Normally I would build my own, but with age and arthritis I decided to purchase a PC, after lots of research I chose this Aurora R16 and its as close to perfect as you can get.
Agreed. After working in IT for 25 years, I no longer enjoy building my own PCs. I also don't need cutting edge and generally upgrade every 5-7 years. Previous generation alienware is perfect for me. About to replace my R9, 2070 8700k with a new R16.
@@bigbassjonz Yes, exactly same feeling here, building a custom PC takes a lot of effort and still money is spent on installing the best gear possible and while calculating everything in the end, one probably ends up saving only few or spending more in some cases.
Very well done and useful presentation of the beautiful Aurora R16. It shows all the important essential technical information to make an informed purchase decision. Looking forward to get the R16! Thanks for posting! 🖥
One misconception of the specs on the R16 given by Dell: it says there are two PCIe slots. Although there are two slots, neither is usable because the Nvidia video card and the fan that goes along with it take up the space of these two slots, rendering them virtually unusable. The only way to use the slots would be to somehow add some sort of PCIe extender cable. Despite this being a tower PC, there are virtually no expansion possibilities.
yes, sadly this machine hardware will soon be outdated in next 5-6 years and we again would have to build another custom gaming PC or buy Alienware's latest one.
Heh, it's funny, all the things you list as "Cons" are actually "Pros" to me, and I've been dabbling with AW back since the late 90s. It's actually the more subdued yet sharp look that cleared the way for me to pick up a high-specc'd R16 (except GPU - stopped at 4070 and will wait to upgrade should there be a much-needed price correction). I'll be swapping in RAM and SSDs for quality stuff, and if you want more shiny things to stare at through the side then get aesthetic-only silliness like heatsinks with RGB on your decent memory modules. This'll be my first AW desktop in DECADES (many laptops in between). Everyone's mileage varies I guess. Thanks for the review! 🙏 Dell if you're reading: This is the best thing you've done to the desktops since you acquired the brand. Cooling, fan acoustics, case footprint and (subjectively) aesthetics. No.1 one thing I'd like you to improve on the R16? I wish you'd make the mobo power hookup aftermarket PSU-friendly. PS The 27" 1440p monitor I got is *chef's kiss* bang-for-buck EXCELLENT (AW2723DF).. Whatever and/or whomever is responsible in any way for these decisions and resulting products gets an enthusiastic *HELL YA* from me. Keep it comin'! :)
Its like the took their M and X lines and combined them into a chungus gaming pc with more vents than I can count. Glad to see the cooling is plenty efficient and them making the 1000w PSU Standard makes GPU upgrades easier down the road.
Getting one next week , upgrading from a 500$ gaming desktop that handled graphics just okay lol. So excited to be gaming with the highest levels of graphics
I built pcs on build redux, nzxt, and alienware and the price was the same on all 3 websites. Dell used 16GB ddr5 ram and nzxt and br used 16GB ddr4. Dell used 13th gen Intel i7 and nzxt and br used 12th gen i7. Dell had a 500w psu on model I built and lowest I could use on nzxt and br was 650w. All had same 4070 gpu and 2TB M.2 SSD. I have no desire to overclock or mess with bios settings as long as pc will run the games I play and get 120 fps. My monitor is 120hz 1080p so anymore than that I can't see anyways. Searched for discounts and ended up getting $200 off R16 and free shipping so alienware was actually cheaper by about $250. I paid $1750 after taxes.
And don't forget if you call dell directly they offer discounts to students and military. Like up to 300 and 400 off. The only thing that concerns me is that the proprietary components like gpu and cpu and wifi card not being able to upgrade them.
i7 is next to meaningless, K or non K matters. K should run ~50% faster multi core For the RAM, clock and timings matter. Reasonably high end DDR4 can out preform the really low end DDR5 Dell ships.
@@kaiichinose9590 CPU and GPU are standard, its the MB, case, and PSU that are proprietary. But because the MB is, the BIOS is locked to the generation of CPU so no upgrade. And RAM has been a major pain to upgrade.
@@fivefivesix-sevensixtwo4114 I have the r16 1000w with the i9 14KF and 4090 with 64gb. It gets here in a few days and I’m listing it for sale at a discount price as soon as it gets here. Lmk if you’re interested!!
I orginal had a R11 the noise was to Loud! Thank goodness this airflow is better. All in all for "regular" consumer that doesnt want to build a PC. I love my R16! Also same with commander center. ITS SO annoying having my games be given its on color and light brightness. They need an option for that.
Hi everyone! I have the r16 1000w with the i9 14KF and 4090 with 64gb. It gets here in a few days and I’m listing it for sale at a discount price as soon as it gets here. Lmk if you’re interested!!
I can’t return it. But it’s brand new. I’ll let it go for $3500. It’s priced at 5k on the website. It comes with one year premium support plus, accidental, anti virus, and office pro too!
I think my issue with PC’s is just that I can’t keep up with the CPU and GPU hierarchy so I can never tell if a build around my budget is good enough to play games that are coming out now like Baldur’s gate 3 or Starfield. Is there a site that you can put a list of parts and it can tell you what games you can run?
My question is how well it does ray tracing ? And I was trying to build my own with these components, can you tell me if I would be able to see the difference between these two in graphics wise .. * Lían Li evo pro WHITE * Motherboard: * ASUS ROG CROSSHAIR X670E HERO * Processor: * AMD RYZEN 9 7950X3D 16C/32T 5.7GHZ * Memory: * DOMINATOR® TITANIUM RGB 64GB (2x32GB) DDR5 DRAM 6000MT/s CL30 AMD EXPO Memory Kit * * SSD (M.2 NVMe): * (5x) MSI SPATIUM M480 PRO PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 [4 TB] * SSD (SATA): * SSD 2.5" [4 TB] * CPU Cooling: * ASUS ROG RYUJIN III 360 ARGB WHITE * Power Supply: * 80PLUS TITANIUM 1600W ATX 3.0 POWER SUPPLY * Graphics Card(s): * ROG Strix GeForce RTX® 4090 OC WHITE Edition 24GB GDDR6X * Capture Card: * Elgato PCIE 4K60 Pro * Sleeving: * Lian li Strimer V2 RGB Sleeving Kit * Operating System: * Windows 11 [Pro] *
as a happy owner of this desktop Id say that even the most basic one is decent the rtx 4060ti with a i7 13th gen is pretty good. The cpu is a little bit underclocked by 1000mz by factory settings to stop the overheating problom from the earlyer gen desktops this company made but it is worth it because it is almost whisper quiet. With rtx Minecraft I get a stable 60 frames and on Roblox 144hz on most games also useing hacks to bypass the standerd 60 frames in setting.
*GREAT REVIEW!!* I would like to see a R16 review with a 4090 and i9-13900KF or Ryzen 9-7950X. Hopefully they will come out with these available options in the near future. I like that you don't have to wear earplugs to sit next to the machine like in the past with the older models. If you figure out the throttling issue please make an updated video to this one. Keep up the great work!! 👍
I have the r16 1000w with the i9 14KF and 4090 with 64gb. It gets here in a few days and I’m listing it for sale at a discount price as soon as it gets here. Lmk if you’re interested!!
Hey Ryan thanks for the video. How is the R16 holding up so far? My r15 has had many repairs so far with the system suddenly locking up and fans running at full blast even on fresh windows installs.
You have really good content, thank you. Is it with these newer motherboards you can have 3 Nvme cards or is it only 2? I have a 4TB Nvme card and it keeps failing in staying active. I am using a R13 though Intel build. 12th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-12600KF 3.69 GHz
It's nice to see that alienware built another product where you pay for expensive components and alienware limits them to 2/3 their intended potential.
Nothing to look at inside? You can see how much dust has accumulated inside so that it is time for a dust off. That alone is worth it whether they put the fancy lights in or not. I my opinion anyway.
hi Ryan i ran the time spy on my alienware r13 and with my i712700f and my xfx rx 7900 xt i got a score of 22922 compared to your 21249 just wondering if the the 7900 xt is running a little better then the 4070ti any thoughts ?
Hey, thanks for the review. For CPU, can be a couple of different things; First to make sure the BIOS is up to date, sometimes, due to old BIOS versions, the system is not running to full potential. you can easily update through Alienware Update. Second, check RAM memory speeds are up to the speed they should be. RAM can be a limiting factor as well. Lastly, update also the Windows. Shame they didn't put a 2nd intake fan but I think you can add one pretty easily. Overall seems very solid in terms of performance and temperatures / noise levels. What do you think versus the R15 ? Is there a big difference in terms of noise/quietness of not so much ? Thanks for you replies !
They down-clocked the CPU...actually might be the VRMs...only 12 better boards have like 24...short answer is they throttle the voltage and claim better cooling but at the cost od neutering the CPU..I'd take a free one and strip it for parts...toss the mb and the psu and the memory and ssds are doable.
I applauded Dell / Alienware with their R13-R15 lineup because they looked very unique in comparison to everything else. The Alienware light bar inside was really nice. Hopefully they bring that back. Everyone else is putting their pcs into a rectangular / square box, and it really all just looks the same, and is boring. Alienware was cool because they had something that was different, but now they are following the box bandwagon, and their quality of parts also went down. So, their box design is pushing mediocre, but that doesn’t hurt them really because everyone else is mediocre too. Atleast you still have the Alienware logo 🤷🤦 Yet, this direction of design is somewhat disappointing. The enhanced cooling is respected, but they didnt need to go rectangular like everyone else has. Alienware is supposed to be the gaming pc that is set apart.
Even though I cannot afford this due to being a student. I literally watched this entire video just to know your thoughts and reviews. It's just so chill to watch. Thanks dude, I hope I can get mine like this soon!
I just wish Dell / Alienware would ditch the factory only parts and just use standard ones like how HP has done with their Omen line of gaming Desktops
Oh and for the RGB, previously there was a possibility to disable 3rd applications access to Alienware CC. But I think they disabled that. Maybe in the BIOS ? Or shut down the RGB all together...but yeah pretty idiotic from Dell.
Would this be a good gaming pc? I mainly wanna stream GTA and stuff. I have no PC experience so can't build my own, so I'm trying to find an awesome prebuilt I won't need to update for a while.
The aesthetic weren't my big concern, the RGB settings is not a problem, and for my desktop the case design sits very well. So can I say that I have the PERFECT Gaming PC?
@@RyanYu I don't understand how it can be lower. It's a custom shaped motherboard with proprietary power input sockets (I read it's similar to Intel's ATX12VO but not the same in terms of pinout, and that Lenovo uses exactly the same pinout recently), also a custom made PSU and PC case must be made for it. So it's an extra money for the ODM's engineers. I understand that they could've cheapened out some other parts, but still...
That way u can't fix your stuff and u have to buy new. It's e waste. Lenovo is awesome no proprietary bs period. Got my i9 13900 and 4090 for 2676 after tax and ahipping
@@RyanYu will you be able to do a side to side video comparison (maybe talk about their difference, pro and con too)? wanna see the size difference too. Once again thanks for the replies and awesome video!
Hey man im really attracted to this pc ive had an r12 that just bricked recently and have really been steering away from dell but cant help it with this model, my only gripe with the r12 which i heard was a problem with about every aurora model that ive kept up with until r13 came out. The fans. oh my where the fans loud. I wouldnt be able to play games at max setting above 60 fps without the fans constantly going off , which would make streaming very difficult to do. Have you noticed anything like that since owning it or do you absolutely love it, i must know . Also a follow up question would you say this rig can handle and output games on Odyssey g9 (50 inch monitor 1440p) Thank you 🎉
Google what the "K" and "F" mean in Intel CPU model identifiers - there is no Dell conspiracy here. Dell's AW brand targets an increasingly impressionable and broad consumer market, so pricing and volume of sales has to protect stupid from stupid for it to be viable otherwise they'll get flooded with returns from people who have no idea what they're doing when they mess things up when overclocking.
An almost perfect PC does not come with lots of propriety parts including the PSU and a motherboard that cant be replaced if it fails, unless it is under warranty, because Dell wont sell you one and no third party board will fit in that box. The metal box on the R16 is still the same one Dell have used since the R13, it just has different plastic around it. I agree it is a great PC but people should be aware of the problems they will face if anything fails out of warranty.
Regarding the low CPU score, almost certain its a power throttle. Watch the CPU power at the start of the benchmark, it should be ~200W. Count to 56 and the power will probably plummet. If that is the case, 100% Dell MB/BIOS, not the CPU. The RAM is really bad, slow and loose timings. 4800cl38? vs 6000cl30 that most others are running. Another MB/BIOS issue, even if you have to run 5600cl28 its still a massive improvement.
Got one for free so stripping the ps mb and ram....basic junk...slamming it into a corsair case with better components...benchmarks are out of the stratosphere...alienware is more like dell corporate.
@@RyanYuI disagree. Aside from the huge Alienware markup, you're getting a Dell proprietary motherboard (which can not even overclock for extra cheapness) and power supply so upgrading down the line will be non-existent. On top of that you get a proprietary reskinned case from essentially a 2001 Dell workstation. They do this intentionally to prevent user upgradability and user repairs with standard, non proprietary parts. Please in the future price out a comparable computer using similar standard parts. You're doing your viewers a disservice.
@@TrigTrig I will try that in the future. But I think most of the people buying this will not likely to upgrade, otherwise they will just build themselves a custom PC, but you are right at some points.
@@TrigTrig This is incorrect. The CPU that comes with it, you can't over clock it. Drop in a regular k sku and you would have overclocking enabled in the bios and you can. I tried pcpp when I was shopping and was around $2600. FWIW the 4070ti is $800, 1000w platinum psu is about $250, and the 13900f is around $500.
@@RyanYu I agree. It's not too bad, 200-300 mark up for a fully built PC. Quick guesstimates- The CPU & GPU are $1kish, RAM & PSU $75ish each, Fans & Cooler $100-150ish, case $150ish, MB $75-100ish, SSD $75ish, Software $100+. I personally think this case is much better than that odd old version, and it's all eventually e-waste.
These 13900f systems are the best, getting enough frames on 60 watt CPU's If you build a render / video / 3D MAYA system, don't use it as a work station, do 14900 k in it on high watt !
Great video Sir. When I purchased The R16 ,I immediately new it had to have some RGB Ram so I ordered Tforce DDR5 6400 from Newegg. And A second NVME SSD. It all arrived the same day unbelievably. Before I powered up The R16 I installed the RGB Ram . worked just fine. Im about to get An RGB 240mm AIO just to give the R16 a better aesthetic. I am enjoying The R16 like a kid in candy store, cause it replaced a custom built AMD FX3850 I had for over six years.
not being sponsored by Dell is clearly the biggest con! but for real, at least they are making something better to offer people who do not want to build their own PCs. hoping my 2080 and 9900k and 32 gb of RAM will be enough for Starfield later tonight.. lol all liquid cooled in custom loop with two 360mm radiators so if I have to overclock to 5 ghz I'll be alright.
Regarding your CPU performance limitation . . .I'm guessing that Dell is honoring the 65 W TDP of the non "K" variant of the 13900F. 99.9 percent of anyone who buys one of chips will go into the BIOS and set the TDP to 125W or whatever it is for the "K" variant. This is allowed by Intel and is not overclocking, it's just allowing more power within the stock clock ranges. Terrible waste of a liquid cooler . . . Not sure if the Dell BIOS will allow it.
@@RyanYu You might consider downloading the Intel Power Gadget and rerunning the Cinebench multicore benchmark. It will tell what the power cap is and whether that is the bottleneck. Pretty handy tool.
Do you still have your R16? I bought mine about the same time you made this video. Great video btw. Mine is the same except it has I7 13700F. I think our CPUs perform well below average is the lack of XMP support in BIOS. Intel CPU performance scales with ram speed and lower latencies. The sad thing is it is a 2 dimm motherboard and they are known for being better than 4 dimm boards for ram overclocking.
Had the R16 with 4070 ti and 13700f and the CPU performance was well under performing despite being a silicon lottery winner. I upgraded the PSU and motherboard on my 14900k 4090 rig so got the bright idea of pulling the CPU and GPU out of my R16. According to my Asus mobo the 13700f is an SP 114. Got first place for 4070ti 13700f in timespy, firestrike and 6 other benchmarks. CPU performance is much better in the Asus mobo vs Dell. The GPU is very good except its design dumps its heat directly on the memory sticks. I put it in a Lian Li Lancool3 so it has good airflow unlike R16. When in Dell mobo 13700f would shoot straight to 100c and throttle. It runs much cooler in Asus mobo and never reaches 100c during cinebench r23. My 13700f can run 7200mt memory XMP with latency in the mid 50s in Asus mobo according to Aida 64 extreme., When in Dell mobo can only run 5600mt with latency in 80s. www.3dmark.com/search#advanced?test=spy%20P&cpuId=3051&gpuId=1530&gpuCount=0&gpuType=ALL&deviceType=ALL&storageModel=ALL&memoryChannels=0&country=&scoreType=overallScore&hofMode=false&showInvalidResults=false&freeParams=&minGpuCoreClock=&maxGpuCoreClock=&minGpuMemClock=&maxGpuMemClock=&minCpuClock=&maxCpuClock=@@RyanYu
Because of this review I am getting one as well, I like the honesty. Thank you. I wanted to ask if my configurations for the r16 good for gaming and streaming without issues. Specs are : i7- 13th Gen Intel 4060 GPU 16gb ddr5 1000W Platinum PSU, Dark, Liquid-Cooled CPU & Solid Side Panel What do you think? Edit: I will mostly be playing Valorant, COD and other AAA titles as well as story driven games
Wow… those are terrible scores in the synthetic benchmarks. I hope some updates will improve the performance. I’m glad you posted this review because people are being lured to purchase by the overall low cost.
I am considering switching the graphics card to the plain 4070. Would you recommend against this? Less FPS, but I wonder if the human eye even noticed.@@RyanYu
For the most part it is ok . It starts with some low level noise that goes away after awhile . That is the configuration I am using. I like how the 4070ti handles my games. I use Razer THX for audio enhancement ,it has enough usb ports for my gaming hard drives attached (3) . @@davisterisboss3387
