Hunting for the Best Gaming Laptop? Dell’s Alienware 16 Area-51 May Be the Answer

The Alienware 16 Area-51 offers ample power for smooth gaming performance and comes in variants with different CPU and GPU configurations. Plus, you can save $1,000 on the version with an Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX CPU and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 GPU right now. Read on for our review of this awesome gaming laptop.  

Alienware 16 Area-51 Gaming Laptop

$2,680

$1,900 at Dell

For the most dedicated gamers, finding ways to game on the go can be a top priority. And while gaming PCs are the opposite of travel-friendly, a great gaming laptop lets you continue gaming on vacation, work trips, or around campus. That’s where Dell’s Alienware 16 Area-51 Gaming Laptop comes in. It’s one of the best you can get.

Performance

In terms of performance, this laptop is a standout, offering gaming enthusiasts all the internal hardware needed for a top-tier gaming experience. The Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 are among the best CPUs and GPUs for mobile gaming, respectively. Pair that with the 32 GB of RAM and 2 TB of storage, and you have a portable gaming device (akin to a desktop) that’s ready to handle some really demanding games. 

To top it off, 1080p and 1440p gaming experiences will run stellar on this laptop, and you’ll also get solid 4K performance and support for ray tracing. We particularly love the laptop’s effective cooling system, which keeps it from getting too hot or loud under load, limiting disturbances during your gaming sessions.

Customizations

There are plenty of hardware variations for this mode, including additional memory (RAM), more storage, and even a model with an anti-glare OLED display. The Dell site also has helpful guides to help you find the best spec selection for you. 

Another great thing about the Dell website is that when you tinker around and select different specs under the “Build your own” options, it warns you if any of your selections are incompatible with others. For instance, when you select the anti-glare OLED display option, a pop-up appears to tell you your build will instead need to switch to an Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus CPU instead of an Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX, and to a 1 TB SSD instead of a 2 TB SSD.

Build

This laptop is a little bulky and heavy, so it’s definitely not the most travel-friendly of gaming laptops. That said, the top-tier gaming power it offers makes up for its slight unwieldiness, and its overall sleek appearance keeps it from looking clunky.

The lighting is also a standout feature above regular gaming laptops (especially the signature alien head that glows on its back). Plus, you can customize the laptop’s lighting in the Alienware Command Center. The trackpad, keyboard, fans behind a glass panel on its underside, and rear grill all light up as well.