Alienware is bringing Area-51 gaming laptops back from the grave

Today at CES 2025, Dell announced that they’re bringing back the iconic Alienware Area-51 gaming laptops, which were known for their desktop-level CPUs and easy access for upgrades.

This time, they come armed with the latest hardware as well as a new thermal architecture for better internal cooling. The otherworldly design is also just really cool. Let’s dive into the details!

Alienware Area-51 gaming laptops

Dell’s revitalized Area-51 laptops come in two flavors: 16 inches and 18 inches. The top-tier configurations feature an Intel Core Ultra 7 255HX processor and the next generation of Nvidia GeForce GPUs (likely the 50-Series, though Dell didn’t specify). They’ll also have up to 64GB of DDR5 RAM and up to 12TB (3x4TB) of NVMe M.2 PCIe SSD storage. 

Wow. Just wow.

In addition to the beefy internal components, the display looks stellar. Both models boast either a 16-inch or 18-inch display with a resolution of 2560×1600, a refresh rate of 240Hz, and a response time of 3ms. Gameplay should be as smooth as your mother’s freshly churned butter, perfect for competitive titles in which every millisecond matters.

As for cooling, the “Cryo-tech” thermal architecture is capable of pushing 37 percent more air through the machine than previous iterations, according to Dell. This is achieved by managing air flow, fan speed, and so on. An efficient cooling system has a major impact on gaming laptop performance, and those top-tier internals generate a lot of heat!

These are also the first Alienware laptops to support PCIe Gen5 SSD storage. “When combined with Microsoft DirectStorage technology, now the GPU can directly access SSDs, which makes games run even faster than ever before,” said Dell.

Finally, the new Liquid Teal finish, which gives the laptop an iridescent sheen, is to die for. I love the major departure from the clichéd gamer aesthetic (i.e., black chassis with red accents), which never was my cup of tea. On the underside of the laptop, you’ll find a Gorilla Glass window, which allows you to see all the internal bits and bobs inside of the machine. The RGB fans also cast a cool underglow, which you can see shining up through the keyboard.

The new Alienware Area-51 gaming laptops are expected to launch later in Q1 2025 with an entry-level configuration price of $1,999.