Dell Alienware Area 51m (n00aw51m11)
MOST
- + The very high level of performance
- + The impeccable finish
- + The reasonable noise of the ventilation
THE LESSERS
- – The exorbitant price
- – High power consumption
- – Difficult access to internal components
In all sobriety, Dell presents it as the “most powerful gaming laptop in the world”. And it’s true that it’s a monster, this Alienware Area-51m. An astonishing hybrid machine weighing nearly 4 kilos, halfway between a “classic” 17-inch laptop and a desktop computer.
To give it maximum power, Dell equips it with Intel processors (Core i7 and Core I9) designed for tower PCs, as well as new 3D chips from Nvidia, the GTX 2060, 2070 and 2080. This engine ultra-powerful is obviously supplemented by the panoply of any good recent computer: SSD modules in M2 format, from 16 to 64 GB of RAM, a large set of USB 3 and Thunderbolt sockets and very high speed wired or radio network modules and second hand laptop price in bd.
Stronger, the Alienware Area-51m can be updated thanks to a system of removable modules. The Intel processor itself, the hard disk or the SSD module…and even the video circuit. A good idea, although as we will see later, the update process is anything but simple.
Like all Dell computers, the machine is available in multiple versions and can also be configured “tailor-made” from the manufacturer’s website. In any case, the bill is as disproportionate as the machine. In its basic version, equipped with a Core i7-8700 and a GTX 2060, the Alienware Area 51m already costs nearly 2300 euros.
For our tests, Dell loaned us the highest-end model (Dell reference: n00aw51m12), packed with an 8-core Core i9 processor and a GeForce GTX 2080, with 32 GB of RAM and 1 TB of SSD storage. The price? Nearly 4440 euros, without any play in the box!
What is this luxury gaming machine really worth? Can it really replace a big tower for hardcore gaming ? Here is our opinion, tests in support.
An imposing Dell Alienware Area
The Alienware Area 51m is a handsome beast. With nearly 4 kilos on the scale, 40 centimetres long, 32 cm deep and 47 millimetres thick, the case is too big for many backpacks and totally impossible to fit on a train or plane shelf.
Poor traveller, therefore, the Dell is no less elegant and very well finished. We love the matte black colour of the case and its velvety “soft touch” coating, which is very pleasant to the touch. We also like the racy lines and the wide vents of the case which somewhat recall, depending on taste, the look of a racing car…or a spaceship.
Of course, the case of the Dell is also dotted with many very fashionable colored lights on gaming machines. an excellent utility from Dell.
The only “small” aesthetic problem with this new Alienware Area 51m is its mains charger. Its chargers, to be precise. Because it’s not one big power supply, but two, that are needed to power Dell’s new monster. Almost the size of a brick, the larger of the two alone weighs nearly 1.5 kg and delivers 330 watts of power. A little “lighter” with its 746 grams second hand laptop shop in bangladesh, the other charger generates 180 watts.
Either a nominal power of 510 watts in all to power the machine, about as much as for a PC in tower format.
Note, however, that the Area 51m is indeed a laptop – or rather transportable – capable of operating without its huge power bricks. It incorporates a 7500 mAh battery, supposed to offer it up to 3 hours of autonomy.
Almost as rich as that of a desktop PC Dell Alienware Area
Distributed between the rear and the sides of the machine, the connection is very complete, with three USB 3.1 type A sockets (the classic rectangular socket) and a Thunderbolt connector (on the left side) in USB-C format. There are also the “good old” audio jacks, one for the microphone input, the other for the analog output.
At the back, Dell places two digital video outputs -HDMI 2.0 and mini DisplayPort- and a network socket. The manufacturer adds a proprietary connector (to the right of the network socket in the photo below) for its “Alienware Graphics Amplifier”, offered as an option. It is an external 3D card housed in a box that is connected to the computer to boost its 3D skills. This box is of little interest on the machine tested here, given its very high level of performance.
The Dell is very well equipped for communications, wired and wireless. This is the first gaming laptop from Dell to benefit from a 2.5 Gbit/s Ethernet socket, perfect for very high-speed data exchanges on a local network (with a compatible router or box). For wireless connections, we are entitled to an excellent WiFi ac “Killer 1550” module, with a maximum speed of 1.73 Gbits / s, and a Bluetooth 5.0 chip.
Not so easy to update Dell Alienware Area
After this little tour of the case, let’s take a look inside the machine! Dell is very proud of the modular design of its Alienware Area 51m, which allows some of its components to be updated after purchase: the SSDs, the RAM, but also the processor and the 3D chip. On paper, therefore, you can buy the “basic” version of the machine, at 2300 euros, then change the Intel chip or the Nvidia card a year or two later. This is not false… but the procedure is quite complicated!
The problem is that this Alienware is quite complicated to disassemble, even for an experienced user. No major hassle accessing memory modules and SSDs. But to access the processor base and the Nvidia GTX 3D card (a model specially designed for this machine, which has nothing to do with 3D cards for desktop PCs!), you have to remove a large number of screws, disconnect quantity of cables and tablecloths sometimes tiny and very fragile The risk of damaging something during the operation is quite great.
During our own disassembly, we accidentally cut (then resolved!) a group of cables by pulling a little too hard on them. Dell France could not tell us, for the moment, if the update can be carried out by its own services, nor at what price.
A G-Sync compatible panel at 144 hertz Dell Alienware Area
On the screen side, Dell retains a 17.3-inch IPS panel of fairly good quality, with correct brightness (300 cd / m² according to our probe) and a fairly high level of contrast (1500: 1). The image is clear and perfectly readable even with a high viewing angle, without parasitic reflections thanks to the matte coating of the panel. In game, we appreciate the compatibility of the screen with Nvidia’s G-Sync technology, which allows the screen to be synchronised with the speed of the 3D chip, up to 144 frames per second (144 Hz).
For a machine costing almost 4400 euros, however, we are quite disappointed that the native definition does not exceed Full-HD (1920 x 1080 pixels). Dell obviously favoured the frame-rate in play over the fineness of the display. Too bad, because the GTX 2080 chip of the Area m51 could largely animate a panel in Quad HD (2560 x 1440 pixels) or even in 4K (3840 x 2160 pixels).
Another small disappointment, the screen does not offer very accurate colour rendering. According to our X-Rite probe, the screen clearly draws on blue, and the delta-E (the difference between the ideal colour and the displayed shade) reaches 5.43. For comparison, the delta-E of a well calibrated screen is 1 or even less.
A solid keyboard, a very responsive touch zone
Unlike the screen, the keyboard equipped with a numeric keypad hardly calls for criticism. It extends over almost the entire length of the case, with no wasted space, which makes it possible to integrate very large keys…and to add special functions.
We are thus entitled to 9 keys dedicated to game macros, programmable via the “Alienware Command Centre” utility which is also used to customise the RGB lighting of the keyboard. Very comfortable, it is also very solid. According to Dell, the keys can withstand up to 10 million keystrokes. The touch zone, also backlit, responds perfectly to the slightest touch and supports the “gestures” of several fingers for controlling Windows 10.
Very high level performance thanks to exceptional equipment
After a good week spent with the Alienware Area 51m, our assessment is clear. The machine is beautiful, comfortable to use… and amazingly powerful! Dell did not exaggerate, it is clearly the best gaming laptop of the moment. In fact, the machine is more to compare to big tower gaming PCs.
Not so surprising in fact, when we remember that the Alienware integrates an Intel processor…desktop PC. On our test model, it is the excellent – and very expensive – Core i9-9900K: 8 physical cores, 16 logical cores… and almost 600 euros on its own! Also packed with 32 GB of DDR4 RAM and the largest current Nvidia 3D chip, the Nvidia GeForce 2080, the Dell atomizes the scores of the best gaming laptops already tested by our lab.
We thus measured 125 frames per second in Ultra quality under Tom Clancy’s The Division , against 60 to 70 frames/s for good recent laptops like the ROG Zephyrus from Asus or the Aero 15X V8 from Gigabyte . For Rise of the Tomb Raider , the Alienware Area m51 runs at 154 frames/s against just under 100 frames/s for the best “classic” gaming laptops, around 2000 euros.
Same story with a “synthetic” test like 3DMARK Cloud Gate , where the Alienware is more than 60% more efficient than another good machine from Dell, the Alienware m15 .
Gifted for gaming, the Area 51m is also an efficient workstation, perfectly at ease for all types of applications. The power of the engine and the responsiveness of the storage system -2 SSDs of 512 MB in RAID-0- work
High power consumption, but low noise
Please note that the exceptional performance of the Alienware Area 51m goes hand in hand with very high power consumption. In our tests, we measured peaks at almost 450 watts during heavy gaming sessions and during intensive multimedia work. At rest, consumption is fortunately much more reasonable, around 41 watts. Unsurprisingly, the battery run time is very low, just over 2 hours in our tests for office work or video playback.
The good surprise on this Dell is its well-controlled sound level. For basic office automation or surfing the Internet, the ventilation is practically inaudible, with only 29 decibels according to our measurements. In game, the fans are clearly heard (up to 41.4 dB), but the noise is much more bearable than that of the Dell Alienware m15 that we presented to you last January.
Note– The Dell Alienware Area 51m is indeed the most powerful of current gaming laptops, as the American manufacturer proclaims. This incredible “portable” PC can run all the big games today – and even to come – thanks to its very high-end configuration, based on a desktop PC processor and Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 3D chip. Beyond the 3D game, the machine is also an excellent work tool, responsive and pleasant to use. But at this price level, we regret that the screen does not offer more accurate colors. Another concern, the machine is not as easy to disassemble and update as Dell announces.
