Alienware Aurora R15 packs Nvidia RTX 40-series GPU — and it looks like a beast

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This gaming desktop should pack a serious punch

Alienware Aurora R15
(Image credit: Dell)

Dell has just announced the Alienware Aurora R15 gaming desktop. This PC sports the striking Legend 2.0 chassis design, a liquid cooling option, a 13th gen Intel Core CPU and up to an Nvidia RTX 4090 GPU. With a Raptor Lake processor, cutting-edge graphics card and advanced cooling features, the Aurora R15 could have what it takes to make it into our best gaming PCs and best computers lists.

The Alienware Aurora R15 has all the trimmings you expect of a gaming PC. It packs up to a 13th gen Intel Core i9 CPU, up to an RTX 4090 GPU and up to 64GB of RAM. You can get up to a 4TB SSD drive as a single storage option or up to 4TB SSD and 2TB of SATA storage if you want dual-drive storage. If you prefer AMD over Nvidia, you can opt for up to an AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT GPU.

Alienware Aurora R15

The Alienware Aurora R15 features liquid-cooling options meant to boost performance and make the PC run cooler during intensive gaming sessions. (Image credit: Dell)

All configurations of the Aurora R15 have hexagonal side vents meant to aid airflow and system performance, according to Alienware. Liquid-cooled configurations include a 240mm heat exchanger that’s double the size of the previous generation, while rigs with K-series Raptor Lake chips include five 120mm chassis fans.

According to Alienware, these features can deliver 58% more power to the CPU. The company also says the desktop’s new thermal strategy increases airflow by 19% and that the PC is 66% quieter in CPU-intensive tasks and 9% quieter in GPU-focused tasks. As always, we’d need to conduct our own tests to verify these claims.

Alienware Aurora R15

Each configuration of the Alienware Aurora R15 packs the new 13th gen Intel Core CPU.  (Image credit: Dell)

And since this is a gaming desktop, it features RGB lighting. Alienware says the Aurora R15 supports eight lighting zones, including several internal ambient and other lighting capabilities. You should be able to customize the lighting to your specific tastes (and to show off to others).

This desktop packs a slew of front and rear ports for various types of USB devices like controllers, speakers, headsets and more. Measuring 23.2 x 20.1 x 8.86 inches and weighing 34.2 pounds, the Aurora R15 isn't a gargantuan PC though it will certainly take up noticeable space if you choose to place it on one of the best gaming desks.

Outlook 

We’re fans of the Aurora series of desktops, as evident by our positive Alienware Aurora R13 review. Given all the Aurora R15 is packing, it should be more than capable of running the best PC games at max settings. The fact you can deck it out with up to a Core i9 Raptor Lake CPU and Nvidia RTX 40 GPU makes this desktop exciting, especially if you’re a hardcore PC gaming enthusiast.

The Alienware Aurora R15 is set to release in Fall 2022, with pricing being revealed closer to launch. Considering all the high-end components in this gaming PC, we can reasonably expect it to command a premium price – especially the higher-end builds. We’ll provide more information as it becomes available, so stay tuned for more.

Tony Polanco
Tony Polanco
Senior Computing Writer

Tony is a computing writer at Tom’s Guide covering laptops, tablets, Windows, and iOS. During his off-hours, Tony enjoys reading comic books, playing video games, reading speculative fiction novels, and spending too much time on X/Twitter. His non-nerdy pursuits involve attending Hard Rock/Heavy Metal concerts and going to NYC bars with friends and colleagues. His work has appeared in publications such as Laptop Mag, PC Mag, and various independent gaming sites.