I have 3 of these, the R2 is attached to my Alienware graphics amp (currently using an RTX 2080TI).I am quite pleased with them as they are capable of playing lots of my older games, and many new ones. After watching your video I want to try Sekiro: shadows die twice. Thanks!
Always loved the form factor of this pc. My wife got an awesome deal for this back in 2017 when it was just sitting on a shelf literally collecting dust at our local Gamestop. Paid $180 for it as it was heavily discounted for no other reason then no one knew what the hell it was or the employees didnt know how to sell it, but we were extremely lucky. It was even the i7 model with the 4785t 8gb ram and 1tb hdd with the steam controller all brand new. It was a cool pc at the time but eventually traded it for a Switch with an extra $300 on top of the trade. I might still buy one off ebay just for having an extra pc around my house but its great to see some people still using it in 2023.
Yeah, it's a fantastic size. Such a shame they no longer make these. A unit with updated specs would be awesome. I think poor sales must have have been the reason behind discontinuing it's lineup. As you said, no one knew what it was or how to sell it.
I'm still working with that computer since 2016 to create my little games and websites. My only complaint overall is that two HDMI out would have been so much better than the in/out...
I have one of these and it's been sitting around for awhile. I just resurrected it to try holoiso and quickly realized I would have issues because it's targeting amd vs Intel / Nvidia
I'm using mine to watch this right now. I bought it in 2015 for £250 as a replacement for my ageing gaming laptop. It's still pretty good, I've played games like Skyrim, Fallout 4 and Far Cry 5 to death on it, but it's definitely starting to show its age with newer games like Red Dead 2. It still plays games like Deep Rock Galactic really well, which is a testament to the developers Mine is the original Alienware Alpha with Intel Core i5, 8Gb Ram and the custom 2GB GeForce 860M GPU. I love the form factor, and it's been a great workhorse for me for the last 8 years, but I'm afraid it's time to start looking for an upgrade. I'm thinking either a Steam Deck, or just go full tower gaming machine.
Dumb question I'm a noob I have a alpha r2 with a 960m and i5 do you think it can play starfield. I have a steam deck and I see the essentials mod but it still runs meh would starfield run better on my r2 and could I use moonlight to stream it to the deck.
@@Spencerwalker21🤮 that will be a problem. An Alienware Graphics amplifier with a proper Desktop GPU like say an AMD 5700XT would probably sort it out though. I don't know if the CPU is good enough for a higher end RDNA2+ or RTX3000+ series card. I suspect you'd need to game at 1440p to get yourself GPU limited vs CPU limited. I'd probably look to see if you can get the highest end I7 you could get for the R2 and replace the I5.
@@Spencerwalker21 I'd say that it probably won't run without additional help like an SSD and some additional graphical assistance. If you have decent internet speed and gamepass I believe you can stream it though, so your computer specs won't matter.
Just bought one of these used pretty cheap, I wanna use it with my TV to watch some TH-cam videos and movies from my NAS. I'm pretty sure it's more than capable enough of doing that. If it handles running Genshin in 1080p I'm more than happy.
@@eryonzane That's an incredible deal for a machine that can still game in 1080p. Hopefully, I can find a similar deal. I want to use this to play games on my VR headset.
I still have three of these. I use one my wife uses one and I have one in my second office. They're so fast. I have a solid state drive for the operating system and a optical drive for storage. My optical drive is going out though now. I don't know whether I should upgrade my PC or just the heart drive. What do you think?
If the PC is still fine for your needs then I'd just replace the dying hard drive. It be worthwhile replacing it with an SSD as they're become much cheaper in last few months. Where I live, a 2.5" HDD isn't much cheaper for a budget SATA SSD of the same capacity.
What I hated about these is, that they do have the GeForce Chipsets on them, but then they recently do not have all the original features of the GTX ones. I do own 3 Steam machines my own and kept finding issues with these, not supporting open GL and Direct x features, like the "original" GTX would have. And also if you look them up in the device manager, those cards were never really deviced as "GeForce GTX 860 or 960" and they had other names given. Which really is a bit sad... But overall I do love those tiny thigns.
That's such an informative insight... so are you saying that these GFX chipsets are not going to be recognised by stock Nvidia drivers or that they are, but will have missing functionality (GL & Direct X)? I'm assuming its a hardware limitation in the GFX chipset then? So in your opinion installing a Linux OS with could make use of Vulcan, won't really result in full functionality either? So would this mean that only the early release of Steam OS will support these GFX chipsets? Are newer titles are going to suffer errors or nerfed driver performance. due to not having the capability in the chipset? Please excuse my non technical understanding, I have limited experience with PC/ Linux builds & gaming generally. Thanks, this does seem super relevant even if I wanted one of these just cause its tiny & very cool looking... I mean it was was found among the wreckage of the 1947 Roswell Crash! Right? ;-)
@@Mindboggle100 I did not really try out Linux since I am more a windows person. I do have experiences with steam OS since I am also having a Steam Deck. But my experiences showed me, that for example some Direct x 12 Games would not run on this chip, even though this GPU is listed with DX12 compatibility on NVIDIA... The Steam machine will NOT do it.... And If I am checking out on multiple drivers.... DXDIAG for example will not show the DX12 support on each of my steam machines. I have two ones with an 860 and one with a 960 which both work nice... Except the DX12.
@@Miley-RayStewart Thanks for your reply. Going by your new information , I can tell you that if you were to use Linux and the Vulcan GFX tool, you can actually run games meant for windows , through Vulcan and up to and including Direct X12. This will bypass the limitation you mentioned. 😀 So the included gfx cards are Direct 11 limited, but the Vulcan method allows for Direct X12 to function. I love the form factor of these Alienware PC's so I might give one a try using Steam OS. I'm not sure, it sounds like a fun project with the possibility of getting some extra life from one of those R1's. Let me know if that is any use to you... You probably already game on a better Window's Rig anyway? I personally don't have anything very powerful...
@@Mindboggle100 Thank you for your nice comment. It is rare these days to have grown up and respectful comments on youtube. I was actually also thinking about trying out Steam OS on one of the Alienwares. I also do love small for factor Computers. Yes I do also have other ones as well and I am only using mini ITX Computers since there are small console cases out, that you can run RTX Graphics on and such. But the Alienware is much Smaller. It is impressive, how those 4th Generation Intels are still running on games. I also have some Mini PC´s with GTX 1050, 1660 and such on them with those CPUs and also other ones. I mostly do love to play on 720 P and that does run wowi on the Dells. My strongest is a 2070ti but then I mostly am using my 7700t system with a 1050 which is more than enough for me. Maybe I will really try to install Steam OS on one of the R1 Dells. This is an Upload from the R1 for example. th-cam.com/video/ppTBA0vCFCw/w-d-xo.html
@@Miley-RayStewart Wow Miley, you have quite an intriguing appreciation for small form factor builds! I can relate, many times I daydream about a small PC, which is not really conventionally housed but can be a "swiss army" of a device, with enough of just what you need for gaming or just losing a few hours in a relaxing and informative way online. Yes completely understand your perspective on a sad lack of thoughtful comments on TH-cam / "socials" in general. I really have had some great advice and feedback in TH-cam comments, so although it is rare its still a wonderful resource and I like hearing other people's opinions and ideas etc... Like you I also value older CPU's, its so common for them to be undervalued or shunned for the latest and greatest in High End hardware. It seems you appreciate the art of finding games and software that works very well on older machines too... I have to say you have a good selection of matx builds, and definitely have some classic GFX cards. Isn't is satisfying to have an old faithful machine stay with you a loong time :) If only I can recall the specs of one of my very modest but super useful builds... it was an unusual one and I think the parts would interest you. Only a dual core, but still great value and I had far too much fun with it :) I must post the specs as its definitely unusual when they come to my memory. I truly hope you try out Steam OS on the UFO crash retrieval (LOL I mean Alienware of course...) It would so much amazement to run your DirectX 12 ambitions & totally worth the effort. I should end soon, but I have to say I have always been intrigued by the Alienware R2, there just aren't any small form PC cases as cool as that one... The typical mini PC today is well specified but just lacking charm. Illuminated power button... YES please :) Thanks for your upload link, it seems like you had a great FPS and highly playable. When I remember those specs I will pass them on, it was a cool build, and surely you will appreciate it?😎
It could be the power brick. Mine would drop out after a while of gaming. The light on the power brick would go out after that. It stopped doing it after replacing it
Sorry the audio isn't great. Let me know your thoughts on the hardware. Is it better or worse than you expected? Would you buy one? Also feedback for the video, in case you couldn't tell this is my first video upload. What did you like and what could be done better?
I have 3 of these, the R2 is attached to my Alienware graphics amp (currently using an RTX 2080TI).I am quite pleased with them as they are capable of playing lots of my older games, and many new ones. After watching your video I want to try Sekiro: shadows die twice. Thanks!
is Steam OS 3.0 able to be updated
Always loved the form factor of this pc. My wife got an awesome deal for this back in 2017 when it was just sitting on a shelf literally collecting dust at our local Gamestop. Paid $180 for it as it was heavily discounted for no other reason then no one knew what the hell it was or the employees didnt know how to sell it, but we were extremely lucky. It was even the i7 model with the 4785t 8gb ram and 1tb hdd with the steam controller all brand new. It was a cool pc at the time but eventually traded it for a Switch with an extra $300 on top of the trade. I might still buy one off ebay just for having an extra pc around my house but its great to see some people still using it in 2023.
Yeah, it's a fantastic size. Such a shame they no longer make these. A unit with updated specs would be awesome.
I think poor sales must have have been the reason behind discontinuing it's lineup. As you said, no one knew what it was or how to sell it.
@@intraspec exactly but it was a cool mini pc back then and still is despite some dated hardware.
I'm still working with that computer since 2016 to create my little games and websites. My only complaint overall is that two HDMI out would have been so much better than the in/out...
I have one of these and it's been sitting around for awhile. I just resurrected it to try holoiso and quickly realized I would have issues because it's targeting amd vs Intel / Nvidia
I bought mine in 2017. Is still going strong! 🔥
BUT WHY DON'T THEY DO MORE OF THEM???????
because they need to cost more than cost of individual parts for manufacturers to make a profit. you probably got yours after they went on clearance
@@avatarofwoo "clearance" ..elaborate
@@uiremote meaning huge sales to get rid of stock of the steam machines
@@avatarofwoo I remember that it was brand new when I bought it. They just launched it.
I have zero idea about the rest.
@@uiremote Which games and resolution are you playing as of 2024. I might pick up one of these for the Quest 3 VR headset or Arcade Machine.
I am still using this console but I have the alpha version
I just got one of these
I'm using mine to watch this right now. I bought it in 2015 for £250 as a replacement for my ageing gaming laptop. It's still pretty good, I've played games like Skyrim, Fallout 4 and Far Cry 5 to death on it, but it's definitely starting to show its age with newer games like Red Dead 2. It still plays games like Deep Rock Galactic really well, which is a testament to the developers
Mine is the original Alienware Alpha with Intel Core i5, 8Gb Ram and the custom 2GB GeForce 860M GPU.
I love the form factor, and it's been a great workhorse for me for the last 8 years, but I'm afraid it's time to start looking for an upgrade. I'm thinking either a Steam Deck, or just go full tower gaming machine.
Dumb question I'm a noob I have a alpha r2 with a 960m and i5 do you think it can play starfield. I have a steam deck and I see the essentials mod but it still runs meh would starfield run better on my r2 and could I use moonlight to stream it to the deck.
@@Spencerwalker21🤮 that will be a problem. An Alienware Graphics amplifier with a proper Desktop GPU like say an AMD 5700XT would probably sort it out though. I don't know if the CPU is good enough for a higher end RDNA2+ or RTX3000+ series card. I suspect you'd need to game at 1440p to get yourself GPU limited vs CPU limited.
I'd probably look to see if you can get the highest end I7 you could get for the R2 and replace the I5.
@@Spencerwalker21 I'd say that it probably won't run without additional help like an SSD and some additional graphical assistance. If you have decent internet speed and gamepass I believe you can stream it though, so your computer specs won't matter.
Just bought one of these used pretty cheap, I wanna use it with my TV to watch some TH-cam videos and movies from my NAS. I'm pretty sure it's more than capable enough of doing that. If it handles running Genshin in 1080p I'm more than happy.
How much did you pay?
@@MisterUrbanWorld like 200 bucks a little over a year ago
@@eryonzane That's an incredible deal for a machine that can still game in 1080p. Hopefully, I can find a similar deal. I want to use this to play games on my VR headset.
I still have three of these. I use one my wife uses one and I have one in my second office. They're so fast. I have a solid state drive for the operating system and a optical drive for storage. My optical drive is going out though now. I don't know whether I should upgrade my PC or just the heart drive. What do you think?
If the PC is still fine for your needs then I'd just replace the dying hard drive. It be worthwhile replacing it with an SSD as they're become much cheaper in last few months. Where I live, a 2.5" HDD isn't much cheaper for a budget SATA SSD of the same capacity.
What I hated about these is, that they do have the GeForce Chipsets on them, but then they recently do not have all the original features of the GTX ones. I do own 3 Steam machines my own and kept finding issues with these, not supporting open GL and Direct x features, like the "original" GTX would have. And also if you look them up in the device manager, those cards were never really deviced as "GeForce GTX 860 or 960" and they had other names given. Which really is a bit sad... But overall I do love those tiny thigns.
That's such an informative insight... so are you saying that these GFX chipsets are not going to be recognised by stock Nvidia drivers or that they are, but will have missing functionality (GL & Direct X)? I'm assuming its a hardware limitation in the GFX chipset then? So in your opinion installing a Linux OS with could make use of Vulcan, won't really result in full functionality either? So would this mean that only the early release of Steam OS will support these GFX chipsets? Are newer titles are going to suffer errors or nerfed driver performance. due to not having the capability in the chipset? Please excuse my non technical understanding, I have limited experience with PC/ Linux builds & gaming generally. Thanks, this does seem super relevant even if I wanted one of these just cause its tiny & very cool looking... I mean it was was found among the wreckage of the 1947 Roswell Crash! Right? ;-)
@@Mindboggle100 I did not really try out Linux since I am more a windows person. I do have experiences with steam OS since I am also having a Steam Deck. But my experiences showed me, that for example some Direct x 12 Games would not run on this chip, even though this GPU is listed with DX12 compatibility on NVIDIA... The Steam machine will NOT do it.... And If I am checking out on multiple drivers.... DXDIAG for example will not show the DX12 support on each of my steam machines. I have two ones with an 860 and one with a 960 which both work nice... Except the DX12.
@@Miley-RayStewart Thanks for your reply. Going by your new information , I can tell you that if you were to use Linux and the Vulcan GFX tool, you can actually run games meant for windows , through Vulcan and up to and including Direct X12. This will bypass the limitation you mentioned. 😀 So the included gfx cards are Direct 11 limited, but the Vulcan method allows for Direct X12 to function. I love the form factor of these Alienware PC's so I might give one a try using Steam OS. I'm not sure, it sounds like a fun project with the possibility of getting some extra life from one of those R1's. Let me know if that is any use to you... You probably already game on a better Window's Rig anyway? I personally don't have anything very powerful...
@@Mindboggle100 Thank you for your nice comment. It is rare these days to have grown up and respectful comments on youtube. I was actually also thinking about trying out Steam OS on one of the Alienwares. I also do love small for factor Computers. Yes I do also have other ones as well and I am only using mini ITX Computers since there are small console cases out, that you can run RTX Graphics on and such. But the Alienware is much Smaller. It is impressive, how those 4th Generation Intels are still running on games. I also have some Mini PC´s with GTX 1050, 1660 and such on them with those CPUs and also other ones. I mostly do love to play on 720 P and that does run wowi on the Dells. My strongest is a 2070ti but then I mostly am using my 7700t system with a 1050 which is more than enough for me. Maybe I will really try to install Steam OS on one of the R1 Dells.
This is an Upload from the R1 for example. th-cam.com/video/ppTBA0vCFCw/w-d-xo.html
@@Miley-RayStewart Wow Miley, you have quite an intriguing appreciation for small form factor builds! I can relate, many times I daydream about a small PC, which is not really conventionally housed but can be a "swiss army" of a device, with enough of just what you need for gaming or just losing a few hours in a relaxing and informative way online. Yes completely understand your perspective on a sad lack of thoughtful comments on TH-cam / "socials" in general. I really have had some great advice and feedback in TH-cam comments, so although it is rare its still a wonderful resource and I like hearing other people's opinions and ideas etc... Like you I also value older CPU's, its so common for them to be undervalued or shunned for the latest and greatest in High End hardware. It seems you appreciate the art of finding games and software that works very well on older machines too... I have to say you have a good selection of matx builds, and definitely have some classic GFX cards. Isn't is satisfying to have an old faithful machine stay with you a loong time :) If only I can recall the specs of one of my very modest but super useful builds... it was an unusual one and I think the parts would interest you. Only a dual core, but still great value and I had far too much fun with it :) I must post the specs as its definitely unusual when they come to my memory. I truly hope you try out Steam OS on the UFO crash retrieval (LOL I mean Alienware of course...) It would so much amazement to run your DirectX 12 ambitions & totally worth the effort. I should end soon, but I have to say I have always been intrigued by the Alienware R2, there just aren't any small form PC cases as cool as that one... The typical mini PC today is well specified but just lacking charm. Illuminated power button... YES please :) Thanks for your upload link, it seems like you had a great FPS and highly playable. When I remember those specs I will pass them on, it was a cool build, and surely you will appreciate it?😎
My version only has an i3 and 4gb of ram. Was hoping to upgrade. But don't know were to find compatible parts.
It's usb 2. I hooked up a 1tb usb stick to the under port and it acts as a second HDD/SSD
curious can this upgrade to Steam 3.0 ? software update i mean
I thought of installing HoloISO (unofficial SteamOS 3.0 install) but I read it has big issues with NVIDIA graphics so scrapped the idea.
Is there a more modern alternative to the Alienware r2? thanks!!
MSI Triden 3 is the closest I could find 😅
Intel Nuc Extreme/Enthusiast, Beelink, Minisforum
Hello. I have mine.. But turns off on almost every game I try to play. She's find inside and outside.. Idk what could be.
It could be the power brick. Mine would drop out after a while of gaming. The light on the power brick would go out after that. It stopped doing it after replacing it
The power brick is always the culprit. The 180W variant is needed for overclocking or stressing the R2.
ain't no shame lowering this to 720p for the better frame rates imo
Anyone know of where to get an alpha R2 model? I’ve been looking on eBay but haven’t had much luck lately. Thanks.
I got one on offer up edit but like a few years ago.
hey, i wanna play valorant in one of these :[ but it runs so bad, can anyone help me or explain me how i can make it bettwr?
Sorry the audio isn't great.
Let me know your thoughts on the hardware. Is it better or worse than you expected? Would you buy one?
Also feedback for the video, in case you couldn't tell this is my first video upload. What did you like and what could be done better?
I got 960m i5 do you think I could play starfield on it or moonlight to the deck. Sorry if dumb question
@Spencerwalker21 you probably won't even be able to load starfield. My 1060 3GB can't even handle it
I made a Batocera machine out of mine. Works great
does anyone know if this can run r6 siege?
Bruv…your mic…😂😂
ryzen 7 8700g cpu in consol, 1TB SSD , 16GB ddr5,GIGABYTE B650I AX,steam OS/windows11 run