IT GEAR: Why do people go for Alienware Desktops...

Alienware Area 51 Gaming Desktop PC

So with no further ado let’s have a look at them, and we’ll start with the Area 51 and Area 51 ALX desktops which just like the three systems we looked at before are firmly aimed at the extreme enthusiasts and hardcore gamers who demand the best from their PC and don’t mind paying the price for it.

At first glance the Area 51 machines look to have very similar specifications to the Alienware Aurora’s we looked at earlier this week, and even if you start to look closer you’ll find many similar components: they both have liquid cooled Core i7 processors, both have up to 25GB of DDR3 RAM and they also share the same graphics card SLI options (with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 295).

The main differences lie with the motherboard (which is micro ATX on the Aurora), the processor (which in the case of the Area 51 machines are overclocked to 3.86GHz) and the available HDD bays – the six available in the Area 51 mean that up to 12TB of SATA storage.

The chassis is also very impressive with a ‘two sided’ design with one specifically for the 6 HDD bays, and the other for the rest of the slots and bays – this unique design matches the rest of the case which features active venting, the same lighting as seen in the Aurora and the unsurprisingly but still very nice sci-fi design.

Easy, Lighted Access - Look inside the Alienware Area-51 ALX, and you'll see why it's easier than ever to make this desktop your own. You can access most of the core components without any tools for faster upgrades. And the chassis includes two-zone, internal theater lighting — powered by rechargeable batteries — so you can service the system even when the A/C cord is unplugged.

Liquid Cooling - Eliminate distractions with high-performance CPU liquid cooling, which is more than twice as quiet as the standard heatsink and fans on other PCs. The efficient cooling also increases the reliability of your overclocked settings.

ALIENWARE COMMAND CENTER
Take Control

Alienware Command Center houses all of the custom software for your Aurora desktop. By placing all of your key programs in a single, user-friendly interface, you gain more control over your own system.

AlienFX^® Lighting — This unique lighting system lets you choose from an array of color and transition effects across four distinct zones, including the Alienware logo, side-panel glyphs and front-bottom panel.

Alienware Thermal Controls — Take advantage of advanced thermal monitoring and control options, including linking fan speeds to system temperatures. You can also share your system’s thermal profile with others.

AlienFusion Power Management — Using the power-management controls, you can decide when you need maximum performance or when to scale back for more everyday programs, ultimately increasing energy efficiency.

MADE FOR YOUR MODS

Graphics Card Bay — Reduce the shock and vibration issues of high-performance gaming with a unique cage design. The bay also provides a focused airflow compartment for better GPU cooling. Massive Storage Compartment — Enjoy tool-free access to the six RAID hard drives, which are mounted in a caddy-less compartment for quick release. You can also reach a higher level of performance with configurations up to RAID 1+0 and upgrade to solid state drives for the ultimate reliability.

Memory Expansion — Destroy your enemies with up to 24GB of DDR3 memory, engineered to support the faster speeds and higher bandwidths of the latest quad-core processors. Multimedia Options — Why limit yourself to gaming? Watch your favorite movies with the Blu-ray Disc^TM drive, enjoy TV shows with the optional HDTV tuner and play videos via WiFi or Bluetooth.^®

Alienware Cable Management — Optimize the airflow to your high-performance components with bundled wires and cables, secured neatly away from view. This keeps everything cool — and looks cool, too.

Alienware TactX ^TM Keyboard

Programmable micro keys and unlimited Profiles.
WASD gaming cluster with anti ghosting technology.
Exclusive AlienFX^® Customizable two-zone lighting.

Pictures:

Alienware TactX ^TM Mouse

Packed With Performance

School your enemies with one click. The new Alienware TactX™ Mouse has all the elements you need to lead your team to victory. Delivering uncompromising speed and accuracy, this mouse is designed to intensify your mad gaming skills.

Light It Up - Personalize your gaming experience with exclusive AlienFX^® customizable lighting. Set the tone for each game you’re playing with over 20 different colors to choose from.

Speed You Need - Experience pinpoint accuracy, smooth movements and on-the-fly DPI switching with the powerful 5000 DPI Laser Engine.

Gaming on the Go - Jump from game to game with ease with 5 customizable user profiles and 9 customizable buttons. Destroy the competition wherever you go with onboard memory that lets you program and save your settings to take with you to LAN parties.
Keep Moving - Seamlessly navigate your team to safer harbors with both vertical and horizontal scrolling modes. Also, with dual vertical scroll modes, switch between precise, click-to-click scrolling and frictionless hyper-fast scrolling for total domination.
More Range - The 6-foot, high-speed, braided, USB 2.0 cable allows for more setup room for your other peripherals and gaming rig.