Review - Alienware X51

Finally got my hands on a new desktop – the Alienware X51. It took about a week to deliver it after I confirmed the order at the Dell website (If you haven’t heard, Dell bought Alienware 6 years back). The PC was configured with an Intel Core-i5 processor, an Nvidia GTX 660 graphics card, and a 1 TB HDD. The PC also came with a free Alienware keyboard and a mouse.

For the first time, Alienware has adopted the small form factor to make a gaming desktop. Custom PC builders like Origin, Falcon Northwest, CyberpowerPC, etc. have made SFF desktops before, but none look as cool as the X51. Other manufacturers put integrated graphics for their desktops, but Alienware went for a full-fledged graphics card in the X51.

The outer casing is made of hard plastic. The front panel has a gloss finish with a lit-up logo, while the rear panel is made of metal. The lighting effects on the PC are impressive; I think it’s better than that of the Aurora desktops. Alienware has also included a Command Center to customize the lights based on user input. You can set the lighting for email notifications, play music, play games or just about any software on the computer. It’s cool at first, but after a while, it becomes boring. But, in terms of appearance, build quality and design, it’s better than any other SFF desktop manufacturer.

It’s also relatively quiet, owing to the fact that there is no internal PSU fan. The power supply is in the form of an external ‘brick’ placed outside the system. The power brick stays pretty cool even after hours of continuous gaming. The keyboard and shipped along with the X51 are pretty basic. Personally, I prefer the Razer Deathadder and Nostromo for gaming. If you don’t want to lose the feel of playing on a console, you can buy an Xbox controller for Windows (like the Razer Onza).

It could handle Crysis 2 and Medal of Honor: Warfighter at ultra-high settings and 8x AA without a hiccup. While playing Sleeping Dogs, there was a lot of audio stutter and video lag even on low settings. Updating the game to the latest patch and installing newer hardware driver did reduce the video lag, but it still didn't give a smooth gameplay.  Apparently, this occurs because the game developer made a poor PC port.

The Alienware X51 is best for anyone who’s thinking about switching from console to PC gaming. It can do everything an Xbox or a PS3 can do and more! (well except for game titles like Halo or God of War, which are console-exclusive).