The Best Gaming Laptop Is Under $400 Off for Labor Day
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Alienware gaming laptops are renowned for their performance, but until recently, they were also a little scary. True to their UFO-inspired name, they looked a little out of this world and cost as much as a spaceship. Now, though, Dell has made its latest Alienware laptop more accessible, packing high-end specs into a modest design while keeping the price just below the stratospheric level. That price has dropped even further for Labor Day, and as much as my colleague Alan Bradley loved this laptop in his review , it’s now an even better deal.
The Alienware Aurora 16X starts with an Intel Core Ultra 7 chip, an RTX 5060 GPU, 16GB of RAM, and a generous 1TB of storage in its base configuration, which is currently $1,350 (down from $1,550). That’s a very respectable midrange power level for this price point, though if you need a little more power, you can also upgrade to an Intel Core Ultra 9, RTX 5070, 64GB of RAM, and 2TB of storage for $1,849 (down from $2,249). Those are top-end specs across the board except for the graphics card, which, according to Alan’s testing, is still powerful enough to run games like Black Myth Wukong at 145 fps with settings and ray tracing set to Very High. At this price, it’s an understandable tradeoff, even if I wish there were models with higher-end GPUs available.
As for graphics, you’ll see them on a 2560 x 1600 resolution screen with a 240Hz refresh rate. It’s not an OLED display, but if you’re after speed, it’s more than you’d get on even pricier competitors, which often hit 144Hz or 165Hz refresh rates.
If all that’s a bit pricey for you, you can skip the X and go with the base Alienware 16, which now starts at $900 (was $1,200) and features an Intel Core 7 processor, RTX 5050 graphics, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage. You might have to dial down the settings a bit to play some games, but it’s nice to see Alienware offering a budget option. The Alienware 15 is also available for $1,100 (was $1,500), bumping the price up to an RTX 5060, 32GB of RAM, and 1TB of storage. Both models have a refresh rate of 120Hz, but the resolution remains the same.
But perhaps the most notable thing about these laptops is their understated appearance. All of the models mentioned here feature a discreet black chassis that you can safely take to a coffee shop or even the office without drawing too much attention to itself, which is more than you could say about previous Alienware models. While some might miss the more distinctive appearance, this upgrade is a great option for those who want a little more power from their laptops without wanting to show it off.