Over the years there have been plenty of contenders for the best Desktop Gaming PC title, and sometimes there are temporary claimants to the throne. Alienware however continues to dominate, and though it might not always be the most powerful, or even the cheapest, it’s rock solid reliability makes it a great choice year after year.
The Alienware Aurora R11 Gaming PC is no different, from it’s slick design to it’s strong performance in benchmark testing, this rig does not disappoint. I’m not going to go in to too many details here on actual specs since the Aurora R11 is highly customizable, but we will cover the range of what you can get!
Pricing wise the Aurora R11 starts at just less than $1000, however when you’re in that price range you’re going to get limited performance, and only 8GB of ram.
When it comes to building a high end rig the Aurora will get you there, with a hefty price tag attached. The current maxed out Aurora R11 could include
- 10th Gen Intel I9 10900KF 5.3GHz
- 128GB Dual Channel HyperX DDR4 3200MHz
- Dual NVidia GeForce RTX 2080 Ti 11GB GDDR6
- 2TB M2 NVMe Boot Dive + 2tB SATA 6Gb/s storage
But this setup is going to cost you a hefty $5000 depending on the promotion of the day that Dell is running (At time of writing this rig would cost $4,607.99 before tax).
When it comes to building a high end rig the Aurora will get you there, with a hefty price tag attached. The current maxed out Aurora R11 could include
- 10th Gen Intel I9 10900KF 5.3GHz
- 128GB Dual Channel HyperX DDR4 3200MHz
- Dual NVidia GeForce RTX 2080 Ti 11GB GDDR6
- 2TB M2 NVMe Boot Dive + 2tB SATA 6Gb/s storage
But this setup is going to cost you a hefty $5000 depending on the promotion of the day that Dell is running (At time of writing this rig would cost $4,607.99 before tax).
Aurora R11 Technical Specs
Aurora R11 Dimensions & Design
The powerful customization aside, there’s still plenty that comes static with the Aurora R11. Starting with the case, the dimensions of the Aurora R11 are 18.9″ high, 8.771″ inches wide, and 17″ Long. The max weight is 32.9 lb. This makes the Aurora a larger sized desktop, although not the largest, and a pretty heavy machine. It comes built in with two to four lighting zones (depending on the color model you choose) that each can be programmed with up to 16.8 million colors, controllable through the AlienFX software.
The two color designs (Dark Side of the Moon & Lunar Light) are more than just different colored chassis, with the Dark Side of the Moon providing more lighting zones, but the Lunar Light having a light “ring” on the front encompassing the front facing ports.
Aurora R11 Exterior Features
the Alienware Aurora R11 does more than just look good, it comes with all the features you would expect from a modern gaming PC including front and rear facing USB 3.2 USB type A and C ports. Weirdly they also include 6 rear facing USB 2.0 ports on the rear side, so for your more permanent USB accessories, make sure you aren’t plugging anything that needs extreme speed or power in to those legacy ports (they are fine for regular webcams, audio, and other low power/low data transfer devices you might have connected.
Front Ports
- (2x) Type-A USB 3.2 Gen 1 Ports
- Type-A USB 3.2 Gen 1 Ports with Powershare technology
- (1x) Type-C USB 3.2 Gen 1 Port with Powershare technology
- (1x) Headphone/Line Out
- (1x) Microphone/Line In
Rear Ports
- (1x) SPDIF Digital Output (Coaxial)
- (1x) SPDIF Digital Output (TOSLINK)
- (1x) RJ-45 Killer E3000 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet
- (6x) Type-A USB 2.0 Ports
- (1x) Type-C USB 3.2 Gen 2 with Powershare technology
- (1x) Type-A USB 3.2 Gen 2
- Side Surround Output
- Microphone In
- (3x) Type-A USB 3.2 Gen
- Rear Surround Output Center/Subwoofer Output
- Center/Subwoofer Output
Aurora R11 Performance
As we mentioned earlier, the Aurora R11 can pack a serious punch based on just how much you wish to upgrade it with the available customization options. Beyond that however you start to get the true gaming feel that Alienware set out to deliver when it was founded back in 1996. The Alienware Command Center helps you control your overclocking without entering the bios, while providing you with enough information to overclock safely. This includes a thermal control panel to help you see where you may be pushing things a little too far.
This gaming rig is set up for overclocking, with enhanced cooling and power capabilities built it, so you can push your machine further and faster than those with basic cooling, or power provided for the “default”. This is taken even further with the increased cooling capacity of the new larger heat-pipe design, and on many models advanced liquid cooling for the graphics cards.
The Alienware Aurora R11 also comes with positive-pressure cooling to provide additional airflow throughout strategically placed vents, ensuring that all components are kept cool, not just your actively cooled components. This is not hugely important for most PC’s, but if you ramp this machine up to it’s highest config, this kind of cooling is absolutely essential.
Alienware Aurora R11 Summary
The Aurora R11 is a beast of a machine, and while it may not have a see-through panel displaying it’s components in a vivid lightshow, it’s a beast of a machine that looks amazing. The futuristic design gives a feeling of modern speed and efficiency, which is not far from the truth, and I personally prefer the less-flashy design.
This machine packs a punch, but only if you get the higher tiers. The downside of the Aurora is it’s price tag on the lower end. Honestly you can get more for less. Once you start to upgrade, while you’re still paying a lot, you get a lot more for your money. A mid-range $2000 to $2400 is going to keep you happy for a very long time, it’s well worth the money, and you can always upgrade it in the future.
We hate to be cynical, but the $998 model seems to be something that the corporate boys at Dell asked for. While it still contains all the default features of the Aurora R11, they are honestly way too overkill for the “basic” package.
Essentially you’re buying a formula one car but you’re fitting it with a Fiat Punto of an engine. You’re getting a machine with great quality, but low powered components, and putting them in a setup that is designed to power a full on gaming rig.
While this is doesn’t make sense for most people, if you’re looking to upgrade the machine over time, because the main components of the R11 are so overpowered, you can buy a more basic model and upgrade over time.
If you’re filthy rich, the top end model will give you enormous power for years to come, and it’s easy to pop open the hood and replace any components that fall behind whenever you are ready, although we doubt you’ll need it!
Custom orders can take some time to place, but you can get prebuilt machines quickly on Amazon!
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