Alienware Aurora R11 Evaluation: Specs
Processor: As much as Intel Core i9-10900F
RAM: As much as 128 GB
Graphics Card: As much as Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090
Storage: As much as 2 TB SSD + 2 TB HDD
Equipment: Dell Multimedia Keyboard, Dell Optical Mouse MS116AW
Ports: USB-A, USB-C, Three.5 mm audio, optical audio, DisplayPort, HDMI
Dimension: 19.zero x 17.zero x eight.eight inches
Weight: 39 kilos
The Alienware Aurora R11 is among the strongest pre-built gaming PCs you should purchase. Naturally, that additionally makes it one of the vital costly. Ever because the model’s inception, Alienware’s worth proposition has been clear: Get a trendy, useful gaming PC proper out of the field, however be able to dish out just a few thousand dollars for it.
The Aurora R11 is the newest evolution of that philosophy, and it’s a fairly good machine. Simply bear in mind that it requires some huge cash and house, in addition to some endurance to cope with lackluster software program.
Whilst you can theoretically get the Aurora R11 for as little as $1,110, you’ll be saddled with an outdated GPU, comparatively little RAM and an old-school laborious disk drive. Extra future-proof fashions of the R11 begin at $2,440 and go up from there. Whether or not it’s well worth the premium is determined by how a lot the Alienware model title means to you — and the way a lot you want the Nvidia GeForce RTX 30-series proper now..
In our checks, the Aurora R11 carried out superbly for each video games and productiveness, in spite of some usability hiccups. If you happen to like how the system seems and don’t thoughts springing for the very best , the Alienware Aurora R11 could also be one of many finest gaming PCs you should purchase. Learn on for our full Alienware Aurora R11 evaluate.
Alienware Aurora R11 evaluate: Worth and availability
The Alienware Aurora R11 is obtainable proper now, though your most popular mannequin might not be accessible for supply straight away. That’s as a result of these machines make use of Nvidia GeForce RTX 30-series GPUs, that are in fairly quick provide currently. On the time of writing, delivery time is 2-Three weeks — which, admittedly, is likely to be higher than looking for the GPUs à la carte.
Pricewise, the Aurora R11 runs the gamut from $1,110 all the best way as much as $5,000 — or extra. I used to be in a position to configure a $5,120 system with an Intel Core i9-10900KF CPU, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090 GPU, 128 GB 3200 MHz RAM, 2 TB SSD + 2 TB HDD storage and a 1000W energy provide.
On the absolute different finish of the spectrum, for $1,110, you will get an Intel Core i5 10400F CPU, an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 Tremendous GPU, eight GB 2933 MHz RAM, 1 TB HDD storage and a 550W energy provide. Personally, I’m undecided these specs are value even the modest asking worth, however you may also combine and match desired parts to search out some form of reasonably priced compromise.
Tom’s Information reviewed a high-end Aurora R11 mannequin with an Intel Core i9 10900Ok CPU, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090 GPU, 64 GB RAM and a pair of TB SSD + 2 TB HDD storage. This configuration would value about $four,100, relying in your software program and case choices.
Alienware Aurora R11 evaluate: Design
Some of the hanging elements of the Alienware Aurora R11 is its bodily design. As an alternative of a boxy rectangle, the Aurora R11 has an oval face and a rounded chassis, considerably like a flattened egg.
It’s futuristic and distinctive, and makes a significantly better dialog piece than “right here’s a black field stuffed with elements.”
Granted, this creativity comes at a worth (along with the financial one). The Aurora R11 is a hefty machine, at 18.9 x 17.zero x eight.7 inches, and whopping 41 kilos.
This machine eats desk house for breakfast — assuming your desk received’t crack and splinter underneath its weight. However, if it lives on the ground, you then received’t actually get to understand its design.
Alienware Aurora R11 evaluate: Ports and upgradability
Contemplating its , it ought to come as no shock that the Alienware Aurora R11 comes with a plethora of ports. On the entrance alone, you’ve received three USB-A ports, a USB-C port, and three.5 mm ports for discrete mic and audio.
On the again, you’ll discover 10 extra USB-A ports, one other USB-C port, an Ethernet port, an optical audio port, six totally different Three.5 mm audio inputs, and a handful of DisplayPorts and HDMI ports (relying in your GPU).
Typically talking, it’s a beneficiant quantity of ports, though I really feel like having solely two USB-C ports is just not as forward-thinking because it may very well be for a machine that might very nicely final between 5 and 10 years.
What’s odd in regards to the Aurora R11, although, is that for all of its girth and weight, there’s not a lot room to maneuver once you open it up. If you wish to improve the machine, you’ll be able to slide off the facet and again plates simply sufficient by manipulating just a few switches.
However the inside may be very cramped, and until you wish to add a tough drive, or some extra RAM, the elements might not play properly with the PC’s curved chassis. Purchase the Aurora R11 with a CPU and GPU you want, as a result of odds are, you’ll be caught with each for some time.
Alienware Aurora R11 evaluate: Gaming efficiency
The Alienware Aurora R11 represents my first time utilizing an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090 card, and the GPU was as spectacular as I’d hoped. Coupled with the Alienware 25 Gaming Monitor (with a 360 Hz refresh price — extra on that shortly), the Aurora R11 performed a few of my favourite PC video games extra superbly and fluidly than I’d ever seen them earlier than. Whether or not you wish to gas ultra-high-framerate 1080p gaming, cinematic 4K gaming or one thing in-between, the Aurora R11 can assist your setup.
I put the Aurora R11 to the take a look at with Doom Everlasting, Age of Empires III: Definitive Version, Baldur’s Gate III and Last Fantasy XIV — all of which might put demanding machines by way of its paces, for those who flip the settings up excessive sufficient. With 1080p decision, body price capped at 360 fps and the remainder of the settings turned up as excessive as they might go, I nonetheless received unbelievable outcomes. Doom Everlasting ran at greater than 300 frames per second, even throughout intense firefights; Last Fantasy XIV by no means dipped under about 150 fps, even after I was in a crowded metropolis heart, replete with different gamers.
We additionally benchmarked the Aurora R11 with quite a lot of video games at 4K and Extremely settings. Murderer’s Creed Valhalla reached 53 fps; Grand Theft Auto V, 61 fps; and Shadow of the Tomb Raider, 59 fps.
Distinction with the equally highly effective MSI MEG Trident X, which employed the Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Ti, and it’s not even a good comparability. That machine earned 52 fps on Murderer’s Creed Odyssey (Valhalla was not but accessible), 45 fps for GTA V and 44 fps for Shadow of the Tomb Raider. The RTX 3090 represents a major improve with noticeable gameplay advantages — though for the worth, we suppose it had higher present top-notch visuals.
The Aurora R11 additionally fared nicely when it comes to 1080p efficiency, reaching scores like 152 fps on GTA V, and 136 fps on Shadow of the Tomb Raider. The Trident X, for comparability, achieved 134 fps and 120 fps on these video games, respectively.
General, the Aurora R11 is among the strongest gaming machines we’ve ever examined — however that’s not likely stunning, given the that’s gone into it. Whether or not it’s value $four,000 is slightly more durable to quantify.
Alienware Aurora R11 evaluate: General efficiency
As you may think, the Alienware Aurora R11 is a productiveness powerhouse. Between the PC’s highly effective and a 360 Hz monitor, I discovered that even Home windows appeared to run faster and smoother than common. I couldn’t faze the machine with my on a regular basis packages. Even with Microsoft Phrase, Slack, Discord, Steam, Spotify and a multimedia-tab-filled Chrome up and working concurrently, I used to be hard-pressed to make use of greater than about 15% of the system’s reminiscence; the CPU was even much less bothered. Motion pictures and TV stream with out a hitch; music sounds nice, supplied you’ll be able to provide high-quality headphones or audio system.
When it comes to synthetic benchmarks, the Aurora R11 additionally excelled, copying 5GB of recordsdata from a thumb drive in four.1 seconds, attaining a switch price of 1,243 MBps. Oddly, that’s not fairly as much as the Trident X’s requirements, which achieved a switch price of 1,275 MBps, but it surely’s shut sufficient that you simply’d by no means be capable of inform with out a stopwatch.
On an older Geekbench four.Three basic efficiency take a look at, the Aurora R11 earned a powerful 41,822 rating, in comparison with the Trident X’s 40,378. A more recent Geekbench 5.Three take a look at pegged the Aurora R11’s efficiency at 11,143, however we don’t but produce other methods towards which to match this. In a vacuum, at the least, it’s a really excessive rating.
Nonetheless, there are some qualitative points with the Aurora R11’s efficiency. Throughout on a regular basis productiveness duties, the Aurora R11 runs slightly heat and emits a quiet fan hum. However throughout gaming, the machine primarily turns into a really loud house heater, blasting sound and warmth throughout something in its speedy neighborhood.
After about 30 minutes gaming on the Aurora R11, I took off my sweatshirt and checked my thermostat to see if I’d by accident turned it up. Think about my shock after I got here again to my seat and found the place the warmth was really coming from the PC. The GPU can hit temperatures of 80 levels Celsius after extended use — inside tolerable technical limits, however sufficient to heat up your speedy environment.
Alienware Aurora R11 evaluate: Software program
If I’ve one large criticism of the Alienware Aurora R11, it’s the possibly prohibitive worth. But when I’ve a second criticism, it’s the damaged, unintuitive software program. Whereas the Aurora R11 doesn’t include a lot “bloatware,” per se, it does include a set of Alienware instruments: Command Middle, Digital Supply, Updates and so forth.
After I first arrange the Aurora R11, the pc really useful that I run the built-in Dell SupportAssist software program. The system ran a collection of lengthy, tedious checks — and the second it was completed, pinged me with an pressing alert that it had been zero days since my final take a look at; did I wish to run it once more? I assumed that maybe updating the software program would iron out the kinks, however no: After taking a complete afternoon to obtain about 400 MB value of recordsdata, the system restarted and knowledgeable me that it had been zero days since my final scan, and I needed to run one once more ASAP.
I ultimately turned off all of the Alienware software program and went by way of Home windows Replace as an alternative. Whereas Alienware’s coronary heart is in the precise place, it’s disappointing that its bespoke software program gives a clunkier expertise than the default OS. (You need to use Alienware software program to manage some LED lights on the entrance of the PC, although, which might admittedly be very fairly.)
Alienware Aurora R11 evaluate: Verdict
If nothing else, the Alienware Aurora R11 is constant. Once we reviewed its predecessor, the Alienware Aurora R10, we identified that the system supplied glorious efficiency in a trendy and probably very costly bundle. The identical is true right here. I’ve a tough time recommending a $four,000 system to PC avid gamers — notably when, with slightly know-how, they may construct one thing comparable for 1000’s of dollars much less — however there’s no motive why you’d have to purchase the precise mannequin we reviewed. You may customise a wonderfully good Aurora R11 for $2,000 or so, and have a trendy, useful centerpiece on your gaming setup.
The system’s bodily design has some charms and a few drawbacks, and the efficiency relies upon very a lot on how a lot you’re keen to spend on elements. However typically talking, Alienware’s popularity for premium PC merchandise is well-earned. The Aurora R11 may make a large dent in your checking account, however you do, at the least, get what you pay for.
