The Mysteries of the Area-51 ALX

The Mysteries of the Area-51 ALX

6/5/07 – Dell's expansion into the performance computing sector started with their XPS line of systems. Not content with that, they decided to purchase Alienware as a way to expand their market for customized performance computers. The Area-51 has long been Alienware's prestige system. The ALX models provide the highest level of components that Dell and Alienware have to offer. Let's take a look at what Alienware has to offer ...

Processor: Don't expect too much in terms of options when it comes to selecting the processor for the Area-51 ALX. Alienware only ships it with the Core 2 Extreme QX6700 processor from Intel. This quad core chip is great when it comes to heavy multitasking and does improve performance on select multimedia applications, but for most games there isn't really any performance benefit over the dual core Extreme X6800 processor and is one step behind the QX6800. Alienware overclocks this processor by 20% from its default speeds.

Memory: Alienware offers two speeds of memory with the Area-51 ALX system. The default speed is the PC2-6400 DDR2 memory that runs at 800MHz. Users have the option of upgrading to the faster PC2-8500 that runs at a 1066MHz bus speed. 2GB of memory is the standard amount included with the Are-51 ALX but users can upgrade that amount to 4GB in either speed configuration.

Hard Drives: For storage, Alienware has a limited selection of four hard drives to choose from ranging from the high performance 150GB 10,000rpm drive to the new one terabyte drives. The system is sold with drives in pairs either in the default RAID 0 for performance or a RAID 1 for data security.

CD/DVD Drives: Most companies tend to offer very few choices when it comes to DVD burners. Alienware is not really any different in this regard. They offer either a 18x DVD+/-RW dual layer burner or for slightly more a 20X version with LightScribe. Unlike many other companies though, Alienware is offering a double speed Blu-Ray burner as an option for supporting the new high definition format.

Graphics and Displays: Alienware offers two types of NVIDIA GeForce 8000 series graphics cards in an SLI configuration for the Area-51 ALX. Users can either chose to go with the GeForce 8800 GTX or the significantly more expensive Ultra series. These are undoubtedly the fastest Direct X 10 compatible graphics cards currently on the market, even if there are very few games that use the new graphics system in Vista.

Audio: The default configuration for the Area-51 ALX is to use an HDA 7.1 compatible on-board audio solution and that is just not acceptable for such an expensive system. Users have the option of upgrading to the Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer audio card. Anyone planning to use this system for gaming would be foolish not to upgrade to one of these cards for the EAX HD audio support. A selection of Logitech 5.1 audio speaker or Klipsch 5.1 solutions are also offered as an upgrade.

Software: The choices for operating systems has increased for the Area-51 since the release of Vista. Vista Home Premium with its multimedia features is now the standard operating system, but users can either upgrade to the Ultimate Edition or opt for the older Windows XP Media Center or Professional versions. A wide variety of games, security, productivity and digital media software packages are available as an extra cost.

Overall Impressions:

The Alienware Area-51 ALX is certainly no slouch when it comes to performance. Its quad core processor and dual GeForce 8800 GTX setup definitely allow it to kick out some pretty amazing high resolution graphics at fast frame rates. But what really differentiates the ALX model from the Area-51 7500 with a maxed out configuration? According to Alienware, the ALX also comes with a mousepad, polo shirt, keychain, aluminum briefcase and a personal support ID. Seems like a pretty hefty premium for some items that might be given away at a trade show.

Getting back to the Area-51 ALX, the case is really one of the key features for users. Alienware allows a wide range of color combinations to be selected for the case and the lights. This lets users make a system unique to what they envisions although certain color combos will obviously be more popular than others. The case is also designed to be accessed externally and internally without the need of tools. Whether you are opening the side panel or swapping in a new hard or optical drive, there is no need to pull out the toolbox.

The biggest surprise with the Area-51 ALX is probably the limited selection for some of the components. Sure, its great that it has two GeForce 8800 GTX cards, but what about an offering that comes with just a single card as a way to reduce the costs for the system? Or what about offering the new Quad Core 2 Extreme QX6800 or dual core X6800 processor that actually has a slight advantage in gaming over the quad core that comes in the system?

I think the Area-51 ALX really boils down to the ego of the buyer. The system is definitely among the most expensive currently on the market. The performance is very strong, but is the price difference between it and say the Area-51 7500 really worth it? That is the question that people looking at the Area-51 ALX will have to ask themselves.