Alienware Aurora R16 (2025) review - a stylish gaming PC that needs a better CPU

Hats off to whoever designed the Alienware Aurora R16 case - from the iconic light-up alien head that doubles as a power button, to the smouldering ring of light behind the front panel, this curvy, space-age chassis really looks the part, and it’s well-made too. Dell is equipping its new Aurora PCs with the latest Nvidia GeForce RTX 5000 GPUs as well, and our sample comes with an RTX 5070 Ti, which is one of the better cards from the new Blackwell lineup.

With a super-cool case and a decent GPU, this Alienware rig is already looking like an obvious contender for our best gaming PC guide. There are a few areas that hold it back from greatness, however, including an odd choice of CPU for a gaming machine, and a surprisingly messy interior that’s at odds with the clean design of the case. I’ve been using the Alienware Aurora for a few weeks now, and I’ve tested it in a load of games, as well as benchmarking its rendering performance, and taking it apart to see what makes it tick.

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