At CES 2025, Dell announced a drastic move by updating the branding of their laptops from XPS models to Latitude and so on using the Dell, Dell Pro and Dell Pro Max names. Interestingly, there is one brand that has not changed, which is Alienware, and this year, the brand is showing new life.
Dell announced that the Alienware brand will return their Alienware Area 51 series of powerful desktop computers and gaming laptops powered by a combination of Intel Core Ultra 200K processing chips and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5000 series graphics cards.
Starting with the Alienware 51 desktop computer, Dell has maintained their unique square and curved design, but this time they have modified the way they approach cooling the components inside the computer chassis.
Powered by powerful components like the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 graphics card, Dell uses a combination of an AIO cooling system with a choice of 240mm or 360mm radiators and a number of fans to suck cool air from the outside into the computer chassis, and then the hot air inside the chassis is passively exhausted from the rear because that's the only space available for air to flow out of the chassis.
The Alienware Area 51 desktop uses a 120mm fan on the 240mm or 360mm radiator, two 140mm fans on the bottom of the chassis and two 180mm fans on the front of the chassis to circulate plenty of cool air to the CPU and GPU components. The hot air is then passively pushed out the back without the use of any fans.
Dell says that this "positive pressure" airflow method not only cools the components inside the computer at a rate of 13 percent more efficiently, but also at a rate of 45 percent quieter because the number of fans used is not as many as other computers.
The Alienware Area 51 desktop design also allows users to quickly and easily open and clean parts such as the cooling fan, dust filter and CPU cooling radiator to ensure that the airflow in and out of the computer is always at an optimal level.
The Alienware 51 laptop also features an all-new design, incorporating a design that resembles a futuristic spaceship called the AW30. It comes in two different display size options, including 16 inches and 18 inches, both of which come with a QHD+ 2560×1600 resolution. The 18-inch model will come with a 300Hz refresh rate, while the 16-inch model will have a 240Hz refresh rate.
These laptops will come with a variety of specifications, but for the most powerful offering, it will use an Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX processor chip and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 graphics card for laptops.
In terms of memory and storage offerings, Dell says that both laptops can accommodate up to 64GB of DDR5 memory and up to 12TB of storage. Both laptops are also loaded with a 96Wh battery and come with a charging block with an output of 360W.
To further enhance this laptop, the AlienFX lighting system and the Liquid Teal color on the laptop frame give the appearance of Aurora Borealis when users look at this laptop. Another unique feature is the window using Gorilla Glass on the bottom of this laptop where users can see the CPU and GPU components.
In terms of plug offerings, these laptops have two Thunderbolt 5 plugs, three USB 3.2 Type-A plugs, one HDMI 2.1 plug, one 3.5mm audio plug and one full-size SD card reader.
Dell says that these computers will be offered in select markets in the first quarter of 2025.