The biggest problem with Alienware gaming PCs has always been their relentless use of proprietary parts. I've heard horror stories from previous Alienware owners about how the second they tried to swap out or upgrade one of their PC's components, they bricked the entire system. Thankfully, the brand has finally turned a new leaf with its latest Area-51 gaming PC, but maybe not quite as cleanly as we'd hoped.
When it was announced at CES at the beginning of the year, it finally seemed as though Alienware was joining the best gaming PCs on the shelves by opening up its chassis and motherboard compatibility to third-party possibilities. In theory, that was exciting because it meant you could customize and upgrade the latest Alienware rig without fear of bricking it. Now though, Alienware has launched the AlienFX board cable conversion kit. It costs $34.99 at Dell, and because the manufacturer has used a slightly awkward daughterboard for its case, you'll need one if you ever want to swap out your system's motherboard.
The conversion kit comes with a 4-pin power-switch cable which you'll need in order to use the case's power switch with a new motherboard. It also comes with a fan power bridge wiring connector and a USB dongle extension. Both of these seem slightly less necessary for future upgrades though, because if a new motherboard and your power supply have enough space for these connections on their own, you may not need to worry. Lastly in the kit, you'll get three ATX nuts for bolting a new motherboard to the chassis.
Arguably, this kit would be better positioned as an included extra with any Area-51 PC purchase. The entire ethos of this PC is Alienware opening up its ecosystem to be more consumer-friendly, and yet, this additional purchase will set customers back even more. Inside the packaging for the Maingear Zero Ruby and the iBUYPOWER Slate, for example, you get all sorts of leftover motherboard cables and goodies for no extra cost. Still, with Alienware taking such a harsh line on third-party components before now, let's praise the new angle it's trying to take. I can still see this as a gesture of good faith to anyone who buys this brand's gaming PCs from now on, which isn't something we've seen previously.
Strange communication and daughterboard selections aside, this is maybe the biggest futureproofing improvement issued to any Alienware gaming PC because it means that your Area-51 chassis will now function like any of the best PC cases.
There's nothing overly complicated about this conversion kit either - these are semi-regular cables that anyone who has built a computer before will likely know, just with specific Alienware twists.
Helpfully, Alienware has also posted a video that explains how to actually go about installing a new motherboard in its Area-51 chassis. I must say as someone who's done a lot of motherboard tinkering and PC building, it actually makes what is quite a daunting process seem fairly uncomplicated.
Of course, like with any PC building task, there are some compatibility caveats you'll need to consider. Firstly, any motherboard you'll want to install in Alienware's case will need to be compatible with ATX12VO power supplies. As you might expect, Dell also can't offer customer support for any third-party hardware you slot into its case, so maybe don't expect any warranties to be in play once you swap out one of the PC's central components.
In fairness, motherboard upgrades really only become a hurdle once in a blue moon. Chances are that if you buy an Area-51 gaming PC right now, you won't need to think about any of this for quite some time. If you do, you may even want a new PC entirely, but if you know for a fact you'll want the option to futureproof your current machine, this new AlienFX conversion kit is good to have.
For more on PC building, check out the best CPUs for gaming, the best graphics cards, and the best RAM for gaming.
