Alienware Aurora R10 Ryzen Edition: A Performance Monster

Following a complete refresh of its laptop line this year, Alienware has revamped its Aurora gaming desktop in the same style.

- Matthew Buzzi

The Aurora R10, which comes in a Ryzen Edition variant, is a performance beast as configured, thanks largely to its Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Ti graphics card and the brand-new AMD Ryzen 9 3950X processor. The latter is virtually unmatched in CPU-heavy tasks such as content creation, but while it’s effective, it offers diminishing returns on gaming. We would recommend a less expensive chip for those who will be mostly gaming on this desktop, and Alienware’s wide array of configuration options has you covered. With its striking and efficient case design and powerful performance, we can happily recommend the Aurora R10. If you’re not set on the look, though, competitors such as the Maingear Vybe and Velocity Micro Raptor Z55 offer similar advantages.

BOLD SCI-FI STYLING

When I previewed the Aurora R10 earlier this year, I was taken by its sci-fi-inspired design. I think it’s fair to say not everyone would want this desktop sitting in their living room or office. But despite its bold look, I like its vibe. Taste is subjective, but Alienware nailed a futuristic, spaceship-like style that wouldn’t be out of place in the world of Mass Effect.

Our test model is the Lunar Light color—the only color scheme that Alienware offers with the vertical, LED-lit Alienware text on the side. It also comes in a color scheme called Dark Side of the Moon, which is, fittingly, a darker-gray palette. The front LED ring is customizable with 16.8 million colors on both models, and the backlit text on the Lunar Light model is also customizable.