Alienware Desktop Area-51 Discontinued??

I  was just looking at the website and noticed the same thing?  I googled and did not see any announcement that they were canceling the Area 51, so I think that the website probably just was updated for the new ultra-slim X whatever and they didn't put a banner up or link back to it.  I bought mine in 2009, and still running great.  Would be a shame if they gave it up and only offered the Aurora ( don't really care for the chassis style).

It appears that the Area-51 was Discontinued Dec 2011.

Now you have the Aurora (full sized desktop) and the x51(thin small desktop)

As of this morning, it still shows as shipping in our tool.

if you go to www.alienware.com there is no area-51.

if you go to www.dell.com/.../pd it says that the product is unavailable.

I would guess that the only way you might be able to buy one is to call alienware and talk nicely to the sales rep.

that is too bad.  I love my Area 51, and although the I am sure you could get just as good a pc with the Aurora full size, the chassis just doesn't look as good imho.

My guess is they are upgrading the Area 51 still. Maybe the x51 delayed it some?  With no Area 51 it leaves Alienware with no full size desktop in their lineup. I am sure it's ether coming back or they are making a replacment to fill the void.

From Dell UK

The Dell Alienware Area 51 has been discontinued and is no longer available to order from Dell UK. See the Alienware Aurora for an alternative

They have updated the website several times over the past few months.  If you look at it now, you'll still find an Area 51 in the graphics on the page.  The fact that they haven't removed it entirely from the website page gives me hope that they are in the process of updating it witht he latest hardware.  They might not be, but it seems to me that they would flush the page and remove it altogether if they didn't plan on having it available again in the future.  Just a thought.

if you see one that is promising but when I just looked it was showing a X51 and a Aurora with the fins( I guess Aurora v4)  and you can only get to the area-51 page if you know the address.  there is no links to it anymore from the dell or alienware sites.

I hope they are just building a new motherboard for it and it will be back.  But it is a expensive system and it might not have had enough sales to build the next generation of it.

I hope it comes back.  It was the high end.  And I really have not seen a case like that from anyone other than a server case.

Alienware did basically the same thing when they stopped producing the original Desktop style chassis, there was no announcement on the web page at all.  For a short time you could still buy the old style desktop, but as parts sold out less and less customization options were available.  The new Area-51 quickly replaced the original in 2009 after the last old ones were sold, and I had worked with an Alienware customer support rep to get mine right after it first went up for sale.  I just don't care for the tapered design of the Aurora case on the front panel.  The Area-51 case is a beast and must weigh over 70 pounds with all components installed.  I think it is highly likely that a new case is being designed to replace the Area-51, but it is hard to say in this crazy economy.

Scuttlebutt says:

A new Area-51 will come at the end of 2012 or beginning of 2013.

I was talking to a sales rep. and asked her about the Area-51. She checked with a technician and told me that there will be a new Area-51, but she cannot promise that this will still be in 2012. It could easily be as late as early 2013, she said.

I find it a little bit hard to believe that it will take that long. What is Dell waiting for? Windows 8?

I understand, that they are overhauling the complete line-up of laptops atm and will release the new models one-by-one. So, maybe there is no capacity to release a new full size desktop. (@Elfiwolfe: the Aurora is NOT a full size desktop -- it only has a MicroATX mainboard, which makes it an "intermediate" desktop at best)

Since I am somewhat believing what the sales rep. said, I am even willingly to buy the new X51 to shorten the waiting time. But its only available with Windows 7 Home Premium! Come on Dell, why can't I get Windows 7 Professional with the X51? I will never ever buy a computer with Windows Home Premium. Period. Dell offers three different Windows flavours for the Aurora, so I don't get it, why this is not possible for the X51.

Let's keep waiting for the day, the new Area-51 becomes available.

(Hey, 12/21/2012 would be a nice release date ;o)