The Alienware 16 Space 51 may be probably the most distinctive gaming laptop computer I’ve reviewed this 12 months. Its sci-fi-inspired styling instantly makes it stand out from the pack, however its nice gaming efficiency and surprisingly heavy weight – almost ten kilos with the ability adapter included – make this extra of a desktop alternative thana typical 16-inch gaming laptop computer. Its dimension and weight return with higher cooling, excessive in-game FPS, and an opulent consumer expertise.
The Alienware 16 Space 51 embodies a lot of what makes a fantastic gaming laptop computer, it’s arduous to not fall in love – with a pair exceptions. However in the event you can stay with a couple of trade-offs, what you’re left with is a transportable gaming rig that appears, feels, and performs each little bit of its $3,000 worth level.
Dell Alienware 16 Space 51 – Design and Options
Alienware’s designs aren’t all the time winners, however nobody may accuse the model of enjoying it secure. I’ve come to anticipate a wholesome dose of science fiction from Alienware merchandise after years of Alien-inspired designs. The previous couple of years within the gaming laptop computer house have seen the model strike a center floor between uniqueness and common beauty, and the Space 51 is without doubt one of the finest examples.
It’s accessible in a single colorway, a deep teal which makes up most of its lid. It’s not a typical coloration for gaming laptops however seems lovely in distinction to the black used all through the remainder of the case. It’s not a machine that can cross for a enterprise laptop computer any time quickly, until enterprise laptops begin transport with glowing alien heads on the lid and full RGB keyboard decks, but it surely’s not garish sufficient to be distracting in the event you flip off the lighting.
Assessment System Specs
Show
16-inch, WQXGA (IPS), 500-nits
Decision
2,560 x 1,600 (16:10)
Processor
Intel Core Extremely 9 275HX
Graphics
Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080
Ports
3 x USB Sort-A 3.2 Gen 1, 2 x Thunderbolt 5, 1 x HDMI 2.1, 1 x SD Card slot, 1 x Audio combo Jack
Networking
Intel Killer Wi-Fi 7 BE1750 (2×2 320MHz) MIMO, Bluetooth 5.4
Audio
Woofer: 2W x 2 = 4W complete, Tweeter: 2W x 2 = 4W complete, Realtek Good Amplifier ALC1708 (Woofer), RealTek amplifier ALC3329 (Tweeter), Twin-array microphones; Dolby Atmos; IntelliGo noise discount
Dimensions (W x D x H)
14.37 x 11.41 x 0.85 – 1.12 inches
There are two less-common show improve choices to select from, and I like to recommend profiting from each. If you customise your individual system, you’ll be able to select between a 4K and 1080p webcam and, surprisingly, there’s no worth distinction between them (although, presumably, the 4K digicam may have a small impression on battery life, however I wasn’t capable of check this to substantiate). You can too select between an ordinary or absolutely mechanical gaming keyboard with Cherry Extremely-Low Profile switches for an extra $50.
I used to be shocked to seek out that Dell didn’t outfit the system with an OLED show just like the Razer Blade 16 and different shut rivals round its worth. As a substitute, it makes use of a 16-inch WQXGA IPS show with a 16:10 facet ratio. Although it may’t ship anyplace close to the identical black ranges as an OLED, it seems excellent and delivers a crisp image due to its 2,560 x 1,600 decision and esports-ready 240Hz refresh price. It additionally doesn’t carry the identical threat of burn-in or diminished efficiency over time and nonetheless gives nice colours and 500-nits of peak brightness to be used in the course of the day.
The system is a chunker, although. By itself, it weighs in at 7.49 kilos and is 1.1 inches thick at its tallest level. If you happen to truly plan on gaming and wish the very best efficiency, you’ll additionally have to lug across the cumbersome energy brick, which provides one other couple of kilos. Frankly, it’s not the form of system I personally need to carry round day by day. You are feeling each little bit of its weight, even with out the brick, which makes this method really feel far more like a desktop alternative fairly than one thing you’d truly carry with you all through the day. However you can, so for the intermittent gaming marathon at a good friend’s home or the campus library, it may nonetheless be a compelling possibility.
It comes with a beneficiant port choice, so connecting peripherals or a docking station received’t be a problem. And I’ve to commend Alienware for making good use of its added thickness by placing most of that I/O across the again the place it received’t get in the best way of a mouse. There are three USB 3.2 Gen 1 Sort-A ports, two Sort-C Thunderbolt ports (model 4 for the RTX 5060 and RTX 5070 and Thunderbolt 5 for every part greater), and a full-size HDMI 2.1 video-out for connecting a monitor. Thunderbolt 5 is a significant improve right here, providing as much as 80 Gbps of bi-directional bandwidth to help the very best decision exterior screens. The ability brick additionally connects across the rear and makes use of a straight plug that doesn’t get in the best way of different cables. The one different ports are on the left aspect. There, you’ll discover an SD card reader and an audio combo jack.
The system additionally makes good use of its dimension for cooling. There are many vents to carry cool air in and exhaust it out the again, away out of your palms. The keyboard will get heat when gaming however doesn’t get scorching or uncomfortable to make use of. The vent proper above it does, but it surely’s away out of your fingers. I recorded a peak temperature of 86°C after benchmarking for a great hour, which is nicely away from the vary of thermal throttling. The system additionally didn’t get excessively loud, although like different high-performance gaming laptops, its followers are loud sufficient to warrant headphones if white noise bothers you – or you possibly can simply crank up the audio system.
The sound high quality on the built-in audio system is surprisingly full-bodied in comparison with what you’ll often anticipate from a gaming laptop computer. It makes use of twin two-watt audio system for bass, full with their very own amplifier that’s separate from its pair of two-watt tweeters. This isn’t frequent in gaming laptops, and even full-size gaming PCs, and permits the system to sound louder and extra full because of this. Watching Netflix or listening to music with the included audio system is a no brainer. For gaming, I might nonetheless go for a gaming headset because of the loud followers.
My pattern was despatched with the Cherry mechanical keyboard, and it’s 100-percent value the price to improve. Although it’s just a little louder than a membrane keyboard, Cherry’s extremely low profile switches are elegant to kind on with nice tactility and the traditional precision really feel iconic to mechanical keyboards. They’re additionally per-key backlit and absolutely programmable, so you’ll be able to change colours and assign macros to your coronary heart’s content material.
The trackpad additionally stands out by not being outsized like most different gaming laptops. It measures 4.5 by 2.5 inches, which I favor to the large trackpads on most gaming laptops. It could not supply as a lot actual property for gaming, but it surely stays out of the best way for typing and, let’s be actual, who makes use of a trackpad for severe gaming anyway? Just like the keyboard, it’s additionally backlit and capable of ship a convincing RGB wave of its personal.
The 4K webcam on my pattern was additionally glorious. It dealt with difficult lighting nicely and its sharper high quality was instantly noticeable. However since most teleconferencing apps nonetheless restrict you to 1080p, whether or not it’s an actual profit over the FHD model will depend upon how you intend to make use of it. There’s no privateness shutter, which is a bummer, but it surely does help Home windows Hey and labored reliably for me all through my testing.
There’s one other fascinating function across the backside of the system. Just like the Razer Blade 18, Dell has added a window into the underside panel providing you with a peek into its internals. The pane is made from Gorilla Glass for sturdiness and scratch resistance, and is surrounded by a protecting lip, however I may nonetheless see this getting microscratches over time.
Dell Alienware 16 Space 51 – Software program
The Alienware 16 comes with the Alienware Command Middle for system configuration. It’s a really polished suite that’s designed to be straightforward to make use of, so newcomers don’t want to fret about being overwhelmed. On the similar time, it gives extra depth for superior customers that will need to attempt their hand at overclocking.
Opening it up for the primary time, you’re given a quick introduction to its completely different capabilities after which dropped into the Command Middle house web page. This web page gives you with a fast overview of system diagnostics like CPU and GPU utilization and temperature information. The identical panel permits you to change your present efficiency mode, launch video games, and, by clicking on the graphic of the laptop computer, customise the lighting of the keyboard, trackpad, and emblem on the lid.
If you happen to click on into the Efficiency tab, you’ll be handled to a a lot bigger view of the diagnostics from the house web page. Alongside the highest are six completely different modes: ExpressCharge for faster charging, Quiet, Balanced, Efficiency, Overdrive, and Customized. Clicking a tooltip to the appropriate exhibits particulars for every mode in each a star rating and in textual content, so you understand precisely how every balances efficiency, temperatures, and battery life.
The sport launcher is a pleasant addition, however I personally by no means use techniques like this. It primarily doubles up on Steam and different launchers. I may see launching a sport from right here in the event you had it open anyway, however in any other case, it simply provides one other piece of software program working within the background.
Dell Alienware 16 Space 51 – Efficiency
The Alienware 16 Space 51 has so much going for it within the design division, however that doesn’t quantity to a lot if the laptop computer doesn’t maintain its personal on the subject of gaming. The system undoubtedly does, and I believe it has to do with its cooling system, however there’s extra to the story than pure numbers.
Earlier than moving into details and figures, a fast reminder about our testing process at IGN. Each system we check is put by a sequence of artificial and in-game benchmarks, all with the identical settings and matching situations, so we will present the very best comparisons doable. Whereas the artificial benchmarks we use are all standardized, in-game benchmarks supply many extra choices. To maintain issues constant, we set all of our video games to excessive or max settings and show the efficiency with completely different ranges of upscaling and body technology. Our settings are disclosed within the charts.
For this evaluation, I’m presenting the Alienware 16 compared to the Gigabyte Aorus Grasp 16, which makes use of the identical processor and graphics card. I’ve additionally included the Razer Blade 16, which makes use of the AMD Ryzen 9 AI HX 370 CPU and the upper efficiency RTX 5090, however in a thinner and extra transportable design.
The Alienware 16 Space 51 I reviewed is a high-performance configuration with a steep $3,000 worth level to match, however you don’t have to spend that a lot in the event you’re keen to cut back on a number of the elements. Dropping to an Intel Core Extremely 5 255 HX and an RTX 5060 graphics card drops the worth all the best way to $1,849 when ordered direct from Dell.
To its credit score, the corporate gives loads of configuration choices that can assist you dial within the system to your wants. Along with the 2 processor choices, you’ll be able to select any Nvidia laptop computer GPU as much as the RTX 5090, and selecting something from the RTX 5070 Ti up additionally nets you the upper efficiency CPU. It may be configured with as much as 64GB of reminiscence and 12TB of NVMe storage, each of that are consumer upgradeable.
Starting with synthetics, the Alienware 16 comes out swinging, eking out greater scores throughout the board in comparison with the Aorus Grasp 16. Each rating is shut, as you’ll anticipate from a system with the identical core elements, however the persistently greater efficiency undoubtedly factors to a greater implementation from Dell. The Blade 16 bests each in 3DMark’s Velocity Means and Metal Nomad benchmarks due to its higher-performance RTX 5090. The outcomes of the Procyon Workplace Productiveness benchmark spotlight the benefit the Intel Core Extremely 9 275 HX gives over the AMD Ryzen 9 AI HX 370.
The Alienware’s efficiency benefit stays constant after we transfer to in-game benchmarks. Efficiency stays expectedly shut between it and the Aorus Grasp 16, but it surely nonetheless pulls the identical or barely higher efficiency throughout every part however Murderer’s Creed Shadows with body technology disabled. The distinction is sufficiently small to not be noticeable and probably a results of a course of spinning up within the background.
On the laptop computer’s native 1600p decision, the pattern continues. Excluding Murderer’s Creed, the Alienware 16 pulls a constant, if small, lead over the Aorus and each of them match or beat the Razer Blade 16 extra usually than you would possibly anticipate.
The Alienware 16’s cooling system will be the trigger, because the Aorus Grasp reached a peak of 93 levels Celsius in my testing. It is also how Dell has configured energy supply for the laptop computer. Both method, it gives spectacular efficiency even in demanding video games.
With regards to use as a day by day driver, it’s largely glorious. The keyboard is the very best I’ve ever used on a gaming laptop computer, even topping the MSI Titan 18 HX AI which additionally has a Cherry ULP mechanical keyboard. The trackpad has additionally been one in every of my favorites. I favor a smaller trackpad typically, however the accuracy and reliability it supplied had been implausible. This is without doubt one of the solely laptops I’ve examined the place I didn’t misclick or activate it accidentally even as soon as, regardless of cranking out 1000’s of phrases within the time I’ve had it.
The largest subject going through it’s how heavy it’s and simply how a lot it wants its energy brick. Gaming efficiency takes a giant hit the minute it’s unplugged and battery life plummets. This goes with the territory for gaming laptops, after all, however most others with this dimension show aren’t tipping the scales as closely because the Alienware 16. The Aorus Grasp 16, for comparability, is sort of two kilos lighter whereas providing related efficiency and a nicer OLED display. Battery life tanks when it’s unplugged too, after all, however at the least it’s simpler to hold with the ability brick.
For pure productiveness, it really works nicely and also you’ll be capable of get a couple of hours out of it for blended use. However, in that case, you can too make the most of its Thunderbolt ports and cost it with a a lot smaller 100W GaN charger. Simply be warned, it’s not sufficient to beat the ability draw whenever you’re gaming, or to unlock its full efficiency, so it’s an answer that solely works a number of the time.
With regards to battery life, the Alienware 16 was capable of final simply over six hours in Procyon’s battery life check with the display set to half brightness. I personally discover it is a bit too dim for my very own use, even indoors, however that comes all the way down to choice. At that brightness and with blended use between Google Docs, Sheets, internet looking, and Microsoft Workplace, it lasted nearer to 4 hours with Power Saver mode turned on.
Christopher Coke has been a daily contributor to IGN since 2019 and has been masking video games and expertise since 2013. He has coated tech starting from gaming controllers to graphics playing cards, gaming chairs and gaming screens, headphones, IEMs, and extra for websites equivalent to MMORPG.com, Tom’s {Hardware}, Common Science, USA At the moment’s Reviewed, and Common Mechanics. Discover Chris on Twitter @gamebynight.
