CNET’s expert staff reviews and rates dozens of new products and services each month, building on more than a quarter century of expertise. 7.3 / 10 SCORE Alienware 16 Aurora $1,250 at Dell Pros 16-inch, 2.5K display looks sharp Free M.2 slot to add second SSD User replaceable RAM Cons Throttled RTX 5050 limits frame rates No RGB keyboard backlighting Fuzzy 720p webcam No biometrics for easy, secure logins No Thunderbolt 4 Is the Alienware 16 Aurora worth buying? The short answer is no, no it is not. I understand that its low starting price of $1,100 is tempting and the refined design in a pleasing deep blue hue makes it look better than most gaming laptops at this price, but there's a similar model in Dell's budget-to-midrange Alienware Aurora line that costs only a little more and is a much better value. And that's the Alienware 16X Aurora that I also just reviewed. I would point budget gaming laptop shoppers toward the 16X Aurora if you can stretch your budget closer to $1,500. For an alternative closer in price to the $1,250 Alienware 16 Aurora laptop that I tested, you should check out the Acer Nitro V 16S AI. Alienware 16 Aurora Price as reviewed $1,250 Display size/resolution 16-inch 2,560x1,600 120Hz CPU Intel Core 7 240H Memory 16GB LPDDR5-5600 Graphics 8GB Nvidia GeForce RTX 5050 @ 80W Storage 512GB SSD Ports 2 x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2, 2 x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1, HDMI 2.1, Gigabit Ethernet, combo audio Networking Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 Operating system Windows 11 Home Weight 5.61 lbs (2.54 kg) The Alienware 16 Aurora starts at $1,100 (discounted to $900 at the time of this review) for a system with previous-gen RTX 4050 graphics. The config Dell sent me costs $1,250 for an Intel Core 7 240H, 16GB of RAM, RTX 5050 GPU and a 1TB SSD. There's a Core 9 270H option and RTX 5060 and 5070 options, but it doesn't make sense to pay for these upgrades when you can also get them with the 16X Aurora for only the slightest of premiums. Don't miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source. The Alienware 16 Aurora and 16X Aurora are nearly indistinguishable at first glance, but I discovered a surprising number of differences that put the 16 Aurora at a severe disadvantage. Of the two configurations that I tested, the 16 Aurora is only $200 cheaper than the 16X Aurora and forces you to live with: Slower performance A slower, dimmer display A heavier chassis No RGB backlighting A grainy 720p webcam No Thunderbolt 4 Matt Elliott/CNET It should come as no great shock that the 16 Aurora with a Core 7 240H, 16GB of RAM and an RTX 5050 running at only 80 watts was slower on each our benchmarks than the 16X Aurora with a Core Ultra 7 255HX, 32GB of RAM and an RTX 5060 running at its full 115 watts. The only benchmark that went in the 16 Aurora's favor was our YouTube streaming battery drain test where the 16 Aurora ran for 2.5 hours longer. Scroll down to the end of this page to see the battery life results and the rest of CNET's application and gaming benchmarks. Both the Alienware 16 Aurora and 16X Aurora feature a 16-inch IPS display with a 2,560x1,600-pixel resolution, but that's where the similarities end. The 16 Aurora's display is slower with a 120Hz refresh rate and lower brightness rating of 300 nits. On my tests with a Spyder X Elite colorimeter, the display actually proved to be brighter than its rating, hitting a peak brightness of 347 nits. That figure would be more impressive if the 16X Aurora didn't reach a max of 582 nits. Its color accuracy was inferior to that of the 16X Aurora, and in general colors on the 16 Aurora in games, movies and images didn't look as bright and inviting as I experienced with the 16X Aurora. Color accuracy display tests Alienware 16 Aurora Alienware 16X Aurora sRGB 100% 100% AdobeRGB 76% 87% P3 77% 99% As I do with every laptop I test and review, I placed both laptops on a scale to get a weight and was surprised to see that they weren't the same. The 16 Aurora weighed 5.61 pounds, and the 16X Aurora weighed a bit less at 5.49 pounds. That's not a great difference but is yet another advantage in the 16X Aurora's favor. I'm not a fan of either keyboard -- you can read more details about the overall Aurora design in my 16X Aurora review -- but I like the 16 Aurora's even less than the 16X Aurora's for the simple fact that it lacks RGB backlighting. That should come standard on any gaming laptop, even if it's only single-zone RGB lighting. With the 16 Aurora, you get only the most basic and boring backlighting: white. Matt Elliott/CNET Many budget gaming laptops still feature grainy, poorly balanced 720p webcam, and the 16 Aurora sadly falls into this category while its 16X Aurora sibling comes equipped with a 1080p cam that not only produces a much cleaner image, but also includes an IR sensor for Windows Hello facial recognition logins. And with no fingerprint reader, the 16 Aurora offers no biometrics. Lastly, the 16 Aurora lacks Thunderbolt 4 connectivity, which you get with the 16X Aurora. Instead of speedy 40Gbps data transfers, the 16 Aurora's two USB-C ports top out at 10Gbps. Matt Elliott/CNET Let's end on a positive note: when I opened both Aurora laptops, I found that they each offer the same interior expansion. There's a free M.2 slot to add a second SSD, and the RAM is not soldered to the motherboard but user replaceable, a rarity with today's laptops. Matt Elliott/CNET Is the Alienware 16 Aurora worth buying? If you missed the answer above to this question, I'll repeat it here: No, no it is not. My advice is to spend the extra $200 or so for the Alienware 16X Aurora. And if your budget doesn't stretch that far, then the Acer Nitro V 16S AI is a better choice for $1,300. The biggest disadvantage with the Nitro V 16S AI is its 1,920x1,200-pixel display, which is a step down from the 16 Aurora's 2.5K display. But with a throttled RTX 5050 in the case of the 16 Aurora or a throttled RTX 5060 in the case of the Nitro V 16S AI, you are likely gaming at 1080p/1200p, so you don't necessarily need the 16 Aurora's higher-res display. Hide our expert take Photo Gallery 1/1 How we test computers Photo Gallery 1/1 The review process for laptops, desktops, tablets and other computerlike devices consists of two parts: performance testing under controlled conditions in the CNET Labs and extensive hands-on use by our expert reviewers. This includes evaluating a device's aesthetics, ergonomics and features. A final review verdict is a combination of both objective and subjective judgments. The list of benchmarking software we use changes over time as the devices we test evolve. The most important core tests we're currently running on every compatible computer include Primate Labs Geekbench 6, Cinebench R23, PCMark 10 and 3DMark Fire Strike Ultra. A more detailed description of each benchmark and how we use it can be found on our How We Test Computers page. Hide our expert take Geekbench 6 CPU (multi-core) Alienware 16X Aurora 18587 Lenovo Legion 5i Gen 10 17711 MSI Katana 15 HX B14W 14587 HP Victus Gaming Laptop 16 13501 Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 PHN16-71 13312 Alienware 16 Aurora 13294 Acer Nitro V 16S AI 12787 Acer Nitro 16 AN16-41-R3ZV 10642 Note: Longer bars indicate better performance Geekbench 6 CPU (single-core) Alienware 16X Aurora 2948 Lenovo Legion 5i Gen 10 2895 MSI Katana 15 HX B14W 2738 Alienware 16 Aurora 2716 Acer Nitro V 16S AI 2607 Acer Nitro 16 AN16-41-R3ZV 2587 Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 PHN16-71 2422 HP Victus Gaming Laptop 16 2394 Note: Longer bars indicate better performance Cinebench 2024 CPU (multi-core) Alienware 16X Aurora 1630 Lenovo Legion 5i Gen 10 1407 MSI Katana 15 HX B14W 1220 Alienware 16 Aurora 909 Acer Nitro V 16S AI 867 Note: Longer bars indicate better performance Cinebench 2024 CPU (single-core) Alienware 16X Aurora 129 Lenovo Legion 5i Gen 10 121 MSI Katana 15 HX B14W 117 Alienware 16 Aurora 114 Acer Nitro V 16S AI 104 Note: Longer bars indicate better performance PCMark 10 Pro Edition Lenovo Legion 5i Gen 10 8056 Alienware 16X Aurora 8038 Acer Nitro 16 AN16-41-R3ZV 7660 Acer Nitro V 16S AI 7509 HP Victus Gaming Laptop 16 7038 MSI Katana 15 HX B14W 7024 Alienware 16 Aurora 6868 Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 PHN16-71 6600 Note: Longer bars indicate better performance 3DMark Fire Strike Ultra Lenovo Legion 5i Gen 10 8015 Alienware 16X Aurora 6929 Acer Nitro V 16S AI 6413 MSI Katana 15 HX B14W 6285 Alienware 16 Aurora 5495 Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 PHN16-71 4802 Acer Nitro 16 AN16-41-R3ZV 4541 HP Victus Gaming Laptop 16 4268 Note: Longer bars indicate better performance Shadow of the Tomb Raider (Highest @ 1920 x 1080) Alienware 16X Aurora 184 Lenovo Legion 5i Gen 10 172 MSI Katana 15 HX B14W 155 Acer Nitro V 16S AI 143 Alienware 16 Aurora 139 Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 PHN16-71 136 Acer Nitro 16 AN16-41-R3ZV 126 HP Victus Gaming Laptop 16 107 Note: Longer bars indicate better performance Guardians of the Galaxy (High @ 1920 x 1080) Lenovo Legion 5i Gen 10 195 Alienware 16X Aurora 174 Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 PHN16-71 165 MSI Katana 15 HX B14W 159 Alienware 16 Aurora 151 HP Victus Gaming Laptop 16 141 Acer Nitro V 16S AI 133 Acer Nitro 16 AN16-41-R3ZV 128 Note: Longer bars indicate better performance The Riftbreaker GPU (1920 x 1080) Lenovo Legion 5i Gen 10 306.68 Alienware 16X Aurora 260.11 MSI Katana 15 HX B14W 231.99 Acer Nitro V 16S AI 217.77 Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 PHN16-71 217.55 HP Victus Gaming Laptop 16 198.06 Acer Nitro 16 AN16-41-R3ZV 193.65 Alienware 16 Aurora 171.96 Note: Longer bars indicate better performance Assasin's Creed Shadows (High @ 1920x1080) Alienware 16X Aurora 64 Acer Nitro V 16S AI 62 Lenovo Legion 5i Gen 10 61 MSI Katana 15 HX B14W 53 Alienware 16 Aurora 50 Note: Longer bars indicate better performance F1 24 (Ultra High @ 1920x1080) Alienware 16X Aurora 86 Lenovo Legion 5i Gen 10 82 Acer Nitro V 16S AI 74 Alienware 16 Aurora 69 MSI Katana 15 HX B14W 63 Note: Longer bars indicate better performance Online streaming battery drain test Alienware 16 Aurora 10:05 Acer Nitro 16 AN16-41-R3ZV 9:58 HP Victus Gaming Laptop 16 9:37 Acer Nitro V 16S AI 8:32 Alienware 16X Aurora 7:36 MSI Katana 15 HX B14W 6:14 Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 PHN16-71 6:31 Lenovo Legion 5i Gen 10 5:25 Note: Longer bars indicate better performance