When Alienware announced the redesigned Aurora R16 back in August, it was a rare mid-term refresh, using existing Intel CPUs and only a selection of Nvidia GPUs. Today, Dell's gaming arm is announcing that its reduced-size mid-tower is getting an upgrade with options including 14th Gen Intel CPUs and a range of Nvidia GPUs up to the RTX 4090.
The new processor options include the Intel Core i7-14700KF, a 20-core chip ranging from 2.5 GHZ to 5.6 GHz, and the Intel Core i9-14900KF, a 24-core processor that goes from 2.4 GHz to 6 GHZ. These will sit atop the existing configurations, which start at a Core i9-12900F and also include the Core i7-13700F and Core i9-13900F. That means this one desktop will span three generations of Intel processors, though only the 14th Gen chips will be using unlocked "K" variants.
On the graphics side, the R16 launched in the US with only the Nvidia RTX 4070. It's adding the RTX 4090 with this launch, putting the most powerful Nvidia consumer GPU into the machine.
The new Alienware Aurora R16 parts will be available October 17, starting at $2,199.99 for the new 14th Gen configs ($2,649.99 in Canada).
A high-end configuration with a 14th Gen Intel Core i9-14900KF, Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090, 32GB of DDR5 RAM, 2TB of PCIe SSD storage, and a 1,000W platinum-rated PSU, will cost $3,499. In August, the version we reviewed an $1,899.99 model with a Core i7-13700F, 32GB of RAM, an RTX 4070, plus a 1TB SSD for $1,899.99, and it seems that will remain an option.
In our initial review, we praised the Aurora's smaller chassis and ports on the front, as well as solid pricing for the pre-built market (at least, back when we tested it.) We didn’t love the proprietary motherboard, which isn't changing here, so we'll see if any potential performance differences make it worth it when we finish our testing on our updated Alienware rig.
