Alienware Area-51m: an exclusive look inside
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ม.ค. 2019
- The Alienware Area-51m might be the ultimate portable desktop: a 17-inch laptop that adds interchangeable graphics cards and swappable desktop processors for the first time in years. This one fits up to an Nvidia RTX 2080 and an Intel Core i9-9900K, the fastest parts in a notebook yet. Alienware designed the Area-51m to be easily rebuilt so we tore it down to see what’s inside.
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Would you rather have a thick gaming laptop with swappable components like a desktop, or a thinner machine that plugs into an external GPU?
a thinner machine, which doesn't need an external GPU. So an Aero 15x.
On a regular use as a daily laptop, the thinner machine with an external GPU.
Thinner laptop wid external gpu
Thick, easy! You can get work done no matter where you go, and I need the beefiest CPU possible in a laptop, too.
My laptop is 4 years old and i just put a 1060 inside it. Nothing new here.
Who else is here from the Framework 16 video?
Omg the Alienware guy is so honest! So refreshing to see!
ikr
or they just said , F**k it , just make your own g*DD**m laptop
They are honest because they know they have a certain rich audience that is willing to spend thousands when their only competition is intel nuc
I was thinking exactly the same!
Honestly in what? I tried to use alienware in the last 10 years, alienware has always SOLD me this idea of upgrading on their laptops, but when I needed to upgrade my video card, I WILL NEVER FIND AN OFFICIAL SOLD BY PROPRIET ALIENWARE AS UPGRADE, I have to search in forums if boards video removed from other newer alienware laptops will work on mine, paid dearly for the video card, and often do not work well due to compatibility issues.
Alienware TE SELLS the idea of future upgrades, but will NOT provide upgrades, it wants you to buy another laptop.
At least they are somewhat honest...
changing the gpu is a lie the same thing happen with msi titan sli gtx980m laptop they said the new gen of gpu can't fit with laptop mother board when ppl try to upgrade to 10th gen
Yeah unlike The Verge lol
@@my-tvnice2696 Came here to say this. My 965m's cannot be upgraded, but they promised 2 generations.
@@my-tvnice2696 TRUE, my GT series has that removable graphics card as well but I don't think the normal user could switch to a newer graphics card anyway.
I mean, MXM has been a thing since the mid 2000's..... Alienware and Dell shipped millions of laptops with MXM in them over 10 years ago.
Only person from any company who talks straight forward
check out the Verge podcast episode with CEO of Anker - also a very candid gentleman
Eh, this video starts out with a straight up lie:
"....because you've NEVER been able to swap out the graphics card until now."
Yeah thats just not true.
Ryan Schmitt I think he meant with Alienware laptops
@@semahj MXM GPU's have been in Alienware laptops since the mid 2000's. I mean, they probably won't have them anymore though lol
Google "Alienware MXM" and you will get a bunch of results.
I really likeThe Verge but they're either just not doing research or not caring about what they are telling people :(
Alienware got a director who actually cares for consumers! EXCELLENT.
well this did not age well
@@adriannasyraf3534 😂
"they decided to do something thicker for once" Bro Alienware has always made refrigerator sized laptops.
Sadlylate 😂
Sadlylate 🤣
I guess they could have say thickness should not be a compromise.😁
😂😂
lmaoooo
Actually suprised that Alienware is allowing upgrades. This is huge.
Physically lol...nah true
Tong Zou yea wow they’re notorious for trying to prevent upgrades and such. The Alienware x51 everything but the gpu is de branded so you don’t know what they are so it’s hard to find compatible parts.
This is old news. They've had Alienware laptops with upgradable graphics cards for years and they aren't the only company to do so. If anything this worse off, from the sound of it they're using a proprietary GPU module as opposed to MXM slots most upgradable laptops have and still use.
changing the gpu is a lie the same thing happen with msi titan sli gtx980m laptop they said the new gen of gpu can't fit with laptop mother board when ppl try to upgrade to 10th gen
@@my-tvnice2696 Exactly
if I had the money I would buy isntantly just to support this kind of strategy.
changing the gpu is a lie the same thing happen with msi titan sli gtx980m laptop they said the new gen of gpu can't fit with laptop mother board when ppl try to upgrade to 10th gen
@@saltyfloridaman7163 nah my dude, the series is irrelevant. What matters is wether it's the correct MXM card. The 10 series also has cards that are MXM form factor.
@@my-tvnice2696 Alienware m17xr4 runs 1070 i think also 1080. That was the most upgrade friendly machine that supported all mxm from 5 series when it came out to 10 series, granted with some mods here and there.
hope they make a barebones version with just the GPU so I could equip it with an 8600k and 16gb ram and step up as I need the performance
Not worth it, 2.5k for this garbage?
So refreshing to see a company rep being honest and straightforward about their product.
Minul Lamahewage from SL?
I didn't know the director of Alienware was that open! So refreshing to hear him speaking honestly
I really like their honesty. No bullshit, no hype the thing can't possibly live up to. Just a good concept, with all its perks and all its shortcomings. And what seems like an honest willingness to support the product in the future, if technically possible. Nice.
last time this happened from dell the gpus were kinda meh at the time.
I am wondering if the upgrade components are are the only ones that are available now and not in the future. You need to talk to Nvidia
darn good and straight honest review from both the presentor and the maker.
But, I think they should sell with a lower end CPU like an AMD Ryzen 3 with 1050ti graphics, and sell it at a competitive price
That's way too low for an Alienware. That's why they have the Dell G series.
Presentor!!
verge reporter:
- ...and there's battery life, not great!
alienware head:
- yeaah, that's not good, we both know that.
Thank you for such honesty! Made my day lol
Under what rock have you been living? MXM was available on old MSI and Clevo laptops. Alienware did it years ago too. It's exciting that it's kinda back, but it's not new.
Titus Rwantare it doesn’t use mxm, it’s a dell form factor
@@macdel69 that's why I said 'kinda'
Upgradable laptop gpus aren't new
MXM hasn't been around for years and they those GPUs were much smaller than the current ones.
@@DanielBlaney sure because nvidia and AMD have been cranking the power draw to increase performance at any tier.
The 2080 is in the same power draw class as the 1080ti ~270W.
The 980M was a 125W part available on MXM, the fresh 2060 is officially 160W. Vega is a joke on the power draw front, and the 590 draws more than the 2060.
The issue is that performance per watt hasn't gone very far since the 980M and someone with a formerly top tier 980M is kinda insulted by having to upgrade to an RX 570 or a GTX 1060, both are slightly quicker but only the 1060 can squeeze into the power budget.
Yeah mxm has been around they are releasing as "NEW" howevero dell have had replaceable gpus back in the agp days too. The verge is a joke that keeps on giving.
Not the first time mobile GPUs have been interchangeable and definitely not Dells first attempt at this either.
I actually had a Dell Inspiron 8200 back in the day with an ATI Mobility Radeon 9000 on a daughterboard, but they didn't market it as upgradable and we had a hell of a time finding a replacement card when that board burned out. Then there was MXM, which was actually supposed to be an upgradable standard but didn't get any real kind of support. I'm hoping this isn't MXM all over again. - Sean
Yep
@@TheVerge Can you guys not lie about it in the video then?
"....because you've never been able to swap out the graphics card until now."
Not cool, The Verge. Not cool.
Technically, yet again, most people don't try to. They just getting new one.
Nice Work Team Verge. Thanks for amazing CES Coverage for us.
Alienware got a director who actually cares for consumers and sounds like is really giving it how it is! EXCELLENT...
The first portable all in one with a free keyboard. Lmao this guy is awesome xD
That guy was really so honest...It would be amazing if this was there advert in there own channel....that would me even great
I love the look of that thing😍😍😍
Finally bringing back the upgradable laptop... About damn time
so a 'alien' ware computer with a 'area 51' chip ? love the humor in this team haha
Bruh no joke, that went totally under my radar until you pointed it out. THANK YOU!
Victor November yes I’m new to alienware :) i’m not a gamer
The honesty of the Alienware rep was refreshing! Thank you for that!
Thank you Alienware. This was much awaited. Hopefully ASUS and razor learns something from this
ASUS will never learn. They love to screw things up.
@@riazulrahil ^this made me convert Islam.
Learn what exactly, this laptop is useless, even though in theory you can upgrade it, in reality you never will, and its heavier and much more expensive than a regular laptop
Interchangeable mobile part on a laptop has not been a new concept. This has been done numerous times before, and failed numerous times before.
This will be the same.
@@saltyfloridaman7163 And would Dell be willing to support so many different options for just one line of Alienware laptop? The CPU might be off the shelf, but the GPU, motherboard, and battery certainly aren't.
Yeah sure upgradable...
CPU... it's Intel, they change socket for every other goddamn generation.
GPU... it COULD be hard to find graphics cards sold in that form factor
And changing an RTX 2080 may not be that profitable...
The socket has been 1151 for the last 4 generations though? Not saying I’d be surprised if they were to change it soon however
changing the gpu is a lie the same thing happen with msi titan sli gtx980m laptop they said the new gen of gpu can't fit with laptop mother board when ppl try to upgrade to 10th gen
I'm sorry what
Remember this is a prototype not official. Also you can buy graphics cards in the form factor feature easily, and possibly cheaper as well, because mobile gpus don't have copper heat sinks or other metals.
0:30 Um, yes you have? They've made Alienware laptops with swappable/upgradable MXM graphics cards as far back as 2012. I still have the old M17X R4 that I've upgraded 3 times sitting in my bedroom and they're far from the only company that has upgradable laptop CPU/GPU's!
I pulled the trigger on it this past Wednesday. Got the config one step below max and upgraded the ram to 32gb. Says should arrive by feb 19!
The concept is great and finally do able for mobile platform. Imagine you can upgrade RAM and/or CPU for your smartphone too.
That guy from Alienware seemed very honest. Thumbs up for that!
That alienware guy should be running the company.
I’ve had a Alienware 17 with a gtx 1080 . And let me tell you. Idk what Alienware’s engineers employees but this thing is a beast! Plays every game that I’ve owned and plan to own at max settings! I was planning to buy a desktop but seeing this! I’m sold! This is what Alienware needed to revive its brand! Keep it up you guys! Because you got yourself a happy and loyal customer!
Points to them for TRYING and being Honest about the shortcomings and limits to what it represents.
never been able to swap out the graphics card.... EVER UNTIL NOW ... if you ignore all previous laptops with MXM slots and the old traditional M cpus like the 4700MQ that allowed CPUs to be swapped out. Advertising old features as new. Classic. At least they didn't use 3 screws on the GPU and CPU this time.
Most of the laptops with MXM slots didn't use traditional or full spec MXM. My Asus N55SF does have an MXM videocard but it's not upto spec. So no other cards fit.
The Alienware guy seems so down-to-earth and honest, you never really see that from big brand companies. It's refreshing. Makes me want to buy their product.
Great candid video! Good move to The Verge, Sean.
Alienware, doing the opposite of everyone else and making it a GREAT freaking idea, god why has it takin till 2019 for a modular laptop.
It started in the mid 2000's with MXM. Alienware has been shipping laptops with replaceable GPU's for over a decade now.
Search Google and you can even find 10 series GPU's in mxm form factors
as an ex laptop mechanic, alienware gets a big thumbs up from me for the easy repairability :)
Somewhat better than the last computer video i watched on the verge too :P
clevo for now is best in upgradability and heat-efficiency and repairabilty for me and many others,check them out if you haven't already.
I like how the Director is honest and I am 100% sure I would buy this the moment I get a chance; this looks to be a great device.
love the alienware guy's straightforward no bs approach. makes me want to support that company just for that alone. very refreshing.
You can not get electrocuted from a laptop battery.. That warning is there to tell you to disconnect the battery so you wont short out something on the motherboard..
no but if the battery is connected you can get electrocuted from the display inverter.......and actually killed by it.......so there is that!!
This guy seems too unexcited for something so cool, almost like he doesn't want to do this review.
Satwik Singh Because he's not faking it like most people in video.
Well we live in a developed country, unlike you who constantly fights with rape victims. We don’t get overly excited for something called a laptop.
@@charlesxav6817 boy you get excited about gunshots though
This guy sounds like the gayest edgelord to review a laptop.
@@charlesxav6817 r/iambadass
It's amazing how open and honest they are about their product
Amazing CES coverage from The Verge!! Keep it up!!🔥
Except where are you going to find the next gen GPU cards for sale in a few years...and would the upgraded next gen CPU even work with the bios on the mobo...
You can probably only buy it from alienware. But yeah that's a problem haha. Except that if your intention is to make a long lasting gaming laptop, then I guess the desktop level i7 or i9 (i have the i9 personally) would serve you good for like 7-8 years and it's just the gpu that you might want to upgrade every 2-3 years. So I guess realistically speaking, you might only be able to upgrade the cpu twice (same socket), or maybe never, and upgrade the gpu twice or 3 times in its life time. Ram is always upgradeable but for a laptop this caliber, I don't think you need to upgrade the ram at all. So I guess the last thing you might want to upgrade is the ssd.
intel change socket almost every 2 year so.......
If nothing else, the AW graphics amplifier port lets you externally upgrade to any gpu.
Yeah I'm glad the AW rep was honest about this. I encountered this with my older MSI Barebones laptop. There was a custom bios to use a dell ATI card to replace the Nvidia card that came with it but you had to load that bios and also either cut/modify the nvidia heatsink and add a couple extra copper Vram cooling pads or find the ATI card's cooler and then dremel that up to fit into the MSI chassis.
The other big problem was the price. The ATI replacement card cost as much as the flagship Ti desktop card at the time so that was the real nail in the coffin for me.
I just rode the laptop out until the mainboard died and when it did, I pulled the i7 CPU and RAM and found a SFF mobo that uses the mobile ivy bridge socket and built a little desktop with those parts.
I want to see this succeed and if Dell can't convince nvidia/AMD to standardize the form factor/cooling of their mobile GPU's, no one can. I want to see it succeed so I can get a Zephyrus or Razer blade and keep slapping faster GPU's in it.
@@raikozy35 on this one probably, the connectors don't look like anything else I've ever seen. But laptops with MXM boards have been around for over a decade now. You previously didn't need to go back to your manufacture for the board. Look up mxm gpu's, they've even been used in Alienware laptops since the mid 2000's
And this is why Alienware is successful and getting more and more successful, they give customers what they want and improvise things while their products are still at a very reasonable price.
unlike Apple, doing the exact opposite.
how refreshing to hear from a manufacturer honestly, owning up to issues and saying "I don't know", all done with a sense of humour. Good job Alienware's Joe Olmsted
Glad to see Alienware going Back to Basics! My M18 R2 is rocking 980m's and is still awesome and is like 6 years old lol Totally worth the money I spent on it!!!
I wonder how they built that...they must've used a Bluetooth anti-static bracelet right?
Finally we are going back to basics!
I like how honest the Alienware Director is
"A GPU that goes obsolete in a few years"
Really??? Really, though? The GTX 1070 which is almost 3 years old, if I have a laptop with a GTX 1070 that's obsolete????
Almost lol
If you did not see swappable laptop graphics card, that means you've not seen much. Have you ever heard of MXM laptops? -.-
Big props to Alienware. Far from perfect but bridging the gap for replacement desktops👏🏿
WOW. They finally delivered on what we've been asking for! Desktop performance with the same modular, mobile capabilities and cooling. Phenomenal job Alienware. Absolute kudos.
I dont need to check the price, but I know I cannot afford it.
5k
Why so much termal compaund on CPU wtf ?!?
I think this is amazing, I mean, ill wait a few years for the price to go down, but having it that easy to upgrade a freaking laptop is insane. I wouldn't have thought that much power could ever be in a laptop
Any attempt towards more customizable laptop deserves my respect.
Sure I will buy this if it cost me less than 2500$AU
This design is more beautiful than m15/m17
More Bearable*. The Alienware has never been beautiful in any sense of the word.
@@Usenabt Weird right, that people like different things? Subjectivity is a thing you know
I really like this design or changes. All MacBooks looks the same even 4 year old MacBook.
@@bas2085 if I were a Rothschild I would've awarded you Nobel for that very statement.
I dont like rgb but the lit up notepad is dope
I'm only a laptop user (making a lot of trips) so it'd be cool to stay with the same laptop for like 5 years. I'll wait all the upgrades available before buying it but it looks one of the most insane concept for a laptop. Hope it has a 4kscreen
I got an Alienware 15 R2 a few years back, thinking I could use the Graphics Amplifier to help when it starts showing it's age. It's been a really disappointing experience, almost since I first got it. I decided I would want something I could upgrade, and started looking for solutions to help lug around an actual Desktop + Monitor when I wanted to go to a friends house. This is a promising solution, and I'll keep an eye on more news about this. I would love to see this kind of 'portable All-in-One' form gain popularity. It's refreshing to see a product that puts so much consideration on the consumer's experience.
The dual powerbricks are a huge turn off tho.
Bottom of the laptop looks almost identical to the G5/G7
Alienware is owned by dell so they look alike
Got feeling this is a rebrand dell experiment product.
As someone who has been fairly anti-Alienware, I loved seeing this really awesome take at an upgradeable laptop. It was also great to see the director being very open and honest about some of the pitfalls of the machine, something you don’t see often with PR nowadays. The proprietary Dell GPU worries me a bit down the road. I bought a Lenovo Y410p several years back that had an interchangeable GPU system, and they never developed it further after that generation GPU (Nvidia 755m). We’ll see though.
Can we change the motherboard? Otherwise upgrade-able CPU is redundant after 1 generation.
You're by far the best out of all the reviewers for this year's CES coverage.
So a year later and area 51m users are differentiated between R1 and R2. That's right they developed a new model for an upgradable laptop. Why that makes no sense you may ask? And you know what, you're absolutely RIGHT. R1 users aren't given the opportunity to upgrade to the newer chipset that comes with R2 , NO motherboard upgrades to utilize Intel's new 10 series chipset. So basically they lied. They cheated. They failed.
No, they didn't. If you actually watched the video and listened; fast forward to 3:39 - you would realize that they never promised anyone anything.
@@WeatherxCalipha have you watched their ads ? They promised unprecedented upgradability. Where's the rtx super cards.
I really like how the Alienware guy is so upfront and honest.
Loved the honesty of the dell guy. This is how you win hearts
Just don’t let Stefan touch this machine.... He’ll ruin this thing.....
haha
Is that fionn Whitehead's role in the new black mirror movie?
Ohh that's hot... That's hot
What exactly am i using of the video card with one power adapter cable? how will it perform with one cable?
This Alienware Director is a real engineer who works with real engineers, whose jobs are to make this the best product they can.
He is not a salesman trying to hype up the product to what it isn't.
$2500 and it only has 8 gigs of ram?!?! There are phones out with this much
Cool story.
*That were i would love to spend my money*
I like having a powerhouse I can move when I need to, and a thin & light for everyday mobility. As such, I have a surface pro 7 for daily commute and now getting an Alienware 51m R2 for my main driver at home. I also like that the option of upgrading my graphic with the Alienware Graphics Amplifier if the RTX 3000 series is not doable with the laptop's motherboard.
This amount of honesty is so refreshing
cough APPLE cough
apple is a phone redesigned as a laptop hahahahaha
The good thing about this laptop is not just the upgradability. This thing is so easy to repair. Just easily replacing some of its defective parts is exciting enough to have a mobile desktop like computer.
I mean it sounds cool, and I like the direction it's going, but I'm skeptical about the graphic cards upgradability, and can you replace the motherboard? If not I mean, how many generations of CPUs are you gonna get out of it?
I'm just happy about how brutally honest the Alienware guy was.
HUUUUUUGE Props for Alienware for being the only company looking forward to support the consumer. The honesty of the unknowns are fantastic. I hope I get an opportunity to support them.
This is how a laptop is supposed to be , upgradable . I've always wanted someone to come up with modular laptop chassis where the user can choose his own parts and upgrade down the lane (I doubt if it is already available), but this alienware is the first step in the right direction.
Every company needs a guy like that who's that honest.
that's insane using a desktop processor and the graphic card too. an upgradeable processor and graphic card in laptop are good idea
i have been waiting for these type of laptops for a long time. finnaly.
I am so hyped to see all 2080 laptops roll in.
My first Alienware m15 was able to swap from 260m to 580m and cpu too. That was 10years ago. So they just started doing the same thing
is there gpus like that on sale cuz all the gpu ive seen got a case
I love the honesty from Alienware definitely gonna consider getting one for my next big purchase
As a gamer who also uses this laptop for work as a developer, this laptop's only problems are heat, noise and clumsiness at business meetings.
On Ubuntu I actually had to disable turbo, and on Windows I used Throttlestop to undervolt and lower turbo speeds. Still games and compiles fine, though. However, I'd appreciated it if the laptop came with beefier radiators (on 2060 version at least).
Loved this. Would buy it in a few years after the next couple of versions are out.
You are back!
you can already hear the background noise of the laptop and it's still new.. I had an alienware once, loud as a hairdryer.
, I have a question about the 51m alienware area. I want to clarify if this computer can play 4k content and if I connect it via HDMI to a 4k TV, the content transferred will remain 4k since the screen of this laptop is not 4k
Brilliant video! Well done! Thank you!
Thanks for this. Very useful information. I'm a little less excited to sell everything in my house to buy one as soon as they launch but I probably will anyway.
Not sure if this is the greatest idea, as its very likely the cooling solution will likely not be upgradeable. It might still end up being limited based on what they decide to support/develop into the future.