Gamers should go with the Alienware Aurora 16X model

Let's get this out of the way first. This Aurora 16X deal is the same price as the base Alienware Aurora 16 (non-X) laptop with worse specs. There's little argument here; just look at the list of upgrades below:

• Better display (2560x1600 240Hz G-Sync vs 2560x1600 120Hz)
• More powerful CPU (Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX vs Intel Core 9 270H)
• Higher RTX 5070 TGP rating and thus better performance (115W TGP vs 85W TGP)
• More premium materials (metal alloy lid and chassis vs lid only)
• RGB keyboard vs white-only backlighting
• Thunderbolt 4.0 port

Compared to other Alienware laptops, the Aurora 16X is designed to look less like a gamer's laptop. It boasts a sleek, understated design with the absence of extraneous visual-only embellishments or unnecessary RGB lighting outside of the keyboard illumination. Under the hood, however, the Aurora 16X still packs a punch with powerful gaming components and a robust Cryo Chamber cooling system. It's also priced much more affordably than an equivalent Alienware 16 Area-51 laptop, which costs at least $900 more. The Alienware Aurora 16X also weighs 1.6 pounds less and has a 30% thinner profile. For gamers that don't have a bottomless budget and value maximum performance for the price, this is definitely the gaming laptop to get.

The Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX is a top performing CPU

The Area-51 laptop is also equipped with a very powerful CPU as well. The Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX boasts a max turbo frequency of 5.4GHz with a whopping 24 cores and 40MB total L2 cache. According to Passmark, this is the second most powerful Intel mobile CPU available right now and goes head to head with AMD's Ryzen 9 7945HX3D.

The GeForce RTX 5070 is 5%-10% better than the RTX 4070

The mobile RTX 5070 GPU performs about 5%-10% better than the RTX 4070 that it replaces. That's not a very big generational improvement, but the RTX 5070 also supports multi-frame generation, which means the margin will widen in games that support DLSS 4.0. If you want a significantly better performing Nvidia GPU, you'll have to pick up an RTX 5070 Ti or RTX 5080 laptop. Currently the Alienware Aurora 16 doesn't have an option to equip these GPUs, so you would have to pony up $900 more for the Area-51.

Check out more of the best Alienware deals

Check out our Best Alienware Deals article with all of Dell's currently ongoing deals on gaming laptops and desktop PCs. Not everyone is the DIY type. If you're in the market for a prebuilt gaming PC, Dell is one of the best brands we'd recommend. Alienware desktops and laptops feature solid build quality, top-of-the-line gaming performance, excellent cooling (further improved on the newer models), aggressive styling, and pricing that is very competitive with other pre-built options. Best of all, there are plenty of sales that happen throughout the year, so it's not difficult to grab one of these computers at considerably less than their retail price.

Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn't hunting for deals for other people at work, he's hunting for deals for himself during his free time.

The Area-51: New Style, More Power, Better Cooling

New for 2025, the Alienware Area-51 gaming laptop features a magnesium alloy chassis with upgraded cooling to tackle the latest and greatest heat generating components. This includes more fans and bigger cutouts enabling greater airflow, more generous use of copper, and a new thermal interface material to better transfer heat away from the core components. Dell claims that the laptop can handle a higher power ceiling of up to 240W TDP without raising acoustics.

Design-wise, the Area 51 accentuates its smooth contours, with rounded edges and soft corners replacing the squared off design you'd see in most other laptops. The hinges are also mostly internally positioned so that they're near invisible. As befits an Alienware laptop, there are ample customization options for RGB LED lighting.

The Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX is a top performing CPU

The Area-51 laptop is also equipped with a very powerful CPU as well. The Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX boasts a max turbo frequency of 5.4GHz with a whopping 24 cores and 40MB total L2 cache. According to Passmark, this is the second most powerful Intel mobile CPU available right now and goes head to head with AMD's Ryzen 9 7945HX3D.

The GeForce RTX 5080 Is More Powerful Than the RTX 4090

According to Tom's Hardware, the RTX 5080 mobile GPU is roughly 15%-20% more powerful than the RTX 4080 mobile GPU that it replaces. It also happens to be about 5% more powerful than the RTX 4090, which was the previous generation's flagship card. The RTX 5080 appears to be a better value than the much pricier RTX 5090 as well. It only lags by about 15% despite being nearly $1,000 cheaper. This GPU should be able to run new and upcoming games at high framerates even on the display's 2560x1600 native resolution.

Check out more of the best Alienware deals

Check out our Best Alienware Deals article with all of Dell's currently ongoing deals on gaming laptops and desktop PCs. Not everyone is the DIY type. If you're in the market for a prebuilt gaming PC, Dell is one of the best brands we'd recommend. Alienware desktops and laptops feature solid build quality, top-of-the-line gaming performance, excellent cooling (further improved on the newer models), aggressive styling, and pricing that is very competitive with other pre-built options. Best of all, there are plenty of sales that happen throughout the year, so it's not difficult to grab one of these computers at considerably less than their retail price.

Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn't hunting for deals for other people at work, he's hunting for deals for himself during his free time.

The E7 Pro is the creme de la creme of Flexispot's standing desks. It's recent released so it isn't nearly as heavily discounted as the other models. Currently it costs $399.99 (normally $599.99) for the base only and desktop surfaces start at $80. The E7 Pro features the best build quality of the three listed here, and it certainly shows with a weight capacity of a whopping 440lbs. Flexispot claims the motor for the E7 Pro is superior to the standard dual motor setup you'll find in the E5 and E7 and other brands, offering smoother and faster movement. You also get more cable management options included than even the E7. The Flexispot E7 Pro comes with an extended 15-year warranty on all metal, mechanical, and electrical parts and components, including the motor.

The Flexispot E5 desk is, in my opinion, the best value electric standing desk while still offering all the premium features you'd want. Right now it costs $199.99 (normally $379.99) for the base only and desktop surfaces start at $80. The Flexispot E5 is the least expensive model featuring dual motors, which are preferred over a single motor because they can support more weight (in this case 287lbs max) and they last longer because the stress is evenly distributed. The desktop is supported by a double crossbeam structure so that your surface is evenly supported to prevent any sagging. Most standing desks in this price range only have legs with a two-stage column, but this one features a three-stage column, which supports a greater vertical range (in this case 23.6" to 49.2"). An anti-collision feature, a must-have in all desks, will stop the desk when it detects obstruction of the motor. Finally, the keypad controls offer three memory presets and a timer to remind you when to swap sit/stand positions. The E5 comes with a 10-year warranty.

The E7 currently costs $299.99 (normally $499.99) for the base only and desktop surfaces start at $80. For an extra $140, the Flexispot E7 offers better build quality, a higher weight threshold, more included accessories, and a longer warranty. The lifting capacity has been upgraded from 287lbs to 355lbs. Aesthetically, the legs look more professional, with laser-welded seams, powder-coated finish, and no visible holes. The advanced keyboard has been upgraded with an LCD display, more memory presets, a built-in USB charger, and a child-lock function that's a necessity for those of us with inquisitive toddlers. The E7 also comes with a built-in cable tray under the desk to stow away all of your messy wiring. The Flexispot E7 comes with a 15 year warranty like the E7 Pro.

An L-shaped desk is the best way to take advantage of room corners that are otherwise hard to utilize efficiently. Fortunately, Flexispot makes an L-shaped variant of its E7 desk, with the frame starting at $449.99. You'll only need to add $80 to get a 63"x47"x24" chipboard desktop surface included. The desk boasts a triple motor system (one for each leg) with a maximum weight capacity is 330 pounds and a height range of 25" to 50.7". The keyboard features a digital display, four memory presets, a built-in USB charger, and a child-lock function. Like the E7, the E7L includes a 15 year warranty.

The Flexispot C7 offers a ton of features that are typically reserved for much more expensive chairs. This includes an automatically adjusting lumbar system, adjustable seat depth, adjustable armrests, adjustable seat tilt, adjustable headrest, 128 degrees of recline, and more. There's also a C7 Max Ergonomic Chair available starting at $450 which features a thicker seat cushion, greater recline adjustability, and 5D armrests, and the option to add a built-in footrest.

You've probably heard of Thuma, a pricey manufacturer of bed frames that use traditional Japanese joinery instead of screws. Flexispot has a very similar product that employs the same joinery techniques, is made of the same solid rubberwood material, and nearly the same weight capacity (1,200lbs vs 1,500 lbs), but costs only a third of the price. The Flexispot Kana Bed Frame starts at $349.99 for the full size with queen and king sizes also available. You can opt to add in a solid rubberwood headboard for an additional $270 or a washable linen pillowboard for $280.

Continuing down the bedroom lineup, Flexispot also carries a "premier hybrid mattress" that borrows its name from the more well known Nectar Premier Hybrid Mattress. However, while Nectar's queen-sized mattress starts at $1,100, Flexispot sells its version for only $399.99. The construction is remarkably similar as well, which includes 5 total inches of foam (2" of gel foam, 2" of gel memory foam, and 1" PU foam), as well as 8 inches of individually wrapped pocket coils.

Flexispot now sells sectionals, sofas, and recliners at affordable prices. The Lotus Smart Rocker is a pretty sweet addition to your gaming den, especially if you opt for the electric version starting at $519.99. It's available in both fabric and PU leather upholstery and features full electric reclinability. It can also swivel up to 270 degrees and has a smooth rocking function. There are USB ports for charging your phone, tablet, or gaming handheld, and even a handy storage cubby.

Consider getting a desk frame here and the desktop surface elsewhere

I have three standing desks. One of the standing desks included a desktop, however for the other two desks I sourced on my own. For one of them I purchased a massive 74"x26" maple veneered countertop from Ikea for $199. For the other one I purchased a 48"x25" solid wood countertop from Home Depot and finished it myself. There are more options available where you could save money, opt for a better quality material, or both. Just remember to abide by the weight limitations.

How does Flexispot compare to other brands?

I can only speak from personal experience. I own a Jarvis Fully, a Vari Ergo, and a Flexispot E5. All three are excellent desks that have caused me no problems whatsoever in the 3+ years of owning them, and that's the point. The Flexispot E5 is considerably less expensive than the other two options, and yet I don't really see where much of that cost is going. For a similar price of a barebones $600 Jarvis standing desk (which is now owned by MillerKnoll), you could get the top end Flexispot E7 Pro and still come out with a few hundred dollars left over.

Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn't hunting for deals for other people at work, he's hunting for deals for himself during his free time.

Dell is offering a competitive price on an Alienware Aurora R16 prebuilt gaming PC equipped with the excellent Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Ti graphics card. Right now you can get a base configuration paired with the latest Intel Core Ultra 7 processor for just $1,699.99 with free June delivery. This CPU/GPU duo can comfortably handle even the latest and most demanding games like Black Myth Wukong, Clair Obscur, or Kingdom Come: Deliverance in 4K resolution.

Dell has one of the best prices on an RTX 5080 equipped prebuilt desktop computer. Right now you can pick up an Alienware Aurora R16 RTX 5080 gaming PC starting at $2,349.99 shipped. This is a good price for a well-engineered (and warrantied) rig that can handle 4K gaming at high frame rates. In the current market, buying a prebuilt gaming PC is the only way to score an RTX 5080 GPU without paying an exorbitant markup. If you were to try to find a 5080 GPU for your diy PC build, you'll spend $1,400 for the GPU alone.

Alternatively, you can pick up an Dell Inspiron Plus Tower RTX 5080 PC for just $1,949.99 with free delivery. This config is customizable, so you can upgrade to a better processor, more RAM, and more storage for an extra cost. It's $400 cheaper than the Alienware RTX 5080 config above and will achieve similar performance in most games.

If you're looking for a save some money and your technical needs for gaming are not as demanding, then consider an Alienware RTX 5070 gaming PC. They start at $1,766.99, which is $550 less than the least expensive RTX 5080 rig. In our Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 review, Jackie Thomas wrote that "The Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 is complicated. It does what it says on the tin: play games at 1440p at a high frame rate. But the problem is that it doesn’t necessarily do that better than the RTX 4070 Super, or any other graphics card in this price range. It does add Multi Frame Generation, which is nice to have for anyone with a high-refresh monitor, but that alone isn’t worth the upgrade."

If you're seeking the absolute best of the best in PC gaming performance, look no further. Dell has just dropped the price of its flagship Alienware Area-51 prebuilt gaming PC, equipped with the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 graphics card starting at $4,599.99 with free shipping. This is a competitive price - especially for an Alienware computer - compared to the similar off-the-shelf prebuilts on Amazon. The RTX 5090 is undisputedly the most powerful graphics card on the market and is pretty much impossible to find for under $3,000 by itself.

The Alienware x16 gaming laptop is a slimmer and lighter redesign of the traditional m-series laptop. It's the thinnest 16" Alienware laptop ever and compares in build quality and performance to other high-end ultra-thin laptops like the Razer Blade. This Alienware x16 R2 laptop is built with premium materials, like a magnesium alloy chassis and palm rest, anodized aluminum lid, stainless steel keyboard tray, and Micro LED RGB accent lighting. It's only 0.73" thin and weighs in at 6 pounds. That's impressive considering the fact that this laptop can be equipped with the most power NVIDIA GPU.

The new Alienware Aurora laptops eschew the gamer styling of other Alienware laptops. Instead, these look more like standard, albeit sleek, laptops with a thin, unassuming profile and the absence of extraneous RGB lighting. The Alienware Aurora 16, in fact, only has white keyboard illumination similar to Apple MacBooks. Under the hood, however, both the Aurora 16 and 16X still pack in gaming-worthy components and a robust Cryo Chamber dual fan and copper heatpipe cooling system. The Aurora 16 is slightly thinner and lighter than the 16X thanks to more efficient components like a low voltage Intel Core Ultra 9 CPU and RTX 5070 graphics that has a lower 85W TGP rating. The Aurora 16X is slightly thicker and heavier to accommodate beefier cooling. In return, you get a more powerful Intel Core Ultra 9 HX series processor and an RTX 5070 graphics with the maximum 115W TGP rating.

Why pick a Dell or Alienware gaming PC?

If you're in the market for a prebuilt gaming PC, Dell is one of best gaming brands we'd recommend. The Alienware gaming desktops offer a staggering array of options, all built into a custom chassis. Alienware gaming laptops in recent years have been redesigned to be thinner and lighter while still offering the same immense power under the hood. Consistent build quality, available inventory, frequent sales, and solid customer service are the main reasons why Dell is at the top of our buying list for gaming laptops and PCs.

Some other resources you might be interested in:

• Best gaming laptop deals of 2024
• Best gaming PC deals of 2024

Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn't hunting for deals for other people at work, he's hunting for deals for himself during his free time.

The 32" Neo G7 features a native 4K (3840x2160) resolution, which equates to a 1380ppi pixel density. That's sharper than most other PC monitors and it's ideal for high resolution gaming and for any other general workstations tasks that involves text. The 16:9 aspect ratio is more useful than the ultra-wide or super ultra-wide monitors that are in vogue these days since you get additional vertical real estate. Keep in mind however that because a native 4K monitor has significantly more pixels than a 1440p or 1080p monitor, you'll need a relatively powerful GPU to run games at a respectable frame rate. A GeForce RTX 5070 Ti or Radeon RX 9070 XT graphics card will get you framerates of 60fps in most games.

The Samsung Neo-series gaming monitors feature quantum dot (QLED) technology paired with mini LEDs. Mini LED displays boast great black levels and contrast ratio because they have a large number of local dimming zones that can individually turn on and off. The 32" Neo G8, for example, has 1,196 zones. It is also Quantum HDR2000 certified and can achieve a peak brightness of 1,000 nits. OLED monitors are its only real competition, and the Neo G7 has two key advantages: It's significantly brighter than all but the most expensive OLED displays, and it doesn't suffer from any burn-in issues, which is a concern for even the highest-end OLED monitors.

The Neo G8 also has plenty of other gaming-centric features, like a fast 1ms GtG response time, up to 240Hz refresh rate, and AMD FreeSync Premium Pro certification (which means it's also G-sync compatible). It has both HDMI 2.1 and DisplayPort 1.4 ports, so you can also hook up your PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X consoles and get 4K @ 120fps gameplay. The stand includes swivel, tilt, pivot, and height adjustments and even has fancy LED backlighting. The monitor comes with a one-year Samsung warranty (Buydig is an authorized reseller).

Should You Shop Now or Wait for Prime Day?

This is an easy answer. It's unlikely Amazon will match this price and it's even more unlikely that Amazon will beat it. If you are shopping around for a montior and this one checks all of your boxes, it is definitely worth snapping up.

Looking for more options? Checkout our top 4K HDR gaming monitors of 2054.

Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn't hunting for deals for other people at work, he's hunting for deals for himself during his free time.

The 990 Pro is the successor to the venerable 980 Pro and a huge upgrade in speed. Samsung claims a 50% improved performance per watt over its Samsung 980 Pro predecessor. It boasts blazing sequential speeds of 7,450MB/s read and 6,900MB/s write and random speeds of 1400K/1550K IOPS. Unlike most other SSDs, the components are manufactured in-house. The 990 Pro utilizes the new Samsung Pascal controller and 7th gen TLC NAND flash chips. The Samsung 990 Pro has a built-in DRAM cache. Most other SSDs at this price point (including Samsung's own 990 Evo Plus) are DRAM-less and rely on HMB, or system memory, as a cost cutting measure.

Is the Samsung 990 Pro Compatible with the PS5?

The Samsung 990 Pro is an excellent SSD for your PS5. From a purely performance perspective, it's overkill; the stock SSD in your PS5 will be the limiting factor. You'll want to pick up an PCIe Gen4 x4 M.2 solid state drive with a rated 5,500MB/s read speed to match the PS5's internal drive and the 990 Pro is much faster. However, at the current price point, this SSD is cheaper than many slower options, so you might as well get it anyways. Sony recommends a heatsink attached to your SSD. Fortunately, this particular 990 Pro does include a heatsink, and a nice thick, all-metal one at that. It's also slim enough to fit perfectly in the PS5 SSD.

The SK Hynix Platinum P41 SSD is just as fast and also on sale

Amazon also dropped the price on the 2TB SK Hynix P41 Platinum PCIe 4.0 M.2 NVME solid state drive (SSD) to only $129.99 shipped. That's $20 cheaper than the Samsung 990 Pro, has DRAM cache, and is neck and neck with the 990 Pro in terms of real world performance. SK Hynix might not be as recognizable of a brand as Samsung or Western Digital among consumers, but make no mistake that they are a major player in the flash memory market. SK Hynix is a South Korean DRAM manufacturer and one of the world's largest memory chipmakers and semiconductor companies. They supply components for many reputable brands you've probably heard of, like Corsair and G.Skill.

Recommended SSDs for PS5

Looking for more options? Check out our favorite PS5 SSDs for the PS5 console.

Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn't hunting for deals for other people at work, he's hunting for deals for himself during his free time.

The Lenovo Legion Go is a Windows-based gaming handheld that's powered by an AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme APU with Radeon graphics and 16GB RAM, which is the same configuration as the one found in the $700 Asus ROG Ally Z1 Extreme or ROG Ally X. The Legion Go also boasts a a bigger and sharper 8.8" 2560x1600 144Hz IPS touchscreen display and detachable controllers like the Nintendo Switch. Since the Legion Go operates off Windows 11, it works with most PC game clients, including Steam, Origin, Ubisoft, Epic Games, Genshin Impact, Battle.net, and more.

In Jacqueline Thomas' Lenovo Legion Go review, she wrote that "it is easily the best handheld gaming PC on the market right now as measured by screen size, horsepower, and USB-C port placement, but there are some caveats. It's absolutely massive, and the 1600p display is more than even this powerhouse chip can handle. That means you're going to have to spend some time tinkering with – and specifically lowering – quality settings to get your games running properly. Even then the battery life isn’t great, and naturally you’re paying a premium over the Steam Deck OLED for the bigger display, a full Windows 11 license, and extra oomph. But if you love the idea of the Switch, where you can remove the controllers, prop the screen up on a beefy kickstand, and sit back and enjoy? This is the one for you."

After the article was written, the Asus ROG Ally X was released and competes with the Legion Go for the title of "best gaming handheld". However, the Ally X is much more expensive: right now it sits at $899.99 on Best Buy, or $400 more than the Legion Go. The Legion Go is definitely a much better value for the price.

If you end up getting this deal, we'd recommend picking up a portable power bank for extended travels and a Micro SD card. We've compared the Steam Deck to the ROG Ally and although the Legion Go isn't mentioned, the article gives you a good idea of the major differences between a Steam-based and Windows-based gaming handheld.

Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn't hunting for deals for other people at work, he's hunting for deals for himself during his free time.

The Baseus Enercore wall charger features a handy 32-inch USB Type-C cable that retracts neatly inside the unit when it isn't being used. The plug sits in a recessed nook so that it won't get snagged. The prong is also foldable to prevent premature breakage. There are two additional USB Type-C ports for charging multiple devices simultaneously.

The 45W output is enough to fast charge a Nintendo Switch (or Switch 2) or Steam Deck. It can also fast charge an iPhone 16, which maxes out at 30W. The 65W output can fast charge the Asus ROG Ally, The newer Legion Go and ROG Ally X support up to 100W of charging, so the 67W model would be the better choice.

Looking for a power bank for extended battery life? Check out our favorite portable power banks.

Should You Shop Now or Wait for Prime Day?

It's a more complicated question then you might think. For now, I'd say this power bank deal is a good deal and similar to what we'll see for 2025 Prime Day sales at Amazon, and worth snapping up while it's still on sale.

Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn't hunting for deals for other people at work, he's hunting for deals for himself during his free time.