Alienware's redesigned Aurora R9 now on sale starting at $970

What you need to know

  • The Alienware Aurora R9 is now available.
  • The gaming desktop has been redesigned with Alienware's new "Legend" design language.
  • You can grab the new Aurora R9 now at Dell starting at $970 (opens in new tab).

Following its launch at Gamescom this week, the new Alienware Aurora R9 is now available starting at $970 (opens in new tab). Far more than a simple refresh, the Aurora R9 has undergone a complete redesign that follows Alienware's "Legend" design language introduced earlier in 2019 with its laptops.

The new design features a rounded look that looks a bit like a mix between a gaming PC and a Dyson fan — but, somehow, it works. Running up the middle of the front is an LED-lit strip that includes all of the front USB ports and a prominent glowing Alienware logo. That rounded aesthetic carries on to the rest of the case as well, with venting grates on the left side and Alienware branding on the right.

Inside the Aurora R9, you'll be able to pick from a wide variety of configurations. Processor options extend across Intel's 9th Gen range, on up to a Core i9-9900K. There's also up to 64GB of RAM, up to 4TB of storage, and graphics options ranging up to dual NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 cards. Here's a full breakdown of the specs:

Swipe to scroll horizontally
CategoryAlienware Aurora R9
Operating SystemWindows 10
ProcessorUp to Intel Core i9-9900K (8-core, 16MB cache, overclocked up to 4.7GHz)
GraphicsUp to dual NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080
MemoryUp to 64GB (3200MHz)
StorageUp to 4TB (2TB NVMe M.2 PCIe SSD (Boot) + 2TB 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s (storage))
ConnectivityKiller E2500 Gigabit Ethernet NIC
Qualcomm Wi-Fi 5 DW1810 1x1 802.11ac Wi-Fi Wireless LAN and Bluetooth 4.2
Qualcomm Wi-Fi 5 DW1820 2x2 802.11ac Wi-Fi Wireless LAN and Bluetooth 4.2
Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX1650 (2x2) and Bluetooth 5.0
Front Ports1x Headphone/Line Out, 1x Microphone/Line In, 2x Type-A USB 3.1 Gen 1, 1x Type-A USB 3.1 Gen 1 w/Powersharetechnology, 1x Type-C USB 3.1 Gen 1
Rear Ports1x SPDIF Digital Output (TOSLINK), 1x SPDIF Digital Output (Coax), 5x Type-A USB 2.0, 1x Type-C USB 3.1 Gen 2 w/Powersharetechnology (up to 15W), 3x Type-A USB 3.1 Gen 1, 1x Type-A USB 3.1 Gen 2, 1x RJ-45 Killer E2500 Gigabit Ethernet, 1x Full Size DisplayPort 1.2 Output, 1x Microphone In, 1x Line In, 1x Line Out, 1x Center/Subwoofer Output, 1x Rear Surround Output, 1x Side Surround Output
DimensionsHeight (maximum): 481.6 mm (18.9 in.)
Length (maximum): 431.9 mm. (17.00 in.)
Width (maximum): 222.8 mm. (8.771 in.)
WeightMaximum: 17.8 Kg. (39.2 lbs.)
ColorsLunar Light
Dark Side of the Moon

If the Aurora R9 piques your fancy, you can grab it now starting at $970 (opens in new tab). If you want to deck it out with top-of-the-line specs, however, you're looking at spending around $3,000.

Dan Thorp-Lancaster

Dan Thorp-Lancaster is the former Editor-in-Chief of Windows Central. He began working with Windows Central, Android Central, and iMore as a news writer in 2014 and is obsessed with tech of all sorts. You can follow Dan on Twitter @DthorpL and Instagram @heyitsdtl

1 Comment
  • Why do companies that make "gaming machines" always drastically overspend on CPU and underspend on GPU? Their entry level config doesn't even include an SSD...
    This thing misses the mark in sooo many ways. For almost the exact same price as an entry level Aurora R9, you could put together an i5 9600K CPU, RTX 2060 Super GPU, 16GB DDR4 3200 RAM, 970 EVO M.2 500GB SSD, Z390 Motherboard, and spend $85 on a decent case. That's a GIANT upgrade in performance. Obviously not everyone wants to build their own PC, and there has to be a markup for these pre-built gaming machines... but not this much. Configure an Aurora with similar specs above and you're looking at north of $1700. Come on Dell, you can do better than that.