"Alienware Aurora R13" Review - Gaming PC with a difference in design

"Alienware Aurora R13" review. super cool desktop pc

Overwhelmingly different personality

There are various gaming desktop PCs, but the BTO PCs sold by each manufacturer tend to be relatively similar. However, general-purpose products are often used for motherboards, graphics cards, and cases, so it is difficult to differentiate them by appearance and configuration.

But this Aurora R13 is different. The case has a distinctive appearance that you can tell at a glance that it is an Alienware gaming PC, and it comes in two colors: Luna Light and Dark Side of the Moon. Unlike ordinary PCs that look like rectangular parallelepipeds, many glamorous curves are used in the silhouette.

By the way, the appeal of this case is that it is larger than the previous model, and the internal volume has increased by 50%. Cooling performance seems to be improved, but it seems better to check the installation space when replacing from the previous model.

The design of the case is also very distinctive, but what is particularly different from other desktop PCs is that the motherboard uses an original dedicated product instead of a general-purpose product. It is said that the airflow was especially considered in the design, and it has a unique shape that is completely incompatible with general ATX and Micro ATX. This effectively utilizes the space in the case while reducing cable wiring to the front connector. It is said that the power cable is distributed up and down to increase the airflow.

The case is designed for easy access to the inside, and the side panel can be removed by removing a single Phillips screw on the back. I immediately removed the side panel and looked at the dedicated motherboard.

Special products are used for the case, motherboard, and cooler, and there is no sense of incongruity like a self-made PC assembled by randomly gathering parts. A water-cooled cooler uses a tube that is too short to be a general-purpose product, and it is spectacular to see how it is installed perfectly. By the way, the power supply unit is equipped with an 80PLUS PLATINUM certified 750W model with extremely high conversion efficiency.

In addition, of course it shines because it is a "gaming PC". Illuminations named “AlienFX” are cleverly placed inside the case, creating vivid indirect lighting that colors the gaming environment. You can choose from a variety of lighting styles and colors, but I personally think Alienware's default light blue matches well and looks cool.

Also check the performance. The fan explodes! ?

Once you've seen the exterior, let's check the performance. To recap, the "Alienware Aurora R13" that we are dealing with this time uses the 12th generation Intel Core processor and is equipped with high-speed DDR5 memory. Graphics can be selected widely from NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti and RTX 3060 to 3090. The specifications of the review machine are as follows.

When you start it, a utility called "My Alienware" will be launched, where you can update the driver, operate the fan, set the lighting, etc. This time, all settings are evaluated with a focus on performance.

Listed below are the results of various tests. The 12th generation Intel Core processor combines a high-performance P core and a high-efficiency E core, and achieves high performance with the "Intel Thread Director" function installed in Windows 11. The M.2 NVMe SSD that supports PCIe 4.0 is very fast, and the GeForce RTX 3070 provides excellent gaming performance. In the 3DMark test, it was said that 140 FPS or more was secured in terms of "Apex Legends".

What surprised me was the noise when the fan was at full revs. The fan noise when fully open is so intense that it makes you say, "Oh, how much!?" It never hit full throttle in light tests like the FF14 benchmark test, but CINEBENCH and Time Spy sometimes put it in ferocious "full throttle mode" (not all the time). In the test, the fan was set to "performance" in the utility, so if you are going to play a long game with a high-load title, it seems better to set it a little quieter, such as "quiet".

A master piece that explores the nature of desktop PCs made by manufacturers

So far, we have talked about the Alienware Aurora R13. While there are many gaming desktop PCs made up of general-purpose products, we have pursued our own route by adopting a dedicated case, motherboard, and cooler. In particular, the appearance has succeeded in making a big difference, and the finish as a product gives the impression that it stands out.

The case is a little larger than the previous model, but the unique design with the motherboard tilted and the stylish illumination are quite impressive. However, I was a little surprised by the noise of the fan, so I thought it would be necessary to review the fan settings before actually using it.

However, the performance is certified by adopting the latest parts. High performance is achieved by adopting the 12th generation Intel Core processor, DDR5 memory, and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3000 series. By the way, "Alienware Aurora R14" which adopts AMD Ryzen 5000 series is also on sale. For both, you can select the specifications of the CPU and GPU in detail on the direct sales page, so you can customize a wide range of applications and budgets. With the Alienware Aurora R13, not only the performance but also the feeling of ownership of the PC itself is likely to be great.