As gaming laptops and Steam Decks consume all the press, it’s easy to forget about the humble tower desktop. Alienware surely hasn’t, as it just announced the latest update to its popular Aurora line of mid-tower gaming desktops. The Aurora R16 is a legitimate monster that the company claims can be overclocked to an incredible 6.1 GHz to handle even the most advanced modern gaming applications.
In fact, Alienware says this is the company’s first system to exceed 6 Ghz. This is due to the inclusion of a 14th generation Intel Core processor, a dual UDIMM memory architecture, and a custom motherboard based on the Intel Z690 chipset. You can overclock via a BIOS switch to surpass that 6 GHz benchmark.
Gaming PCs are also largely defined by the GPU, and the R16 ships with a graphics card with 24GB of GDDR6X memory, although that’s the top-of-the-line model. You have plenty of GPU options here, up to the GeForce RTX 3050 with 8GB of GDDR6 memory. You can also choose up to 64GB of DDR5 XMP memory and up to 4TB of SSD storage.
Aurora desktops have been a mainstay among PC gamers since 2009, but they represent a near-total redesign. The R16 is inspired by the industrial form factor of the company’s Legend 3 gaming laptop. You get an ingenious cube design that is 40 percent smaller while emphasizing user accessibility and upgrades. The chassis ships with either a solid door or a transparent side panel so you can marvel at all those sweet technological innards. The new cube shape also makes it easier to find the perfect spot on top or under your desk.
With all that new power comes new thermal regulation requirements. The R16 features larger air intakes and exhausts than the R15, with hexagonal side vents and a new vertical stadium to provide a larger surface area for airflow. The top face also features a larger surface area for exhaust purposes. In total, the company says these updates contribute to a seven percent reduction in overall temperature compared to the R15, despite the additional power. You can also choose between air- or liquid-cooled CPUs.
The R16 also integrates with the company’s Alienware Command Center 6.0 software suite, a first for desktop computers. This software allows you to adjust almost every aspect of the PC, from AlienFX lighting, thermal regulation, game presets, and much more. As for user upgrades, it has two DIMM slots for memory, 2 PCIe M.2 slots for SSD storage, and an additional 3.5” HDD slot. All configurations also support Wi-Fi 6E and 2.5Gbps Ethernet.
The Alienware Aurora R16 will be available for purchase tomorrow and starts at $2,200. However, this is for a basic model, so you could potentially pay hundreds more for access to each and every detail.
