Alienware Area 51m R2
About
The Area 51m laptop is one of the prettiest laptops available, achieving the right mix between being a gaming laptop and a stylish, well-designed piece of technology overall. It has an architectural look to its aesthetic and a fashionable design to boot. Yes, it is a little bit heavier and thinner than the current crop of gaming laptops, but it still has a unique style and form that complements the PC-like power it provides. A excellent illustration of that is the vehicle's broad back and the design of its rear exhaust.
Then it's a chonk, yet everything feels in balance. Although it is heavy as you could anticipate, the laptop looks good. It actually has a luxury and sturdy feel. The screen is a good illustration. I regularly run a quick test to determine if there is any obvious wobble or slippage from the screen position. There was no sway in this instance; it is actually quite solid.
This applies to the entire construction: everything actually feels high-end and like you are holding the best design and craftsmanship.
Other wonderful touches can be found all around the notebook, like the fantastic RGB alien head and rim to the oval "exhaust" on the back, the soft and pleasant RGB lighting on the keyboard, and the entire touchpad that lights when it is in use. Another entertaining feature is the screen's ability to recognize when you are looking at it.
Specs
| Processor | Intel i9-10900U |
| Graphics | Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 Super 8GB GDDR6 |
| Memory | 32GB DDR4 2933MHz RAM |
| Display | 17.3-inch 144Hz |
| Resolution | 1920x1080 |
| Storage | 512GB SSD + 1TB HDD |
| Battery | 90Wh |
| Ports | 1 x Media Card Reader; 3 x Type-A USB 3.2 Gen 1; 1 x HDMI 2.0 Output with HDCP 2.2 Output Port (Supports direct drive VR interfaces); 1 x Mini DisplayPort 1.4 Output Port (supports NVIDIA® G-Sync®; 1 x RJ-45 Killer Ethernet E3000 10/100/1000Mbps/2.5Gbps Port; 1 x Alienware Graphics Amplifier Port; 2 x DC Power Inputs; 1 x Thunderbolt 3 Port (supports USB 3.2 Gen 2 and DisplayPort 1.2); 1 x Audio Out 1/8" Port (Compatible with inline mic headset); 1 x Global Headset Port |
| Connectivity | Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX1650 (2x2) 802.11ax Wireless; Bluetooth 5.1 |
| OS | Windows 10 Home 64-bit (can be upgraded to windows 11) |
| Weight | c. 9.9 pounds (c. 4.5kg) |
Ports
| 1: Media Card Reader |
| 2: Type-A USB 3.2 Gen 1 |
| 3: HDMI 2.0 Output with HDCP 2.2 Output Port (Supports direct drive VR interfaces) |
| 4: Mini DisplayPort 1.4 Output Port (supports NVIDIA® G-Sync® |
| 5: RJ-45 Killer Ethernet E3000 10/100/1000Mbps/2.5Gbps Port |
| 6: Alienware Graphics Amplifier Port |
| 7: 2 x DC Power Inputs |
| 8: Wedge-shaped lock slot (cable and lock sold separately) |
| 9: Thunderbolt™ 3 Port (supports USB 3.2 Gen 2 and DisplayPort 1.2) |
| 10: Type-A USB 3.2 Gen 1 Port with Powershare Technology |
| 11: Audio Out 1/8" Port (Compatible with inline mic headset) |
| 12: Global Headset Port |
Peformance
All Area 51M R2 variants are armed to the tooth and are significantly better than most other gaming laptops that are using, say, a Max-Q GPU that have lower Total Graphics Power (TGP). The variant that I got to review was powered by an Intel i9-10900U, an RTX 2070 Super GPU, 8GB RAM, and a 512TB SSD. Along with a Tobii eye-tracking sensor and a high-refresh-rate panel, we're looking at a super expensive machine. In terms of performance, the Area 51M R2 just obliterates every game you throw at it. I mean, playing games is what the 51M R2 was made to do and it does it excellently. You can throw any modern AAA title at it and it'll run it at max graphics and still maintain high frame rates. Here's a look at the benchmark graph to see what kind of frames we were getting
Pros
Incredible Performance
Great Looking Laptop
Effective Cooling System
Cons
Uses Two Bulky Power Adapters
Very expensive
My conclusion
Overall, the Area 51M R2, even though it'll probably cost you an arm and a leg and then some, is one of the best gaming laptops one can buy right now. Yes, it's expensive and probably way bulkier than you had imagined, it still does what it's designed to do - play games. And it does that very well and can handle all the modern AAA titles. So if you are in the market to buy a gaming machine to play all kinds of games in 2022, then this is definitely a great option if you can afford it. Just don't expect to carry it around and play games when are you on the move.