Alienware Area-51m i9-9900K RTX 2080
Specifications
Price comparison
Average of 14 scores (from 25 reviews)
Reviews for the Alienware Area-51m i9-9900K RTX 2080
The latest 17.3-inch Alienware is going all-in with hardware and features not found on almost any other gaming laptop. Not only does the Area-51m leapfrog over the 45 W Core H-series for full-fat 95 W Core K-series CPUs, but it also sports removable graphics and Tobii eye-tracking all in a narrow-bezel chassis. Is this $3000+ portable powerhouse really comparable to a desktop PC of similar specifications?
Source: Tech2.in.com
Archive.org versionThe Dell Alienware Area-51m is a replacement to a desktop gaming PC. It isn’t meant to be a portable machine that you can take along everywhere, it's a laptop with the grunt of a desktop, and in that regard, it delivers. The design is nice and performance is on point, throw in the upgradeability features and you're left with a very appealing package, especially when compared to the competition in this price range. If you can afford one, I'd say it's definitely worth buying.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 10/21/2019
Rating: Total score: 90% performance: 95% display: 75% mobility: 50% workmanship: 95% ergonomy: 60%
Source: Trusted Reviews
Archive.org versionThe Alienware Area 51m is the most powerful and stylish gaming laptop available, and the fact you can swap in new components gives it potentially incredible long-term value. If you’re happy to pay a premium price and don’t care that its monstrous weight cancels out its portable credentials then the Area 51m is a top class pick.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 08/16/2019
Rating: Total score: 80%
Source: India Today
Archive.org versionIf you have made it through the entire piece, it is evident that the Alienware Area-51m is a hardcore gaming laptop for serious gamers. When you seek performance, this laptop will ensure that nothing comes in its way to serve the games in the way they were meant to. The impressive cooling system doesn't let the laptop become an oven after an hour of gaming. The display is good but it could have been better given that this carries an exorbitant price tag.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 08/05/2019
Rating: Total score: 80%
Source: Tech Advisor
Archive.org versionThe Alienware Area 51m has sensational performance levels thanks to its desktop hardware – so it’ll handle anything. It looks great, too, and has a top-notch screen. However, it’s not particularly ergonomic or versatile, and it’s hugely expensive – so it’s only suited to some buyers.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 06/18/2019
Rating: Total score: 80%
Source: Tech Advisor
Archive.org versionMarketed for its "unprecedented upgradeability," the Alienware Area-51m is more of a promise than a final product. While supremely high performance, it lacks the one killer app needed to thrive among the more powerful desktops and more affordable laptops it aims to usurp.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 05/21/2019
Rating: Total score: 64%
Source: CNet
Archive.org versionOn top of a satisfying visual refresh of Alienware's highest-end laptop, the Area-51m offers plenty of processing overhead from desktop CPUs and the latest RTX GPUs. There's promise of potentially great future upgradability, but it's not yet been proven.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 04/17/2019
Rating: Total score: 85% performance: 95% mobility: 50% workmanship: 80%
Source: Engadget
Archive.org versionThe Area 51m is a truly unique laptop. It’s portable, but it packs in all of the power, and most of the customizability, that you’d want from a gaming desktop. Still, when other modern laptops are significantly thinner, cheaper, and almost as powerful, it’s a tough sell for most gamers. If anything, it’s a testament to Dell’s ingenuity. And for players who demand power above all else, it’s a solid choice.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 04/11/2019
Rating: Total score: 80%
Source: Hot Hardware
Archive.org versionAnd though we haven't tested the others just yet, we can say for sure that the Alienware Area-51m can literally go toe-to-toe with many high-end gaming desktop configurations. This machine almost defies the laws of physics as it infiltrates game engines and shatters frame rate limits.
Single Review, online available, Very Long, Date: 04/09/2019
Source: The Verge
Archive.org versionThat said, what Alienware has done with the Area-51m is really impressive. Not only does it hit performance marks unmatched by other portable machines, but it doesn’t have any glaring issues or show-stopping usability problems that bring it down, other than the obvious compromises with its size and weight. Even just being able to cool these desktop components efficiently enough for them to perform this well in a portable machine is a genuine feat. If you are the type of gamer who wants the ultimate power in a portable machine and are willing to pay any cost to get it, the Area-51m is for you.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 04/04/2019
Rating: Total score: 80%
Source: PC Mag
Archive.org versionPacking an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 graphics chip and a desktop-class Intel Core i9, Alienware's massively rejiggered flagship, the Area-51m, is the best-performing gaming laptop we've tested, a monster in every sense a laptop can be.
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 03/27/2019
Rating: Total score: 80%
Source: Laptop Mag
Archive.org versionThe Alienware Area-51 offers unparalleled power in a sleek, redesigned chassis with the option to upgrade both the CPU and GPU.
Single Review, online available, Very Long, Date: 01/29/2019
Rating: Total score: 90%
Source: Trusted Reviews
Archive.org versionThe Alienware Area-51m’s design and impressive spec sheet suggest this device will represent a major milestone for gaming laptops for years to come. The capability of upgrading components is a huge game-changer, and for the first time ever, we now have a laptop that’s a full-fat gaming rig in portable form.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 01/17/2019
Source: NDTV Gadgets
Archive.org versionThe Alienware Area-51m starts at $2,549 (roughly Rs. 1,77,000), which is quite expensive and the price tag will only get bigger by the time it lands in India, but considering that this is the only laptop currently which offers this level of upgradability gives it a unique advantage over the competition.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 01/10/2019
Source: Trusted Reviews
Archive.org versionSince I wasn’t able to play any games on the Alienware Area-51m, it’s difficult to give any verdict on the performance and display. However, its design and impressive spec sheet suggest that the Alienware Area-51m will represent a major milestone for gaming laptops in the years to come. The capability of upgrading components is a huge game-changer, and for the first time ever, we now have a laptop that’s a full-fat gaming rig in portable form.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 01/09/2019
Source: Tech Advisor
Archive.org versionWith hardware that puts high-end gaming desktops to shame, a slick new design language that brings a more mature feel to the Alienware brand and the ability to upgrade both the CPU and GPU - this laptop takes a step away from the average portable gaming laptop into something far more focused on the gaming experience.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 01/09/2019
Source: Techradar
Archive.org versionThe Alienware-51m takes the term “desktop replacement laptop” to heart with its first widely upgradeable system. While the display won’t blow your mind, the style and upgrade options might.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 01/08/2019
Foreign Reviews
Source: Basic Tutorials
DE→EN Archive.org versionSingle Review, online available, Long, Date: 01/15/2020
Rating: Total score: 90% price: 90% performance: 100% display: 80% mobility: 80% workmanship: 100%
Source: HardwareLuxx
DE→EN Archive.org versionSingle Review, online available, Long, Date: 07/12/2019
Source: Gameswelt
DE→EN Archive.org versionSingle Review, online available, Long, Date: 04/24/2019
Source: Allround-PC.com
DE→EN Archive.org versionSingle Review, online available, Long, Date: 03/20/2019
Source: Geeknetic
ES→EN Archive.org versionSingle Review, online available, Very Long, Date: 06/20/2019
Rating: Total score: 100%
Source: Phonandroid
FR→EN Archive.org versionSingle Review, online available, Very Long, Date: 05/20/2019
Rating: Total score: 80%
Source: PC Lab.pl
PL→EN Archive.org versionPositive: Powerful processor; high performance; nice display; good cooling and silent system; comfortable keyboard. Negative: High price; weak GPU; low RAM; small SSD; overheats while using; heavy and bulky; poor set of ports.
Single Review, online available, Very Long, Date: 08/20/2019
Source: Pemmzchannel
ID→EN Archive.org versionPositive: Powerful hardware; high gaming performance; excellent cameras; impressive display. Negative: Heavy and bulky; short battery life.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 05/19/2019
Source: Playtech.ro
→EN Archive.org versionPositive: Powerful hardware; nice performance; excellent display; high mobility. Negative: Expensive.
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 05/02/2019
Comment
Model:
Alienware has been one of the pioneers in the gaming laptop industry. The Alienware Area-51m is a desktop replacement 17-inch gaming laptop with upgradeable, overclockable desktop 9th-Gen Intel Core processors and NVIDIA GeForce RTX graphics, plus a magnesium alloy chassis. The Alienware Area-51m is one of the most incredible gaming laptops out there. It features unprecedented desktop-level processing power, CPU and GPU upgradability, advanced cooling and a revolutionary design. Gamers can choose between a new, futuristic look in Lunar Light, or Dark Side of the Moon, a darker, more traditional appearance. The Area-51m features a host of firsts for peak performance and power.
It is Dell’s first-ever Alienware laptop to feature 8-core, 16-thread Intel processors, giving it a whole new level of computing power versus other gaming laptops. Engineered with i9-9900K desktop processors, the CPU is enabled with up to 125% rated power, allowing high-end overclocking. This results in higher performance for mega-tasking, CPU-intensive gaming, as well as day-to-day applications. Users can lose themselves in vivid, uninterrupted gaming thanks to NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 graphics with full-throttle power and up to 30W of overclocking headroom - all on an immersive 144Hz G-SYNC 17" Full-HD display. Overclocking can be done via the new Alienware Command Center. The Area-51m is also Dell’s first-ever Alienware laptop to support up to 64GB of DDR4 memory, ensuring users have enough RAM for even the most performance-intensive tasks.
The Area-51m was engineered with upgradability in mind, finally allowing gamers to harness power comparable to even the highest-performance desktop, and taking advantage of latest technologies from NVIDIA such as ray tracing, DLSS, and AI-enhanced graphics. CPU upgrades can be done using standard desktop-class processors, while GPU upgrades can be done via an onboard graphics module replacement or with the Alienware Graphics Amplifier. As for cooling, it is equipped with Advanced Alienware Cryo-Tech v2.0 that optimizes component cooling, which maximizes overall performance and keeps the laptop cool to the touch. The Area-51m chassis prioritizes performance with a dual fan design that pulls in cool air from the bottom and top vents, while exhaling exhaust out the rear and side vents for optimal core component cooling.
The fire resistant, liquid-crystal polymer fan is built with 0.2mm blades, sleeve bearings and 3-phase fan control to create less friction and circulate air more efficiently. The Area-51m fans occupy an area of 95x105mm with a thickness ranging from 19mm to 21.5mm and can push over 25 CFM in open air conditions, which is something normally seen only in desktops. The cooling system of the Area-51m is so powerful that virtually no noise is heard while engaged in daily tasks. In conclusion, the Alienware Area-51m has raised the bar for innovative engineering with its game-changing design. The new futuristic design of the Area-51m reflects the diverse, evolving nature of gamers everywhere, incorporating high contrast, performance-focused engineering with blended bone lines, angled sections, bold lighting, and celebrated thermals.
Hands-on article by Jagadisa Rajarathnam
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile: High-End laptop graphics card based on the TU104 chip with 2,944 shaders and 8 GB GDDR6 VRAM. Compared to the desktop variant, the GPU is clocked lower.
With these GPUs you are able to play modern and demanding games fluently at medium detail settings and HD resolution.
» Further information can be found in our Comparison of Mobile Graphics Cards and the corresponding Benchmark List.
i9-9900K: High end desktop processor based on the Coffee Lake architecture. Integrates 8 cores (16 threads) clocked at 3.6 - 5 GHz and a integrated UHD Graphics 630 GPU. Fastest Coffee-Lake CPU at the time of announcement in 2018 and produced in the 14nm++ process.» Further information can be found in our Comparison of Mobile Processsors.
17.30": This display size is a standard format for desktop replacements (DTR). The DTR laptops are heavier to carry, need more power, but texts are easy to read and high resolutions are no problem. DTR are mainly intended for stationary desk use, where weight and energy hunger don't matter. In return, you enjoy the advantages of high resolutions (more details, better legibility).» To find out how fine a display is, see our DPI List.
3.87 kg:
Only a few laptops are in this weight class because the mobility is rather limited due to the high weight.
Alienware: Alienware was founded in the USA in 1996. The European headquarters is located in Ireland. Alienware has been part of the Dell Group since 2006. The product range mainly focuses on gaming laptops and desktops, which are developed and manufactured by Dell. The trademark is a slightly futuristic design with an Alien as the logo. Additionally, workstations for private and business customers are sold.
As with every brand, there are also some points of criticism with Alienware. Some customers have complained about the high prices of the products, while others have criticized the quality of customer services. There have also been some reports of problems with the reliability and durability of some Alienware products. However, many customers have also had positive experiences with the brand and appreciate the powerful gaming computers.
83.2%: This rating is slightly above average, there are somewhat more devices with worse ratings. However, clear purchase recommendations look different.
» Further information can be found in our Notebook Purchase Guide.
