Area 51 or Aurora R9 Purchase?

I'd spring for the Area 51 if money wasn't a problem and it absolutely had to be an Alienware computer.  Reason being that the A51 has better thermals due to the more expansive case.  You wouldn't be limited to blower cards and can incorporate liquid cooling for GPUs far easier than you could in an Aurora. FWIW, the R9 seems to use the same internal chassis design as the R7 and R8 despite the bulbous Dyson inspired exterior.  It's very cramped to say the least.

That said, for the kind of money I'd imagine you'd have to spend, I'd build my own... and would most likely go with a 3000 series AMD processor rather than an offering from Intel.

Area 51 can have 3 video cards and 1500W power supply.  This is not an option with Aurora.

X51 can take a 1050TI when you upgrade the power brick to 330W and use a short card like the Zotac 1050TI mini.

DA330PM111, XM3C3, ADP-330AB B, 5X3NX, 332-1432  330W

https://www.amazon.com/Dell-Adapter-DA330PM111-ADP-330AB-332-1432/dp/B00CGA5JQM/

https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/dell-330-watt-ac-adapter-with-6-ft-power-cord/apd/332-1432

Some have also used mini GTX 1060 with R2 version of X51.  Not sure what the differences are between original X51 and R1 and R2.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epCx8IjLCS4

@Darkblizzard   I need some assistance for picking the best desktop for my needs.

As stated by @amstel78 , if you can, build your own from scratch. Just read this forum and the XPS forum to understand why that is your best option.

The reason I want it prebuilt is to avoid the hassle of actually assembling it together, also I have little to no knowledge of how to do this. My budget is around 4K and the 2080 Ti is a must for me. Looking at the Aurora R9, I can almost max out the specs. Something that I do find rather appealing is the 9900K vs the X series for video games. Though, would I notice the difference if I were to spec up a A51 with a i9 9200X, 2080Ti, 16GB memory vs a Aurora R9 i9 9900K, 2080Ti, 32GB memory?

Putting together a PC isn't as difficult as you might think.  There are tons of videos on YT showing how to do this. You'll learn something in the process and would also gain the confidence to trouble shoot if something were to go wrong.

But, to each their own.  I understand the benefits turnkey solutions can sometimes provide; whether that be ease of use and configuration to cost savings.  Only reason I bought my R7 rather than building was at the time, it would have cost 1.5x more to assemble separate components equaling what I have in the Aurora.  Today, parts prices have fallen to the point that I'd rather build than get stuck with Dell if I had to do it all over again.

Though, would I notice the difference if I were to spec up a A51 with a i9 9200X, 2080Ti, 16GB memory vs a Aurora R9 i9 9900K, 2080Ti, 32GB memory?

Back to your question though, no I don't think you'd notice too much of a difference if you're able to upgrade your current PC's processor and GPU. There's not a whole lot of difference in gaming when it comes to an 8700k and a 9900k and a 1080 or even 2080 at 4K resolutions.  Not knowing a whole lot about the i9 9200X (is there even a 9200X?), as long as it doesn't bottleneck the GPU, you should be fine.

Bear in mind that you might need to upgrade your PSU should you decide to opt for the 2080TI. 

If you're comfortable enough upgrading your processor, GPU, and possibly PSU though... then you should be able to assemble your own PC without problem. For a budget of $4k, you should be able to put together a really kick-a55 system with custom loop.

Here's a good video series for you to check out:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHY6ygHj80c

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5jFXl0GZJo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXwMbmhCQuY

" 2080 Ti" is a 300W+ video card.  This is listed as standard config for Aurora R8 $3000

https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/dell-desktop-computers/alienware-aurora-gaming-desktop/spd/alienware-aurora-r8-desktop/dpcwscr806h

• 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i9 9900
   
• Windows 10 Home 64bit English
   
• NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 2080 Ti 11GB GDDR6 (OC Ready)
   
• 16GB Dual Channel DDR4 at 2666MHz; up to 64GB
   
• 512GB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD (Boot) + 1TB 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s (Storage)

• 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i9 9900
• Windows 10 Home 64bit English
• NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 2080 Ti 11GB GDDR6 (OC Ready)
• 16GB Dual Channel DDR4 at 2666MHz; up to 64GB
• 512GB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD (Boot) + 1TB 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s (Storage)

This is a very nice setup, AND includes liquid cooling for the CPU. Unfortunately, there is very limited space inside the small case for adding liquid cooling for the graphics card.

Though, would I notice the difference if I were to spec up a A51 with a i9 9200X, 2080Ti, 16GB memory vs a Aurora R9 i9 9900K, 2080Ti, 32GB memory?

Back to your question though, no I don't think you'd notice too much of a difference if you're able to upgrade your current PC's processor and GPU. There's not a whole lot of difference in gaming when it comes to an 8700k and a 9900k and a 1080 or even 2080 at 4K resolutions.  Not knowing a whole lot about the i9 9200X (is there even a 9200X?), as long as it doesn't bottleneck the GPU, you should be fine.

I think @Darkblizzard is referring to the i9 9920X which is a totally higher class of CPU (X-series) compared to the Core offerings from Intel. It runs on a *99 platform instead of 370/390 for Core. These processors are workstation level and supports ECC memory. Ironically, at your price point you're trading off the RAM with only 16GB when the CPU can make use of a bigger memory compared to the 9900K. Of course if you plan to upgrade you RAM, it's gonna cost you because of ECC. You may also find a thinner support level in this community that runs at the latest A51 level in terms of parts compatibility and other issues.

There's currently 17% discount SAVE17 which I'm not sure applies to everything. If it applies to the A51 as per your spec and falls within your $5k envelope, I'd get that in a heartbeat. Of course that goes without saying that you're more likely tied to a proprietary ecosystem compared to us R7/R8/R9/XPS users. Good luck!

I was debating this as well. And I went with the r9. The processors your paying for in the a51 are a little over priced. But worth it if you plan to have 64gb if ram. Since the processor could utilize it. No matter what alien you go with, the 2080ti will be running hot. There’s no way around it. I’m personally not a fan of the a51, and the way the case looks. Maybe if there was an upgraded “legendary” style a51, I might have gone with that. You also need to think about the fact that you’ll be buying outdated accessories if you want to have all matching mouse, keyboard, and headset. And the outdated accessories will become unavailable sooner than later, if one of them happens to break. 

@GTS81

I think @Darkblizzard is referring to the i9 9920X which is a totally higher class of CPU (X-series) compared to the Core offerings from Intel. It runs on a *99 platform instead of 370/390 for Core. These processors are workstation level and supports ECC memory.

I stand corrected. I forgot that the A51s are configured with workstation class / HEDT processors. Thanks for clarifying. Yep... totally different ballpark.

@Bmwpower603 

No matter what alien you go with, the 2080ti will be running hot. There’s no way around it.

Although the 2080 Ti runs hot, there is a lot more space in the case for the heat to be moved out. Liquid cooled AIO option is more flexible and if done correctly, a 240mm radiator could be used to cool the card. Also, there's more room for case fans and push-pull across radiators doesn't end up being more as Aurora discussion points in this forum and more of a reality.

I’m personally not a fan of the a51, and the way the case looks. Maybe if there was an upgraded “legendary” style a51, I might have gone with that.

Yeah, the current generation's design could use a good refresh.  . Imagine an A51 redesign comes out 3 days after your R9 arrives next month... 

A51 would probably come out the same day I get my R9. Or even worse, 30 days after I’ve had mine. Lol

A51 is made for crossfire, and SLI. (Hence the 1500w psu option) If your going to purchase a51 with 1 graphics card, you just wasted your $. If your gaming, a lot of games don’t even utilize 2 GPUs. Until a51 comes with liquid cooled GPU I’m personally not interested. 

If your concerned about GPU temps harming the 2080ti, I would purchase a longer warranty. That’s about all you can do. Besides adding fans, and keeping all other components cool. 

Seeing that I only want one video card, I suppose I'll go with the Aurora R9 with these specs. It does say the chassis comes with liquid cooling, but I'm unsure if that will do much with the heat?

• 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i9 9900K (8-Core, 16MB Cache, Overclocked up to 4.7GHz across all cores)
• NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 2080 Ti 11GB GDDR6 (OC Ready)
• 32GB Dual Channel HyperX™ FURY DDR4 XMP at 2933MHz
• 1TB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD (Boot) + 2TB 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s (Storage)

If I were to compare my Alienware X51 to the Aurora R9, do you believe the Aurora has more ventilation?

The aurora R9 has the “potential” to keep things cooler. The whole front of the case is slotted for better airflow.  

By potential I mean: You might need to add some fans to the case to maximize the airflow.