The Legendary Alienware Area-51 Gaming Laptop Has Returned: New Style, More Power, Better Cooling

Dell has officially reintroduced the legendary Alienware Area-51 gaming laptop, which was first announced at CES 2025. As of today, you can finally place your order for this powerhouse. The Area-51 comes in two sizes: the 16" model starting at $3,199.99 and the 18" model at $3,399.99. Both variants are packed with the latest technology, featuring the cutting-edge Intel Core Ultra 9 CPU and NVIDIA Blackwell GPU. Make sure to secure your order now, as shipments are scheduled to begin on April 30 to avoid any potential delays.

The Alienware Area-51 Gaming Laptop Is Now Available

Alienware 16 Area-51 Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX RTX 5080 Gaming Laptop

$3,199.99 at Alienware

Alienware 18 Area-51 Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX RTX 5080 Gaming Laptop

$3,399.99 at Alienware

Currently, both the 16" and 18" Area-51 gaming laptops are available with a single configuration: the Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX CPU combined with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 GPU. The Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX offers an impressive max turbo frequency of 5.4GHz, equipped with 24 cores and a massive 40MB of L2 cache. According to Passmark, this CPU outperforms the AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX3D by 7%, making it the fastest laptop processor currently available. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 mobile GPU, although not yet tested by us, is reported by VideoCardz.com to be approximately 16% more powerful than the RTX 4080 in 3DMark Time Spy benchmarks. With the added advantage of DLSS 4.0 compatibility, this GPU can deliver exceptional performance, enabling high frame rates on the QHD+ display for virtually any game.

The base configurations include a choice between a 16" or 18" QHD+ display with a refresh rate ranging from 240Hz to 300Hz and G-Sync certification, 32GB of DDR5-6400MHz RAM, and a 1TB M.2 SSD. You also have the option to upgrade to 64GB of RAM and a 2TB SSD for both models.

The Area-51: New Style, More Power, Better Cooling

The 2025 Alienware Area-51 gaming laptop introduces a magnesium alloy chassis, enhancing its cooling capabilities to manage the latest high-performance components. The new design includes additional fans, larger cutouts for improved airflow, increased use of copper, and a new thermal interface material that efficiently dissipates heat. Dell asserts that the laptop can maintain a power ceiling of up to 240W TDP without increasing noise levels.

Aesthetically, the Area-51 features smoother contours with rounded edges and soft corners, a departure from the typical squared-off designs. The hinges are mostly hidden internally for a sleek look. As expected from Alienware, the laptop offers extensive RGB LED lighting customization options. For connectivity, it includes three USB Type-A 3.2 15Gbps ports (one with PowerShare), two Thunderbolt / USB Type-C ports, an HDMI 2.1 port, and a card reader. The 16" model weighs 7.5 pounds, while the 18" model weighs 9.6 pounds.

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