Let’s start with what impressed us. From the moment we unpacked the new Alienware Area-51 ALX and throughout our benchmarking, it was clear this system was a cut above the competition. Whether or not you’re a fan of the signature Alienware chassis design, there’s no denying that the glossy, reflective finish looks fantastic, and we could easily waste an afternoon customizing the AlienFX lighting system. Even the bundle came presented in luxurious fashion, as did the ultra clean wiring job

But lest our opinion get tainted by an immeasurable aura, we can (and did) measure the performance, and here too the new ALX put on a superb showing. To date, it’s the fastest PC we’ve had in our Lab, and by a good margin. No surprise, considering Intel’s four-core QX9650 screaming along at 4.0GHz, two 10K Raptors whisking data to and fro in a RAID 0 array, and a pair of HD 3870 videocards firing off the framerates.

So what didn’t we like? For one, the 300-pound gorilla in the room that we all know is there: Price. After tax and shipping, expect to pay just upwards of $7,300. A DIYer could build a comparable rig with parts ordered from Newegg and save about three grand. Once past the sticker shock, a few more surprises crept up. All four screws holding the water cooling kit’s reservoir were loose upon arrival, the slightly redesigned chassis still uses too much plastic (and where’s the front eSATA port?), and the wireless network antennae was missing. Most confuzzling was the omission of SP1, which not only addresses a number of issues, but also brings DirectX 10.1 to the table. Individually we’ll concede these can each be classified as nitpicks, but taken as a whole we feel justified to gripe considering the asking price.

Overall our experience with the new Area-51 ALX was a positive one. The component selection alone makes this a PC to be reckoned with, but combined with Alienware’s hardware and software customizations, what emerges is high class hotrod. Of course, you have to pay to play, and if you want to play with Alienware’s flagship model, expect to pay a lot.
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