it has an unthinkable refresh complaint of 300Hz and a consequence clip of 3ms for ace soft gameplay. 

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Below nan surface is simply a Cherry MX mechanical keyboard. I fell successful emotion pinch it nan infinitesimal I began typing. The cardinal presses are responsive, nan buttons are comfortable, and they moreover person a clicky consciousness that I enjoy. I didn't deliberation it was imaginable to replicate mechanical keyboards connected laptops because of their size, but it seems this was imaginable connected nan Alienware 18 since it's truthful big.

Powerful performance

My reappraisal portion contained an Intel Core Ultra 9 275Hx processor, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 graphics card, and 64GB of memory. This is technically nan astir powerful laptop I've tested each year, truthful it should present capacity matching its high-end hardware. However, according to nan benchmark tests, it performed astatine astir nan aforesaid level arsenic nan MSI Raider 18 HX. Below is simply a benchmark array comparing nan champion results of nan 2 machines.

Even if nan Area-51 laptop falls down successful definite tests, it is still a formidable machine tin of handling reliable imaginative workloads for illustration video editing, euphony production, and 3D modeling. Music creation is further helped by nan speaker system, which consists of 2 woofers and 2 tweeters, fine-tuned by Dolby Atmos.

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Needless to say, nan instrumentality excels astatine gaming. I was capable to tally respective AAA titles astatine maximum graphical settings without a hitch. And considering really galore modern titles are terribly unoptimized, that's really saying something.

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One important characteristic gives nan Alienware 18 nan separator complete nan Raider 18 arsenic a activity machine, and it's thing nan Alienware m16 R2 besides had: Stealth Mode. By pressing F7 connected nan keyboard, Stealth Mode converts nan keyboard's RGB lighting into plain white. It moreover turns disconnected nan touchpad's backlighting for a much subtle look that fits amended successful an agency setting.

What impressed maine nan most

As awesome arsenic nan hardware was during testing, it wasn't what impressed maine nan most. I already knew it was going to execute incredibly well. What really knocked my socks disconnected was nan cooling system. Gaming laptops, arsenic you astir apt know, tin tally really hot, and high-end components request a batch of energy.

Cesar Cadenas/ZDNET

Many caller gaming laptops person robust cooling systems, but nary are arsenic effective arsenic nan Cyro-Chamber connected nan Alienware 18. It's a enclosure located connected nan bottommost of nan machine that draws successful aerial to cool down cardinal areas while besides propping up nan laptop to beforehand amended airflow.

What's really cool (pun intended) is that you tin really spot nan fans astatine work. There's a solid sheet complete it wherever you tin spot nan laptop's internals. Don't interest astir it breaking since it's made retired of Gorilla Glass.

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In summation to nan Cyro-Chamber, nan machine has 4 fans targeting "aggressive hotspots", 7 copper power pipes, "encapsulated gallium-silicon" complete nan processor, and six power vents astir nan broadside and back. Having each these cooling components connected 1 laptop seems excessive, but they are captious to enjoying this device.

Cesar Cadenas/ZDNET

Even erstwhile I had a video crippled moving astatine its highest graphical settings, nan Alienware 18 ne'er ran hot. At most, it became a small warm, but I could ever comfortably spot my manus connected nan keyboard.

Its instrumentality tin go noisy, though it depends connected nan scenario. While playing "Monster Hunter Wilds", nan fans kicked successful erstwhile nan in-game area saw dense rain, and location were a batch of creatures moving around. Apart from definite situations, they're beautiful quiet.

An area for improvement

The Alienware 18 Area-51 laptop is amended than astir desktops connected nan market. Even if you're not a gamer, I still highly urge nan instrumentality to imaginative professionals who request a powerful instrumentality for 3D modeling, video editing, aliases package development. Its precocious level of capacity cannot beryllium understated.

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There is 1 important facet astir nan Alienware 18 that makes it difficult to recreation pinch -- it's heavy, and I mean, heavy. The machine unsocial weighs 9.56 pounds, and nan 360W powerfulness adapter weighs 2.2 pounds. So, together, that's astir 12 pounds successful total, and you will request that powerfulness adapter connected hand. This instrumentality doesn't past very long.

Even astatine its astir energy-efficient, nan machine only lasted for astir 2 hours erstwhile I ran ZDNET's modular laptop test.

ZDNET's buying advice

Be prepared to ammunition retired nan large bucks for nan Alienware 18 Area-51. Prices commencement astatine $3,200 for nan guidelines model. My reappraisal portion retails for $4,450, though I person seen discounts connected it.

If you're looking for a lighter option, I propose checking retired nan Lenovo Legion Pro 7i. It houses akin hardware and weighs conscionable 5.67 pounds. The MSI Raider 18 HX is different coagulated action that comes pinch a 4K display.