Dell is currently hosting its annual Tech Days sales event at its official store, with huge savings on everything from laptops to pre-built PCs to monitors and accessories. Because of how quickly PC prices are rising in light of the global NAND and DRAM shortages, I'm focusing only on the best gaming laptop deals available now at Dell.
The Alienware 16 Aurora is currently the most affordable way to start gaming at just $999 after a huge discount, but the Alienware 16X Aurora and Alienware 16 Area-51 laptops that we reviewed favorably are also on sale for a limited time.
The 16 Aurora is indeed the most affordable way to get your hands on an Alienware laptop now that its regular $1,419.99 price has been cut down to just $999.99 at Dell.
The big differences here, compared to the pricier Alienware 16X Aurora, mainly involve a lower display refresh rate (120Hz vs. 240Hz), different materials used in the chassis (plastic vs. metal alloy), and a lower tier of performance hardware.
The good news? None of these inferior features is going to stand in the way of a great entry-level PC gaming experience. The RTX 5050 inside, thanks to access to the latest DLSS improvements, is actually quite capable, and you'll probably get better battery life when you aren't gaming.
Let's say you have a bigger budget earmarked for your next gaming PC. That's where the Alienware 16X Aurora comes in.
Former Windows Central laptop expert Zachary Boddy reviewed the Alienware 16X Aurora favorably, handing it a Windows Central Recommended Award in the process.
Boddy remarked in their review:
"The Alienware Aurora laptops target the mid-range with great all-around performance and a practical design, and the more powerful 16X makes some smart upgrades to justify its added cost. For the budget-conscious PC gamers that still want a quality device, the Alienware 16X Aurora is absolutely worth consideration — just don't expect perfection in every category, like the keyboard or speakers."
While the 16X Aurora is more expensive, the price difference makes sense when you get a faster display, faster performance hardware, and additional perks like an RGB keyboard.
The model I'm highlighting here is discounted by $420 for a limited time, bringing the total down to $1,649.99 at Dell.
If you'd like to go all-out on a high-end gaming laptop that's guaranteed to be relevant for years to come, the Alienware 16 Area-51 with an Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX CPU, 32GB of RAM, and an NVIDIA RTX 5070 mobile GPU is a much better choice.
It's the most expensive of the bunch, coming in at $2,619.99 after a sizable $500 discount. Aside from the more powerful performance hardware, features like an RGB touchpad, increased cooling abilities, and a wide selection of ports help make up that difference.
Former Windows Central Editor Rebecca Spear reviewed the Alienware 16 Area-51, noting:
"The Alienware 16 Area-51 AW30 Gaming Laptop is a gamer's dream, due to its impressive performance, beautiful display, RGB touchpad, and Cherry MX mechanical keyboard. Games play incredibly smoothly thanks to the powerful Intel Core Ultra 9 CPU and RTX-50 Series GPU. Plus, there are plenty of ports to connect monitors or accessories to. It would be nicer if there were the option to include an OLED panel, but the IPS display is still very good."
FAQ
Why are laptop prices rising so quickly?
Laptop prices are rising due to global shortages of DRAM and NAND caused by the buildout of AI datacenters. Because supply of this chips, used in memory and storage production, has been purchased years in advance by AI firms, everything that uses these components is also going up in price.
Is it a good time to buy a new gaming laptop?
Despite laptop prices rising, it's still a good time to buy a new PC. There doesn't look to be any end in sight in terms of the global component shortages, so it's not a stretch to believe that laptop prices will continue to rise.
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