Advice picking out a new Alienware desktop

Question

My poor Alienware R11 Dark Side desktop has gone to a better place. The dust has been bitten as it melted and burnt in a recent fire in my home. My entire room and back patio was destroyed , no one was hurt, thanks.

Insurance money being what it is and needing to be spent I'm looking for advice. Should I get another Alienware desktop or maybe an XPS. I play some games but I wouldn't call myself a gamer. I like the upgraded video card power for my animation and video editing as well. Last time I bought the r11 with 8gb RAM and immediately bumped it up to 32Gb for $160 stick from PC Richard.'

Looking for power.

Tesla1856 · Accepted Answer

@bartnj wrote:

I play some games but I wouldn't call myself a gamer. I like the upgraded video card power for my animation and video editing as well. Last time I bought the r11 with 8gb RAM and immediately bumped it up to 32Gb for $160 stick from PC Richard.'

Looking for power.

If it must be a pre-built Dell/Alienware machine ... in 2022 ... I think I would recommend a Business-Class machine. A Precision Fixed Workstation desktop or an OptiPlex ( a large-case one that will hold a nice video-card and has a high-amp power-supply).

bartnj · Accepted Answer

That is a nice spec setup.thanks.   It’s crazy how selecting 32gb bumps up the price $600! but I get it, it’s retail through Amazon or even direct from Dell.

ProfessorW00d · Answer

Unfortunately . . . cannot recommend any of the current offerings. Perhaps the Aurora R15 will provide some performance improvements if/when it is released. I'm doing an Area 51 update.

speedstep · Answer

I still think the R10 Ryzen Edition is a good machine when priced correctly. Aurora R10- B09PHCBHZP

Vanadiel · Answer

I concur with the R10, if it can be found for a good price. As always, shop around and compare pricing, and look for deals whenever possible.

This is a good deal on an R10 directly from Dell: R10 deal

5800X, 16 GB, 2 x 8 GB, DDR4, 3200 MHz, XMP, NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3080, 10 GB GDDR6X, 1 TB, M.2, PCIe NVMe, SSD for $1,799 with 1 year premium Dell support.

redxps630 · Answer

The cpu/gpu components of R10 (Ryzen 5800x + Dell oem RTX 3080) are good spec, but user may need to upgrade Dell cooler and case.

it helps to review a negative review by Steve B @GN. You do not need to concur but at least listen to his opinion.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8ulhFi5N2hc

RodsterB · Answer

I concur with the others that the R10 if found at a good price can be the way to go. Have a look at this current Best Buy deal for an R10 with a Ryzen 5800 CPU and an RX 6800 XT for $1599.99. It's a much better deal than what Dell is currently offering.

Alienware Aurora R10 Gaming Desktop AMD Ryzen 7 16GB Memory AMD Radeon RX 6800XT 1TBB SSD + 1TB HDD Black AWAUR10-7757BLK-PUS - Best Buy

ProfessorW00d · Answer

I don't think the Best Buy R10 has the AIO liquid cooling, and the RAM may be single channel 1 x 16GB. There is not much information on the web page.

EDIT: scrolled down further on the page and it indicates liquid cooling and a single stick of RAM

bartnj · Answer

Thanks. They’re that bad or there are just many better in that price range?  For various  reasons I’m sticking with Dell at this point.

bartnj · Answer

Thanks. I do tend to forget about the PS.  If I may, what is the benefit with a precision or optiplex /biz class ?  The space inside the shell for upgrades?

bartnj · Answer

That’s a decent price for the dual 1tb hdds and I like the liquid cooling and 1000w psu  too.

ProfessorW00d · Answer

As pointed out by others, your best option would probably be the Aurora R10. I would go with the 5900X, RTX 3080, and 32GB dual channel RAM . . . liquid cooled CPU, of course. It is a SFF, poorly designed, air flow starved chassis stuffed into a giant plastic shroud that provides 'aesthetics' for the easily amused. The OEM fans are industrial grade server fans that move a lot of air, but can be extremely loud. There are many documented mods that are easy to do the improve the the noise and component temperature in this Easy Bake Oven. Again . . . probably the beast of some not-so-good options.

junior2022 · Answer

I like to by my Alienware from dell outlet both new and factory refurbished at Dell Outlet for $1,000s less.

Alienware Desktops

Advice picking out a new Alienware desktop

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