Alienware Aurora (2025) Review: Space-Age Design, Stellar Speed

The Aurora’s excellent front-panel connectivity includes an audio jack, three USB Type-A ports (all 5Gbps, including one with PowerShare for charging devices while the system is off), and a USB-C port (10Gbps). Positioned midway on the panel, these ports remain conveniently accessible whether the tower is placed on the floor or on a desk.

The front panel I/O on the Alienware Aurora (ACT1250)

(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)

On the rear panel, connectivity includes two USB Type-C ports (one rated at 10Gbps, the other at 20Gbps), four USB Type-A ports (two at 5Gbps and two USB 2.0), and multiple audio jacks: line-in, line-out, and S/PDIF. For networking, the system features Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 radios and a 2.5Gbps Killer E3100G Ethernet port.

The CPU block of the Alienware Aurora (ACT1250)

(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)

Accessing the Aurora’s interior is straightforward: Loosen a screw on the rear retention lever to release the left side panel, which tilts outward and lifts away. Inside, the modern layout features a top-mounted liquid cooling radiator and tool-free access to most components. There are two M.2 slots for SSDs, a bottom-mounted 3.5-inch drive bay, and two DIMM slots supporting up to 64GB of RAM. The GeForce RTX 5070 Ti dominates the lower half of the chassis, leaving no room for additional PCIe expansion. Cable management could be neater, but the black wiring helps keep visual clutter to a minimum. The only notable drawbacks are the proprietary (but replaceable) power supply and case-specific Z890-based motherboard.

The bottom half of the Alienware Aurora (ACT1250) internals

(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)

Airflow in the Aurora is driven by four 120mm fans: one front intake, one rear exhaust, and two more exhaust fans on the radiator. The system runs nearly silent at idle and remains remarkably quiet under gaming loads, blending seamlessly into ambient household noise.



Newsletter Icon

Get Our Best Stories!

All the Latest Tech, Tested by Our Experts


Lab Report Newsletter Image

Sign up for the Lab Report to receive PCMag’s latest product reviews, buying advice, and insights.

By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Thanks for signing up!

Your subscription has been confirmed. Keep an eye on your inbox!

Beyond AlienFX lighting controls, the Alienware Command Center includes basic CPU and GPU overclocking tools and a built-in game library. Outside of standard Windows 11 apps and a handful of utilities, the system arrives with minimal preinstalled software. Our Aurora unit didn’t include a keyboard or mouse, though Dell offers basic wired peripherals at no additional cost. The system comes with a standard one-year warranty.

This article was published by WTVG on 2025-10-16 18:32:00
View Original Post

Shopping cart0
There are no products in the cart!
You may be interested in…
Continue shopping
Scroll to Top