New Alienware Aurora R4 gaming PC makes puny Earthlings tremble

By Andy Boxall December 14, 2011

Once upon a time, desktop PCs were dull, non-threatening beige boxes hidden away under desks. But thanks to Alienware, specifically its new newly updated Aurora R4 desktop computer, they bear closer resemblance to nightmarish mechanical beings come to enslave us all.

Alienware says the Aurora is its most advanced desktop PC yet, and judging by the incredible specs, it’s hard not to agree. As with all Dell machines, it’s expected that owners will want to spec their machine up at the time of purchase, and the possibilities are enormous.

For the princely sum of $2,199 (or £1,999 in the UK) you’ll get as standard an Intel Core i7, factory-overclocked 3.9Ghz six-core processor with 4GB of RAM, 1TB of hard drive space and the 1GB AMD Radeon HD6870 CrossfireX graphics card.

However, if you’re feeling flush this spec can be tweaked to include either the 4.0Ghz or 4.2Ghz Core i7 Six Core Extreme processor, up to 16GB of RAM and a choice of AMD Radeon or Nvidia GeForce graphics cards.

It doesn’t stop there either, as there are several different Blu-ray drives available, a 1GB SSD option and whichever version of Windows 7 you’d like too. Improvements over the previous Aurora desktop include Intel’s X79 chipset and tool-less component upgrades.

Then there’s the customizable ALX chassis, with has everything from user-definable lighting effects, to liquid cooling and “active” vents that raise and lower according to the systems needs. Yes, it’s going to look like it’s breathing.

The new Alienware Aurora R4 PC is available to order from Dell right now, just don’t blame us if it assimilates your cat.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Senior Mobile Writer

Andy is a Senior Writer at Digital Trends, where he concentrates on mobile technology, a subject he has written about for…

Deals

Should you buy a gaming PC on Black Friday or wait for Cyber Monday?

Gamer using Discord on a gaming desktop PC.

The fear of missing out on a great gaming PC deal is real; for some, that means they would prefer to wait for Cyber Monday. Well, let's take a look at whether it's worth waiting an extra few days for those cheap gaming PC deals or if it's better to grab one of the several deals we've collected for you here.
Should You Buy a Gaming PC on Black Friday?
While you might feel like waiting for Cyber Monday to buy a gaming PC is a better idea, the likelihood of finding better deals on the same gaming PC is very slim, if you find deals on them at all. As such, it's better to grab one of the several Black Friday gaming PC deals now than risk not getting any deals altogether. That said, it's true that Cyber Monday tends to mirror Black Friday sales, so if you find something better, you can always refund your Black Friday purchase and buy the newer and better deal.
Our 5 Favorite Black Friday PC Deals
Lenovo Legion Tower 5 -- $730, was $990

While this Lenovo Legion Tower 5 didn't make our list of best all-AMD gaming PCs, it still comes close. The AMD Radeon RX 6500XT GPU is entry-level and roughly equivalent to the RTX 3050 if you aren't familiar with the AMD lineup, which means you can get a lot of indie and casual gaming done quite easily. You can also push some more modern games with lower graphical settings; most free-to-play games will do just fine. The AMD Ryzen 5-5600G is a mid-range CPU for gaming and general productivity work, making it pretty versatile. Sadly, there are only 8GB of RAM, which is the bare minimum, but you could always upgrade it with another 8GB to get that extra dual-channel performance. Finally, the 512GB SSD should be more than enough for most use cases, although you might want to grab one of the external hard drive deals to supplement it.

Computing

Alienware celebrates 25 years with new Aurora, finally adding clear side panel

New Alienware Aurora on blurred background.

Alienware is celebrating 25 years in business by looking back and forward. The company announced the new Aurora, a desktop squarely focused on improved airflow, acoustics, and thermals by utilizing an open-air design and a new layout of components.

For most, the biggest difference is the clear side panel. Breaking from the closed design of the Alienware Aurora R10 and R12, this new design features an optional scratch-resistant clear side panel, which will be available on all Alienware Auroras.

Deals

Gaming laptops and gaming desktops get crazy discounts at Dell

The front view of the Alienware Aurora R12 gaming desktop.

The age-old debate between PC gamers is, do you go full power for the true battlestation in a desktop, or do you take it on the go with a more portable laptop and sacrifice some of that power? Honestly, with the right gaming PC deals, or gaming laptop deals, you can find a good balance between both.

We recommend holding off the big debate because Dell is offering some crazy deals on Alienware desktops and laptops right now. You can grab the Alienware Aurora R12 Gaming Desktop ( which totally looks like a big air purifier and we're not saying that's a bad thing) for $1,730 or $200 off. Or, you can opt for the Alienware m15 R3 Gaming Laptop, which looks nothing like an air purifier, for $1,700 or a whopping $580 off. Your choice, but either way, you get free shipping and express delivery as part of the package. Hurry though, availability is limited for both deals.