Although the Dell-owned Alienware gaming range is known more for its style than for affordable substance, it does offer high-end performance for those with deep pockets. However, perhaps it can finally find a middle ground with its new range of Polaris-powered desktops, which sport AMD’s new RX series GPUs that offer very strong bang for your buck.
This move comes out of a partnership that has been emerging between AMD and Alienware, with the latter planning to offer a number of systems sporting AMD hardware in the future. Right now you can order the Alienware Aurora R5 with RX 480s in crossfire mode, offering high-level performance without breaking the bank.
To show off its products’ capabilities, AMD’s booth at Gamescom had a number of Aurora systems, all running RX hardware in them. They were also used as part of the Miss Rage Twitch event, with all contestants taking part given access to the new RX 480-powered systems.
Related: Alienware Alpha R2 review
The Aurora systems aren’t the only ones sporting new AMD hardware though. You’ll also be able to enjoy their power in the Area 51, which is Alienware’s top-of-the-line flagship system. It has a truly unique shape and design, and can pack in as many as three RX 480s if you want. That should offer serious performance that rivals even some of the most expensive Nvidia alternatives.
Performance will of course be dependent on drivers and the game in question, as crossfire doesn’t give linear performance progression, but it can improve it. In certain games, especially virtual reality experiences, you could see big bonuses from doubling down or even tripling down on your graphics card choice, though.
For those not looking for anything quite so high end, there is always the Alienware Alpha R2, packing the R9 M470X, which should offer decent performance for those wanting a more compact, lower-end gaming solution — perhaps for the living room.
The only downside to this exciting announcement is that these systems are only available in Europe right now. Other regions are coming soon, but for now if you order an Area-51 system in the United States, you can choose out of an R9 370 or a higher-end Fury X if you prefer. Prices for that high-end system start at $1,700.
In the U.K., an Alienware Area 51 with three RX 480s, a Core-i7 6850K CPU, and 16GB of memory will set you back 2,880 pounds, or around $3,800.
