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There’s a new Alienware Aurora R16 gaming PC in town, and the latest configuration comes armed with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Super. The new build on the block comes in at $1,899, meaning it’s technically cheaper than the OG RTX 4070 model listed alongside the system. However, there are a few spec differences between the two that are well worth considering, and it might be worth waiting for more models to enter the fold.
When the Alienware Aurora R16 arrived in 2023, it somewhat changed Dell’s approach to winning the best gaming PC crown. Not only did the system maker scale back the R16’s out of this world aesthetic, but it placed more focus on performance and efficiency, something that matters more to most players than a bulky shell. That said, that hasn’t affected the way the company rolls out new SKUs, and it’s already kitting out its latest build Nvidia's shiny new best graphics card contenders.
You'll find the Alienware Aurora R16 with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Super, Intel Core i7 14700F CPU, 16GB RAM, and a 1TB SSD for $1,899 at Dell. You're getting largely the same specs as the first RTX 4070 system that released for $1,999, which comes with a Core i7 14700F chip and 1TB drive but double the amount of memory with 32GB installed.
Unlike some configurations, this one doesn’t appear to be customizable, meaning you’ll have to make upgrades yourself if you’re not completely happy with the build. It’s likely that Dell has conjured up this specific concoction of parts to hit what it thinks is an eye catching price, and while I don’t entirely disagree with that, the original 32GB RAM RTX 4070 build is $100 more at $1,999.99.
DDR5 RAM for gaming isn’t cheap, and the Alienware Aurora R16 makes things slightly awkward when it comes to upgrading. That’s largely down to the fact it only features two DIMM slots, which means you’d need to swap out the two existing 8GB sticks of memory for a higher capacity set. Sure, you could argue that 16GB is still perfectly fine in 2024, but as someone who regularly puts system requirements to the test, I reckon it’ll swiftly become the minimum as more new games arrive on the scene.
Opting for the non-Super model isn’t ideal either, as the RTX 4070 Super will provide a substantial performance boost. I’m currently working on putting the new souped-up line-up to the test, but we’re talking about a 22% higher CUDA core count. It’s still got the same 12GB GDDR6X VRAM as before, though, so you’ll need to take a peek at the RTX 4070 Ti Super R16 for $2,399.99 if you’re looking for more video memory headroom.
The new Alienware Aurora R16 will no doubt provide an extra punch thanks to its new RTX Super cards, but I do think it’s worth waiting for more builds. RTX 4080 Super options are also missing from the line-up, and it’ll be interesting to see where it falls price wise compared to its siblings. Of course, if you’re looking for something with even more oomph, you might be better off checking out our Alienware Aurora R15 review, as the RTX 4090 version is one of the best Alienware gaming PC builds out there in terms of raw performance.
On a related note, the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 Super is now available at Newegg from $999.99, with various custom cards by a variety of brands.
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