Unbeknownst to most, Alienware has an apparently odd relationship with gamers; since Dell nonheritable the gambing brand, opinions on its offerings are polarised, with some fully i its aesthetic, whereas others feeling such ideas are more concerned with the young pre-teens tastes and needs. Regardless, it cannot be denied that Alienware has been releasing some of the best gaming machines in the last decade and its latest Alienware Aurora R5 (2016) gaming desktop platform is irrefutable proof of its heritage.
If anything, it is one of its sleekest PC gaming platform yet.
Question: is this the one you can finally recommend to others as being 'worthy of their spending allocation'? Let's find out!
Design: Subtly Innovative
Featuring a design smaller and more subtle than the insane Alienware Area 51, the newest take on the Alienware Aurora line features a handsome mid-sized tower chassis that is done up in a matte grey finish. The side panels of the tower bulge slightly outwards, giving it a slightly angular look that is very, VERY, welcomed. These panels also house tri-LED light bars, while the signature LED Alien Head logo, which acts as the power button, can be found on the front panel.
As usual, Alienware includes its proprietary Alienware AlienFX Command Center just so users can customise the LEDs to any colour they like, or even turn it off. There is a carrying handle on the highest, although combined with its weight and therefore the awkward styling used for the handle, the Alienware Aurora R5 (2016) is extraordinarily troublesome to hold one handed.
Like any good desktop, this new gaming entry from Alienware is also peppered with loads of I/O ports, including a solitary USB Type-C port, which is parked alongside the row of USB 3.1 Type-A jacks, on its back. Front-side is a USB 3.0 ports, all lined-up above the Alienware logo.
For those keen on upgrading, the facet panel slides off simply with a push of a handle, revealing a somewhat cavernous interior once the inner arm holding the ability provide is got rid of that provides a superb quantity of customisability.
There is enough room within the casing for two full-length GPUs and plenty of storage upgrade options, including an M.2 slot and 2.5in sleds for standard-sized SSDs. On the plus side, this modular concept that Alienware, and Dell by extension, uses overly remarkable as the entire chassis is almost tool-less. Clips, levers, and swinging arms are included in this easy-to-access design, promising a quick and seamless experience when making any potential upgrades to the hardware.
Performance: Top Tier
Taking a peek at the specifications (and price!), there shouldn't be any surprises when it comes to the performance of the Alienware Aurora R5 (2016). The potent combination of an Inte 6th Generation Core i7-6700K processor and the sublime NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 GPU means that this gaming beast will easily eat up just about any game that is thrown at it.
At a resolution of 1080p, we hit an incredible 100+ FPS in just about every game tested. Keep in mind, the BenQ ZOWIE XL2735 Gaming Monitor had been on hand at the time and, thus, a hyper-immersive visual experience is easily achievable. How this particular peripheral fares can be read in a separate, and obviously more focused, review.
For some videogames used for the review, such as Hitman, Metro Last Light and Battlefield 1, I managed to break the 100fps barrier even when on 1440p, an absolutely mindblowing achievement. Rise of the Tomb Raider averaged 87fps on 1440p, while more demanding games like The Division managed 75fps.
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The only time the Alienware Aurora R5 (2016) went under the estimated benchmark 60fps is when I dialed it all the way up to 4K; The Division and Dishonored 2 went just under 50fps, while The Witcher 3 averaged 55fps. Amazingly,this new Alienware gaming desktop kept at it and pushed itself to maintain that level of high performance as much as possible for all three titles.
Based on what I've seen, it's safe to say that 1440p gaming is the sweet spot for the Alienware Aurora R5 (2016); of course, 4K gaming is also possible, though it only works if you're willing to contend with far lower frame-rates while still maintaining proper visual fidelity.
As a side-note, the related keyboard and mouse for the Alienware Aurora R5 (2016) aren't absolutely optimised for gaming. The previous could be a simple full-sized writing peripheral with a responsive membrane keystroke mechanism. As for the latter, it is a superior clicker that rocks pretty nice bioengineering.
Cooling: Noisy Beast
Strangely tho', whereas Alienware's AlienFX Command Center showed that the temperatures are ideal even while gaming, the facet mounted fan on this specific Alienware Aurora R5 (2016) review unit spun up intermittently, creating for a fairly uproarious gaming session. I attempted change the fan configurations and even the BIOS, however to no avail. Thankfully, this occurrence isn't as frequent or it'd make for an annoying and irritating episodes of gaming.
Hopefully, this may be addressed in a very future update. For now, you would possibly wish to speculate in a very few smart loud speakers or a minimum of a try of headphones to make sure most vice comfort.
While the fan noise is an issue, temperatures for the Alienware Aurora R5 (2016) are well within reasonable levels, with the CPU and GPU never going above 70℃ even when under heavy loads. Opting for liquid cooling would probably offer even more impressive cooling—such a suggestion can be made because the engineers behind the modular internals of this Alienware platform has made enough room for it to be installed.
Oddly, the unit I have to be compelled to review had been sent over with the first air-cooling configuration, one thingthat, by default, ought to already satisfy the general public. If the liquid cooling variant is picked over the conventional air-cooling design, then there should be no problems whatsoever for the Alienware Aurora R5 (2016). In fact, using this option would mean not having to deal with the unexpected noise the fan creates. The only sound one would expect is the cooling block making an occasional whirring hiss as it pumps the liquid through the pipes.
Conclusion: Final Advice
The Alienware Aurora R5 (2016) is really one in every of the a lot of spectacular offerings to return from the hollow subsidiary in recent years. Considering its high-spec internals, tower configurations, and overall style aesthetics, this may be one in every of the few OEMs on the market with a very competitive valuation.
Purists will always opt for the DIY route thanks to its endless options and cheaper price; for those less inclined towards applying thermal paste themselves, the newest Alienware Aurora R5 entry is a masterstroke from the gaming brand.
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