Specifications

• Processor: Intel Core i7-975 Extreme @ 3.33GHz
• Memory: 6GB DDR3 SDRAM
• Hard drive: 2 x 1000GB 7200RPM in RAID 0
• Optical drive: Blu-ray read / DVD+/-RW combo drive
• Sound: Integrated 7.1 audio
• Video card: 2 x ATI Radeon HD5870 in CrossFire
• Networking: Gigabit Ethernet
• Power supply: 875 watts
• Multi-zone AlienFX LED lighting system
• Computer-controlled louvered fin venting setup
• Operating system: Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
• Dimensions: 16.77 x 25.39 x 9.84 inches (HxDxW)
• Warranty: 1 year limited warranty

The base price for the Alienware Aurora ALX is $2299.  In this configuration, however, the manufacturer’s suggested retail price is $4099.

Build and Design
I’ve always been conflicted when it comes to review units from over-the-top outlets such as Alienware. On one hand, it’s an exercise in what a desktop can be when unfettered from such shackles as low-quality components, considerations of space and, perhaps most importantly, budget. The new Alienware Aurora ALX is, in typical Alienware fashion, large, imposing and anything but subtle.

It used to be that Alienware’s desktop offerings were a mess of components, model names, numbers and styles. That’s all been changed and simplified. There are now two models in the desktop lineup: the Aurora and the Area-51. Alienware packaged a few luxury items together and called it the ALX option – think of it as the deluxe options package on a new car. Choosing the ALX version of the Aurora or the Area-51 gives you a water-cooled CPU, the option to have your processor factory overclocked and dual video cards in either SLI or CrossFire, depending on the brand.

The most striking difference between the two trim options, however, is what Alienware calls its new “Active Venting thermal system”. Whereas the case tops of the base Aurora and Area-51 PCs are flat with a few stylized venting holes, the ALX version have a series of louvered fins that can open and close under computer control depending on the ambient temperatures inside the case. Alienware claims that this feature can help control temperature in the case during extended gaming sessions. In practice, however, it really seems like more of a gimmick than anything useful. It definitely looks interesting – far more interesting than the standard flat case top – but it doesn’t seem to actually do very much.

The fins are just one new aspect of Alienware’s new desktops. The entire line, now reduced to these four systems, has undergone a significant redesign. For years now, Alienware’s signature look has been a stylized ‘Grey’ alien head and a retro-futuristic look that brought to mind a rocket ship made manifest in Art Deco design aesthetics. The new look, which stretches the entire breath of Alienware’s product lineup, ties together its desktops, notebooks, monitors and even keyboards and mice. The new style is aggressive and masculine, probably a smart marketing choice given the traditional target market for these systems. Smooth textures and rounded corners have been replaced with rough, high-quality plastics and sharper lines. The weight of these machines hasn’t changed, much, however – they’re still heavy.

Traditionally, the grey alien head logo has been front and center, serving as the power switch for the systems. That’s now gone, with a power switch located on top of the machine. The alien head now opens the front of the computer. Instead of having the over-engineered door that stuck out in the way clumsy legs, a panel slides slowly down inside the front of the computer. It’s a slick effect that brings to mind the automatic pocket doors found in sci-fi shows like Star Trek. The case door has thankfully been changed, too. One of the biggest pet peeves we found with prior Alienware desktops was the annoying door handle and door – relatively easy to pop open, but a pain to get shut and locked. The new systems use what looks like another fin set in the rear of the machine. To open it, all you do is lift up, and to close it, the door sets easily in place.

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