Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Computing
  3. Products

Ubuntu now available on Dell’s Alienware X51 gaming rig, starts at $600

Gloria Sin
By

Alienware X51 Ubuntu OSCheck out our review of the Dell Alienware X51 gaming PC.

Not everyone is a fan of using Windows on their devices, so it’s no wonder the console-like Alienware X51 is now giving U.S. consumers the option of using Ubuntu or Windows 7 as the operating system on their gaming PC for the living room. The extra savings you can get for choosing an open source OS doesn’t hurt, either.

Related Videos

According to a blog post announcing this news, Dell actually got the idea to use Ubuntu as an operating system on its Alienware gaming machines from a participant on its Idea Storm forum back in 2008.Alienware X51_Steam-on-Ubuntu

The device itself is still largely the same as last year’s X51 (see our review here), but you can now choose which OS the gaming PC runs.

You still get to customize every aspect of this machine with familiar PC parts like its third-generation Intel processor and discrete graphics. The base configuration starts at $600 and comes with a dual-core 3.3GHz Core i3 chip, 6GB RAM, Nvidia GeForce GTX 645 graphics as well as 1GB of GDDR5 video RAM, and 1TB hard drive. It would cost you $100 more to have the exact same parts as this base model, if you choose Windows 7 instead of Ubuntu.

At the top end, you can opt for the quad-core 3.4GHz Core i7 processor, 8GB of dual-channel RAM, Nvidia GeForce GTX 660 graphics with 1.5GB of video RAM, and 1TB of storage. Of course, such a powerful gaming PC that fits into a box the size of an Xbox will cost you: expect to drop $1,050 for this configuration.

Ubuntu can be a bit alienating for those who are not used to tweaking their operating system, but it is easy to pick up for newbies and it can be argued that it has a better app storefront than what Windows 8 offers, as our own Matt Smith discovered. While gaming with Ubuntu is not as robust as on a Windows machine, the experience is improving if you install Steam for Linux onto the X51 (see ZDNet‘s guide for help). You can already play some AAA titles like Team Fortress 2 through Steam on the Ubuntu-based X51, and you can see all the compatible titles here. One big advantage of using Steam on your X51 is that you’ll be able to enjoy your games on your HDTV, thanks to the online platform’s “Big Picture” mode.

Dell has yet to announce availability for its Ubuntu-running X51 but you can start configuring your dream gaming PC-console hybrid on its website.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
An HP gaming PC with an RTX 3050 is cheaper than you think
hp omen 25l gaming desktop deal march 2023 pc on table feature

You might think the HP Omen 25L is expensive when you first look at it. It has a sleek design and some powerful components, including the RTX 3050. Thankfully HP is including the Omen 25L in its gaming PC deals and bringing the price down to $815 from its original $1,350. That's a savings of $535.

Why you should buy the HP Omen 25L gaming desktop
The HP Omen 45L sits on top of our list of the best gaming PCs, but its smaller and cheaper counterpart, the HP Omen 25L, is also a worthwhile purchase for gamers. With the AMD Ryzen 5 5600 processor and Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 graphics card, it wont have trouble running the best PC games. However, you may have to go with low to medium graphic settings for some of the more demanding titles because it only comes with 8GB of RAM, so our guide on how to buy a gaming desktop recommends upgrading to 16GM of RAM as soon as you can.

Read more
Flash deal drops the price of this gaming PC with an RTX 3050 to $855
lenovo legion tower 5i deal february 2023 gaming pc featured

If you're looking for an affordable but dependable gaming PC, look no further than the sixth-generation Lenovo Legion Tower 5i. You'll already be getting immense value for your money at its original price of $1,350, but Lenovo is selling the machine with a $495 discount that pulls its price all the way down to just $855. You'll have to hurry with your purchase if you're interested though, because the offer is almost sold out.

Why you should buy the Lenovo Legion Tower 5i gaming PC
If you've got the sixth-generation Lenovo Legion Tower 5i as part of your gaming setup, you'll be able to play the best PC games without any issues. Inside the gaming desktop are the 11th-generation Intel Core i5 processor and the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 graphics card, with 16GB of RAM that's enough for most gamers, according to our guide on how much RAM do you need. You may have to go with low to medium settings for some of the more demanding titles, but that's an acceptable tradeoff for a gaming PC at this price. You'll even get to try a wide collection of titles, because when you buy the Lenovo Legion Tower 5i, you'll also get three free months of Xbox Game Pass.

Read more
Get this gaming PC with an RTX 3050 while it’s $450 off
lenovo legion tower 5i deal february 2023 gaming pc featured

Lenovo is having an annual sale right now, and with Lenovo you know that means some incredible gaming PC deals. These deals extend to some pretty nice pre-built gaming PCs. For instance, this Lenovo Legion Tower 5i is only $900 after a $450 discount. That's 33% off! If you've been thinking about upgrading your rig, now is good time.

Why you should buy the Lenovo Legion Tower 5i
The stylish-looking Lenovo Legion Tower 5i offers a lot of good hardware for the price. It has an 11th-generation Intel Core i5 processor along with 16GB of memory. There's also plenty of storage with 512GB of SSD storage as well as 1TB of regular hard drive space so there's no shortage of room here for installing all your games or saving necessary files. The core component for any gaming setup is the graphics card. Here, you have an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 with 8GB of VRAM. It's not powerful enough to compete with the very best gaming PCs but at this price, it's a decent bet being able to play the latest games without much bother.

Read more