Best Alienware gaming PC 2023: The top Auroras are out of this world

The best Alienware gaming PCs have always been a solid choice. Alienware has long been a household name in the PC market, and for good reason. You’ll find powerful configurations and very stylish cases on offer, although be warned: they aren’t always the cheapest. To guide you through the brand’s wares, we’ve pulled together a list of our top Alienware gaming PC picks.

From the Aurora desktop range to the brand’s solid line of laptops, Alienware is a great choice if you’re looking to take the next step in your gaming PC journey. We’re going to concentrate on a few of the Aurora desktops in this article, since they’re some of the best gaming PCs on the market, but you’ll find more about the best gaming laptops elsewhere.

Keep in mind that with a new generation of GPUs being released, there are plenty of amazing configurations to come this year. We’re currently in the process of sourcing an Aurora R15 for reviewing purposes, for example, and when we do, we’ll be sure to update this article. Regardless, we’d be willing to bet on some quite spectacular builds coming to market later this year that house all new graphics cards, DDR5 RAM, 13th Gen Intel processors, and maybe even some Gen 5.0 SSDs.

Best Alienware gaming PC

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(Image credit: Future)

(Image credit: Future)

(Image credit: Future)

1. Alienware Aurora R13

The best Alienware gaming PC

Our expert review:

Specifications

CPU:

Up to Intel Core i9-12900KF

GPU:

Up to RTX 3090

RAM:

Up to 128GB DDR5

Storage:

2TB NVMe Gen 4 + 2TB HDD

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Reasons to buy

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Effectively futureproofed 

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Support for PCIe 5.0 

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Powerful hardware for 4K

Reasons to avoid

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Gets both hot and loud under stress

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Love it or hate it design

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Alienware Aurora R13 | Intel Core i7-12700KF | RTX 3070 Ti at Dell (opens in new tab)
This spec of Alienware Aurora R13 is more modest than the review unit we had our hands on. However, with the 12th gen i7 and the RTX 3070 Ti inside, this machine is more than capable of 1440p and 4K with ray tracing enabled. You’ve got PCIe 5.0 compatibility, including the latest DDR5 RAM for futureproofing, too.

The Alienware Aurora R13 is the latest in the long line of Dell’s machines and it also happens to be the best in our opinion. Featuring a fresh new look, highly configurable components, and support for the latest PCIe 5.0 bandwidth, this is one space-age rig that’s truly ready for the future of PC gaming. 

Gaming on the Alienware Aurora R13 was a very pleasant experience

Alienware Aurora R13 review

Regardless of how you configure your device, one constant is the design of the Alienware Aurora R13 itself, with its new see-through window panel revealing more of the brand’s impressive lighting and AIO cooler. Transparency is always appreciated in our book, as you get to physically see the components at work, making it easier to swap things out when needed, too, so it’s a welcome addition. 

The main weakness of the Alienware Aurora R13 is the same issue that’s plagued many of the systems in our roundup, and that’s the cooling. Dell has opted for a 120mm AIO water cooler in this machine this time around, and while a marginal improvement given the hardware here, the small size radiator/pump combo does struggle to cool the demanding components sometimes. It’s loud, too. Still, the performance on display certainly speaks for itself and is easily the best Alienware you can get in 2022. 

• Read more: Alienware Aurora R13 review

(Image credit: Alienware/Dell)

3. Alienware Aurora R12

Still a great Alienware gaming PC

Average Amazon review:

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☆

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Specifications

CPU:

Intel i5 – i9 (11th gen)

GPU:

GTX 1650 Super – RTX 3090

RAM:

8GB – 32GB

Storage:

256GB – 2TB

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Reasons to buy

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Cool design

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Up to RTX 3090 GPUs

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Latest Intel processors

Reasons to avoid

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Confined to Nvidia chips

The Aurora R12 gaming PC is still a solid option in 2022. Basically, in short, this is the model to go for if you want to build your own Alienware gaming PC and ensure it has the latest gear inside it, even with the R13 now technically taking its place. The two systems live side-by-side. 

Sporting the latest in Nvidia’s 30-series graphics cards to offer best-in-class performance as well as the benefits of the latest in ray-tracing tech, DLSS, and more, these beasts will present your games to you in their best possible light (no pun intended.) Combined with the latest Intel processors, you can be sure that the power and capability of the PCs will be nothing short of impressive, and be able to handle anything thrown at it.

You’ll have a great pick for supporting components too with up to a ridiculous amount of storage and RAM on offer too. The R12 really is one of the best Alienware gaming PCs that money can buy, and while they are a sizeable investment, there’ll be no regrets about what you’ll get out of it.

(Image credit: Dell)

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Alienware Aurora R10 | Ryzen 7 5800 | RTX 3080 (opens in new tab)
This is the cheapest Alienware gaming PC on the market, albeit in a pricey configuration. It will provide you with all you need for high-end 1440p and 4K in all the latest games. What’s more, you’re benefiting from a current-generation Ryzen 7 CPU, which is one of the best processors you can get right now in terms of value for money.

While carrying an MSRP of $1,400, it’s currently quite difficult to get your hands on an Alienware Aurora R10 Ryzen Edition. The good news is, most of the builds you can find are fairly affordable ways of getting a hold of higher-end components. Most will net you a system that’s more than capable of 1440p with few compromises to speak of. It should be said that Alienware machines are far from the cheapest on the market, however, you do benefit from the brand’s exceptional build quality and manufacturer’s guarantee.

There’s no doubting the machine’s performance, so you can’t really go wrong with this gaming PC from a capability perspective
Aurora Ryzen R10 review

Deep diving into what’s possible with the hardware inside this Alienware Aurora R10 Ryzen Edition machine, this model certainly has some power to speak of. The RTX 3080 is more than equipped to handle the latest and greatest games, and is now more affordable than ever. It’s generally one of the best GPUs for gaming on the market, and can deliver more than 60 FPS in 1440p and 4K. Full HD performance will be even stronger.

• Read more: Alienware Aurora R10 review

Best Alienware gaming PC 2023: Minimum specs to look for

When looking for the best Alienware gaming PC, you want the most bang for your buck as possible, especially when Alienware products aren’t the cheapest you’ll find. You want to make sure that your gaming PC is futureproofed with solid specs, but what are these? We’ve supplied our minimum spec recommendations for in 2023 down below.

In particular, we’d look to secure an NVMe, Gen 4 M.2 SSD, as we consider these the best SSDs for gaming. As for capacity, don’t get your wallet out for anything less than 500GB. Yes, there are some exceptions. If a prebuilt PC comes with a hybrid storage system, so 250GB of SSD combined with 2TB of HDD, maybe it’s alright. But ideally, you don’t want an SSD in your machine that’s less than 500GB.

Elsewhere, look for a 12th Gen Intel Core i5, or AMD Ryzen 5 or 7 processor, as these are often the best CPUs for gaming. 11th Gen, or 5000 series AMD CPUs are the absolute minimum we’d shoot for in the year of our lord 2023. These processors will perform just fine, but they won’t be futureproofed going forward. Also worth keeping in mind, is that DDR5 RAM is only compatible with certain motherboards, and by proxy, will only reach its top speeds with a newer generation CPU.

The choice that will impact price the most, is whether or not you get one of the best graphics cards. At this point in time, we’d recommend an RTX 3060 and above, since these are now readily available and much more affordable. Having said that, it may be an idea to wait until the full suite of 40 Series cards is out, since they’re offering much better performance for their prices. You may find some amazing deals on older generation GPUs, but it’s harder to recommend anything lower than 30 Series Nvidia RTX cards now.

In terms of memory, we’d look for 16GB of DDR4 as a minumum. If you can get DDR5, then even better, just make sure your motherboard supports it.

Best Alienware gaming PCs – Frequently asked questions

How much does an Alienware gaming PC cost?

Alienware gaming PCs generally start from around the $1,100 mark depending on what hardware you opt for in your machine. It’s entirely possible to find Alienware gaming PC deals all year round, but you can also find deep discounts often, too, with frequent special events. 

Is Alienware worth it?

We think that Alienware is worth the price of investment despite the premium price tag these machines usually carry. All Alienware machines that we’ve had our hands on have been very well built and able to be pushed to their limits. One thing we can tell you, though, is that Alienware PCs do get quite loud and warm under stress, but that’s ultimately par the course depending on how high-end you go for. 

Is Alienware good for gaming?

Alienware is one of the best gaming PC brands with hardware and software geared specifically around gaming. Programmes such as Alienware Command Centre gives users good control over how their system operates in everything from the fan speeds to the RGB colors, too. In our testing, we’ve found Alienware machines to work incredibly well depending on their overall configuration. 

Is Alienware just Dell?

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Almost! Alienware is a subsidiary of Dell, which means they’re a company that is directly owned, and will be influenced by Dell, but they aren’t Dell directly. Alienware focuses directly on the gaming PC and gaming laptop market, and a lot of their products tend to take on a lot more flashy design work that isn’t typically found in Dell’s product ranges.

You’ll also find guides to the best gaming mouse, best gaming keyboard, and best gaming monitor if you’re refreshing your whole setup as well.