It's the final day of Amazon's sales event, but there's still time to pick up some Prime Day deals. There are big savings to be had across everything from DIY tools to mattresses, outdoor decorations to 3D printers. If you're a gamer then it's a particularly good time to pick up a peripheral or two that will help you take your gaming to the next level.

There are super-responsive gaming mice, tactile keyboards, gorgeous monitors and fearsomely fast gaming PCs all on offer right now, with many coming from trusted brands like Alienware, Acer, Logitech, and more.

As it's the last day of the sale you'll need to move fast if you want to take advantage of these savings. There's a lot to choose from across the site, but here are our 15 favorites.

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Alienware's notebooks are among the best gaming laptops available, but they can be pricey for most folks. This is especially true now, thanks to RAMageddon. Thankfully, the company isn’t ignoring the current reality and has just launched a more affordable gaming laptop for PC gamers. Meet the new Alienware 15 (2026) gaming laptop.

Starting at $1,299, this 15-inch laptop packs up to an AMD Ryzen 7 CPU and up to an Nvidia RTX 5060 GPU. Couple with 16GB of RAM and up to 1TB of SSD storage, and you have the basics for playing the best PC games at 1080p resolution and medium to high graphics. While the asking price is still above $1,000, it’s not terrible given current conditions.

I tested a pre-production model of the Alienware 15 gaming laptop and found it delivers a solid experience for those who don’t want to break the bank. Given its price, you’re not getting a premium display or chassis, but if you just want to play your PC games on something reliable, you won’t go wrong here.

Alienware 15 (2026) hands-on: Specs

Alienware 15 (2026) hands-on: Design

At first glance, the Alienware 15 certainly has the iconic look of the company’s laptops, with its all-black shell and Alienware logo on the lid. However, picking it up instantly makes it clear this isn’t just any Alienware product.

The polycarbonate resin lid and bottom have a plastic-like feel that’s a departure from the aluminum casings of higher-end Alienware laptops. While that’s jarring at first, the smooth, contoured lines and overall sleek design help offset that.

Unlike the Alienware 16 Area-51, the Alienware 15 has a full keyboard, which should make number pad users very happy. I don’t fall into that camp, so having the keys I actually mostly located on the left-hand side made it tricky to find my stride when typing. That said, the thick keys and their satisfying travel distance do make this a good laptop for writing.

The lion’s share of the ports is on the left-hand side. This includes two USB-A ports, an Ethernet port, a USB-C port, and an HDMI port. On the left are a lone USB-C port and a headphone jack. Port placement is generally fine if that’s the side you prefer to connect peripherals to, but it could be burdensome if you would have preferred them on the right side or on the back.

Alienware 15 (2026) hands-on: Display

The 15-inch display isn’t terrible, but after testing so many laptops with OLED panels, it’s certainly a step down in both picture quality and overall brightness.

Since this was a pre-production model, we didn’t run our usual suite of display benchmarks. To my eyes, however, the screen is noticeably dimmer and less vibrant than a more premium display.

That’s not to say things don’t appear clearly defined, because they certainly do. The 1200p resolution lets you see everything on the screen in fine detail. However, the muted colors and low brightness make everything look duller than you’d like.

Again, things don’t look terrible on the Alienware 15, but don’t expect a top-end viewing experience when playing games or watching videos.

Alienware 15 (2026) hands-on: Performance and battery life

I tested a pre-production model with entry-level specs. It includes an AMD Ryzen 5 processor, an Nvidia RTX 4050 mobile GPU, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of SSD storage. These aren’t the latest and greatest components, but they’re good enough for playing even demanding games at smooth frame rates.

At default graphical settings and native resolution, Cyberpunk 2077 ran at around 45 to 50 frames per second during my testing. Mind you, that’s without the frame-boosting DLSS upscaler enabled. With this feature turned on, the fps jumped to the low 60s, so it’s definitely worth it for a system like this.

Given its prowess as a gaming machine, the Alienware 15 had no problems handling my average workflow, which usually consists of dozens of open Chrome tabs and the occasional YouTube video running in the background. If you need to get work done, this laptop won’t let you down.

Lastly, let’s talk about battery life. We didn’t run our usual battery test on this machine, but during my testing, I was able to play for close to 90 minutes before the battery life warning appeared. That’s typical for a gaming laptop, so I wasn’t surprised. Naturally, you’ll want to keep this laptop connected while gaming so it keeps running and maintains optimal performance.

Alienware 15 (2026) hands-on: Outlook

Given how expensive gaming devices are nowadays, I applaud Alienware for keeping the average gamer in mind. Both the Alienware 15 gaming laptop and the $349 Alienware AW2726DM gaming monitor exemplify this philosophy.

While I wouldn’t call a $1,299 starting price cheap, it’s still affordable given the current state of things. I’ll have a full review for you once I get to test a final model, but for now, I like what Alienware is cooking up.

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It’s no secret that Dell makes good laptops, and the storied brand has done it once again with the Alienware 16X Aurora. A powerful gaming laptop with bags of performance under the hood, the 16X Aurora is an excellent mid-range option. With its 240Hz refresh rate, bright screen, wide color coverage and accuracy, there’s a lot to love about it. Gaming performance is nothing short of exceptional, and it's perfect for everyday work too.

Graphics are beautiful thanks to NVIDIA’s RTX 50 series too. The 16X Aurora also sports a premium, good-looking design with plenty of ports for hooking up several peripherals. But it’s worth noting that its battery life can be described as mediocre at best, and the top level configuration will cost you an arm and a leg.

Is this the best gaming laptop for you? Read my full Dell Alienware 16X Aurora review to find out.

Dell Alienware 16X Aurora review: Specs

Dell Alienware 16X Aurora review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? A (slightly bulky) gaming laptop boasting outstanding performance in gaming and productivity
• Who is it for? Gamers who want a high-performing laptops
• How much does it cost? The Dell Alienware 16X Aurora starts at $2,499 / £2,199 and goes all the way up to $4,299 / £3,299
• What do we like? The premium design, excellent gaming and productivity performance, and great color coverage and accuracy
• What don’t we like? The mediocre battery life and premium price point

Dell Alienware 16X Aurora review: The ups

From its fantastic design and numerous ports, to its excellent gaming performance and wide color coverage, the Dell Alienware 16X Aurora is a superb machine.

Fantastic design and connectivity

Ever since I first heard about Alienware laptops back when I was 12, I’ve always loved the design — the alien logo is a treat. The Alienware 16X Aurora is, then, a rather good-looking laptop, wrapped in dark blue and purple-ish colors, officially called “Interstellar Indigo.” Its smooth aluminum chassis feels premium, and the matte finish lends the 16X Aurora a classy look.

The 16X Aurora packs a 16-inch (2560 x 1600) non-touch screen, so it measures 14.05 x 10.45 x 0.92 inches, making it a little bigger than the Dell XPS 16 ($1,749). While not exactly compact, it still fits into most regular-sized backpacks with ease — although its weight (5.66lbs) might put you off from traveling with it for long.

I’ve really enjoyed using the 16X Aurora’s keyboard and trackpad too. The keys on the keyboard have enough space between them that you don’t accidentally hit an unintended key, but they’re also close enough that you don’t have to spread your fingers too much to type. The keyboard features single-zone RGB lighting only, which I don’t personally mind — and you can change the colors and effects via Alienware’s Command Center software. The touchpad also feels highly responsive and pans smoothly. No complaints there.

Ports-wise, the 16X Aurora is packed, and features basically everything you’d need to hook up a plethora of peripherals to it. Alongside the laptop’s left edge, you’ll find a USB Type-A 3.2 Gen 1 port, an ethernet jack, as well as a 3.5mm jack for plugging in gaming headsets.

There are no ports on the right edge; instead, the others are located on the rear. There’s another of the same USB-A port, two USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 ports (one of which supports Thunderbolt 4), the port for the power adapter, and an HDMI port.

A vivid display

I’ve used the Dell Alienware 16X Aurora extensively and for a number of tasks: gaming, testing gaming keyboards and mice, conducting lab testing on the best monitors, and everyday work-centric tasks too. And there’s plenty of performance here to enjoy.

The 16-inch screen, first of all, has a refresh rate of 240Hz, which ensures silky smooth performance in games like Cyberpunk 2077 and Forza Horizon 5. The 2.5K panel is plenty of resolution that makes games feel immersive, and there’s also an OLED configuration if that’s more your speed.

In addition to gaming, which I’ll get into in the next section, the 16X Aurora delivers bright, vivid colors across the board. I was stunned at how rich all the different shades and hues looked in the World Wildlife 4K YouTube video. Lush, green meadows appeared highly detailed, as did darker scenes filmed at night.

My lab testing confirmed what my eyes saw, as you can see in the table above. The 16X Aurora covers 98.3% of the sRGB spectrum and 99% of the wider DCI P3 color gamut. While both values are just a touch off 100%, the difference is barely noticeable, and you get an enjoyable viewing experience.

A Delta-E score of 0.6 is good too. It basically determines color accuracy, and the closer the score to zero, the better. 0.6, in this regard, is great, and I found the colors to be accurate in real-world use too.

The Razer Blade 16 ($2,999) and the Alienware x16 R2 ($2,099) boast better color accuracy making either a slightly better option than the 16X Aurora for those who do, say, color-intensive work, like photo and video editing. However, the 16X Aurora is much brighter than both with a measured brightness of 450.8 nits, so you shouldn’t have any issues seeing the screen in lit-up rooms. The MacBook Pro M5 ($1,599) upstages them all, though, with its 558 nits of brightness.

Performance aplenty

In addition to excellent color coverage and accuracy, the Dell Alienware 16X Aurora packs a powerful chip too. Depending on the configuration you go for, there are a few processing chips you can go for. My review unit came fitted with the Intel Core Ultra 7 255HX chip, 32GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD.

Regardless of the task I did, the 16X Aurora performed admirably. Having multiple applications and browsers with 20 tabs open wasn’t an issue for the 16X Aurora. I didn’t experience any noticeable lag or unresponsiveness. Though there were a few instances where the laptop sounded like it was going to take off — particularly while playing the CPU-intensive Cyberpunk 2077 — I didn’t find it too jarring.

On Geekbench 6, which tests overall CPU performance, the 16X Aurora pulled in an excellent multi-core score of 18,697, outclassing both the Razer Blade 16 (2024) and the Alienware x16 R2. The MacBook Pro M5 performs slightly better than the 16X Aurora in our HandBrake video editing test (transcoding a 4K video to 1080p), but only by a very small margin.

On the BlackMagic Disk Speed test which measures the write and read speed in MBps, the 16X Aurora performed stupendously, with 4,233 write and 5,045 read speeds. The MacBook Pro M5 outperforms the 16X Aurora here with its fast 6,068 write and 6,323 read speeds, but in everyday use, Dell’s offering is more than enough.

Great for gaming

The Dell Alienware 16X Aurora is a beast for gaming. The model I tested packs an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 graphics card, with the top level configuration featuring an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti card.

At a native resolution of 2560 x 1600, this laptop can run the best Steam games without breaking a sweat. Like I mentioned earlier, I’ve used the 16X Aurora extensively to test the best gaming monitors, and the laptop has always performed admirably.

I played Cyberpunk 2077, Forza Horizon 5 and F1 25 with the highest graphics settings enabled. In Cyberpunk 2077 with features like Ray-Traced Lighting set to Ultra, the benchmark results showed an average of 63fps. Meanwhile, in Forza Horizon 5, I hit 150fps in Extreme mode, while F1 25 ran at a silky smooth 109fps in Ultra High graphics mode. Counter-Strike 2 achieved a maximum FPS of 235, so close to the screen’s 240Hz refresh rate, and it ensured ultra smooth performance.

Benchmark results are great on paper and can tell you a lot about the laptop’s performance, but how do the games really run? Well, really well. The user experience is sublime, with stunning visuals, vivid colors, and non-existent lag or ghosting. When the driver in front of me hit the brakes in F1 25, I could see the sparks flying from underneath the tyres in great detail — just like you would while watching a race on TV. In Cyberpunk 2077, the neon lights appeared saturated enough that they made me feel immersed in the streets of Night City.

Dell Alienware 16X Aurora review: The downs

The Dell Alienware 16X Aurora is a highly competent laptop, but there are a couple of flaws, namely its high price point and mediocre battery life.

Can get very expensive

The rule of thumb when buying a laptop is that the more things you add to its internal hardware, the more expensive it becomes — and the Dell Alienware 16X Aurora can get very pricey, especially when you deck it up with the best graphic card available and fit the biggest SSD possible.

The standard configuration I tested, at the time of writing, costs $2,499 / £2,199. If you go for the top level configuration with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 card, a 4TB SSD, and an Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX processor, you’re looking at an expenditure of $4,299 / £3,299. That’s a lot. I also say “at the time of writing” as prices may vary and fluctuate with the ongoing RAM crisis. It’s also worth noting that neither of these configurations feature an OLED panel.

For the OLED model, you’ll need to settle for 32GB RAM, 1TB storage and the Intel Core Ultra 9 290HZ process, and this model costs $2,919. It’s also not available in the U.K., at the time of writing.

Mediocre battery life

One of the first things I noticed during my early testing time with the Dell Alienware 16X Aurora was that its battery life seemed very short. I was having to constantly recharge the laptop while playing games. Having conducted a benchmark battery test, I can now confirm that the 16X Aurora’s battery life leaves a lot to be desired.

Due to lab testing limitations, I wasn’t able to conduct our specialized in-house battery testing, so I used UL Procyon’s battery benchmark test instead. I calibrated the 16X Aurora’s brightness to 150 nits and let the software play videos until the laptop ran out of charge, and that took three hours and one minute, which is awful.

This is poor but it isn’t exclusive to the 16X Aurora. As you can see in the table above, the Razer Blade 16 and the Alienware x16 R2 gaming laptops also have subpar battery lives, especially when compared to the behemoth MacBook Pro M5.

Chances are, your gaming laptop will be plugged in while you play anyway, and the 16X Aurora isn’t really a portable laptop either, so does the suboptimal battery matter that much? I don’t believe so.

Dell Alienware 16X Aurora review: Verdict

The Dell Alienware 16X Aurora is a very capable gaming laptop, and one of the best you can buy today. The laptop boasts a lovely, premium design, and it’s built well too. There are plenty of ports for connecting the laptop to a monitor or plugging your favorite peripherals into it.

Performance-wise, the 16X Aurora features a vivid display with great color coverage and accuracy, and its 240Hz refresh rate makes it ideal for gaming. It’s perfect for general productivity as well. While its battery life isn’t industry-leading, and the laptop can get very expensive depending on the configuration, neither drawback should stop you from picking up the 16X Aurora. It looks good and performs even better.

I’ve had a rocky history with Dell, the owner of Alienware. Having built my own gaming PCs for over 25 years, I’ve always been skeptical (to say the least) about Dell and Alienware prebuilts — their historically proprietary hardware makes them difficult, if not impossible, to customize.

I’ve also had a tricky time with a Dell monitor in recent times, which I had to send off for replacement no less than three times, with all subsequent replacements sent to me under warranty turning up damaged.

As you can no doubt understand, I’d vowed not to use another Dell-made monitor for a while. Then the Alienware AW2725D dropped on my desk (metaphorically) for testing, and I rather quickly realized my own words needed eating.

I’ve been testing this 280Hz QD-OLED 27-inch gaming monitor for around two months now, and it’s handled everything I’ve thrown at it: work, gaming, production, you name it. I think this is one of the best gaming monitors you can buy in the mid-range price bracket. Read my full Alienware AW2725D review to find out why.

Alienware AW2725D review: Cheat Sheet

• What is it? A mid-range 1440p QD-OLED gaming monitor
• Who is it for? Gamers (...duh), although it’ll suit some light production too
• What does it cost? $499 / £509
• What’s good? The beautiful QD-OLED panel, speedy performance, vibrant and accurate colors, and strong contrast
• What’s not? Not a lot, although I wish it had more ports and built-in speakers

Alienware AW2725D review: Specs

Alienware AW2725D review: The ups

From its beautiful 27-inch QD-OLED panel, through to its high 280Hz refresh rate, premium design and suitability for tasks beyond gaming, this is an excellent mid-range display.

Beautiful QD-OLED panel

The Alienware AW2725D features a 1440p QD-OLED panel, which is frankly gorgeous. You can also buy the 27-inch monitor in different sizes, from 25 inches up to 34 inches; and different resolutions, from 1080p to 4K. Naturally, this affects price, as well as refresh rate, with the 27-34-inch 4K models topping out at 240Hz instead of the 1440p’s 280Hz refresh rate.

Given my desk setup and the games I play, 1440p at 27-inches is the sweet spot for me. 27-inches is wide enough for a fairly immersive experience, while also avoiding me having to turn my head to see different ends of the display. That said, if you want a truly immersive experience, an ultra-wide display like the Lenovo Legion Pro 34WD-10 ($1,199) is where you’ll want to look.

I find 1440p is plenty of resolution for 27-inches, and the panel relays plenty of fine detail and looks extremely sharp. You can also buy the 27-inch model with a 4K panel, which is the Alienware AW2725Q ($899). As I mentioned above and will cover below, you lose some performance (and more of your cash) by stepping up to 4K, but the differences aren’t huge.

Rich color, strong contrast, decent brightness

Helping that panel look so lovely, of course, are the rich colors and deep contrast from the AW2725D’s QD-OLED pixels. This is an OLED display, meaning each pixel lights itself rather than needing a backlight, resulting in true blacks as each pixel can turn itself off completely — this results in more contrast than IPS or VA (both LCD) panels which use a backlight to illuminate their pixels.

The ‘QD’ slapped on the front stands for ‘Quantum Dot’ — these little dots are essentially tiny semiconductors that produce extremely vibrant colors and also enhance brightness. So, with a QD-OLED, you’re getting better brightness than a standard OLED, and even more vivid colors.

I tested this display by playing a variety of games, three of which were Cyberpunk 2077, Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 (KCD2) and Total War: Rome II. Cyberpunk's vivid, contrasty scenes looked awesome on the AW2725D, with super inky shadows contrasting against bright neon signage. I tended to leave this game in the monitor’s standard mode, which maintains bright highlights — otherwise (in RPG mode) the game felt a little too dark.

KCD2 and Total War: Rome II also looked fantastic, with their warm, saturated palettes done full justice by the monitor’s standard color mode. I switched out the monitor’s color mode to RPG for KCD2 though, which clips the highlights a little to aid in that warmer, historical and cinematic feel. I tried the display’s warm mode, but this felt a little too yellow.

Across the board, there’s tons of contrast on offer, while colors look fantastic and nicely saturated, while still feeling fairly natural in the standard display mode.

Now for brightness. In the table above, I’ve compared the AW2725D’s lab test results against other QD-OLED rivals. The AW2725D offers better peak brightness (measured using the central 10% of its display) than its 4K stablemate the AW2725Q. It also offers comparable peak brightness to both the MSI MPG 272URX ($1,099) and the Lenovo Legion Pro 34WD-10, despite being much cheaper than both. The MSI is a 4K panel, though.

OLED panel brightness rises or drops depending on how much of the screen is in use — this is for screen longevity. While we measure peak brightness at 10% screen usage (right in the center), we also measure at 100%, which gives you a real-world brightness figure. The AW2725D performs similarly to other QD-OLED rivals here, with very little in it. I had no issues using the monitor in bright sunlight, even with a window behind me, in large part thanks to the monitor’s anti-reflective coating.

Burn-in protection

It’s worth noting that the AW2725D also features burn-in protection. It’ll flag you a warning after using it for some time, before automatically turning itself off (by default) to protect the panel. It also features a panel health flag when you access the main menu — this uses a traffic light system to tell you quickly how things stand. If you’re on orange, you can perform a quick panel refresh and be back to green!

Stellar gaming performance

The Alienware AW2725D also has plenty of gaming features up its sleeve, as you’d expect from a gaming monitor. Most notably, its refresh rate tops out at 280Hz, which ensures ultra-smooth gameplay free from motion blur and input lag.

It also boasts a 0.03ms GTG response time. GTG means gray-to-gray and measures how quickly the pixels can change color. A 0.03ms response time is very good, helping to reduce motion blur and ghosting.

Smooth gameplay is, of course, beneficial in virtually all gaming, but these ultra-quick stats are most important in fast-paced titles like first person shooter (FPS) games. I played Counter Strike 2 and Isonzo, two FPS games, and suffered no noticeable input lag or ghosting. In Counter Strike 2, I was running at a consistent 270-280Hz on my hardware — buttery smooth.

The AW2725D also has some handy secondary gaming features. Within the display settings, you’ll find a black stabilizer, which allows you to boost the brightness in black areas of the screen, helping you see enemies hiding in dark areas, for example. There are three “Alienvision” modes. Two of them (Vision 1 and Vision 3) apply a central reticule to the display, with the Vision 1 mode also applying a darkened target box around the reticule. Vision 2 mode applies color peaking around contrast areas to help you detect shapes quickly. All of these will be useful for players wanting every available competitive edge possible.

Not a one-trick pony

The Alienware AW2725D isn’t only good for gaming — in fact, I can’t own or use a monitor that is so. As the cameras editor here at Tom’s Guide and a photographer in my spare time, I use my monitor for a lot of photo and video editing. The AW2725D proved itself highly capable, thanks to its high color accuracy.

As you can see in our lab test results in the table below, the AW2725D demonstrated a Delta-E figure of 0.14. This essentially measures color variance. We use calibrated color spectrometer devices to measure how much the color on screen varies from the color sent to the monitor by the computer. The lower the better and 0.14 is a fairly strong score, showing low variance and meaning the colors you see on screen are true. It isn’t as outright impressive as the 4K variant, the Alienware AW2725Q, but it’s still better than the BenQ PD3226G ($1,099) I tested in late 2025 — and that’s a monitor designed purely for design work.

More impressive is the AW2725D’s coverage of the two most common color gamuts: sRGB and DCI-P3. The monitor covered 190% of the sRGB gamut, which is the most common color space used online. Of course, more than 100% is unnecessary, but it demonstrates that this monitor has a very wide tonal range. Any color that’s in the sRGB gamut can be relayed by this display. The same is true for the DCI-P3 gamut, which is commonly used for cinematic video editing, and which the AW2725D more than covered at 135%. A splendid show.

This means the AW2725D will be a solid choice for gamers who also dabble in a spot of creative work, such as photo editing or making videos for online sharing. If you are printing images or you’re a professional video editor, naturally you’ll want a monitor with a wider array of color modes, such as Adobe RGB (for printed photography) and Rec. 2020 (used in the production of video for television). The AW2725D only has sRGB and DCI-P3 modes, but then again, it is primarily a gaming monitor.

Reasonable price

While it isn’t exactly a budget monitor, the Alienware AW2725D is priced fairly for the performance it offers. One of the gripes we had about the 4K AW2725Q variant was its steep $899 asking price. I’m glad to see the 1440p variant isn’t priced quite as highly.

Like I said, at $499 / £509, it isn’t cheap — but I think this is a reasonable asking price for the beautiful panel with its rich colors and vibrant contrast, not to mention the rapid gaming specs and high color accuracy. The AW2725D is also built very well, looking high quality and finished in a textured, matte plastic that gives a premium feel, again helping justify its price.

Alienware AW2725D review: The downs

I really can’t think of much wrong with the Alienware AW2725D. It’d be nice to have a few more I/O ports and some built-in speakers, I guess, but that’s kinda splitting hairs.

Limited onboard I/O and no speakers

As I alluded to directly above, I’m aware this is splitting hairs, but I’d have liked to see a few more onboard I/O ports on the Alienware AW2725D. I’m used to my BenQ PD3226G monitor which, with its plethora of I/O and Thunderbolt 4 connectivity, serves as a USB-C hub.

The AW2725D, by contrast, features 1x USB-A and 1x USB-C downstream ports, the latter of which is rated for 15W of power delivery. That’s fine for charging a couple of devices, but it proves a little limiting when you want to hook up multiple devices for complex workflows. Again, this isn’t a huge issue, and stems partly from me being a spoilt professional tech reviewer who is accustomed to his monitors doubling up as USB hubs.

It’s also worth noting that there’s no headphone jack, nor any internal speakers built into the monitor. Again, I don’t think this is a huge deal as you’ll be hooking this thing up to, y’know, a computer, where you can plug in a headset. Still, it would’ve been nice to see built-in speakers for people who don’t have any external speakers — I know from first-hand experience that when you’re building your PC paycheck-by-paycheck, built-in monitor speakers are a welcome temporary solution.

Alienware AW2725D review: Verdict

The Alienware AW2725D is one of those products where I’ve had to scratch my head for negatives. And realistically, there just aren’t that many. The AW2725D is a lovely monitor, in large part thanks to its beautiful QD-OLED panel, rich colors, inky blacks and strong contrast. Its color accuracy and gamut coverage are excellent, while brightness is on par for a QD-OLED, if not a little better than I’d expect. There is a plethora of gaming features and some handy creative ones too, and on top of all that, the monitor is reasonably priced given the performance.

Sure, I’d have preferred some more ports, and the lack of built-in speakers will be annoying to anyone without an external set; and while it’s fairly priced, it isn’t cheap. But heck, given those are the worst things I can say about it, the AW2725D is doing pretty well. I’m happy to say that the Dell-shaped demons from my past have been well and truly exorcised.

Update: See our top 9 gadgets of CES 2026 from day 3!

We've wrapped day two at the Consumer Electronics Show 2026. And, after day one dazzled us with some truly spectacular new TVs, it's now all about the laptops. We saw new machines from MSI and Acer alongside the very nice-looking XPS 14 from Dell.

But it wasn't just laptops stealing our attention in Las Vegas. For the first time ever, Lego held a CES keynote. The reason? The iconic toy brand wanted to show off its first "smart brick" — a standard Lego brick with a tiny computer packed inside that can work with NFC-enabled smart tags. Cool!

Of course, it wouldn't be CES without some head-turning weird tech that may — or may not — actually make it on sale in 2026. Like the Ascentiz H1 Pro exoskeleton that our senior fitness writer Dan used to assist him in walking around the vast exhibition halls.

Make sure you check out our ongoing CES 2026 live blog for the very latest from the show, and here's our day 1 round-up of the 10 best new gadgets we saw.

Dell XPS 14

After abandoning the XPS line, Dell has admitted its mistake and brought these premium laptops back in a big way. The XPS 14 and 16 were both on show in Las Vegas and our Global Editor in Chief Mark Spoonauer spent some quality time with the CNC-machined aluminum XPS 14 that's just 14.6mm thin — in between the MacBook Air M4 (11.3mm) and MacBook Pro M5 (15.5mm).

There's a mesmerizing 2.8K OLED display with a variable refresh rate going all the way down to 1Hz to conserve battery life. The XPS 14 is powered by the latest Intel Core Ultra Series 3 processors and built-in Arc graphics, so you should expect smooth performance. There's a range of CPU options, including a Core Ultra 5, Core Ultra 7, X7 and X9. And the RAM options go from 16GB to 32GB and a max of 64GB.

The only catch is that, with the price of RAM skyrocketing due to AI-driven demand, the price is going to be tough to hear. According to Dell, prices start at $2,049.

Intel Panther Lake

Intel's keynote took place during our second day of CES and the brand stepped up to show off its new Intel Core Ultra Series 3 laptop chips. Codenamed Panther Lake, they were first revealed back in October, but CES has given us our first look at them in action.

The big change is that Panther Lake is built on the new Intel 18A node and employs a "System of Chips" design featuring up to 16 cores and fabricated out of smaller "tiles," which can be moved and swapped to fine-tune performance and efficiency.

In addition, the GPU built into these new Core Ultra 3 chips introduces a new, more efficient Xᵉ3 graphics architecture and scales up to 12 Xᵉ cores and 12 Ray Tracing Units, delivering better performance and featuring an increased 16 MB L2 Cache in the high-end configuration.

There's also better multi-thread performance and a number of other tricks that my colleague Alex Wawro has detailed right here.

Strutt ev1 personal mobility vehicle

Let's get fun for a second. My colleague Mike Prospero took this "personal mobility vehicle" for a spin around the show floor and called it a cross between Professor X's wheelchair and a Tesla. I'll share the bad news up front: You can pre-order it for $5,299, but its regular price will run you $7,499. Ouch.

But here's what you get for your money, the Strutt's four motors power it at speeds of up to 7 mph (11.3 km/h), and it can carry a maximum payload of 350 lbs (160 kg). It'll glide up hills as steep as 13-degrees, and ride over curbs up to 2 inches in height. Finally, the 18.5Ah/592Wh removable battery is good for about 20 miles of range.

The cherry on top is that it's voice-controlled with built-in navigation. So you can sit there and just tell it where you want to go. If you want to know more, read Mike's hands-on with the Strutt ev1 here.

Hisense UR8 RGB Mini-LED TV

Day one of CES 2026 was dominated by LG and Samsung's new TV smarts but Hisense has also arrived at the party. This Chinese brand has constantly impressed us with its value for money and this year we got a good look at how it's embracing Mini-LED technology.

Hisense has upgraded its RGB Mini-LED architecture to include a fourth primary color. The addition of cyan — or sky blue, as Hisense calls it — is said to improve the color fidelity, and there are several models to choose from this year.

The Hisense UR9 and the Hisense UR8 are the brand’s first attempt to scale the tech down to smaller screen sizes. It was previously limited to a 116-inch display in the Hisense 116UX but these new sets will be available in sizes ranging from 55 to 100 inches.

Lego Smart Brick

This was a bit of a left-field reveal at CES, but we are totally here for it. The European toy brand Lego revealed its first-ever "smart brick" at a dedicated keynote that included a demo of how it'll work.

The company has fitted a tiny computer into a standard 2x4 Lego brick that's capable of detecting NFC-enabled tags inside new Lego tiles and minifigures. When the block detects one of these (or another smart brick) it will react dynamically.

Lego says it will make sets come to life with features like sound effects, lighting or movement.

Ascentiz H1 Pro exoskeleton

Exoskeletons aren't as strange a sight these days as you might expect. We saw one at last year's CES and they're back again for 2026. This year, senior fitness writer Dan Bracaglia strapped on the Ascentiz H1 Pro and called it the most comfortable exoskeleton he's tested.

Like other exoskeletons, the Ascentiz relies on AI to analyze a user’s stride, ensuring natural movement assistance. While Dan says it wasn't as powerful as exoskeletons from Hypershell and Arc'teryx, the range of movement was more comfortable.

Weighing just 4.4 pounds (sans battery), the H1 Pro is surprisingly unburdensome to wear. It also folds down into a neat little package that can easily be stored in a gym bag. So whether you're hiking around a massive trade show or want some help at the squat rack, this looks like a winner.

Ascentiz has a few different models in development, and you can find more information over at its fully-backed active Kickstarter campaign.

MSI Pro Max QD-OLED monitor

MSI always shows up in full force at CES with new laptops, graphics cards and gaming PCs, but this year, my colleague Anthony Spadafora said he was interested in the company's new Pro Max 271UPXW12G monitor.

This all-white QD-OLED display isn’t just another gaming or business monitor. Instead, it’s designed to work perfectly with your Mac; it features M-Color Mode for seamless color synchronization and even allows you to adjust brightness and volume directly from your MacBook shortcut keys.

So, if you're looking for an alternative to the $1,599 Apple Studio Display, this could well be it. Especially as Anthony thinks this could arrive with a sub $1,000 price point. You can read all his thoughts on it right here.

Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo

Asus has stepped up to CES 2026 with the world’s first dual-screen 16-inch gaming laptop. It's an OLED waterfall that seems like overkill in all the right ways.

Computing Editor Jason England took a look at the two 16-inch 3K OLED displays and proclaimed them: "drop-dead gorgeous, running at a buttery smooth 120Hz and sporting HDR support."

Both displays are attached onto a hinge that can bend back a full 320-degrees too and since this is a Zephyrus machine, the specs list is crazy good. There's an Intel Core Ultra Series 3 CPU, up to RTX 5090 laptop GPU, 64GB LPDDR5X RAM and a 2TB SSD — pumping 135W through that GPU. You also get plenty of I/O including Thunderbolt 4, and Wi-Fi 7 connectivity to boot.

You can check out more of Jason's thoughts on this beast of a laptop right here.

Alienware 16 Area-51 (2026)

I told you that day two of CES was going to be all about the laptops. My colleague Tony Polanco is a life-long gamer, so it's only right that he got to check out the new machines from Dell's gaming sub-brand, Alienware.

Later this year, we can expect an Alienware ultra-slim gaming laptop, coming in at just 0.66 inches (17mm) thin, which is cool. But Tony got to grips with the sturdy Alienware 16 Area-51 on the show floor.

It continues everything about last year's laptop that made it a favorite and levels up in one crucial area: the display. There's now a 240Hz OLED panel with lower latency as well as improved cooling. Tony thinks it has a good chance of being one of the best gaming laptops you can buy this year.

Unfortunately, we don’t yet have a concrete release date, but expect it sometime in the first quarter of this year. Alienware says it will share pricing closer to launch.

Nvidia's AI car tech

Nvidia is one of the biggest names in tech at the moment and the company hosted its own keynote at CES on day two. Unfortunately, we didn't get any new GeForce RTX graphics cards as the company was instead focusing on AI and robotics.

Aside from CEO Jensen Huang messing about with some Star Wars droids on stage, the most interesting development was the announcement of Nvidia Alpamay. This is a new open-source AI model for self-driving cars. Instead of being trained on data and driving reactively, this model is able to use reasoning at lightning-quick times to be proactive.

Nvidia showed it in action with a driving demo across San Francisco and it could just be the future of self-driving cars. Huang confirmed the model will be included with the 2025 Mercedes Benz CLA — already rated the world's safest car by the automotive bodies.

This new self-driving motor vehicle is heading to manufacturing and launching in the U.S. in Q1! Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines.

 Eli Health Hormometer

Alongside laptops and AI, wellness tech is a big draw at CES and this at-home hormone test shows why. For just $8, you'll be able to test your cortisol levels and, from February, your testosterone and progesterone levels too. Before we go any further, it doesn't replace your doctor but it should give you some extra insight into things like your sleep and energy levels.

Once you've installed the Eli Health app on your phone, you take the saliva collection cartridge out of the sealed package and put it in your mouth for 60 seconds.

From there, you pull on a tab so that the results can start “developing,” similar to a Covid test. You’ll need to wait 20 minutes for this part but once it's done you use the app and your phone’s camera to snap a photo of the saliva stick, at which point the AI will analyze your results and give you a cortisol score.

The tests are $8 a piece, but you can get 8 tests for $99 or a 3-month supply for $225. Find out what my colleague Mark Spoonauer thought when he tried it for himself on the show floor.

Segway Navimow (2026)

It might be the middle of winter right now, but in just a few short months you're going to be looking for ways to keep your lawn looking fresh. And Segway has turned up to CES 2026 with the answer. The company revealed eight new robot lawn mowers covering five different series in the Navimow lineup.

These range in price from $999 to $2,999 for models suitable for home use. The most notable is the Navimow H2 Series, which has an impressive obstacle avoidance system that can detect objects as small as 1 centimeter.

There's also the Navimow i2 AWD series that uses a three-wheel drive system to climb up steeper slopes, along with the Navimo i215 LiDAR that generates detailed maps with its next-generation solid-state LiDAR. If you need to know more, we've got a full breakdown of the new robot mowers and their specs right here.

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Alienware has plenty to show off at CES 2026, including all-new gaming laptops boasting OLED displays and more. Now, it's just introduced one of its slimmest machine to date — and it comes close to a MacBook Air.

Later this year, we can now expect an Alienware ultra-slim gaming laptop, coming in at just 0.66 inches (17mm) thin, while aiming to deliver the performance we expect from Alienware's lineup of laptops. Compared to the sturdy Alienware 16 Area-51 at 1.12 inches, the new model is set to be 50% smaller. I've seen it up close, and it's just the laptop gamers and creators after a portable machine will want (me included).

The ultra-slim gaming laptop is set to arrive in both 14- and 16-inch sizes, all while keeping the design aesthetic of its premium Area-51 counterparts, including a light-up RGB touchpad. Alienware notes that the compact design means ths model won't reach the heights of its flagship laptops, but it will still offer high-performance CPUs. (Think Intel Core Ultra 300, and Nvidia discrete GPUs (RTX 50-series is surely in the cards.)

"We set out to build a laptop that delivers features that appeal to gamers first and foremost, but also excels for people who need a powerful device for creative projects, productivity and everything in between," Alienware states.

Compared to Apple's MacBook Air M4, which comes in at 0.44 inches, the all-new ultra-slim is still slightly thicker. However, you can expect the Alienware model to be around the same size as the portable Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 at 0.6 inches — and that's one of the best gaming laptops you can grab for portability.

As for how it looks? It's not like your usual Alienware Aurora or Area-51 models. Expect a sleek, minimalist design with a subtle Alienware logo right on the back. It's a laptop that fits into an office setting or at a coffee shop, as well as on any gaming desk.

The official release date, pricing and specs are still up in the air, but the ultra-slim will make its debut later on in 2026 at the earliest.

A more affordable option

Along with the ultra-slim model, Alienware also announced an entry-level gaming laptop that it will add to its lineup this year.

It's slim pickings for details for now, as we have yet to know the official price of this model and its specs, but expect a step down from the Alienware 16 Aurora laptops at a more affordable price point. So, think an RTX 5050 and possibly an RTX 5060.

At the very least, Alienware promises "strong gaming performance at our most accessible price point yet." That will be a big win considering RAM price hikes.

It may be a while before we see these laptops on the market, but in the meantime, check out what else is in store in our CES 2026 live blog.

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Alienware's goal for CES 2026 is to "push the boundaries of what’s possible in PC gaming." And it's certainly looking to do so with its entry-to-mid-level gaming laptop that now packs an OLED display.

As announced at the world's biggest tech event today (January 5), the Alienware 16X Aurora will come equipped with an OLED display, being one of the first (along with its mighty Alienware 16 Area-51 sibling) to feature a 16-inch premium anti-glare OLED panel.

Not only will this panel reduce gloss by 32%, which keeps glare and reflections to a minimum, but you can also expect a wicked-fast 0.2ms response time for fast-paced gameplay, 620 nits peak HDR brightness and HDR True Black 500 support.

Otherwise, this is the same laptop that stole the show in many sales events, boasting Nvidia GeForce RTX 5060 and RTX 5070 GPUs for the latest in gaming performance (DLSS 4 included). What's more, we can expect more Intel Core Ultra 200HX CPU options, although current models are also available with Core Ultra 7 255HX and Core Ultra 9 275HX on Dell's store.

When I tested the Alienware 16X Aurora, I was impressed by the performance it offered (especially at a discount) and its sizeable 16-inch WQXGA (2560 x 1600) IPS display with a 240Hz refresh rate. With the all-new anti-glare OLED panel it's getting, it moves the needle into becoming a proper mid-range machine.

Deeper blacks, brighter colors and getting rid of reflections boost visuals to make those stunning single-player titles shine. We'll have to see it in action, as we have yet to see if this laptop will still deliver its high 240Hz refresh rate with OLED now onboard. But it's a welcome upgrade nevertheless.

For a taste of the performance you can expect in this laptop, check out the benchmarks I tested below (equipped with an Intel Core Ultra 7 255HX CPU, an RTX 5060 GPU, 32GB of DDR5 RAM and a 1TB SSD).

The Alienware 16X Aurora with OLED will be available in the first three months of 2026, with pricing yet to be announced. I was already impressed with this laptop last year, and the anti-glare OLED upgrade is sure to see this machine push more affordable gaming even further (we'll see about that price first).

For more of the latest announcements from Las Vegas, we've got it all in our CES 2026 live blog.

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It's been a monumental year for laptops. First, Nvidia kicked off the year by releasing its next-gen GeForce RTX 50-series mobile GPUs, then we got an all-new range of Intel Core Ultra series 2 CPUs and just recently, AMD launched FSR Redstone for AI-powered resolution scaling, ray tracing and frame generation.

What does that all translate to? Many of the fastest and most powerful gaming laptops that the Tom's Guide team and I have tested. It's been eye-opening watching numbers skyrocket in the suite of benchmarks and real-world tests we've been putting the latest systems of 2025 through, so trust me when I say we're at the peak of gaming on laptops right now.

But just how far has the bar been raised in PC gaming on portable systems? Well, it comes down to three gaming laptops we've tested this year: the Razer Blade 18 (2025), Alienware 18 Area-51 (2025) and MSI Titan 18 HX.

As tested, these are among the most powerful mobile machines on the market, but that doesn't necessarily mean these are the best gaming laptops for everyone. It isn't just about performance, after all, as other key factors such as their display, design, battery life and, most importantly right now, price play a vital role in our testing.

Right now, though, this is all about raw power, and 2025 has seen some monstrous systems to play the demanding, AAA titles with settings cranked up to max and power through productivity apps for video editing, 3D modeling and more.

For today's cutting-edge performance in a laptop, these are the finest examples of the most powerful laptops we've tested. So, let's get into the numbers.

Specs

For context, here's a look at the top-grade components under the hood of each of the laptops. Each follows a familiar pattern: Intel Core Ultra 9 processors, top-of-the-line RTX 5090 GPUs, 64GB of DDR5 RAM and massive 18-inch displays. With the power they hold, you bet these don't come cheap — they're all over $5,000.

These are the specs we tested them with, but of course, you can configure them to keep the price down.

I've also added our top pick from 2024, the Alienware M18 R2, which rocks the same type of premium specs but just from the previous generation. That includes an Intel Core i9 14900HX CPU, RTX 4090 GPU, 32GB of RAM and a 2TB SSD. This is to show the gap between today's gaming laptops and some of the best high-end performance from the previous year.

Gaming performance

As you can imagine, all of these laptops come packed with the latest specs, including Intel Core Ultra 9 CPUs and RTX 5090 GPUs. So, no matter the machine, expect high frame rates at maximum settings across the board.

That said, you'll find a couple that eke out more performance to deliver even stronger results. In our lab tests, we perform benchmarks in a number of popular PC titles, including Cyberpunk 2077, Black Myth: Wukong and Assassin's Creed Shadows. These are heavy hitters on systems, and give us a good idea of the power a gaming laptop can dish out.

Using a baseline resolution of 1920 x 1080 and turning off Nvidia's DLSS 4 to get raw performance benchmarks over AI-enhanced frame generation, here are the results.

Take note, the games here are at max settings, so they're being pushed to the limit at 1080p resolution. Coming out on top, the Razer Blade 18 and Alienware 18 Area-51 are nearly neck-and-neck, depending on the title, while the MSI Titan 18 HX falls a tad behind, despite still bringing powerful results.

In pretty much all games, though, you can expect each laptop to be near or surpass 60 FPS, which is an incredibly mighty benchmark to achieve. That's especially true when comparing it to the Alienware m18 R2, which just manages 60 FPS but can reach the heights of the 70+ FPS the rest of this year's laptops deliver in Cyberpunk 2077.

Now, when turning on DLSS 4, expect frame rates to jump to well over 200 FPS, and that even includes when using the incredibly demanding path tracing in games like Cyberpunk 2077. Of course, frame rates will drop the higher the resolution is, but you can still expect ridiculously high numbers at 1440p, 1600p and 4K resolution (if the laptop allows it).

I mean, there's a reason why the Razer Blade 18 with its dual-resolution 18-inch display hits 240Hz at 4K. Either way, no matter what game you throw at these beasts, they'll run remarkably smoothly.

General performance

It isn't just the RTX 5090 GPUs pulling the weight, as these laptops also come with premium specs like the latest Intel Core Ultra 9 HX series CPUs, an incredible 64GB of DDR5 RAM and up to a whopping 6TB for storage. The standard is high, and the numbers reflect this.

The Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX processor in the MSI Titan 18 HX is Team Blue's fastest mobile chip, but the Core Ultra 9 275HX is still one of the top dogs. Interestingly, according to Geekbench 6 benchmarks, the 285HX slightly falls behind the 275HX silicon. Still, MSI's fittingly named Titan gaming laptop has an edge.

From the multicore performance to our Handbrake test, which measures how long a laptop takes to transcode a specific 4K video file to 1080p resolution, the MSI Titan 18 HX offers some of the highest numbers we've seen. CPUs have clearly seen a boost in performance over the past generation, as you can see with the Intel Core i9-14900HX chip in the Alienware m18 R2, leading to faster multitasking and handling demanding apps.

All that said, the Razer Blade 18 takes the crown as being the laptop with the most potential to handle AI tasks. Despite each machine holding the same mobile graphics card, the Geekbench AI GPU benchmark that measures AI performance shows the RTX 5090 in the Blade 18 wins.

These are no doubt powerful results, but you know what laptop offers similar benchmarks? MacBooks. Specifically, the MacBook Pro M5 and MacBook Pro M4 Pro. These aren't made for gaming (although they can), but thanks to Apple's mighty M-series silicon, these chips are already catching up or surpassing the results on these gaming laptops. Take a look at our MacBook Pro M5 benchmarks, and you'll find the M5 offers a Geekbench single-core score of 4288 and a multicore result of 17926, while the M4 Pro delivers 3910 and 22822, respectively.

Regardless, this also shows just how far gaming laptops have come, and we'll soon see even higher results in 2026 once we get our hands on Intel Panther Lake and Snapdragon X2 Elite CPUs in laptops.

Editor's pick

For the ultimate gaming experience (and productivity performance) a laptop can offer right now, each of these laptops we tested in 2025 will do the trick. They offer more than enough performance for power users, and thanks to their premium internals, it's safe to say these machines will keep up with the latest tech for years to come.

But if I had to choose one out of them all, it would have to be the Razer Blade 18 (2025). Yes, it's big and chunky, but its gaming performance is through the roof even compared to its competition, it boasts a dual-resolution 18-inch display with 4K at 240Hz and 1200p at 440Hz, it's uniquely upgradeable for RAM and storage (not that you'll need it at its highest configuration) and it's actually quite compact considering its size-class.

Now, this is all for top-end performance, and you'll be paying an absolute premium for it. At 5,199, this gaming laptop will be putting a massive dent in anyone's wallet. This one is for the power users who require the highest power in a desktop replacement-like laptop, and not everyone needs that kind of performance to play the latest PC games at high frame rates.

That's why we rate other laptops like the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2025) and Lenovo Legion 5i among the best laptops to get, as they're far more affordable while still bringing high-end performance. At the very least, you can get the Razer Blade 18 for a whole lot less if you opt for more affordable specs.

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I tested many of the best gaming laptops in 2025. These machines were equipped with the latest CPUs and GPUs, providing them with sufficient power to run the best PC games. Such machines include the sleek Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 and enormous Alienware 18 Area-51. Choosing a favorite was difficult, but there was one that’s still on my mind.

That gaming laptop is the Alienware 16 Area-51. As I said in my Alienware 16 Area-51 review, this laptop makes a bold statement thanks to its (inter)stellar design, powerful RTX 50-series performance and vibrant 16-inch display. Though it’s expensive and heavy to carry, it delivers an out-of-this-world gaming experience.

Read on to find out why the Alienware 16 Area-51 is my favorite gaming laptop of 2025 and why I think you should consider checking it out if you’re looking for a premium gaming experience.

Otherworldly design

Alienware resurrected the “Area-51” moniker for its gaming laptops, which is appropriate given this notebook’s otherworldly design. The Liquid Teal finish and curved edges provide a distinct look that’s unlike other gaming laptops. The chassis’ color shifts under different lighting conditions, and the RGB lighting on the back mimics the motions of the aurora borealis. It all makes for a machine that commands attention.

The unit I reviewed was configured with a Cherry MX ultra-low-profile mechanical keyboard that is a dream to type on. I’m a mechanical keyboard enthusiast (to say the least), so I enjoy the clicky keys and short travel distance. I wish the touchpad was a tad larger, but it works well enough and is very smooth and responsive.

My only complaint is that the Alienware 16 Area-51 is big and heavy at 14.37 x 11.41 x 1.12 inches and 7.92 pounds. Since the laptop is so bulky, you might want to mostly use it at home. This could be a potential deal-breaker, depending on whether you’re looking for a desktop replacement or a portable PC.

Strong gaming performance

The Alienware 16 Area-51 I reviewed packed an Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX CPU, an RTX 5080 GPU and 32GB of RAM. Thanks to those components, I enjoyed a superlative gaming experience.

I got Doom: The Dark Ages to run at 108-120 frames per second with DLSS 4 disabled on Ultra Nightmare graphical settings. With the frame-boosting DLSS, the game ran at 240 fps, which matches the display’s refresh rate. The graphically demanding Cyberpunk 2077 ran at 70fps with DLSS off and a blistering 240 fps with DLSS on.

The Alienware 16 Area-51 also performed well in our lab tests, where we run games through their respective built-in benchmarking tools with graphics and resolution cranked to the max. You likely won't be running every game at ultra settings, so you'll certainly get better results than what you see above, even with DLSS off.

As configured, the Alienware 16 Area-51 I reviewed could run games at buttery smooth frame rates with graphical settings cranked to max and with DLSS 4 enabled. That’s a testament to this rig’s power. However, if you get a configuration with an RTX 5070 Ti or lower, DLSS 4 will be crucial for getting higher frame rates.

Vivid 16-inch display

Games look as great as they run, thanks to the Alienware 16 Area-51’s 16-inch display. While there’s no OLED option, the sharp 1600p resolution, aforementioned 240Hz refresh rate, and overall vibrant image quality help draw you into whatever game you’re playing.

As you can see from our display benchmark results above, the Alienware 16 Area-51 doesn’t have oversaturated color reproduction (sRGB and DCI-P3). Color accuracy (Delta-E) is slightly better than on competing laptops like the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i and HP Omen Max 16. The latter two produce bolder colors, but Alienware’s colors are more naturalistic.

I should note that the 3ms response time isn’t as low as on other gaming laptops or gaming monitors I’ve tested. However, unless you’re a professional gamer, you’re probably not going to notice any input lag. I certainly didn’t!

Bottom line

2025 was a very good year for gaming laptops, thanks to the introduction of Nvidia’s 50-series GPUs and Intel’s second-generation Core Ultra CPUs. With CES 2026 happening soon, I’m eager to see the laptops we have in store for next year. Will any of them match or beat the Alienware 16 Area-51? I guess we’ll have to wait and see!

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Desktop PCs are getting expensive — you can thank the RAM pricing crisis for that. But there are cost efficiencies you can make here and there to get a monster tower for cheaper. The answer? Go boring and ditch the RGB tax.

I’ve been testing the RTX 5080 version of the Dell Tower Plus, which my colleague Alex reviewed and gave 4 stars. One look at Dell’s website (U.K — no points for guessing where I'm from based on my last name), and you’ll find it at £2,500. To get a gamer-centric equivalent, the Alienware Aurora R16 with the same spec comes in at well over £3,000.

And the situation is similar in the U.S. too. The RTX 5060 Ti-armed version of the Dell Tower Plus costs $1,769 to the $2,099 of the Aurora

So in a world where we’re all looking for ways to cut costs and get the maximum bang for our buck, I’m here to defend the dullness. While it’s not as clear cut when you get into the details (cooling being one particular example), it’s proving more cost-effective to get a more basic tower specced out the wazoo over a gaming beast. Let me explain.

Bland is the brand

The Dell Tower Plus is super unassuming — I mean look at it. As Alex said in his review, it is “a breath of forgettable fresh air,” and I agree. The aesthetic is basic and utilitarian in nature, and that’s A-OK with me.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I am a sucker for good RGB and well-presented components through a tempered glass side (you’ll see as much in Terry the Tom’s Guide test bench). But given the chances your tower will go underneath your desk, all that pizazz would just be wasted on illuminating the floor.

Instead, this low-key look just kind of fades into the background of your desk nicely, while also keeping its considerable power a secret. Honestly, I’m here for it.

Near-parity for less

And speaking of that “considerable power” I took a look inside to see an Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, 32GB of DDR5 RAM, 1TB of storage and an RTX 5080 GPU. All of it is popped onto a proprietary motherboard, which for those more confident, you could get into and tinker. But it’s meant to be for Dell only to touch under its warranty. This is the cost of affordability.

But the end result is seriously impressive performance that matches up to its gaming ilk while staying quiet (more on that in a second).

Another thing to point out is the cooling solution here. While the Alienware Aurora R16 does have an all-in-one cooler and a couple 120mm fans to keep everything tip top, the Dell Tower Plus has a far simpler cooling solution with a fan at the back and large CPU cooler.

When I took the side off and looked at the way it manages thermals, I was shocked by how quiet it had been the entire time. Not only that, but CPU and GPU temperatures never exceeded the maximum (160-degrees Fahrenheit) that we saw in testing the Alienware Aurora R16.

As Alex said, this is “a wolf in corporate sheep’s clothing,” and Dell’s really thought about everything here.

Where does the extra money go?

When it comes to gaming pre-builts, the premium often comes in the flash of it all. The price of all those key components are all relatively fixed — you’re investing in three key things here:

• A fancy case: That unique, flashy case is usually designed and tooled to be eye-catching for gamers. If you don’t need that edginess, you can save some money.
• The brand name: A brand like Alienware or Asus ROG carries a premium cost with it, so opting for Dell here may have chopped some change off the total price too.
• Advanced (and often unnecessary) features: Outside of that premium lighting, you’ve got a more advanced cooling solution, too. But given temperatures weren’t that different at all, skipping it is another cost-saving measure you can make.

That’s not to say this is all pointless. If you want the flashiness, go right ahead. I won’t deny gaming PCs look cool! But it’s a corner you can cut without sacrificing power but reducing the price you pay.

Should you play it safe (and boring)?

So this is my case for choosing an office box over a spaceship — a boring desktop tower over the gaming PC. RG-be damned, because you could take that $200 saving, get yourself a 4K monitor like the Gigabyte M27UP and make the most of that RTX 5080.

Are there downsides? Sure — the same issues you’d get with any pre-built. Lack of modular customizability and the use of proprietary parts being chief among them.

But as is becoming clear at the moment, it’s now cheaper to go pre-built over building yourself at the moment (thanks RAMageddon). And dodging the RGB-laden options is another way to save yourself some cash while still getting the same sustained performance.

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Full disclosure: I love video games, and more often than not, story-driven RPGs are like therapy for me. You'll find me glued to the TV, playing my favorites on my PS5 Slim in my downtime on the weekend, or in the evenings after work. I'm also very lucky that as a lifelong gamer, I get to test the best gaming headsets and the best controllers (yes, for my job).

But with the plethora of first- and third-party options in the market today, it can be overwhelming finding the right set of cans or gamepad for yourself — and for gifting purposes. I'm sure you have a gamer in your life, and perhaps you're struggling to get them a gaming-related gift for the holidays.

That's where I come in. I asked myself, "What would I want for Christmas?" So, to make the decision easier for you, I've rounded up the best things you can buy a PS5, Xbox or Nintendo Switch gamer for Christmas 2025. All the products on this list have been tested and reviewed by yours truly, so you can rest assured that you'll be getting bang for your buck if you go with my recommendations.

For PS5 gamers

Sony's current range of consoles — PS5, PS5 Slim and PS5 Pro — is formidable and each system is powerful in its own right. According to my PlayStation Wrap-Up, I've played PS5 games for nearly 500 hours this year, and many of those have been spent testing the products below. Here are my top three picks for PS5 gamers in your life.

For Nintendo Switch gamers

I'm a big gamer while my partner isn't, but you know what she loves? Playing couch co-op games on the Nintendo Switch and the Nintendo Switch 2. The new Switch 2 is a fantastic hybrid console, and there are awesome third-party headsets and controllers available for it. Here are my top three picks for the Switch gamer in your life.

For Xbox gamers

While I personally haven't owned an Xbox since 2013, many of the gaming headsets and controllers I've tested are compatible with Microsoft's consoles. Whether you're looking for a pro controller or a budget headset for an Xbox gamer in your life, I've got you covered. Here are my top three picks for Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X owners.

More from Tom's Guide

• The best PS5 headsets in 2025 — here's our top picks
• Nintendo Switch 2 vs Steam Deck OLED — I took both on a trip to determine the best gaming handheld
• PS5 vs. Xbox Series X: Which console wins?

I have been a gamer for as long as I can remember — from playing a demo of Tomb Raider on my family's rusty ol' computer, Pokémon on my cousin's DS whenever he came around, to sinking hundreds of hours into my favorite RPGs on my PS5 Slim. Video games, especially story-driven ones, are therapeutic to me (regardless of how many times I've cried while playing the likes of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33).

But there is one thing that can absolutely ruin my immersion, and that's bad audio. There's an easy way to rectify bad audio, though, and the solution lies in picking up one of the best wireless gaming headsets. Now, as a lifelong gamer, I'm very privileged that I get to test gaming peripherals as part of my job. I've tested some fantastic gaming headsets, and I recently reviewed the Alienware Pro Wireless Gaming Headset and it almost instantly because one of my favorite sets of cans.

The Razer BlackShark V3 Pro is my primary gaming headset, but the Alienware Pro Wireless Gaming Headset comes in a close second. There's a lot to love about Alienware's flagship set of cans — incredible sound quality, long and reliable battery life, a lightweight design which ensures all-day comfort, you name it. If you're looking for a new headset, this might be the one for you.

Cloud-like ear cushions

Whether you're spending $50 or $300 on a headset, that money is a waste if the cans aren't comfortable and make you want to take them off your head instantly. To that affect, the Alienware Pro Wireless Gaming Headset is money spent extremely well because of just how comfortable these cans are.

Many headsets feature memory foam ear cushions, or leatherette ones. The Alienware headset features a combination of the two: leatherette-covered memory foam cushions! And when I say they feel like you're resting your ears against fluffy clouds, I mean it. Having worn the headset for an eight-hour gaming session, my ears never overheated and no sweat pooled into the earcups.

Also assisting the Alienware headset's comfy nature is its padded headband which helps relieve pressure on the top of your head, lending it a feeling of weightlessness. In fact, the Alienware Pro Wireless Gaming Headset isn't made for just gaming — you can wear it while listening to music too, when you're out and about, thanks to its sleek, minimalist, non-RGB powered design. Really, it's the only pair of headphones you need for anything and everything.

Sublime, textured, detailed sound profile

In addition to being ridiculously comfortable, the Alienware Pro Wireless Gaming Headset sounds magnificent too, injecting life into even the most boring games. Regardless of the game I played, the Alienware headset made every thing sound incredible. In Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, I loved being able to truly appreciate the powerful, orchestral operatic soundtrack, and enjoy the sound of my magic and sword attacks landing on enemies. Everything sounded well-balanced and never like one element was overpowering the other.

In Ghost of Yotei and Cyberpunk 2077, I was able to take a truly stealthy approach when infiltrating enemy camps and bases. I could hear every single footstep and NPCs breathing which helped me pinpoint their position and help me plan my next move. The Alienware Pro Wireless Gaming Headset features directional audio too, which meant that I could hear dialogue move from one earcup to the other, and this, again, helped me gauge my enemies' position.

From the slashes of my odachi and katana to the loud explosions caused by my projectiles, each and every sound in both games was loud and clear, with plenty of depth and low-end impact. The energetic, vibrant sound profile alone firmly cemented the Alienware Pro Wireless Gaming Headset as one of my top five gaming cans of all time.

Power in spades

Sure, the Alienware Pro Wireless Gaming Headset looks good, sounds great, and it's very comfortable... but that's not all. It's got power in spades — and I mean that literally. The Alienware headset is rated at up to 75 hours of battery life (depending on usage conditions), and it's very reliable. Using it with active noise cancellation enabled, of course, halves the battery life, bringing it down to 35 hours (which proved true in my testing, by the way), but even then, that's a lot of juice.

Oh, did I say it's got active noise cancellation — and highly effective ANC, at that? The Alienware headset is capable of blocking out most external noise, whether that's your neighbors drilling into their walls (speaking from experience), or construction going on outside your house, or something as simple as the doorbell ringing. Regardless of the situation, the Alienware Pro Wireless Gaming Headset isolates noise and pulls you right into your game, making you feel like you're the main character. What else could you ask for?!

Not many other headsets I've tested are better than the Alienware Pro Wireless Gaming Headset — barring the Razer BlackShark V3 Pro — so it's a small, exclusive club. It's the only headset I'd buy just for the cloud-like ear cushions. I really can't recommend it enough.

More from Tom's Guide

• I review gaming headsets for a living and the Alienware Pro Wireless Gaming Headset is the most comfortable set of cans I’ve used
• Best wireless gaming headsets in 2025
• I gave the new Razer headset 5 stars — say hello to my dream gaming cans

I’ve used plenty of gaming headsets in all my years as a gamer. And as someone who now reviews them for a living, I’ve tested the good, the bad and the ugly. It’s with a lot of confidence that I say the Alienware Pro Wireless Gaming Headset is one of the most comfortable pair of gaming cans I’ve ever tested — with powerful performance to back it up.

The Alienware Pro Wireless Gaming Headset is the brand’s flagship set of cans, and it’s worth the price of admission. Featuring 50mm drivers, the Alienware Pro Wireless Gaming Headset delivers crisp and textured sound in almost every genre. There’s a detachable mic with AI noise cancelling that works well, and the headset has highly effective active noise cancellation and reliable battery life. Really, it’s the only headset you need as it’s also compatible with a range of consoles and devices.

To find out why it’s one of the best wireless gaming headsets, read my full Alienware Pro Wireless Gaming Headset review.

Alienware Pro Wireless Gaming Headset review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? The clue is in the name — it’s a wireless (and Alienware’s flagship) gaming headset for PlayStation, PC and other devices
• Who is it for? For serious gamers who want best-in-class audio quality as well as comfort
• How much does it cost? The Alienware Pro Wireless Gaming Headset retails for $229 / £224, but it’s worth every cent
• What do we like? The cloud-like ear cushions for all-day comfort, detailed sound profile, highly effective ANC, long battery life and more
• What don’t we like? There’s no Xbox version, and the headset costs a premium

Alienware Pro Wireless Gaming Headset review: Specs

Alienware Pro Wireless Gaming Headset review: The ups

From its exceptionally comfortable ear cushions and fit to its detailed sound quality and effective ANC, the Alienware Pro Wireless Gaming Headset is a winner on most fronts.

Exceptionally comfortable

No gaming headset — or headphones, for that matter — is worth the money if it isn’t comfortable. It is, then, a good thing that the Alienware Pro Wireless Gaming Headset is extremely comfortable. Weighing just 11.11oz, it never feels too heavy or like it’s weighing you down, even when worn for long periods of time. It’s lighter than both the Razer BlackShark V3 Pro ($249, 12.9oz) and the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless ($350, 11.9oz), and it feels like the perfect weight to me.

I’m no stranger to gaming cans. I review them for a living and use them in my downtime, so when I say the Alienware Pro Wireless Gaming Headset’s ear cushions are some of the comfiest I’ve tested, I really mean it. These leatherette-covered memory foam cushions are so soft, it feels like my ears are resting against clouds. They offer a plush, relaxed fit that is spacious enough for my ears but tight enough to provide passive noise cancellation.

I could wear this headset all day long, and I’d be a happy camper — and I did! I wore the Alienware Pro Wireless Gaming Headset for just under seven hours, and not once did my ears feel suffocated or too hot. The memory foam headband even relieved some pressure on the top of my head, too.

Minimalist, sleek design

Unlike most other gaming headsets I’ve tested, the Alienware Pro Wireless Gaming Headset doesn’t necessarily look like it’s designed for gamers. Instead, it looks like a regular pair of wireless headphones, akin to the Sony WH-1000XM6, really. This is to say that the Alienware Pro Wireless Gaming Headset sports a minimalist, sleek design that’s nowhere near as bulky as its competitors, such as the Razer BlackShark V3 Pro or the HyperX Cloud Alpha 2 ($299) — and I love it.

The Alienware Pro Wireless Gaming Headset is available in two colors: Dark Side of the Moon (as a huge Pink Floyd fan, I approve of this name for “black”) and Lunar Light (white). I tested the latter, and although I usually prefer darker colors, even I can’t resist the Lunar Light’s charm. Branding is subtle, with the Alienware logo gracing each earcup, and there’s no garish RGB lighting, so you can use this headset even as a regular pair of headphones when you’re out and about (also thanks to the detachable microphone).

Controls are well laid out, as they’re equally distributed across both earcups. Each button gives good tactile feedback when pressed, and the volume wheel can be moved easily, but not so easily that you knock it by mistake. I much prefer the Alienware Pro Wireless Gaming Headset’s control scheme over the cluttered ones found on headsets like the Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 3 ($99) and the Cooler Master CH351 ($89).

Crystal clear, detailed sound

The Alienware Pro Wireless Gaming Headset sounds phenomenal in most video games, period. It’s fitted with 50mm Graphene-Coated drivers, designed to deliver clear, accurate sound, great directional audio and reduced distortion — and it works as intended. You can use the headset wirelessly via Bluetooth or the 2.4GHz dongle.

I tested the headset by playing a few games on my PS5 Slim: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Ghost of Yotei and Cyberpunk 2077. In all three games, the Alienware Pro Wireless Gaming Headset delivered crisp, detailed sound with no latency issues or distortion. The headset has a frequency response range of 20-40,000Hz, so I was able to hear every sound in a game, from soft, easily-missable footsteps to loud explosions.

Ghost of Yotei

I recently finished Ghost of Yotei and was wearing the headset at the moment I earned the Platinum trophy for obtaining 100% of the trophies, so that is something I’ll always remember! Ghost of Yotei is a stunning game, not just in terms of graphics. It features beautiful music and a variety of sounds, and the Alienware Pro Wireless Gaming Headset made everything sound just as the producers intended: detailed, textured and multilayered.

When my character, Atsu, was playing the shamisen, I could hear every note plucked on the three-stringed instrument. Even when there were other sounds in the background, such as the sound of enemies and explosions while playing the shamisen next to an occupied camp, I could still hear my instrument. Playing the shamisen summons the companion wolf, and I could hear the wolf snarling as it ran to my aid. Every sound was well-balanced.

Combat in Ghost of Yotei sounded just as amazing. Every time I swung my heavy odachi (a massive katana, basically), I could hear it cut through the air, and when my katana or other weapon sliced an enemy, I could hear their bloody gushing and splattering. Directional audio worked extremely well in Ghost of Yotei, as I could gauge an enemy’s position depending on which earcup I was hearing them through.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is one of my favorite games of all time, and one I’ve spent over 150 hours playing, so I’m very familiar with the different sounds as well as the powerful soundtrack. Because nearly every cutscene and battle is soundtracked by operatic power ballads, it’s all too easy for a gaming headset to get overwhelmed and sound muddy. Not the Alienware Pro Wireless Gaming Headset, though.

The Alienware Pro Wireless Gaming Headset makes every aspect of Expedition 33 sound cinematic and ensures you hear every note and instrument in the orchestral OST — even when you’re in the middle of a heated battle. I was also able to hear the loud explosions made by my magical attacks and my swords slashing enemies. It never felt like one musical element was overpowering another, making the Alienware Pro Wireless Gaming Headset second only to the Razer BlackShark V3 Pro, in my opinion.

Cyberpunk 2077

Cyberpunk 2077 features a fair bit of stealthy gameplay where enemies will gun you down if you’re detected… or you have a giant, mechanical, terrifying robot actively hunting you and who, upon detection, will insta-kill you. This is where being able to hear soft footsteps comes in clutch, and I was able to hear every sign of movement through the Alienware Pro Wireless Gaming Headset.

If I hid behind a door and tried to gauge where my enemies were positioned, I was able to do so easily. Directional audio, again, worked really well here as I could hear NPCs chattering through either earcup, which helped me move stealthily through a heavily-occupied base.

When I was running and hiding from the aforementioned robot hunter in the Phantom Liberty DLC, I could tell exactly which direction Cerberus was about to emerge from. When my character came to a stationary stop while hiding behind boxes and pillars, I could hear the tremble in their voice and breathing, which made an already scary mission even scarier!

Because the game features a pumping techno, synthwave soundtrack, it proved to be a great test for the Alienware Pro Wireless Gaming Headset — and one it aced. The electronic instruments sounded powerful and in harmony, but they never once overpowered the sound of combat or foot chases. I could still hear my V’s footsteps thudding on the ground as she ran away from cops, or when she fired gunshots at enemies. Perfectly balanced, as all things should be.

Great noise cancellation

While active noise cancellation (ANC) is a prominent feature on most wireless headphones, it’s hard to come by on gaming headsets. The very expensive Audeze Maxwell ($299) doesn’t feature ANC, and while the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless does, its ANC isn’t nearly as effective as advertised.

But the Alienware Pro Wireless Gaming Headset? It’s got ANC, and outstanding, highly effective ANC at that. A button on the left earcup lets you enable and disable ANC, and I strongly recommend using it if you want to be fully immersed in a game and not be disturbed by external sounds. My neighbors have been hammering their walls, ruining my immersion when I’m sobbing over Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.

Scenarios like these are where the Alienware Pro Wireless Gaming Headset’s ANC comes in clutch. With it turned on, I couldn’t hear my neighbors drilling and hammering. When I used the headset while working, the loud clicking and clacking of my 8BitDo Retro Mechanical Keyboard was muted, too, while my partner had to wave to grab my attention. Overall, I’ve been highly impressed by the Alienware Pro Wireless Gaming Headset’s ANC, and it’s second only to the Razer BlackShark V3 Pro.

Good microphone for online gaming

The Alienware Pro Wireless Gaming Headset utilizes a unidirectional, detachable microphone that features two mics for “AI-powered” noise cancellation. As is the nature of unidirectional mics, the Alienware Pro Wireless Gaming Headset’s mic picks up sound only from the direction of the user’s mouth. It transmits loud and clear audio.

If you need a headset for gaming online or recording voice memos, the Alienware Pro Wireless Gaming Headset’s mic excels here. I recorded myself with nothing else playing in the background, and as you can hear in the clip above, my voice sounds textured and clear.

Next, I played an episode of Broadchurch at 60% volume on my phone and simultaneously recorded myself talking on my laptop, as in the clip above. My voice is still loud and clear, and even though you can hear something playing in the background, it’s not discernible and doesn’t hinder the mic’s performance.

Multi-platform compatibility

The Alienware Pro Wireless Gaming Headset is the only set of cans you need if you own multiple gaming consoles… as long as an Xbox isn’t part of your ecosystem (more on that soon). This headset is compatible with PC, macOS, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, and Steam Deck. While I primarily tested the headset with my PS5 Slim, it worked just as well when connected wirelessly to my MacBook Pro M1, Switch 2 and OG Switch.

Long, reliable battery life

The Alienware Pro Wireless Gaming Headset wins big in the battery department. On a single charge, Alienware claims that the headset can last up to 75 hours over Bluetooth. When using the 2.4GHz dongle, the battery life is rated at 70 hours with ANC off and 35 hours with ANC on. These figures are similar to the Razer BlackShark V3 Pro’s, which is rated at 70 hours (PC, 2.4GHz), and better than the pricier SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless’, rated at just 22 hours.

Battery life will, of course, depend on the usage conditions and headset settings. I used the Alienware Pro Wireless Gaming Headset with the 2.4GHz dongle and ANC on, and it died after nearly 34 hours — which aligns with the brand’s claims.

If you run out of charge, the Alienware Pro Wireless Gaming Headset features fast charging, so a quick 15-minute charge tops it up for another six hours.

Alienware Pro Wireless Gaming Headset review: The downs

Anything wrong with the Alienware Pro Wireless Gaming Headset? Well, you’ll be paying a premium for premium features, and Xbox users might feel left out.

Steep price (that’s worth paying)

There’s no beating around the bush: the Alienware Pro Wireless Gaming Headset’s premium gaming features come at a steep price. It’s Alienware Pro’s flagship headset, and it sits alongside the brand’s mouse and keyboard — a complete package for those who want all their gear made by a specific manufacturer.

All three devices in the Alienware Pro Wireless lineup cost a premium. A $149 mouse, a $199 keyboard and a $229 headset. The Pro Wireless Gaming Headset retails for $229 / £224, but you can often find it on sale for $199 / £199 at Amazon. Though it’s expensive, it’s still cheaper than the Razer BlackShark V3 Pro ($249), the Audeze Maxwell ($299) and definitely the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless ($350).

Having tested the Alienware Pro Wireless Gaming Headset, I believe it’s worth the money. It still comes in cheaper than many other premium gaming cans, so it’s a fantastic way of elevating your gaming experience without burning as big a hole in your pocket as you would if you bought any of the other headsets mentioned above.

No Xbox version

Unfortunately, the Alienware Pro Wireless Gaming Headset isn’t compatible with Xbox consoles, so if you own an Xbox Series X or a Series S, you’ll need to consider alternatives. Fortunately, there’s no dearth of these in the market today. I’d recommend the Razer BlackShark V3 Pro, whose price is in the same ballpark as the Pro Wireless. If you can stretch your budget, you won’t go amiss with the HyperX Cloud Alpha 2 or the Audeze Maxwell.

Alienware Pro Wireless Gaming Headset review: Verdict

If you want gaming cans that won’t let you down regardless of the game you’re playing, and you want to be able to wear them for hours and hours, I can’t recommend the Alienware Pro Wireless Gaming Headset enough. It’s packed with powerful 50mm drivers that make games — especially story-driven RPGs — sound extremely immersive, a fantastic mic that makes you sound loud and clear and effective ANC that excels at making you feel like the main character.

All of the headset’s premium gaming features come at a price, though, and you’re looking at an expenditure of nearly $230. But is it worth the money? I certainly think so! The Alienware Pro Wireless Gaming Headset is for gamers who want best-in-class sound and comfort, and for those who don’t want to spend even more on the likes of the Audeze Maxwell.

Me? I’d buy the Alienware Pro Wireless Gaming Headset for the plush, soft ear cushions alone — it feels like my ears are resting on clouds!

Just when I thought we were through the sales madness of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, it turns out monitors are still seeing the biggest discounts of the year. So, don't think you've missed the boat on making a huge saving on your next screen for your PC, PS5, Xbox or whatever you use — I'm still seeing up to 50% off top sellers.

It's one thing to see everything from cheap 1080p screens with high refresh rates to ultrawide 4K OLED displays hit bargain prices, but it's another when many are the best monitors and best gaming monitors we've tested.

Here's a fine example: this 25-inch Alienware AW2525HM with a 320Hz refresh rate is under $200 at Dell, which is a pretty insane price considering its superb color accuracy and, yes, incredibly high refresh rate. But then there's this 27-inch Acer Predator with 4K and 320Hz for 50% off at Best Buy, and that's just about the cheapest I've seen for a monitor of this caliber.

So, if you're in need of an all-new monitor for your PC setup (or console) to treat yourself for the holidays, I've found all the monitor deals to keep your wallet happy. Here are the sales to get your setup the monitor it deserves (for less).

Editor's picks

• Samsung 27" S32GD 1080p 120Hz: was $169 now $99 @ Best Buy
• Alienware 25" AW2525HM 1080p 320Hz: was $249 now $199 @ Best Buy
• LG 32" UltraGear 34G600A-B curved 1440p 160Hz: was $399 now $299 @ Amazon
• Acer 27" Predator 4K 160Hz / 1080p 320Hz: was $699 now $329 @ Best Buy
• MSI 27" MAG 271QP QD-OLED 1440p 280Hz: was $649 now $439 @ Newegg
• Sony 27" Inzone M9 II 4K 160Hz: was $949 now $698 @ Amazon
• Alienware 34" AW3425DW QD-OLED 1440p 240Hz: was $799 now $699 @ Best Buy
• Samsung 49" Odyssey QD-OLED G9 5K 240Hz: was $1,699 now $999 @ Best Buy

Best monitor deals US

Best monitor deals UK

The time is ripe to upgrade your gaming setup, with Black Friday 2025 sales coming in hot. But if I were looking for high-speed, lag-free gameplay for FPS, RPGs and other genres in the most popular titles, this is the gaming monitor deal I'd jump on right now.

This 25-inch Alienware AW2525HM monitor just dropped to $199 at Best Buy, crashing to its lowest-ever price.

Not only is this a bargain for gamers on a budget, but the display also features a wicked-fast 320Hz refresh rate and 0.5ms response time, making it the ideal choice for anyone seeking esports-level speeds. In fact, we recently tested this display and called it the "perfect budget monitor for basically everything."

I've been playing the latest competitive multiplayer games as far back as I remember (with Battlefield 6 being my latest flavor of the month), and the best gaming monitors deliver the high refresh rates I crave. Generally, these don't come cheap, but that's what makes this 320Hz Alienware monitor a steal.

In our Alienware AW2525HM review, we called it an outstanding monitor for anyone on a budget. For good reason, too, considering its ultra-fast 320Hz refresh rate and 0.5ms response time, which deliver ultra-smooth gameplay in competitive games where these factors matter.

Whether it's Fortnite, Valorant, Call of Duty, Counter-Strike or The Finals (a personal favorite of mine), the 25-inch AW2525HM will make these titles look detailed, bright and vivid on screen. Since it's made for competitive play, the high-end refresh rate and extremely low response time will give you an edge over the competition. No ghosting here, just lag-free gameplay (also thanks to the AMD FreeSync Premium and Nvidia G-Sync support).

What also impresses is the monitor's excellent color accuracy and brightness, along with its multiple picture modes, including FPS, MOBA, RPG, and Sports, which allow for fine-tuning the visual experience. However, since Alienware's budget monitor performs so well in terms of quality, you can also expect the AW2525HM to function perfectly as a monitor for work and productivity.

This is an FHD (1920 x 1080) display, so don't expect it to deliver highly detailed 4K visuals. Regardless, that doesn't stop this monitor from offering up amazing color reproduction for top-notch picture quality.

I wish its HDR brightness wasn't as dim, and having speakers included would have been welcome (that's where the best gaming headsets will come in handy). But honestly, for its now discounted $199 price, these are hardly an issue when you're getting a lag- and blur-free gaming experience.

That's not all Dell's gaming brand has in store, as Alienware's Black Friday sale is already live. For even more deals, follow our Black Friday live blog for the latest (and biggest) deals.

While we're already seeing plenty of early Black Friday 2025 deals pour in, Dell has decided the time is now to offer up the lowest prices I've seen on its Alienware gaming laptops, PCs and monitors. Get ready to upgrade your gaming rig!

In Alienware's Black Friday sale, you'll find an Alienware 16 Aurora with an RTX 5050 down to just $999, along with up to $650 off its monster Alienware 18 Area-51 with an RTX 5080. That's not all, as gaming PCs like the Alienware Aurora PC with an RTX 5070 are $400 off.

These are among the best gaming laptops and best gaming PCs we've tested this year, so you know these are deals worth jumping on.

Dell is no stranger to big sales, but when Black Friday comes around, it offers up the lowest prices of the year on its latest Alienware gaming rigs. So, the time to save is now. Oh, and for even more ways to save, don't miss out on these Dell coupon codes.

Quick links

• Shop all Alienware Black Friday 2025 sale right now!
• 💻 Alienware 16 Aurora (RTX 5050): was $1,199 now $999
• 💻 Alienware 16X Aurora (RTX 5060): was $1,649 now $1,499
• 💻 Alienware 16 Area-51 (RTX 5070): was $2,749 now $2,199
• 💻 Alienware 18 Area-51 (RTX 5080): was $3,649 now $2,999
• ⌨️ Alienware Aurora Gaming Desktop (RTX 5070): was $2,099 now $1,649
• ⌨️ Alienware Area-51 Gaming Desktop (RTX 5070 Ti): was $3,749 now $3,199
• 🖥️ Alienware 32" AW3225DM: was $299 now $249
• 🖥️ Alienware 27" AW2723DF: was $549 now $399
• 🖥️ Alienware 27" AW2725QF: was $549 now $449

Alienware Black Friday gaming laptop deals

Alienware Black Friday gaming PC deals

Alienware Black Friday gaming monitor deals

Having one of the best monitors on your desk is a near-necessity, whether you work on a laptop for up to eight hours, five days a week, or you're an avid gamer and want the best-looking experience. Given the rapid rate at which technology has advanced (and continues to do so), we're spoilt for choice when it comes to picking a screen.

OLED, 4K and even 5K monitors are all the rage, but what if I told you I've been testing an LED IPS monitor that won't make you care that its resolution is limited to just 1080p, and one that doesn't cost thousands? It sounded too good to be true... until I tested the Alienware AW2525HM 25-inch 320Hz monitor. This is the gaming and work monitor for you if you're on a budget.

Look, I'm no stranger to 4K resolution and just how fantastic it looks, but when the colors look this good and the monitor is this fast, I can look past that. With a whopping 320Hz refresh rate, 0.5ms response time, and mindblowing color reproduction, it didn't take long for the AW2525HM to become my favorite monitor. My mind was blown even further when I saw the price tag, so let me take you through it all.

If Speedy Gonzales was a monitor

Ever heard of the fastest mouse in all of Mexico? If Speedy Gonzales was a monitor, he'd be the Alienware AW2525HM. Marketed as a gaming monitor — and for good reason — the AW2525HM has a whopping 320Hz refresh rate and a 0.5ms response time. "What does that mean?" The 320Hz refresh rate ensures smooth, fluid motion, while the 0.5ms response time reduces ghosting and motion blur.

Sounds great in theory but what about in real-world usage? It works, and boy, does it work well! Regardless of the game I played to test this monitor, I was stunned by the performance, and I was left highly impressed. There was no choppiness during fast-paced combat in Cyberpunk 2077, or while sprinting in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. And no, no signs of ghosting either.

Given the AW2525HM's speed, I'm happy to trade off 4K resolution. Before you come for me, there's another excellent reason for this — and that's the color rendition, which I'll talk about next.

Any color you like

When I see an opportunity to make a Pink Floyd reference, I take it. Now that we're past my exquisite taste in music, let's talk about the Alienware AW2525HM's performance when it comes to color reproduction. 1080p isn't as good as 4K, but when the colors look this good, I'm inclined to not care as much.

First, let's talk about objective testing. I conducted my standardized lab testing to see how the AW2525HM fared in terms of color, and the results blew me away, as you can see in the table below.

What do these numbers mean? The monitor covers 148.5% of the sRGB color gamut, which means it covers the entire color spectrum and then some, and it delivers bold, bright, vivid colors, shades and hues.

Then we've got DCI-P3, another common color space with a wider overall gamut than sRGB, meaning it delivers a more accurate rendition of lifelike color. 105.2% coverage means it can render more shades than the actual gamut.

Lastly, Delta-E, which tells us how accurate or close the color on screen is to the color output from the source, such as your computer or laptop. The closer the score to 0, the more color-accurate the image — yes, 0.06 is an outstanding score.

The numbers are great and tell us half the story, but testing the monitor by playing video games confirms the AW2525HM's prowess in color rendition and reproduction. In Cyberpunk 2077, the neon lights appears brightly colored but not oversaturated to the point that they looked fake. This made the game feel more immersive, which is exactly what you need in an FPS/RPG.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is more of a challenge because there are many dark areas and dungeons in the game. Regardless, the AW2525HM excelled in balancing highlights and shadows to deliver a fantastic image. I was able to make out details in the dark areas, such as plants or objects which were otherwise obscured. And while a lot of the graphics performance comes down to your GPU, all the cutscenes appeared highly detailed and, again, bright and bold, which helped keep my immersion intact.

Wait, how much?!

What does the Alienware AW2525HM excel at? It's ridiculously fast with its 320Hz refresh rate and 0.5ms response time. It reproduces colors vividly and accurately. It looks great. When I first started using this monitor, I honestly thought it cost more than $500, and you probably will too. But to my surprise, it costs less than half of what I expected.

The question, then, isn't how much it costs — it's how little. That's right. The AW2525HM is a budget monitor and one of the cheapest screens that delivers outstanding performance, retailing for just $249 / £209. 4K and OLED panels cost a lot more money, but given that you're getting a speedy monitor that makes colors look the best they ever have, I really can't complain about being limited to a 1080p resolution.

More from Tom's Guide

• I just replaced my work monitor with this Alienware 25-inch 320Hz screen — and I’m never going back
• I've tested 100 monitors and these are the best ones for work, gaming and everyday use
• I added a portable monitor next to my main display and this inexpensive upgrade is a game changer

As someone who sits in front of a laptop for up to eight hours, five days a week, having one of the best monitors is a necessity for me. While many of the finest screens don’t come cheap, you don’t need to break the bank to get a great viewing experience — just look at the Alienware AW2525HM 320Hz LED. I’ve been using this monitor for gaming and work and it has blown me away.

Boasting a 320Hz refresh rate and a 0.5ms response time, the AW2525HM is a solid monitor for RPGs, FPS, and any other genre of gaming you can think of. Its color accuracy and rendition are something to behold, as is its SDR brightness. Considering that this monitor costs less than $250, it really doesn’t give you a lot to complain about.

For the complete breakdown, read my full Alienware AW2525HM 320Hz LED review.

Alienware AW2525HM 320Hz LED review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? A 25-inch 1080p monitor featuring a 320Hz refresh rate and 0.5ms response time
• Who is it for? For gamers who also need a reliable monitor for work
• How much does it cost? The Alienware AW2525HM 320Hz LED is available for $249 / £209
• What do we like? The 320Hz refresh rate, great color accuracy, minimalist design, and overall fantastic value
• What don’t we like? There are no built-in speakers and HDR is weak

Alienware AW2525HM 320Hz LED review: Specs

Alienware AW2525HM 320Hz LED review: The ups

From its minimalist design to its superb color accuracy and reproduction, the Alienware AW2525HM 320Hz LED is an excellent monitor for both gaming and work.

Minimalist design

If you want a monitor that’s primarily designed for gaming but fits right into an office space and doesn’t draw unnecessary attention, then the Alienware AW2525HM is the one for you. The AW2525HM features an all-black design with minimal branding. There’s no flashy RGB on display either. There’s an Alienware logo around the back of the monitor, and it functions as a holographic sticker that reflects light and appears rainbow-like. I love it.

Given the AW2525HM’s 25-inch screen, you don’t need to worry about fitting it on your desk, even if you’re short on space. The monitor measures 21.87 x 19.71 x 2.71 inches with the stand, so it’s slightly smaller than 27-inch screens like the Lenovo L27i-4B ($109) — my second screen at work. The AW2525HM weighs 13.38lbs with the stand, so while it’s heavy enough to stay in place, it’s still easily liftable and movable.

Adding to the AW2525HM’s minimalism and ease of use is its straightforward menu system, which can be controlled via the clickable joystick located under the Alienware logo on the front. In my testing, I found the menu system highly responsive with zero input lag, and the joystick felt nice to use, too. It was super easy and quick to adjust brightness and contrast, swap between different presets (sRGB, FPS, RPG, etc.) and other settings.

Overall, the AW2525HM is nondescript, looks great on my desk, and is intuitive to use.

Great for gaming

The Alienware AW2525HM is marketed as a gaming monitor, and that’s not surprising given its 320Hz refresh rate and 0.5ms response time. It excels at delivering a smooth, lag-free gaming experience. There are plenty of picture modes to choose from so that you get a tailored experience, and this includes, but is not limited to, FPS, MOBA, RPG, and Sports.

The AW2525HM features an LED panel with a resolution of 1920x1080 FHD, so there’s no 4K at play. But even without it, visuals look nothing short of stunning, especially for a monitor that doesn’t charge a premium. To test the monitor, I played a few games on a Windows 11 laptop, and regardless of the genre and title, I was mesmerized.

I kicked things off with Cyberpunk 2077, an FPS/RPG with bright neon lights and quick movements that can cause motion blur. The neon colors appeared detailed, bright and vivid on screen, and I appreciated that they didn’t appear oversaturated to the point that they felt fake.

You can see plenty of details even in dark environments, so I was able to make my way through dark areas with confidence in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. It’s like I was able to see in the dark, which felt fantastic. And while a lot of the graphics performance is down to the graphics card in the laptop, I felt fully immersed in the life-like cinematic cutscenes during the game, given how detailed all the characters and surroundings appeared.

The whopping 320Hz refresh rate proved its worth in both games, as I didn’t experience any choppiness while sprinting or during fast-paced combat in Cyberpunk 2077. The AW2525HM has a 0.5ms response time, which means its pixels can change colors within 0.5ms, so I didn’t experience any ghosting during gaming either. Of course, if you want even better response times, you’ll need to spend way more on the likes of the MSI MPG 272URX QD-OLED ($1,099) or the Lenovo Legion Pro 34WD-10 OLED ($1,199).

Lab testing analysis: Color

So, the colors look great on screen, but what about actual lab testing? As part of our standardized lab testing, I measured the Alienware AW2525HM 320Hz LED’s color coverage as well as accuracy — and I was left impressed, in practice and on paper. You can see the results below, compared to other similarly priced monitors.

The AW2525HM covers 148.5% of the sRGB color gamut, which means it covers the entire color spectrum and more, which helps it deliver bright, vivid colors, shades and hues. This is aligned with the bold colors I saw when using the monitor for gaming and work, so I’m very pleased. The color coverage is also better than both the Dell 24 S2421HGF ($250) and Gigabyte G27FC ($229), which are in the AW2525HM’s price bracket.

DCI-P3 is another common color space with a wider overall gamut than sRGB, meaning it delivers a more accurate rendition of lifelike color. The AW2525HM has this space more than covered, with my testing showing 105.2% coverage (meaning it can render more shades than the actual DCI-P3 gamut) — again, better than both the Dell and the Gigabyte.

The last number I tested was Delta-E, which tells us how accurate or close the color on screen is to the color output from the source, such as your computer or laptop. The closer the Delta-E score to 0, the better, and the more color-accurate the images. As you can see above, the AW2525HM blows all other rivals out of the water with a score of 0.6. Even the pricier Alienware AW2725D ($529) is less accurate.

Good for work too

Given the Alienware AW2525HM’s nondescript design, high refresh rate and response time, it’s a fantastic monitor for office work. Its incredible color accuracy and rendition make it a good monitor for editing photos and videos I’ve taken on the best cameras and the best drones.

The 10-bit color depth means that the AW2525HM is capable of showing 1.07 billion individual hues. This enabled me to see the different shades of red and orange in photos of robins I’d taken, as well as the various hues in photos of autumnal leaves and trees. There are a few work-related picture modes, and you can adjust the monitor’s gain, offset, hue and saturation to achieve the ideal settings for photo editing and other work.

This is a very bright monitor too, which is exactly what I needed to watch videos I’d taken of nightscapes on the DJI Mavic 4 Pro and the DJI Mini 5 Pro. My lab testing showed that the monitor’s brightness in SDR peaks at 365 — my coworker, Erin, asked me if my retinas were burning when I had the monitor turned up to 100% brightness!

The table above shows the AW2525HM’s brightness in comparison to other monitors, and as you can see, it’s much brighter than the rest. The AW2525HM feels like an absolute steal, and this brings me to my next point.

Excellent value for money

Given that you get a 320Hz refresh rate, 0.5ms response time, and fantastic color accuracy, you’d think the Alienware AW2525HM costs a lot of money — and you’d be wrong. It’s one of the cheapest monitors on the market, retailing for just $249 / £209, making it the ideal screen for casual gamers who also want to use the same screen for work.

Alienware’s monitor is priced similarly to the Gigabyte G27FC ($229), the Dell 24 S2421HGF ($250), the Lenovo Legion R27fc-30 27-inch 280Hz ($239) and the ViewSonic XG2536 25-inch 280Hz ($299), but Alienware’s device is better than all of them as it offers a faster refresh rate. And while it’s pricier than the Lenovo L27i-4B, it’s well worth the extra spend if you want great color accuracy as well as more hertz.

Alienware AW2525HM 320Hz LED review: The downs

There isn’t a lot wrong with the Alienware AW2525HM, but it’s worth noting that it doesn’t have the strongest HDR or built-in speakers.

Weak HDR

Strangely, the AW2525HM’s product page doesn’t mention anything about HDR. The only way I found out that it supported HDR was via system settings on my laptop. But I’m not surprised that Alienware doesn’t emphasize this information, considering that the monitor doesn’t have the best HDR.

I tested the HDR at three levels as part of our standardized testing, and the results weren’t great. The AW2525HM peaked at 200 nits on 10% of the screen, 210 nits on 40% and just 198 nits on 100%. While not the brightest, it is worth noting that some of its competitors, like the Dell 24 S2421HGF and the Gigabyte G27FC, don’t support HDR at all — something is better than nothing, I suppose?

No speakers

Annoyingly, the Alienware AW2525HM 320Hz LED doesn’t feature built-in speakers, so you can’t hear any audio. This is a pretty minor issue if you have external speakers that you can plug into your gaming PC or laptop, or you’re using one of the best wireless headsets. But still, it would have been nice to have some speakers built into the display as a fallback.

Alienware AW2525HM 320Hz LED review: Verdict

The Alienware AW2525HM 320Hz LED is a fantastic monitor, and I don’t know how I’ve gone so long without it. Its LED panel is bright and detailed, and its color accuracy and rendition blew me away in both subjective and objective testing. I love its 320Hz refresh rate and 0.5ms response time too, both of which contribute towards a lag- and blur-free gaming experience.

The AW2525HM doesn’t have built-in speakers or the brightest HDR, but these are small drawbacks considering the monitor’s budget price tag. If you need a monitor for gaming and work, I can’t recommend the AW2525HM enough. It’s fast, it’s bright, and it’s unbeatable value for money.

Out of all the laptop brands around, I wouldn't have thought Alienware, known for its premium machines like the $2,999 Alienware 16 Area-51, would be dishing out serious value on its latest gaming rigs. But here we are with its RTX 5060 laptop that's by far the best deal you'll find right now.

The Alienware 16 Aurora just got a $350 price cut at Best Buy, making it one of the cheapest RTX 50-series gaming laptops you can grab at $1,149. But it isn't just about that GPU, as it also boasts an Intel Core 7 240H CPU, 32GB of DDR5 RAM and a 1TB SSD that pushes its entry-level gaming laptop status to new heights.

Considering the latest Asus TUF Gaming A14 with an RTX 5060 will set you back a whopping $1,699, you can already tell this gaming machine is a steal. If you're looking for quality AAA gaming at sky-high frame rates (thanks to DLSS 4) but don't want to spend a fortune, put this Alienware 16 Aurora on your radar.

With the specs it comes with under the hood, I'm amazed the Alienware 16 Aurora has dropped to a price this low. I've seen it cheaper during big sales, but only by $50, and seeing as the latest gaming laptops coming on the market with similar specs (and less) cost over $1,500, and even this RTX 4060 laptop is more expensive at $1,199, it goes to show the value this machine offers.

During my testing of the Alienware 16X Aurora, its slightly specced-up sibling that also comes equipped with an RTX 5060, I was playing games like Cyberpunk 2077 at high settings with ray tracing, Doom: The Dark Ages on Ultra Nightmare with DLSS Super Resolution and Black Myth: Wukong at high settings with frame rates at over 160 frames per second (FPS). This Aurora 16 won't be much different.

That's superb performance at this price, and for those competitive multiplayer titles, I was getting nearly 300 FPS with Marvel Rivals at Ultra settings at 1080p resolution and 240 FPS at Epic settings with DLSS 4, even with 1600p resolution, in my personal favorite, The Finals.

While its fantastic 16-inch WQXGA (2560 x 1600) LED display is an incredible deal for the price, take note that it only comes with a 120Hz refresh rate. That's the sweet spot for a vast majority of titles, but if you're after even higher frame rates for competitive games, you'll want to check out the best gaming monitors.

I know, an RTX 5060 only coming with 8GB of GDDR7 VRAM isn't much for playing games at their highest settings (I got Doom running at 7 FPS with settings cranked up). But that's not what the 16 Aurora was made for. Even still, it could pull off an applaudable 82 FPS at max settings with Nvidia's Multi Frame Gen at x4 in Cyberpunk 2077.

The Alienware 16 Aurora may be on the thicker side when it comes to portable gaming laptops, but that doesn't stop it from being an exceptional deal for anyone after RTX 50-series power that goes well past entry-level gaming performance. This is quality performance for less, and is a deal well worth jumping on.

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.

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.

More from Tom's Guide

• I asked Google AI mode to recommend the best gaming laptop under $2,000 — you're wasting your money if you trust AI search
• I tested the Razer Blade 14 (2025) — and it may be the perfect on-the-go gaming laptop
• I swapped a gaming desktop for a gaming laptop — here's how they stack up in 2025

These days a great gaming PC can cost you thousands of dollars, but trust me — I review PCs for a living, and you don't need to spend an arm and a leg to have a great experience.

Labor Day is nearly here and now is a great time to be hunting for deals on a new machine. My personal favorite so far is this Alienware Aurora R16 with RTX 5060 Ti for $1,449 at Best Buy, which is $350 off the usual $1,799 asking price. That's one of the best Labor Day sales right now.

The Alienware Aurora R16 has been our top pick for the best gaming PC on the market for some time thanks to its compact, stylish case and great performance. You can read all about it in our Alienware Aurora R16 review, which includes detailed lab testing results which show this discreet desktop delivers good performance for the price.

However, the model of Aurora R16 that Best Buy has on sale right now is more powerful than the one we reviewed since it comes with a mid-range Nvidia GeForce RTX 5060 Ti graphics card onboard. While it's not the most powerful RTX 50-series card you can get, this model (with 8GB of memory) should be more than capable enough to play the best Steam games at great framerates in 1080p or 1440p.

It will look cool doing it, too thanks to its glass side panel showcasing its internals, honeycomb cooling vents and subtle RGB lighting. Personally, I really love the way the R16 is so small and unobtrusive, because it's a nice change from the massive, flashy and loud gaming PCs we usually review.

The one thing you should know is that while the Aurora R16 looks great on a desk and is pretty easy to open up and mess around with, the proprietary design of the internals can make it a little frustrating to upgrade components down the road. It's not a huge problem unless you plan to be working inside the case a lot, but you should know before you buy.

But if you want to buy one I recommend you act fast, because I doubt this sale will last past Labor Day and I don't know how long supplies will last!

I've been on the hunt for all the big price cuts on gaming laptops for Amazon Prime Day, but it turns out one of the cheapest RTX 5060 laptops I'd seen just got an even steeper discount — and it's Alienware's latest machine.

The Alienware 16 Aurora with an RTX 5060 is now $400 off at Best Buy, meaning you can grab next-gen gaming performance for just $1,099. That's the cheapest I've seen an RTX 50-series gaming laptop go for so far, and I'm amazed it's coming from Dell's popular gaming brand!

That's not all it packs, though. You'll also get the latest Intel Core i7 240H chip, 32GB of DDR5 RAM and a 1TB SSD. That sets any PC gamer up for quality AAA gaming, also thanks to Nvidia's DLSS 4 and Multi Frame Gen support. This pushes entry-level gaming even further, and at this price, this is a real steal.

• See all Amazon Prime Day Deals right now!

Alienware's latest 16 Aurora gaming laptops have been having a field day when it comes to discounts. I recently saw this very laptop down to $1,219, and even then it was a fantastic offer. But now, it crashed even further to $1,099, and you'll be hard-pressed to find an RTX 5060 gaming laptop at this price anywhere.

To put this all into perspective, Amazon has the same 16 Aurora for $1,399 right now (so this deal currently beats Prime Day), and it also offers an RTX 5060-powered Asus ROG Strix G16 for $1,499. Even Dell has a deal with an Alienware 16 Aurora for $1,099, but that comes with an RTX 4050!

That shows just how good this deal is. But it's a powerful machine for this price, too. I've played on RTX 5060 gaming laptops and have been thoroughly impressed with their performance, with heavy-hitters like Cyberpunk 2077 delivers nearly 200 FPS with DLSS 4 and Nvidia's multi-frame generation tech giving it a boost.

Here's a brief look at what you can expect.

With its Intel Core i7 240H CPU, 32GB of DDR5 RAM and 1TB SSD backing it up, this gaming laptop can pull off some major performance gains. Anyone after an all-new gaming PC or need an upgrade from an older model, like an RTX 30-series system, will gain huge value with this on their desk.

What's more, it aims to deliver smooth details with its 16-inch WQXGA (2560 x 1600) LED display. So, 120Hz isn't the fastest, but it's still enough for smooth gameplay across the board. And while 1600p resolution may be a tad much for this laptop to handle, especially with its 85W TGP (Total Graphics Power), but it will still be able to pull off some great gameplay.

You'll find there's an RTX 5060-equipped Asus TUF Gaming F16 down to $1,159 right now, saving you $380. But it still can't beat this Alienware 16 Aurora that's now just $1,099 thanks to a $400 discount.

We're sure to find many more steep discounts on Prime Day gaming laptops deals, but right now, this is the cheapest RTX 5060 PC you'll find anywhere.

For even more stellar price cuts on our favorite tech and beyond, our Amazon Prime Day live blog will point your in the right direction.

Ready to leap to see the might of an RTX 50-series gaming PC? It doesn't come cheap, but Alienware's desktop deal with an RTX 5070 Ti certainly makes it more affordable. And it beats any Prime Day deal right now.

The Alienware Aurora R16 with an RTX 5070 Ti is now $300 off at Dell, and it's easily one of the best gaming PC deals you'll find, considering the horsepower this unit delivers. Not only does Nvidia's latest GPU provide a significant gaming boost, but its other components also contribute to this, including an Intel Core Ultra 7 Series 2 CPU, 32GB of DDR5 RAM, and a 1TB SSD.

It's sleek, it's quiet, and, most importantly, it's an excellent way to upgrade your PC setup to the latest in gaming performance at this price. It beats what Amazon currently has on offer (an RTX 5070 model for essentially the same price), so if you're ready for high-end performance, this Alienware Aurora R16 will get you there.

Nvidia's latest generation of RTX 50-series GPUs delivers significant performance gains. As you'll find in our RTX 5070 Ti review, this graphics card, featuring 16GB GDDR7 video memory, offers exceptional 1440p and 1080p gaming, as well as impressive 4K gameplay. Better yet, DLSS 4 makes the best PC titles offer jaw-dropping visuals with super-smooth frame rates.

It's a good thing it's wrapped in the best gaming PC around. We're big fans of the Alienware Aurora R16, with its minimalist yet subtly stylish design that won't take up much space on your desk (measuring 18 x 16.5 x 7.7 inches) and keeps calm and quiet under pressure.

Speaking of design, there are a vast number of ports to take advantage of, including USB-A, USB-C, 3.5 mm audio, Ethernet, DisplayPort, HDMI, SPDIF, and even ports for surround sound.

Despite its looks, this is a gaming PC through and through. With its glass side panel showcasing its internals, honeycomb vents for optimized cooling (along with its air-cooled CPU and 1000W Platinum-rated PSU for reduced heat output), and subtle RGB lighting, it makes quite the impression.

That glass panel will also give you a look at the other strengths of the Aurora R16, including its Intel Core Ultra 7 265F CPU, 32GB of DDR5 RAM, and a 1TB NVMe M.2 PCIe SSD. To manage it all, the Alienware Command Center helps you monitor system cooling, customize RGB lighting, and even create overclock profiles.

It's our top pick as the best gaming PC for good reason, and it's now even better, thanks to the RTX 5070 Ti model being $300 off. As a PC gamer, this is the desktop I'd have on my radar. However, I'm currently on board with gaming laptops, and would you look at that? The Alienware 16X Aurora with an RTX 5070 I spotted is still $450 off!

If you're after a more mobile machine, Amazon's big event is sure to have plenty more offers, so stay in the know to make fantastic savings on the best Prime Day gaming laptops in the lead-up to the sale.

If you've been looking for a chance to jump on an RTX 5070 gaming laptop for less, you won't have to wait for Prime Day anymore. Not when Alienware's latest machine is now cheaper than ever.

The Alienware 16X Aurora is now $450 off at Best Buy, making it the best RTX 5070 laptop deal I've found now that it's down to $1,649. Last week, I spotted its 16 Aurora sibling for an all-new low, and it looks like Alienware is continuing that trend with this absolute powerhouse.

The RTX 5070 GPU is already a strong start, but this machine also boasts the latest Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX CPU, 32GB of DDR5 RAM and a whopping 2TB SSD. Having all that for well under $2,000 is a steal for anyone after the latest in gaming performance, and Prime Day will have to work hard to beat that cost.

It seems Best Buy is having a field day with its selection of RTX 50-series gaming laptops deals lately, including this HP Omen Transcend 14 with an RTX 5070 that dropped to $1,700. But this Alienware 16X Aurora takes the cake.

Now $450 off, you're getting a 16-inch beast sporting the latest specs on the market. That includes an Intel Core Ultra 9 Series 2 chip and Nvidia's latest mid-range GPU that offers plenty of horsepower to blaze through the latest AAA games. And I'm talking frame rates at over 200 FPS, like I've seen when testing the Asus TUF Gaming A18 with an RTX 5070.

If that performance is anything to go by, you can expect frame rates to exceed 200 FPS in games like Cyberpunk 2077 and Doom: The Dark Ages. That's all on High settings at 1200p with Nvidia DLSS 4.

Even better, it offers a 16-inch WQXGA (2560 x 1600) 240Hz display, meaning it can handle the high frame rates it's able to pump out. Throw in its 32GB of DDR5 RAM and 2TB for storage, and you can see why this gaming laptop has a lot to offer at this price.

I've even seen RTX 4060 laptops, including the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 for $1,599 and Lenovo Legion 7i for $1,699, for around the same price. Oh, and they come with 16GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD, so you're essentially getting double the specs.

The Alienware 16X Aurora only just arrived in May, but it's already at this steep discount. It features a new look for the Dell gaming brand's usual offerings, featuring a slimmer, more portable design and a cooler on the bottom that sucks cool air in from under the laptop and pushes it from the back and sides.

So, less of a juggernaut and more of a sleek machine! The deal won't last long, so if you're eager to upgrade to the latest in gaming laptops, now is a very good chance to grab one for less.

Of course, there are more Prime Day laptop deals to check out, and even more to come during the big event, and we'll be keeping you in the loop for the best discounts to grab.

Next-gen budget gaming is here, and it looks like RTX 5060 gaming laptops are getting the discount treatment these days. Last week, I found an HP Omen 16 rocking Nvidia's latest GPU in one of the cheapest deals I've seen, but this new Alienware machine is now even more affordable.

This Alienware 16 Aurora with an RTX 5060 is now $280 off at Best Buy, taking it down to a new low $1,219. Not only is that a better deal than Alienware's own website, it's also the most affordable price I've seen on an RTX 5060 gaming laptop so far. Oh, and it packs a punch.

From its latest Intel Core 7 240H CPU to its 32GB of DDR5 RAM and 1TB SSD, this is a gaming laptop that can take you far for entry-level gaming. For its cut-down price, there's a lot of value you can get out of Alienware's latest.

Alienware's new Aurora gaming laptops only launched in May, but its Aurora 16 with an RTX 5060 is already at a stellar discount. We've gamed on RTX 5060 gaming laptops before, and there's mighty performance gains to get thanks to Nvidia's DLSS 4 and multi-frame gen tech onboard.

But this Alienware 16 Aurora comes equipped with other spicy specs, including an Intel Core 7 240H (series 2) CPU, 32GB of DDR5 RAM to blaze through the games and productivity tasks you throw at it and a sizeable 1TB SSD.

Plus, this is a 16-inch gaming laptop, after all, so you can expect smooth, detailed visuals on its 16-inch WQXGA (2560 x 1600) LED display. I know, 120Hz may fall a little short in terms of the gaming laptop displays we see these days, but that's still smooth enough for fast-paced competitive gameplay and many demanding single-player titles.

The latest Aurora lineup features a change in Alienware's laptop offerings, introducing a new design with a cooler on the bottom that sucks cool air in from under the laptop and pushes it from the back and sides. That makes for a slimmer, less bulky looking gaming laptop that it's to take on the move.

So, what kind of performance can you expect? Here's a brief look at an RTX 5060's gaming chops in a laptop.

Not bad for considering those settings in Cyberpunk 2077 are cranked up. But even better when this Alienware Aurora is now down to $1,219. To put that into perspective, there are RTX 4060 gaming laptops that are priced even higher, including this Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 for $1,599 and Lenovo Legion 7i for $1,699.

If you're looking for a more affordable gaming laptop upgrade, especially over an RTX 30-series system, then this Alienware 16 Aurora is a good shout now that it's $280 off.

Oh, and while there is this HP Victus 16 with an RTX 5060 that's down to $1,099, it's not available just yet (and it comes with 16GB of RAM instead of the Aurora's 32GB). Although, that's also one to keep an eye on.

For even more fantastic price cuts, check out these early Amazon Prime Day deals worth saving on.

There's been a massive amount of news for PC gamers to chew through this week, courtesy of Computex 2025. But none of it had me spit out my coffee in surprise the same way this epic Memorial Day Alienware deal did.

Right now, you can bag the Alienware x16 R2 with an RTX 4090 for $900 off at Dell. That brings the price down by nearly a grand to $2,699.

Yes, okay, it's still expensive, but what you're getting in return is a premium gaming setup (with eye-catching looks) capable of taking on pretty much any triple-A game you throw at it.

Alienware holds something of a special place in my heart. My first ever gaming laptop was the Alienware m14x back in 2012. And while I've had my ass whupped by cruel Father Time over the last decade or so, you can't say the same about Dell's gaming sub-brand.

This RGB-encrusted laptop comes with a 16-inch FHD+ (1920 x 1200) display with a 3ms response rate and a crazy 480Hz refresh rate. That will make competitive multiplayer games look as smooth as ever. Meanwhile, the Intel Core Ultra 9 185H CPU, RTX 4090 GPU and 32GB of DDR5X RAM will crunch through the most demanding games without producing a single bead of sweat.

Plus, there's 2TB of glorious SSD space to store all those big PC titles.

If you need more proof this is a decent investment — especially at $900 off the asking price — check out our Alienware x16 R2 review. Our reviewer was suitably impressed with the surprisingly thin design and all the customization options (there's an RGB touchpad!) that are a hallmark of Alienware rigs.

As a taste of its power, we ran Cyberpunk 2077 at Ultra settings with ray tracing, and it hit a solid 64 frames per second. That's not so much a mic drop as a mic chokeslam.

But to prove I've not lost my cynical edge, a couple of things may hold you back from hitting that "add to cart" button. Firstly, like any gaming rig, this thing will get loud when it's put under pressure. It also doesn't have an Ethernet port, which is weird.

Still, if you're after one of the best gaming PCs around and like yourself a good deal, then I highly recommend this one. It's the perfect way to spend Memorial Day; tell the family you're sick, chuck your phone in another room and hunker down with your game of choice for 72 hours. Safe in the knowledge you've saved yourself nine Benjamins in the process.

Alienware has launched a couple of new laptops called the Alienware 16 Aurora and Alienware 16X Aurora. These are a little thinner and less gaudy than the stereotypical gaming laptop. It's still a gaming laptop through and through, but it dials back some of the excess for which the company's high-end gaming laptops are known.

The design features a dark blue chassis that the company calls "interstellar indigo." The only visual element that stands out is the Alienware logo at the center of the case, but it's not as big and bright as some other Alienware models.

Alienware made the difficult decision to drop what is called a thermal shelf from the laptop's design. Usually, this large cooling feature sticks out of the back of the laptop on the bottom, and it adds a lot of extra girth. Instead, the company included a cooler on the bottom that sucks cool air in from under the laptop and pushes it from the back and sides.

This surprising change has allowed Alienware to make a thinner gaming laptop that's more portable than many of its other offerings. It's not going to be as small as one of the best MacBooks or another ultrabook, but it should be easier to carry around than a lot of other gaming devices.

Alienware 16 Aurora and 16X Aurora specs

Overall, Alienware is pushing solid specs for both the 16 Aurora and 16X Aurora. With up to Nvidia 5070 GPUs and Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX processors, you should be able to play more or less any game you can imagine.

The weight is relatively light at 5.49 pounds for the 16 Aurora and 16X Aurora. Obviously, a 16-inch display means it'll be on the larger side, but the design tweaks make it smaller than some other gaming laptops with larger displays.

Alienware 16 Aurora and 16X Aurora price and availability

As gaming laptops with high-end specs, they also come with a fairly high price tag. The base configuration of the 16 Aurora is $1,149, but it packs specs that might not be sufficient for some gamers. The 4050 GPU and 16GB of RAM aren't enough to run most high-end games at higher settings, so demanding gamers might want to spring for the extras.

For the 16X Aurora, the price starts at $1,949, and you get far more respectable specs with an RTX 5060 as the cheapest GPU available and 32GB of RAM.

More from Tom's Guide

• RTX 5060 Ti release date just tipped for April 16 — HP seemingly confirms Nvidia's next-gen GPUs
• I wanted an RTX 50-series gaming laptop, but $620 off this Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 broke me
• Razer Blade 16 with RTX 5060 spotted in new leak — with a pretty shocking $1,999 price tag

I had my mind blown by Asus’ 27-inch 4K OLED 240Hz gaming monitor earlier this year, and the Alienware AW2752Q takes the ball and runs with it. This is easily one of the best gaming monitors I’ve ever used — let me tell you why.

The big showcase feature here is that picture quality. With OLED, you normally have to watch out for the high refresh rate, as this display tech can create some visible frame artifacting — moments of screen tearing or ghosting where you see a faint trail behind moving objects.

Through whatever witchcraft Alienware has been conjuring up here, none of that exists. You get those gorgeously vivid colors and deep inky contrast ratio, which is completely uninterrupted with a mindblowingly smooth 240Hz refresh rate.

It’s a masterpiece of a screen, paired with all the ports you need to connect this monitor easily to your system and any peripherals, and it’s all housed in a sleek, attractive shell that will take ergonomic pride of place on any desk.

That’s not to say it’s completely perfect, though. Since OLED doesn’t require a backlight, the brightness is a little on the lower side, so keep it away from any direct sunlight. Not only that, but this is a serious investment to make at $899 — money that a lot of us can’t afford to really spend right now.

However if you’re all in on the RTX 5090, 5080 or 5070, you’re going to want to get this screen to make the most of it. The immersion, the smoothness, all of it is chef’s kiss.

Alienware AW2752Q: Cheat Sheet

• What is it? This is a 27-inch 4K OLED 240Hz gaming monitor — the latest trend in display tech for making the most of gaming PCs.
• Who is it for? This one’s for the pros and enthusiasts. If you’re all in on the 200+ FPS hype of RTX 50-series, you need a screen like this to make the most of your new GPU.
• What does it cost? You can pick one up for $899.
• What do I like? The 4K OLED picture quality is drop dead gorgeous and silky smooth at 240Hz with no visible ghosting or screen tearing. The port array is significant to fit this into any setup, and the design is premium and ergonomic.
• What don’t I like? At $899, this is a pricey investment to make. And given its OLED, the brightness is on the lower end.

Alienware AW2752Q: Specs

Alienware AW2752Q: The ups

Setting it up is a cinch, and once you turn it on (and use that DisplayPort 1.4 port for the maximum frame rate), you’re greeted with a picture quality that you just can’t take your eyes off of.

Incredible for gaming

So let’s talk about that 4K OLED panel. With five picture modes that are perfect for different genres and creative needs, this is a real stunner.

Whether it’s bright and colorful games like the fast-moving surroundings of Mexico in Forza Horizon 5, or the neon-soaked streets of Night City in Cyberpunk 2077, this is simply a mesmerizing flash flood of color.

Throw the 1.5 million:1 contrast ratio in there, a real OLED showpiece that is able to produce impressively inky blacks and real depth to a scene and Dolby Vision HDR, and scary titles like Alien Isolation become a whole lot more terrifying.

But what about multiplayer gaming? Well that’s where I drop into Call of Duty Warzone to really stretch the refresh rate and response time of the AWQ2752Q. Because of course, the above games look buttery smooth, that responsiveness really matters here.

With a 0.03ms response time, twitches of the mouse feel immediate, G-Sync eliminates any tearing, and there isn’t any of that OLED screen flicker with high refresh rate games. It’s so smooth and so sharp — your games are going to be a real feast.

Great for work

But of course, a gaming PC is great for work and play, so your monitor should be too. For this, we need color accuracy, a sleek design and connectivity.

Well to tackle the first, let’s look at the Delta-E score — rating said accuracy.

In any video or photo editing work I do, I had maximum confidence in the color representation of any frames I looked at while carefully crafting my pieces. Meanwhile, my desk space was kept clear with a monitor design that (surprisingly for Alienware) isn’t super cringeworthy.

I love the blue finish and the cable management built into the stand. It does have quite the caboose on it, but this is to fit the cooling needed to keep a monitor of this caliber running smoothly.

And yes, there is USB connectivity, but it’s a good news/bad news situation. While you can plug in your peripherals in to work with your computer, there's no KVM switch. If you work entirely off one system, this won’t be a problem.

But if you wanted to connect another laptop to work on things you may have been doing on the go, you won’t be able to hotswap between them with the same level of ease as you would with a KVM. You’ll need to unplug that USB port from your desktop and connect it to your laptop.

Alienware AW2752Q: The downs

That’s not to say it’s a perfect gaming experience, though. One problem is just a sign of the financially pressuring times, and the other is a side effect of OLED that I see a lot.

It’s a bit on the dim side

So if there’s one thing that OLED monitors usually suffer from, it’s brightness issues. Normally this comes from the fact that these monitors don’t require backlighting like your usual LCD panel.

There are very expensive ways to get around this (like tandem OLED), but Alienware doesn’t do this here and if you’re anywhere near a brightly sunlit window, it shows.

I’d be looking for a lot closer to 500 nits for this to be used near direct sunlight. So maybe find a darker corner to really make the most of this.

$899 isn’t going to be for everyone

Look, I know there’s going to be a correlation between how much you spend and the picture quality you get. But $899 is a big demand on anyone’s bank balance, so I guess it’s all relative to the type of gaming you’re going to do — especially when you take into account the 27-inch screen size.

QHD also looks damn good at this screen size, and you could save yourself a tidy amount of money if you do so, while still getting the same 240Hz refresh rate.

I’m not saying that the excess isn’t worth it, because that additional 4K fidelity is a feast for the eyes. But that doesn’t mean you’re not getting a super tasty amuse-bouche at lower prices too.

Alienware AW2752Q: Verdict

Put simply, if you can pay the high price for this display, and you can compensate for that slightly lower brightness (an occupational hazard of some OLED technology), this is easily one of the best gaming monitors you can buy right now.

The Alienware AW2752Q is a 4K monster of a screen with razor sharp fidelity and buttery smooth frame rates, which is further punctuated by gorgeous color production and immense depth from that HDR-ey contrast ratio.

If you’re a high end gamer and want to seek the best out of your shiny new GPU, this is a top pick.

There's some excellent Presidents' Day sales going on right now, but one that's seriously impressed us is the discount Dell are offering on the Alienware m18 R2 with RTX 4070 laptop.

For a limited time, you can the Alienware m18 R2 w/ RTX 4070 on sale for $1,799 at Dell. We named this laptop one of the best gaming laptops on the market. It's a massive $600 off the usual retail price — and it's absolutely packed with enticing specs. Put it this way, you could be gaming on this beast of a laptop in no time at all and be safe in the knowledge that you saved yourself hundreds of dollars doing it.

As one of the best gaming laptops around, it's no surprise we're raving about the Alienware m18 R2. Especially when there's $600 off. Sure, when we tested it out the specs were a little higher than what's on offer right now — but what is on offer is still incredibly epic.

We're talking an Intel Core i7 processor, Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 graphics, an impressive 32GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD. And then there's the screen, boasting a 18-inch QHD+ (2560 x 1600 display with a 165Hz refresh rate. If anything is going to let you play your games on max settings without burning out or lagging to the extreme, it's this.

When we got our hands on this seriously impressive laptop for our full review, we couldn't help but give it four-and-a-half stars. As mentioned, the specs were slightly different, but the sentiment remains the same: "The Alienware m18 R2 is a hulking beast of a laptop that delivers equally powerful performance and offers smooth gaming experiences at high framerates. While it's too large to travel with and the cooling design could be better, there's not much about this laptop that's a dealbreaker."

If you're using it as a desktop replacement, which is where we think it really shines, then the travel and cooling design is not going to be a problem. So, if you want to save yourself $600 right now and get one of the best gaming laptops for your home in the process, then now is the time to go for it. It's what Dell is promoting as a 'Hot Deal' and honestly, we couldn't agree more.

If you're shopping for a new gaming laptop I think you're in luck, because it looks like retailers are running some pretty good laptop deals now that a new wave of 2025 gaming laptops packing the latest hardware (like Nvidia's RTX 50-series GPUs) are about to hit the market.

Here's what I mean: The Alienware m16 R2 with RTX 4070 is $1,374 at Best Buy right now, which is $525 off the usual $1,899 asking price. That's one of the best discounts I've ever seen on an Alienware gaming laptop with an RTX 4070 onboard, and it has to be because 50-series models are right around the corner.

• shop all gaming laptops on sale at Best Buy from $799

But please, don't let the threat of the Next Big Thing keep you from appreciating this deal for what it is: a good opportunity to get a mid-range 16-inch gaming laptop at a great price.

The model on sale at Best Buy here is almost identical to the model we reviewed for our Alienware m16 R2 review, so you can read that for more detailed impressions of what it's like to own one as well as our results from lab testing the laptop's performance, display quality, battery life and more.

The short version is that the m16 R2 is a solid gaming notebook that can run many of the best PC games at good to great framerates on its 16-inch QHD+ (2560 x 1600) 240Hz display. While our testing revealed that the IPS panel is a little dull and washed out compared to the best gaming laptops, it's still more than good enough for gaming on the go.

And since the m16 R2 has a bevy of ports, including HDMI 2.1 and Ethernet, you can plug this beast into one a fancy TV or one of the best gaming monitors when you're home for a more lush gaming experience.

This gaming laptop runs titles like Assassin's Creed: Mirage pretty well, managing to hit a stead 70+ FPS (frames per second) in our tests when run at the laptop's native 1600p resolution. Games like Cyberpunk 2077 run less well at native resolution (~20 FPS), but if you knock the game resolution down to 1080p and play with the DLSS and detail settings you can reliably get 60+ FPS out of this thing.

You should actually have a slightly better time with this laptop than we did reviewing it last year, since the model on sale right now has an SSD with double the storage space of our review unit (1TB vs. 512GB). And while we didn't love the chunky, plasticky-feeling chassis, somehow the fact that it feels a little cheap is counteracted by the comfortable keyboard and the understated design, which makes it easy to pull this laptop out in a coffee shop without feeling like you're about to hack the planet.

The struggle to find an RTX 5080 GPU right now is real, but if you're looking for other all-new powerful gaming setup options, this RTX 4080 gaming laptop could be just the ticket — as it's just got a massive discount.

Right now, the Alienware x16 R2 with an RTX 4080 is $600 off at Dell, and it now costs as much as the RTX 4070 configuration. It doesn't come cheap at $2,699, as this is still a premium, powerful gaming laptop.

That said, if you've saved up those pennies and want a beefy PC setup, you can make great savings here. Oh, and to sweeten the pot, it comes with a 16-inch 480Hz display.

• Shop all Dell deals

In our Alienware x16 R2 review, we praised the gaming laptops great performance, attractive, surprisingly thin design and customization options (there's a RGB touchpad!). And with the specs the model packs, its sure to make any demanding PC game shine onscreen.

As a taste of its power, we ran Cyberpunk 2077 at Ultra settings with ray tracing, and it hit a solid 64 frames per second. That a strong result for that setting, so you better believe it can blaze through other PC games, too. Its thanks to its Intel Core Ultra 9 185H CPU, RTX 4080 GPU and 32GB of DDR5X RAM. Plus, there's a 2TB SSD to store all those big PC titles.

This model comes with a 16-inch FHD+ (1920 x 1200) display with a 3ms response rate and a crazy 480Hz refresh rate. That will make competitive multiplayer games as smooth as ever.

Be warned that in testing, we found the Alienware x16 R2 got quite loud when under pressure (nothing the best gaming headsets can't fix) and it lacks an Ethernet port. We also noted that it's a pricey machine, but now that its $600 off, it offers more value than ever.

If you're after a gaming rig that packs a punch and can't be bothered to wait for an RTX 5080 — or RTX 50-series laptops — to be available (it will be a while), check out this Alienware x16 R2 and save yourself $600 right now.

If you're in the market for a new gaming rig, good news: Dell is currently selling one of the best gaming PCs we've tested at a sweet discount.

Right now the Alienware Aurora R16 w/ RTX 4070 on sale for $1,499, which is $500 off the usual $2,000 asking price. Dell is discounting a few different configurations of the R16, but this specific $500 discount is one of the best PC gaming deals I've seen so far this year.

It's not just a great deal, though—I'm also highlighting this deal because it's a great PC from a pretty reputable company. You can check out our Alienware Aurora R16 review to read about how this low-key black monolith delivers good to great performance that's competitive with more expensive gaming PCs, all with a case design that's relatively easy to work inside.

Design-wise, we like the transparent glass side panel that showcases the machine's powerful components and tasteful wiring. There's some RGB lighting surrounding the inner fans, motherboard, and GPU, which gives you room to express yourself if you want to light up your rig. You get plenty of ports to play with, too, including USB-A, USB-C and a headphone jack on the front along with lots more around back.

This may not look like the ostentatious gaming PCs you're used to, but personally I'm a fan of the understated boxy look that Dell has adopted for the Alienware Aurora R16. The company calls it the Legend 3.0 design, and I think the glass panel and honeycomb air vents blend with the subdued RGB-on-black design to give you a powerful PC that looks equally at home in a gaming den or a home office.

If this opportunity isn't for you or it expires before you get a chance to snag one, no worries—it's only one of the best PC gaming deals I've seen this month, and there will lots more to come as retailers discount existing stock to make room for all the new products announced at CES 2025.

Video gaming is an incredibly diverse hobby. Some prefer to kick back with their favorite handheld gaming device, while others prefer the traditional console experience. There are those content with casual gaming specs that get the job done as long as they get in the game, and then there are the enthusiasts who need the latest top-of-the-line gear. One thing that's consistent across all gamer archetypes, though, is the desire for high-quality, high-performing displays that don't require us to dip into our game funds.

You don't need to look for a unicorn to find a gaming monitor that fits the bill. Regardless of what you prioritize in your gaming setup, Alienware has a monitor that can fill that void.

For the competitive gamer: Alienware 25 Gaming Monitor

You're fast, you're snappy, your trigger game is on point and you're ready to hit the esports stage. You need a monitor that can keep up with your quick shots and trick shots, and that's where the Alienware 25 Gaming Monitor (model AW2523HF) comes into play. This 25-inch display is esports-optimized to give you the most bang for your buck and is built for the hardcore based on feedback from pro gamers. We all know frames win games, and this monitor is designed with full HD resolution and an impressive 360 Hz refresh rate on a stunning, high-quality IPS display. Pair all that with VESA Adaptive-Sync and AMD FreeSync Premium support to minimize screen tearing and a response time of 0.5ms to 1ms, and you've got yourself a display worthy of the best of the best.

The gaming monitor's bezel and stand are nearly as important as the screen itself. The Alienware 25 Gaming Monitor's hexagonal base is designed to require a minimal footprint on your desk, giving you more room for your keyboard and those all-important mouse moves. An integrated, retractable headset also helps keep your desk clear by giving you somewhere to tuck away your headphones when they're not in use. The revamped OSD layout features a centralized joystick that makes for easier navigation of the monitor's settings, and the fully adjustable stand ensures increased comfort for even the longest of gaming sessions.

This monitor also hits all the marks for connectivity, offering multiple USB ports, a headphone port and even a security lock slot. All of that comes with a respectable $350 price tag, so you've got form, function and affordability all in one here.

For the graphics-conscious gamer: Alienware 27 Gaming Monitor

For some of us, gaming is about the experience of a good single-player game with striking graphics. If you're willing to compromise a little on refresh rate for a higher display resolution, then the Alienware 27 Gaming Monitor (model number AW2723DF) may be a better fit for you. This one packs a 27-inch QHD display with a 1440p resolution, providing all the high-quality visual fidelity you expect for today's games. The vibrant IPS flat-screen panel is fitted with an InfinityEdge screen with IPS Nano Color technology that produces dynamic, vivid colors with 95% DCI-P3 color coverage. All that is wrapped up with a VESA DisplayHDR™ 600 certification, so you can trust the picture on your screen looks the way the developers intended it to.

Despite honing in on the graphic fidelity side of gaming, this monitor still offers an impressively fast 1ms response time for lag-free gameplay. The NVIDIA G-Sync, AMD FreeSync and VESA Adaptive-Sync certifications ensure that you're getting crystal-clear graphics without any screen tearing, and the 280 Hz response time is still plenty quick enough to let you keep up in a competitive gameplay environment. Like the Alienware 25 Gaming Monitor, you also get plenty of connectivity here with multiple USB ports, support for HDMI and DisplayPort connections, headphone ports and a security lock slot all at a $580 price point.

For the high-tech gamer: Alienware 32 4K QD-OLED Gaming Monitor

You're gaming in 4K. Your computer is a beast of a battle station decked out in all the RGB you could afford. You're at the top end of all the latest tech. You need a monitor that can match that unbridled unicorn-RGB-enhanced power of your gaming rig, and Alienware has you covered. The Alienware 32 4K QD-OLED Gaming Monitor (model number AW3225QF) is for you, combining the high-level color performance that only a Quantum Dot OLED panel can offer with the incredible detail of 4K resolution. We're talking about the cream of the gaming-monitor crop here, with exceptional clarity and color purity that's unmatched.

The curved 1700R screen captures your peripheral vision and provides a more natural viewing experience, and the QD-OLED display presents even dark scenes in stunning detail without that dreaded "halo" effect. This monitor offers an infinite contrast ratio and is supported by VESA DisplayHDR True Black 400, which ensures vibrant brights and deep, inky blacks without color bleed or distortion even in the same scene. Your games come to life with incredible DCI-P3 99.3% color coverage and Delta E<2 accuracy. Whether you're gaming on the highest-end PC or your favorite console, you know plugging into this gaming monitor is going to give you the best graphics fidelity possible.

The Alienware 32 4K monitor boasts all the same certifications as the previously mentioned monitors but is also bolstered by TUV-certified ComfortView Plus. This reduces blue light emissions using the monitor's hardware so you don't have to sacrifice color purity with software or blue light glasses. This monitor also offers all the bells and whistles of tear-free gaming with an impressive 240Hz refresh rate and is backed by a 3-year premium warranty that even covers OLED burn-in all for a sale price of $899.99 at the timing of this writing.

Unmatched performance and quality from a brand you trust

Alienware has long stood out in the field of gaming peripherals by offering high-quality, high-performance devices that are unmatched, but no good company stays at the top by riding on the coattails of its past success. That's why Alienware has continued to strive and innovate a portfolio of top-tier gaming hardware that provides value to gamers across the spectrum, from the casual console player dipping into their favorite indie game to the esports pros at the top of their game to the home enthusiast who wants the best gaming experience technology can offer.

CES 2025 saw no shortage of laptop announcements from major vendors like Lenovo, HP, MSI, Asus and more. Dell also arrived strong with its rebranded Dell laptops and the resurrected Alienware Area-51 gaming laptop lineup. While every company showed off fantastic notebooks, it’s the latter that got my attention the most.

My hype for the new Alienware laptops isn’t all that surprising. After all, I’m a lifelong gamer who also reviews the best gaming laptops for a living. Based on what I’ve seen, the 16- and 18-inch Area-51 laptops have everything I want in a portable gaming notebook — namely an elegant design, large displays and the latest components from Intel and Nvidia. Though they’re not too dissimilar from the Alienware m16 R2 and Alienware m18 R2 laptops we’ve reviewed, the new laptops are very enticing.

Here are the big reasons why I’m excited about the upcoming Alienware Area-51 gaming laptops.

They look awesome!

Even though I love gaming laptops, I’m not a fan of their sometimes outlandish designs. Many manufacturers have veered away from this in recent years, offering devices like the HP Omen Transcend 14, the aforementioned Alienware m16 R2, and Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2024) with relatively minimalist designs. Area-51 laptops are flashier than those machines while featuring an air of otherworldly elegance.

The new Liquid Teal finish on anodized aluminum gives Alienware’s laptops a dark iridescent sheen that shifts colors when light is absorbed. The AlienFX lighting animations illuminate the translucent shelf on the back to imitate the motions of the Aurora Borealis. Then there’s the clear Gorilla Glass window on the underside that allows you to see the internal components, while the RGB fans cast an underglow through the clear window and up through the keyboard deck.

The Alienware Area-51 laptops certainly have a unique aesthetic, but you can turn off all the RGB lighting if you don’t want to draw too much attention when out in public. In that way, it can be a gaming laptop that doesn’t necessarily look like one.

Lastly, these laptops come with optional low-profile CherryMX switches. If you want mechanical keys, Area-51 laptops have you covered.

Powerful components

Nvidia unveiled its GeForce RTX 50-series GPUs for laptops and desktops during CES 2025, which promise to deliver serious performance and graphical boosts over previous RTX cards. The mobile 50-series GPUs utilize the company’s Blackwell architecture and are made for gaming on the go. DLSS 4 will hopefully help RTX 50-series laptops deliver better graphics and higher framerates without destroying battery life.

We’ll need to get some laptops with RTX 50 cards into our testing lab to see what they can do, but the results could be substantial. Regarding Area-51 notebooks specifically, they’ll have 280W of total package power (TPP) on Nvidia RTX 50-series laptop GPUs and up to an Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX CPU. According to Alienware, the laptops’ thermal architecture enables them to move up to 37% more air through the system while being 15% quieter.

In addition, Area-51 machines are the first Alienware laptops to support Gen 5 Solid State Drives (SSDs). When combined with Microsoft DirectStorage technology, the GPU can directly access SSDs to help games run faster, according to Alienware. You can upgrade up to 12TB of SSD storage, which should be plenty of room for dozens of games.

Outlook

Alienware Area-51 laptops should arrive in the first quarter of this year, so it won’t be too long until we get to test these machines. Based on what we’ve heard, these should be exciting gaming machines. However, don’t expect them to be cheap as even the lowest-end configuration starts at $1,999. But if Area-51 laptops live up to their promise, it could be money well spent.

More from Tom's Guide

• I just went hands-on with these smart glasses with an invisible display
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• CES 2025 day 1 — 9 new gadgets you need to see

Nvidia's RTX 50-series GPUs have been announced, and while they pack impressive power, so too does this Alienware m16 gaming laptop with an RTX 4080 — and it's now over $500 off.

Right now, the Alienware m16 with RTX 4080 is $2,239 at Best Buy, and it even comes equipped with a 16-inch display with a 240Hz refresh rate. Alienware laptops rarely see discounts this aggressive, and this price drop may be one of the best cheap laptop deals we've seen.

It's part of Best Buy's clearance sale, so if you're after a new, powerful gaming laptop with a neat discount, you better scoop it up fast.

Alienware boasts a great reputation when it comes to its lineup of gaming laptops, and the Alienware m16 is no different. Our Alienware m16 review had this to say: "Dell has delivered a respectable product that is massively helped by Nvidia’s AI learning techniques that ultimately make this a compelling laptop for its price point." Now that it's over $500 off and sports a RTX 4080, this is one powerful machine.

We're big fans of the Alienware m16's impressive 16-inch QHD+ (2560 x 1600) with a 240Hz refresh rate, making it perfect for competitive PC games and high-quality titles alike. It's keyboard is also a major highlight, with a fitting and comfortable travel distance and the m16’s per-key AlienFX RGB effects offering great appeal.

While the review unit we received came with an RTX 4060, we were already wowed by its performance. With an RTX 4080 on board, this laptop will truly shine.

There are some flaws to consider, including its chunky build and loud fans. However, if you prefer to make this laptop a mainstay on your desk and have a quality pair of over-ear headphones to block out any noise, then it's hard to go wrong with this Alienware m16.

Looking for more brilliant deals? Check out what's in store at this huge Walmart sale.

December is a great month to buy a new laptop. If your budget is especially tight, you may want to consider buying a refurbished machine direct from the manufacturer. When you buy direct, you'll typically get a better refund policy and you'll also have more configurations to choose from.

For example, right now Dell Outlet is taking up to $800 off select laptops, monitors, and PCs. The sale includes some of Dell's most popular lines, such as the XPS line and the Alienware m16 R2.

When it comes to refurbs, we've always recommended buying direct from the original manufacturer. Items restored by the manufacturer usually include a better warranty and easier/quicker access to customer support if something turns out wrong with your purchase.

Dell is known for making some of the best laptops we've tested. This include budget gaming laptops like the G16 line as well as premium laptops like the XPS. For more deals, check out our guide to the best Christmas deals right now.

Even after tracking amazing Cyber Monday deals over the past week, I was caught off guard when I stumbled upon this outstanding $1,000 price cut on this Alienware m18 R2 gaming laptop. And yes, it is still available to pick up.

If you're looking for some serious power and some big savings, grab this Alienware m18 R2 with an RTX 4090 for $2,999 at Dell right now. It's a pricey laptop, that's for sure, but it was previously $900 off during the Cyber Monday sales. Seeing it come down from its original $3,999 asking price is always a welcome sight. Even better, there's a $2,899 model available, with the only difference being storage (2TB instead of 4TB). Dell may have got its times mixed up, but I'll take this deal as it comes regardless.

Being one of the best gaming laptops around, the Alienware m18 R2 is one to keep on your radar at a price like this. It's made to be a desktop replacement, and you can see why with its power under the hood: an Intel Core i9 processor, Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 graphics, a whopping 64GB of RAM, and a 4TB SSD (or 2TB if you're looking to save $100).

That's not even counting its huge 18-inch QHD+ (2560 x 1600) display with a 165Hz refresh rate. Not only is it ready to play virtually any PC game at max settings, it's also able to blaze through heavy-duty tasks like video editing and more.

We gave this beast of a laptop 4.5 stars and an Editor's Choice award in our Alienware m18 R2 review, stating: "As far as gaming laptops go, you’d have a hard time finding another that performs as well as the Alienware m18 R2. While pricey, the m18 R2 doesn’t disappoint when playing the latest games at the highest settings on that huge 18-inch display."

We noted that it's simply to big and heavy to carry, and it's cooling design isn't the best around (be prepared for some noise from fans and some heat), but if you're after a desktop replacement and a permanent fixture to your desk setup that you'll only move once in a while, this Alienware m18 R2 is as good as it gets.

Despite its $1,000 price cut, this is still one pricey gaming laptop. If you're after something even cheaper, you'll be happy to hear there are still many post-Cyber Monday laptop deals to check out. Also, make sure to check out our Dell coupons page for more ways to save.

Black Friday is almost here, and if you're shopping for the PC gamer in your life, you can already find plenty of epic deals on Alienware and Dell machines capable of handling the best PC games.

Whatever your budget, you're spoiled for choice when it comes to saving on gaming laptops and desktops powerful enough to rival the PS5 or Xbox Series X. So if you're looking to upgrade your set-up for the holidays, there's no better time. Right now you can snag Alienware's Aurora R16 gaming PC for just $2,499 at Dell. If you're on a budget, the Dell XPS 13 Copilot+ PC is on sale for just $899 at Dell right now, is a surprisingly solid gaming laptop for the price and even packs a Snapdragon Elite CPU with 16GB of RAM.

We track Dell deals throughout the year, so you can rest easy knowing that these 9 Black Friday deals on Dell and Alienware machines are worth every penny. For even more ways to save, we've rounded up the best Black Friday gaming monitor deals and Black Friday gaming PC deals going on now. And don't forget to check out our guide to the best Dell coupons while you're at it.

Quick Links

• Alienware 34" Curved QD-OLED Monitor: was $1,099 now $799 @ Dell
• Dell XPS 13 Copilot+ PC: was $1,199 now $899 @ Dell
• Alienware 32" QD-OLED Curved 4K Monitor: was $1,199 no $899 @ Dell
• Dell G16 Gaming Laptop (RTX 4060): was $1,499 now $999 @ Dell
• Dell Inspiron 16 2-in-1 Laptop: was $1,499 now $999 @ Best Buy
• Alienware m16 R2 Gaming Laptop (RTX 4060): was $1,699 now $1,299 @ Dell
• Alienware Aurora R16 (RTX 4070): was $1,999 now $1,399 @ Dell
• Alienware x16 R2 gaming laptop (RTX 4060): was $2,099 now $1,499 @ Dell
• Alienware Aurora R16 (RTX 4080): was $3,199 now $2,499 @ Dell

Early Black Friday Alienware and Dell deals

'Tis the season for holiday sales, and there are already some exciting Black Friday deals on offer that you can take advantage of to snag a great gaming laptop at a bargain—if you know where to look.

Luckily, I do, because I've been covering Black Friday for years and I know exactly where to peek to find the best deals. I've gathered the cream of the crop in this list so that whatever budget you're working with, there's a deal to help you save some money during the holidays.

Without further ado, here are my favorite gaming laptop deals currently available.

Quick Links

• MSI THIN GF63: was $899 now $699 @ Target
• Acer Nitro V: was $949 now $699 @ Best Buy
• HP Victus: was $1,209 now $909 @ Amazon (use coupon)
• Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2024): was $1,599 now $1,249 at Best Buy.
• Alienware m18 R2: was $3,299 now $2,799 @ Dell

Best Gaming Laptop deals

There's still two weeks left in October, but there are plenty of Black Friday deals previews happening this month. One of the best sales I've seen this week comes courtesy of Dell. 

Dell is slashing the price on a wide variety of monitors with deals from $79. This includes some of our favorite Alienware monitors, which are perfect for gaming. For example, you can grab a curved QD-OLED Alienware monitor for $300 off. Below I've rounded up the best Dell and Alienware monitor deals right now. For more ways to save, check out our guide to this week's top Dell coupons.

Quick Links

• shop the enire the Dell monitor sale
• Dell 22" Monitor: was $89 now $79
• Dell 27" Monitor: was $219 now $179
• Dell 25" Gaming Monitor: was $249 now $224
• Alienware 27" Gaming Monitor: was $379 now $249
• Dell 34" Monitor: was $379 now $319
• Alienware 25" Gaming Monitor: was $599 now $449
• Dell 32" 4K UHD Gaming Monitor: was $629 now $549
• Alienware 34" Curved QD-OLED Gaming Monitor: was $1,099 now $799
• Alienware 32" 4K QD-OLED: was $1,199 now $999

Best Dell monitor deals

As bank balances around the world celebrate the fact Amazon Prime Day is ending today, perhaps those dented accounts shouldn’t be breaking out the party poppers just yet. The official Dell site has its own megaton sale taking place today, and Dell Rewards members can receive double points if they pick up the variety of discounted computing gear (though this deal runs out tomorrow). 

Whether you’re looking for one of the best gaming monitors, a great office chair, the best mechanical keyboards, a quality power bank or one of the best gaming mouse out there, Dell’s mega computing sale makes it easy to assemble an awesome PC setup with a number of fantastic Alienware products. Although with the sale ending soon, this could be your last chance to buy these brilliant pieces of tech at discount prices for a while. 

I’ve personally 33% of the products on this list — so three, then — and I’ve had a great experience with each one. I use the Alienware Pro Wireless gaming keyboard every day for work and it’s a truly mighty mechanical board. While the Alienware AW3423D ultrawide gaming monitor is one of the best curved displays I’ve ever had the pleasure of owning.

Below, I’ll guide you through 9 deals that will help you assemble your own dream Alienware/Dell setup without overly breaking the bank.

• LIVE blog: Best Prime Day deals right now! 

The Quick List

• Dell UD22 Universal Dock: was $129 now $99 @ Dell
• Alienware AW720H Gaming Headset: was $149 now $99 @ Dell  
• Alienware Pro Wireless Gaming Mouse: was $149 now $109 @ Dell 
• Alienware Pro Wireless Gaming Keyboard: was $199 now $139 @ Dell
• Dell WB7022 4K UltraSharp Webcam: was $189 now $169 @ Dell  
• Alienware S5000 Gaming Chair: was $359 now $299 @ Dell 
• Alienware AW3423DW QD-OLED Gaming Monitor: was $1,099 now $799 
• Dell XPS Desktop (with RTX 4070): was $2,249 @ $1,849 @ Dell 
• Dell XPS 16 Laptop (with RTX 4070): was $3,444 now $2,494 @ Dell 

Prime Day Alienware/Dell deals

Amazon's Prime Big Deal Days event is in full swing, and during this 48-hour sales event we're doing our best to keep you appraised of the best Amazon Prime Day deals on offer so you can make smarter buying decisions and get more for less.

I've been skimming the sales and I've already spotted a great deal on a killer gaming laptop. Namely, the Alienware m18 R2 is just $2,299 @ Amazon, which is $500 off the usual asking price.

The Alienware m18 R2 is one of the best gaming laptops you can buy, especially if you prize a big screen and great performance. With its 18-inch screen and 9+ pound weight it's the definition of a desktop replacement laptop, but in return you get enough horsepower to play the best PC games at good to great framerates. 

Specifically, this model on sale comes with a speedy Intel Core i9-14900HX CPU, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 laptop GPU, 16GB of GDDR6 RAM and a 1TB SSD for storage. Plus, you get a copy of Windows 11 Home and 4 M.2 SSD slots that allow you to add up to 8TB of additional storage down the road.

In our Alienware m18 R2 review we called this Editor's Choice laptop "a true beast of a laptop in size, performance and price," so right now is a great time to buy one since you're getting a sizable $500 discount off the sticker price.

This is easily one of the better Prime Day gaming laptop deals I've seen so far, so if you've been eyeing one of these beefy Alienware gaming machines now's a great time to pull the trigger and save yourself a nice chunk of change.

In a world dominated by the best gaming headsets it’s hard to bring to market something that warrants a double take, but Alienware might have done just that. The company's new wireless pro gaming headphones are here to flip the script with 75 hours of battery life on a design that features hybrid ANC and two-mic AI noise cancelling. 

Built for esports pros, with Alienware teaming up alongside Team Liquid for its marketing push, the Pro Headset isn't messing around and delivers pro-grade support for both Bluetooth and 2.4Ghz channels. It’s built with 50mm graphene coated drivers to bring down the weight, making it more comfortable to wear for prolonged use, and a detachable mic makes it easy for travel. 

Alienware also claims it leverages hi-res audio certification from its drivers and USB input and comes equipped with pro-tuned sound across the highs, mids, and lows for superior audio quality. While we don't yet know if it's among the best wireless gaming headsets, be sure to stick to Tom's Guide for a full review later this month. 

The Alienware Pro headset is set to launch in October 2024 starting at $229. 

A headset for pros and casuals alike

Alienware might best be known for its wireless mice and pre-built PCs, but it's moseying into new territory with its Pro Wireless headset. It takes aim at the likes of SteelSeries and Razer, which have dominated in the gaming headset scene, pushing the bounds with a 75 hour rating over Bluetooth and 35 hours via 2.4Ghz with ANC on. 

While respectable, the longest-lasting headset still remains the HyperX Cloud Alpha, which comes in at 300 hours of battery life and costs all but a mere $99.  What the Cloud Alpha doesn't have, however, is hybrid ANC, a feature that allows wearers to customize and fine tune the amount of active noise cancellation they want. 

And that's not the only form of onboard ANC available as the Alienware Pro Wireless headset also has microphone noise cancellation as well, ensuring your comrades hear every word even in loud environments or in the midst of in-game action. Its two-mic system also helps to further alleviate background noise for the best comms even in the midst of a tournament. 

But what about build quality? Alienware stuck to their guns, aiming to bring the same level of innovation as comfort to its newest headset, bred from memory-foam leatherette earcups and a headband that's optimized to sit comfortably while for long gaming sessions while still being just as stable. 

It also looks sharp, too, taking inspiration similar to the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5, which remains our best-rated gaming headphones yet. But Alienware could soon dethrone it with three modes including Bluetooth 5.3 and 2.4Ghz connectivity, as well as USB-C, which means it works with everything from the best gaming PCs to the PS5 — and even smartphones, like the new Apple iPhone 16. 

The Alienware Pro Headset is set to hit North American stores this October, making it ripe for the gaming season and a perfect pairing for that new PS5 Pro preorder. It starts at $229, which is quiet good against major competitors like the $349 SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro. 

More from Tom's Guide

• Bose takes on AirPods 4 with new QuietComfort buds — $179 with ANC and VoiceID
• Apple AirPods 4 review: It’s time to upgrade your old AirPods
• I upgraded my home cinema with this Bose soundbar — and it changes everything

There are plenty of reasons to jump into PC gaming. From cheaper access to titles, to running the games of yesteryear, there's nothing like playing games on Windows — and that's not even factoring in exclusives.

While it can be expensive to get started, Dell has discounted a wide variety of its fantastic Alienware models, making it easier to get into the hobby. Right now, you can save $400 on the Alienware m16 R2 gaming laptop, which packs an RTX 4070 GPU. Here are our favorite Alienware deals available right now.

Quick Links

• shop the entire Alienware sale
• Dell G15 Laptop: was $1,149 now $899
• Dell G16 Laptop: was $1,249 now $949
• Alienware Aurora R16: was $1,599 now $1,249
• Alienware m16 R2 Laptop: was $1,599 now $1,399
• Alienware m16 R2 Laptop: was $2,099 now $1,699
• Alienware Aurora R16: was $3,199 now $2,599
• Alienware Aurora R16: was $4,694 now $3,699

Best Alienware desktop and laptop deals

The Alienware 27 4K Dual-Resolution Gaming Monitor ($599) is the company's first dual refresh rate monitor, and it's an intriguing value proposition.

The pitch is simple: You can swap the monitor between a 4K 165Hz display mode and a faster 1080p 330Hz mode with the push of a button. The idea is that you can keep it in 4K mode most of the time for optimal picture quality, then knock it down to 1080p when you need to access that faster refresh rate while playing games at high speed.

Since most people never need a screen capable of hitting over 160 frames per second, this is a relatively niche product. So while it's competitive with the best gaming monitors on the market, I generally recommend buying a monitor that's optimized for what you're going to do with it rather than this versatile dual refresh rate display.

But if you're deadly serious about high FPS gameplay and count your response time in milliseconds, the option of being able to drop down to 1080p to get those sweet, sweet extra frames might be worth the cost of entry. And while it's not OLED, the brightness and picture quality of this 27-inch Alienware is quite good for the price.

There are a few other nice things about this monitor you ought to know about, as well as some downsides, and I'll walk you through them all in this Alienware 27 4K Dual-Resolution Gaming Monitor review.

Alienware 27 4K Dual-Resolution Gaming Monitor review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? A 27-inch Alienware gaming monitor that can flip between two display modes which can achieve different refresh rates. The 4K mode can be overclocked to 180Hz, while the 1080p mode can go all the way up to 360Hz.
• Who is it for? If This display is marketed to folks who want a mid-size 4K gaming monitor with an option to flip to 1080p for a higher refresh rate.
• What does it cost? The Alienware 27 4K Dual-Resolution Gaming Monitor is available for purchase right now via the Dell website for $599.
• What do we like? The dual refresh rate feature is simple and easy to use, and the monitor's design and other features are also worth celebrating.
• What don’t we like? Lack of an OLED display option hurts.

Alienware 27 4K Dual-Resolution Gaming Monitor review: Specs

Alienware 27 4K Dual-Resolution Gaming Monitor review: The ups

There's a lot to like about the Alienware 27 4K Dual-Resolution Gaming Monitor, in my experience. Here are the most important highlights you should know about, from its smart design to its eye-catching performance.

Smart, intuitive design

I like the design of the Alienware 27 because the simple black plastic chassis is straightforward and intuitive to use, much like the Alienware 32 QD-OLED I reviewed earlier this year.

Our Alienware 27 review unit looks very similar (albeit smaller), and out of the box, it's easy to assemble, with a sturdy stand that snaps easily into the recessed port on the back of the display. The hexagonal base feels hefty enough, and there's a nice cutout in the stand near the base for routing cables to the back of your desk.

The joystick for controlling the on-screen display (OSD) is also easy to locate, which isn't always the case—some monitors I won't name tuck their OSD controls in corners of the display that are hard to reach. But with this Alienware 27, you just reach under the center of the monitor and count on the fact that the OSD joystick will be right there waiting for you.

Oh, and there's a retractable headset holder built into the upper-left corner of the display that's handy to have—though I did find it annoying that resting a set of cans up there when I had the monitor up on a monitor arm caused the whole display to rotate slightly askew due to the headset's weight.

Dazzling picture quality

The Alienware 27 4K Dual-Resolution Gaming Monitor delivers better performance in the image quality department than I would have guessed, achieving better brightness levels than more expensive monitors we've recently tested.

I know because we put every display we review through a battery of tests in our lab, and our AW2725QF lived up to its DisplayHDR 600 certification. In the chart below I compared our test results against those we saw on the LG UltraGear 32GS95UE-B (which is also a dual refresh rate display) and the mini-LED Acer Predator X32 FP.

As you can see from the numbers, the Alienware 27 gets significantly brighter than the LG UltraGear (though not the Acer) despite costing half as much.

The Alienware also scored slightly lower in terms of sRGB and DCI-P3 color gamut reproduction, which in this case isn't a bad thing since 100% is most accurate and anything higher tends to mean more vibrant, oversaturated colors. And the lower Delta-E score (the closer to 0 the better) is also nice to see, though most gaming monitors hover around the same range.

Easy-to-use interface

I like how easy it is to use the on-screen interface on our Alienware 27 4K Dual-Resolution Gaming Monitor review unit. You open it by pressing in the joystick mounted on the monitor's underside, and when it appears, you can quickly navigate between preset modes, input source, AlienFX vision effects and individual display controls like brightness and contrast.

It sports a similar interface to other Alienware monitors, but here there's a new dedicated option in the main menu for swapping between the 1080p and 4K display modes that makes it clear what mode you're in and what's required to swap between them.

If opening the menu to switch display modes is too much trouble, you can do it faster by just pushing and holding in the joystick for 2+ seconds, at which point the display will flash its standard (and hidable) warning to close any games or applications before switching resolution to avoid graphical disruptions.

I rarely bothered closing my games before flipping between resolutions, and I can tell you that it does cause some occasional graphical weirdness if you're not careful. Sometimes the monitor's resolution will change but a game's resolution won't, for example, so you'll find yourself dealing with some weird resolution mismatches if you hot-swap between refresh rates on the fly.

Alienware 27 4K Dual-Resolution Gaming Monitor review: The downs

Our Alienware 27 4K Dual-Resolution Gaming Monitor review unit is a sturdy device that's hard to find fault with because it does what it says on the tin and does it well enough for the price.

Nevertheless, there are some small annoyances I've encountered during my review process that you might like to know about.

It's not OLED

The only major complaint I have about this monitor after a week of use is that it does two things well but doesn't excel at either.

You're paying roughly $600 for the privilege of having a 27-incher that can do either 4K or 1080p at up 360Hz, and that's great for folks who think they'll want both options.

But be realistic about whether you'll actually need that 1080p framerate, because if not, you're paying for versatility you don't need. And if you think you'll actually be spending most of your time in 4K mode, I think your $600 would be better spent on an OLED or QD-OLED monitor in the same price range.

I don't mean to suggest that you should think less of this monitor because it doesn't have an OLED panel—in my experience, it looks nice and bright, and our test results back that up. But even though this IPS Alienware AW2725QF is technically brighter than the Alienware 32 QD-OLED that was previously on my desk, I can't lie: I miss the wide viewing angles, vivid colors and inky blacks of the QD-OLED screen.

So while I think the Alienware 27 4K Dual-Resolution Gaming Monitor is a great 27-inch display for the price, I think you can probably get something even better for your needs for the same amount of money if you don't think you'll make much use of the dual refresh rates.

Alienware 27 4K Dual-Resolution Gaming Monitor review: Verdict

I hope this Alienware 27 4K Dual-Resolution Gaming Monitor review makes it clear that I have a hard time finding bad things to say about this monitor.

The simple, intuitive design of this display may not turn heads, but it's easy to snap together and the customizable AlienFX lighting elements add a touch of spice.  The picture quality is good at both 4K and 1080p, so while I found myself missing the vivid image quality of the OLED monitor I was using before the Alienware 27, the tests don't lie—this is a bright, sharp display that maintains good color accuracy. 

If you don't think you need anything faster than 165Hz, I might recommend spending the $600 you would spend on this dual refresh rate display on a nice 4K OLED instead. But if you know you want a mid-size display that can do 1080p in the Counter-Strike streets and 4K when you're slinging spreadsheets, this Alienware hits a sweet spot between price and performance.

PC gaming has become my favorite way to spend an evening online with friends. Unfortunately, the barrier to entry can be high — gaming PCs and laptops are powerful, and that power comes at a cost. Thankfully Alienware, Dell's gaming-focused sub-brand, is offering significant discounts right now as part of its back to school sales event.

For instance, right now you can save up to $400 on high-performance configurations of the Aurora R16 desktop and as much as $600 on the top version of the m18 R2 Gaming Laptop. I've been digging through the spec sheets so you don't have to and I've picked out the best Alienware laptop and desktop deals around right now. Reminder: Make sure to use coupon code "SAVE10" at checkout to save an extra 10% on most rigs. 

Quick Links

• shop the entire Alienware sale
• Alienware Aurora R16: was $1,999 now $1,439 via "SAVE10"
• Alienware m16 R2 Laptop: was $2,599 now $1,979 via "SAVE10"
• Alienware Aurora R16: was $2,799 now $2,159 via "SAVE10"
• Alienware x16 R2 Laptop: was $2,944 now $2,200 via "SAVE10"
• Alienware x16 R2 Laptop: was $3,599 now $2,699 via "SAVE10"
• Alienware m18 R2 Laptop: was $3,799 now $2,879 via "SAVE10"
• Alienware Aurora R16: was $4,694 now $3,329 via "SAVE10"

Best Alienware desktop and laptop deals

Back to school season is right around the corner — and if you or your favorite student is in the market for a new laptop or monitor, look no further than Dell. Even at full price, Dell’s laptops, desktops and monitors are a great value — but right now, you can get major discounts on the latest high-quality tech.

Dell's back to school sale is offering huge discounts on laptops and monitors, with deals starting at just $99. One of my favorite deals is the Dell XPS 14, which is currently $300 off its original price. You can also get an extra 10% off on select items when you add the code "SAVE10" at check out.

Below I've rounded up the 7 top Dell deals you can get right now. Make sure to use coupon code "SAVE10" at checkout to get these final prices. (The coupon is valid through July 29).

For more ways to save, check out our guide to the best Dell coupons. 

Quick links

• shop all Dell back to school deals
• Dell 24 Monitor: was $119 now $99
• Dell Inspiron 15 Laptop (Intel, 512GB): was $599 now $479
• Dell Inspiron 24 All-in-One: was $749 now $649
• Dell Inspiron Small Desktop: was $849 now $699
• New Dell Inspiron 16 Laptop (Intel): was $999 now $699
• Dell XPS 14: was $1,999 now $1,699
• Alienware m16 R2 Gaming Laptop (Intel): was $2,394 now $1,799

Best Dell Deals

Just because Prime Day is over doesn’t mean there aren’t laptop deals to take advantage of. To that end, I just found one of the biggest gaming laptops on sale for an equally huge discount.

Right now, the Alienware m18 R2 is on sale for $3,099 at Dell. That discounted cost isn’t cheap, but considering you’re saving $700 off the original $3,799 asking price, it’s a fantastic deal. This sale might not last long, so it’d be wise to act fast if you want this gigantic desktop replacement.

As we said in our Alienware m18 R2 review, this monster is Alienware’s most powerful gaming laptop yet. Matching its big size is similarly big performance thanks to this configuration’s Intel Core i9 processor, Nvidia RTX 490 laptop GPU and 64GB of RAM. Thanks to those components, it can handle most scenarios — from playing graphically demanding video games to editing 4K videos.

In addition, the m18 R2 features an incredible Cherry MX mechanical keyboard that’s a joy to type on and a generous number of ports, including an SD card slot. The 18-inch display has a resolution of 2560 x 1600, 165Hz refresh rate and 3ms response time, which makes it almost as good as the best gaming monitors due to its image quality and performance.

While its size can help the m18 R2 serve as a desktop replacement, it can also be a hindrance. At 9.3 pounds, this isn’t exactly the most portable laptop to carry around. If you do plan to take this beast out and about, the laptop bag you currently own likely won’t be able to hold it. However, buying a new laptop bag might be a small price to pay considering you’re almost getting a full-fledged desktop experience.

The Alienware m18 R2 is one of the best gaming laptops we’ve reviewed and comes with our highest recommendation. It’s worth picking up at this reduced price while the sale lasts. Don’t miss out!

Looking for a new gaming laptop, desktop, or monitor? You're in luck. There are some major discounts on Alienware gear across multiple retailers, just in time for summer.

Right now, you can grab one of the best gaming laptops we've tested: Alienware's m18 R2 for just $3,399 (a savings of $600). Or snag this epic deal for $800 off this 16-inch Alienware laptop sporting an RTX 4080 GPU and a beautiful 240Hz display.

Whether you're looking for a new gaming laptop for portable play, a monitor to upgrade your gaming setup, or a desktop tower that packs tons of power, there's an Alienware deal out there to suit your needs. 

Shop all Alienware deals at Best Buy, Amazon, and Dell, or scroll down to see which deals I think are worth your time and attention. Also, check out our guide to the best Dell coupons this week.

Quick Links

• shop the best Alienware deals at Dell, Best Buy, and Amazon
• 27" Gaming Monitor: was $649 now $499 @ Amazon
• 32" Curved Gaming Monitor: was $1,199 now $999 @ Dell
• x14 R2 Gaming Laptop (RTX 4050): was $1,799 now $1,199 @ Dell
• Aurora R16 Desktop (RTX 4060Ti): was $1,599 now $1,199 @ Best Buy
• m16 R2 Laptop (RTX 4060): was $1,599 now $1,299 @ Dell
• m16 R2 Laptop (RTX 4060): was $1,699 now $1,399 @ Dell 
• m18 Laptop (RTX 4070): was $2,549 now $1,749 @ Best Buy
• 16" Laptop (RTX 4080): was $2,699 now $1,899 @ Best Buy
• Aurora R16 Desktop (RTX 4090): was $3,699 now $2,999 @ Dell
• Aurora R16 Desktop (RTX 4090): was $3,999 now $3,199 @ Dell
• m18 R2 Laptop (RTX 4090): was $3,999 now $3,399 @ Dell

Monitors

Desktops

Laptops

The Alienware m18 R2 is a follow-up to 2023's m18 and is the company’s most powerful laptop to date. While it’s bigger than pretty much every other laptop on the market, its performance is equally big. Featuring up to a 14th Gen Intel Core i9 processor and up to an Nvidia RTX 4090 graphics card, this beefy laptop performs well in most scenarios — from playing video games with the highest settings to editing video.

As one of the best gaming laptops, there is little else you could ask for on the Alienware m18 R2. Graphically demanding games run just as well on this laptop as they would on a high-end gaming PC, albeit in a (relatively) smaller, portable package. If that’s not enough, Alienware didn’t hold back on the extras, such as the always-impressive Cherry MX mechanical keyboard that gives laptop keyboards a good name (finally). There are also a generous amount of ports, and even an SD card, which creators will no doubt appreciate.

Though there is little that Alienware got wrong with the m18 R2, the cooling could have been designed better. The right exhaust vent blows hot air directly at your mouse hand, and though it’s not hot enough to cook an egg, it’s also not pleasant after long periods. Besides that, the only other issue is the size. The laptop’s large footprint is at least justified by the performance it delivers. Yet, a notebook this big means you’ll likely have to buy a new backpack and maybe clear a few things from your desk. 

Despite some minor issues, however, the m18 R2 is a treat. It feels like a desktop experience that you can take on the go, allowing you to experience the best PC games whether you’re on the couch or in a cafe.

Alienware m18 R2 review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? A high-end gaming laptop with a hefty price tag.
• Who is it for? For people who want the best possible gaming experience on the go.  
• What does it cost? The Alienware m18 R2 starts at $1,899, with the highest-end model costing $4,200.
• What do we like? The performance across the board is impressive and the keyboard spoiled me.
• What don’t we like? It’s too big to comfortably carry around.

Alienware m18 R2 review: Specs

Alienware m18 R2 Review: The ups

Alienware is not messing around with the m18 R2. The laptop can easily handle the latest games at the highest settings, making DLSS purely an option rather than a necessity. Add a fantastic mechanical keyboard and enough ports to make MacBook owners green with envy, and you have a gaming laptop that delivers on almost every level. Without a doubt, this is the most powerful laptop I’ve ever reviewed.

Superb gaming and overall performance 

After reviewing the aggressively mid Dell G15, I went into this review knowing that big laptops don't equate to big performance. The m18 R2 proved me wrong. It's a true powerhouse, delivering a smooth, stable gaming experience whether I was chasing down a kill in Fortnite or zooming through Night City at full Speed in Cyberpunk 2077.

I played Fortnite with Epic settings and DLSS turned off without an issue. I averaged around 65 fps (frames per second), which was more than enough to ensure a smooth experience. After setting DLSS to balanced mode, my fps was closer to 100. If I had wanted to reach the full 165 fps the monitor is capable of, I could have turned down the settings.

In Cyberpunk 2077, I averaged 99 frames per second on high settings with no DLSS and 178 FPS with DLSS. Ray tracing was turned off in both scenarios. Night City looked as grimy and neon-lit as ever on the massive 18-inch display.

While the m18 R2 impressed me with other graphically intensive titles like Shadow of the Tomb Raider and Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition (116 fps at full resolution and 58 fps at extreme settings and full resolution, respectively) it absolutely crushed modern titles such as Hades II, easily averaging 164 fps. The experience was buttery smooth, making it that much harder to go back to playing it on my Steam Deck OLED.

Big display for gaming

The 18-inch display is one of the major attractions of this laptop. With a resolution of 2560 by 1600 and 165 Hz refresh rate, I didn't miss my larger PC monitor, as it was big enough to give me the gaming experience I wanted.

The vibrant, saturated backdrops in Fortnite looked as good as ever, while the neon-draped glow of Cyberpunk 2077 popped amidst the dimly lit alleys and backstreets. However, the display's overall brightness wasn't as bold as on other laptops in this price range.

Alienware also offers an FHD version (1920 by 1080 resolution) with a much higher refresh rate of 480Hz. While a higher refresh rate will certainly appeal to competitive gamers who need as many frames per second as possible, the higher-resolution screen is a much better proposition for most people, offering the right balance between resolution and refresh rates. Paired with the RTX 4090 GPU, this screen shone whether I was gaming or watching soccer highlights on YouTube.

I would have liked a feature that defaults to a lower refresh rate when the laptop is unplugged since higher refresh rates are a huge drain on the battery. The Razer Blade 14 (2023) had this feature, so it would have been good if the m18 R2 did as well. Aside from that and the low brightness, however, there's not much more I could have asked for from this display.  

Top-tier laptop keyboard

I said the same thing about the Alienware m17 R5 last year, and I mean it again this year: I love this mechanical keyboard. The tactile feel of the low-profile Cherry MX switches is perfect, as I’m a huge proponent of tactile switches. The actuation force makes the switches even more tactile than the famous Cherry MX Brown switches.

While most people may not be used to such a high actuation force, I didn’t find it tiresome after long periods thanks to the short travel distance. The 1.8mm of travel is just enough to feel like a real keyboard without sacrificing reaction speed when gaming. I heard some pinging when hitting the keys too hard, which keyboard enthusiasts might find annoying, but it wasn’t too bad to be distracting.

Plenty of ports (and an SD card slot!)

You won’t be wanting for ports as this laptop has just about all the ones you'd want.

In addition to several USB-A and USB-C ports, an Ethernet port, and a full-sized HDMI 2.1 port, there’s also a Mini Display port 1.4. And, I can’t believe I’m saying this in 2024, there’s a freaking SD card slot. What else do you need?

Alienware m18 R2 Review: The downs

The Alienware m18 R2 doesn’t have significant flaws. However, there are a few things that bugged me.

Sub-par cooling layout  

The exhaust port on the right side is the thing that bugged me most about the Alienware m18 R2. Playing with a mouse and keyboard felt uncomfortable with the exhaust blowing out hot air directly on my hand. The air isn’t hot enough to cause any damage or severe pain, but it’s an annoyance that tarnishes an otherwise great gaming experience.

Elevating the m18 R2 with a laptop stand or playing with a controller are quick workarounds to this problem. But that proves that playing with a mouse and keyboard can be frustrating. At least the keyboard is not hot when gaming, which has been a problem in past laptops I’ve reviewed.

You’ll need a new bag and desk

It should go without saying by this point that this is a huge laptop. Like really huge. Still, the m18 R2 is so large that it’s worth mentioning again.

At 16.1 x 12.6 x 1.05 inches and 9.3 pounds, it's too big to put on your lap, use on a flight, or carry in a normal-sized backpack. It didn’t fit into any of my backpacks, so I couldn't take it anywhere. If I owned the m18 R2, I would probably invest in a bag with an oversized laptop pocket.

Aside from the issues that come with lugging it around, I found it hard to find surfaces to place this laptop on. In the end, I ended up using it exclusively on my kitchen island. And when I wasn’t using it, I cleared out a section of my bookshelf to store it. If you have a small desk, you might want to consider other places where you might use it.

Alienware m18 R2: Verdict

As far as gaming laptops go, you’d have a hard time finding another that performs as well as the Alienware m18 R2. While pricey, the m18 R2 doesn’t disappoint when playing the latest games at the highest settings on that huge 18-inch display. And if you’re a creator, the addition of a full HDMI port, Mini Display port, and an SD card, means you can quickly go from shooting to editing on large monitors in a matter of minutes — you can leave the stupid USB dongles/hubs at home where they belong.

Granted, the m18 R2 is very big, so you’ll have to plan around that. That laptop bag you’re used to taking on flights may have to make way for a much bigger one, but that’s a small price to pay when you get a full-fledged desktop experience you can (kind of) take on the go.

If you want a smaller (and cheaper) Alienware laptop, the Alienware m16 R2 is an excellent choice. But if you want big performance on an equally big gaming laptop, the Alienware m18 R2 is the machine to get right now.