Dell's Black Friday deals are here, but not all of them stack the same way. Two gaming laptop deals are at the same price this week, but one represents far better value than the other.
Both discounts sit on Alienware 16 Aurora machines, the cheapest in Dell's current lineup. It's not going to be the best gaming laptop for sky-high framerates, but if you're after an everyday machine with a little extra headroom for lighter titles it's a sound investment. There's just one problem, for $899.99 you can either pick up an RTX 4050 configuration or the much newer RTX 5050. The latter brings with it a whole host of new upscaling tech as well as the naturally more powerful GPU - all for $300 off MSRP.
The processor, RAM, storage, and display are exactly the same across these two machines, but you're spending the same amount of cash to get an RTX 5050 as you would an RTX 4050 (here's the older configuration at Dell for reference). That feels like a glitch in the system.
Both are entry level machines, but the RTX 50-Seires comes equipped with tools to keep your games running slick even on a weaker set of specs. You're not going to be topping the 3D Mark charts with either rig, but the RTX 5050 is going to give you a lot more stability for longer.
Should you buy the Alienware 16 Aurora?
This is Dell's cheapest gaming laptop, so it's not going to wow anyone with sky-high performance. In fact, I'd only recommend this particular configuration to those looking to splash out on an everyday work laptop that can also run some of their favorite lighter games at mid settings.
Compared to the very best Alienware laptops I'm hoping to see in this year's Black Friday gaming laptop deals, these machines are underpowered from their Intel Core 7 processors to their 16GB RAM. However, there's certainly a place for that sub-$1,000 price tag.
Whether you're looking to keep up with the latest indie releases or your backlog is a little older in release dates, the Aurora is still a worthy investment. If you're looking for breakneck speeds in the latest blockbusters, though, you might need to move a little further up the price scale.
- See all Black Friday deals at Dell
- Alienware 16 Aurora (RTX 5050) |
$1,199.99$899.99 at Dell
We're also getting you prepped for more of this year's Black Friday Alienware deals as well as the best Black Friday gaming PC deals we can find as well. For something more portable, check out the best Black Friday Steam Deck deals on the table.
