I'm a sucker for major discounts, especially when it comes to the best gaming laptops. I mean, who isn't? Gaining high-end performance to play the latest PC games with settings cranked up for a fraction of the price is money well spent. But it isn't every day that happens — unless we're talking about the Alienware 16X Aurora.
Launched earlier this year, Alienware's refreshed Aurora gaming laptop lineup already impressed with its slight design change (dropping the thermal shelf) and more wallet-friendly pricing, especially compared to its premium-class Alienware 16 Area-51 starting at $2,999. But then, the deals started pouring in.
Despite only just launching at the time, I spotted the Alienware 16X Aurora for over $400 off during a Prime Day sale. It was a steal, considering its Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX CPU, Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 GPU, 32GB of DDR5 RAM and a sizable 2TB SSD.
Was there something wrong with the laptop to be this heavily discounted while just being launched? Apparently not, with customers rating it a high 4.8 stars on Best Buy and stating it's the "perfect mid-level gaming PC" with "excellent value." Even the RTX 5060 model, which crashed to $1,399 in the summer, boasted an incredibly worthwhile offer.
Well, I finally got my hands on the Alienware 16X Aurora with an RTX 5060 and put it to the test. At full price, this laptop still soars with the performance it offers and high frame rates it delivers. But during a sale, this gaming laptop becomes a bargain beast.
Throughout the year, I've been keeping tabs on this Alienware 16X Aurora gaming laptop, and it's seen numerous discounts nearly every month. Now, with arguably the biggest sales event of the year coming soon, you can bet this gaming laptop will see a major discount that I'm a sucker for during Black Friday.
Is it a gaming laptop to keep on your radar? With the price cuts it frequently gets, I say yes. Now, let's dive into the performance you can expect.
Quality performance for less
Now, an RTX 5060 laptop GPU can only go so far. With its 8GB GDDR7 video memory (VRAM), this is mainly delivering entry-level gaming performance for popular multiplayer PC games that don't require the most demanding graphics (games like Indiana Jones and the Great Circle can munch through a lot of VRAM).
But that doesn't mean it can't run these types of games, anyway, and much of that has to do with DLSS 4. With Nvidia's multi-frame gen boosting frame rates, it pushes what the Alienware 16X Aurora can otherwise deliver. It can play the best PC games at more than acceptable frame rates, even with settings cranked to max, albeit not as well as the premium machines we've seen.
Whether it's Black Myth: Wukong at Cinematic settings, Cyberpunk 2077 with Ray Tracing Ultra or Doom: The Dark Ages at Ultra Nightmare, this Alienware machine could handle it. Well, sort of.
Check out the results I got below when running against a high-end machine like the Acer Predator Helios 18 AI with an RTX 5080.
| Row 0 - Cell 0 | Alienware 16X Aurora (RTX 5060) | Acer Predator Helios 18 AI (RTX 5080) |
Black Myth Wukong (Cinematic) | 21 (DLSS off), 60 (DLSS x4) | 57 (DLSS off), 167 (DLSS x4) |
Cyberpunk 2077 (Ray Tracing Ultra) | 24.1 (DLSS off), 82 (DLSS x4) | 36.7 (DLSS off), 189 (DLSS x4) |
Doom: The Dark Ages (path tracing) | 7 (DLSS off), 42 (DLSS x4) | 39.67 (DLSS off), 127 (DLSS x4) |
I know. Only 7 FPS on Doom: The Dark Ages? Yeah, I could barely get out of the settings menu. But realistically, I wouldn't ever dream of turning on path tracing with an RTX 5060 gaming laptop, and, to be real, it's not exactly needed.
Of course, the Alienware 16X Aurora with its RTX 5060 wouldn't compete against a laptop of the Predator Helios 18 AI's caliber, but it's not meant to. That laptop will set you back $3,099, while you can get Alienware's for over half the price.
Also, that benchmark is running games at max potential, and that's not what the 16X Aurora is made for. By tinkering with settings, like changing DLSS Super Resolution to Ultra Performance in Doom and switching to High settings in Wukong, I was easily seeing frame rates boost to well over 150 FPS during real-time gameplay. What's more, I got over 160 FPS in Cyberpunk 2077 at high settings!
Being able to play these games with smooth, detailed visuals already makes for a great gaming laptop, but the Alienware 16X Aurora stands out for the discounted prices it's going for.
As for what the 16X Aurora was best at, I tried playing Marvel Rivals and The Finals (a favorite of mine). Here, I was seeing 240 FPS at Epic settings with DLSS 4, even with 1600p resolution in The Finals, and nearly 300 FPS with Marvel Rivals at Ultra settings (at 1080p, though). It can more than manage fast-paced gameplay, especially with its commendable display,
Speaking of, sporting a 16-inch WQXGA (2560 x 1600) display with a 240Hz refresh rate is a boon. For some titles, that can be a tad demanding, but having the option to bolster resolution in a gaming laptop like this is amazing value.
Coupled with the Intel Core Ultra 7 255HX CPU, a whopping 32GB of DDR5 RAM and 1TB SSD, that's a rare sight for a sub-$1,500 laptop. Well, when it's on sale, that is.
On the thicker side
Despite the impressive performance-to-price ratio the Alienware 16X Aurora boasts, it does still remind me of the gaming laptops of yesteryear. That isn't such a bad thing, but don't expect a super-sleek gaming laptop on the same level as, say, an Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 or Razer Blade 14 (2025).
Even for a 16-inch gaming laptop, this is one chunky machine. That works in its favor for the most part, with its base being slightly elevated to make room for a cooler on the bottom that sucks cool air in from under the laptop and pushes it from the back and sides.
This does keep fans on the quieter side, even when I pushed it to its limits when trying out path tracing in Doom: The Dark Ages. But, at 5.6 pounds, this is on the heavier side compared to other lightweight laptops (the Zephyrus G14 comes in at 3.5 pounds). Let me put it this way: I would find it on my desk more so than in my backpack.
But this isn't entirely surprising for a laptop that's been seen for as low as $1,399. It's making sacrifices in the right places, delivering as much performance as it can in a sturdy, well-built design.
Is the Alienware 16X Aurora worth it?
At full price, the Alienware 16X Aurora comes in at around $1,649 at Dell, and now at $1,799 at Best Buy. That's a steep ask, especially for a system that comes with an RTX 5060, while you could get the Asus TUF Gaming A18 with an RTX 5070 for the same price.
However, when its price is cut down to well under $1,500, I can now see why this machine has got the praise that it has from its customers. Being able to play the latest games at frame rates that far surpass entry-level performance I've seen in previous rigs, like an RTX 4050 gaming laptop, is outstanding.
After using this laptop to play everything from demanding PC titles to fast-paced multiplayer shooters, I'm sure that when it comes to Black Friday, this laptop is one to keep on your radar.
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