Alienware Aurora R16: A Game Changer or a Letdown?
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- Опубліковано 3 жов 2024
- Alienware just released their brand new Aurora R16 gaming PC, so over the past month, we have put this system to the test to not only look over the new design, and its build quality but also key factors that have often prevented us from ever recommending anyone buy an Alienware gaming pc. These factors include poor upgradability, nearly no repairability, and often poor performance per dollar. After analyzing each aspect of this system I will say Dell and Alienware did make an improvement here in some regards such as the better GPU cooling, but they aren't getting away clean here as there was some really unusual behavior going on with this PC, as the CPU wasnt running at its proper turbo speed like our custom built system with identical specifications. I believe this may be a result of some bios voltage controls to contain heat, but to be honest, this ended up just feeling like Alienware was scamming consumers by showing lower temps with less performance so they could meet their marketing claims. This was a huge letdown in my eyes as I really thought this new design could be the game changer that Alienware has really needed!
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Honestly, for 90% of us as a normal casual PC user Alienware PC is more than we need ! Its plug and play, and the best part is all bios and drivers update is in one touch.
Please, no. Alienware prebuilds are terrible and plagued with simple issues. There are so many better options available. Also, they offer terrible value and use almost only proprietary parts. If you can, build it yourself, if not, go look elsewhere.
@@xx_360noscop_xx5better options like what? And price, same price
@@furyianman5157 As I said. Build it yourself. As a general rule of thumb, I would never purchase a prebuilt from any PC parts manufacturer (especially DELL) such as Asus, MSI . They all suffer from the same issues: they offer quite bad value, use OEM components, have next to zero upgradability. And while I would discourage people from buying a prebuilt, a good option is to choose your own components, and have it built by your local computer store( if you don't have the knowledge to build it yourself)
@@xx_360noscop_xx5😊😊😊😊q😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊
@@xx_360noscop_xx5Build it yourself. You talk like everyone knows how to do that...
Pre build pc are good for all casual gamera that dont a yt channel, streaming or nees to work from the pc. So stop fkn hating on prebuilds because you people are getting annoying and very childish.
And before you talk i build my own pc because i work in this field.
I always find these comparisons funny when it comes to pricing. 1800 for a prebuilt computer that you press the on button and get things working or 1400 for parts of another computer, then the not mentioned labor component, not mentioned time spent to even understand how to build your own computer. Cost of the custom build is wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy more than 1800 with these additional variables.
Put it like this, Dell is not the only company to make prebuilt computers, nevermind this guy using a PC he built against this, compare other brands.
But also, building PCs has become easier than ever, so...
Like, seriously, what's the cost of a screwdriver? Like $10 for a really good one? The only other expense would be something like some zip ties and thermal paste if your CPU cooler didn't come with it. That's like, $20 minimum
Plus, you have to consider how long it takes to get your computer:
A prebuilt, depending on the make, could take upwards to a month.
Individual parts can come in as little as less than a day.
Just bought my Aurora R16 with a 14th Gen i9 with a 4090 and 32gb 5600mt. Can't wait to do some beastly gaming
How’s your pc doing? Thinking about the same build for playing pubg
@@ipsych0tic220
It's doing really well, haven't had one problem. No freezing, no blue screen, no sudden fps drops, I've owned multiple Alienware PCs and a few monitors and they always end up turning out to be great products. My Alienware QD-OLED 34DW is still the same great monitor when I bought it, no color distortion, degradation and no loss of brightness. I highly recommend the Aurora R16. The 4090/i14th-14900kf version is such an upgrade from my 3080. If something does go wrong, Dell/Alienware has great warranty and customer service.
Save your money. I just got it and i am not happy with my purchase. One of my games keeps crashing. Also is not quiet. Also sometimes when i press the power buttom doesnt want to turn on
@@TheQueenOfYourDreamsunfortunate. Mine just came in. So far nvidia kept crashing pubg on the initial startup. And I can’t download league of legends. Other than that pc runs games great and mine is very quite on performance mode enabled
@@TheQueenOfYourDreams whaa!!!! For real my hasn't had any problems, I'm playing on it right now FF14, I also play cyberpunk, dead space, FF7 remake, GOT, and octopath traveller. It's really quiet for me and I have it under performance mode, my room does stay a chill 70 though. Well send it back to Dell they have a great exchange policy. I will say I've been lucky with Dell products (knock on wood) haven't ever had an issue. My M18 R1 with a 4090 runs great but I wish it had a better display though. My old M17 R2 that I gave to my brother still runs great. Sometimes you get unlucky, but Dell will do u right just call them. Also my friend just bought a 4080 from digital storm and it wouldn't turn on sometimes just like you and worse it wasn't operating at full power. He fought tooth and nail to get it exchanged, he's just waiting for his replacement to come. I wish you luck let me know how it turns out.
I will choose the Alienware above your custom build anytime.
Why?
Sounds like you have poor judgement!
@@noahbollinger2828 I don't know, maybe I have.
@@NetnamChannelwhy would you choose a worse-performing, less upgradable, more expensive meme of a system “anytime”?
@@noahbollinger2828 Hi Noah, I know the Alienware is a worse-performing, less upgradable and more expensive system. And I do understand why people choose a custom build.
I am looking for a system as we speak and still did not purchase, the reasons for this is because the Alienware has no physical space for one of my expansion cards. Grrr! ;-).
Still, for me it is not all about the fastest, the best upgradable for the least coin. I am happy to pay a little more money for a company like DELL backing it, testing it, having configuration hardening, et cetera.
For me, Noah it's more like an insurance thing plus I really use my systems for years. My last system was from about 7 years ago. In that sense it does not really matter paying a little more for a system that is less fast.
As a console gamer primarily, I may be shunned for saying what I am about to say but so be it. I have always dabbled with PC gaming on the side and have found that many in the PC gaming space are toxic toward you if you don't have a custom built PC. You said you made the "Alien Slayer" for $300 less. For the average consumer, the amount of time and knowledge it takes to source every part to custom build a PC, assemble it, install windows and drivers, let alone trouble shoot any issues, is worth its weight in that $300 difference. I know pre-builts will never be as good as a custom PC, but I think for the majority of consumers, this Alienware desktop will still crush nearly everything you throw at it. I have a family, a job, and other hobbies outside of squeezing every ounce of efficiency out of a PC. I've been a long time supporter of Alienware products since they were first introduced and will continue to be in the future, so long as Dell keeps making them. Just my two cents.
Same here, I have a Alienware R6 from 2017 ( I7-7700 with 64GB ram, 256Gb SSD and 2TB hard Drive, water cooled and a NVIDEA GTX1060 6Gb) and and it still works great. I play mainly MSFS on steam and the graphics are smooth on high settings. Its been super reliable and very quiet fanwise. Unless things have been downgraded in recent years I will buy a new model when required. I paid US1300 in 2017 and at the time a custom build worked out more expensive when priced at a local PC custom builder shop.
"I just spent..."
And that alone makes this one of the few honest reviews for the R16. Its a little shocking to see how much credibility a "system provided to us for review" will get you. I need some popcorn for this!
You didn't mention the lack of BIOS support, and this has been a long standing issue. The R10 shipped with B450 for the 3000 CPU and B550A (aka B450 with a bigger number on the sticker) for the 5000 CPUs. They are still waiting on the BIOS update to allow 5000 chips on B450 boards that almost everyone (if not everyone) else got. Any day now... Same with the R13 and no 13th gen. Sure you can always do in generation upgrade, but...
Are they running naked VRMs again? That just killed any in generation upgrade from non K to K! I know you can get away with naked VRMs in low end systems, but its as if they are doing everything possible to make this thing as difficult as possible to upgrade. Then again burn out the VRMs and don't sell the MB and you have some poor sap forking over another 2 grand or so for another system with the exact same underlying issue.
Its very nice to see a near like for like benchmark and that missing 10% is brutal. Your on point with the throttling, the R13 was massively power throttled (to 'only; hit 95C under that poor 120mm) but the R15 was as well. And like clockwork, the CPU installed is preforming like a really good CPU 1 tier down. Just from what I can see in your benchmark run, the R16 is again power throttled.
A refreshingly honest and solid review.
I also had a look at your DIY option, seriously impressive 3 minute speed build. The only change I would make is getting some better RAM. I'm probably biased from most of my stuff being memory sensitive and AMD builds, but better RAM is almost a must for me, and even if you have to drop the speed a notch, your set for any upgrades in the future.
At least Dell will send a tech to your house within a few days and free of charge if warranty is good. If you buy a custom pc remember you are going to either have to take it to a shop for them to fix (will cost you) or diagnose it yourself and send those parts to the parts manufacturer (will cost you) which can deny you after they inspect the part if they say it does not fall under warranty. Which is great since you have to pay for shipping to the manufacturer (some will reimburse you but not all). You could just buy and replace the part but if you do not diagnose properly then you are back at square one.
You already hated it before you even started the review
Cause it’s quite hateable
No you hated his build before you watched his review
I only loved Alienware when i didn't know about custom pc builds. Yes AW will sell you a killer CPU/GPU combo at a decent price, but what's the point if they're compensating price cuts with weak PSU, RAM, motherboard and high temps?
If the CPU/GPU can't run at its best, then you're practically running previous gen versions with current gen names labeled on them.
That Alienware looks badass, your little slayer looks beta
Alienwares are bought by people that don't intend to upgrade, they're intended for people that want a set up ready computer. That and there's always discounts and that's how it sells
Yeah but they shouldn’t make it impossible to upgrade making their pcs become e waste
Agreed. I prefer plug and play. I do not.know.how.to build.a pc and I dont care to. Prefer to spend a bit more and.keep my pc for 7 years. Then I buy another.
If you could go ahead and stop saying "go ahead", that'd be great.
so early that even ariana had tears left to cry
I am not a computer expert at all but I just bought this for $1200 to stream vr games from my pc to a Quest 3 and it does so flawlessly without any tinkering with the settings. Half Life Alyx is amazing. I don't dispute that it may not be a gamers dream machine but so far I am thrilled with it.
you need move your script so that your not looking down the entire time.
Just needs a teleprompter
I just paid $2799 for a 32gb/4090/14th gen i9 from Alienware. Was that a bad value??
Looking into similar setup but 4080 super instead. How are you liking it?
Just a thought can the limited power of the psu be a bottleneck? Can the cpu have limited power availability when the gpu is going full tilt? 500watts is under the recommended watts for this combo and i think the 1000w psu option should be chosen for this pc with these specs
Just upgrade your power supply dude
Thats because they refuse to pick the 1000 watt power supply even tho the site warns several times you should when you pick specific parts
Okay, so Dell wants 3 grand to start talking about a -k sku Intel CPU. They also want $100 to talk to you about XMP. Whom ever here thinks that building your own machine with similar specs is more than buying one of these pieces of trash really needs to share with me what they are smoking.
DOWNCLOCKED BY 15 FUCKING HUNDRED 💀💀💀💀💀
hmm I don't think two m.2 slots is ridiculous, isn't that the limitation of the PCIE lanes on Intel's chipset? and while their motherboard is non-standard, it is of the matx height, most matx boards only have 2 m.2 slots
I ordered one and the label was created and it’s been sitting in Texas for 1 weeks nobody from dell well tell me why
I’m looking to get my first gaming computer so much conflicting information
haha seriously
It would be interesting to see if you can get the full performance by removing the Alienware programs and bloatware and using the Alienware Tools from Github to control the lights and fans. I noticed my Alienware Aurora r7 struggled with Fortnite bad even on 8700k/3070, so the throttling of the CPU for Alienware is not new. Which is frustrating because I like the new case and I want one eventually. But I'd rather build my own if it's going to throttle.
i understand benchmarks and results but it's not that far behind. i've built my PC's. this looks fine to me if you're not completely anal about it. i just bought one myself i can't wait for it to arrive
i've been looking at reviews for this PC all day cause i just bought one and this is the first one thats been quite negative. You're all "oh if you want a better one, come to my shop!!" gtfo bro
You're losing quite a bit of performance and paying more for it though. Under sustained loads especially. There are better, cheaper alternatives. Their decision to go with such a low wattage PSU for this hardware is bizarre, but then that's classic Dell. They cut corners where they can to hobble otherwise good systems. They were notorious for this by using slower hard drives in the past (and PSU's, as is still the case it seems).
That's DELL for you.
We get it dude. You don't like Dell.
Thank you for the review. Question: Do you know if this computer is compatible with the Dell AW2518HF monitor? I've looked everywhere and can't find an answer. Thank you in advance.
It should be, all modern monitors are basically the same and as long your computer has either and HDMI or Display Port output you are golden.
Geeks just hate it when out of the box units are better than their custom builds.
was so close to buying it, this made me reconsider - even though I'm very lazy - it feels like building custom has better upgradability and costs lesser - thanks a lot!
Glad I could help you out in your buying decision. As long term a customer built system is almost always the better option.
Buy it
I bought one today, super excited for it.
L video, Alienware aurora r16 still good
Or they just tweaked the bios bc they put a 500w PSU in it - lower clocks = less watts. That’s why your temps were in range but it still down clocked. I wonder if their 1000w PSU model has this issue? I’m thinking probably not because it’s odd that they went with 500w PSU which barely cuts it under full load but then their next step up is 1000w which is overkill.
decision to buy an alienware with 500watt power supply.. you do have the option to pick 1000 watt powersupply...
There shouldn't be a 500W option at all with this hardware. It should be a 750W at least.
When someone has to cringe to give a compliment, their opinion means zero.
What?
Great vid. but can we get a "proprietary" counter
Honestly that was needed it for this review lol
hmm.. looked at the specs build but it seems your missing the link for the power supply unit ?
Were these ever worth it ?
Back before Alienware was owned by Dell they used to be a ok choice. However, that was many moons ago.
@@ranjnijan3446 no back when they WERENT owned by dell
Wait misread the comment 🤣
I don’t understand why Dell just doesn’t use a better case with better airflow and not under clock the CPU. I was considering this new design until seeing your benchmarks but not now.
They want this shit to stop working in a few years so you buy new shit
Shutcho broke ass up no u werent 😂😂
They spent some money 20-30 years ago on a chassis design and they're still trying to get their money's worth from it. The actual frame part of this looks very similar to their ancient design they've been using in XPS, Precision and Alienware systems for a long ass time, only they painted it black this time. If you look at pictures on their website you'll see the 120mm fan on the back doesn't even have enough space, it's partially cut off because they just adapted it from the 80mm fan it was originally designed for all those years ago when that was enough to cool a decently powerful system. There's hardly any airflow either, it's got pretty tiny holes where it's coming in or going out.
All they really seem to have done is put a new plastic shell on their old classic - no longer fit for purpose - metal frame. Then painted it black.
To be honest, this video is barely a fair comparison. Alienslayer takes $1443, without tax and repair support. If you take those part off the Alienware only takes $1503, let alone the labor fee for building a pc. Besides personally I feel alienslayer looks WAY cheaper due to its disorganized inside configuration, and that white iron box -- as if someone just picked an iron box from a construction site and paint it white casually. Some people just dislike the alienware brand I guess.
He did pick a pretty ugly case, though. Also, I've owned the r12 and hated it, but maybe they have improved in build quality since then. He could've picked more cohesive parts, too. Like for mine, I did all white.
Buy a NZXT pre built
Hi matt. I really like your vids. I had a question, google doesn't seem to have a proper answer.
I have a Radeon Rx570 running. For some games At high settings, it'll run in the temperature of 85° C - 93° C. Is that temperature acceptable or Should i get a repasting of Heat sink compound done?. The CPU runs under around 70°c - 75°c Max loads.
That is unacceptable your gpu has to be at least 30-80 c
Matt never got back to you?
@@Wolfighter1 sadly no. But, i did figure what the issues were. It might need a repasting but it's the case as well. It's a generic case and can't really dissipate heat well. I'll get a different case. For now, it's fine. It's the gpu anyway and 95° is acceptable and won't shot or kill my gpu. Might reduce the life but it's an old gpu anyway 😁
Can you test the Lenovo legion tower 7i? With the discounts available it can be cheaper than building a custom PC. But is it worth it?
There's a couple other UA-camrs out there with good videos on the Lenovo prebuilts
Honest advice to the channel: You need to understand there are two different types of people in this world:
Those who build their own PC, and those who don't. Joke's on you if you judge someone that just wants to pay for the darn thing off the shelf, perhaps make a few changes at order time, and maybe - JUST MAYBE - swap a couple things out with their own stuff at some point. Your time and knowledge =/= someone else's.
It is A-OK if you are any of these people or in-between, so long as you get what you want. It is also ok if you switch camps. You do you.
My advice to any YT'er, reviewer etc... pit custom vs custom, pre-built vs -pre-built, and only contest the two head-to-head when it's *objectively* controversial and therefore makes for something interesting to watch.
Everything else is apples-to-oranges nausea.
Dell still setting power limits
Did you change the power mode in the alienware?
better build a custom pc
does anyone know why my r16 has temperatures above 100 F? its not even running anything ill just be on youtube and right now as im typing this, the temp is at 116, and 120 F
Fan or cooler must not be working correctly. Call support they can check it out for you.
@@Carlos2400 dell support is actual hot shit so good luck to them
What component? If you mean cpu I would look into replacing the aio with a new aio, like one from deepcool.
I've used support twice and had a pleasant experience so far. @@Natalietrans
Uh buddy? Lmfao ur either lying or u have a faulty computer. Tech support is way more helpful than a youtube comment section
I am thinking about buying one but I am not sure where i can get a desktop built
Do it yourself. It's easy.
No its not easy. When I look at all the wires I just go nuts. Its just not in my skill sets. I want somebody else to do it and I want a wall to wall warranty.
it's now 1099 + 10% off on Dell does that make it a good deal now?
No
I’m just trying to play fortnite and Diablo hoping my Alienware 4070 super and i7 14700f can handle it. I got the 1000w psu.
Sounds like they are up to the same tricks as before. They've made a few minor improvements, but overall, they're still basically throttling your performance due to their crappy thermals, even with the new redesign. The proprietary motherboard is a major issue as well. Overpriced for what you get, so unless it's at a huge discount or you somehow get one for free, I wouldn't even consider it as an option. You can probably find someone who will build a PC for you for a lot less (if you can't or don't want to do it yourself) and save a few bucks while getting better specs, or at least full performance from the same parts.
Basically, don't buy from Dell unless you have no other options, and even then, you can probably get a similar, or better, system from their regular Dell lineup, so avoid alienware.
Dude you have no idea wtf you are talking about.
That's not really true though, because Dell do substantial discounts a couple of times a year. I just got an RTX 4090 with a Ryzen 9 7950x for £2700, that is far cheaper than anything comparable.
Crazy how many people are defending Alienware in these comments lmao
Yeah this brand loyalty is cult like
They're just coping about their crappy purchase buyer's remorse in full swing, they're just going through denial. And literally all of them have 0 understanding of pc's which helps a great deal.
What was the PSU you recommend for the Alien Slayer? It looks like its missing from the list.
Thanks for the video! I play a lot of Fortnite, so that's disappointing to hear I would spend a ton of money and get very little out of it.
I currently have a 8700 I7, GPU 1070 Dell inspiron and it works okay for Fortnite, but it has been reliable!
For this hardware minimum 650w but because power supplies usually can be carried from previous builds its always worth going a little larger for more upgradability down the road maybe a 850w if you can find a good deal
What an L video, just bought this on Black Friday deal and I’m more than pleased. Don’t listen to this guy if you don’t feel like building one and have the cash.
I bought one too and it runs so good! Extremely happy with my purchase
L comment
There are better system integrators than this
@@LordCohlianigrown ass man saying L comment. I feel so bad for u
L video agreed. It is still very powerful and even with a 4070, which I'm planning about it.
Is the r16 good for game development?
No. It's a bad computer
For indie (which is probably what a random commenter is doing) 3D development at max you need like an i7/or Ryzen 7 (for code compilation) and RTX 3060/4060/IDK what the amd equivalent is
@@LordCohlianiif ur fat
this is like apple level proprietary
Yeah that’s what it felt like! Almost to that level!
All Dell did was remove the big bulky plastic casing around from metal frame, still the same hotbox.
Yeah from my testing that does look to be the case. Unfortunately
Well done, honest review.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Thank you so much, you just saved me a ton of money.
Glad I could help!
Whine, whine, Whine
He has proof that Alienware sucks
your voice is so high pitched it hurts my ears your very hard to listen to and you dont look at the camera you read from cards it is so bad
My experience is the opposite of what you just showed me. I put my specs into a fps calculator website and for Minecraft it says I would get around 800. I am getting upwards of 1000fps with a max of almost 2000 (at least). 1440p monitor. MWII it says 140. I on average get around 155-165. War Thunder it says 260. I get around 430.
I've had no problems and no complaints. The PC delivers. Maybe it was limited by your power supply 🤷
Also like other people have mentioned, these are almost always on sale on the Dell store. I got mine $1200 USD off the original price. (Also their sales are actually real. I was going to buy one but the next day but it was not on sale anymore and I could not afford it.)
Thank you, I might as well buy this pc
First I will say the testing and bench marking you do all depends on the settings you choose and if you’re rendering natively or using an upscaling technology like DLSS. As I can make a huge difference in the variance of your performance.
As far as the pricing, the pricing that I paid was the time at which the product was released few months back since the cost of GPUs, CPU storage and memory, have all come down, which has made the cost of the components for a lower, allowing them to increase sales, especially because the CPU is now last gen.
My issue came from the fact that it was a cooling, limitation and possibly power that was giving you worse performance, particularly for the CPU so that the system wouldn’t overheat that had to do with poor design, rather than a poor spec. So the main point of this video was the show how by buying this Alienware you are shorting yourself in performance because the CPU is down clocking.
Hopefully that provides some further context, but for anybody considering the system, I would still stay away from it and if you can build the system yourself or look to a local PC builder or repair shop to assemble one for you. As you’ll get better components when it comes to quality as well as performance, and more upgradability for down the road.
FPS calculator website? 💀
Let’s compare that to a similarly priced budget build
You shouldn't be able to buy an off the shelf, ready to go system that isn't capable of running the included hardware within its expected performance margins. If you're including such beefy hardware then pairing it with a PSU that isn't capable of supplying enough power, or cooling that isn't good enough to allow it to run within spec then that's on the seller, not the person buying it. This should have come with a 750W PSU as standard based on the rest of the hardware. 500W is just not adequate.
Dell have to change something...their alienware pc's are overpriced craps to be honest ...
I don’t understand all this tech talk but would this be a good pc for a kid. He just plays games he won’t ever upgrade
No. It's not a well made PC. It doesn't perform well for the price you pay.
As someone is 14 I can tell you building a pc is easy and you learn a lot. If my kids when they exist want a computer they will have to learn, and I personally think kids should learn. And would also save you money because the kid would know how to upgrade
A side note: why if it’s a gamer you default to he/him pronouns? Fairly sexist of you
@@LordCohlianiyou don’t know what your talking about man honestly! It’s not a bad rig many reviews by full time gamers all say it’s worth it for price
Could you be less biased😂😂👍🏻
Basically its a rustbox😂😂😂
👽👽👽👽👽 aliens
Damn and i was almost going to buy this PC but not after this review FUCK NO !
Clearly a baised video
Smart
Mine just got delivered and its a power hoise
Waiting for any free samples from Dell? Attack like mad. You know what is alienware arena?
second and hi from ireland
Appreciate your support!!!
Hater review lmao
Being a hater of bad things is good
do a grafics card giveaway plss
Would love to do one soon? What card should we give away?
@@mattscomputerserviceswhich one is disposable?
rx 480
Stop begging for free stuff and work for a living.
You have to be high on Crack to buy alienware.
Baised review didnt watch full video
So you’re biased for judging without watching fully